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MEN   OF  VERMONT: 


AN  [LLUSTRATED 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


History  of  Vermonters 


SONS  OF  VERMONT. 


Compiled  bv 

JACOB  G.  ULLERY,  ^ 

•I 

Under  the  Editorial  Supervision  of  HiRAM  A.  HUSE. 


Brattleboro.  Vt.  : 

TRANSCRIPT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

1894.  , 


F  4^ 


Copyright  1894  by  JACOB  G.   ULLERY- 


Printed  by  the  Transcript  Publishing  Cosifanv, 
HoLYOKE,  Mass. 

Engravings  by  the  Process  Etching  and  Engraving  Co.mi 
New  York. 


ALL  BORN  UNDER  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE 

GREEN  MOUNTAINS, 

THIS  BOOK 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


'^ 


PREFACE 


My  first  idea  as  to  this  work  was  tliat  it  should  he  made  up  of  hiographical  sketches 
and  portraits  of  living  Vermonters  and  Sons  of  Vermont  who  had  attained  prominence 
in  the  political,  professional  and  industrial  affairs  of  their  communities ;  and  thus,  through 
her  most  striking  personalities,  bring  out  the  record  of  that  sturdy  and  aggressive  Vermont 
character  (for,  be  it  remembered,  the  Green  Hills  of  Vermont  have  developed  a  distinct 
character)  which  has  made  the  state  famous  as  the  birthplace  and  home  of  a  nation's 
great  men.  No  native  of  any  other  state  has  reason  to  be  prouder  of  his  state  than  a 
Vermonter. 

Such  a  work  had  never  been  attempted;  the  only  previous  effort  in  these  lines  con- 
fined itself  to  a  few  only  of  the  leaders,  thus  leaving,  practically,  an  unexplored  field,  and 
one  rich  in  material  and  valuable  historically. 

As  the  work  progressed  and  possibilities  unfolded,  the  suggestion  was  adopted  that  it 
should  not  be  limited  to  men  now  living,  but  that  it  might  be  made  of  historic  value  and 
interest,  in  certain  lines,  by  including  those  who  were  leaders  in  the  founding  of  the  state, 
and  those  who  had  been  its  Governors,  its  Senators  and  its  Representatives  in  Congress, 
and  its  Judges,  since  its  first  struggles  for  admission  to  the  Union,  when  it  was  a  "  little 
independent  republic."  In  the  preparation  of  this  portion  of  the  work  I  have  endeavored 
to  secure  the  assistance  of  the  men  best  adapted  to  treat  the  subjects  under  consideration, 
and  how  well  this  judgment  was  founded  my  readers  shall  decide. 

That  it  could  not  have  been  made  to  include  all  who  have,  in  past  generations,  made  a 
record  honorable  to  themselves  and  the  state,  is  to  me  a  matter  of  regret,  but  also  of 
necessity,  as  to  cover  the  whole  field  would  require  a  life's  work. 

As  illustration  is  a  demand  of  the  times  and  contributes  so  much  to  the  understanding 
of  biography,  it  has  been  made  a  prominent  feature  in  all  departments  of  this  work,  and 
wherever  possible  I  have  embellished  each  sketch  with  an  engraving  of  the  subject. 

In  Parts  II  and  III  of  the  work  I  have  carried  out  the  original  intention,  excejit  that 
there  have  been  added  to  the  Sons  of  \'ermont  sketches  of  all  Vermonters  who  have  re])re- 
sented  other  states  in  the  National  Congress. 

I  have  labored  faithfully  and  earnestly  to    have    the    work  include  all  who  properly 

come  within  its  scope.      That  the  work  contains    mistakes  of  commission  and  omission 

within  the  lines  of  its  intended  performance,  goes  without  saying ;  but  I  trust  that  as  it 

stands  it  will  be  of  interest  to  the  readers  of  this  day,  and  that  it  will  preserve  something 

of  historic  value  for  the  future. 

J.  G.  U. 

Bratileboro,  April    lo,   1894. 


CONTENTS. 


PART   I. 


Introduction,  by  Redfield  Proctor,                .             .             •             •  ■             .11 

Introduction  to  Historical  Biographies,  by  C.   H.  Davenport,            .  •                '7 

The  Fathers,  .....••■         20 

The  Governors,      .             .             .             .              •              •              •  ■                7' 

Senators  in  Congress,               .             .             .              •              •  •             .104 

Representatives  in  Congress,          .              .              .              .              •  •              '27 

Introduction  to  Judges  of  -ihe  Supreme  Court,  by  Hiram  A.  Huse,  .             .160 

Biographies  of  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,      .             .              .  •              i6y 

Vermont  Inventors,  by  Levi  K.  Fuller,       .             .              .              •  •             •       '9' 

Queer  Characters,  by  Hiram  A.  Huse,             .             .             .             •  ■             'O^ 


PART  11. 
Biographies  of  Vermonters,  A.  I).   i892-'94, 


PART  111. 

B10GR.APHIES  OF  Sons  of  Vermont,  .  .  ■  •  •  •  '-'75 


J 


Ir—L^X, 


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cp-i/^u^    IX v^  Cii^i^x-  c/l    Ciylci.  v-^L-^ 


INTRODUCTION. 


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iNjRiiiirt.nox. 


INTRODI"CTinX. 


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PART  I 


HISTORICAL  BIOGRAPHIES. 


BY  CHARLES  H.  DAVENPORT. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Vermont  has  always  been  a  nursery  of  remarkable  men.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge  had  an 
article  in  the  Century  Magazine  of  September,  1891,  giving  analytic  tables  of  the  birth- 
places and  race  descent  of  men  whose  names  appear  in  the  biographical  dictionaries,  that 
might  at  first  view  seem  to  discredit  this  statement,  for  it  shows  no  more— hardly  as  many 
— from  Vermont,  than  her  proportion  according  to  population.  But  this  calculation  neces- 
sarily credited  to  other  states,  chiefly  Connecticut,  where  they  were  born,  the  fathers  of 
Vermont ;  the  men  who  made  one  of  the  most  romantic  and  inspiring  chapters  of  modern 
history,  and  whose  pioneer  achievements,  along  some  most  important  lines  in  humanity's 
upward  progress,  were  made  as  Vermonters  and  in  connection  with  Vermont — a  natural 
evolution  out  of  Vermont  conditions.  It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  ^'ermont  is  one  of 
the  young  states.  It  is  but  little  over  a  century  since  her  career  began.  As  we  measure 
generations,  there  have  been  only  three,  native  born  to  her  soil,  from  which  men  of  distinc- 
tion could  come  in  season  to  be  counted  in  Mr.  Lodge's  computation.  Making  due 
allowance  for  these  facts,  and  for  the  smallness  of  her  population,  the  Vermont  crop  of  big 
men,  doing  their  work  at  home  or  contributed  to  other  states,  other  countries  and  fields,  is 
proportionately  larger  than  that  of  any  other  state  in  the  LTnion. 

The  physiologist  and  the  psychologist  alike  have  in  this  field  an  interesting  line  of 
thought.  There  are,  in  the  rich  soil  and  verdure,  that  wrung  the  words  "  Veni  Monf  from 
Champlain,  as  he  first  viewed  it,  in  the  pure  water  and  bracing  air,  elements  and  influences 
that  have  given  a  superiority  to  Vermont  products  as  recognized  in  all  the  markets,  and  have 
made  her  an  exceptional  breeding  ground  for  fine  horses  and  catde  and  sheep,  of  qualities 
of  genuine  and  stable  usefulness  rather  than  fancy  value.  These  elements  and  influences 
have  had  a  hke  effect  in  the  rearing  of  the  human  animal.  On  the  moral  and  intellectual 
side,  the  effect  of  environment,  especially  of  a  mountainous  scenery,  is  seen  even  greater 
than  with  the  people  of  Switzerland,  because  of  a  more  variegated  picturesqueness  ;  produc- 
ing a  race  of  sturdy,  robust,  original,  clear- thinking  and  right-reasoning  about  man's  relation 
to  man,  all  along  up  the  rugged  heights  that  reach  towards  the  eternal  problems. 


THE    FATHERS. 


It  was  said  by  Dr.  Dwight,  during  the  early  contests,  that  the  \ermont  settlers  were 
made  up  of  L' niversalists  and  infidels.  This  was  an  extreme  and  intolerant  way  of  stating 
the  fact  that  it  was  men  of  independent  mould  and  bold  thought,  that  were  attracted  to 
Vermont,  and  that  the  surroundings  here  were  such  as  developed  these  characteristics.  But 
it  also  included  a  statement  that  is  full  of  meaning  and  that  could  hardly  be  made  of  any 
other  pioneer  settlements  or  of  any  immigration  not  purely  religious  in  its  motives,  that  the 


I  8  HISTORICAL    BIOGRAPHIES. 

men  who  came  to  \'ermont  were  men  interested  in  the  subjects  that  engage  the  highest 
thought  of  man.  We  find  their  philosophy  compressed  into  a  sentence  in  the  instructions 
of  the  committee  of  twenty  towns  at  Westminster  in  June,  1775  :  "All  civil  power  under 
God  is  in  the  people."  While  their  ideas  stood  to  a  certain  extent  for  emancipation  from 
the  narrowness  and  dogmatism  of  that  time,  no  people  ever  made  a  more  generous  and 
cheerful  provision  for  religion  than  they,  as  the  events  of  the  next  few  years  showed.  There 
was  in  the  good  doctor's  bigoted  exaggeration,  after  all,  the  key  to  much  of  the  \'ermont 
character  and  development. 

Human  motives,  of  course,  played  their  part  in  the  story  of  Vermont,  as  they  do  every- 
where. There  was  land  speculation  mixed  with  patriotism.  There  was  lawlessness  growing 
out  of  some  of  the  reasoning  about  a  "state  of  nature,"  in  which  Ethan  Allen  and  his  com- 
peers were  fond  of  finding  the  roots  of  our  institutions.  There  was  overreaching  in  some 
of  the  contests  with  "Yorkers."  There  was  some  manipulation  of  men  on  their  baser  side 
to  strengthen  the  cause  of  the  new  state.  There  was  perhaps  a  little  too  much  of  the 
Napoleonic  ideal  of  statesmanship  in  the  Haldimand  negotiations.*  But  in  the  aggregate, 
in  the  large  survey  that  gives  the  little  hillocks  of  imperfection  only  their  right  proportion, 
the  early  history  of  Vermont  is  one  the  student  can  leave  only  with  admiration  that 
approaches  reverence,  for  the  courage  that  braved  the  most  tremendous  odds,  the  shrewd- 
ness that  mastered  the  most  complicated  difficulties,  the  large  comprehension  of  basic  prin- 
ciples that  made  the  work  of  the  fathers  of  the  state  broadest  and  most  enduring,  as  well  as 
of  the  most  progressive  character. 

Consider  the  situation.  With  a  population  of  only  about  three  hundred  families  in  the 
beginning,  and  not  over  one-tenth  of  that  of  New  York  at  the  end,  the  Vermonters  were 
defying  the  whole  power  of  that  state,  fighting  for  their  very  homes,  on  what  their  greatest 
jurist,  Nathaniel  Chipman,  always  feared  would  never  stand  the  legal  test  as  titles,  but 
which  were  indisputable  morally.  Then  as  the  Revolution  approached,  they  took  the  lead  in 
braving  the  powers  of  the  Crown.  They  shed  the  first  blood  for  America  at  Westminster, 
for  the  issues  back  of  that  massacre  were  substantially  those  of  the  Revolution  They  won 
the  first  decisive  victory  and  achieved  the  first  lowering  of  the  British  flag  at  Ticonderoga. 
They  entered  enthusiastically  and  probably  with  a  greater  unanimity  than  any  other  people 
in  the  country,  into  the  cause  of  the  colonies,  and  they  wrung  from  Burgoyne  the  tribute 
that  described  them  as  the  "most  active  and  rebellious  race  on  the  continent,  that  hangs  like 
a  gathering  storm  upon  my  left."  They,  or  their  leaders,  did  some  important  and  never 
fully  appreciated  work  in  negotiation  with  Indians  and  in  securing  alliances,  or  at  least 
neutrality,  from  tribes  at  the  north  and  the  west.  They  took  the  lead  of  all  the  states  in 
strengthening  the  resources  of  the  Revolution — Ira  Allen's  bold  conception — by  confiscating 
the  estates  of  the  Tories.  They  organized  and  largely  fought  the  turning  point  battle  of  the 
war  at  Bennington.  While  Burgoyne's  army  was  marching  down  upon  their  borders  they 
adopted  at  \Yindsor  the  constitution  of  the  state,  the  purest  conception  of  democracy,  the 
best  formulation  of  man's  rights,  that  the  world  had  seen  up  to  that  time.  The  Pennsylvania 
constitution  was  the  model  to  a  considerable  extent ;  but  this  document,  the  work  of  an 
assemblage  of  unlettered  farmers,  with  probably  not  a  lawyer  nor  a  college  graduate  among 
them,  of  men  who  had  thought  out  the  principles  of  government  while  at  work  in  their  fields 
or  in  felling  forests,  went  far  beyond  the  Pennsylvania  constitution  in  its  reach  for  great 
truth,  engrafted  upon  the  model  a  large  number  of  what  seemed  to  be  the  most  radical 
ideas  at  that  time,  caught  from  across  the  waters  the  light  of  the  mighty  philosophic  thought 
that  was  beginning  to  stir  Europe,  and  produced  a  constitution  that  for  its  practical  sagacity 
as  well  as  its  enlightened  scope  must  command  the  admiration  of  the  ages — a  constitution 
that  was  the  first  in  modern  times  to  put  the  ban  on  slavery — a  constitution  that  advanced 
beyond  the  thought  of  Penn  and  of  the  great  Franklin  in  securing  compensation  for 
private  property  taken  for  public  uses,  in  guarding  the  right  of  hunting  and  fishing  against 

*Bonaparte  said  about  one  of  his  ablest  antagonists :      "Metternich  approaches  being  a 
Though  a  caustic  reference,  there  was  a  Napoleonic  conception  back  of  it. 


HISTORICAI.    HIIIGRAI'HIES.  I9 

■exclusive  privilege,  in  placing  the  right  of  governing  internal  [jolice  as  inherent  in  the  peo- 
ple, and  in  provision  against  hasty  enactment  of  laws — a  constitution  under  which  the  little 
state  grew  and  prospered  as  an  independent  little  republic  for  fourteen  years. 

And  it  was  all  done  under  constantly  multiplying  difficulties.  Not  only  were  the  Ver- 
monters  at  war  with  New  York  and  the  mother  country,  but  they  soon  found  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Massachusetts  laying  claim  to  their  territory,  and  not  only  that,  but  plans  forming 
while  Congress  refused  to  recognize  them  as  a  state,  to  divide  them  up  on  the  line  of  the 
mountains  between  New  York  and  New  Hampshire,  and  secession  schemes  fomenting  for 
the  formation  of  a  new  state  out  of  parts  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  while  at  the 
same  time  a  large  section  of  the  people  of  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state  were  in  revolt 
against  their  authority.  All  the  conditions  of  disintegration  into  anarchy  seemed  to  be 
present,  and  it  was  while  these  were  at  their  height  that  Congress,  very  likely  with  the  idea 
of  forcing  the  plucky  mountaineers  to  submission — even  while  they  had  a  regiment  fighting 
for  the  common  cause  in  the  Continental  army  and  were  advancing  the  money  to  pay  the 
troops  because  Congress  could  not,  vide  resolve  of  June  9,  1780 — withdrew  all  protection, 
even  to  the  last  piece  of  ordnance  and  the  last  camp  kettle  from  the  Vermont  borders,  and 
left  the  state  defenceless  before  the  invasion  organizing  in  Canada.  The  shrewd  and  mas- 
terful tactics  of  the  .-Xllens,  Chittenden  and  the  rest  were  equal  to  the  emergency  on  every 
side.  They  paralyzed  the  schemes  of  New  York  and  New  Hampshire  by  coolly  incorporating 
into  Vermont  portions  of  those  states,  under  the  names  of  the  East  and  West  unions.  They 
kept  an  army  of  10,000  men  idle  and  useless  in  Canada  through  three  campaigns  by  ]ire- 
tending  to  negotiate  for  a  return  to  allegiance  to  England  — about  the  most  skillfully 
prolonged  deception  that  history  records,  and  they  used  the  fact  of  this  negotiation  as  a 
•club  to  deter  Congress  from  taking  action  to  crush  them.  They  steadily  fortified  them- 
selves against  such  an  attempt  by  judicious  land  grants  to  officers  of  the  Continental  army, 
until,  when  an  invasion  of  the  state  under  authority  of  Congress  was  discussed,  Washington 
had  to  confess  that  he  couldn't  depend  on  his  army  for  such  work.  From  a  beginning 
with  the  famous  "beech  seal"  discipline  of  intruders  on  their  land  under  color  of  New- 
York  titles,  they  organized  well  and  permanently  the  machinery  of  justice  :  even  in  their 
outlawry,  while  defying  all  outside  authority,  they  respected  and  observed  the  principles  of 
law  and  of  the  jury  system,  as  in  the  Redding  case.  They  gave  an  administration  whose 
taxes  were  so  low  as  to  make  the  people  of  adjoining  territories  anxious  to  join  them  ;  this 
was  the  secret  of  the  East  and  West  unions.  They  developed  from  their  healthful  sense  of 
right,  many  ideas  in  legislation  that  are  well  worth  the  attention  of  history.  The  "quieting 
act"  to  finally  settle  land  titles,  which  Governor  Chittenden  finally  pushed  to  enactment 
over  the  opposition  of  nearly  all  the  lawyers,  led  the  state  by  the  path  of  equity  out  of  diffi- 
culties and  confusion  that  were  simply  inextricable  and  insoluble  through  the  precedents  and 
procedure  of  law,  and  did  it  all  by  applying  the  simple  rule  of  justice.  Much  attention  is 
being  given  by  publicists  of  late  years  to  the  Swiss  system  of  "Referendum,"  as  a  guard 
against  some  of  the  worst  evils  and  dangers  of  representative  government.  Early  Vermont 
history  contains  some  striking  examples  of  the  benefits  of  it.  The  most  notable  was  that 
which  disposed  of  the  paper  money  question.  The  delusion  was  having  a  great  run  ;  people 
everywhere  were  harassed  with  debt ;  executions  were  thick  and  multiplying  ;  cheap  money 
seemed  to  be  an  easy  way  out  of  the  trouble  ;  legislators,  taking  it  for  granted,  as  they  always 
do,  that  what  appealed  to  the  selfish  interests  of  their  constituents  would  be  popular,  were 
eager  to  pass  a  paper  money  bill.  Nathaniel  Chipman,  simply  because  he  saw  it  could  not 
be  defeated  in  the  Legislature,  proposed  a  submission  to  popular  vote.  The  result  was  that 
the  cheap  money  scheme,  supposed  to  be  so  popular  because  people  were  about  all  debtors, 
was  overwhelmingly  defeated.  Vermont  escaped  the  evil  which  wrought  such  disaster  in 
nearly  all  the  other  states,  and  in  this  action  largely  lay  the  secret  of  her  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  prosperity  in  the  next  two  or  three  decades.  It  was  a  fine  demonstration  of  the 
great  principle  that  the  truth  lies  more  safely  with  majorities  than  anywhere  else  in  human 
affairs. 


ALLEN,  Ethan.— Typical  of  the  times, 
the  people,  and  the  conditions,  were  the 
character  and  career  of  the  man  whose  statue, 
by  common  consent,  stands  with  that  of 
Collamer  in  Statuary  Hall  at  Washington  as 
the  representative  Vermonter — Ethan  Allen, 
"The  Robin  Hood  of  Vermont,"  Mr.  Henry 
Hall  calls  him,  and  the  figure,  because  of  its 
own  proportions  and  of  its  historic  settings, 
is  necessarily  a  romantic  one — Ethan  Allen, 
a  born  leader  of  men,  with  power  to  inspire 
and  enthuse,  to  sway  and  guide,  such  as  the 
great  leaders  of  history  have  had.  A\'here- 
ever  he  was  placed  he  impressed  with  his 
potent  personality.  Washington  wrote  of  him, 
after  their  first  interview  :  "  There  is  an  orig- 
inal something  in  him  that  commands  admi- 
ration." It  was  a  something  whose  presence 
that  great  commander  felt,  besides  the  "for- 
titude and  firmness  and  patriotic  zeal "  and 
the  other  qualities  that  he  could  see  and  an- 
alyze— a  something  that  left  deep  and  indeli- 
ble lines  on  our  institutions,  though  Ethan 
Allen  had  so  little  part  in  the  formal  framing 
of  them.  Gov.  Hiland  Hall  truly  said  ;  "It 
is  impossible  to  tell  what  the  result  of  the 
dispute  with  New  York  would  have  been  with- 
out Allen's  aid."  Bold,  enterprising,  ready 
and  resourceful,  fertile  in  daring  exploits,  full 
of  confidence  in  his  own  powers  of  mind  and 
body,  ready  of  wit,  with  a  singular  faculty  of 
forceful  epigrammatic  expression,  chivalric  in 
bearing  and  itnpulse,  handsome  of  face  and 
form,  remarkable  for  his  physical  strength 
and  endurance,  a  good  judge  of  men,  a 
natural  orator  who  could  address  a  court  or 
a  multitude  with  equal  skill  and  effect,  pa- 
triotic always  in  purpose  and  thoroughly 
grounded  in  democratic  faith,  Ethan  Allen 
was  remarkably  well  fitted  for  the  part  he 
played  in  life. 

Ethan  Allen  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn., 
Jan.  lo,  1737,  though  three  other  towns, 
Woodbury,  Cornwall  and  Salisbury,  have 
been  claimed  as  his  birthplace.  The  blood 
was  Anglo-Saxon,  blending  with  a  strain  of 
the  Norse,  and  Samuel  Allen,  one  of  two 
brothers  who  came  to  Chelmsford  in  1632, 
was  the  .American  progenitor.  Ethan  .Allen's 
father  was  Joseph  Allen,  a  farmer  in  moder- 
ate circumstances  but  of  good  character,  and 
his  mother,  Mary  Baker,  and  his  three 
brothers,  Heman,  Hebar  and  Ira,  filled 
leading  parts  in  the  formation  of  Vermont, 
as  did  also  another  for  a  time,  Levi,  who 
finally  turned  Tory.  Remember  Baker  was 
their  cousin,  and  also  a  cousin  by  marriage 
of  Seth  Warner. 

Ethan  married  for  his  first  wife,  Mary 
Brovvnson,  so  that  there  was  quite  an  exten- 
sive relationship  among  the  leaders  of  our 


early  settlement.  It  is  said  that  Ethan 
started  to  fit  for  college  under  the  tutorship 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Lee,  of  Salisbury,  but  the  death 
of  his  father  left  the  family  so  poor  that 
he  had  to  give  it  up.  It  is  evident  from  his 
earlier  writings  in  the  Vermont  controversy 
that  his  education  had  been  very  defective, 
but  his  productions  show  the  effects  of  con- 
stant effort  at  self-improvement  all  through 
his  maturer  years.  But  these  very  lacks 
probably  contributed  to  his  peculiar  great- 
ness ;  for  they  compelled  a  concentration 
of  reading  and  thought,  so  that  his  naturally 
vigorous  mind  thoroughly  assimilated  what 
it  got  hold  of;  especially  his  knowledge  of 
the  scripture  embellished  and  strengthened 
his  rude  eloquence.  His  career  could  never 
have  been  a  commonplace  one. 

He  was  early  a  man  of  enterprise  in  Con- 
necticut. In  1762,  when  he  was  only  twen- 
ty-five, he  entered  with  three  others  into  the 
iron  business  at  Salisbury.  He  afterwards 
lived  at  Sheffield,  the  southwest  corner  town 
of  Massachusetts.  In  1764  he  bought  a  part 
of  a  tract  of  land  on  Mine  Hill,  in  Roxbury, 
which  contained  a  remarkable  deposit  of 
spathic  iron  ore,  and  large  sums  were  spent 
in  trying  to  develop  it  as  a  silver  mine.  Ex- 
cepit  for  these  glimpses  of  his  business  under- 
takings, in  farming,  mining  and  casting  iron- 
ware, little  is  known  of  him  until  he  came 
to  the  New  Hampshire  grants  about  1769. 
He  had,  in  the  three  or  four  years  previous, 
spent  much  time  in  exploring  the  grants  for 
the  purpose  of  locating  lands.  He  first  set- 
tled at  Bennington,  but  afterwards  lived  at 
four  other  places,  Arlington,  Sunderland,  and 
Tinmouth  until  he  settled  at  Burlington,  where 
he  died.  He  immediately  became  a  leader 
among  the  settlers  in  their  land  controversy 
with  New  York.  The  grounds  of  that  contro- 
versy in  their  historical  and  legal  bearings 
need  not  here  be  discussed.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  practical  moralities  were  with  the 
settlers  under  the  New  Hampshire  grants. 
They  had  taken  the  lands  and  improved 
them  under  what  they  had  a  fair  right  to  re- 
gard as  good  titles  and  grants,  under  the  au- 
thority of  the  Crown.  When  the  jurisdiction 
was  decided  to  belong  to  New  York  it  ought 
not  to  have  carried  with  it  any  change  in  the 
titles  of  bona  fide  settlers  and  purchasers, 
and  if  it  had  not,  as  was  at  first  supposed 
would  be  the  case,  there  would  have  been  no 
trouble.  Such  a  sense  of  equity  as  that  of 
Chittenden  and  Chipman  a  few  years  later, 
in  the  "quieting  act"  to  settle  titles  under 
Vermont  authority,  would  have  ended  the 
controversy  in  a  twinkling.  But  the  fact 
of  their  settlement  and  improvement  of  these 
lands  had  increased  values  to  tempt  cupidity 


and  the  hea\y  tees  which  each  ,a:rant  yieldcti 
to  the  colonial  officials  of  New  \'ork,madeit 
an  object  to  feed  this  cupidity.  The  New 
York  grants  were  chiefly  in  large  tracts,  and 
it  was  in  fact,  as  the  \'ernionters  claimed, 
mainly  a  struggle  between  land  jobbers  and 
genuine  husbandmen.  Allen  reached  the 
marrow  of  the  controversey  when  he  wrote  in 
one  of  his  pamphlets  ;  "The  transferring  and 
alienation  of  property  is  a  sacred  prerogative 
of  the  owner — Kings  and  Governors  can- 
not inter-meddle  therewith  ;  common  sense 
teaches  common  law."  He  studied  the  sub- 
ject exhaustively,  knew  it  in  all  its  relations, 
collected  a  great  mass  of  historical  and  docu- 
mentary evidence  and  before  the  end  was 
reached  he  had  written  a  series  of  pamphlets 
whose  vigorous  sledge  hammer  arguments 
had  convinced  the  world  of  the  justice  of  the 
Vermont  cause,  and  in  this  way  gave  it  the 
vitality  that  enabled  it  to  prevail  through 
difficulties  almost  unexampled.  He  was  not 
alone  in  defending  the  claim  of  the  settlers 
with  the  pen,  but  there  will  be  no  disagree- 
ment in  according  to  him  the  chief  distinc- 
tion among  them  all.  Most  of  his  articles 
were  published  in  the  Hartford  Courant,  then 
the  ofificial  organ  of  the  state,  as  Vermont  at 
that  time  had  no  printing  press  ;  but  some 
appeared  in  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette, 
and  a  few  in  handbills. 

At  the  very  inception  of  the  controversy, 
when  he  had  been  upon  the  grants  but  a  few 
months,  he  was  selected  for  an  agent  to 
defend  the  New  York  suits  against  the  set- 
tlers, and  went  to  New  Hampshire  and  got 
copies  of  Governor  Wentworth's  commis- 
sions and  instructions  from  the  King.  Then 
he  engaged  Jared  Ingersoll  of  Connecticut 
as  counsel,  and  in  June,  1770,  appeared  at 
Albany  to  answer  in  a  suit  of  ejectment  by  a 
New  York  claimant  against  a  settler.  The 
judge,  Livingston,  was  a  patentee  under  New 
York  grants,  interested  directly  or  indirectly 
in  30,000  acres.  So  were  the  attorneys  and 
court  ofificers,  nearly  all,  and  a  fair  consider- 
ation of  the  case  was  the  last  thing  they  pro- 
posed to  permit.  All  of  .^lien's  documents 
and  deeds  under  New  Hampshire  authority 
were  simply  excluded  as  evidence,  and  the 
verdict  was  against  him  as  arranged.  After- 
wards some  gentlemen  called  on  him  at  his 
hotel,  and  representing  how  desperate  the 
case  was,  urged  him  to  go  home  and  ad\ise 
his  friends  to  make  the  best  terms  they  could. 
He  coolly  replied,  "  The  gods  of  the  valleys 
are  not  the  gods  of  the  hills."  .\sked  his 
meaning,  he  told  them  that  if  they  would 
come  to  Bennington  it  should  be  made  clear. 
There  is  a  New  York  yarn  that  he  promised 
to  do  as  advised  ;  but  the  facts  of  history  all 
go  to  contradict  it,  and  the  evidence  is  that 
he  was  offered  land  grants  for  himself  and 
appointments  to  office  imder  New  \"ork  au- 


thority if  he  would  use  his  influence,  which 
was  already  recognized  to  be  considerable,  to 
support  the  New  \'ork  side.  He  spurned 
the  offer,  as  he  always  did  all  through  his  life, 
every  attempt  to  induce  him  to  betray  a 
cause  in  which  he  was  engaged. 

Then  began  the  long  struggle  between  the 
two  jurisdictions,  not  to  be  finally  settled  for 
eighteen  years,  during  the  first  few  of  which, 
after  New  Hampshire  had  abandoned  them, 
the  settlers  were  practically  without  govern- 
ment, except  such  as  they  improvised  for 
their  towns,  acknowledging  no  other  author- 
ity and  no  other  allegiance  except  such  as 
they  agreed  to  among  themselves,  for  mutual 
protection.  The  sheriff  of  Albany  county 
repeatedly  came  with  posses  of  from  300  to 
700  men  to  dispossess  the  farmers,  but  always 
without  success,  doubtless  because  the  bor- 
dering people  of  New  York,  from  whom  the 
posses  had  to  be  recruited,  had  no  heart  in 
the  work  and  no  sympathy  except  for  their 
fellow-farmers  whom  greedy  aristocrats  in 
the  cities  were  using  the  law  to  dri\e  out  of 
their  homes.  The  story  has  often  been  told 
of  the  raid  on  the  farm  of  James  Breaken- 
ridge,  at  Bennington,  and  its  successful  re- 
pulse without  the  firing  of  a  gun.  Here, 
Mr.  Hall  says,  was  really  born  the  future 
state  of  Vermont.  Allen  was  the  leader  of 
this  resistance  before  and  after  it  took  organ- 
ized form.  When  the  military  organization 
was  formed,  towards  the  close  of  1771,  and 
Allen  was  elected  colonel,  with  Seth  W'arner, 
Remember  Baker,  Robert  Cochrane  and  Gid- 
eon Olin  captains,  this  regiment  took  the 
name  of  "Green  Mountain  Boys,"  in  derision 
and  defiance  of  Governor  Tryon  of  New  York, 
aftersvards  the  Tory  leader,  who  had  threat- 
ened to  "drive  the  settlers  from  their  farms 
into  the  Green  Mountains."  They  repeat- 
edly drove  off  the  New  York  authorities. 
They  protected  one  another  from  arrest. 
They  took  in  hand  and  disciplined  anybody 
that  ventured  to  survey  or  occupy  lands  un- 
der New  York  titles.  Their  method  was 
generally  that  of  the  "beech  seal,"  or,  as 
Allen  humorously  described  it,  a  "chastise- 
ment with  the  twigs  of  the  wilderness,  the 
growth  of  the  land  they  coveted." 

The  New  York  government,  met  and 
beaten  at  every  point,  in  the  winter  of 
i77i-'72  offered  a  reward  of  ^150  for  the 
capture  of  Allen  and  ^^50  for  Baker  and  the 
others.  .Allen,  Baker  and  Cochrane  ])romptly 
met  this  with  a  counter  proclamation,  dated 
at  Poultney,  Feb.  5,  1772,  reciting  that 
"  whereas  James  Duane  and  John  Kempe  of 
New  York  (prominent  lawyers  and  advocates 
of  New  York's  claims)  have  by  their  men- 
aces and  threats  greatly  disturbed  the  public 
])eace  and  rejiose  of  the  honest  peasants  of 
Bennington  and  the  settlements  to  the  north- 
ward, *  *  *  any  person  that  will  apprehend 


these  common   disturbers   shall    have    /[i^ 
reward  for  Duane  and  ^lo  for  Kempe." 

Allen's  personal  comment  on  the  act  of 
outlawry  was  this  ;  "  They  may  sentence  us 
to  be  hung  for  refusing  to  voluntarily  place 
our  necks  in  the  halter,  but  how  will  the 
fools  manage  to  hang  a  Green  Mountain 
Boy  before  they  catch  him?"  An  anecdote 
is  told  in  this  connection  that  illustrates  his 
extraordinary  daring  and  his  power  to  awe 
'  men.  Fears  were  expressed  for  his  safety 
after  this  act  of  outlawry.  He  offered  a  bet 
that  he  would  go  to  .Albany  and  to  the  most 
prominent  hotel,  drink  a  bowl  of  punch  and 
come  back  unharmed.  .And  he  did  it.  When 
he  reached  the  city  and  the  hotel,  he  alighted 
deliberately  from  his  horse,  called  for  his 
punch  and  drank  it,  while  the  word  flew 
round,  "  Ethan  .Allen  is  in  the  city,"  bring- 
ing a  large  concourse  of  people,  among  them 
the  sheriff  of  .Albany  county  himself.  It  was 
worth  S750,  in  those  days  of  scarcity  of 
money,  to  anybody  that  would  take  him,  but 
they  all  stood  gaping  and  wondering,  while 
.Allen  leisurely  enjoyed  his  punch,  walked 
out,  mounted  his  horse,  and  giving  a  "  huzza 
for  the  (Ireen  Mountains,"  rode  off.  On 
another  occasion,  which  Thompson  describes 
interestingly  in  his  tale  of  the  "  Creen  Moun- 
tain Boys,"  .Allen,  while  hunting  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Champlain,  stopped  over  night  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Richards.  .A  party  of  six 
soldiers  from  Crown  Point  opposite,  fully 
armed,  determined  to  arrest  him  for  the 
sake  of  the  reward.  .Allen  drank  with  them 
boisterously  and  got  them  well  soaked,  while 
he  simulated  worse  intoxication  himself,  and 
he  and  his  companions,  having  been  warned 
by  Mrs.  Richards,  silentlv  raised  a  window 
and  escaped. 

These  years  were  full  of  adventures  like 
these,  the  expeditions  against  Clarendon,  to 
breakup  its  "  hornets  nest "  of  Yorkers,  the 
raid  on  Colonel  Reed's  Scotchmen  along  the 
Otter  Creek,  the  trials  of  Benjamin  Spencer, 
Benjamin  Hough,  and  Jacob  Marsh  for  ac- 
cepting commissions  as  judge  and  justices 
in  disregard  of  the  order  in  council  that  no 
citizen  should  do  any  official  act  under  New 
York  authority,  the  offering  of  the  Bennington 
county  Yorkers'  house  as  "  a  burnt  sacrifice 
to  the  gods  of  the  woods  in  burning  the  logs 
of  his  house,"  as  ."^llen  quaintly  told  him — 
these  are  only  a  few  of  the  incidents  that 
have  come  down  to  us.  I'he  size  and  the 
intensity  of  the  struggle  are  illustrated  by 
Allen's  declaration,  perhaps  e.xaggerated,  in 
a  letter  to  Governor  Tryon  in  1772,  that 
over  1,500  families  had  been  ejected  from 
their  homes  and  the  "writs  come  thicker  and 
faster."  "  Nobody,"  he  adds,  with  a  recur- 
rence to  first  principles,  "  can  be  supposed 
under  law  if  law  does  not  protect." 

Out  of  all  this  struggle  was  evolved,  in  i  774, 


an  interesting  scheme  of  which  .Allen  was  a 
leading  advocate,  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
colony  to  include  the  grants  and  stretch  west 
and  north  of  the  Mohawk  river  to  Lake 
Ontario.  The  capitol  was  to  be  Skeenes- 
borough,  now  \\'hitehall,  and  Col.  Phillip 
Skeene  was  to  be  the  Governor.  He  had 
gone  to  England  to  urge  the  project  upon  the 
ministry  when  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution 
upset  all  plans. 

.After  the  Westminster  massacre  a  meeting 
of  committees  was  held  at  that  place  which 
passed  resolutions  to  renounce  and  resist 
the  authority  of  New  York  "until  such  times 
as  life  and  property  might  be  secured  by  it, 
or  until  the  matter  could  be  laid  before  the 
Crown  and  the  people  taken  out  of  so  oppres- 
sive a  jurisdiction  and  annexed  to  some  other 
government  or  erected  into  a  new  one."  .Al- 
len and  Col.  John  Hazeltine  of  TowMishend 
and  Charles  Phelps  of  Marlboro  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  prepare  a  remon- 
strance and  petition  to  King  George  in  ac- 
cordance with  these  resolutions,  but  the  rapid 
march  of  events  left  no  taste  or  opportunity 
for  such  work.  The  petition  was  never  pre- 
pared, and  the  resolutions  were  the  last  pub- 
lic expression  of  loyalty  to  the  Crown  that 
ever  came  from  Vermont. 

The  Westminster  massacre  occurred  March 
i3>  i/TSi  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Con- 
cord April  19,  and  Ticonderoga  was  cap- 
tured May  10.  In  these  opening  days  of 
the  Revolutionary  struggle  .Allen  was  among 
the  most  active  of  the  patriots.  Ever  the 
unyielding  advocate  of  the  rights  of  man  and 
a  foe  of  oppression  of  all  kinds,  the  issues  of 
the  Re\olution  were  in  close  line  with  those 
upon  which  he  had  been  thinking  and  writ- 
ing for  the  past  five  years,  and  they  were  a 
kind  to  enlist  all  the  sympathy  and  arouse 
all  the  ambition  of  a  nature  like  his,  while 
the  Westminster  affair  had  given  the  subject 
a  practical  personal  interest  to  him  and  to 
all  ^■ermonters.  He  plunged  into  the  patri- 
otic work  with  a  promptness,  a  resolution 
and  farsightedness  of  plans  that  ought  to 
have  made  him  one  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  struggle  and  probably  would  but  for  the 
misadventure  at  Montreal.  He  early  dis- 
patched messengers  with  characteristic  let- 
ters, to  win  over  the  Indians  to  the  side  of 
the  colonies,  or  at  least  to  neutrality,  and 
thereby  he  did  an  important  service  to  the 
cause  which  did  not  cease  entirely  to  be  felt 
until  the  end  of  the  w-ar.  Many  of  the  red 
men  were  induced  to  come  to  Newbury,, 
some  to  settle  and  some  to  enter  the  service 
as  scouts  and  spies.  Some  were  sent  to 
Washington's  camp  and  some  went  to  Can- 
ada, where  they  procured  information  that 
was  highly  valued  by  Washington  and  Schuy- 
ler. But  while  he  was  doing  this  work,  and 
even   before    he    had  fairly   gotten    into  it,. 


Allen  had  entered  with  all  his  zest  into  the 
project  for  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga. 
Even  before  the  spring  o])ened,  perhaps  be- 
fore the  \\'estniinster  massacre,  the  plan  had 
been  formed.  In  the  middle  of  February  he 
wrote  a  letter,  which  is  still  extant  in  Massa- 
chusetts, to  Oliver  Wolcott  of  Connecticut 
that  "the  regiment  of  (Ireen  Mountain 
Boys  would  assist  their  American  brethren," 
in  case  of  war.  John  Brown,  a  Massachu- 
setts lawyer  who  had  been  through  the  grants 
to  Canada  in  the  interest  of  the  Massachu- 
setts committee  of  safety,  wrote  on  March 
29,  from  Montreal  to  Boston  :  "The  people 
on  the  New  Hampshire  grants  have  en- 
gaged to  seize  the  fort  at  Ticonderoga  as 
soon  as  possible,  should  hostilities  be  com- 
mitted by  the  King's  troops." 

There  were  simultaneously  in  the  latter 
days  of  April  and  early  in  May  movements 
started  for  the  capture  from  both  Connecti- 
cut and  Massachusetts.  That  from  the 
former  state  was  in  charge  of  Edward  Mott, 
afterwards  a  major  in  Colonel  Gray's  regi- 
ment, and  it  started  out  April  28  and  29, 
enlisting  sixteen  men  before  it  arrived  at 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  John  Brown  was  met 
on  his  way  back  from  Canada  and  joined 
them.  Thirty-nine  more  men  were  enlisted 
at  Jericho  and  Williamstown,  and  the  partv 
proceeded  to  Bennington,  where  a  party  of 
future  ^'ermonters  were  gathered.  No  one 
dreamed  of  any  one  but  Allen  for  com- 
mander, and  he,  full  of  energy  and  resolu- 
tion, goes  ahead  of  the  party  to  raise  more 
men  and  make  sure,  by  throwing  trusted 
scouts  still  farther  ahead,  that  no  tidings  of 
the  approach  reach  the  fort.  But  when  the 
expedition  reaches  Castleton,  May  8,  it  is 
overtaken  by  Benedict  .Arnold,  on  horseback 
and  with  one  attendant,  to  arrogantly  claim 
the  command,  and  show  a  commission  from 
the  committee  of  safety  at  Cambridge,  Mass. 
The  dispute  for  a  time  threatened  to  wreck 
the  project.  .Arnold  persisted  until  the  men 
declared  that  they  would  serve  under  no  offi- 
cers other  than  those  with  whom  they  had 
engaged.  Finally,  when  .Allen  was  overtaken, 
he  good-naturedly  averted  the  difficulty  by 
agreeing  that,  while  he  should  command, 
Arnold  might  accompany  him  at  the  head  of 
the  attacking  party. 

There  was  great  difficulty,  and  partial 
miscarriage  of  plans  to  procure  boats  to  cross 
the  lake,  and  as  morning  began  to  dawn. 
May  10,  only  eighty-three  men  had  been 
got  across,  while  Seth  Warner,  with  the  re- 
mainder of  the  two  hundred  and  thirty  men 
of  the  expedition  was  impatienty  waiting  on 
the  Vermont  side.  .Mien  saw  that  no  time 
was  to  be  lost,  so  he  drew  his  men  up  in  line, 
told  them  it  was  a  desperate  attempt  that  was 
about  to  be  made  and  gave  all  who  wished 
the  pri\ilege  of  backing  out,  but  asked  those 


23 


who  were  willing  to  follow  him  into  the  fort 
to  poise  their  fire-locks.  Instantly  e\  ery  fire- 
lock was  poised.  "  Face  to  the  right,"  he 
cried,  and  he  marched  the  men  in  three  files, 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  center  file,  to  the 
gate.  A  sentry  at  the  wicker  gate  snapped 
his  fuse  at  Allen,  who  pursued  him  with  up- 
raised sword  into  the  parade  ground  of  the 
garrison.  .Allen  then  formed  his  men  so  as 
to  face  the  two  barracks,  and  ordered  three 
huzzas.  .Another  sentry,  who  had  slightly 
wounded  an  officer  with  a  bayonet  thrust, 
and  been  struck  in  the  head  by  .Allen's 
sword,  begged  for  quarter,  which  was  granted 
on  condition  that  he  show  the  way  to  the 
quarters  of  the  commanding  officer.  Captain 
De  La  Place,  which  were  in  the  second  story 
of  a  barrack.  .Allen  strode  up  the  stairway 
and  summoned  Captain  De  La  Place  to 
come  out  instantly  or  the  whole  garrison 
would  be  sacrificed.  De  La  Place  appeared 
at  the  door,  trousers  in  hand,  and  asked  by 
what  authority  the  demand  was  made,  elicit- 
ing the  reply,  which  has  gone  thundering 
down  the  generations  :  "In  the  name  of  the 
i;reat  JehovaJi  and  /he  Continental  Congress." 
The  dazed  commandant  wanted  more  infor- 
mation and  began  further  parley,  but  .Allen, 
with  drawn  sword,  and  voice  and  manner 
that  admitted  no  trifling,  repeated  his  de- 
mand for  an  immediate  surrender.  De  La 
Place  had  to  comply  and  ordered  his  men  to 
parade  without  arms.  .AH  were  treated  by 
.Allen  with  characteristic  generosity  but  as 
prisoners  of  war.  .After  the  capture,  .Arnold 
again  demanded  the  command,  greatly  to  the 
wrath  of  officers  and  men,  and  to  end  the 
assumption  the  committee  of  war  gave  .Allen 
a  certificate  signed  by  Lldward  Mott,  chair- 
man, requiring  him  to  keep  command  until 
further  orders  from  Connecticut  or  Congress. 

The  capture  was  made  on  the  very  day  of 
the  first  assembling  of  the  Revolutionary 
Congress.  It  was  the  first  surrender  of  the 
British  flag,  and  had  a  great  effect  on  the 
spirits  of  the  country.  Lieutenant-(  lovernor 
Colden,  in  reporting  it  with  other  misfor- 
tunes to  Governor  Dartmouth,  found  his 
consolation  in  the  fact  that  "the  only  peo]jle 
of  any  prominence  that  had  any  hand  in 
this  expedition  were  that  lawless  people 
whom  your  lordship  has  heard  so  much  of 
under  the  name  of  the  Bennington  mob." 

The  capture  was  followed  by  a  rapid  suc- 
cession of  brilliant  strokes.  Capt.  Sam  Her- 
rick  and  his  detachment  had  simultaneously 
captured  Skeenesboro  and  Major  Skeene,  and 
seized  a  schooner  and  several  bateaux  there. 
Warner  with  a  detachment  of  one  hundred 
men  was  dispatched  to  Crown  Point,  which 
he  captured  the  same  day,  with  thirteen  men 
and  sixty-one  pieces  of  cannon.  .Allen  and 
.Arnold  with  their  sloop  and  a  lot  of  bateaux 
proceeded  to  St.  Johns  on  the  i8th,  where 


they  or  rather  Arnold  who  went  ahead  of  the 
bateaux,  captured  the  King's  armed  sloop 
that  was  cruising  the  lake,  and  Allen  attempt- 
ed a  land  attack  though  unsuccessful,  being 
attacked  by  a  superior  force,  and  compelled 
to  retire  with  a  loss  of  three  men. 

The  whole  of  Lake  Champlain  within  a 
little  over  a  week  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Revolutionists.  With  Ticonderoga 
were  taken  without  a  blow,  not  only  a  fortress 
that  had  cost  Britain  years  of  struggle  and 
vast  expenditures  of  blood  and  treasure,  but 
stores  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  army 
near  Boston,  including  one  hundred  and 
twenty  iron  cannon,  fifty  swivels,  ten  tons  of 
musket  balls,  three  cart-loads  of  flints,  a  ware- 
house full  of  material  for  boat  building  and  a 
large  quantity  of  other  supplies  and  material. 

Allen's  conceptions  were  Napoleonic.  He 
proposed  at  once  to  follow  up  his  success 
with  the  capture  of  Canada,  which  was  almost 
depleted  of  British  forces,  there  only  being 
about  seven  hundred  regulars  in  the  province, 
and  where  a  large  part  if  not  an  actual  major- 
ity of  the  people  were  ready  to  rise  in  sympa- 
thy. It  was  a  great  opportunity  lost.  If 
there  had  been  in  Congress  energy  and  fore- 
sight equal  to  Allen's  the  whole  course  of  the 
war  would  have  been  changed  and  the  geog- 
raphy of  America  made  a  century  ago  what  it 
may  take  a  century  yet  to  make  it.  And  Ethan 
Allen  would  in  all  likelihood  have  ranked 
next  to  Washington  among  the  Revolutionary 
commanders.  Allen  wrote  to  Congress  May 
29  :  "The  Canadians  (all  except  the  noblesse) 
and  also  the  Indians  appear  at  present  to  be 
very  friendly  to  us  ;  and  it  is  my  humble 
opinion  that  the  more  vigorous  the  colonies 
push  the  war  against  the  King's  troops  in 
Canada,  the  more  friends  we  shall  find  in 
that  country." 

He  offered  to  "lay  his  life  on  it"  that  "with 
fifteen  hundred  men  and  a  proper  train  of 
artillery,"  he  would  take  Montreal.  Then 
"there  would  be  no  insuperable  difficulty  to 
take  Quebec,  and  set  up  the  standard  of 
liberty  in  the  extensive  province  whose  limit 
was  enlarged  purely  to  subvert  the  liberties 
of  America."  He  pointed  out  that  the  only 
possible  defense  for  the  British  against  such 
a  diversion  would  be  to  draw  troops  from 
General  Gage  in  front  of  Washington  at 
Boston,  and  the  result  would  surely  be  to 
"weaken  General  Gage  or  insure  us  of  Can- 
ada." Lake  Champlain,  he  shrewdly  argued, 
was  "the  key  of  either  Canada  or  our  country, 
according  as  which  party  holds  the  same  in 
possession  and  makes  a  proper  improvement 
of  it.  The  key  is  ours  as  yet,  and  provided 
the  colonies  would  suddenly  push  an  army  of 
two  or  three  thousand  men  into  Canada,  they 
might  make  a  conquest  of  all  that  would  op- 
pose them.  *  *  Our  friends  in  Canada 
can  never  help  us  until  we  help  them." 


The  imagination  cannot  help  but  draw 
pictures  of  the  results  of  such  a  master- 
stroke. The  enthusiasm  following  the  cap- 
ture of  Ticonderoga,  and  the  successful 
dashes  about  the  Lake,  gave  the  .-Americans 
every  advantage  in  pushing  their  victory. 
The  success  of  Allen's  "political  preaching" 
a  few  months  later  showed  how  receptive 
the  Canadians  were.  (Even  in  September 
James  Livingston  reported  "them  all  friends, 
and  a  spirit  of  freedom  seems  to  reign  among 
them.")  And  the  dissatisfaction  with  British 
rule  that  has  continued  ever  since,  with  the 
repeated  though  ill-fated  uprisings  to  win 
the  independence  the  people  of  the  .States 
had  secured,  indicate  something  of  the  tre- 
mendous advantage  it  would  have  been  to 
have  these  people  as  allies  rather  than  ene- 
mies— a  part  of  the  new  republic  instead  of  a 
base  for  British  operations  all  through  the  war. 
Burgoyne's  expedition  would  never  have 
been  thought  of.  The  Indian  alliances  with 
all  their  bloody  work,  which  the  officers  of 
the  Crown  negotiated,  would  have  been  be- 
yond their  reach,  and  all  the  fighting  that 
was  done  by  Indians  would  have  been,  under 
the  plans  launched  by  .Allen,  on  the  side  of 
the  colonists.  How  much  this  one  fact 
alone  would  have  meant  for  American  his- 
tory in  the  last  one  hundred  years  !  Allen's 
project,  with  proper  support,  could  hardly 
have  failed  of  success,  because  it  would  have 
been  undertaken  with  advantages  that  were 
largely  gone  when  the  expeditions  of  the 
fall  were  undertaken.  If  it  had  failed,  its 
defeat  would  have  been  accomplished  by  so 
weakening  Gage  as  to  make  it  more  than 
probable  that  he  would  have  been  crushed 
by  Washington.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  to 
be  remembered  that  success  would  have 
meant  the  incorporation  of  Canada,  with 
problems  of  church  and  state,  of  race  and 
education,  with  which,  as  we  can  now  see, 
our  American  system  could  not  safely  have 
loaded  itself,  besides  all  the  other  problems 
it  has  had  to  solve.  .And  it  would  probably 
have  made  impossible  the  independence  of 
Vermont  with  its  valuable  additions  to  the 
democratic  thought  of  the  age.  So  we  can 
see  how  the  most  disappointing  things  of 
history  do  their  part  in  working  out  mighty 
results  of  righteousness. 

xAUen  flooded  the  Continental  Congress 
and  the  provincial  congresses  of  New  York 
and  Massachusetts  with  letters  and  petitions 
and  arguments  in  favor  of  his  project  and  in 
remonstrance  against  a  plan  advanced  in  the 
Continental  Congress  to  remove  the  stores 
and  cannon  of  Ticonderoga  to  the  south  end 
of  Lake  George,  which  he  declared  truly, 
"  meant  ruin  to  the  frontier  settlements  which 
are  extended  at  least  100  miles  to  the  north- 
ward of  that  place."  Backed  by  the  pro- 
tests of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  New 


-5 


York,  he  secured  the  abandonment  of  that 
plan.  In  the  meantime  he  went  ahead  with 
letters,  proclamations  and  embassies  to  the 
Indians  and  Canadians  to  prepare  the  way 
for  an  invasion,  exhibiting  a  vigor  and  adroit- 
ness that  evidenced  his  high  quality  of  lead- 
ership. May  iS  he  wrote  the  merchants  of 
Montreal,  calling  for  provisions,  ammuni- 
tion and  liquors,  assuring  them  that  it  should 
all  be  paid  for  and  that  his  orders  were  not 
to  "contend  with  or  in  any  way  injure  or 
molest"  them,  "but,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
treat  them  with  the  greatest  friendship  and 
kindness."  May  24  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  Indians,  calling  them  "brothers  and 
friends,"  telling  them  how  King  George's 
troops  had  killed  some  of  their  "good  friends 
and  brothers  at  Boston,'  how  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point  had  been  taken  with  all 
their  artillery  and  two  great  armies  raised, 
one  of  which  was  commg  to  fight  the  King's 
troops  in  Canada,  and  how  he  hoped  the  In- 
dians, as  "good  and  honest  men,  would  not 
fight  for  King  Ceorge  against  your  friends 
in  America,  as  they  have  done  you  no  wrong, 
and  desire  to  live  with  you  as  brothers  ;" 
how  he  had  always  been  a  friend  to  Indians 
and  hunted  with  them  many  times  ;  how  his 
warriors  fought  like  the  Indians  in  ambush, 
while  the  British  regulars  stood  all  along 
close  together,  rank  and  file  ;  how  he  would 
give  them  blankets,  tomahawks,  knives,  paint 
and  anything,  and  "my  men  and  your  men 
will  sleep  together  and  eat  and  drink  to- 
gether and  fight  regulars  because  they  first 
killed  our  brothers."  The  letter  was  most 
shrewdly  calculated  to  impress  the  Indian 
mind,  and  its  arguments  were  reinforced  by 
sending  "our  trusty  and  well-beloved  friend 
and  brother,"  Capt.  Ninham  of  Stockbridge 
and  Winthrop  Hoit  of  Bennington,  who  had 
long  lived  among  the  Indians  and  was  an 
adopted  son  of  one  of  the  tribes,  as  embas- 
sadors to  them  to  further  explain  the  good 
intentions  of  the  Americans. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  if  Allen's  policy 
had  been  promptly  and  systematically  fol- 
lowed the  trouble  from  the  Indians  in  the 
later  years  of  the  war  might  have  been 
greatly  avoided.  June  4  he  issued  a  procla- 
mation to  the  French  people  of  Canada, 
appeahng  to  their  sense  of  "justice  and 
equitableness  "  not  to  "take  part  with  the 
King's  troops  in  the  present  civil  war  against 
the  colonies,"  for  they  were  fighting  in  a 
common  cause  to  "maintain  natural  and 
constitutional  rights,"  and  assuring  the  peo- 
ple that  his  special  orders  were  "to  befriend 
and  protect  you  if  need  be  ;  so  that  if  you 
desire  our  friendship  you  are  in\ited  to 
embrace  it,  for  nothing  can  be  more  unde- 
sirable to  your  friends  in  the  colonies  than  a 
war  with  their  fellow-subjects  the  Canadians, 
or  with  the  Indians  "      "Prav,"   he  added, 


"is  it  necessary  that  the  C'anadians  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  English  colonies  should 
battle  with  one  another?  God  forbid  '.  'I'here 
is  no  controversy  subsisting  between  you  and 
them.  Pray,  let  Old  England  and  the  colon- 
ies fight  it  out,  and  you,  Canadians,  stand  by 
and  see  what  an  arm  of  flesh  can  do."  ISut 
his  vigorous  scheme  of  invasion  was  too  much 
for  the  nerveless  control  of  that  time.  There 
was  indeed  at  first  some  disposition  to  apolo- 
gize for  the  seizure  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point,  and  it  was  not  until  autumn  that  an 
invading  army  was  put  in  motion.  Allen 
wrote,  August  3,  "  I  fear  the  colonies  have 
been  too  slow  in  their  resolution  and  prepa- 
tion." 

Allen  and  U'arner  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  Albany  to  urge  the  scheme  on  the  con- 
tinental and  provincial  congresses.  They 
were  received  with  considerable  honor  at 
both  places,  though  they  were  still  placarded 
as  outlaws  by  the  New  York  government. 
The  result,  after  long  urging,  was  that  the 
New  York  Congress,  on  the  recommendation 
of  the  continental  body,  authorized  the  rais- 
ing of  a  regiment  of  Green  Mountain  Boys, 
to  be  commanded  by  officers  chosen  by 
themselves.  .Another  mortification  followed 
for  .Allen,  for  when  a  committee  of  towns 
met  at  Dorset,  July  27,  to  choose  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  to  command  the  regiment,  Seth  \Var- 
ner  was  elected  by  a  vote  of  41  to  5.  Not- 
withstanding the  high  merit  as  an  officer 
always  displayed  by  Warner,  it  is  difficult  to 
account  for  this  action,  in  view  of  Allen's 
recent  achievements,  the  large  capacity  he 
had  shown  and  the  unanimitv  with  which  he 
had  been  regarded  as  the  leader  only  a  few 
weeks  before.  .Allen  himself,  in  a  letter  to 
Governor  Trumbull  of  Connecticut,  attri- 
buted it  to  "  the  old  farmers  who  do  not  in- 
cline to  go  to  war,"  saying  he  was  in  the  fa- 
vor of  the  officers  of  the  army  and  the  young 
Green  Mountain  Boys.  He  hoped,  however, 
to  get  a  commission  from  the  Continental 
Congress,  and  when,  in  the  fall,  General 
Schuyler  invited  him  to  accompany  the  ex- 
pedition to  Canada,  with  the  understanding 
that  he  should  be  regarded  as  an  officer,  and 
have  command  of  detachments  as  occasion 
required,  he  accepted.  But  this  service  had 
continued  only  about  three  weeks  when  it 
was  ended  by  his  capture  before  Montreal. 
.Schuyler  sent  him  on  several  expeditions 
"  preaching  politics  "  and  extending  the  work 
he  had  so  hopefully  began  to  arouse  and  or- 
ganize the  people  of  Canada  into  support  of 
the  Revolution.  He  met  with  sweeping  suc- 
cess ;  the  Canadians  guided  and  guarded 
him  through  the  woods  ;  enthusiastic  crowds 
greeted  him  in  the  villages  ;  the  Caughna- 
waga  Indians,  some  of  whom  had  been  among 
the  British  skirmishers,  sent  him  assurances 
that  they  would  not  take  up  arms  on  either 


side.  September  20  he  wrote  to  General 
Montgomery  that  he  had  250  Canadians 
under  arms,  and  that  he  could  raise  one  or 
two  thousand  in  a  week's  time,  but  would 
first  visit  the  army  with  a  less  number  and  if 
necessary  go  again  recruiting,  and  he  added  : 
"  I  swear  by  the  Lord  I  can  raise  three  times 
the  number  of  our  army  in  Canada,  provided 
you  continue  the  siege." 

All  these  hopes  were  dissipated  by  the 
misadventure  at  Montreal,  Sept.  24.  While 
returning  to  camp,  as  he  had  written  to  Mont- 
gomery, Allen  met  Maj.  John  Brown,  the 
Pittsfield  lawyer,  who  had  in  the  spring  made 
the  reconnoitering  expedition  into  Canada, 
and  had  now  entered  the  service,  and  who 
was  at  the  head  of  a  force  of  about  two  hun- 
dred Americans  and  Canadians,  and  a  plan 
was  concocted  .between  them  and  their  offi- 
cers to  surprise  and  capture  Montreal.  Brown 
was  that  night  to  cross  the  St.  Lawrence 
above  the  city  and  Allen  below,  and  at  a  sig- 
nal of  three  huzzas,  they  were  to  attack  si- 
multaneously. Brown,  for  some  reason  never 
explained,  failed  to  fulfill  his  part.  Doubtless 
some  unforeseen  obstacle  prevented,  for  he 
was  a  brave  and  capable  officer  ;  but  he  was 
killed  at  Stone  Arabia,  in  the  Mohawk  valley, 
in  a  battle  with  the  Tories  and  Indians,  Ocf. 
19,  1780,  and  his  story  about  the  Montreal 
attack  was  never  told.  Allen  crossed  over 
his  force  of  no  men,  according  to  agree- 
ment, taking  nearly  the  whole  night  for  the 
task,  as  he  had  but  few  canoes.  When  he 
failed  to  get  the  signal  from  Brown,  he  saw 
he  was  in  a  scrape,  but  concluded  to  stand 
his  ground  as  he  could  not  get  off  over  a 
third  of  his  force  at  a  time,  and  the  enemy 
would  surely  discover  the  attempt.  So  he 
dispatched  a  messenger  to  Brown  and  to 
L'Assumption,  a  French  settlement  where 
lived  a  Mr.  Walker,  who  was  on  the  side  of 
the  patriots,  to  hurry  on  assistance.  Allen's 
hope  was  to  hold  his  ground  until  aid  could 
arrive,  and  Walker  had  raised  a  considerable 
force  to  march  to  him,  when  he  learned  of  his 
surrender.  Allen  placed  guards  between  his 
position  and  the  town,  with  orders  to  let 
nobody  pass  or  repass.  A  good  many  pris- 
oners were  detained  in  this  way  early  in  the 
day,  but  one  of  them  managed  to  escape  and 
went  to  Ceneral  Carlton  in  the  city,  who  had 
made  every  preparation  to  take  refuge  in  his 
ships,  exposed  the  weakness  of  Allen's  force, 
and  so  brought  on  an  attack  in  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  before  assistance  could  arrive. 
Carlton  marched  out  with  a  force  of  about 
five  hundred  men,  chiefly  Canadians  and 
residents  of  the  city,  and  including  only 
forty  regulars.  Allen's  force  was  made  up 
of  only  thirty  Americans  and  eighty  Cana- 
dians, but  he  was  in  a  well-selected  position, 
and  he  defended  it  bravely  and  skillfully  for 
an  hour  and  three-quarters,  until  nearly  all 


his  Canadians  had  deserted  him,  when  he 
finally  surrendered  with  a  force  of  thirty-one 
effective  men  and  seven  wounded,  on  being 
assured  good  quarters  for  himself  and  men. 

Schuyler  and  Montgomery  both  com- 
mented severely  in  letters  and  reports  on 
Allen's  rashness  in  making  the  attack  single- 
handed,  and  this  \ievv  was  excusable  with 
the  information  they  had  at  the  time.  They 
knew  nothing  apparently  of  the  plan  of  con- 
cert with  Brown,  or  how  surely  it  would  have 
succeeded  if  Allen  had  had  the  co-operation 
he  had  a  right  to  depend  on.  They  only 
knew  the  consequences  of  defeat,  which  were 
so  disastrous,  putting  "the  French  people 
into  great  consternation,"  as  Warner  wrote, 
and  "changing  the  face  of  things,"  as  a  Tory 
wrote  to  Covernor  Franklin  of  New  Jersey 
(the  son  of  the  great  Benjamin  Franklin). 
"The  Canadians,"  he  added,  "were  before, 
nine-tenths  for  the  Bostonians  ;  they  are  now 
returned  to  their  duty." 

But  no  such  excuse  can  be  urged  for  the 
historian,  Bancroft,  who,  writing  with  all  the 
knowledge  of  later  years,  charges  that  Allen's 
officers  opposed  the  project,  but  that  he 
"with  boundless  rashness  indulged  himself  a 
vision  of  surprising  Montreal  as  he  had  sur- 
prised Ticonderoga."  Even  Go\'.  Hiland 
Hall  was  not  fair  and  full  when  he  said  the 
attempt  was  due  to  Allen's  "ambition  to  dis- 
tinguish himself,  and  add  to  the  laurels  won 
at  Ticonderoga."  The  truth  is  that  the  at- 
tack instead  of  being  a  reckless  exhibition  of 
Allen's  vanity  was  planned  after  a  full  con- 
sultation, on  the  united  judgment  of  all  the 
officers  in  both  commands,  and  it  only  failed 
bv  one  of  those  military  accidents  which  can 
never  be  provided  against,  in  Brown's  fail- 
ure to  co-operate.  Carlton  practically  ad- 
mits this  in  his  report  when  he  shows  how 
poorly  prepared  Montreal  was  for  attack, 
and  how  he  was  on  the  point  of  abandoning 
the  city  when  he  learned  from  the  escajsed 
prisoner  of  Allen's  weakness.  The  effect  of 
the  failure  on  the  Canadians  only  shows 
correspondingly  how  beneficial  the  effect  of 
success  would  have  been.  The  people  were 
wavering,  chiefly  to  be  on  the  winning  side, 
inclined  to  the  American  side,  perhaps,  but 
fearful  of  the  consequences  if  the  British 
prevailed.  What  was  needed  above  all  else 
was  to  impress  them  with  confidence  of 
American  success.  Delay  had  dimmed  the 
eclat  of  Allen's  victories  on  Lake  Champlain, 
but  another  brilliant  stroke,  like  the  capture 
of  Montreal,  would  revive  it,  powerfully  im- 
press an  imaginative  people,  and  draw  them 
in  great  masses  to  the  American  standard. 
Allen  and  Brown  had,  in  their  intercourse 
with  the  people,  learned  the  importance  of 
such  a  stroke,  and  hence  the  enterprise. 

Allen's  "narrative"  of  his  captivity  gives 
us  all  the  information   we  have   of  it  and  it 


27 


was  full  of  exciting  and  characteristic  inci- 
dents. He  had  just  handed  over  his  sword 
when  an  Indian  rushed  u]>  and  attempted  to 
shoot  him.  .\llen  instantly  twitched  the 
ofificer  to  whom  he  had  handed  his  sword 
between  him  and  the  savage.  Then  another 
"imp  of  hell,"  as  .Allen  described  him,  at- 
tacked and  Allen  only  saved  himself  from 
being  murdered  by  twitching  the  otificer 
around  him  with  such  swiftness  that  neither 
of  the  Indians  could  reach  him  or  get 
aim  at  him  without  endangering  the  officer. 
He  keep  this  up  several  seconds  until 
another  ofificer  and  an  Irishman  interfered 
and  drove  the  Indians  away.  .Allen  then 
walked  with  the  officers  to  Montreal,  meet- 
ing in  the  barrack  yard  (ieneral  Prescott, 
who,  when  he  learned  that  it  was  the  Colonel 
-Allen  of  Ticonderoga  fame,  broke  into  a  tor- 
rent of  abuse,  shook  his  cane  over  .Allen's 
head  until  the  latter  shook  his  fist  and  as- 
sured the  general  that  it  would  be  "  the 
beetle  of  mortality"  for  him  if  he  struck.  It 
would  have  been  interesting  to  see  this  af- 
fair to  its  conclusion,  but  other  officers 
stayed  its  progress  by  reminding  the  enraged 
general  that  it  would  be  inconsistent  with 
his  honor  to  strike  a  prisoner.  Then  Pres- 
cott, according  to  .Allen's  narrative,  ordered 
forw-ard  a  sergeant's  command  to  kill  the 
thirteen  Canadians  who  were  included  in 
the  surrender.  Allen's  magnetic  boldness, 
as  so  often  in  his  career,  here  served  a  use- 
ful purpose.  He  stepped  between  the  e.x- 
ecutioner  and  the  prisoners,  opened  his 
clothes  and  told  Prescott  to  thrust  the  bayo- 
nets into  his  breast,  for  he  was  the  sole  cause 
of  the  Canadians  taking  up  arms.  Prescott 
was  of  course  thrown  into  a  quandary  ;  he 
dared  not  execute  a  man  of  .Allen's  promi- 
nence, in  violation  of  the  capitulation,  and 
dared  not  carry  out  his  brutal  purpose 
against  the  prisoners  in  the  face  of  such  a 
man's  protest.  Allen  had  evidendy  calcu- 
lated on  all  this;  his  "recklessness"  usually 
had  calculation  behind  it.  .As  he  says  :  "My 
design  was  not  to  die,  but  to  save  the  Cana- 
dians by  a  finesse."  Prescott,  after  a  little 
hesitation,  replied  with  an  oath  :  "I  will 
not  execute  you  now,  but  you  shall  grace  a 
halter  at  Tyburn." 

Then  began  Allen's  two  years  and  eight 
months  of  captivity,  most  of  it  filled  with  the 
most  brutal  abuse,  but  relieved  with  a  few 
gleams  of  soldierly  magnanimity.  He  was 
first  put  on  board  the  ship  of  war  Gaspee  in 
the  harbor  and  kept  in  irons  six  weeks.  The 
leg  irons  he  describes  as  weighing  thirty  or 
forty  pounds  with  a  bar  eight  leet  long, 
and  so  heavy  that  he  could  only  lie  on  his 
back.  He  wrote  to  Prescott  and  Carleton 
protesting  against  such  usage  and  contrast- 
ing it  with  that  he  had  accorded  to  the 
prisoners  he  took  at  Ticonderoga  ;  but  with- 


out eliciting  a  reply,  though  he  was  finally 
transferred  to  another  shij)  where  he  was  \ery 
generously  treated.  The  imjjression  that  he 
always  made  on  manly  men  was  illustrated  by 
the  conduct  of  Captain  Littlejohn,  the  com- 
mander of  the  latter  ship.  The  captain  swore 
that  a  brave  man  should  not  be  treated  like  a 
rascal  on  board  his  ship  ;  he  refused  to  keep 
.Allen  in  irons,  and  gave  him  cabin  fare  with 
the  officers.  So  far  did  this  friendship  go 
that  when  Littlejohn  was  challenged  to  a 
duel  he  accepted  Allen's  offer  to  act  as  his 
second,  going  to  the  field  in  disguise,  on 
.Allen's  pledge  of  honor  that  whatever  the  re- 
sult of  the  duel  he  would  return  to  the  ship. 
But  this  mark  of  confidence  was  prevented 
by  the  interference  of  other  British  officers 
who  at  the  last  moment  settled  the  contro- 
versy without  fighting.  But  this  ])olite  treat- 
ment lasted  less  than  a  fortnight  when,  on 
the  appearance  of  Arnold  before  Quebec, 
.Allen  and  the  other  prisoners  were  placed  on 
board  a  merchantman,  the  .Adamant,  and 
shipped  to  England.-  Their  treatment  under 
the  inspiration  of  a  junto  of  Tories  aboard 
was  most  villainous.  Thirty-four  of  them 
were  confined,  hand-cuffed,  in  a  little  room 
20x22,  so  dark  that  they  could  not  see  one 
another,  filled  with  vermin  and  an  intoler- 
able stench,  denied  an  adequate  supply  of 
water,  where  suffering  from  diarrhcea  and 
fever  they  were  compelled  to  eat,  sleep  and 
perform  all  the  offices  of  life.  .Allen  had  a 
fight  before  he  would  go  into  the  filthy  in- 
closure.  He  first  protested  against  it  as  a 
disgrace  to  honor  and  humanity,  but  was 
told  that  it  was  good  enough  for  a  rebel,  that 
anything  short  of  a  halter  was  too  good  for 
him,  and  that  a  halter  would  be  his  portion 
as  soon  as  he  reached  England.  In  the 
course  of  the  dispute  a  lieutenant  among  the 
Tories  spit  in  his  face.  .Allen,  hand-cuffed 
as  he  was,  sprang  upon  him,  knocked  him 
partly  down,  pursued  him  in  fury  to  the 
cabin  where  the  lieutenant,  thoroughly 
frightened,  got  under  the  protection  of  a  file 
of  men  with  fixed  bayonets.  .Allen  chal- 
lenged the  man  out  to  meet  him  in  hand- 
cuffs as  he  was,  which  the  cowering  fellow 
would  not  do.  But  the  soldiers  finally  forced 
.Allen  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  into  the 
hole. 

.Arriving  at  Falmouth,  in  England,  he  and 
his  men  were  shut  up  tor  a  few  weeks  while 
the  ministry  decided  what  to  do  with  him. 
He  was  a  subject  of  general  interest.  Bets 
were  laid  in  London  that  he  w-ould  be 
hanged.  Parliament  debated  the  question. 
Crowds  of  people  came  to  see  what,  up  to 
that  time,  was  the  most  romantic,  and,  be- 
cause of  what  he  had  done,  the  most  feared, 
figure  of  the  Revolution.  He  often,  while 
walking  in  the  spacious  parade  of  the  castle, 
would  stop  and  harangue  the  crowds  assem- 


28 


bled  to  see  him,  telling  of  the  impractica- 
bility of  Britain's  conquering  the  colonies, 
expatiating  on  American  freedom,  and  im- 
pressing all  with  his  boldness  in  such  talk 
while  the  question  of  his  execution  was  still 
under  consideration.  It  was  a  part  of  a 
shrewd  game  of  bluff,  .\nother  part  he 
humorously  details  in  telling  how  he  "  came 
Yankee  "  over  the  prison  authorities.  He 
asked  for  the  privilege  of  writing  a  letter  to 
Congress,  which  the  commander  of  the 
castle  granted  after  consultation  with  a  su- 
perior officer.  Allen  wrote  in  this  letter  of 
his  ill-treatment,  how  he  and  his  companions 
were  kept  in  irons  by  General  Carleton's 
order,  but  urged  Congress  to  desist  from 
retaliation  until  the  results  of  the  treatment 
of  himself  and  companions  were  known,  and 
then  that  the  retaliation  should  be,  "  not 
according  to  the  smallness  of  my  character 
in  .America,  but  in  proportion  to  the  impor- 
tance of  the  cause  for  which  I  suffered." 
The  letter,  of  course,  went,  as  expected, 
straight  to  Lord  North  instead  of  Congress, 
and  its  design,  as  .Allen  says,  was  "  to  intimi- 
date the  haughty  English  government  and 
screen  my  neck  from  the  halter."  Another 
thing  that  helped  him  is  that  there  was  an 
attempt  to  win  him  back  to  the  British 
cause.  This  fact  has  been  found  by  B  F. 
Stevens  in  official  correspondence  in  the 
British  archives  at  London.  An  "officer  of 
high  rank,"  whose  name  does  not  appear, 
was  sent  to  him  to  represent  that  the  injuries 
he  had  suffered  from  New  York  arose  from 
an  abuse  of  an  order  in  council,  and  if  he 
would  return  to  allegiance  to  the  King  he 
should  have  a  full  pardon,  his  lands  be  re- 
stored to  him,  he  and  his  men  sent  back  to 
Boston,  and  he  placed  in  command  of  a 
company  of  rangers  ;  but  if  he  refused,  they 
must  all  be  disposed  of  as  the  law  directs— 
a  delicate  way  of  intimating  that  he  would 
grace  a  gallows,  .\llen  onlv  makes  a  brief 
allusion  to  this  incident. 

But  the  event  shows  that  he  spurned  the 
bribe  and  dared  the  government  to  do  its 
worst.  His  bold  demeanor  won  the  sympathy 
of  liberal-minded  people.  He  learned  after- 
wards, he  says,  that  there  was  a  move  for  a  writ 
of  luil'eas  corpus  to  obtain  for  him  his  liberty. 
In  consequence  of  all  this,  it  was  determined 
in  cabinet  meeting,  Dec.  2  7,  to  get  rid  of  the 
problem  by  ordering  Allen  and  his  associates 
to  be  returned  to  America  as  prisoners  of 
war,  and  he  was,  Jan.  8,  i  776,  placed  in  irons 
on  board  the  man-of-war  Solebay,  Captain 
Symonds,  where  he  again  had  to  undergo 
harsh  and  brutal  treatment.  When  the  fleet 
rendezvoused  at  Cork  some  benevolent  gen- 
tlemen in  that  city  undertook  to  supply  the 
prisoners  with  the  necessaries  which  the 
ship's  officers  denied,  and  sent  aboard  com- 
plete   outfits   of  clothing,   with    sea   stores. 


meats,  wines  and  liquors,  most  of  which 
Captain  Symonds  promptly  appropriated, 
swearing  that  the  "damned  American  rebels" 
should  not  be  feasted  by  the  "damned  rebels 
of  Ireland."  A  few  guineas  of  money  from 
his  generous  friends,  however,  did  remain 
with  .Allen,  and  his  conclusion  from  this  af- 
fair and  his  other  experience  was  that  as  a 
people  the  Irish  "excel  in  liberality  and  gen- 
erosity." He  tells  of  a  characteristic  encoun- 
ter he  had  with  the  captain  sometime  after 
they  left  Cork.  The  purser  was  ordered  not 
to  sell  to  Allen  some  medical  supplies  of  which 
he  was  in  need,  and  when  .Allen  remonstrated, 
saying  he  was  sick,  the  captain  replied  that  it 
did  not  matter  how  soon  he  was  dead  ;  he 
was  not  anxious  to  preserve  the  lives  of 
rebels.  Allen  again  contrasted,  as  he  was 
fond  of  doing,  the  treatment  of  their  pris- 
oners by  the  Americans,  and  argued  that  as 
the  English  government  had  not  proceeded 
against  him  as  a  capital  offender,  English 
officers  had  no  right  to,  but  as  he  had  been 
acquitted  by  being  sent  back  as  a  prisoner 
of  war  he  was  entitled  to  be  treated  as  such. 
Furthermore,  it  was  not  policy  for  them 
by  harsh  usage  to  destroy  his  life,  for  if 
li\  ing  he  might  redeem  one  of  their  officers. 
The  captain  retorted  in  a  rage  that  the  Brit- 
ish would  surely  conquer  the  rebels,  hang 
Congress  and  the  leaders,  Allen  in  par- 
ticular, and  retake  their  own  prisoners,  so 
that  his  life  was  of  no  consequence  in  their 
policy  ;  besides  it  was  not  owing  to  the  hu- 
manity of  the  Yankees,  but  their  timidity, 
that  they  treated  prisoners  so  well.  This 
was  really  the  prevalent  idea  up  to  Burgoyne's 
surrender.  Allen's  reply  was  that  if  they 
waited  until  they  conquered  .America  before 
they  hung  him  he  should  die  of  old  age,  and 
in  the  meantime  he  would  like  to  purchase 
of  the  purser  with  his  own  money  such  arti- 
cles as  he  really  needed.  .Allen  came  off 
first  best  in  the  argument  as  he  usually  did  ; 
but  he  did  not  get  the  permission.  The 
fleet  proceeded  by  way  of  Madiera  to  Cape 
Fear  in  North  Carolina,  where  the  prisoners 
were  all  collected  and  put  on  board  the  frig- 
ate Mercury,  Capt.  James  Montague,  who 
was  even  more  bigotedly  brutal  in  his  treat- 
ment. He  e\  en  forbade  his  surgeon  to  ad- 
minister help  to  any  sick  prisoner,  many  of 
whom  were  suffering  with  scurvy,  and  cut 
their  food  down  to  barely  a  third  of  the  usual 
allowance.  Allen  shared  equally  with  the 
rest,  though  the  men  offered  him  more. 
From  Cape  Fear  they  went  to  Halifax,  ar- 
riving about  the  middle  of  June,  where  Allen 
managed  to  secure  some  alteration  of  their 
treatment  by  sending  a  letter  of  complaint 
through  a  sympathetic  guard  to  Governor 
.Arbuthnot,  who  ordered  them  transferred  to 
the  Halifax  jail.  Allen,  however,  there  suf- 
fered severely  from  jail  distemper,  for  which 


29 


he  found  a  remedy  in  raw  onions,  which  the 
other  prisoners  used  to  advantage.  In  Octo- 
ber they  were  sent  on  board  the  Lark  frigate, 
bound  for  New  York,  Captain  Smith,  who 
drew  the  first  tears  of  his  captivity  from  Allen 
by  his  kindly  and  cordial  treatment,  inviting 
him  to  dinner  and  assuring  him  that  he 
should  be  treated  with  respect  by  the  whole 
crew.  Smith,  it  appears,  had  before  got  him- 
self into  trouble  with  some  of  his  superiors 
by  his  vigorous  protests  against  their  inhu- 
man conduct  towards  the  prisoners.  Allen 
expressed,  as  best  he  could,  his  gratitude  at 
this  unexpected  kindness,  and  his  fear  that 
it  would  never  be  in  his  ])ower  to  return  the 
favor. 

Smith  replied,  like  the  hearty  tar,  the  true 
soldier  he  was,  that  he  had  no  reward  in 
view ;  he  only  aimed  to  treat  his  prisoner  as 
a  gentleman  should  be  treated  ;  but  this,  he 
said,  is  a  mutable  world,  and  one  gentleman 
never  knows  how  soon  it  may  be  in  his  power 
to  help  another.  This  came  true  sooner 
than  he  ever  knew,  for  while  the  ship  was 
skirting  along  the  coast,  one  of  the  prisoners, 
Captain  Burk,  formed  a  conspiracy  with  an 
under  officer  and  some  of  the  crew  of  the 
ship  to  kill  the  captain  and  the  principal 
officers  and  take  the  ship  with  ^35,000 
sterling  in  the  hold,  into  one  of  the  Ameri- 
can ports.  They  laid  the  plan  before  .Allen 
and  urged  him  to  enlist  the  other  prisoners 
in  the  design.  Allen  refused  absolutely  and 
showed  what  a  sorry  return  it  was  for  the 
chivalric  kindness  they  had  received.  Asked 
to  remain  neutral,  he  gave  emphatic  notice 
that  he  would  fight  by  Captain  Smith's  side 
if  the  attempt  was  made,  but  he  assured  them 
that  if  they  would  give  up  the  project  he 
would  respect  their  confidence  and  keep  the 
secret,  guarding  their  lives  with  the  same 
honor  as  he  would  Captain  Smith's,  and  such 
was  his  power  over  men  and  their  faith  in 
him  that  the  matter  rested  right  there. 

In  November  the  prisoners  vvere  landed 
in  New  York,  where  he  was  placed  on  parole 
and  remained  for  eighteen  months  in  com- 
parati\e  comfort  himself,  though  he  tells  a 
harrowing  story  of  the  way  the  private  sol- 
diers were  treated.  He  exerted  himself  a 
good  deal  to  alleviate  their  condition,  but 
with  little  success.  He  held  Sir  William 
Howe  personally  responsible  for  these  cruel- 
ties and  in  his  "narrative"  in  his  extravagant 
style  denounces  him  and  James  I>oring,  a 
Tory,  and  the  commissary  of  prisoners, 
especially,  as  "the  most  mean-spirited,  cow- 
ardly, deceitful  and  detestable  animals  in 
God's  creation  below,  and  legions  of  infer- 
nal devils,  with  all  their  tremendous  horrors, 
are  impatiently  ready  to  receive  Howe  and 
him  with  all  their  detestable  accomplices 
into  the  most  exquisite  agonies  of  the  hottest 
regions  of  hell  fire." 


( )f  the  thirty-one  men  captured  with  him 
two  died  in  imprisonment,  three  were  ex- 
changed and  all  the  rest  made  their  escape 
at  one  time  or  another.  It  was  while  at  New 
York  that  the  second  attempt  was  made  to 
seduce  his  allegiance,  by  an  officer  who  came 
to  his  lodgings,  told  him  that  his  fidelity, 
though  in  a  wrong  cause,  had  recommended 
him  to  General  Howe,  who  wished  to  make 
him  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  Tories  ;  pro- 
posed to  send  him  back  to  England  to  be 
introduced  to  Lord  George  Germaine,  and 
probably  to  the  King,  and  return  with  Hur- 
goyne ;  he  should  be  paid  richly  in  gold,  in- 
stead of  rag  money,  and  receive  for  his  ser- 
vices in  reducing  the  country  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Connecticut  or  Vermont,  as  he  pre- 
ferred. .Allen  replied  that  if  by  fidelity  he 
had  recommended  himself  to  General  Howe, 
he  "should  be  loth  by  unfaithfulness  to  lose 
the  general's  good  opinion  :  besides,  I  view 
his  offer  of  land  to  be  similar  to  that  which 
the  devil  offered  our  Saviour,  to  give  him  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world  to  fall  down  and 
worship  him,  when  the  poor  devil  had  not 
one  foot  of  land  on  earth." 

Allen  was  e.xchanged  May  3,  1778,  for 
Colonel  .Alexander  Campbell,  and  after  two 
days  of  courteous  entertainment  at  General 
Campbell's  headquarters  he  crossed  New 
Jersey  to  Valley  Forge,  where  he  was  enter- 
tained by  Washington  for  several  days  and 
received  marked  honors  from  Putnam,  (lates, 
Lafayette,  Steuben  and  all  the  officers  and 
men  who  were  heroically  maintaining  the 
country's  cause  in  its  very  darkest  hour.  He 
wrote  a  letter  to  Congress  offering  his  ser- 
vices to  the  cause  in  any  capacity  where  he 
could  be  useful,  and  then  proceeded  to  l^en- 
nington,  going  most  of  the  way  in  company 
with  Gates,  who  treated  him  royally,  and 
everywhere  being  received  with  acclamations 
by  the  people,  and  reaching  home  Sunday 
evening.  May  31,  where  the  expressions  of 
love  and  enthusiasm  could  not  be  restrained, 
even  in  that  orthodox  populace,  and  cannon 
boomed  welcome  from  the  people,  who  had 
long  supposed  him  dead.  Fourteen  guns 
were  fired,  one  for  each  state  and  one  for 
Vermont.  His  brother  Heman  had  just  died 
at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  while  he  was  on  his 
journey  home.  His  only  son  had  died  dur- 
ing his  captivity.  His  wife,  in  feeble  health, 
and  four  daughters  were  in  Sunderland. 

He  at  once  asserted  his  old  powers  of 
leadership.  .Another  characteristic  incident 
introduced  him  to  it.  David  Redding  had 
been  convicted  of  treason  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged.  .\  rehearing  was  petitioned  for 
on  the  ground  that  his  conviction  was  a  vio- 
lation of  the  common  law,  being  by  a  jury 
of  six  instead  of  twelve.  Governor  Chitten- 
den had  granted  a  reprieve  to  June  11.  The 
populace,  very  bitter  against  Redding,  was 


30 


disappointed,  angry,  and  threatening  to  take 
the  law  into  its  own  hands,  when  Allen  ap- 
peared and  cried  :  "Attention,  the  whole  1 " 
and  he  proceeded  to  explain  the  illegality  of 
the  trial,  and  told  the  people  to  go  home  and 
return  in  a  week,  and  they  should  "  see  a 
man  hung  ;  if  not  Redding,  I  will  be."  The 
crowd  obeyed.  Allen  was  appointed  attor- 
ney for  the  state  at  the  next  trial,  and  he 
secured  Redding's  conviction. 

He  was  selected  to  write  a  reply  to  a  pro- 
clamation of  clemency  issued  by  Governor 
Clinton  the  February  previous,  in  which  the 
New  York  (Governor  charged  Vermont's 
wrongs  to  the  British  government  while 
New  York  was  a  colony,  and  offered  to  recall 
the  outlawry  act,  to  revoke  all  unjust  prefer- 
ence in  grants,  reduce  the  quit  rents  to  the 
New  Hampshire  basis,  make  the  fees  of 
patents  reasonable,  and  confirm  all  grants 
made  by  New  Hampshire.  Allen's  reply,  in 
a  pamphlet,  was  skillful,  and  made  clear  the 
impracticability  of  what  seemed  and  doubt- 
less was  intended  to  be  a  fair  proposition. 
He  showed  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  most  of 
the  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts 
grants  had  been  covered  by  New  York  pat- 
ents and  that  as  a  matter  of  law  it  was  impos- 
sible for  New  York  to  cancel  her  former  grants, 
and  cited  the  opinion  of  the  lords  of  trade 
to  that  effect.  Many  people  had  been  eager 
to  accede  to  Governor  Clinton's  terms,  but 
Allen's  argument  was  so  strong,  the  rights  of 
self-government  so  well  stated,  that  the  tide 
of  public  opinion  was  completely  turned. 
Probably  it  prevented  a  dissolution  of  the 
state  government.  Here  again,  as  well  as 
in  the  initial  stages  of  the  controversy,  was 
it  true,  as  his  best  biographer,  Henry  Hall, 
says  :  "  But  for  him  the  state  of  Vermont 
would  probably  never  have  existed." 

He  was  three  times  sent  on  embassies  to 
Congress,  first  in  August,  1 7  yS,  with  reference 
to  the  trouble  with  New  Hampshire  over 
the  "Eastern  union."  He  performed  the 
delicate  duties  with  great  tact  and  reported 
strongly  advising  the  dissolution  of  that 
union  and  saying  that  unless  it  was  done  "the 
nation  will  annihilate  Vermont."  He  was 
again  sent  in  i  779  with  Jonas  Fay,  to  defend 
the  new  state's  action,  and  to  show  Congress, 
as  they  wrote  July  i,  1779,  that  they  were 
"willing  that  every  part  of  the  conduct  of  the 
people  we  represent  should  at  any  convenient 
time  be  fully  laid  before  the  Grand  Council 
of  America"  but  considering  all  the  embar- 
rassments of  the  country  "would  be  far  from 
urging  a  decision  *  *  until  you  can  have 
leisure  to  take  it  up  deliberately."  The  third 
mission  was  with  Fay,  Stephen  R.  Bradley, 
Moses  Robinson  and  PaulSpooner  in  1 780  to 
defend  Vermont's  case  against  the  claims  of 
all  three  of  the  adjoining  states,  and  the 
duties  were  performed  with  skill  and  address. 


He  was  also,  ( )ct.  19,  1799,  appointed 
agent  to  wait  on  the  Council  and  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  to  negotiate  for  an 
abandonment  of  the  pretensions  which  the 
latter  state  had  raised  to  jurisdiction  o\-er 
Vermont,  and  to  secure  her  acknowledgment 
of  Vermont's  independence.  He  was,  in 
October,  1779,  though  not  a  member  of  the 
Assembly,  appointed  chairman  of  a  commit- 
tee, ■  consisting  of  himself,  Reuben  Jones, 
Nathan  Clark,  and  John  Fassett,  "to  form 
the  outlines  of  a  plan  to  be  pursued  for  de- 
fense before  Congress  against  the  neighbor- 
ing states  in  consequence  of  a  late  act  of  that 
body."  He  was  repeatedly  appointed  on 
legislative  committees  when  not  a  member. 

He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from 
Arlington,  though  his  "usual  home"  was  in 
Bennington  and  his  family  lived  in  Sunder- 
land, and  he  was  allowed  to  act,  though  he 
refused  to  take  the  oath  expressing  belief  in 
the  divine  inspiration  of  the  Bible  and  pro- 
fession of  the  Protestant  religion. 

His  military  service  after  his  release  from 
captivity  was  confined  entirely  to  his  own 
state.  Congress  gave  him  the  commission  of 
brevet  brigadier-general,  but  did  not  call  him 
into  the  field.  Perhaps  the  reason  was  the 
suspicion  of  his  loyalty  that  soon  became 
rife.  The  third  effort  to  seduce  him  was  pub- 
licly known  before  he  knew  it.  The  l.egisla- 
ture  made  him  major-general  and  comman- 
der-in-chief of  the  Vermont  militia,  and  he 
held  the  position  for  two  years,  but  no  active 
service  was  required  except  to  guard  the 
frontiers.  In  February,  1 780,  Col.  Beverly 
Robinson,  a  Virginia  Tory,  wrote  him  a  letter 
alluding  to  the  Vermont  feeling  over  its  treat- 
ment by  Congress  and  inviting  a  negotiation 
with  the  British.  The  letter  was  delivered  to 
him  on  the  streets  of  Arlington  in  July.  Allen 
showed  it  to  Governor  Chittenden  and  the 
leading  men  of  the  state,  and  it  was  decided 
to  pay  no  attention  to  it.  The  next  March, 
however,  while  the  Haldimand  negotiation 
was  in  full  progress,  Allen  sent  the  letter,  with 
a  duplicate  which  Robinson  had  impatiently 
forwarded,  to  Congress,  with  a  long  screed  of 
his  own,  well  calculated  to  impress  Congress 
with  the  idea  that  it  was  running  a  great  risk 
of  driving  Vermont  to  the  other  side  by  its 
unjust  treatment.  He  said  he  was  confident 
Congress  would  not  dispute  his  sincere  attach- 
ment to  the  cause  of  his  country,  though  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  he  was  fully 
"  grounded  in  the  opinion  that  Vermont  had 
an  indubitable  right  to  agree  on  terms  of  ces- 
sation of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain,  pro- 
vided the  United  States  persisted  in  rejecting 
her  application  for  a  union  with  them ;  for 
Vermont  of  all  people  would  be  the  most 
miserable  were  she  obliged  to  defend  the  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States  and  they  at 
the  same  time  claiming  full  liberty  to  over- 


turn  and  ruin  the  independence  of  Vermont." 
He  closed  with  the  characteristic  words  : 

"  I  am  as  resoUitely  determined  to  defend 
the  independence  of  \'ermont  as  Congress 
is  that  of  the  United  States,  and  rather  than 
fail,  will  retire  with  my  hardy  (Ireen  Moun- 
tain Boys  into  the  desolate  caverns  of  the 
mountains  and  wage  war  with  human  nature 
at  large." 

The  Haldimand  negotiations  are  more 
fully  discussed  in  the  sketch  of  Ira  Allen, 
whose  consummate  shrewdness  conducted 
them  to  success.  Ethan  Allen  was  in  the 
secret  of  them  all,  and  at  the  time  had  to  bear 
more  of  the  suspicion  and  odium  than  any 
other  man,  but  his  part  was  chiefly  that  of 
counsellor,  with  very  little  of  the  active 
work,  'i'here  is  reason  for  believing  that  he 
told  Washington  all  about  them  in  the  begin- 
ning, and  that  the  policy  of  protecting  Ver- 
mont by  fooling  the  British  had  the  tacit 
approval  of  the  country's  chieftain.  There 
is  no  chance  for  reasonable  belief  that  .Allen 
ever  tor  a  moment  contemplated  treason  to 
the  -American  cause  ;  he  had  twice  spurned 
offers  when  far  more  alluring.  He  was  con- 
stantly and  carefully  looking  after  the  arms 
and  equipments  of  the  state,  to  keep  her  in 
the  best  condition  for  defense.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1780,  even  while  the  charges  of  treason 
were  getting  loudest  against  him,  he  was  ne- 
gotiating with  Governor  Trumbull  of  Con- 
necticut for  two  tons  of  powder,  to  resist  an 
invasion  from  Canada.  He  offered,  .April 
14,  1 781,  when  there  seemed  to  be  a  chance 
that  the  British  could  no  longer  be  kept  off 
by  diplomacy,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Clin- 
ton, his  own  services  and  those  of  two  other 
Vermont  ofificers  to  defend  New  Vork  against 
their  cruel  invaders. 

The  only  question  is  whether  in  his  deceit 
of  the  British  he  went  beyond  the  lines  of 
honor.  The  worst  piece  of  evidence  is  a 
letter  written  to  Haldimand,  June  16,  1782, 
and  closing  with  these  words  :  "I  shall  do 
everything  in  my  power  to  render  this  a 
British  province."  The  letter  was  unsigned, 
but  it  read  very  Allenish,  and  has  generally 
been  believed  to  have  been  written  by  him. 
Allen,  as  commander  of  the  Vermont  army 
in  1 78 1,  concluded  a  truce  with  the  British 
forces  while  the  negotiations  were  in  prog- 
ress, and  he  got  the  northern  parts  and 
frontier  of  New  Vork  included  in  it.  He 
reported  these  doings  to  Colonel  Webster 
and  General  Schuyler,  and  warned  the  latter 
of  a  project  to  capture  his  person,  assuring 
him  that  the  "surmises  of  my  corresponding 
with  the  enemy  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
United  States  are  wholly  without  founda- 
tion." Captain  Sherwood,  who  came  to 
Allen's  headquarters  at  Castleton  as  an  en- 
voy from  Haldimand,  reported  .Allen  as  bar- 
gaining  hypothetically  for  himself  and   for 


the  state,  but  the  rejjort  of  his  terms  con- 
cludes with  this  significant  condition:  "If, 
however,  Congress  should  grant  \'ermont  a 
seat  in  that  assembly  as  a  separate  state, 
then  these  negotiations  to  be  at  an  end  and 
be  kept  secret  on  both  sides." 

P>ut  the  wildest  reports  of  his  treachery 
flew  about  the  country.  Some  of  them  e\en 
represented  him  at  the  head  of  British  troops 
in  Canada.  The  feeling  grew  at  home  and 
finally  focussed  in  an  arraignment  before  the 
Legislature  in  No\ember,  1782,  for  miscon 
duct  in  the  armistice.  This  is  what  appears 
in  the  "(iovernor  and  Council"  minutes  as 
the  "Captain  Hotchkiss  Resolutions."  The 
record  is  very  meagre.  Fay  and  Bradley, 
who  were  on  his  staff  at  Castleton,  testified, 
and  apparently  con\inced  all  that  nothing 
improper  had  been  done.  .Allen  resigned 
his  commission,  evidently  deeply  hurt  that 
after  all  he  had  done  for  the  people  he 
should  be  subject  to  such  suspicion  :  that,  as 
he  said,  "such  false  and  ignominious  asper- 
sions" were  entertained  against  him  for  a 
moment,  and  he  indignantly  left  the  house, 
declaring  that  he  would  "hear  no  more  of 
it."  The  Legislature  appointed  a  committee 
of  two  to  express  the  state's  thanks  for  .Al- 
len's services,  and  then  accepted  the  resigna- 
tion which  .Allen  had  offered  "because  there 
was  uneasiness  among  some  of  the  people  on 
account  of  his  command,"  but  he  patriot- 
ically said  he  would  ever  be  ready  "to  serve 
the  state  according  to  his  abilities,"  if  ever 
necessary. 

The  next  spring  he  was  chosen  general  of 
the  brigade  of  militia,  but  refused  to  accept, 
though  with  a  repetition  of  his  promise  to 
serve  the  state  in  an  unofficial  capacity  in 
case  of  need.  In  December,  1781,  when 
New  York  attempted  force  to  get  control  of 
the  state,  .Allen  was  present  with  the  force  of 
\ermont  militia  that  defeated  the  project, 
not  nominally  in  command,  but  evidently  at 
the  request  of  Governor  Chittenden,  as  his 
account  against  the  state  for  that  service  was 
allowed. 

The  rest  of  his  days  were  passed  in  j^ri- 
vate  life,  but  with  recognition  on  every  side 
as  the  leader  of  the  state.  In  i  782  he  was 
called  to  the  field,  as  he  had  been  two  years 
previously,  to  quiet  the  rebellious  "Yorkers" 
in  Windham  county,  and  when  his  party  was 
fired  on  by  ambushed  men  in  (kiilford  he 
walked  into  the  town  on  foot  and  gave  his 
famous  warning  that  unless  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  peacefully  submitted  to  the  au- 
thority of  the  state  of  Vermont  he  would 
"lay  it  as  desolate  as  Sodom  and  Gomorrah." 

When  Shay's  rebellion  was  started  in 
Massachusetts,  messengers  were  sent  to  him 
offering  him  the  chief  command,  but  heccm- 
temptuously  refused  it,  orilered  the  messen- 
gers out  of  the  state,  notified  the  Massachu- 


ALLEX. 


setts  authorities,  and  also  exerted  himself 
vigorously  to  prevent  the  insurgents  from 
making  Vermont  a  place  of  refuge.  Though 
so  long  posted  as  an  outlaw,  though  a  leader 
of  revolutionists  and  a  discourser  on  human 
rights  through  all  his  active  career,  and 
though  seemingly  so  recklessly  extravagant 
in  his  talk,  he  was  always  the  friend  of  law 
and  order.  His  revolutionism  was  only 
against  what  was  so  plainly  wrong  as  to  be 
in  ethics  and  morals  illegal. 

In  1787  he  moved  to  Burlington,  where  he 
devoted  himself  to  farming.  He  died,  Feb. 
12,  1789,  at  the  age  of  only  fifty-one,  while 
on  his  way  home  from  South  Hero,  where  he 
had  been  for  a  load  of  hay,  and  had  spent 
the  afternoon  and  evening  previous,  at  the 
invitation  of  Col.  Ebenezer  Allen,  with  a 
party  of  old  friends.  On  the  journey  his 
negro  attendant  spoke  to  him  several  times 
and  received  no  reply,  and  on  reaching  home 
he  was  found  to  be  unconscious  with  apo- 
plexy. He  died  a  few  hours  later.  He  was 
buried  with  military  honors,  and  his  remains 
rest  in  a  beautiful  valley  near  the  Winooski. 
The  Legislature  in  1885  ordered  a  monu- 
ment to  be  erected  over  his  grave,  a  Tuscan 
column  of  granite  42  feet  high,  and  4  1-2  feet 
in  diameter.  A  commanding  statue  of  him 
designed  by  Mead,  of  Vermont  marble, 
stands  in  the  portico  of  the  Capitol  at 
Montpelier.  Another  by  the  same  great 
sculptor,  of  Italian  marble,  is  in  the  Capitol 
at  Washington.  The  earliest  statue  of  him 
was  modeled  by  B.  H.  Kinney,  a  native  of 
Sunderland,  back  in  the  early  fifties.  It  was 
pronounced  by  aged  people  who  had  seen 
him,  an  excellent  likeness,  but  it  is  still  pri- 
vate property.  A  fourth  statue  of  heroic 
size,  designed  by  Peter  Stevenson,  was  un- 
veiled at  Burlington,  July  4,  1873,  ^.nd  sur- 
mounts the  Allen  monument. 

Allen's  first  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of 
Cornelius  and  Abigail  (Jackson)  Brownson, 
of  Woodbury,  Conn.  The  earlier  historians 
used  to  say  that  she  died  in  Connecticut 
during  the  war,  but  on  the  authority  of  a 
remembered  statement  of  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Hitchcock  it  is  now  believed  that  she  died 
in  Sunderland  about  1783  from  consumption, 
and  was  buried  in  Arlington.  Some  verses 
in  her  memory,  the  only  attempt  at  poetry 
Allen  ever  made,  were  published  in  the  Ver- 
mont Gazette  of  July  10,  1783,  and  are  well 
worth  preservation,  for  his  recognition,  how- 
ever skeptical  he  may  have  been  himself,  of 
the  sublime  power  of  the  Christian  faith  in 
his  wife  : 

Farewell,  my  friends;  the  fleeting  world,  adieu, 
My  residence  no  longer  is  with  you; 
My  children  I  commend  to  Heaven's  care, 
And  humbly  raise  my  hopes  above  despair; 
And  conscious  of  a  virtuous,  transient  strife, 
Anticipate  the  joys  of  the  next  life; 
Yet  such  celestial  and  ecstatic  bliss 
Is  but  a  part  conferred  on  us  in  this. 


Confiding  in  the  power  of  God  most  high. 
His  wisdom,  goodness,  and  infinity 
Displayed,  securely  I  resign  my  breath 
To  the  cold,  unrelenting  stroke  of  death. 
Trusting  that  God,  who  gave  me  life  before, 
Will  still  preserve  me  in  a  state  much  more 
Exalted,  mentally  beyond  decay. 
In  the  blest  regions  of  eternai  day. 

No  Stone  was  ever  erected  to  her  memory. 
She  bore  Allen  one  son  and  four  daughter's. 
The  son  died  at  the  age  of  eleven.  Two  of 
the  daughters  died  unmarried  and  one  mar- 
ried Eleazer  W.  Keyes  of  Burlington  and  the 
other  Samuel  Hitchcock  of  Burlington,  and 
was  the  mother  of  Gen.  E.  A.  Hitchcock. 

Allen  was  married  a  second  time,  Feb.  9, 
1784,  to  Mrs.  Frances  Buchanan,  the  widowed 
daughter  of  Crean  Brush,  the  Tory,  the  man 
who  had  led  in  the  New  York  Legislature  in 
passing  the  act  of  outlawry  against  him  and 
procured  the  reward  to  be  offered  for  his 
head.  The  story  of  this  marriage  is  romantic 
and  again  illustrative  of  Allen's  rough-and- 
ready  audacity.  Mrs.  Buchanan,  who  was 
twenty-two  years  his  junior,  and  a  woman  of 
grace,  culture  and  fascination,  was  living  with 
her  mother  in  the  house  of  Stephen  R.Brad- 
ley  at  Westminster,  where  she  frequently  met 
Allen  with  other  leading  men  of  the  state, 
and  a  sort  of  friendship,  that  was  still  half  of 
antagonism,  grew  up  between  these  two 
strong  and  original  natures.  Its  character 
may  be  judged  from  a  remark  to  John  Nor- 
tin,  the  ex-Tory  tavern  keeper  at  Westmin- 
ster, who  one  day  said  to  her  :  "  Fanny,  if 
you  marry  General  Allen  you  will  be  queen 
of  a  new  state."  "Yes,"  she  retorted  scorn- 
fully, "if  I  should  marry  the  devil  I  would 
be  queen  of  hell." 

But  early  that  February  morning  Allen 
drove  up  with  a  span  of  dashing  black  horses 
and  a  colored  driver.  It  was  during  a 
session  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the 
judges  were  at  breakfast.  He  declined  an 
invitation  to  partake,  saying  he  had  break- 
fasted, and  passed  without  ceremony  into 
Mrs.  Buchanan's  part  of  the  house,  where 
he  found  her  in  a  morning  gown,  standing 
on  a  chair,  arranging  some  glass  and  china 
on  the  upper  shelf  of  a  closet.  After  a  few 
moments'  playful  chat,  Allen  said  :  "Well, 
Fanny,  if  we  are  to  be  married,  now  is  the 
time,  for  I  am  on  my  way  to  Arlington." 
"Very  well,"  she  replied,  descending  from 
the  chair,  "but  give  me  time  to  put  on  my 
Joseph."  Allen  led  her  into  the  room  where 
the  judges,  having  finished  their  breakfast, 
were  smoking  their  long  pipes,  and  accost- 
ing his  old  friend,  Chief-Justice  Robinson, 
asked  him  to  tie  the  knot.  "U'hen?"  said 
the  judge  in  surprise.  "Now,"  replied 
Allen.  "For  myself  I  have  no  great  opinion 
of  such  formality,  and  from  what  I  can  dis- 
cover she  thinks  as  little  of  it  as  I  do,  but 
as  a  decent  respect  for  the  opinions  of  man- 
kind seems  to  require  it,  you  will  proceed." 


The  ceremony  reached  the  point  where 
the  judge  asked  Ethan  if  he  promised  to  live 
with  Frances,  "  agreeable  to  the  law  of 
God."  "Stop  !  stop  !"  cried  Allen,  and  paus- 
ing and  looking  out  of  the  window  he  added  : 
"The  law  of  (lod  as  written  in  the  great 
book  of  nature?  Yes!  Goon!"  Without 
further  interruption  the  service  was  com- 
pleted, the  bride's  trunk  and  guitar  case  were 
placed  in  the  sleigh  and  the  pair  driven 
across  the  mountain  to  the  general's  home. 
By  this  second  wife  there  was  one  daughter 
and  two  sons.  After  his  death  the  daughter 
entered  a  nunnery  in  Canada  and  died  there. 
The  sons  were  Hannibal  and  Ethan  A.,  and 
became  officers  of  the  United  States  Navy. 
The  latter  had  a  son,  since  well  known,  C'ol. 
Ethan  Allen  of  New  York. 

Little  that  Allen  wrote  has  been  preserved 
to  the  present  day.  Among  his  works,  besides 
those  mentioned  on  pre\ious  pages,  was 
his  "  Vindication  of  \'ermont  and  Her  Right 
to  Form  an  Independent  State,"  a  forceful 
argument  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-two 
pages,  written  in  1779  and  published  under 
authority  of  the  Governor  and  Council.  In 
1779  also  appeared  his  "Narrative"  from 
which  his  biographers  have  all  got  most  of 
their  material.  In  177S  appeared  his  "An- 
imadversary  .Address"  in  answer  to  Governor 
Clinton  ;  in  i  780,  "Concise  Reputation  of  the 
Claims  of  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  and 
New  York  to  the  Territory  of  Vermont,"  which 
he  and  Jonas  Fay  had  prepared  with  much 
care  ;  and  in  i  782  a  "  Defense  of  the  Eastern 
and  Western  Unions."  In  1774  his  most  am- 
bitious pamphlet  on  the  New  York  contro- 
versy appeared,  a  document  of  over  two  hun- 
dred pages  and  an  exhaustive  discussion  of 
the  historical  aspect  of  the  case,  showing  that 
prior  to  the  royal  order  of  1764  New  York 
had  no  claim  to  extend  easterly  to  the  Con- 
necticut river.  In  1784  he  brought  out  the 
work  on  which  he  expected  his  fame  to  rest, 
his  "Oracles  of  Reason,"  printed  at  Benning- 
ton, which  he  called  a  "  Compendious  Sys- 
tem of  Natural  Religion  "  and  consisting  as 
he  described  it  in  a  letter  to  St.  Johnde  Cre- 
vecoeur  of  "the  untutored  logic  and  salHes 
of  a  mind  nursed  principally  in  the  moun- 
tain wilds  of  America."  It  was  a  volume  of 
four  hundred  and  seventy-seven  pages,  an 
infidel  work,  denying  the  inspiration  of  the 
scriptures,  but  energetic  in  its  expressions  of 
veneration  for  the  being  and  perfection  of 
the  Deity  and  its  firm  belief  in  the  immortal- 
ity of  the  soul.  It  was  laid  a  good  deal  on 
the  same  lines  as  Paine's  "Age  of  Reason," 
without  Paine's  caustic  style  of  debate  but 
with  a  larger  and  healthier  view  of  things  eter- 
nal. There  was  a  presumptuous  tone  to  it  that 
greatly  marred  it,  and  yet  much  of  high  ideals, 
of  humanitarian  sentiment  and  of  insight 
beyond  things  material  to  things  spiritual.  He 
had  all  his  life  been  in  the  habit  of  jotting  down 


his  thoughts  on  these  subjects,  and  indeed 
the  work  was  planned  in  his  youth,  and  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  some  of  it  was  the 
contribution  of  Dr.  Thomas  Young,  one  of  the 
ablest  men  of  his  times,  an  influential  friend 
of  N'ermont  in  later  years  and  the  intimate 
of  Allen  in  his  Connecticut  days.  Both  de- 
lighted in  batding  against  New  I-^ngland 
orthodoxy,  then  wrote  in  conjunction,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  the  one  that  outlived  the 
other  should  publish  their  stuff.  Allen  left 
his  manuscript  with  \'oung,  on  going  to  Ver- 
mont, and  on  his  release  from  captivity  after 
Young's  death  obtained  it  from  the  latter's 
family,  and  elaborating  the  material  as  he  had 
leisure,  finally  published  it.  But  it  was  a 
failure,  and  a  great  disappointment  to  him. 
The  sale  was  limited,  and  a  large  portion  of 
the  fifteen  hundred  volumes  burned  in  the 
printing  office,  and  it  brought  on  him  an  op- 
probrium much  like  that  suffered  by  Paine. 

There  have  been  two  theories  about  Allen, 
one  that  he  was  a  hero,  the  other  a  humbug, 
and  about  them  has  centered  a  vast  deal  of 
discussion,  but  all  of  it  fragmentary,  without 
a  view  in  its  wholeness  of  his  work  or  char- 
acter. That  there  was  a  big  streak  of  hum- 
bug in  him  is  indubitable,  and  the  anecdotes 
of  himself  that  he  tells  with  most  relish  are 
those  where  he  made  the  humbug  work.  He 
was  overfull  of  faith  in  himself,  to  the  point 
of  vanity  and  bombast  at  times.  He  was 
often  a  heavy  drinker,  and  that  fact  may  ex- 
plain many  of  the  things  that  showed  worst 
in  him.  He  was  also,  as  Disraeli  said  of 
Gladstone,  in  the  habit  of  getting  "intoxicated 
with  the  exuberance  of  his  own  rhetoric" 
— and  blasphemy.  But  after  making 
every  allowance,  there  is  no  denying  his 
greatness — the  greatness  of  his  influence  on 
liis  times,  of  the  work  wrought  out  by  the 
force  of  his  personality,  of  the  results  of 
what  he  achieved,  as  well  as  attempted,  but 
missed,  by  the  fault  of  others,  and  of  the 
greatness  that  was  the  foundation  of  it  all, 
the  ideals  above  and  beyond  self  that  guided 
him.  He  was  too  big-minded  to  ever  be 
mean. 

Once  when  sued  on  a  note  he  employed 
a  lawyer  to  have  execution  stayed  a  short 
time.  The  lawyer,  as  the  easiest  way  to  do 
this,  denied  the  signature.  .Allen  arose  in 
court  in  a  rage  and  shouted  :  "Sir,  I  did  not 
employ  you  to  come  here  and  lie.  The 
note  is  a  good  one,  the  signature  is  mine. 
All  I  want  is  for  the  court  to  grant  me  suffi- 
cient time  to  pay  it." 

Another  court  anecdote,  not  so  creditable 
and  perhaps  to  be  accounted  for  on  the  in- 
toxication theory,  Cdadstonian  or  alcoholic, 
was  at  the  trial  at  Westminster,  in  May, 
1779,  of  the  thirty-six  Yorkers  who  had 
rescued  two  cows  from  an  officer  who  had 
seized  them  because  their  owners  had  re- 
fused to  do  militarv  dutv  on  the  frontier  or 


34 


to  pay  for  substitutes.  Three  had  been 
discharged  for  want  of  evidence,  and  three 
more  because  minors.  .Mien,  who  was  there 
by  order  of  (jovernor  Chittenden,  with  one 
hundred  soldiers  to  support  the  court,  heard 
of  it  and  strode  into  court  to  warn  it  not  to 
let  the  offenders  slip  through  its  hands. 
With  hat  on  and  sword  swinging  by  his  side 
he  began  to  attack  the  lawyers.  Chief-Jus- 
tice Robinson  said  reprovingly  that  the  court 
would  gladly  listen  to  him  as  a  citizen,  but 
not  as  a  military  man  in  military  attire. 
Allen  threw  his  hat  on  the  table  and  un- 
buckled his  sword,  exclaiming,  "  For  forms 
of  government  let  fools  contest ;  whate'er  is 
best  administered  is  best."  Then,  as  the 
judges  began  whispering  together,  he  added, 
"  I  said  that  fools  might  contest,  not  your 
honors,  not  your  honors."  Then  he  told 
how  he  had  come  fifty  miles  to  support  the 
prosecution  of  the  "  enemies  of  our  noble 
state,"  and  some  of  them  are  escaping  "  by 
the  quirks  of  this  artful  lawyer,  Bradley  ;" 
and  "  this  little  Noah  Smith,"  the  state's 
attorney,  "  is  far  from  understanding  his 
business,  since  he  at  one  moment  moves  for 
a  prosecution  and  in  the  ne.\t  wishes  to 
withdraw  it.  Let  me  warn  your  honors," 
and  turning  to  Smith  he  said,  "  I  would  have 
the  young  gentleman  know  that  with  my 
logic  and  reasoning,  from  the  eternal  fitness 
of  things,  I  can  upset  his  Blackstones,  his 
Whitestones,  his  gravestones  and  his  brim- 
stones." 

The  military  quality  of  his  theological 
views  in  the  heat  of  dispute  was  shown  in  his 
retort  to  John  Norton,  the  Westminster  tav- 
ern keeper,  who  said  regarding  the  then  new 
theories  of  Universalism  :  "That  religion 
will  suit  you,  will  it  not,  (General?" 

Allen,  who  knew  Norton  to  be  a  Tory,  re- 
plied scornfully  ;  "No  1  No  I  for  there  must 
be  a  hell  in  the  other  world  for  the  punish- 
ment of  Tories." 

In  1778  he  complained  of  his  own  brother 
Levi  as  a  Tory,  charging  that  he  had  ])assed 
counterfeit  continental  money  and  under  the 
pretense  of  helping  him  while  a  prisoner  on 
Long  Island,  had  been  detected  in  supplying 
the  British  with  provisions.  He  stated  that 
Levi  had  real  estate  in  ^'ermont  and  peti- 
tioned that  it  might  be  confiscated  to  the 
public  treasury.  For  this  Levi  challenged 
him  to  a  duel,  but  Ethan  retorted  that  it 
would  be  disgraceful  to  fight  a  Tory. 

The  eccentricity  of  his  vanity  was  illus- 
trated while  he  was  on  his  way  to  New  York 
after  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga.  He  stop- 
ped at  Bennington  and  went  into  the  church 
where  Rev.  Mr.  Dewey  was  fer\ently  thank- 
ing the  Lord  in  his  prayer  for  that  victory 
for  our  arms.  Allen  got  impatient  as  these 
thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  were  pouring 
up,  and  shouted  :  "Parson  Dewey  !"  No  at- 


tention was  paid  to  him,  but  the  thanksgiv- 
ing still  went  on.  "Parson  Dewey  !"  again, 
and  again  no  stop.  "Parson  Dewey  "'  Allen 
thundered  the  third  time,  springing  to  his 
feet  as  the  minister  opened  his  eves  in  as- 
tonishment. "Parson  Dewey,  please  make 
mention  of  my  being  there  !" 

Another  anecdote,  out  of  the  many  that 
have  come  down,  gives  a  glimpse  of  his 
make-up  on  several  of  its  sides.  While  he 
was  on  his  way  to  England  as  a  prisoner, 
and  in  irons,  he  discovered  that  the  pin  or 
wire  that  fastened  one  of  the  handcuffs  was 
broken,  and  he  extracted  the  pieces  with  his 
teeth,  unloosed  the  bolt,  and  then  freeing 
that  hand  soon  had  the  other  and  his  feet  at 
liberty.  He  replaced  the  irons  before  his 
keeper  came  in,  but  was  able  afterwards  to 
liberate  himself  at  pleasure.  One  day  the 
captain  ordered  him  to  be  brought  on  deck 
in  order  to  make  sport  of  him,  and  as 
though  to  frighten  a  land  lubber,  said  there 
was  a  probability  of  the  ship's  soon  founder- 
ing, and  asked  ;  "If  so,  what  will  become  of 
us,  especially  you,  Mr.  Allen,  a  rebel  against 
the  King?"  "My  !"  replied  Allen,  "that  would 
be  very  much  like  our  dinner  hour."  "How 
so?"  "I'd  be  on  my  way  up  just  as  you 
were  going  down."  The  joke  was  theologi- 
cal, but  founded  on  the  fact  that  .Allen  was 
allowed  to  come  on  deck  only  when  the 
captain  went  down  to  his  cabin  to  dine. 
But  the  captain  was  mad,  began  a  regular 
tirade  of  abuse,  and  promised  that  "all  the 
rebels  will  soon  be  in  the  same  situation  as 
yourself."  Ethan's  choler  also  arose,  and  in 
a  twinkling,  raising  his  hands  to  his  teeth, 
he  had  the  pins  and  bolts  unlocked  and  the 
irons  thrown  o\erboard,  and  while  the  crowd 
stood  paralyzed  with  astonishment,  actually 
seized  the  captain  and  threw  him  headlong 
on  the  deck  ;  then  turning  to  the  affrighted 
crew  he  declared  in  a  voice  of  thunder  :  "If  I 
am  insulted  again  during  the  voyage  I'll  sink 
the  ship  and  swim  ashore." 

He  had  the  fondness  of  a  superior  mind 
for  the  companionship  of  able  men.  His 
early  intimacy  with  Dr.  Young  was  only  the 
forerunner  of  many  hke  it,  and  one  of  the 
pleasantest  was  that  with  the  cultured  St. 
John  de  Crevecoeur,  French  consul  at  New 
York,  and  after  whom  he  procured  St.  Johns- 
bury  to  be  named,  as  well  as  Danville  and 
Vergennes  after  other  eminent  Frenchmen  ; 
and  great  men,  both  of  his  and  latter  times, 
have  always  admired  him,  even  if  they 
didn't  like.  John  Jay,  found  his  writings  to 
be  characterized  by  "wit,  quaintness,  and 
impertinence." 

The  Englishman,  Col.  John  A.  Graham, 
who  wrote  a  series  of  letters  from  \'ermont 
in  the  last  century,  found  Allen  to  be  an 
"extraordinary  character,"  possessing  "great 
talents,  but  is  deficient  in  education ;  in  all 


his  dealings  he  possesses  the  strictest  sense 
of  honor,  integrity,  and  uprightness." 

"A  character  strangely  marked  by  both 
excellences  and  delects,"  is  the  verdict  of 
Jared  Sparks,  whose  biogra])hy  finds  him 
"bra\e,  generous,  consistent,  true  to  his 
friends,  true  to  his  country,  seeking  at  all 
times  to  ])roniote  the  best  interests  of  man- 
kind." 

Governor  Hall,  in  his  study  of  him,  was 
impressed  with  the  extent  and  accuracy  of 
his  political  information,  and  with  his  style 
of  wTiting,  as  one  to  "attract  and  fix  atten- 
tion, and  inspire  confidence  in  his  sincerity 
and  justice." 

Judge  D.  F.  Thompson's  summary  at- 
tributes to  him,  "wisdom,  aptitude  to  com- 
mand, abihty  to  inspire  respect  and  confi- 
dence, a  high  sense  of  honor,  generosity, 
and  kindness." 

Z  odack  Thompson  finds  in  him  "un- 
wavering patriotism,  love  of  freedom,  wisdom, 
boldness,  courage,  energy,  perseverance," 
but  too  much  "self-sufficiency  and  personal 
vanity." 

WARNER,  Seth,— The  ablest  soldier 
of  Vermont's  youth,  was,  like  nearly  all  the 
leaders  of  the  state's  formative  period,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  being  born  at  that 
part  of  Woodbury  then  Roxbury  Parish, 
and  now  Roxbury,  Conn,  May  17,  1743, 
and  he  returned  there  to  die,  forty-one  years 
later.  He  early  joined  the  movement  to  the 
New  Hampshire  grants,  which  were  begin- 
ning to  be  settled  after  the  close  of  the 
French  and  Indian  war,  and  were  soon  to 
become  the  Eldorado  of  New  Kngland  agri- 
culture. He  came  to  Bennington  in  1765, 
and  being  a  skilled  botanist,  though  he  had 
had  only  a  common  school  education,  and 
an  ardent  huntsman,  the  life  was  just  of  the 
kind  to  delight  him  ;  judging  by  his  circum- 
stances, these  pursuits  absorbed  more  of  his 
energies  than  the  more  prosaic  work  of 
farming.  He  was  once  or  twice  a  member 
of  the  conventions  of  settlers,  though  he 
had  little  ambition  to  play  a  political  part. 
But  his  quasi-military  operations  were  always 
useful  and  in  demand  in  the  controversy 
with  New  York.  His  residence  in  Benning- 
ton was  less  than  a  mile  from  the  New  York 
line,  and  outside  of  the  settlement,  and  yet 
despite  the  indictments  and  heavy  rewards 
offered,  the  Yorkers  never  succeeded  in  cap- 
turing him.  Once  a  New  York  ofificer, 
armed  to  the  teeth,  found  and  attemjated 
to  arrest  him.  Warner  attacked  and  wounded 
and  disarmed  the  man,  but  with  the  spirit  of 
a  soldier  spared  his  life.  Warner  was,  in 
I  77 1,  elected  by  a  convention  a  captain  of 
one  of  the  companies  in  the  regiment  of 
(Ireen  Mountain  Boys  organized  to  resist 
New   York  authority,  and    the   story  of   its 


WARNEK.  35 

wild,  rollicking  and  romantic  work  is  very 
much  the  same  as  to  Warner's  part  as  any 
of  the  other  leaders.  He  was  prompt  and 
eager  to  go  with  his  comrades  into  the  revo- 
lution, and  to  join  the  expedition  to  Ticon- 
deroga.  He  was  left  with  the  rear  guard, 
the  bulk  of  the  party,  on  the  east  shore  of 
the  lake  unable  to  get  across,  at  the  time 
of  the  capture  of  that  fortress,  but  he  was 
sent  the  next  day  with  a  detachment  of  men 
to  take  Crown  Point,  which  he  accomplished 
successfully,  the  fortress  surrendering  at  the 
first  summons,  with  two  men  and  sixty-one 
good  cannon,  besides  a  lot  unfit  for  service. 
He  earnestly  seconded  .-Vllen's  eftbrts  for  an 
invasion  of  Canada,  going  with  him  to 
Philadelphia  and  Albany,  to  urge  it  on  the 
Continental  and  provincial  congresses.  It 
looked  for  a  lime  as  if  the  controversy  be- 
tween New  York  and  the  people  on  the 
grants  was  to  disappear  in  the  enthusiasm 
over  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga,  for  not 
only  were  Allen  and  \Varner  cordially  re- 
ceived when  they  appeared  before  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress,  but  they  were  both  willing 
and  eager  to  lead  troojjs  raised  under  New 
York  authority,  and  the  Congress  passed  a 
resolution  authorizing  the  raising  of  a  regi- 
ment among  the  lately  rebellious  people  to 
be  commanded  by  officers  chosen  by  them- 
selves. .Allen  in  his  impulsive  generosity 
wrote  to  the  Provincial  Congress  :  "When 
I  reflect  on  the  unhappy  controversy  which 
has  many  years  subsisted  between  the  gov- 
ernment of  New  York,  and  the  settlements 
of  New  Hampshire  grants,  and  also  con- 
template on  the  friendship  and  union  that 
hath  lately  taken  place  between  the  govern- 
ment and  these  its  former  discontented  sub- 
jects, in  making  a  united  resistance  against 
ministerial  vengeance  and  slavery,  I  cannot 
but  indulge  fond  hopes  of  reconciliation. 
To  promote  this  salutatory  end,  I  shall  con- 
tribute my  influence,  assuring  your  honors, 
that  your  respectful  treatment,  not  only  to 
Mr.  Warner  (Seth  Warner)  and  myself,  but 
to  the  Green  Mountain  Boys  in  general,  in 
forming  them  into  a  battalion,  are  by  them 
duly  regarded,  and  I  will  be  responsible  that 
they  will  retaliate  this  favor  by  wholly  haz- 
ardizing  their  lives,  if  need  be,  in  the  com- 
mon cause  of  .America.  I  hope  no  gentle- 
man in  Congress  will  retain  any  precon- 
ceived prejudice  against  me,  as  on  my  part 
I  shall  not  against  any  of  them  ;  but  as  soon 
as  opportunity  may  permit,  and  the  public 
cause  not  suffer  thereby,  shall  hold  myself 
in  readiness  to  settle  all  former  ilisputes  and 
grievances  on  honorable  terms."  But  the 
land  jobbers  evidently  got  in  their  work 
soon  to  check  this  flood  of  good  feeling. 
For  when  the  regiment  had  been  raised  and 
Warner  elected  its  colonel — much  to  the 
mortification  of  .\llen — the  New  N'ork  gov- 


36 


ernment  neglected  to  give  him  his  commis- 
sion, for  it  appears  by  General  Montgom- 
ery's note  book  that  after  the  regiment  had 
reached  Canada  and  joined  in  the  operations 
the  General  appointed  him  colonel,  and  re- 
quested   him  to  be  obeyed  as   such.     The 
New  York  Congress  had  not  only  withheld 
commissions   from    the  regiment,   but    had 
asked   the  Continental  Congress  to  do  the 
same,   and   the   demand  was   several   times 
afterward  repeated.     January  20,   1777,  the 
New  York  Congress  adopted  a  report  declar- 
ing that  "The  said  Seth  Warner  hath  been 
principally  concerned  in  riots,  outrages  and 
cruelties  against   the  former  government  of 
this  state,  and  is  otherwise  utterly   unfit   to 
command  a  regiment  in  the  Continental  ser- 
vice," and  insisting  that  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
.sary  to  disband  the  regiment  and  "recall  the 
commissions  given  to  Colonel  \Varner  and 
the  officers  under  him  ;  as  nothing  else  will 
do  justice  to  us  and  convince  these  deluded 
people  that  Congress  have  not  been  prevailed 
on  to  assist  in  dismembering  a  state."    But 
no  attention  was  paid  to  the  demand,  although 
New  York  was  profuse  in  promises  to  raise 
extra  troops   enough   beyond   her  quota  to 
make  up  for  the  disbandment  of  this  regi- 
ment, and   yet  it  was  but  little  more  than 
a  year  after  this  that  New  York  was  relying 
on  Warner  and  this  regiment  mainly  for  the 
protection  of  her  own  frontiers — an  arduous 
and  exhausting  service  which  Warner  cheer- 
fully rendered,  and  in  which  really  he  lost  his 
life. 

When  the  invasion  of  Canada  was  finally 
begun  in  the  fall  of  1775,  Warner  and  his 
Green  Mountain  Boys  joined  it  within  three 
days.  Montgomery  promptly  sent  him  with 
a  part  of  his  men  to  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
vicinity  of  Montreal  to  watch  the  motions  of 
the  enemy.  With  three  hundred  men  he 
repulsed  Carlton  when  the  latter  attempted 
with  eight  hundred  men  to  join  McLean  and 
raise  the  siege.  Warner  watched  the  British 
as  they  embarked  from  Montreal,  permitted 
them  to  approach  very  near  the  south  shore 
and  then  poured  a  hot  fire  into  them,  throw- 
ing them  into  disorder  and  compelling  a 
retreat.     It  was  well  and  gallantly  done. 

After  repulsing  Carlton  and  maneuvering 
McLean  back  to  Quebec,  he  erected  a 
battery  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel  to  com- 
mand the  passage  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
block  up  Carlton  in  Montreal.  Carlton 
managed  to  escape  down  the  river  to  Que- 
bec, and  Montgomery  took  possession  of 
Montreal  Nov.  13.  But  General  Prescott 
attempting  to  escape  with  a  number  of 
armed  vessels  loaded  with  provisions  and 
military  stores,  was  captured  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Sorel  with  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men.     Warner  also  commanded  at  an  action 


at    Longueil    in    which    Z^Iontgomery    com- 
mended his  bravery  and  prudence. 

November  20,  as  the  regiment  had  served 
only  as  volunteers  and  was  too  miserably 
clad  to  endure  a  winter's  campaign,  Mont- 
gomery discharged  it  with  peculiar  marks  of 
respect.  But  the  gallant  boys  had  hardly 
got  home  when  General  Wooster  wrote 
Warner,  telling  of  the  desperate  straits  the 
invading  army  was  in  after  the  repulse  at 
Quebec,  and  the  sickness  and  desertions 
from  which  it  was  suffering  and  urging  him 
to  raise  a  body  of  men  and  hasten  to  their 
support  until  relief  could  come  from  the 
colonies.  "  Let  them  come,"  (ieneral  Woos- 
ter wrote,  "  by  tens,  twenties,  thirties,  forties 
or  fifties,  as  fast  as  they  can  be  prepared  to 
march."  Eleven  days  afterward  the  valiant 
and  energetic  Warner  was  again  marching  a 
regiment  northward.  The  men  had  become 
habituated  to  turn  out  at  his  call,  they  had 
unbounded  confidence  in  his  vigilance,  pru- 
dence and  courage,  and  they  loved  him  as 
few  officers  are  loved  by  their  soldiers.  He 
was  affable  and  familiar  with  the  humblest 
private  without  sacrificing  any  of  the  dignity 
necessary  to  command. 

The  campaign  was  an  extremely  distress- 
ing one.  The  troops,  even  the  freshly-armed 
Green  Mountain  Boys,  lacked  comfortable 
clothing,  barracks  and  provisions.  ^Vhen 
the  retreat  was  made,  A\'arner  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  rear  guard  and  did  good 
and  skillful  service  in  covering  the  retreat, 
picking  up  the  wounded  and  distressed,  and 
keeping  generally  only  a  few  miles  ahead  of 
the  British  advance,  who  pursued  closely 
from  post  to  post.  He  brought  ofl^  most  of 
the  invalids,  and  with  this  corps  of  diseased 
and  infirm,  arrived  at  Ticonderoga  a  few 
days  after  the  main  column. 

July  5,  1776,  shortly  after  the  final  aban- 
donment of  Canada,  Congress  resolved,  on 
a  report  of  the  board  of  war,  to  organize  a 
regiment  of  regular  troops  for  permanent 
service,  to  be  under  command  of  officers 
who  had  served  in  Canada.  Warner  was 
appointed  colonel  of  this  regiment,  which 
was  raised  chiefly  in  Yermont,  and  Samuel 
Safford  lieutenant-colonel.  Warner  was  at 
Ticonderoga  with  his  regiment  through  the 
whole  of  the  remainder  of  the  campaign  of 
1776,  and  did  some  efficient  service  in  pro- 
tecting that  post. 

In  the  1777  campaign,  with  its  invasion 
by  Burgoyne,  \\'arner  went  to  work  with  his 
accustomed  activity  to  meet  it.  He  issued 
a  stirring  appeal  to  all  Vermonters  and  wrote, 
July  2,  from  Rutland  to  the  convention  at 
Windsor,  that  an  attack  was  expected  at  Ti- 
conderoga, and  urging  that  all  men  who 
could  possibly  be  raised  be  forwarded  at 
once.  "I  should  be  glad,"  he  said,  "if  a 
few  hills  of  corn  unhoed  should  not  be  a  mo- 


37 


live  sufficient  to  detain  men  at  iiome."  He 
reached  Ticonderoga  with  900  men,  mainly 
Vermont  militia,  July  5,  in  season  to  assist 
in  its  defense,  but  St.  Clair  and  his  council 
of  war  resolved  to  abandon  the  post  that 
night,  before  ?!urgoyne's  investment  was  com- 
pleted. Warner  was  again  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  rear  guard.  He  was  overtaken 
by  Fraser,  in  command  of  the  15ritish  ad- 
vance, on  the  morning  of  July  7,  and  the  re- 
sult was  the  well-planned  and  splendidly 
fought,  but  most  unlucky,  battle  of  Hubbards- 
ton.  Warner  had  about  t,ooo  men,  consist- 
ing of  his  own  and  Colonel  Francis,  and 
Colonel  Hale's  New  Hampshire  and  Massa- 
chusetts regiments.  The  British  for  cenum- 
bered  rather  more,  besides  Riedesel's  in- 
fantry and  reserve  corps  following  three 
miles  behind.  Hale  got  detached  and  was 
captured,  and  Francis  fell  while  charging  for 
the  third  time  at  the  head  of  his  regiment. 
Still  Warner  fought  on  with  the  utmost  gal- 
lantry and  with  skillful  dispositions  and  had 
the  battle  nearly  won  when  Reidesel's  rein- 
forcements arrived.  Warner  himself  was 
surrounded  with  a  small  party  at  one  time, 
but  fought  his  way  out.  Only  when  defeat 
v\'as  evidently  overwhelming  did  he  give  up. 
There  is  a  story,  not  supported  by  incontes- 
table proof,  however,  that  he  then  gave  an 
order  not  found  in  any  tactics,  for  every  man 
to  take  to  the  woods  and  meet  him  at  Man- 
chester. He  himself  safely  conducted  a  re- 
treat with  a  small  remnant  to  Fort  Kdward. 

The  historian,  Bancroft,  is  even  more 
imjust  than  in  his  strictures  on  Allen  at 
Montreal,  when  he  says  that  Warner  had  en- 
camped at  Hubbardston  contrary  to  St.  Clair's 
instructions,  and  calls  the  fight  a  rash  one. 
St.  Clair  had  ordered  him  to  keep  the  British 
in  check  while  the  main  army  made  its 
escape.  Besides,  it  was  a  good  opportunity 
for  St.  Clair,  who  was  only  six  miles  distant, 
at  Castleton,  to  turn  upon  the  pursuing 
column  and  crush  it.  Burgoyne,  with  the 
rest  of  his  army,  was  on  the  ships  in  the 
lake  and  beyond  supporting  distance.  War- 
ner would  have  made  the  day  victorious  but 
for  the  arrival  of  Riedesel's  reinforcements, 
and  successfully  resisted  them  for  a  time. 
.And  yet  Riedesel  had  three  miles  to  march 
while  St.  Clair  would  have  had  only  six. 
When  Riedesel  arrived  with  his  three  C.er- 
man  batallions,  Fraser  took  him  by  the 
hand  and  thanked  him  for  the  timely  rescue. 
If  Warner  had  run  for  Fort  Edward  without 
fighting,  as  Bancroft  seems  to  think  he 
ought,  it  would  have  reversed  the  conditions 
and  given  the  British  a  chance  to  beat  the 
Americans  in  detail,  and  very  possibly  St. 
Clair  would  have  been  unable  to  reach 
Schuyler  with  a  single  soldier. 


Warner  arri\ed  at  Manchester  a  few  days 
after  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  effect- 
ives, where  he  maintained  a  bold  front  until 
the  New  Hamjishire  men  had  time  to  rally, 
and  it  very  likely  saved  the  stores  at  Ben- 
nington from  a  descent  by  Riedesel  from 
Castleton.  He  adopted,  in  agreement  with 
Stark,  the  plan  of  arresting  Burgoyne's  ad- 
vance, harassing  his  Hanks.  Schuyler  con- 
sented to  it  most  reluctantly  and  only  after 
he  found  that  Stark  would  not  obey  his 
orders  to  join  him  in  Burgoyne's  front. 
Washington  approved  these  tactics  which 
Warner  had  inaugurated,  and  it  was  ob- 
viously the  only  thing  to  do  in  the  pres- 
ent junction,  because  it  would  compel 
Burgoyne  to  weaken  his  column  to  guard 
points  in  the  rear,  while  time  was  the  one 
thing  necessary  to  gather  and  organize  a 
sufficient  force  to  arrest  his  progress  in  the 
front.  Schuyler,  after  he  had  assented  to  the 
plan,  did  his  best  to  make  it  effective,  send- 
ing Warner  $4,000  and  an  order  for  whatever 
clothing  he  could  procure  at  .Albany.  The 
result  was  not  only  a  gain  of  over  a  month 
of  precious  time,  but  to  make  the  Benning- 
ton expedition  for  supplies  a  necessity  for 
Burgoyne. 

Warner  was  with  Stark  two  days  before 
the  battle  of  Bennington,  .August   16,  1777, 
aided  in  planning  the  attack  on  Raum's  in- 
trenchments,  and  rode  about  the  field  with 
the  General  early  in  the  fight.     The  battle 
was  planned    and  fought  with  a  degree  of 
military  talent  that  would  have  done  no  dis- 
credit to  any  service  in   Europe,  and  Stark 
in  his  official  report  expressed  his  particular 
obligations  to  \\'arner,  "whose  superior  skill 
was  of  great  service."     Warner  himself  had 
hurried  on  at  the  first  tidings  brought  by  his 
admirable  scouting  service  of  the  approach 
of  the  British  to  capture  the  stores  which  had 
been  accumulated  at  Bennington  to  be  for- 
warded to  Ticonderoga.  But  his  regiment  had  . 
so  large  a  number  off  scouting  that  it  couldn't 
start    on  the    r4th.  but    had  to  wait  for  the 
parties    to    come    in.     The    next    liay    they 
started  under  command  of  Major  Stafford, 
but  owing  to  a  heavy  rain  it  was  midnight 
before  they  arrived  within  a  mile  of  Benning- 
ton.    Their   ammunition    was   wet,    and    a 
considerable  part  of  the  next  day  was  e.x- 
hausted  before  they  could  get  to  the  scene 
of  the  battle.     They  arrived,  however,  most 
opportunely,  just  as  Breyman  had  come  with 
reinforcements  for  the  British,  after  the  day 
had  once  been  won  by  the  .\mericans,  who 
were    now    scattered    about   gathering    up 
plunder.     It  was  by  Warner's  earnest  advice, 
and  against  Stark's  first  impression,  that  the 
fresh  troops  were  at   once   thrown   against 
Brevman,  instead  of  retreating  to  rally  the 


38 


whole  army  on  a  new  line.  Warner  jnit  him- 
self at  the  head  of  his  regiment  and  pushed 
the  fight  with  a  fire  and  dash  that  made  the 
Americans  irresistible  as  soon  as  the  other 
troops  coidd  be  formed  in  line  and  brought 
into  action,  and  swept  Breyman  and  his  bat- 
talion off  the  field  in  complete  rout.  War- 
ner's brother,  Jesse,  was  killed  in  the  battle. 

Warner  was  with  Gates  throughout  the 
rest  of  the  campaign,  and  after  the  surrender 
of  Burgoyne  he  was  in  constant  service  along 
the  Hudson  and  elsewhere.  He  commanded 
an  expedition  to  Lake  George  I^anding,  by 
which  the  vessels  in  which  Burgoyne  might 
have  escaped,  were  captured.  In. April,  177S, 
he  was  ordered  to  .Albany,  leaving  the  state 
without  protection.  Schuyler  sent  him  on  a 
particular  command  into  Vessop's  Patent, 
which  he  executed  with  skill  and  address. 
It  was  not  a  field  for  brilliant  achievements, 
but  for  vigilance,  energy  and  cool  judgment 
in  guarding  against  Indian  incursions,  watch- 
ing the  Tories,  gathering  information,  and 
protecting  communications.  His  bravery 
and  military  capacity  came  to  be  highly  re- 
garded by  the  officers  of  the  Continental 
army.  He  was  wounded  from  an  ambush  of 
Indians  in  September,  i  7S0,  when  the  only 
two  officers  with  him  fell  dead  by  his  side, 
and  with  his  constitution  undermined  by  his 
constant  exertions  and  exposures,  he  returned 
to  Bennington  toward  the  close  of  the  war  a 
dying  man,  with  poverty  to  crown  his  mis- 
fortunes. Never  a  business  man  or  thought- 
ful for  money  matters,  he  had  taken  no  in- 
terest or  part  in  the  land  speculations  that 
made  most  of  the  Vermont  leaders  wealthy. 
The  proprietors  of  several  towns  had  voted 
him  land  as  a  reward  for  his  services,  but 
most  of  it  was  sold  for  taxes  and  he  never 
got  any  benefit.  The  neglect  of  his  affairs 
and  other  tax  sales  while  he  was  fighting  for 
his  country  had  nearly  used  up  what  little 
possessions  he  had,  so  that  before  his  death 
his  wife  was  forced  to  appeal  for  charity  to 
the  helpless  Congress.  In  1777  the  Legisla- 
ture had  granted  him  2,000  acres  in  the 
northwest  part  of  Essex  county,  supposing  it 
would  be  valuable,  but  he  never  realized 
much  from  it. 

Colonel  Warner  was  not  at  any  time  in  the 
secret  of  the  Haldimand  negotiation,  but 
like  most  people  belie\ed  that  something 
wrong  was  going  on  between  the  British  and 
the  Vermont  authorities  and  was  very  indig- 
nant about  it,  becoming  estranged  from  his 
old  associates  on  account  of  it.  He  went 
with  a  Bennington  committee  to  .Arlington, 
in  1782,  to  protest  to  (iovernor  Chittenden 
against  the  sending  of  prisoners  that  had  been 
taken  in  war  to  Canada  and  threatening  to 
raise  a  regiment  to  overtake  and  bring  them 
back.  There  was  quite  an  altercation,  and  a 
reply  from  the  Governor,  substantially  telling 


him  to  mind  his  own  business,  that  Colonel 
Allen's  regiment  which  had  taken  the  prison- 
ers was  able  to  protect  them,  and  that  there 
would  soon  be  seen  a  generous  return  of 
prisoners  from  Canada — which  proved  to  be 
the  fact. 

Colonel  Warner  returned  to  Roxbury,  Ct., 
in  the  summer  of  1784  and  died  there  Dec. 
26,  of  that  year,  at  the  age  of  forty-one.  He 
w-as  long  sick  abed  :  mortification  began  at 
his  feet  and  continued  by  slow  progress  up 
his  body.  His  last  few  months  were  clouded 
by  fits  of  insanity.  The  burial  was  with 
all  the  honors  of  war.  There  was  in  the  old 
days  a  pleasant  story  that  Washington  re 
lieved  the  homestead  of  a  mortgage  for  the 
widow  ;  but  it  was  a  fiction. 

The  record  is  insufficient  in  the  words  of 
the  inscription  on  his  tombstone,  to 

'*  'I'ell  future  .iges  wh.^t  a  hero's  done." 

For  Seth  Warner's  career  was  one  of  deeds 
done,  not  words  written,  and  his  modesty 
made  his  reports  few  and  short  and  free 
from  any  recounting  of  his  own  achieve- 
ments. He  always  appeared  to  be  satisfied 
with  being  useful  and  manifested  little  solici- 
tude that  his  services  should  be  known  or 
appreciated.  So  it  came  about,  as  he  was 
never  much  of  a  pen  and  ink  man,  anyway,, 
that  in  the  latter  part  of  his  service,  while  he 
was  on  detailed  commands,  we  have  very 
few  particulars  about  him  ;  but  he  was  about: 
the  ideal  soldier,  with  cool  courage  and 
perfect  self-possession,  at  all  times  resolute,, 
energetic  and  sound  of  judgment,  inspiring 
his  associates  and  his  command  with  entire 
confidence,  courteous  and  frank  in  bearing 
and  with  a  character  that  was  given  a  strong 
and  steady  fibre  by  the  high  and  patriotic 
purposes  that  animated  him. 

Hon.  S.  D.  Boardman  of  Connecticut,  who- 
as  a  youth  often  saw  him,  describes  Warner 
as  of  "noble  personal  appearance,  very  tall, 
not  less  than  six  feet  two  ;  large-boned,  but 
rather  thin  in  flesh,  and  apparently  of  great: 
bodily  strength ;  features  regular,  strongly 
marked,  and  indicative  of  mental  strength, 
fixedness  of  purpose,  and  yet  of  much 
benevolent  good  nature,  and  in  all  respects 
both  commanding  and  pleasing.  His  man- 
ners were  simple,  natural  and  free  from  any 
kind  of  affectation,  at  once  both  pleasing 
and  dignified."  .Additional  descriptions  tell 
of  his  sparkling  and  beaming  blue  eyes,  his 
beautifully  arched  eyebrows  below  nut- 
brown  hair,  and  a  forehead  broad  and  intel- 
lectual, indicative  of  a  sound  and  reflecting 
mind  and  a  strong  and  well-balanced  man- 
hood. He  bestrode  a  horse  with  rare  grace 
and  dignity. 

The  state  of  Connecticut  has  caused  a 
neat  and  substantial  monument,  a  granite 
obelisk,  about  twenty-one  feet  high,  to  be. 
erected  over  his  grave. 


CHITTENDEN. 

C:  H  1  T  T  H  N  U  H  N  ,  THOMAS.— I'he 
"Washington  of 
Vermont,"     her 

firstgovernor,for 

nineteen  years, 
shaping  her  ad- 
mi  nistrat  ion, 
shares  with  the 
Aliens  the  honor 
of  the  successful 
birth  of  the  new- 
state,  and  in  him 
was  the  intlis- 
pensable  com- 
p  1  e  t  e  m  e  n  t  of 
their  talents  to 
carry  it  through 
the  niulti]5Hed 
perils  of  its  youth.  John  I..  Heaton  in  his 
"Story  of  Vermont,"  does  not  exaggerate 
when  he  says  that  Chittenden  should  "rank 
with  Adams,  Hancock,  and  Morris  among  the 
great  men  of  the  Re\  olutionary  period  :  for 
he  was  one  of  the  wisest  and  purest,"  and  it 
cannot  now  be  seen  that  he  made  or  sanc- 
tioned more  than  one  serious  blunder, 
though  his  task  was  one  of  the  most  difficult 
that  e\er  confronted  a  leader  of  the  people. 
This  plain,  hard-working  farmer,  equipped 
by  Crod  as  a  statesman,  came  to  \'ermont  and 
assumed  his  work  at  the  age  of  over  forty 
and  in  the  full  maturity  of  his  mind  and 
powers.  He  was  born  at  East  Guilford, 
Conn.,  Jan.  6,  1730,  the  son  of  Ebenezer 
Chittenden,  and  descended  from  a  family  that 
came  from  Cranbrook,  England,  in  1639,  and 
of  whom  one,  Moses,  was  an  officer  in 
Cromwell's  own  regiment.  The  Chittendens 
were  of  Welsh  origin  and  the  name  comes 
from  the  words  Chy-tune-den  or  din,  signify- 
ing a  castle  in  a  valley  between  mountains. 
Crittenden  is  another  form  of  the  name  and 
the  great  Senator  John  J.  Crittenden,  of  Ken- 
tucky, was  closely  related  to  the  Connecticut 
and  Vermont  family.  A  brother  of  the  (Gov- 
ernor, Bethuel  Chittenden,  was  the  first  Epis- 
copal minister  of  Vermont.  His  mother  was 
a  Johnson,  and  cousin  of  President  Johnson 
of  Columbia  College. 

Thomas  Chittenden's  father  was  a  farmer 
of  only  moderate  circumstances,  and  there- 
fore the  boy  had  only  the  meagre  common 
school  education  of  those  days.  He  worked 
on  the  farm  until  he  was  eighteen,  becoming 
quite  noted  as  an  athlete,  and  then  shipped 
as  a  sailor  on  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies. 
England  and  France  then  being  at  war,  the 
ship  was  cajitured  by  a  cruiser;  he  landed  on 
one  of  the  islands  moneyless  and  friendless, 
and  he  reached  home  only  after  much  suf- 
fering and  fully  satiated  with  sea  life. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  he  married  Elizabeth 
Meigs  and  removed  to  Salisbury,  where  by 
his  industry  and  frugality  he  soon  acquired  a 


cHrrrENDEN. 


39 


com])etence  and  became  a  leading  man  of 
the  place,  rejiresenting  it  in  the  colonial  .Vs- 
sembly  six  years,  and  being  colonel  of  a 
regiment  of  militia.  His  large  business 
judgment  saw  the  opportunities  of  the  virgin 
land  in  Vermont,  to  which  the  spirit  of  emi- 
gration and  adventure  was  then  directed,  and 
in  1774  he  came  to  Williston,  on  the  (hiion 
river,  where  he  purchased  a  considerable 
tract  of  land,  settling  with  his  family  and  a 
few  others  when  there  was  scarcely  a  family 
or  road  in  that  part  of  the  land.  He  was 
pushing  improvements  on  the  ])lace  when 
the  retreat  of  the  American  army  from  Can- 
ada forced  him,  in  the  spring  of  1776,  to 
abandon  it,  first  taking  his  family  to  .Slassa- 
chusetts.  But  he  soon  bought  a  farm  in 
Arlington,  to  which  he  removed,  and  re- 
mained there,  with  short  stays  at  Pownal 
and  Danby,  until  after  the  war,  when  he 
returned  to  Williston,  which  was  his  home 
until  his  death.  One  of  his  reasons  for 
locating  in  .Arlington  was  to  cpiell  the  Tory 
power  which  had  then  become  seriously 
troublesome  there,  and  this,  in  conjunction 
with  the  .'\llens  and  Matthew  Lyon,  he  did 
vigorously,  but,  as  Hon.  David  Read  says, 
with  "sagacity,  humanity,  and  sound  discre- 
tion," until  nearly  every  royalist  was  dri\en 
out  of  town  or  persuaded  to  remain  in  sub- 
mission. From  the  beginning  he  had  entered 
zealously  into  the  struggle  of  the  settlers  with 
New  York  and  the  mother  country.  He  was 
appointed  first  president  of  the  committee 
of  safety  at  Bennington,  was  a  member  of 
the  first  convention  of  delegates  that  met  at 
Uorset,  Sept.  25,  1776,  to  consider  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  state,  and  at  the  Westmin- 
ster session  was  one  of  the  committee  that 
drafted  the  declaration,  and  assisted  at  the 
Windsor  convention  in  framing  the  constitu- 
tion. He  went  to  Philadelphia  with  .-Mien,  at 
the  opening  of  the  Revolution,  to  learn  the 
disposition  and  intentions  of  Congress,  and 
generally  to  procure  intelligence  and  advice. 
He  was  chosen  one  of  the  council  of  safety 
by  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  at 
once  became  president  of  that  body,  and 
was  unremitting  in  his  attention  to  its  duties, 
which  combined  the  legislati\e,  judicial,  and 
executive  powers  of  government,  throughout 
that  summer. 

Perhaps  he  cannot  be  said  to  ha\e  been 
the  first  to  see  the  o])|)ortunity  to  end  the 
New  York  controversy  by  erecting  a  new 
state  ;  but  he  was  one  of  the  foremost  in  ad- 
vocacy of  the  idea,  and  indeed,  by  this  time, 
this  sagacious,  cool-headed,  thoroughly  i)rac- 
tical  and  dignified  gentleman  had  come  to  be 
universally  recognized  as  the  representative 
man  of  the  settlers  :  the  one  to  mould  and 
weld  into  practical  shape  the  results  of  the 
tremendous  power,  as  a  popular  leader  of 
agitation,  of  Ethan  .Alien  :  thebrilliant  fertil- 


40 


CHl'ITENDEN. 


CHITTENDEN. 


ity  and  financial  resourcefulness  of  Ira  Al- 
len, and  the  shrewd  and  patriotic  endeavors 
of  Carpenter  and  Warner,  the  Fays  and  Rob- 
insons and  the  rest.  So,  naturally,  he  was 
elected  the  first  (".overnor,  taking  the  ofifice 
March  i,  1778,  and  being  regularly  re-elected 
until  March,  1797,  except  in  the  one  year  of 
'89,  when,  owing  to  issues  which  will  be  later 
explained,  Moses  Robinson  defeated  him  for 
a  single  term.  He  was  undoubtedly  best  fit- 
ted of  any  man  in  the  state  for  the  position 
and  its  duties. 

He  steadily  pursued  the  policy  of  inde- 
pendence, and  he  made  the  Haldimand 
negotiations  (more  fully  treated  in  the  sketch 
of  Ira  .Allen)  a  chief  club  with  which  to 
maintain  it.  He  wrote  a  spirited  protest 
against  the  proposal,  on  which  New  York 
and  New  Hampshire  were  figuring  in  1 780, 
to  divide  the  state  upon  the  mountain  line 
between  them.  He  likened  it  to  the  iniquit- 
ous division  of  Poland,  told  about  the  new 
state's  maintenance  of  posts  in  the  northern 
frontier,  and  that  she  was  at  liberty  "  if 
necessitated  to  it,"  to  offer  or  accept  terms 
of  cessation  of  hostilities  with  Clreat  Britain  ; 
and  "  if  neither  Congress  nor  the  other  states 
will  support  her  in  independence,  but  devote 
her  to  the  usurped  government  of  any  other 
power,  she  has  not  the  most  distant  moti\e 
to  continue  hostilities  and  maintain  an  im- 
portant frontier  for  the  benefit  of  the  United 
States,  and  for  no  other  reward  than  the  un- 
grateful one  of  being  enslaved  by  them."  He 
acted  in  December  of  the  next  year  with 
General  Enos,  Ira  Allen  and  William  Page, 
as  commissioners  to  New  Hampshire,  to  ac- 
commodate matters  with  that  state  and  save 
the  effusion  of  blood  in  a  conflict  of  author- 
ity in  the  East  Union. 

When  called  upon  by  Stark  for  an  explan- 
ation of  St.  Leger's  letter,  expressing  regret  at 
the  killing  of  an  American  citizen,  he  made  it 
direct  to  Washington.  This  is  another  of  the 
many  pieces  of  circumstantial  evidence  that 
Washington  was  in  the  secret  of  the  Vermont 
intrigue  with  Haldimand.  On  transmitting 
the  resolution  of  Congress  of  August  7,  1778, 
preceding,  requiring  as  an  indispensable  pre- 
liminary to  her  admission  as  a  state,  that  Ver- 
mont give  up  the  territory  of  New  York  and 
New  Hampshire,  which  she  had  incorporated 
into  her  own  lines  under  the  name  of  the 
East  and  the  West  unions,  Washington  had 
inquired  by  verbal  message  if  the  people 
would  be  "satisfied  with  the  basis  of  inde- 
pendence suggested,  or  whether  the  people 
seriously  contemplated  a  British  dependen- 
cy." Washington  was  certainly  inclined  to 
take  the  Vermont  side.  He  wrote  guardedly  in 
transmitting  the  above  message  that  he  would 
not  discuss  the  rights  of  Vermont's  claim  to 
independence  but  take  it  for  granted  that  it 


was  good  "because  Congress  by  their  resolve 
of  .-Vugust  7,  imply  it." 

In  one  of  his  letters  he  asks  :  "  Would  it 
not  be  more  prudent  to  refer  this  dispute  to 
New  York  and  Vermont  than  to  embroil  the 
whole  confederacy  of  the  United  States 
therewith?  " 

Even  if  Chittenden  had  in  good  faith  at- 
tempted a  British  connection  he  would  have 
been  morally  justified.  For  after  the  new  state 
had  been  cheated  by  Congress — as  all  Xer- 
monters  believed  and  as  A\'ashington  prac- 
tically admitted  in  advance,  in  his  letter 
about  the  resolve — into  abandoning  the 
unions  on  the  broken  promise,  in  effect,  that 
it  should  then  be  admitted  to  the  confeder- 
acy, and  had  ignored  the  offer  of  union  and 
aid  in  the  "protest"  of  1780,  the  Governor 
did  the  utmost,  as  the  "protest"  suggested, 
to  get  the  neighboring  states  to  act  in  con- 
junction with  \'ermont  against  the  British. 
He  sent  circulars  to  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut  and  New  York,  pro- 
posing a  union  with  the  first  three  for  pur- 
poses of  defense  against  the  invasion  which 
would  surelv  be  made  from  Canada  the  next 
spring,  demanding  as  the  only  condition  that 
any  claim  of  territory  in  Vermont  should  be 
relinquished.  Massachusetts  assented  to  this. 
Connecticut  made  no  response,  though 
understood  to  be  favorable.  New  Hampshire 
paid  no  attention  to  it.  The  New  York 
Legislature  w-anted  to  agree  to  it,  recog- 
nizing the  benefit  the  state  had  had  from  the 
military  activity  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys 
and  the  likelihood  that  the  plan  would  make 
Vermont  instead  of  New  York  soil  the  scene  of 
the  next  campaign,  but  Governor  Clinton 
only  prevented  the  passage  of  a  resolution 
of  assent  by  threatening  to  prorogue  the 
Legislature.  In  such  a  situation,  abandoned 
by  both  Congress  and  the  other  states  to  her 
own  resources,  believing,  as  there  was  every 
reason  to  do,  that  the  purpose  of  it  all  was 
to  crush  her,  what  was  there  for  Vermont  to 
do?  Absolutely  nothing  but  to  throw  her- 
self into  the  arms  of  the  British,  or  adopt 
the  policy  of  tergiversation  that  was  adopted. 
The  fact  that  the  latter  was  the  course 
taken  is  of  itself  sufficient  proof  of  the  pa- 
triotic Americanism  of  the  ^'ermonters. 

One  of  Chittenden's  letters,  Nov.  14,  1781, 
after  the  British  had  returned  to  Canada, 
shows  his  purpose  :  "The  enemy  were  man- 
oeuvred out  of  their  expectations  and  then  re- 
turned into  winter  quarters  with  great  safety, 
that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
the  prophet :  'I  will  put  my  hook  in  their 
nose  to  turn  them  by  the  way  whence  they 
came,  and  they  shall  not  come  into  this  city 
(alias  Vermont)  saith  the  Lord.'  " 

Another  evidence  of  it  was  afforded  by  a 
circumstance  in  October  of  that  year.  I'he 
New  York  government,  comparatively  imbe- 


CHIITENDKN. 


CiU'riENDEN'. 


cile  in  a  military  sense,  because  of  its  large 
element  of  Toryism  and  its  aristocratic  con- 
stitution, ne\er  hesitated  when  in  danger  to 
call  for  help  on  the  Green  Mountain  Hoys, 
whom  it  persisted  at  all  other  times  in  regard- 
ing as  "rebels"  against  its  authority.  So 
when  Carlton  made  his  raid  from  Canada 
and  captured  Forts  Ann  and  George,  Gov- 
ernor Clinton  again  appealed  to  Chittenden 
for  aid.  The  latter  replied  that  the  state's 
militia  was  up  north,  but  he  would  immedi- 
ately forward  some  he  expected  from  Berk- 
shire. The  fact  is  that  at  this  time  and  on 
repeated  other  occasions,  as  Clinton  officially 
acknowledged,  the  Vermont  troops  rendered 
prompt  and  valuable  service  to  New  York 
when  she  needed  it,  and  New  York's  return 
was  to  procure  ^'ermont's  being  left  entirely 
xindefended,  when  invasion  was  organized 
against  her. 

Governor  Chittenden  wrote  to  Washington, 
Nov.  14,  1782,  that  they  would  join  the  Brit- 
ish in  Canada  rather  than  submit  to  New 
York,  though  there  were  no  people  more  at- 
tached to  the  cause  of  America. 

With  Chipman  and  Lewis  R.  Morris,  he 
was  a  commissioner  in  1791  to  negotiate  the 
admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union. 

He  died,  August  25,  1797,  at  the  age  of 
si.xty-eight.  For  several  months  previous  he 
had  been  unable  to  perform  the  cluties  of  his 
office,  and  in  July  he  had  issued  an  address 
to  the  freemen  announcing  that  he  would  not 
be  a  candidate  for  re-election,  and  invoking 
Heaven's  blessings  on  the  state  and  people 
to  whom  he  had  devoted  so  many  years  of 
service  and  whom  he  had  seen  increase  from 
a  band  of  a  few  hundred  to  a  population  of 
over  100,000  people.  Many  descendants 
have  borne  his  honored  name,  and  it  is  said 
that  they  all  bear  the  stamp  of  his  physiog- 
nomy, so  strong  has  been  the  personality  to 
show  through  generations.  One  son,  Mar- 
tin, was  congressman  and  Governor  ;  another, 
Truman,  was  councilor  and  repeatedly  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  for  Lieutenant-Go\ernor, 
and  he  and  still  another  son,  Noah,  were 
judges  of  probate.  One  daughter  was  the 
wife  of  Gov.  Jonas  Galusha,  another  of  Mat- 
thew Lyon,  and  another  of  Col.  Isaac  Clark  : 
"  Old  Rifle  "  in  the  war  of  1812. 

The  character  of  Governor  Chittenden  is 
best  expressed  by  a  statement  of  the  work 
done  by  him.  He  was  a  genuine  Yankee  in 
his  mental  make-up,  with  its  strength  and 
activity,  its  practical  rather  than  theoretic 
knowledge,  its  keen  and  quick  perceptions, 
its  great  tact,  its  penetration  of  the  designs 
and  character  of  men,  its  "  almost  unerring 
foresight,  unhesitating  firmness  and  sound 
judgment,"  as  Governor  Hall  says.  But  he 
was  more.  He  had  that  quality  and  poise  of 
mind  that  constituted  so  much  of  Washing- 
ton's greatness,  that  habit  of  hearing  all  the 


e\idence  and  considerations  before  reaching 
a  conclusion,  of  seeking  a  full  view  of  all  sub- 
jects however  complex,  of  divesting  himself 
of  ail  influences  except  that  of  duty,  which  in- 
spired confidence  even  to  the  point  of  vener- 
ation, which  inevitably  evolved  a  dignified 
demeanor,  and  which  made  tiiis  plain,  unlet- 
tered farmer  who  could  hardly  write  a  letter 
in  straight  Fnglish,  one  of  the  great  men  of 
his  time.  He  grew  in  statesmanlike  stature 
as  his  opportunities  widened. 

While  so  keen  a  judge  of  human  nature 
that  bad  men  could  rarely  deceive  him,  he 
did  not  fail  to  bestow  his  trust  where  it  was 
worthy ;  he  did  not  make  the  mistake  of 
smaller  minds,  because  he  saw  so  much  of 
evil  and  littleness  in  the  world,  of  losing  faith 
in  humanity  in  the  aggregate.  The  crown- 
ing element  of  his  success  was  that  he  knew 
and  utilized  the  good  in  men. 

He  was  plain  and  simple  and  kindly  in 
manners  and  ways  of  living,  his  dignity  be- 
ing that  of  moral  and  intellectual  rectitude 
entirely,  not  of  affectation,  fitting  him  with 
his  long  residence  and  his  close  acquaintance 
with  the  work  of  the  people,  for  the  long 
pojiularity  he  enjoyed.  There  is  a  story  told 
of  a  visit  of  some  high-born  dames  from 
.\lbany  to  the  chief  executive's  home  at  Ar- 
lington that  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  genuine 
democracy  of  those  days  in  Vermont.  When 
the  hour  for  dinner  arrived  the  Governor's 
wife  went  out  to  the  piazza  and  blew  the 
horn  for  the  men  at  work  in  the  fields.  "  Do 
you  have  your  servants  eat  at  the  same  table 
with  you?"  inquired  the  visitors,  doubtless 
with  some  elevation  of  noses.  "  Yes,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Chittenden,  "  but  I  have  been 
telling  the  Governor  that  we  ought  not  to, 
that  they  have  10  work  to  much  harder  that 
they  ought  to  eat  first." 

He  was  always  of  remarkably  equable 
temper,  and  it  is  related  of  him  that  when  a 
neighbor.  Colonel  Spofford,  had  induced  the 
Legislature  to  appoint  a  man  justice  of  the 
peace  whom  the  Governor  thought  unfit  and 
had  opposed,  and  came  to  him  to  triumph 
over  the  success,  the  Governor  replied  plac- 
idly, "  Well,  well,  Spofford,  I  am  glad  of  it 
on  the  whole  ;  Smith  will  make  a  better 
justice  than  I  supposed,  and  /  always  hoped 
he  would."  The  sure  way  to  rouse  his  wrath 
to  the  depths  was  to  abuse  Ira  Allen.  It 
was  his  appreciation  of  and  faith  in  .\llen 
that  brought  him  his  only  political  defeat,  in 
1789.  The  Legislature  in  1783  authorized 
the  disposal  at  a  specific  price,  of  the  "  flying 
grant"  of  Woodbridge  (apparently  High- 
gate),  w^hich  had  been  forfeited  for  non-pay- 
ment, and  thirty-five  rights  in  Carthage 
(Jay),  to  raise  funds  and  provide  supplies 
for  the  survey  of  town  lines  and  cutting 
roads  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  No 
sales  were  effected  under  this  resolution,  but 


42 


CHITTENDEN. 


CHirrENDEN. 


Allen,  as  surveyor-general,  went  ahead  with 
the  work,  advancing  some  §4,000  for  it,  as 
it  ultimately  appeared,  from  his  own  funds. 
Governor  Chittenden,  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Governor  and  Council  at  Arlington,  July 
12,  1785,  when  unfortunately  only  half  the 
Council  were  present,  gave  Allen  a  paper, 
signed  by  himself  and  seven  members  of  the 
Council,  stating  it  as  their  opinion  that  if 
Allen  advanced  the  money  he  should  have 
the  lands  "  at  the  price  mentioned."  Allen 
was  defeated  for  state  treasurer  the  next 
year,  and  called  on  Governor  Chittenden  to 
deliver  to  him  the  charter  of  Woodbridge  in 
pursuance  of  this  paper,  and  it  was  done. 
The  next  year,  in  17S7,  Jonathan  Hunt,  of 
^'ernon,  procured  from  the  Legislature,  by  a 
vote  of  36  to  13,  against  the  protests  of 
Allen,  a  grant  of  the  same  lands,  and  organ- 
ized a  fight  in  the  Legislature  and  secured 
an  investigation.  A  committee,  headed  by 
Stephen  R.  Bradley,  reported  that  the  Gover- 
nor had  converted  the  state  seal  to  "  private 
sinister  views,"  and  that  the  charter  was 
fraudulent  and  ought  to  be  declared  void. 
.■\  bill  to  this  effect,  modified  somewhat, 
passed  and  went  into  effect,  and  such  a 
storm  was  raised  that  C'hittenden  failed  of  a 
majority  at  the  next  election,  and  as  a  ma- 
jority of  the  Legislature  was  against  him, 
Moses  Robinson  was  chosen  in  his  place. 
Allen  got  out  a  statement  "  To  the  Impartial 
Public  "  about  the  case,  but  it  was  published 
too  late  to  save  the  election.  But  the  report 
of  the  commission  in  1790,  to  adjust  the 
state's  accounts  with  Allen,  showed  that  he 
had  actually  advanced  the  money  for  the 
state,  and  the  people  were  satisfied  that 
though  there  had  been  technical  irregularity 
there  was  no  fraud  or  wrongful  intent  in  the 
matter,  and  the  (xovernor's  old  popularity 
returned  to  him  with  renewed  strength. 

Chittenden's  bearing  when  the  storm  was 
at  its  height  was  one  of  admirable  dignity. 
When  the  count  was  completed  it  was  his 
duty  to  declare  Robinson  elected  and  after 
assurances  that  he  had  sought  to  discharge  his 
duty  "  with  simplicity  and  unremitted  atten- 
tion "  he  said  : 

"Since  I  find  that  the  election  has  not  gone 
in  my  favor  by  the  freemen,  and  that  you, 
gentlemen,  would  prefer  some  other  person 
to  fill  the  chair,  I  can  cheerfully  resign  to  him 
the  honors  of  the  office  I  have  long  since 
sustained,  and  sincerely  wish  him  a  happy 
administration,  for  the  advancement  of  which 
my  utmost  influence  shall  be  exerted." 

And  the  Legislature  could  not  help  re- 
sponding that  the  people  "felt  a  grateful 
sense  of  the  many  and  good  services  he  had 
rendered  them  "^"and  wished  for  him  on  his  re- 
tirement from  arduous  labors  "all  the  blessings 
of  domestic  ease." 


His  wise  and  foresighted  benevolence 
twice  had  a  chance  to  show  itself  in  provid- 
ing food  for  the  people,  first  at  .Arlington, 
where  the  disorders  of  the  times  and  the  leav- 
ing of  their  unharvested  fields,  had  brought 
danger  of  a  famine,  and  afterwards,  after  the 
war  at  W'illiston  where  early  frosts  had  done 
great  harm.  The  Governor's  granaries  were 
full,  and  they  were  freely  emptied  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  suffering  neighbors.  .At  .Arlington 
he  visited  every  family  periodically,  took  an 
account  of  the  provisions  on  hand,  and  by 
impartial  and  disinterested  distribution  saw 
to  it  that  no  one  perished  for  want  that  hard 
winter.  At  \Villiston,  so  one  historian  says, 
men  came  from  scores  of  miles  away  through 
the  snow  to  draw  food  on  hand-sleds  for  their 
suffering  families.  When  they  offered  pav  or 
security  his  reply  was  that  he  had  no  corn  to 
sell  to  those  who  were  hungry.  The  only  re- 
striction was  that  they  should  leave  enough 
for  seed.  And  the  tale  has  been  handed 
down  in  many  a  familv  how  thev  would  ha\e 
starved  that  "cold  winter,"  but  for  the  corn 
of  "  Old  Governor  Tom." 

The  high  quality  of  his  statesmanship  was 
shown  in  the  "betterment"  and  "quieting" 
acts  of  1781-86,  legislation  that  was  perfectly 
novel  in  character  yet  so  clearly  founded  on 
the  principles  of  natural  justice  that  several 
other  states  have  since  imitated  it.  The 
idea  was  his  in  origin,  and  it  cut  the  way 
with  equity  through  difficulties  that  were 
simply  inextricable  in  law  procedure.  And 
it  was  done  after  a  long  fight  against  the  op- 
position of  nearly  all  the  lawyers  of  the  state, 
who  were  unable  to  see  beyond  technicalities. 
When  the  state  go\ernment  was  formed,  land 
titles  were  in  woeful  shape,  owing  to  the  long 
time  since  the  grants  by  New  Hampshire  the 
unsettlement  and  insecurity  that  had  come 
from  the  controversy  with  New  York,  the 
lack  of  any  office  or  place  of  record,  and  the 
general  custom  of  not  passing  title  deeds  to 
purchasers.  There  was  pretty  nearly  noth- 
ing by  which  to  determine  ownership.  Lands 
could  be  sold  without  the  preliminary  of  pur- 
chase as  well  as  with  it,  and  there  were 
manv  men  who  had  practiced  swindling 
of  this  kind  extensivelv.  The  possessor, 
though  he  had  cleared  and  improved  his 
land  and  erected  the  best  of  buildings  on  it, 
was  in  law  simply  a  trespasser  if  some  one 
else  could  trace  a  title  to  it.  Of  course  the 
greater  the  improvements  the  greater  the  ob- 
ject to  dispossess,  the  thicker  the  speculators, 
like  those  of  former  times  in  New  York,  who 
sought  farms  that  others  had  converted  from 
forests  for  them.  Litigation  was  multiplying 
on  every  side.  Governor  Chittenden's  solu- 
tion, which  he  had  the  help  of  Nathaniel 
Chipman  to  put  in  its  final  shape,  was  first 
to  gi\e  the  settler,  if  a  trespasser  technically, 
the  full  value  of  his  improvements  and  leave 


■Hiri  KNIlEX. 


43 


the  courts  to  make  further  e(iuital)le  (H\ision, 
then  by  the  act  of  '84  to  gi\e  him  half  the 
rise  in  the  value  of  the  land  besides  the  im- 
provements, and  finally  to  allow  the  legal 
owner  only  the  original  value  before  the  im- 
provements and  six  per  cent  besides. 

Governor  Chittenden's  readiness  of  re- 
source in  an  emergency  was  shown  in  Octo- 
ber, 1 78 1,  when  the  Legislature  was  in  session 
at  Charlestown  in  the  East  union,  and  an 
accident  came  near  uncovering  the  whole 
Haldimand  business.  For  the  sake  of  ap- 
pearances the  Vermonters  had  an  army 
under  Enos  at  Castleton  to  confront  the 
British  under  St.  Leger,  who  had  come  up 
the  lake  from  Canada. 

The  commanders  and  leading  officers  only 
were  in  the  secret  of  the  negotiation,  and 
when  an  affair  between  scouting  parties  re- 
sulted in  the  death  of  a  Vermont  sergeant 
(Tupper  by  name),  General  St.  Leger  sent 
back  the  man's  clothes  with  a  letter  of 
apology  and  regret  to  General  E^nos,  which 
when  delivered,  caused  a  good  deal  of  dis- 
turbance among  the  Vermont  troops.  A 
messenger,  who  was  sent  soon  afterward 
with  dispatches  to  the  Governor,  made  loud 
proclamations  all  along  the  route,  of  the  ex- 
traordinary occurrence,  fanning  into  flame 
the  suspicion  with  which  the  air  was  sur- 
charged, and  creating  great  excitement  in 
the  Legislature  when  Charleston  was  reached. 
The  Go\ernor  saw  what  must  come,  so  he 
called  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  war,  sum- 
moning to  their  aid  Chipman,  then  a  young 
lawyer  and  leader  of  the  party  opposed  to 
Chittenden,  and  in  a  few  moments  while  Ira 
Allen  was  bluffing  in  the  Legislattire  by 
getting  up  a  row  with  an  inquisitive  mem- 
ber. Major  Rounds,  the  Governor  and  his 
assistants  concocted  some  new  letters  from 
(leneral  Enos  and  Colonels  Walbridge  and 
Fletcher,  who  were  at  the  front  with  him, 
including  all  they  reported  about  military 
matters  that  did  not  bear  on  the  negotiation. 
After  Allen  had  kept  up  his  disputation  long 
enough,  he  appealed  to  the  dispatches  as 
evidence  that  there  was  nothing  wrong,  the 
new  ones  were  brought  in  and  read  for  the 
originals.  Chipman  followed  with  a  speech 
reminding  the  people  that  they  were  doubt- 
ing the  good  faith  of  Thomas  Chittenden,  a 
man  whom  he  though  of  the  opposing  party, 
knew  to  be  honest  and  true,  and  would 
trust  against  a  whole  army  of  St.  Legers. 
And  before  long  the  crowd  that  started  in  so 
ugly  was  dispersing  with  cheers  for  Chitten- 
den and  Chipman. 

His  remarkable  qualities  of  character  were 
well  summarized  by  Ethan  .Allen,  who  wrote 
of  him  :  "  He  was  the  only  man  I  ever  knew 
who  was  sure  to  be  right  in  all,  even  the  most 
difficult  and  complex  cases,  and  yet  could 
not  tell  or  seem  to  know  whv  it  was  so." 


Thompson  says  :  "He  had  a  rare  combi- 
nation of  moral  and  intellectual  qualities — 
good  sense,  great  discretion,  honesty  of  pur- 
pose and  an  >ni\arying  equanimity  of  tem- 
per, united  with  a  modest  and  pleasing 
address." 

I'^.  P.  Walton  says  :  "  He  did  not  tower 
like  an  ornate  and  graceful  Corinthian  col- 
umn, but  was  rather  like  the  solid  Roman 
arch  that  no  convulsion  could  overturn  and 
no  weight  could  crush."  .And  another  bi- 
ographer concludes  :  "  Mosses  and  lichens 
have  co\ered  the .  stone  which  marks  his 
grave,  but  that  stone  will  crumble  into  dust 
long  before  \'ermonters  will  cease  to  respect 
the  memory  of  Thomas  Chittenden." 

ALLEN,  iRA,  the  "  Metternich  of  Ver- 
mont," as  he  has 
sometimes  been 
called  ;  its  first 
secreta  r  y  and 
its  first  treasur- 
erer  ;  the  one 
great  diplomat- 
ist of  the  little 
republic,  and  its 
guide  through 
its  greatest  diffi- 
culties, has  had 
meagre  justice 
done  him  b  y 
history.  While 
we  properly  re- 
gard Chittenden 
as  the  "Wash- 
ington of  Vermont,"  Ira  Allen  mav  be  well 
called  its  Hamilton.  Indeed,  the  likeness  is 
striking  between  these  two  men  in  their  dif- 
ferent fields.  The  wonderful  intellectual 
precocity  of  Hamilton,  a  mind  versatile, 
clear,  and  penetrating,  with  its  intense,  prac- 
tical and  logical  cast,  its  perceptions  quick 
as  light,  its  fertility  of  original  ideas,  its  bold 
and  foresighted  conceptions,  and  its  master- 
ful handling  of  the  problems  of  administra- 
tion, had  its  counterpart  in  Allen.  Like 
Hamilton,  Ira  Allen  was  a  statesman  before 
he  was  twenty-five.  Like  Hamilton,  he  was 
one  of  the  handsomest  men  of  his  time, 
with  his  intellectual  countenance,  his  flashing 
black  eyes,  his  imposing  presence,  and  pleas- 
ing address.  .As  with  Hamilton,  there  was  at 
times  a  dash  of  unscrupulousness  in  his  pub- 
lic or  political  work,  coupled  with  the  utmost 
personal  honor — a  sort  of  misdirection  of  an 
o\er-generous  nature  in  sacrifice  for  others. 
It  has  been  truly  said  of  Ira  .Allen  that  he 
was  secretly  or  openly  the  originator  of  more 
important  political  measures  for  Vermont 
and  the  Revolution  than  any  other  man  in 
the  state,  and  it  might  truly  be  added  than 
hardly  any  other  in  the  country.  Still  other 
projects    of    \ast    utility    from    his    teeming 


44 


brain  were  pre\ente(l  from  fruition  only  by 
the  misfortunes  of  his  later  years. 

He  it  was,  who  after  the  fall  of  Ticon- 
deroga,  when  the  settlements  seemed  help- 
less before  the  on-coming  army  of  Burgoyne, 
conceived  the  scheme  of  confiscating  the 
estates  of  the  Tories  to  raise  money  to 
equip  and  support  troops,  and  as  a  result 
within  a  week  a  regiment  of  men  was  in  the 
field.  It  was  the  first  act  of  the  kind  in  the 
country,  but  it  was  one  which  all  the  other 
states,  on  the  urging  of  Congress,  had  to 
adopt  later.  It  was  the  measure  that  put 
the  new  state  on  its  feet  as  a  self-reliant, 
self-supporting  entity.  He  was  a  leader  in 
the  formation  of  the  constitution.  He  did 
inestimable  service  as  secretary  of  the  com- 
mittee of  safety,  which  was  given  the  work 
of  defending  the  state,  because  the  members 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  at  Windsor 
when  Ticonderoga  fell  had  to  leave  for  their 
homes  and  families  and  had  no  time  to  com- 
plete the  organization  of  a  state  government. 
He  sent  expresses  at  his  own  expense  in 
every  direction  with  news  of  the  disaster, 
and  appeals  for  prompt  forwarding  of  troops. 
In  the  terror  of  the  time  no  one  else,  even 
among  the  military  commanders,  attended 
to  this,  and  it  may  not  be  too  much  to  sav 
that  the  victory  at  Bennington  was  due  to 
the  energy  and  the  wise  provision  of  Ira 
.'\llen.  He  organized  scouting  parties  that 
gathered  full  information  of  the  enemy's 
movements  and  forwarded  it  by  express  in 
all  directions,  with  such  encouragements  as  it 
warranted  that  the  enemy  could  be  met  and 
repulsed.  He  sent  timely  warnings  of  the 
expedition  to  Bennington,  so  that  it  was  by 
no  accident  that  Stark  and  the  New  Hamp- 
shire troops  and  the  Berkshire  militia  ar- 
rived in  season  to  repulse  and  crush  it.  He 
helped  to  concert  the  measures  for  the  cap- 
ture of  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point  and  the 
strong  posts  in  his  rear  that  helped  so  much 
towards  the  ruin  of  Burgoyne.  He  did  all 
this  when  the  new  state  was  without  funds  or 
credit,  as  well  as  without  organization,  when 
near  three-fourths  of  the  people  of  the  west 
side  of  the  mountain  had  fled  from  their 
homes,  and  a  large  part  of  those  of  the  east 
side  were  disposed  to  favor  New  York's 
claims,  when  weak  nerved  and  weak  prin- 
cipled men  were  flocking  to  Burgoyne  and 
taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Crown, 
and  when,  besides  the  danger  of  invasion 
from  the  British  and  the  savages,  the  late 
proceedings  of  Congress  had  shown  par- 
tiality towards  New  York  and  the  embryonic 
state  had  every  reason  to  expect  hostile 
action.  He  staked  not  only  large  amounts 
of  his  money,  but  his  life  on  the  chance  of 
winning  victory  out  of  this  seemingly  des- 
perate situation.  He  was  nearly  always  the 
agent  of  the  state,  either  alone  or  with  others 


in  dealing  with  Congress  and  with  New 
Hampshire  and  New  York.  He  was  the 
principal  manager  of  the  Haldimand  nego- 
tiations and  Metternich  never  handled  his 
difficult  tasks  with  more  skill  or  with  a  tech- 
nical frankness  that  was  more  profoundly 
deceptive. 

He  was  the  author  of  many  publications 
in  pamphlet  and  newspaper  form  in  defense 
of  the  state  in  the  New  York  controversy. 
One  in  1 777,  reviewing  the  constitution  of 
New  York,  with  all  its  features  of  aristocracy, 
was  especially  strong.  He  was  a  clear  and 
forcible  writer  always,  and  most  of  the  offi- 
cial correspondence  of  the  state  in  its  early 
years,  particularly  Governor  Chittenden's 
orders,  was  done  through  him. 

He  was  the  father  of  the  University  of 
Yermont.  October  14,  1789,  he  presented  a 
memorial  to  the  Legislature  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  college  with  subscriptions 
amounting  to  ^'5643,  of  which  he  contribu- 
ted ,£"4000,  and  the  charter  was  granted 
Nov.  3,  1791. 

Ira  was  the  youngest  of  the  Allen  brothers 
and  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Conn.,  April  21, 
I  75 1,  so  that  he  was  barely  twenty-two  when 
he  was  acting  as  secretary  of  the  \'ermont 
committee  of  safety,  only  twenty-six  when 
he  was  taking  the  lead  in  our  Constitutional 
Convention,  a  little  over  thirty  when  the  state 
had  been  piloted,  so  largely  by  his  efforts,  as 
an  independent  litde  republic  into  a  safety 
and  prosperity  that  were  the  envy  of  the 
states  surrounding,  and  still  in  the  early 
thirties  when,  by  his  remarkable  judgment 
and  nerve  in  business  operations,  he  had 
come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  wealth- 
iest men  of  the  country.  He  received  a  good 
English  education,  and  was  a  practical  sur- 
\eyor  very  young.  He  came  to  Vermont 
before  he  was  twenty,  and  he  was  scarcely 
twenty-one  when  he  became  an  extensive 
proprietor  of  land  in  Burlington  and  Col- 
chester. He  had  the  eye  to  see  the  future 
of  this  location,  but  at  the  time  had  to  en- 
dure much  ridicule  for  his  selection.  He 
entered  with  zeal  into  various  land  specula- 
tions, first  as  a  member  of  the  "Onion  River 
Land  Company,"  which  consisted  besides 
himself,  of  his  brothers,  Ethan,  Heman,  and 
Z  irmi,  with  Remember  Baker,  and  which 
became  the  most  extensive  proprietor  of 
land  in  the  state,  with  a  corresponding  in- 
tensification of  zeal,  of  course,  against  the 
New  York  claims. 

He  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  com- 
mittee of  safety  as  soon  as  it  was  formed  and 
served  until  its  labors  closed.  He  was  a 
lieutenant  in  Warner's  regiment  in  the  Can- 
ada campaign  in  the  fall  of  1775,  and  was 
selected  by  Montgomery  as  one  of  the  two 
officers  for  the  confidential  trust  of  attacking 
Cape  Diamond  and  throwing  rockets  as   a 


45 


signal  for  three  other  detachinents  to  attack 
(Quebec  on  the  night  of  Montgomery's  at- 
tempt on  the  city.  For  the  next  two  years 
he  was  a  member  from  Colchester  of  all  the 
conventions. 

On  the  organization  of  the  new  state  gov- 
ernment, in  I  778,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  coimcil  and  was  its  secretary.  Me  was 
also  elected  state  treasurer  at  the  beginning 
and  held  that  office  for  nine  years,  and  was 
surveyor-general  about  the  same  time,  until 
the  jealousies  and  antagonisms  that  accumu- 
lated against  him,  the  complaints  that  he 
was  holding  "so  inany  ofifices,"  resulted  in 
his  defeat  in  1786,  with  widely-believed 
I  harges  of  corruption  soon  following,  and 
though  they  were  afterwards  cleared  away 
and  it  was  shown  that  he  had  been  constant- 
Iv  aiding  the  state  with  his  money  instead  of 
making  money  out  of  it,  enough  of  the  cloud 
clung  to  the  old  suspicion  about  the  Haldi- 
mand  negotiation  to  somewhat  shadow  his 
subseijuent  career.  In  the  elections  of  17S4 
and  1785  he  failed  as  candidate  for  state 
treasurer  before  the  people,  and  was  only 
elected  by  the  joint  assembly.  He  was 
dropped  from  the  Governor's  Council  after  a 
year  of  service  in  1785,  and  the  Assembly 
on  the  last  day  of  the  session  of  the  latter 
year,  aimed  a  bill  at  him  to  annul  his  surveys 
and  discontinue  his  work  as  surveyor  gen- 
eral, which  the  council  succeeded  in  postpon- 
ing to  the  next  session. 

His  military  service  in  the  Revolution, 
ended  with  the  retreat  from  Canada  in  1 7  76, 
but  he  soon  became  captain,  then  colonel, 
and  finally  major-general  of  the  state  militia. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  war 
during  nearly  the  w^hole  of  the  Revolution. 

The  Haldimand  negotiations,  over  which 
so  much  controversy  has  been  waged,  must 
form  a  chief  feature  of  .Allen's  biography. 
Though  magazine  and  newspaper  writers 
keep  bobbing  up  with  startling  "discoveries" 
of  the  treason  of  the  Vermontese,  as  editor 
H.  B.  Dawson  of  the  New  York  Historical 
Magazine  calls  them,  the  facts  are  fully 
known.  There  are,  as  J.  L.  Payne  says,  hun- 
dreds of  manuscripts  in  the  archives  of  Can- 
ada bearing  on  the  subject,  and  indicating 
to  a  one-sided  view  as  he  expresses  it,  "how 
near  Vermont  came  to  being  a  British  prov- 
ince." They  leave  no  doubt  of  the  fact  of 
these  negotiations  or  of  their  pretended 
purpose.  The  fact  was,  that  beginning  with 
a  cartel  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners  which 
was  concluded  with  the  Vermont  authorities 
when  it  was  refused  to  Washington,  these 
negotiations  brought  about  a  truce  between 
Venuont  and  the  British  forces,  which  was  ex- 
tended through  the  last  three  campaigns  of 
the  war,  while  emissaries  and  spies  passed 
back  and  forth  in  great  profusion,  and  the 
hope  was  kept  dangling  before   the  British 


that  the  slate  would  desert  the  cause  of  the 
Revolution  and  return  to  allegiance  to  the 
Crown.  Several  times  the  negotiations  went 
so  far  as  to  discuss  the  terms  of  settlement 
and  to  fix  dates  for  it  ;  but  Ira  Allen  as  the 
principal  negotiator  was  sure  to  turn  up  with 
some  plausible  reason  for  postponing  de 
cisive  action.* 

But  all  that  has  been  published  and  argued 
has  shown  no  more  than  was  known  more 
or  less  definitely  at  the  time  or  soon  after. 
The  dispute  is  whether  the  Vermonters  were 
sincere,  or  were  merely  fooling  the  British, 
or  were  playing  for  a  position  that  would 
leave  them  free  to  take  advantage  of  the 
issue  whichever  way  it  went.  The  conduct 
of  Congress  towards  the  new  state,  with  all 
its  people  had  at  stake  in  the  controversy 
with  New  York,  would  make  it  seem  natural 
that  the  Vermonters  should  seek  safety 
under  the  British  wing.  But  the  event  and 
the  skillful  way  the  negotiation  was  pro- 
tracted shows  that  they  did  not.  It  is  certain 
that  the  masses  of  the  people  would  not  tol- 
erate the  idea,  and  did  not  when  they  found 
out  what  was  or  seemed  to  be  doing  ;  and 
the  leaders  never  once  lifted  a  finger  to 
reconcile  them  to  it.  It  is  notable  also  that 
in  all  the  correspondence  and  negotiations, 
including  the  conversations  as  reported  by 
the  English  representatives,  there  was  never 
once  a  single  profession  of  loyalty  to  the 
King  on  the  part  of  the  \'ermont  leaders. 
But  there  is  one  decisive  fact  in  this  busi- 
ness to  which  the  disputants  have  never  given 
due  attention.  The  participants  on  the 
Vermont  side  took  particular  pains  to  pro- 
tect themselves  in  history.  Early  in  the 
negotiations  they  put  on  paper  a  record  of 
their  purpose  in  the  form  of  a  certificate  for 
.Allen,  prepared  in  June,  1781,  and  signed  by 
all  the  eight  men  in  the  secret,  Jonas  and 
Joseph  Fay,  Samuel  Safford,  Samuel  and 
JSIoses  Robinson,  Governor  Chittenden, 
Timothy  Brownson  and  Jona  Fassett.  This 
certificate  stated  explicitly  that  the  scheme 
was  adopted  "to  make  them  (the  British  au- 
thorities) believe  Vermont  had  a  desire  to 
negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace,"  and  because  it 
was  beyond  the  power  of  the  state  to  defend 
itself  by  arms,  the  negotiation  was  opened 
and  "we  think  it  to  be  a  necessary  political 
manoeuvre  to  save  the  frontier  of  this  state." 
Such  a  document  as  this,  considering  the 
times  and  circumstances  of  its  writing  and 
the  confirmation  of  the  event,  ought  not  to 
leave  an  intelligent  doubt  of  the  design. 


ite  possible  thai  Allen  was  more  inclined  to 
these  negotiations  than  the  other  leaders,  i 
o  be  looking  a  far  way  ahead  for  contingencies, 
be  consistent  with  his  character  and  a  recently  discos 
from  him  written  to  Samuel  Hitchcock,  Oct.  ii. 
situation  was  gained  by  the  negotiation  where  "i 
;  of  the  war  h.ad  terminated  in  favor  of  Great  Bri 
int  would  have  been  a  favorite  colony  under  the  Cro 


46 


It  is  fortunate  that  this  paper  has  been 
prevented,  for  reasoning  upon  ordinary 
human  motives,  we  should  expect  the  Ver- 
monters  to  be  seeking  British  help.  They 
had  in  no  way  obligated  themselves  to  the 
cause  of  the  colonies.  They  were  in  their 
own  view,  in  the  nature  of  politics,  and  prob- 
ably in  a  legal  view,  an  independent  republic. 
They  had  sought  union  with  the  confederacy 
and  it  had  been  refused.  They  had  made 
great  sacrifices  for  the  Revolutionary  cause, 
and  the  return  had  been  to  abandon  them  to 
British  invasion,  and  even  while  a  regiment  of 
their  own  troops — and  paid  by  them,  because 
Congress  could  not  pay — was  serving  in  the 
Continental  army,  to  withdraw  all  means  and 
ammunition  of  defense  from  the  state.  Con- 
gress, which  had  been  temporizing  with  the 
Vermont  question  for  fear  of  alienating  New 
York  or  New  Hampshire,  had  at  this  time 
apparently  reached  a  point  where  it  calcu- 
lated in  this  way  to  dri\e  the  new  state  into 
submission  to  New  York.  Remembering 
how  this  involved  the  property  interests  of 
the  Yermonters — their  all  for  most  of  them — 
it  would  not  ha\e  been  surprising  if  it  had 
set  them  against  the  country  that  treated  them 
so,  and  it  accounts  for  such  disposition  as 
there  was  to  reach  a  position  where  they 
would  be  favorably  regarded  above  New 
York  in  case  of  final  British  victory.  And 
yet  it  is  the  truth,  attested  in  a  variety  of 
ways,  that  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
there  was  a  smaller  Tory  sentiment  in  Ver- 
mont than  anywhere  else  in  the  country, 
and  there  was  not  a  moment  when  everv 
reservation  would  not  have  been  abandoned 
if  the  state  could  have  been  admitted  to  the 
Union.  The  Vermonters  had  been  too  well 
educated  in  the  first  principles,  too  thoroughly 
innoculated  with  the  spirit  of  independence 
to  allow  their  sympathies  to  be  swerved  bv 
mean  considerations. 

Whether  in  the  ethics  of  war  such  decep- 
tion as  was  practiced  on  the  British  wa.s  justi- 
fiable, is  another  question.  But  at  least  it 
can  be  said  that  it  was  a  necessity,  the  only 
thing  the  Vermonters  could  do,  unless  to  ab- 
solutely desert  to  the  British  side,  or  suffer 
ruinous  invasion,  or  commit  political  suicide 
by  surrendering  to  New  York,  and  then  with- 
out any  certainty  of  protection  against  the 
British.  And  it  was  the  most  useful  thing  for 
the  American  cause  that  could  possibly  have 
been  done  ;  for  it  kept  an  army  of  ten  thous- 
and men  idle  on  the  border  in  Canada.  It 
was  really  a  help  in  this  way  to  the  Yorktown 
moxement,  which  would  have  been  well- 
nigh  impracticable  with  such  an  army  besides 
Clinton's  left  in  Washington's  rear.  Wash- 
ington knew  all  about  the  negotiation  at 
least  a  month  before  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis  (so  says  James  Davie  Butler  on 
the  strength  of  a  recently  discovered  letter) 


and  he  understood  its  purpose.  Allen  in 
after  years  with  the  knowledge  he  had  gained 
in  Europe  and  in  extensive  travels  about  this 
country  wrote  :  "  I  know  that  the  capture  of 
Ticonderoga,  etc.,  and  the  fame  of  the  Green 
Mountain  boys  are  more  thought  of  in  Europe 
than  in  the  United  States.  That  in  the 
southern  states,  the  battle  of  Bennington  is 
considered  to  have  caused  the  change  of  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Northern  army, 
and  a  stepping-stone  to  the  capture  of  Gen- 
eral Burgoyne  and  army.  That  the  truce 
between  the  British  in  Canada  and  ^'ermont, 
in  causing  the  inactivity  of  ten  thousand 
British  troops,  enabled  General  Washington 
to  capture  Lord  Cornwallis  and  army." 

While  the  negotiations  were  in  progress 
early  in  1781,  a  dispatch  from  Lord  George 
Germaine  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  disclosing 
their  existence  and  the  hope  that  the  people 
of  Vermont  would  "return  to  their  allegi- 
ance," fell  into  American  hands,  and  was 
laid  before  Congress  with  the  effect  of  alarm- 
ing that  body  into  a  more  just  policy. 
Referring  to  this  dispatch,  .Allen  says  it  "had 
greater  influence  on  the  wisdom  and  virtue 
of  Congress  than  all  the  exertions  of  Ver- 
mont in  taking  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point, 
and  the  two  divisions  from  General  Bur- 
goyne's  army,  or  their  petition  to  be  admit- 
ted as  a  state  in  the  general  confederation, 
and  offers  to  pay  their  proportion  of  the 
expenses  of  the  war."  Out  of  the  discovery 
of  these  negotiations  and  the  fear  that  the 
state  with  the  control  of  Lake  Champlain 
would  be  thrown  into  British  hands,  came 
the  pledge  of  the  resolutions  of  August  7  and 
20,  178:,  on  which  finally,  after  much  back- 
ing and  filling,  came  the  acknowledgment 
of  the  independence  of  the  state. 

.After  the  war  ended,  the  Clovernor  of  Can- 
ada still  pursued  the  negotiation  and  it  has 
been  plausibly  supposed  that  one  of  the  en- 
voys he  sent  to  Burlington  was  the  prince 
who  was  afterwards  George  IV. 

.Allen  played  with  consummate  address 
through  these  negotiations  not  only  a  double 
but  a  triple,  and  even  a  quadruple  game. 
While  he  was  fanning  the  British  hopes  to 
their  highest,  he  was  with  Stephen  R.  Brad- 
ley in  1780,  and  with  Jonas  Fay  and  Bez'l 
Woodward  in  1781,  an  agent  before  Con- 
gress to  urge  the  admission  of  the  state  and 
resist  the  claims  to  jurisdiction  of  New  York 
and  New  Hampshire,  he  was  manipulating 
with  the  Legislature  and  authorities  of  New 
Hampshire  and  the  commander  of  the  New 
York  troops,  to  avert  bloodshed,  pending  a 
decision  by  Congress  over  the  conflicting 
claims  of  the  East  and  West  unions,  and  in 
the  meanwhile  he  converted  to  the  support 
of  the  new  state  Luke  Knowlton,  who  had 
been  sent  to  Philadelphia  especially  to  fight 
it  by  the  adherents  of  New  York  in  Cumber- 


47 


land  (now  Windham  and  Windsor  nearly) 
county,  and  in  Allen's  words,  "a  ]5lan  was 
laid  between  them  to  tmite  all  parties  in  \'er- 
mont  in  a  way  that  would  be  honorable  to 
those  who  had  been  in  favor  of  New  \'ork." 
The  nerve,  the  resourcefulness  and  the  com- 
prehension of  human  motives  by  which  he 
kept  all  these  schemes  floating,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  his  own  state  passably  well  satisfied  at 
the  same  time,  were  little  short  of  marvelous. 
They  had  a  good  illustration  in  the  hearing 
before  the  \'ermont  Legislature  in  June, 
1781,  on  a  resolution  for  an  inquiry  into  the 
grounds  for  the  report  of  a  treaty  with  Can- 
ada. Allen  knew  that  there  were  several 
spies  from  Canada  among  the  spectators. 
How  could  he  answer  the  inquiry  so  as  to 
satisfy  the  suspicious  ^'ermont  patriots  with- 
out undeceiving  the  British  authorities  as 
soon  as  his  words  were  reported  to  them? 
But  he  did  it  with  a  frankness  that  was 
praised  by  both  sides.  (Governor  Chittenden 
led  off,  stating  how  he  had  at  the  retjuest  of 
several  persons  who  had  friends  prisoners  in 
Canada,  appointed  Colonel  Allen  to  meet  a 
British  commissioner  to  arrange  for  an  ex- 
change, and  how  the  latter  had  succeeded 
after  considerable  difficulty  in  accomplishing 
it,  though  no  such  exchanges  had  taken 
place  with  the  United  States  or  any  other  in 
the  northern  department.  For  further  par- 
ticulars he  would  refer  them  to  Colonel  Allen. 
The  latter  told  how,  having  made  his  re- 
port to  the  Governor  and  Council,  not  ex- 
pecting to  be  called  on,  he  had  left  his  com- 
mission and  papers  at  home,  but  he  was 
ready  to  make  a  verbal  statement,  or  if 
desired  he  would  go  home  and  produce 
the  writings  for  the  inspection  of  the  Leg- 
islature. They  called  for  the  papers  and 
the  next  day  he  appeared  with  them,  read 
them  seemingly  without  skip  or  hesitation, 
and  made  a  short  verbal  explanation  which 
seemed  to  show  that  the  British  had  exhib- 
ited great  generosity  in  the  business,  and 
narrated  sundry  occurrences  that  indicated 
that  there  was  a  fervent  wish  for  peace  among 
the  British  officers,  and  that  the  English 
government  was  as  tired  of  the  war  as  the 
United  States,  and  he  concluded  by  inviting 
any  member  of  the  Legislature  or  any  au- 
ditor in  the  gallery  who  wished  to  ask  any 
further  questions  to  do  so  and  he  was  ready 
to  answer  them.  But  "all  seemed,"  to  use 
his  words,  "satisfied  that  nothing  had  been 
done  inconsistent  to  the  interests  of  the 
states,"  and  many  of  those  who  had  before 
been  most  suspicious  complimented  him  for 
his  "open  and  candid  conduct."  That  even- 
ing he  had  a  conference  with  the  spies  from 
Canada  and  they  also  had  nothing  but  praise 
for  the  devotion  he  had  shown  to  the  cause 
of  union  with  Britain  ! 


His  and  Bradley's  mission  to  Congress  in 
1780  was  to  prepare  for  the  second  Tuesday 
of  September,  which  time  had  been  set  for 
the  determination  of  the  case  of  Vermont. 
15esides  the  claims  of  New  \'ork  and  New 
Hampshire,  the  former  supported  by  Knowl- 
ton  as  agent  from  the  southeast  jiart  of  the 
state,  the  advocates  of  still  another  state  to 
be  carved  out  of  portions  of  X'ermont  and 
New  Hampshire  were  represented  by  Peter 
Olcott.  Allen  and  Bradley  did  what  they 
could  in  the  way  of  private  interviews  with 
members  of  Congress,  and  then  requested 
that  they  might  be  present  at  any  de- 
bates affecting  the  sovereignty  or  independ- 
ence of  Vermont.  They  listened  for  parts  of 
two  days  to  the  presentment  of  New  Vork's 
claims  and  took  minutes  of  it,  but  when  it 
came  time  to  put  in  New  Hampshire's  claim 
they  refused  to  attend  because  \'ermont  was 
not  put  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  others. 
They  submitted  a  remonstrance  to  Congress 
against  the  mode  of  trial  adopted,  which 
meant  that  they  should  "lose  their  political 
life  in  order  to  find  it."  They  refused  to 
submit  to  "Congress  acting  as  a  court  of 
judicature  by  virtue  of  authority  given  only 
by  the  states  that  made  but  one  party."  But 
they  offered  in  behalf  of  Vermont  to  leave 
the  question  in  abeyance  until  after  the  war, 
in  the  meantime  agreeing  that  the  state 
should  do  its  full  share  in  furnishing  troops 
and  supplies,  and  then  to  leave  the  decision 
to  one  or  more  of  the  Legislatures  of  disin- 
terested states  as  mediators. 

They  accomplished  their  purpose  by  this 
course  and  prevented  any  decision  at  all  by 
Congress.  The  next  year's  mission  was  more 
delicate,  because  of  the  suspicion  of  the 
Haldimand  business,  but  Allen  and  the 
others  parried  the  inquiries  skillfully  while 
they  continued  to  impress  upon  Congress 
the  danger  that  the  support  of  the  \'er- 
monters  would  be  drawn  off  from  the  patriot 
cause,  and  the  result  was  the  resolutions  of 
August  7  and  20  favorable  to  Vermont  pro- 
vided they  would  relinquish  their  east  and 
west  unions. 

Allen  had  early  the  previous  year  visited 
the  Legislatures  of  New  Jersey,  Delaware, 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  to  distribute 
phamphlets  and  work  up  sentiment  in  favor 
of  \'ermont,  and  succeeded  in  gaining  con- 
siderable favor  by  supporting  their  views  of 
the  Western  land  question  and  -pledging  Ver- 
mont if  admitted  to  the  L'nion,  to  assist  in 
compelling  unappropriated  lands  and  the 
property  of  loyalists  to  be  disposed  of  to  de- 
fray the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  not  for  the 
emolument  of  any  one  state.  The  combina- 
tions which  he  formed  had  considerable  effect 
in  later  driving  New  York  and  afterwards 
Virginia  to  cede  their  western  claims  to  the 
general  government. 


48 


The  British  were  not  without  suspicion 
while  he  was  negotiating  with  Congress  and 
on  these  missions  to  other  states,  especially 
Connecticut  and  Massachusetts.  In  June, 
1 78 1,  an  agent  reported  his  belief  that  Allen 
was  "  gone  to  solicit  forces  to  ensnare  Gen- 
eral Haldimand's  troops."  But  Allen  always 
managed  when  he  got  round  to  allay  these 
suspicions  just  enough  to  prevent  the  break- 
ing off  of  the  negotiations,  and  to  leave 
enough  of  them  to  deter  Haldimand  from 
any  overt  act  against  the  Vermonters  for 
fear  that  he  would  drive  them  to  active  sup- 
port again  to  the  .American  cause.  Allen 
accomplished  this  by  steadily  representing 
the  people  to  be  naturally  strongly  inclmed 
that  way,  and  only  being  gradually  alienated 
by  the  ill  treatment  of  Congress. 

The  "east  union"  of  a  number  of  New 
Hampshire  towns  with  Vermont  was  based 
on  the  argument  that  New  Hampshire  was 
granted  as  a  province  to  John  Mason,  ex- 
tending only  sixty  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
that  the  lands  to  the  west  were  annexed  only 
by  royal  authority,  which  ceased  with  the 
power  of  the  Crown,  and  the  towns  had  a 
right  to  join  any  government  they  chose. 
The  real  reasons  were  :  first,  the  attraction 
which  the  low  taxes  and  vigorous  govern- 
ment of  Vermont  held  out  to  neighboring 
peoples,  and  second,  the  scheme  of  influen- 
tial men  near  the  Connecticut  river  to  se- 
cure the  center  and  seat  of  the  new  govern- 
ment for  that  section.  The  Legislature  was 
reluctant  to  take  in  the  new  towns  and  re- 
ferred the  subject  back  to  the  freemen,  who 
returned  a  strong  majority  in  favor  of  the 
union,  and  an  act  was  passed  at  the  next 
session  to  incorporate  sixteen  petitioning 
towns  from  New  Hampshire,  with  a  later 
provision  to  accept  others  where  a  majority 
of  their  people  desired  it.  But  on  Ethan 
Allen's  report  of  the  feeling  of  Congress, 
the  Legislature  hastened  in  1779  to  get  rid 
of  the  connection,  with  the  result  of  stimu- 
lating a  project  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
state  from  the  seceding  New  Hampshire 
towns  joined  by  some  from  the  other  side 
of  the  river  in  Vermont,  followed  still  later 
by  overtures  from  the  dissatisfied  Vermont 
towns  to  be  annexed  to  New  Hampshire. 

Ira  Allen  was  sent  on  a  mission  to  New 
Hampshire  to  explain  the  matter  and  re- 
store amicable  relations.  He  penetrated  the 
designs  of  the  Connecticut  River  schemers, 
and  also  found  that  New  Hampshire  was 
planning  to  revive  before  Congress  her 
jurisdictional  claim  to  the  whole  of  Vermont 
under  the  pretense  of  friendship  for  Vermont 
and  to  defeat  the  New  York  claims.  She  wanted 
Vermont's  support  in  this.  Allen  was  satisfied 
that  the  scheme  was  deeper  than  this,  argued 
his  best  against  it  without  success,  insisted 
that   he  had   no  authority   to  negotiate  on 


such  a  basis,  and  finally  managed  to  get  the 
inatter  postponed  till  the  next  session,  so 
that  the  opinion  of  the  Vermont  Legislature 
might  be  obtained  in  the  meantime.  He 
was  playing  simply  for  time  to  unite  the 
people  on  the  Vermont  side  of  the  river 
against  all  these  projects,  which  was  success- 
fully done.  And  upon  his  disclosure  of  the 
intrigue  the  Legislature  of  Vermont  at  the  next 
session  and  under  his  advice  boldly  advanced 
a  claim  to  the  whole  of  New  Hampshire  west 
of  the  Mason  line.  His  skill  in  handling  such 
negotiations  came  well  into  play  in  i7Si-'82, 
when  there  was  eminent  danger  of  civil  war 
with  both  New  York  and  and  New  Hamp- 
shire over  these  unions  which  Vermont  had 
accepted,  or  revived  and  enlarged  as  a 
buffer  to  the  claims  of  both  states  to  her. 

Both  were  organizing  military  invasions. 
Allen  interviewed  General  (iansevort,  the 
New  York  commander,  took  his  measure,  and 
found  that  he  was  reluctant  to  engage  in  civil 
war  but  felt  that  he  must  obey  orders  by  going 
ahead.  Allen  then  advised  Governor  Chit- 
tenden that  all  that  was  neccessary  was  to 
take  the  offensive  and  march  out  a  regiment 
against  him  and  Gansevort  would  retreat,  and 
so  it  proved.  Then  Allen  proceeded  to  New 
Hampshire,  sending  out  orders  from  Cov- 
ernor  Chittenden  to  call  out  the  militia  to 
meet  the  "menacing  insults  of  New  Hamp- 
shire and  repel  force  by  force."  One  of 
these  he  contrived  to  have  fall  into  the  hands 
of  a  New  Hampshire  partisan  and  sent  post 
haste  ahead  of  him  to  Exeter.  The  New 
Hampshire  authorities  were  thus  easily  fright- 
ened out  of  their  project  and  decided  to 
take  the  advice  of  Congress  before  proceed- 
ing to  hostilities — all  of  which  he  managed 
to  learn  through  a  lady  friend,  while  they  sup- 
posed they  were  scaring  him  with  their 
threatenings.  xAllen  always  regarded  these 
unions  as  trump  cards  in  the  game  with  the 
opposing  states  and  he  regarded  it  as  a  great 
miss  when  Vermont  surrendered  them  in 
compliance  with  the  August  resolutions  of 
1 781  and  before  she  had  actually  got  in  hand 
her  <p/!i/  pro  qun  in  the  recognition  of  her 
independence.  He  was  on  the  way  from 
Philadelphia  with  Jonas  Fay  and  Abel  Carter 
in  high  spirits  o\er  the  success  they  had  had 
with  Congress  which  satisfied  them  that  no 
measures  would  be  taken  against  Vermont, 
when  they  learned  of  the  dissolution  of  these 
unions  by  the  Legislature.  They  hurried 
their  journey  to  secure  a  reconsideration  of 
this  action  but  the  Legislature  had  adjourned 
the  day  before  they  arrived. 

After  the  return  of  peace  in  1786  Allen 
was,  with  his  brother  Levi,  a  Tory  who  had 
returned  to  the  state,  and  it  was  supposed 
would  be  useful  for  this  purpose,  commis- 
sioned to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  commerce 
with  Canada,  and  he  was  greatly  interested 


49 


in  the  idea.  He  tried  to  secrure  a  substan- 
tial free  trade  arrangement  and  pictured 
eloquently  the  benefits  that  would  come  from 
such  a  use  of  Champlain's  waters,  especially 
if  supplemented  by  a  canal  to  connect  the 
lake  with  the  St.  l.awrence  river.  He  de- 
signed this  connection  several  years  ahead 
of  the  scheme  of  Watson  and  Schuyler  for 
the  present  Champlain  canal  and  he  offered 
to  cut  it  at  his  own  expense  if  the  British 
government  would  allow  him  to  collect  such 
a  tonnage  as  would  secure  the  interest  on 
the  investment,  and  the  ships  of  Vermonters 
could  be  allowed  to  pass  out  into  the  open 
sea  with  only  a  reasonable  tonnage  at  Que- 
bec, and  the  products  of  both  countries  to 
pass  both  ways  without  import  or  export 
duties.  This  was  one  of  the  enterprises  in 
whose  interest  a  few  years  later  he  took  the 
trip  to  Europe  that  resulted  in  his  business 
ruin.  He  was  also  an  enthusiastic  promoter 
of  the  canal  scheme  between  the  Hudson 
and  the  southern  waters  of  Lake  Champlain. 

His  official  services  to  the  state  closed  in 
1790  when  he  was  member  of  the  commis- 
sion on  the  part  of  \'ermont  that  finally 
settled  the  protracted  controversy  with  New 
York  and  cleared  the  way  for  the  admission 
of  the  state  into  the  Union. 

In  1 795  .Allen  went  to  Europe  for  his 
canal  enterprise  and  on  a  commission  from 
Governor  Chittenden  to  purchase  arms  for 
the  state.  He  got  nothing  but  fair  words 
from  the  British  cabinet  in  return  for  his  ex- 
ertions for  the  canal,  but  he  secured  twenty- 
four  cannon  and  twenty  thousand  muskets 
in  France,  and  with  them  took  ship  for 
home.  But  the  ship  was  captured  by  an 
English  cruiser,  and  seized  with  the  whole 
cargo  on  a  charge  that  it  was  designed  to 
aid  the  rebellion  in  Ireland.  Allen  showed 
conclusively  by  evidence  secured  from  Ver- 
mont that  the  charge  was  untrue  and  the 
arms  purchased  for  the  jjurpose  he  repre- 
sented. But  it  took  eight  years  of  litigation 
to  do  it,  and  the  enormous  expense  of  it, 
with  the  neglect  of  his  affairs  at  home,  ruin- 
ed him.  He  at  one  time  estimated  his  real 
estate  in  Vermont  to  be  worth  on  proper 
appraisal  from  Sr, 000,000  to  §1,500,000. 
He  may  have  included  in  this  estimate  the 
shares  of  his  four  brothers  and  of  Remem- 
ber Baker,  of  whose  estate  he  was  adminis- 
trator, but  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  was  enor- 
mously wealthy,  or  that  while  he  was  in  Europe 
he  was  robbed  right  and  left  with  claims  of 
fraudulent  title,  executions  and  tax  sales.  He 
had  accumulated  considerable  unpopularity 
at  home,  having  had  a  long  controversy  over 
his  accounts  as  state  treasurer  as  well  as 
surveyor-general,  and  had  once  gone  so  far, 
in  1792,  as  to  begin  a  suit  against  the  state 
in  the  United  States  Circuit  Court,  and  these 
things    were   of  material    assistance    to  the 


people  who  were  plundering  him.  I'lnally, 
wearied  with  lawsuits,  broken  in  health  and 
fortune,  and  even  jailed  at  Burlington  by 
exacting  creditors,  he  made  his  escape  and 
fled  from  the  state  for  which  he  had  done 
so  much.  He  lived  in  Philadelphia  the  last 
few  years  of  his  life,  where  he  died  in  pov- 
erty, Jan.  7,  18 14,  and  was  buried  in  a 
stranger's  grave  with  no  stone  to  mark  the 
spot. 

He  married  Jerusha,  daughter  of  General 
Roger  Enos,  and  three  children  were  the 
fruit  of  the  union  :  Two,  a  son  and  daugh- 
ter, died  in  early  life,  and  one  son,  Ira  H. 
Allen,  lived  to  become  prominent  in  Ver- 
mont affairs,  showing  good  sense  and  good 
character  but  nothing  like  his  father's  bril- 
liant abilities,  and  dying  at  Irasburgh,  .April 
29,  1866,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 

It  was  while  in  England  watching  his  lit- 
igation that  he  wrote  his  History  of  Vermont, 
which  contains  much  valuable  matter,  though 
it  is  marred  by  some  striking  errors,  due  to 
the  fact  that  he  wrote  almost  entirely  from 
memory. 

Our  state  seal  is  among  the  things  credited 
to  Allen,  and  quite  a  story  is  told  of  it  by 
Henry  Stevens,  who  got  it  from  an  aged 
member  of  Governor  Chittenden's  guard. 
The  design  was  engraved  on  one  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's horn  drinking-cups,  made  from  the 
horn  of  an  ox,  bottomed  with  wood,  and  done 
by  a  British  lieutenant  who  used  to  come 
secretly  to  the  Governor's  house  in  xArlington, 
bringing  him  letters  from  Canada  during  the 
progress  of  the  Haldimand  intrigue,  and  who 
also  improved  the  opportunity  to  "  spark " 
a  hired  girl  in  the  Governor's  family.  While 
once  staying  there  several  days,  he  happened 
to  look  out  of  the  west  window  of  the  resi- 
dence on  a  wheat  field  of  some  two  acres,  in 
the  distance,  beyond  which  was  a  knoll  with 
a  solitary  pine  on  the  top,  and  he  drew  the 
scene  on  the  cup.  This  cup  attracted  Allen's 
attention  and  he  adopted  it  for  a  state  seal, 
except  that  he  brought  a  cow  from  over  the 
fence  into  the  wheat. 

Ira  Allen  loved  Vermont  and  in  that  fact 
is  the  secret  alike  of  his  achievements  and 
his  offences,  if  such  they  were,  and  the 
message  that  he  sends  down  to  us  is  in  the 
words  he  penned  after  he  had  experienced 
much  of  the  wrong  and  ingratitude  that 
shadowed  his  later  years  : 

"  I  have  travelled  through  some  of  the 
finest  countries  in  Europe  and  paused  with 
rapture  on  some  of  the  most  picturesque 
views,  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  Ver- 
mont vies  with  any  of  them." 

HERRICK,  Col.  Samuel.— One  of  the 
romantic  figures  of  the  Revolution  and  the 
few  years  before,  and  that  is  all  we  know  of 
him.     He  came  to  Bennington  about  1768, 


EREAKENRIDGE. 


and  soon  after  the  Revolution  moved  to 
Springfield,  N.  Y.,  but  prior  to  and  after  that 
time  his  career  is  a  blank  to  written  history. 
He  was  a  captain  in  the  Ticonderoga  ex- 
pedition and  was  detailed  by  Allen  with  a 
party  of  thirty  men  to  capture  Skeenesbor- 
ough  (now  Whitehall)  and  take  into  custody 
Major  Skeene  and  his  party.  He  succeeded 
completely,  secured  the  young  man  and  a 
schooner  and  several  bateaux  with  which 
they  hastened  to  Ticonderoga  and  which 
gave  Arnold  the  material  for  his  victory  at 
St.  Johns.  In  the  summer  of  1777  he  was 
made  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  rangers  which 
the  council  of  safety  ordered  raised  to  help 
meet  Burgoyne's  invasion.  He  and  his  ran- 
gers bothered  Piurgoyne  a  great  deal,  ob- 
structed his  advance  by  felling  trees  over  the 
roads  and  rolling  stones  in  his  path  so  that 
Burgoyne  was  compelled  to  cross  Fort  Ann 
Mountain  with  his  heavy  train  of  artillery  by 
a  road  that  was  almost  impassable.  They 
harassed  his  rear,  cut  off  his  supplies,  and  in 
a  thousand  ways  did  the  work  of  genuine 
"  rangers  "  to  increase  the  difficulties  of  the 
British  descent.  It  was  a  work  which  contri- 
buted materially  to  the  final  ruin  of  the  in- 
vasion, and  for  it  the  credit  is  due  the 
council  of  safety  which  ordered  him  to  keep 
it  up,  while  Schuyler  was  continually  order- 
ing him  to  abandon  it  and  join  the  defen- 
sive army  in  the  front  of  Burgoyne.  He  was 
at  the  battle  of  Bennington  with  such  of  this 
regiment  as  had  then  been  enlisted  and  a 
body  of  local  militia  as  a  separate  detach- 
ment, making  a  body  of  300  men  with  which 
he  led  the  attack  on  the  rear  of  Raum's 
right  simultaneously  with  the  assaults  of 
Colonels  Nichols,  Hubbard  and  Stickney  on 
other  parts  of  the  line,  and  he  did  his  part 
of  that  glorious  day's  work  skillfully  and  gal- 
lantly. 

In  September  of  the  same  year  he  and 
the  Rangers  with  Colonel  Brown's  regiment 
gained  the  command  of  Lake  George,  drove 
the  liritish  from  Mounts  Independence, 
Defiance  and  Hope,  and  forced  their  evacu- 
ation of  Ticonderoga.  He  was  afterwards 
in  command  of  the  southwestern  regiment 
of  the  state  militia  and  did  active  service  on 
several  occasions.  The  council  in  February, 
I  778,  ordered  a  batallion  of  six  companies  to 
be  raised  under  command  of  Herrick  to  aid 
a  proposed  attack  of  Lafayette  on  St.  Johns, 
but  the  enterprise  was  given  up. 

Herrick  had  a  special  letter  of  thanks 
from  ( lates  and  from  the  Vermont  council 
for  his  part  in  the  Lake  Ceorge  expedition. 

BREAKENRIDGE,  James,  whose 
house  was  the  scene  of  the  opening  struggle 
with  the  Yorkers,  and  who  was  sent  to  Eng- 
land with  Capt.  Jehial  Hawley  of  Arlington, 
as  agent   for    the   settlers    in    1772,  was   a 


native  of  Massachusetts,  and  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  He  came  to  Bennington,  and  as 
his  farm  was  right  on  the  border  of  the 
Grants  up  against  the  twenty-mile  line  from 
the  Hudson  river,  it  was  naturally  the  first 
point  of  attack.  His  name  appears  in  the 
New  York  riot  act  of  1774,  but  he  was  a 
quiet  and  inoffensive  man  who  never  en- 
gaged in  riots,  was  in  fact  a  man  of  the  most 
exemplary  habits  in  every  way.  He  was  a 
lieutenant  of  the  militia  company  formed  in 
Bennington  in  1764.  He  died  there,  April 
16,  1783,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 

FAY,  Dr.  Jonas. — One  of  the  mostact- 
i\e,  level-headed,  and  industrious  of  the  men 
who  laid  the  foundations  of  Vermont,  the 
draftsman  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, and  the  man  from  whom  we  get  nearly 
all  of  the  early  records.  His  service  covers 
a  wider  field  than  that  of  any  of  the  other 
fathers.  He  was  prominent  among  the  early 
settlers,  coming  to  Bennington  in  1766  and 
practicing  medicine  there,  except  for  his 
calls  to  public  duty,  for  thirty-five  years. 
Being  a  man  of  education  and  pen  and  ink 
training,  he  was  secretary  for  most  of  the 
meetings  of  the  committee  of  safety  and 
conventions  until  after  the  formation  of  the 
state  government,  keeping  his  records  in 
account  books  or  on  slips  of  paper,  some  of 
which  have  been  lost.  He  and  his  father, 
Stephen  Fay,  the  landlord  of  the  famous 
Catamount  Tavern,  were  appointed  delegates 
from  Bennington  and  neighboring  towns  to 
appear  before  Crovernor  Tryon  in  1772  in 
response  to  his  invitation  for  a  statement  of 
grievances,  and  to  urge  him  to  discontinue 
violent  proceedings.  He  was  clerk  of  the 
convention  of  settlers  in  March,  1774,  which 
resolved  to  defend  their  cause  and  leaders 
by  force,  when  Allen,  Warner,  and  the  others 
were  threatened  by  New  York  with  outlawry 
and  death.  In  January,  1776,  he  was  clerk 
of  the  Dorset  convention,  that  petitioned 
Congress  to  be  allowed  to  serve  the  common 
cause  independent  of  New  York.  He,  and 
Chittenden,  Reuben  Jones,  Jacob  Bayley, 
and  Heman  Allen  were  appointed  delegates 
to  prepare  and  present  to  Congress  the 
declaration  and  petition  of  independence, 
and  he  was  its  draftsman.  He  was  secretary 
of  the  convention  of  July,  1777,  that  framed 
the  constitution,  and  he  was  one  of  the  coun- 
cil of  safety  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the 
state  during  that  summer  of  storm  and  dififi- 
culty.  He  was  four  times,  between  1777  and 
1782,  an  agent  of  the  state  to  the  Continental 
Congress.  As  soon  as  the  state  government 
was  launched  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Governor's  council,  and  held  the  position 
for  seven  years  to  1785.  In  the  necessity 
because  of  the  scarcity  of  lawyers,  as  well  as 
the  disposition  of  the  times  to  make  judges 


•of  men  who  had  not  been  "learned  in  the 
law,"  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1782.  He  was  also  judge  of  pro- 
bate for  the  five  years  following,  until  1787. 

Dr.  Fay  was  a  native  of  Hardwick,  Mass., 
where  he  was  born,  Jan.  17,  1737.  .\t  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  served  in  the  French  war, 
in  1756  at  F'ort  Edward  and  Lake  (ieorge  as 
■clerk  in  Capt.  Sam  Robinson's  company  of 
Massachusetts  troops.  He  accompanied 
Allen's  expedition  to  Ticonderoga  as  surgeon 
-and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  the 
Green  Mountain  Boys  were  relie\ed  by  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  Elmore's  regiment  from 
Connecticut.  He  was  then  appointed  by  the 
Massachusetts  committee  of  safety  to  muster 
in  troops  as  they  arrived  for  the  defense  of 
that  post.  He  was  also  for  a  time  surgeon  of 
Warner's  regiment  organized  later  in  the 
season  for  the  invasion  of  Canada. 

After  he  had  helped  launch  the  new  state 
on  her  career  of  independence  and  pros- 
perity he  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Bennington,  >mtil  1800,  when  he 
moved  to  Charlotte,  then  a  few  years  later  to 
Pavvlet,  and  then  back  again  to  Bennington, 
where  he  died  March  6,  181 8,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two,  after  one  of  the  most  useful  careers 
to  his  fellow-kind  that  it  is  given  anv  man  to 
fill. 

Professionally,  history  says  little  of  him,  for 
a  physician's  labors,  though  most  beneficent 
to  the  generations  that  follow,  are  little  known 
about  even  by  the  next  generation.  But  he 
was  a  man  of  extensive  information,  well  di- 
gested for  mental  strengthening,  and  bold  and 
determined  in  opinion  and  action.  Evidently 
he  was  also  a  most  likeable  man  personally, 
for  he  was  on  intimate  terms  with  all  the  \'er- 
mont  leaders  and  nowhere  do  we  find  any 
expression  of  jealousy  of  him  or  any  feeling 
but  one  of  confidence  in  his  fidelity  and 
capacity. 

Dr.  Fay  was  twice  married  and  left  numer- 
ous descendants. 

FAY,  Col.  JOSEPH,  brother  of  Dr. 
Jonas,  and  son  of  the  tavern  keeper  Stephen 
Fay,  was  born  at  Hardwick,  Mass.,  in  1752, 
and  came  to  Bennington  in  1766.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  council  of  safety  from 
September,  1777,  to  March,  17 78,  and  of  the 
Governor's  council  from  March,  1778,  to 
1 794.  He  was  also  secretary  of  state  for 
three  years  after  the  resignation  of  Thomas 
Chandler,  Jr.,  in  the  latter  part  of  1778, 
until  1 781.  He  was  Ira  .'\llen's  assistant  in 
most  of  the  Haldimand  negotiations  and 
did  some  skillful  work  in  fooling  the  British. 
It  took  him  over  two  weeks,  on  his  trip  of 
July,  1 78 1,  to  overcome  their  suspicions,  but 
he  finally  did  it,  and  he  and  Allen  managed 
to  shift  the  risk  and  responsibility  of  the 
first  public  proposal  of  a  treaty  on  to  Haldi- 


H.AKKR.  5  I 

mand,  and  then  got  him  to  jnit  it  off.  'i'he 
latter  reluctantly  consented  to  proceed  bv 
jiroclamation  to  the  recovery  of  \'ermont. 
He  had  the  form  of  the  proclamation  all 
pre])ared  when  the  news  of  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis  saved  .Mien  and  Fay  the  necessity 
of  concocting  further  excuses  for  delay, 
which  seemed  to  be  about  exhausted. 

Colonel  F"ay  moved  to  New  York  City  in 
1794  and  died  there  of  yellow  fever  in  1803. 

BAKER,  Remember.— .\  cousin  of  the 

.-Miens,  and,  by  marriage,  of  Seth  Warner,  one 
of  the  men  for  whose  head  New  \'ork  offered 
a  reward,  was  among  the  most  influential  and 
useful  of  the  early  leaders  and  was  fast  grow- 
ing towards  a  larger  fame  when  his  life  was 
cut  off  at  the  age  of  thirty-five. 

He  was  a  native  of  Woodbury,  Conn.,  born 
about  1 740.  In  early  youth  he  lost  his  father, 
who  was  shot  by  a  neighbor  while  out  hunt- 
ing, and  he  was  a])prenticed  to  a  joiner,  where 
he  learned  to  read  and  write  and  accpiired  the 
habits  of  prudence,  energy  and  self-reliance 
that  served  him  so  well  in  after  years. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  served  in  the  ex- 
pedition against  Canada  in  the  French  war 
and  saw  much  service  about  Lakes  George 
and  Champlain,  and  in  this  way  acquired 
much  knowledge  of  Vermont  lands  and  their 
attractiveness.  He  was  present  at  Ticon- 
deroga when  Abercrombie  fell.  He  rose  to 
be  an  officer  before  the  war  closed,  and 
gained  much  distinction  by  his  bravery  and 
discretion.  He  came  to  Vermont  with  the 
fir.st  wave  of  immigration  to  the  west  side,  in 
1763,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and  spent 
much  time  exploring  lands  and  hunting,  and 
a  year  later  he  settled  in  Arlington,  where  he 
built  the  first  grist  mill  on  the  grants  north 
of  Bennington,  which  attracted  many  settlers 
to  that  \icinitv,  and  identified  himself  unre- 
serxedly  with  the  cause  of  the  settlers  when 
the  trouble  with  New  York  arose.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  cool  and  temperate  in  council,  but 
resolute  and  determined  in  action.  He  usu- 
ally wished  to  inflict  severer  penalties  on  the 
Yorkers  than  his  companions.  Perhaps  his 
own  tough  experience  afforded  some  reason, 
for,  stimulated  by  the  reward  offered,  an  at- 
tempt was  made  in  March,  1772,  to  capture 
him,  by  a  dozen  partisans  of  New  York  under 
the  lead  of  one  John  Monroe.  They  broke 
into  his  house  in  the  dawn  of  a  Monday 
morning,  pounded  and  maltreated  his  chil- 
dren, attempted  to  slash  his  wife  with  a 
sword,  and  even  to  fire  the  building  after 
plundering  it.  Baker  at  first  attempted  to 
defend  himself  in  his  chamber,  but  to  draw 
the  attention  of  his  assailants  from  his  family 
burst  a  board  from  the  end  of  the  house,  es- 
caped and  ran.  Then,  according  to  the  story 
written  by  Ethan  Allen  for  the  Hartford 
Courant,   they  set  a  large    dog   upon    him, 


52 


WALBRIDGE. 


overtook  him,  pinioned  him,  refused  to  allow 
him  to  dress — for  he  was  just  as  he  arose 
from  the  bed — threw  him  into  a  carriage 
where  they  ckibbed  and  cut  and  slashed  him 
unmercifully  until  blood  streamed  from  va- 
rious parts  of  the  body,  and  then  dro\  e  rapidly 
towards  Albanv.  Three  men  who  pursued 
were  fired  upon  by  Monroe's  party,  and 
robbed  of  all  their  effects  to  the  amount  of 
S40.  But  another  rescuing  party  was  formed 
at  Arlington  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the  kid- 
napping spread,  and  pursued  with  such  vigor 
that  it  came  up  with  Monroe's  gang  at  Hud- 
son's Ferry,  just  opposite  Albany,  drove  the 
captors  off,  and  took  Baker  back  in  triumph 
to  Arlington. 

Baker  was  with  Allen  as  a  captain  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  also  with  the  regiment  of  Green 
Mountain  Boys  when  the  invasion  of  Canada 
was  begun  in  the  fall  following.  When 
Schuvler  took  command  of  the  northern  de- 
partment he  sent  Baker  ahead  to  reconnoiter 
the  enemy's  position  and  obtain  information 
of  the  military  situation  in  Canada,  and  it 
was  while  out  on  this  duty  that  he  was  shot 
by  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Johns. 

He  was  not  only  a  brave  and  capable  offi- 
cer and  a  progressive  business  man,  but  he 
was  a  kind  neighbor  and  he  reheved  the  dis- 
tress of  many  a  family. 

He  left  fi\e  children,  one  of  whom,  also 
named  Remember,  became  a  lawyer  of  some 
note  in  New  York  state. 

WALBRIDGE,  EbeNEZER.— Prominent 
as  both  a  military  man  and  civilian,  and  one 
of  the  few,  after  the  original  eight,  admitted 
to  the  secret  of  the  Haldimand  corres- 
pondence, was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  Jan. 
I,  1738,  came  to  Bennington  about  '65,  and 
died  there  October,  18 19. 

The  family  was  a  brave  and  brainy  one, 
tracing  back  to  Sir  William  de  Walbridge  of 
Suffolk  county,  Eng.,  who  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  Fourth  Crusade,  under  Richard 
Coeur  de  Lion.  One  of  General  Wal- 
bridge's  grandsons,  Hiram  Walbridge,  was  a 
member  of  Congress  from  New  York  in 
i853-'55,  a  granddaughter  was  the  wife  of 
Gov.  Washington  Hunt  of  New  York,  and 
David  S.  Walbridge,  congressman  from 
Michigan,  i854-'59,  born  in  Bennington  in 
1802,  was  probably  a  relative. 

Ebenezer  Walbridge  was  a  lieutenant  in 
the  regiment  of  Green  Mountain  Boys  before 
Quebec  in  1775,  and  was  adjutant  of  the 
regiment,  and  he  fought  at  Bennington  where 
his  brother  Henry  was  killed. 

He  was  in  this  campaign  sent  by  General 
Lincoln  with  five  hundred  troops  to  Skeens- 
borough.  Fort  Ann  and  Fort  Edward  to 
alarm  and  divide  the  British  forces,  and  this 
diversion  had  an  important  bearing  on  the 
campaign  and  was  another  important  factor 


in  the  ruin  of  Burgoyne.  He  was  lieuten- 
ant-colonel in  1778,  and  in  1780  succeeded 
Herrick  in  command  of  the  Bennington 
regiment,  and  he  also  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  militia  in  that  vicinity  in  1781,  and 
in  October  of  that  year  was  at  Castleton  to 
meet  a  threatened  invasion  by  St.  Leger. 
In  December  of  that  year  when  New  York 
was  threatening  to  make  war  on  the  state, 
he  was  in  command  of  the  troops  before 
which  the  New  York  militia  fled.  He  was 
subsequently  elected  brigadier-general.  He 
twice  represented  his  town  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Governor's  council  i78o-'88.  He 
was  an  enterprising  business  man,  and  in 
1784  built  and  operated  at  Bennington  the 
first  paper  mill  in  Yermont.  Personally  he 
is  described  as  a  man  of  most  kindly  and 
winning  qualities. 

COCHRAN,  Robert.— \\'ho  was 
honored  as  one  of  the  eight  outlawed  by 
New  York  in  1774,  and  who  was  one  of  the 
recognized  leaders  in  the  "beech  seal"  days, 
came  from  Coleraine,  Mass.,  to  Bennington 
about  1768,  but  soon  moved  to  Rupert.  He 
was  a  captain  among  the  Green  Mountain 
Boys  before  the  Revolution,  and  after  the 
\\'estminster  massacre,  appeared  within 
forty-eight  hours  at  the  head  of  forty  men  to 
fight  the  cause  of  the  people  against  the 
"Court  party."  With  a  file  of  twenty-five  he 
assisted  in  conveying  the  prisoners  taken 
the  next  day  to  the  jail  at  Northampton. 
He  was  a  captain  in  the  Ticonderoga  ex- 
pedition in  the  May  following,  and  assisted 
^^'arner  in  the  capture  of  Crown  Point.  He 
afterwards  joined  Colonel  Elmore's  regi- 
ment, where  he  held  a  commision  as  cap- 
tain until  July  29,  '76,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  major  by  resolution  of  Con- 
gress. The  next  October  we  find  him  on 
the  frontier  in  Tryon  County,  N.  Y.,  com- 
manding at  Fort  Dayton.  He  served  with 
reputation  in  the  '77  campaign,  probably  on 
Gates'  staff.  He  certainlv  bore  dispatches 
from  the  general  to  the  committee  of  safety 
on  the  Grants.  The  next  year  he  had  an 
adventurous  trip  to  Canada,  where  he  was 
sent  to  obtain  information  of  the  military 
situation,  and  narrowly  escaped  arrest  and 
execution  as  a  spy.  .\  large  reward  was 
offered  for  his  capture,  and  he  was  taken  ill 
w'hile  hiding  in  a  brush-heap  from  his  pur- 
suers. Hunger  and  disease  at  length  com- 
pelled him  to  venture  to  approach  a  log 
cabin,  where  he  heard  three  men  conversing 
about  the  reward  and  planning  his  capture. 
When  the  men  left  he  crawled  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  woman  of  the  house,  frankly 
told  her  his  name  and  plight,  and  threw 
himself  on  her  mercy.  She  gave  him  food 
and  a  bed,  and  kept  him  hid  in  the  house 
until  the   men  had  returned  and  left  again. 


and  then  directed  him  to  a  place  of  conceal- 
ment a  little  oft,  and  she  stealthil)'  fed  and 
nursed  him  there  until  he  was  able  to  travel, 
knowing  all  the  time  how  much  money  it 
would  be  worth  to  her  to  betray  him. 
Years  afterward  he  met  her  and  rewarded 
her  generously  for  her  womanly  ministration. 

In  September,  1778,  Cochran  was  in  com- 
mand of  Fort  Schuyler  and  did  active  and 
efficient  work  on  the  frontier.  In  1780  he 
was  promoted  to  a  lieutenant-colonelcy.  He 
came  out  of  the  war  like  most  of  the  heroes 
who  had  fought  through  it,  deeply  in  debt,  and 
Sparks,  in  his  life  of  Baron  Steuben,  gives  a 
pathetic  account  of  Cochran's  distress,  as  he 
viewed  the  circuiiistances  in  which  his  ser- 
vices to  his  country  had  left  him  and  the 
empty-handedness  with  which  he  must  go  to 
the  wife  and  children  who  were  awaiting  him 
in  the  garret  of  a  wretched  tavern.  It  is  a 
scene  to  which,  for  the  credit  of  human  nature, 
attention  cannot  be  too  often  directed,  show- 
ing what  man  with  all  his  littleness  and  im- 
perfections is  capable  of  doing  and  sacrific- 
ing for  an  idea. 

Later  years,  howe\er,  brought  deserved 
prosperity  to  Cochran.  He  lived  after  the 
war  at  Ticonderoga  and  Sandy  Hook,  N.  V., 
dying  at  the  latter  place  July  3,  1812,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three,  and  being  buried  near 
Fort  Edward. 

ALLEN,  HEMAN.  — The  eldest  of  the 
Allen  brothers,  and  a  most  capable  man  of 
affairs,  as  he  proved  himself  before  his  early 
death,  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight,  was  born  at 
Cornwall,  Conn.,  Oct.  15,  1740.  He  was 
only  fifteen  years  old  when  his  father  died 
and  he  soon  had  to  take  the  care  of  his 
widowed  mother  and  the  younger  children. 
He  was  a  merchant  at  Salisbury  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Revolution,  and  probably  his 
legal  residence  was  there  though  he  was 
prominent  in  Vermont  affairs,  a  delegate 
from  Rutland  to  the  convention  in  January, 
1777,  that  declared  independence,  and  from 
Colchester  to  the  Windsor  convention  that 
framed  the  constitution,  an  agent  of  the 
Dorset  convention  in  January,  1776,  to  pre- 
sent their  petition  to  Congress  to  he  allowed 
to  serve  in  the  common  cause  under  officers 
to  be  named  by  Congress,  and  the  minutes 
of  the  council  of  safety  showed  that  he  re- 
ported on  the  mission  July  24,  1776.  His 
name  in  fact  appears  on  the  record  of  all 
the  conventions,  except  two,  from  July,  1  775, 
to  July,  1777,  and  in  two  he  was  delegate  at 
large  or  adviser  and  counselor,  once  with 
Seth  Warner.  He  served  on  the  most  im- 
portant committees,  as  of  that  to  fix  the  basis 
of  representation  of  the  towns  in  January, 
1776,  and  that  to  treat  with  the  inhabitants 
of  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  in  July  of 
that  year.    He  represented  Middlebury  once. 


53 


His  service  in  the  mission  to  Congress  in 
1776  was  very  tactful  and  probably  ])re- 
vented  an  adverse  decision  which  would 
have  been  ruinous  to  the  new  state  at  that 
time.  His  brother  Ira  regarded  Heman 
.\llen  with  even  more  admiration  than  I'^than. 
Heman  was  in  the  Canadian  champaign  as 
a  captain  in  the  regiment  of  Creen  Mountain 
Boys.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Bennington 
as  a  member  of  the  council  of  safety,  and  he 
caught  a  cold  there  and  died  of  decline  in 
the  May  following.  He  was  a  considerable 
owner  of  \'ermont  lands.  Henry  Hall  says  : 
"Of  all  our  early  heroes  few  glide  before  us 
with  statelier  step  or  more  beneficent  mien 
than  Heman  .-\llen.  His  life  of  thirty-seven 
and  one-half  years  was  like  that  of  Chevalier 
Bayard,  without  fear  and  without  reproach. 
.A  merchant  and  a  soldier,  a  politician  and  a 
land  owner,  a  diplomat  and  a  statesman,  he 
was  capable,  honest,  earnest  and  true." 

ALLEN,  EBENEZER,  one  of  the  framers 
of  the  constitution,  a  brave  and  successful 
partisan  leader,  and  the  pioneer  abolitionist, 
was  not  of  the  Connecticut  family  of  the 
other  famous  Yermonters,  and  only  distantly 
related  to  them.  He  was  born  in  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  Oct.  17,  1743.  His  parents 
moved,  while  he  was  a  child,  to  New  Marl- 
boro, Mass.,  where  his  father  soon  died,  and 
he,  as  one  of  the  oldest  children,  had  to  bear 
much  of  the  burden  of  the  support  of  the 
family,  with  only  meagre  opportunities  for 
education.  He  was  for  a  while,  at  least,  an 
apprentice  to  a  blacksmith.  In  1762  he 
married  a  Miss  Richards,  who  survived  him 
for  many  years,  and  in  1768  he  came  to  Ben- 
nington, living  there  for  three  years,  and 
thence  proceeding  to  Poultney,  where  he 
helped  in  the  first  settlement  of  the  town.  He 
was  with  Ethan  Allen  at  Ticonderoga,  and  was 
a  lieutenant  in  \Varner's  regiment  of  Green 
Mountain  Boys  in  Canada  in  1775,  and  he 
moved  to  Tinmouth  soon  after.  He  was  a 
delegate  from  there  to  the  several  conven- 
tions of  1776,  and  to  the  historic  ones  of  the 
next  year  that  declared  the  state's  independ- 
ence and  framed  the  constitution.  In  July, 
1777,  he  was  captain  of  a  company  of  min- 
ute men  in  Herrick's  regiment  of  Rangers, 
and  he  greatly  distinguished  himself  at  l^ien- 
nington.  .\t  one  time  during  this  fight,  with 
only  thirty  men,  under  cover  of  a  natural 
breastwork  of  rocks,  he  stood  against  the 
main  body  of  Raum's  army,  and  a  hot  and 
well  directed  fire  threw  the  assailants  into 
confusion  and  temporary  retreat.  He  saw 
considerable  service  later  in  the  war,  was 
promoted  to  be  major  in  the  Rangers,  and 
afterward  several  times  a  colonel  in  command 
of  a  regiment  in  the  state's  servic:e.  He 
participated  with  Brown,  Herrick  and  John- 
son in  the  movement  in  the  middle  of  Sep- 


54 


tember,  1777,  to  cut  off  Burgoyne's  com- 
munications by  attacking  the  posts  in  his 
rear,  and  with  only  forty  men  he  made  a 
brilhant  night  attack  on  Mt.  Defiance,  occu- 
pied by  two  hundred  men,  captured  it  and  had 
turned  its  guns  on  Ticonderoga  when  Brown 
decided  to  give  up  the  attempt  to  take  the 
fort.  Two  months  later,  when  the  British 
abandoned  Ticonderoga,  Allen  cut  off  their 
rear  guard  and  with  a  force  of  men  took 
forty-nine  red-coat  prisoners.  He  used  to 
explain  in  after  years  how  he  did  this.  It  was 
by  a  ruse,  and  by  the  employment  of  most  all 
his  men  scattered  about  to  yell  and  make  the 
English  think  the  woods  were  full  of  Mer- 
rick's Rangers,  or  "white  Indians,"  as  the 
English  called  them,  and  of  whom  the  in- 
vaders had  learned  to  have  a  mortal  terror. 
In  this  capture  w-as  the  negro  slave  of  a 
British  oiificer,  Dinah  Morris,  with  her  infant 
child.  "Conscientious  that  it  is  not  right  in 
the  sight  of  God  to  keep  slaves,"  he  gave  her  a 
written  certificate  of  emancipation  and  caused 
it  to  be  recorded  in  the  clerk's  ofifice  at  Ben- 
nington, where  it  stands  with  the  clause  for- 
bidding sla\ery  in  the  constitution,  and  Judge 
Harrington's  blasphemous,  yet  reverent  de- 
cision that  he  would  require  a  "bill  of  sale 
from  God  Almighty"  as  proof  of  ownership 
before  he  would  remand  a  runaway  negro 
back  to  slavery,  as  one  of  the  brightest  jew- 
els in  ^'ermont's  imperishable  diadem  of 
honor. 

He  was  in  command  of  the  fort  at  Ver- 
gennes  in  1778  or  1779.  He  was  also  in 
1779  on  the  board  of  war. 

In  iNIay  1780,  Sir  John  Johnson,  made  a 
raid  from  Canada  into  the  Mohawk  Valley 
and  Governor  Clinton  hastened  to  the  south 
end  of  Lake  George  to  intercept  his  return. 
The  Governor  dispatched  a  request  to  the 
commander  of  the  \'ermont  troops  at  Castle- 
ton  to  send  aid.  The  next  day  Colonel 
Allen  wrote  that  he  had  reached  Mt.  Inde- 
pendence with  two  hundred  men  one  hun- 
dred more  would  follow  at  once,  and  he 
would  lead  the  three  hundred  to  the  scene 
if  the  Governor  would  send  boats  to  trans- 
port them.  Johnson  escaped  by  way  of 
Crown  Point,  but  Clinton  in  writing  to  Con- 
gress was  constrained  to  say  that  this  punct- 
uality did  great  honor  to  the  men  of  the 
Grants.  There  is  but  little  record  evidence 
left  of  the  military  events  of  the  four  years 
after  1779,  as  it  was  all  "play  war"  so  far  as 
Vermont  was  concerned,  with  almost  no 
fighting.  But  it  is  certain  that  Allen  per- 
formed much  service  about  Lake  Champlain, 
and  mainly  on  the  western  side. 

He  moved  to  South  Hero,  about  1783, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  blacksmithing, 
tavern-keeping,  and  finally  shipping  oak  lum- 
ber to  Quebec.  In  1792  he  made  a  tour  of 
the  then  unsettled   territories  of  Ohio  and 


Michigan,  in  company  with  a  party  of 
friendly  Indians,  and  was  absent  nearly  a 
year  on  the  trip.  He  represented  the  town 
from  1788  to  '92,  was  a  justice  of  peace,  and 
its  leading  citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  in  1791  that  voted  for  admission 
to  the  L^nion.  He  moved  to  Burlington  in 
1800,  where  he  opened  a  tavern  near  the 
south  wharf,  which  he  conducted  until  his 
death,  March  26,  1806,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three. 

He  is  described  in  personal  appearance  by 
D.  W.  Dixon,  his  best  biographer,  as  :  "  Of 
medium  height,  with  a  large  head,  in  which 
the  perceptive  faculties  were  \ery  prominent ;. 
black-eyed,  dark-featured,  deep-chested,  and 
endowed  with  more  than  ordinary  physical 
strength  and  activity."  In  religion  he  was  a 
Calvinist,  in  politics  a  Hamilton  Federalist. 
He  was  in  many  respects  a  remarkable  man. 
Nature  had  infused  into  him  a  vigor  and  vi- 
vacity of  mind  which  in  a  measure  supplied 
the  deficiencies  of  his  education.  Courage,, 
enterprise,  and  perseverance  were  the  first 
characteristics  of  his  mind.  His  disposition 
was  frank  and  generous,  though  he  possessed 
a  combati\  e  temperament. 


THE  ROBINSON  FAMILY. 

ROBINSON,  Samuel.— The  acknowl- 
edged leader  of  the  band  of  pioneers  who 
settled  Bennington,  and  almost  a  controlling 
authority  among  them,  was  the  progenitor  of 
the  most  remarkable  among  a  number  of 
Vermont  families  prolific  of  public  useful- 
ness— a  family  that  has  in  the  past  century 
furnished  two  Governors,  two  L'nited  States 
senators,  six  judges  of  one  degree  and  an- 
other, the  acknowledged  leaders  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  the  state  in  three  different 
generations,  and  United  States  marshals, 
generals,  colonels,  state's  attorneys,  town 
clerks,  etc.,  almost  without  computation. 

The  family  had  a  heritage  of  brains  and 
power,  tracing  its  descent  from  Rev.  John 
Robinson,  the  father  of  the  Puritans  in  Eng- 
land in  1620,  and  pastor  of  the  Pilgrims  be- 
fore they  sailed  from  Holland  in  the  ^Lay- 
flower,  and  being  allied  by  marriage  with 
the  ancestry  of  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull 
of  Connecticut. 

Samuel  Robinson,  born  at  Cambridge,. 
Mass.,  in  1 705,  came  to  Vermont  from  Hard- 
wick,  Mass. 

He  had  been  a  captain  of  Massachusetts 
troops  through  several  campaigns  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lake  George  and  Champlain  in 
the  French  and  Indian  war. 

He  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  com- 
missioned by  (Jovernor  Wentworth  in  the 
Grants  and  the  first  clash  between  New 
York  and  New  Hampshire  authority  was  be- 


fore  him.  It  arose  over  the  case  of  two 
claimants  in  I'ownal.  He  took  the  New- 
Hampshire  side  and  he  and  Samuel  Ashlev,  a 
New  Hampshire  deputy  siieriff,  were  arrested 
and  taken  to  Albany  jail  in  consetjuence  and 
occasioning  acrimonious  correspondence 
between  the  two  Governors  ;  but  the  affair 
ended  in  a  compromise  and  though  Robin- 
son and  Ashley  were  indicted  for  resisting 
New  York  officers,  they  were  never  brought 
to  trial.  He  was  deputed  by  the  settlers  in 
1765  to  go  to  New  York  and  try  to  save  their 
lands  from  the  city  speculators  to  whom 
Lieutenant-Governor  Golden  was  making 
Grants  with  lavish  hand,  but  his  efforts  were 
unavailing.  He  was,  in  1766,  sent  as  an 
agent  for  the  settlers  to  England  to  present 
their  case  to  the  ministry,  and  the  mission 
was  making  very  favorable  progress  towards 
success  when  he  was  taken  with  smallpox 
and  suddenly  died  in  London,  Oct.  27,  1767. 
His  eldest  son.  Col.  Samuel  Robinson, 
born  at  Hardwick,  .August  15,  1738,  was 
active  in  the  controversy  over  the  grants,  was 
elected  one  of  the  town  committee  to  succeed 
his  father,  commanded  one  of  the  Benning- 
ton companies  in  the  battle  of  Bennington, 
and  during  the  war  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel. 
He  was,  in  1777  and  1778,  "overseer  of  the 
Tory  prisoners"  and  in  1779  and  1780  rep- 
resented the  town  in  the  General  Assembly 
and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  war.  He 
was  the  first  justice  appointed  in  town  under 
Vermont  authority,  in  177S,  and  was  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  special  court  for  the  south 
shire  of  the  county,  and,  as  such,  presided  at 
the  trial  of  Redding.  He  was  a  generous  ■ 
and  large-minded  man,  upright,  enterprising, 
kindly  in  manner  and  of  decided  natural 
ability  and  ready  courage.  .Another  son.  Gen. 
David  Robinson,  born  at  Hardwick,  Nov. 
22,  1754,  was  a  major-general  of  the  state 
militia,  an  active  and  energetic  man  of  his 
time  and  United  States  marshal  for  eight 
years  up  to  18 iS.  He  fought  as  a  private  in 
the  battle  of  Bennington,  rising  by  regular 
promotion  to  the  place  of  major-general, 
which  he  resigned  in  181 7.  He  was  sheriff 
of  the  county  for  twenty-two  years  ending 
with  1811.  He  died  Dec.  12,  1843,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-nine.  His  wife  was  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Stephen  Fay,  who  bore  him  three 
sons.  One  of  these,  Stephen,  was  a  member 
of  the  Cleneral  .Assembly  several  years,  a 
judge  of  the  county  court,  and  a  member  of 
the  council  of  censors  in  1834.  He  died  in 
1852,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 

ROBINSON,  Gov.  MOSES.— The  first 
chief  justice  of  the  state.  Governor  and  one 
of  her  first  senators,  the  close  friend  of 
Jefferson  and  Madison,  and  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Democracy  of  that  day,  was  the 
second  son  of  Samuel  Robinson,  Sr.,  born  at 


HariUvick,  Mass.,  March  20,  1741.  Lanmann 
says  he  was  educated  at  Dartmouth.  He 
was  elected  IJennington's  clerk  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  town  in  March,  1762,  and 
kept  its  records  for  nineteen  years.  In  the 
early  part  of  1777  he  was  a  colonel  of  militia, 
and  was  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  on 
Mount  Independence  when  'i'iconderoga 
was  evacuated  by  St.  Clair.  Then  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  council  of  safety 
which  held  continuous  sessions  for  several 
months.  He  was  also  on  the  Governor's 
council  for  eight  years,  to  October,  1785. 
He  was  in  the  secret  of  the  Haldimand 
negotiation  from  the  beginning,  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  certificate  which  was 
drawn  up  to  protect  the  fame  of  Chittenden, 
and  .Mien  and  Fay,  in  1781,  and  all  through 
the  infant  troubles  of  the  new  state,  had  the 
confidence  of  the  leaders  and  fathers,  and 
was  one  of  the  shrewd  advisers  of  this  criti- 
cal period,  though  his  position  was  such  that 
he  could  not  take  an  active  part.  For,  on 
the  first  organization  of  the  state,  he  was  ap- 
pointed chief  justice,  a  position  which  he 
held,  except  one  year,  until  1789,  when  in  a 
temporary  breeze  of  dissatisfaction  he  was 
elected  (lovernor  for  a  single  term.  But  as 
the  issues  were  purely  local  and  personal, 
and  bore  no  relation  to  national  politics, 
with  which,  of  course,  Vermont  had  no  in- 
terest while  outside  the  I'nion,  he  cannot 
be  said  to  have  been  the  first  Democratic 
Governor — an  honor  which  belongs  to  Israel 
Smith  as  a  matter  of  fact,  though  in  point 
of  power  of  leadership  Jonas  (ialusha  must 
be  called  the  first  of  his  time.  The  causes 
of  the  overturn  of  this  year  are  explained  in 
the  sketch  of  Governor  Chittenden.  The  vote 
of  the  freemen  stood  1,263  ^or  Chittenden, 
746  for  Robinson,  478  for  Samuel  Safford, 
and  378  for  all  others.  The  choice,  in  the 
failure  of  any  one  to  get  a  majority,  therefore 
went  to  the  Legislature,  and  the  opposition 
to  Chittenden  concentrated  on  Robinson,  and 
elected  him. 

In  1782  Judge  Robinson  was  sent  to  the 
Continental  Congress  as  one  of  the  agents  of 
the  state,  and  he  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
that  finally  adjusted  the  controversy  with  New 
York.  In  1791  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legis- 
lature with  Stephen  Bradley  Senator  to  Con- 
gress. He  was  very  active  with  the  then 
young  Republicans  in  opposition  to  the  rati- 
fication of  the  Jay  treaty,  not  only  in  Con- 
gress but  in  procuring  puVilic  meetings  in  his 
town  and  county  to  condemn  it,  as  a  part  of 
the  campaign  of  popular  agitation  organized 
all  over  the  country  against  the  measures  of 
the  Federalists  that  finally  dro\e  that  party 
from  power.  The  Senator  had  the  vigorous 
support  of  his  town  and  county  for  his  politi- 
cal views,  but  when  satisfied  that  he  was  in  a 
fixed  and  definite  minoritv  in  the  state,  in 


56 


obedience  to  his  democratic  views  of  duty, 
he  resigned  his  position  as  Senator  in  Octo- 
ber, 1796,  a  few  months  before  the  expiration 
of  his  term,  and  was  succeeded  by  Isaac 
Tichenor,  who  had  then  become  tlie  Fed- 
eralist leader. 

U'his  closed  his  public  career,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  term  in  the  General  Assembly 
in  1802.  He  died  May  26,  1813,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two. 

Senator  Robinson  was  a  man  of  profound 
piety  and  Democracy,  and  he  had  no  difiti- 
culty  in  making  these  convictions  mix, 
though  it  was  the  general  belief  of  New  En- 
gland that  they  were  antipodal.  He  was  an 
ardent  sympathizer  with  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, because  he  believed  in  the  rights  of 
man,  and  even  if  French  republicans  were 
infidels  and  went  to  the  most  extravagant 
length  in  blasphemy,  it  was,  to  his  view,  no 
argument  for  the  rights  of  kings.  Many  news- 
paper squibs  were  fired  at  him  in  after  years 
because  of  an  occurence  in  1791,  when  Jeffer- 
son and  Madison,  making  a  horseback  trip 
through  New  England,  stopped  with  him  at 
Bennington  over  one  Sunday.  The  senator 
who  never  failed  to  attend  divine  worship 
when  possible,  took  them  to  church,  and 
proud,  as  country  people  were  apt  to  be  in 
those  days  of  the  church  choir,  insisted  on 
getting  their  opinion  of  it,  and  how  it  com- 
pared with  church  music  in  other  churches 
and  places,  whereupon,  it  was  said,  both  had 
to  admit  that  they  were  no  judges,  as  neither 
of  them  had  attended  any  church  for  several 
years.  The  yarn  of  course  was  designed  to 
injure  him  politically  with  the  intolerant 
people  with  whom  he  mixed  and  to  discredit 
him  as  deacon  of  the  church,  as  he  was  from 
1789  to  the  time  of  his  death.  But  though 
Moses  Robinson  might  and  doubtless  did 
regret  Jefferson's  tendency  to  free  religious 
views,  it  did  not  abate  one  jot  his  admira- 
tion of  that  man's  great  work  for  humanity's 
progress,  or  friendly  association  with  him  in 
working  towards  high  ideals  of  government. 

This  union  of  piety  and  Democracy  is 
finely  expressed  in  his  address  on  retiring 
from  the  Governor's  chair  in  1790,  so  free 
from  the  slightest  accent  of  jealousy,  so  cor- 
dial towards  his  successful  rival,  so  unaffect- 
edly obedient  to  the  popular  wish,  that  it  de- 
serves to  be  preserved  as  a  gem  in  our 
political  literature.  After  alluding  to  his  own 
election  the  year  previous,  and  his  conscious- 
ness that  he  had  faithfully  discharged  his 
duty  and  executed  his  trust,  he  added  :  "  It 
appears  from  the  present  election  that  the 
freemen  have  given  their  suffrages  in  favor 
of  His  Excellency  Governor  Chittenden.  I 
heartily  acquiesce  in  the  choice,  and  shall, 
with  the  greatest  satisfaction,  retire  to  private 
life,   where    I    expect   to    enjoy   that  peace 


which  naturally  results  from  a  consciousness 
of  having  done  my  duty. 

"The  freemen  have  an  undoubted  right 
when  they  see  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  com- 
munity to  call  forth  their  citizens  from  be- 
hind the  curtain  of  private  life  and  make 
them  their  rulers,  and  for  the  same  reason  to 
dismiss  them  at  pleasure  and  elect  others  in 
their  place.  This  privilege  is  essential  to 
all  free  and  to  republican  governments.  As 
a  citizen  I  trust  I  shall  ever  feel  for  the  in- 
terest of  the  state  ;  the  confidence  the  free- 
men have  repeatedlly  placed  in  me  ever 
since  the  first  formation  of  government,  lays 
me  under  additional  obligations  to  promote 
their  true  interest. 

"  Fellow-citizens  of  the  Legislature,  I  wish 
you  the  benediction  of  Heaven  in  the  prose- 
cution of  the  important  business  of  the  pres- 
ent session  :  that  all  your  consultations  may 
terminate  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  inter- 
est of  the  citizens  of  this  state,  and  that  both 
those  in  pubhc  and  private  life  may  so  con- 
duct in  the  several  spheres  in  which  God  in 
his  providence  shall  call  them  to  act,  so  that, 
when  death  shall  close  the  scene  of  life,  we 
may  each  of  us  ha^•e  the  satisfaction  of  a 
good  conscience  and  the  approbation  of  our 
Judge." 

Governor  Robinson  became  very  wealthy 
with  the  progress  of  the  state  and  was  cor- 
respondingly generous  in  his  gifts  for  the 
cause  of  religion. 

He  was  really  the  father  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Bennington,  and  it  is  related 
of  him  that  when  people  came  to  Benning- 
tan  to  purchase  land,  he  would  invite  them 
to  his  house  over  night,  contri\e  to  learn 
their  religious  \iews  and  if  they  were  not 
good  Congregationalists  persuade  them  to 
settle  in  Shaftsbury  or  Pownal,  in  both  of 
which  he  was  also  a  proprietor.  So  strong  a 
bent  did  he  and  his  associates  gi\e  to  the 
religious  opinion  of  the  community  that  up 
to  1830  there  was  only  one  house  of  public 
worship  in  the  town. 

His  sunset  days  were  of  almost  ecstatic  hope 
and  beauty.  One  of  those  present  at  his  death, 
the  wife  of  Gen.  David  Robinson,  said  of 
the  scene  :  "  If  I  could  feel  as  he  did,  it 
would  be  worth  ten  thousand  worlds." 

Governor  Robinson  married  for  his  first 
wife  Mary,  daughter  of  Stephen  Fay,  and 
after  her  death,  Susannah  Howe.  He  left  six 
sons  by  his  first  wife,  to  show  the  effects  of 
blending  the  patriotic  blood  of  Robinson 
and  Fay.  Moses,  the  eldest,  was  a  member 
of  the  council  in  1814,  and  was  rejieatedly, 
in  i8i9-'2o-'23  representative  in  the  General 
Assembly.  He  was,  in  opposition  to  nearly 
all  the  rest  of  the  family,  a  Federalist  in  poli- 
tics, and  repeatedly  that  party's  candidate 
for  councilor,  being  defeated  once  only  by  the 
omission  of "  Ir."  from  his  name.     Aaron,  the 


57 


second,  was  town  clerk  seven  years,  justice  of 
the  peace  twenty-three  years,  representative 
in  the  Legislature  in  i8i6-'i7,  and  judge  of 
probate  in  i835-'36.  Samuel,  the  third,  was 
clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  the  county 
from  1794  to  i8i5,and  Nathan,  another  son, 
a  lawyer,  who  died  at  the  age  of  forty,  repre- 
sented the  town  in  1803. 

ROBINSON,  JONATHAN,— The  yoimg- 
est  son  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  brother  of  the  pre- 
ceding, and,  like  him,  chief  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  United  States  Senator, 
was  born  at  Hardwick,  August  11,  1756, 
came  to  Bennington  with  his  father  in  1761, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1796.  He 
vt'as  town  clerk  for  six  years  beginning  with 
1795,  town  representative  thirteen  times  be- 
fore 1802,  and  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  1801  to  1807.  In  the  latter  year 
the  triumph  of  the  Jeffersonians  in  at  last 
defeating  Tichenor  and  electing  Israel  Smith 
Governor,  seven  vears  after  they  had  got 
control  of  the  rest  of  the  government,  neces- 
sitated the  latter's  resignation  of  his  seat  in 
the  Senate,  and  Judge  Robinson  was  chosen 
to  succeed  him,  and  in  1809  he  was  also 
elected  for  another  term  closing  in  1815.  He 
was  in  Federal  relations  the  political  master 
of  the  state  during  this  time,  had  a  controll- 
ing influence  in  the  distribution  of  the  army 
and  other  patronage  of  the  administration, 
which  was  very  great  during  the  war  of  181 2, 
and  he  handled  it  with  much  shrewdness  as 
well  as  care  for  the  public  interest.  He  had 
not  the  remarkable  power  of  his  great  com- 
peer, Jonas  Galusha,  to  make  a  permanent 
impress  on  the  thought  of  his  time,  but  he 
was  an  astute  and  far-seeing  leader.  He 
more  closely  resembled  his  great  competitor 
in  county  politics,  and  his  successor  in  the 
Senate,  Isaac  Tichenor,  in  his  popular  man- 
ners and  facility  of  leadership  ;  and,  as  with 
Tichenor,  there  was  a  strong  leaven  of  faith- 
fulness to  duty  and  an  underlying  strength  of 
character  and  solidity  of  ability,  that  made 
the  ultimate  basis  of  success.  He  had  the 
ear  and  confidence  of  President  Madison  to 
an  extent  that  few  men  had. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  Senate,  like 
many  other  great  Vermonters,  he  found  it 
not  beneath  his  dignity  to  serve  the  people 
in  other  stations  to  which  they  called  him. 
He  was  elected  judge  of  probate  in  October, 
1815,  and  held  the  position  for  four  years, 
and  again  represented  the  town  in  181 8,  be- 
ing prominent  in  the  discussion  over  the 
proposed  constitutional  amendment  for  the 
real  democratic  plan  for  the  choice  of  presi- 
dential electors  by  districts.  He  died  Nov. 
3,  1819,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three. 

He  married  into  another  noted  ^'ermont 
family,  his  wife  being  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  Fassett.     One  of  their  sons,  Jonathan 


I'!.,  a  lawyer,  was  town  clerk  nine  years  and 
judge  of  county  court  in  1S28  and  died  in 
1831.  .\nother,  Henry,  was  paymaster  in 
the  army,  clerk  in  the  pension  office,  briga- 
dier-general of  militia,  and  for  ten  years  clerk 
of  the  county  and  supreme  court.  He  died 
in  1856. 

ROBINSON,  JOHN  S.— Son  of  Nathan, 
and  grandson  of  Gov.  Moses  Robinson,  a 
Democratic  leader  in  the  last  generation  and 
the  only  Democratic  Governor  of  the  state 
for  more  than  half  a  century,  was  born  at 
Bennington  No\-.  10,  1804.  He  graduated 
at  Williams  in  1S24,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1827.  A  man  of  brilliant  parts,  he 
rapidly  rose  to  the  front  rank  of  his  profes- 
sion and  was  well  adapted  for  a  political 
career  like  that  of  the  other  great  men  of  the 
name  but  for  the  fact  that  the  movement  of 
the  times  had  left  his  party  in  a  hopeless 
minority  in  the  state.  He  twice  represented 
the  town  in  the  lower  House  of  the  Legisla- 
ture and  was  twice  a  state  senator.  He  was 
repeatedly  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Congress  in  his  district.  There  was  a  serious 
split  in  the  organization  growing  out  of  the 
Free  Soil  movement  of  1848,  and  continuing 
for  several  years  until  it  merged  into  the 
Liberty  or  later  the  Republican  party.  In 
1 85  I  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  minority 
element,  receiving  6,686  votes  to  14,950  for 
Timothy  P.  Redfield,  the  regular  Demo- 
cratic candidate,  and  22,676  for  Charles  K. 
Williams,  Whig.  The  next  year  the  Demo- 
crats made  him  their  regular  candidate,  and 
with  a  temporary  increase  of  strength  for  the 
Liberty  party  which  cast9,446  votes  for  Law- 
rence Brainerd,  there  was  a  failure  to  elect  by 
the  people,  Robinson  having  14,938  \otes 
and  Erastus  Fairbanks,  Whig,  23,795,  and  the 
choice  was  by  the  Legislature,  which  elected 
Fairbanks. 

The  next  year  the  enactment  of  prohibi- 
tion had  stirred  things  up  a  good  deal,  and 
given  the  Democrats  renewed  hope,  they 
made  Robinson  their  candidate  again,  and 
the  result  of  the  election  was  20,849  for  Fair- 
banks, 18,142  tor  Robinson,  and  8,291  for 
Brainerd,  again  throwing  the  choice  to  the 
Legislature  where  Robinson  was  elected.  But 
it  was  only  a  year's  triumph.  It  was  the  period 
of  political  breakup  over  the  slavery  issue, 
and  of  the  foundation  of  the  new  Repub- 
lican party.  In  July  of  the  next  summer, 
Brainerd  presided  over  the  first  Republican 
state  convention,  and  that  fall  was  sent  to 
the  United  States  Senate.  The  polls  in  Sep- 
tember showed  the  dropping  out  of  the 
Liberty  party,  and  except  some  1,600  scat- 
tering votes  among  various  candidates,  the 
issue  was  between  the  two  leading  jjarties, 
and  Stephen  Royce  was  elected  Governor  by 


^8 


a  vote  of  27,926  to  15,084  for  the  Demo- 
crats. 

Governor  Robinson,  however,  remained  an 
active  Democrat,  and  in  i860  was  chairman 
of  the  Vermont  delegation  to  the  National 
Democratic  convention  at  Charleston,  S.  C, 
but  was  stricken  with  apoplexy  while  in 
that  city,  and  died  there  the  24th  of  that 
month. 

Governor  Hall,  so  long  his  rival,  profes- 
sionally and  politically,  pays  tribute  to  his 
"legal  attainments  and  high  order  of  talent," 
and  adds  :  "Generous  of  heart,  amiable  in 
disposition,  and  with  integrity  undoubted, 
he,  by  his  uniform  courtesy  and  kindness, 
endeared  himself  to  all  with  whom  he  had 
business  or  intercourse." 

Governor  Robinson  wedded,  in  October, 
1847,  Juliette  Staniford,  widow  of  A\'illiam 
Robinson.     He  left  no  children. 

ROWLEY,  Thomas.— The  first  poet  of 
the  Green  Mountains,  a  public  favorite, 
trusty  patriot,  and  something  of  a  statesman, 
a  soldier,  legislator  and  judge,  was  born  in 
Hebron,  Conn.,  and  cajne  to  Danby  in  1769, 
was  its  first  town  clerk  serving  for  nine 
years  until  in  1778,  and  then,  on  the  organi- 
zation of  the  state  government  was  its  first 
representative  in  the  General  Assembly  and 
also  for  the  next  two  years.  Through  the 
troublous  times  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys' 
resistance  to  New  York  and  the  Revolution 
he  was  generally  chairman  of  Danby's  com- 
mittee of  safety  and  while  in  the  Legislature 
he  served  on  the  most  important  commit- 
tees, and  was  the  draftsman  of  their  bills. 
He  was  in  the  convention  of  1777  that  de- 
clared independence  and  framed  the  con- 
stitution. 

I3ut  it  was  as  a  poet  that  he  rendered  his 
memorable  service  to  Vermont.  His  verses 
were  everywhere  sung  through  the  state  as 
an  inspiration  to  the  settlers  and  the  Green 
Afpuntain  Boys  And  they  were  just  fitted, 
with  their  homely  vigor  of  phrase,  their 
sympathy  with  the  wild  romance  of  nature 
about  them,  their  heat  of  intense  conviction 
of  right  and  their  scoring  of  the  speculators 
after  their  homes,  to  stir  the  people  on  the 
Grants  deeply.  They  were  indeed  the  fit 
complement  of  Ethan  Allen's  vehement  elo- 
quence in  prose.  They  were  mostly  given 
out  impromptu,  many  of  them  never  com- 
mitted to  paper  at  all,  and  only  a  few  and 
imperfect  fragments  have  been  brought 
down  to  the  present ;  but  with  all  their 
roughnesses  of  meter  and  expression,  even 
after  the  struggle  that  made  the  soul  of  them 
had  passed,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  there  was 
wit  and  genius  in  them.  He  was  always 
versifying,  and  some  specimens  on  religious, 
moral  and  family  topics  have  been  preserved, 
but  though   they  contain  some  diamonds  of 


poetic  thought,  they  lack  the  fire  that  even 
now  can  be  felt  in  his  effusions. 

He  lived  at  Rutland  for  a  while  and  was 
first  judge  of  the  special  court  for  that 
county.  After  the  Re\-olutionary  war  he 
mo^ed  to  Shoreham,  where  he  had  before 
lived  for  a  year,  and  was  also  the  first  town 
clerk  and  first  justice  of  the  peace  of  that 
town.  About  the  year  iSoo  he  went  to  Ben- 
son to  live  with  his  son  Nathan  and  died 
there  in  1803. 

He  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment and  ability,  as  well  as  a  wit  and  poet. 
He  was  intensely  religious,  a  Wesleyan  in 
his  views.  In  appearance  he  is  described  as 
"of  medium  height,  rather  thick  set,  rapid 
in  his  movements,  with  light  eyes,  sprightly 
and  piercing,  indicating  rapidity  of  percep- 
tion, and  sometimes  the  facetious  poetic 
faculty  ;  yet  he  was  generally  a  sedate  and 
thoughtful  man." 

DEWEY,  Rev.  Jedediah,— Sonof  Jede- 
diah  and  Rebecca  Dewey,  was  born  in  AN'est- 
field,  Mass.,  April  11, 17 14,  married  Mindwell 
Hayden  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  August  4,  1736, 
and  removed  to  Bennington  from  ^^'estfield, 
Mass.     Died  December  21,  1778. 

"The  Records  and  Memorials  of  a  Cen- 
tury," edited  by  Rev.  Isaac  Jennings,  show 
that  Mr.  Dewey  was  the  first  minister  and 
also  the  first  school  teacher  in  the  state.  He 
was  a  patriot  with  a  profound  interest  in  the 
future  prosperity  of  the  infant  settlement 
where  he  had  cast  his  lot,  and  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  controversy  originating  from 
the  disputes  concerning  the  land  titles  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Grants.  His  correspondence 
with  Governor  Tryon,  of  New  York,  demon- 
strated that  his  influence  was  weighty  in  put- 
ting an  end  to  the  struggle  by  peaceful 
negotiation.  Rev.  Mr.  Dewey  preached  the 
war  sermon  pre\'ious  to  the  battle  of  Ben- 
nington, charging  his  congregation  to  go 
forth  and  fight  for  their  native  land.  On  the 
following  Saturday  the  battle  of  Bennington 
was  fought  and  won.  His  son,  Capt.  Elijah 
Dewey,  was  on  the  field  in  command  of  the 
infantry  company  from  Bennington,  and 
every  history  of  \'ermunt  relates  how  well  he 
discharged  his  duty  on  that  occasion. 

It  is  related  in  "Jennings'  History  of  ^"er- 
mont,"  that  at  the  public  divine  service  of 
thanksgiving  for  the  capture  of  'Liconderoga, 
many  officers  being  present,  among  whom  was 
Ethan  Allen,  Mr.  Dewey  preached  and  made 
the  prayer,  in  which  he  gave  to  God  all  the 
glory  and  praise  of  the  capture  of  that  strong- 
hold. Ethan  Allen,  in  the  midst  of  the 
prayer  called  out,  "Parson  Dewey,"  "Parson 
Dewey,"  "Parson  Dewey."  At  the  third 
pronunciation  of  his  name  Mr.  Dewey  paused 
and  opened  his  eyes,  when  Allen  raised  both 
hands  and  exclaimed,  "Please   mention  to 


KNOWI.TON. 


59 


the  Lord  about  my  being  there,"  to  which 
the  parson  repUed,  "Sit  down  thou  bold 
blasphemer,  and  listen  to  the  word  of  Cod," 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  record  in  the  Walloomsac 
Valley  that  the  hero  of  Ticonderoga  quietly 
resumed  his  seat. 

FASSETT,  Captain  John.— One  of  the 

most  useful  and  constantly  employed  of  the 
public  men  of  the  state's  formative  jieriod, 
was  born  in  Hardwick,  Mass.,  June  3,  1 743  : 
the  son  of  Captain  Fassett,  who  came  to 
Bennington  in  1761,  became  an  innholder 
and  captain  of  the  first  military  company 
formed  in  town,  and  was  the  town's  repre- 
rentative  in  the  first  Vermont  Legislature. 
John  Fassett  came  to  Bennington  with  his 
father.  He  was  lieutenant  in  Warner's  first 
regiment  in  1775,  ^"d  captain  in  ^^'arner's 
second  in  1776.  In  1777  he  was  one  of  the 
commissioners  of  sequestration,  and  with 
Governor  Chittenden  and  Matthew  ].yon 
successful  in  subduing  the  Tories  of  Arling- 
ton. He  was  elected  Representative  of 
Arlington  in  the  General  .Assembly  for  1778 
and  1779,  and  for  Cambridge  in  1787  and 
1788,  1790  and  1791  ;  though  in  1779,  1787 
and  17S8  and  1790  and  1791  he  was  also 
elected  councilor.  He  served  in  each  office 
portions  of  the  time.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Council  in  1779  and  until  1795,  with  the 
exception  of  1786,  fifteen  years.  He  was 
judge  of  the  Superior  Court  from  its  organ- 
ization in  1778  until  1786,  eight  years; 
and  chief  judge  of  Chittenden  county  court 
from  1787  until  1794,  seven  years. 

Highland  Hall  states  that  Judge  Fassett 
died  in  Cambridge,  but  the  historian  of  that 
place  tells  of  "Dr.  John  Fassett  who  came 
from  Bennington  in  1784  moving  west  after 
he  had  lived  in  town  about  forty  years,  and 
when  he  must  have  been  an  octogenarian." 

KNOWLTON,  LUKE,  (or  Knoulton,  as 
he  wrote  the  name),  councilor,  judge,  early 
settler  and  most  influential  citizen  of  New- 
fane,  and  holding  some  anomalous  positions 
in  the  early  controversies,  was  born  at 
Shrewsbury,  Mass.,  November,  1738.  He 
w-as  a  soldier  in  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
was  stationed  at  Crown  Point  for  a  while, 
and  came  close  to  starvation  in  the  march 
from  that  point  to  Charleston,  Nov.  4,  where 
his  company  was  obliged  to  kill  its  last  pack 
horse  for  food.  He  came  to  New'fane  in 
1773,  the  fifteenth  family  to  settle  in  town, 
and  came  under  a  New  Vork  title  which  he 
and  another  man  had  purchased  from  a  lot 
of  speculators  in  New  York  City.  Naturally, 
therefore,  he  took  the  New  Vork  side  in  the 
controversy  with  the  Green  Mountain  boys, 
and  adhered  to  it  until  i  780,  when  he  and 
Ira  .Allen  came  to  terms  while  they  were  at 
Philadelphia    as   agents    for   the   two    sides 


before  Congress.  But  it  is  certain,  in  spite 
of  the  accusations  of  later  years,  that  he  was 
on  the  patriot  side  at  the  opening  of  the 
Revolution,  and  there  is  no  sufficient  reason 
for  impugning  his  patriotism  afterwards,  for 
at  the  time  it  was  done  he  was  acting 
in  concert  with  the  \'ermont  leaders  when 
his  social  and  personal  connections  were 
such  as  to  make  him  a  convenient  medium 
of  communication  with  the  British.  From 
June,  1776,  to  June,  1777,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Cumberland  county  committee  of 
Safety. 


^Lay  17,  1774,  on  the  organization  of  the 
town  of  Newfane,  he  was  elected  town  clerk 
and  held  that  position  sixteen  years.  In 
1772  he  had  been  appointed  by  New  Vork 
one  of  the  justices  of  peace  for  the  county. 
In  September,  1780,  the  Yorkers  of  Cum- 
berland county  sent  him  to  ("ongress  as  their 
agent  to  oppose  the  pretensions  of  the  new- 
state,  and  for  this  service  he  had  a  letter  of 
recommendation  from  Governor  Clinton,  of 
New  York.  It  was  while  on  this  mission 
that  the  arrangement  was  made  with  Ira 
Allen,  on  a  basis,  as  the  latter  wrote,  that 
should  "  be  honorable  to  those  who  had 
been  in  favor  of  New  York."  The  arrange- 
ment was  to  call  a  convention  of  delegates 
of  all  parties  interested,  including  the  New 
Hampshire  towns  that  wanted  to  unite  with 
Vermont. 

The  next  month  we  find  Knowlton  active 
as  chairman  of  a  Cumberland  county  com- 
mittee of  thirteen  to  brim;  about  this  con- 


6o 


KXOWLTON. 


KNOWLTOX. 


vention,  which  first  met  at  \\'alpole,  and  then 
called  another  convention  at  Charlestown, 
Jan.  i6,  I  781.  He  was  present  at  the  latter 
convention,  acting  in  concert  with  Allen,  who 
was  manipulating  it  from  the  outside.  The 
result  was  the  "East  union"  of  thirty-five 
New  Hampshire  towns  with  Vermont,  and 
following  that  the  "West  union"  of  that  part 
of  New  York  to  the  banks  of  Hudson  river, 
north  of  Massachusetts  line  to  latitude  45". 
Knowlton  was  evidenth'  satisfied  with  this, 
as  were  most  of  the  New  York  adherents  in 
^Vindham  county,  for  he  soon  appeared 
among  the  leaders  in  Vermont  politics. 

He  was  town  representative  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  state  of  Vermont  during  the 
years  1784,  1788,  1789,  1792,  1803,  and 
1806,  and  a  member  of  the  old  council  from 
1790  to  1800;  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  1 786,  and  judge  of  the  \\'indham  county 
court  from  1787  to  1793. 

In  1782  while  the  Haldimand  intrigue  was 
at  its  height  and  emissaries  were  passing 
thick  back  and  forth  through  Vermont,  a  dis- 
patch was  intercepted  which  showed  that  the 
British  commander  in  Canada  was  communi- 
cating with  British  agents  in  New  York  City 
by  means  of  letters,  exchanged  through  Mr. 
Knowlton  and  Col.  Samuel  Wells,  of  Brattle- 
boro.  The  thing  was  of  course  suspicious, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  Wells  was  thor- 
oughly Tory  in  sympathy  ;  but  it  was  neces- 
sary for  the  Vermont  policy  at  this  time  that 
Haldimand  should  frequently  consult  the 
British  commander  in  New  York  about  it, 
and  it  had  to  be  done  through  men  in  whom 
both  parties  had  confidence.  The  discovery 
was  laid  before  Congress  by  Washington  and 
the  result  was  an  order  for  the  arrest  of 
Wells  and  Knowlton.  Their  escape  to 
Canada  was  aided  by  the  Aliens.  Knowlton, 
however,  returned  within  a  year,  and  was  at 
his  house  in  Newfane,  November  16,  1783, 
when  a  lot  of  Yorkers  but  American  sympa- 
thizers broke  in  and  arrested  him,  and  forcibly 
deported  him  to  Massachusetts.  General 
Fletcher  and  Colonel  Bradley  organized  a 
rescuing  party,  but  Mr.  Knowlton  returned 
before  it  became  necessary  for  them  to  act. 
It  was  this  case  of  abduction  for  which  the 
leader  of  the  rioters,  Francis  Prouty,  was  in- 
dicted for  burglary  at  Westminister,  and 
which  resulted  in  this  curious  verdict :  "The 
jury  find  in  this  case  that  the  prisoner  did 
break  and  enter  the  house  of  Luke  Knowlton, 
Esq.,  in  the  night  season,  and  did  take  and 
carry  away  the  said  Luke  Knowlton,  and  if 
that  breaking  a  house  and  taking  and  carry- 
ing away  a  person  as  aforesaid  amounts  to 
burglary,  we  say  he  is  guilty  ;  if  not,  we  say 
he  is  not  guilty."  The  judgment  of  the 
court  on  the  verdict  was  not  guilty. 

John  A.  Graham,  in  a  series  of  rambling  let- 
ters descriptive  of  \'ermont  scenery,  written 


and  ])ublished  at  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
thus  speaks  of  judge  Knowlton  :  "Newfane 
owes  its  consequence  in  a  great  measure  to 
Mr.  Luke  Knowlton,  a  leading  character  and 
a  man  of  great  ambition  and  enterprise,  of 
few  words,  but  possessed  of  great  quickness 
and  perception  and  an  almost  intuitive 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  of  which  he  is  a 
perfect  judge."  "Saint  Luke"  was  the  ap- 
pelation  given  Mr.  Knowlton  by  his  contem- 
poraries because  of  his  grave  and  suave  man- 
ners and  his  decorous  deportment  even  to 
the  point  of  humility.  He  was  liberal  and 
generous  to  the  poor,  entered  heartily  and 
zealously  into  all  the  public  enterprises  of 
the  day,  gave  to  the  county  of  Windham  the 
land  for  a  common  on  Newfane  hill  at  the 
time  of  the  removal  of  the  shire  from  West- 
minster to  Newfane,  and  contributed  largely 
towards  the  erection  of  the  first  court  house 
and  jail  in  Newfane.  Judge  Knowlton  died  at 
Newfane  Nov.  12,  1810,  aged  seventv-three. 
His  wife,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Hol- 
land of  Shrewsbury,  whom  he  married  Jan. 
5,  1760,  had  died  Sept.  i,  1797.  Three  sons 
and  four  daughters  were  the  fruit  of  the 
union,  nearly  all  of  whom  had  distinguished 
careers  or  connections.  Calvin,  the  eldest, 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  and  was  a  promis- 
ing lawyer  at  Newfane  at  the  time  of  his 
death  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine.  Patty,  born 
in  1762,  dying  in  Ohio  in  1S14,  married 
Daniel  Warner  and  was  the  grandmother 
of  Hon.  Willard  Warner,  late  United  States 
senator  from  Alabama,  and  during  the  civil 
war  a  member  of  General  Sherman's  staff  in 
his  celebrated  "march  to  the  sea."  Silas, 
born  in  1764,  married  Lucinda  Holbrook  at 
Newfane,  Nov.  30,  1786,  and  died  in  Canada 
aged  eighty.  Sarah,  born  I\Iay  2,  1767, 
married  John  Holbrook  at  Newfane,  Nov. 
30,  1786.  She  died  March  22,  1851,  aged 
eighty-four.  Alice,  married  Nathan  Stone, 
April  24,  1788.  She  died  Nov.  14,  1865, 
aged  ninety-six.  Lucinda,  born  August  8, 
1 77  I,  married  Samuel  Willard.  They  lived 
awhile  in  Sheldon,  from  thence  they  moved 
to  Canada,  where  she  died  May  4,  1800. 

Luke  Knowlton,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Newfane, 
March  24,  1775,  died  at  Broome  township, 
Canada  East,  Sept.  17,  1855,  aged  eighty. 

Among  Judge  Knowlton's  grandsons,  be- 
sides General  \\'arner,  are  Paul  Holland 
Knowlton,  Broome  township.  Lower  Canada, 
son  of  Silas  Knowlton,  who  has  occupied 
distinguished  positions  in  the  Province,  and 
was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Canada 
Parliament ;  Rev.  John  C.  Holbrook  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  an  eloquent  divine,  highly 
esteemed  for  his  piety  and  learning  ;  Hon. 
Geo.  \y.  Knowlton  of  ^^'atertown,  N.  Y.,  and 
Frederick  Holbrook,  the  war  Governor  of 
Vermont. 


CLARK,  Nathan,  of  ISenninnton,  was 
speaker  of  the  first  General  Assembly  after 
the  organuation  of  the  state  government  in 
1778.  He  was  also  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
though  the  place  and  date  of  his  birth  are 
not  known,  and  came  to  Bennington  as  early 
as  1762  and  died  there  April  8,  1799,  at  the 
age  of  about  seventy-four.  He  was  frequently 
chairman  of  the  several  committees  and  con- 
ventions of  the  settlers.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  Bennington  committee  of  safety  in  1776, 
and  received  the  thanks  of  General  Gates  for 
his  promptness  in  supplying  Ticonderoga 
with  fiour.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
state  council  of  safety.  He  represented  Ben- 
nington in  1 778.  In  manners  he  is  described 
as  mild  and  gentlemanly,  and  he  was  e\i- 
dently  very  facile  as  a  manager  of  men  and 
measures.  His  son,  Col.  Isaac  Clark,  known 
as  "Old  Rifle,"  was  distinguished  as  a  parti- 
san leader  in  the  war  of  181 2. 

BOWKER,  JOSEPH.— An  early  settler  in 
Rutland,  president  of  every  general  conven- 
tion, except  two,  in  the  state's  embryonic 
period,  and  the  first  speaker  of  the  General 
Assembly  ;  "  in  a  modified  sense,  the  John 
Hancock  of  Vermont,"  as  Henry  Hall  calls 
him,  was  born  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  or  vicinity. 
The  tradition  as  dug  up  by  Mr.  Hall  is  that 
he  was  early  left  an  orphan,  brought  up  in 
the  family  of  a  Mr.  Taintor,  privately  be- 
throthed  to  his  daughter,  Sarah,  drafted  into 
the  army  during  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
in  the  garrison  at  Ticonderoga  one  or  two 
years,  and  then  returned  with  so  good  a  rep- 
utation that  he  soon  became  the  son-in  law 
of  his  quasi  guardian.  He  appeared  in  Rut- 
land about  1773,  and  participated  in  the 
opposition  to  the  New  York  grant  of  Social- 
borough  which  covered  that  township. 

Yet,  although  he  was  the  recognized  leader 
of  the  opponents  and  much  trusted  in  the 
town  and  state  throughout  the  struggle,  he 
was  not  named  in  any  act  of  outlawry.  He 
soon  became  a  very  general  office-holder, 
member  of  the  committee  of  safety,  town 
treasurer,  selectman,  representative,  magis- 
trate, conveyancer,  and  adviser  of  citizens. 
He  was  one  of  the  four  men  that  built  the 
first  saw-mill  in  town,  and  all  his  life  "farmed 
it,"  though  apparently  rather  shiftlessly.  At 
the  first  election  under  the  constitution  he 
was  elected  representative  for  Rutland,  and 
at  the  same  time  received  the  highest  vote 
cast  for  any  man  as  councilor.  Before  the 
votes  for  councilor  had  been  canvassed,  he 
was  elected  speaker  of  the  House,  which 
office  and  that  of  representative  he  of  course 
relinquished  on  taking  his  seat  in  the  coun- 
cil. To  that  body  he  was  elected  seven 
times,  and  until  his  death.  He  was  the  first 
judge  of  Rutland  county  court,  which  office 
he  held  till  December,  1783  ;    also  the  first 


judge  of  probate,  and  held  that  office  until 
his  death  in  1  784. 

He  was  a  superior  jiresiding  officer,  famil- 
iar with  parliamentary  usages,  impartial, 
courteous  and  quick  of  apprehension,  and 
must  have  been  a  man  of  marked  native 
ability  though  of  limited  education. 

.\  neighbor  speaking  in  after  years,  says  of 
him  :  "that  Joseph  Bowker  was  greatly  looked 
up  to  for  counsel,  much  esteemed  for  his 
great  and  excellent  qualities,  for  many  years 
the  most  considerable  man  in  town,  and 
during  the  negotiations  with  Canada  he  was 
always  resorted  to  solely  for  counsel  and 
advice."  He  seems  to  have  combined  with 
his  qualities  of  leadership,  moderation, 
and  generosity,  so  that  he  encountered  less 
antagonism  than  most  of  his  associates  in 
the  work  of  state  building. 

He  died  July  11,  1784,  just  as  the  little 
republic  he  had  helped  to  launch  was  well 
upon  her  remarkable  career,  and  was  buried 
somewhere  in  the  public  acre  of  the  ceme- 
tery at  Rutland  Center,  but  the  exact  spot 
nobody  knows.  The  date  of  his  marriage 
is  also  unknown.  He  left  only  two  children, 
daughters,  who  early  left  the  state  and  set- 
tled somewhere  in  the  West.  Few  indeed 
are  the  men  who  do  so  useful  a  work  as  that 
of  Joseph  Bowker  and  yet  of  whom  the  rec- 
ord is  so  meagre  and  unsatisfactory. 

BAYLEY,  Gen.  Jacob.— Washington's 
most  trusted  officer  in  Vermont,  who  had 
charge  of  the  protection  of  the  frontier  for 
several  years,  and  who  was  at  different  times 
an  advocate  of  the  claims  of  New  York,  of 
the  new  state,  and  of  New  Hampshire  to  the 
territory  of  Vermont,  was  born  at  Newbury, 
Mass.,  July  2,  1728.  He  was  a  captain  in 
the  French  war  in  i  736,  present  at  the  Fort 
William  Henry  massacre  in  1757,  from  which 
he  escaped,  and  was  a  colonel  under  .Am- 
herst in  the  taking  of  Crown  Point  and 
Ticonderoga  in  1759.  He  came  to  New- 
bury, Vt.,  in  October,  1764,  was  in  1775 
elected  to  the  New  York  Provincial  Con- 
gress, though  he  did  not  take  his  seat,  and 
was  one  of  the  most  influential  men  of  that 
part  of  the  state.  He  was  commissioner  to 
administer  oaths  of  office,  judge  of  inferior 
court  of  common  pleas,  and  justice  of  the 
peace;  August  i,  1776,  he  was  appointed 
brigadier-general  of  the  militia  of  Cumber- 
land and  Gloucester  counties,  and  in  1776 
he  began  work  on  the  celebrated  Hazen 
road,  afterward  completed  by  General 
Hazen,  which  was  designed  as  a  military  road 
from  the  Connecticut  river  to  St.  Johns, 
Canada. 

He  was,  in  the  early  years  of  the  struggle 
between  the  settlers  and  New  York,  one  of 
the  most  trusted  representatives  of  the 
authoritv  of  the  latter,  but  suddenlv  changed 


his  position  in  1777,  writing  to  the  New 
York  council  under  dale  of  June  14,  acknowl- 
edging the  receipt  of  ordinance  for  the 
election  of  Governor,  Senators  and  Repre- 
sentatives and  saying  ;  "I  am  apt  to  think  our 
people  will  not  choose  any  member  to  sit  in 
the  state  of  New  York.  The  people  before 
they  saw  the  constitution  were  not  willing  to 
trouble  themselves  about  a  separation  from 
the  state  of  New  York,  but  now  almost  to  a 
man  they  are  violent  for  it."'  He  had 
earlier  been  chosen  by  the  convention  one 
of  the  delegates  to  present  Vermont's  re- 
monstrance and  petition  to  the  Continental 
Congress,  and  he  was  one  of  the  two  repre- 
sentatives from  Newbury  in  the  Windsor 
convention  of  July  17,  1777,  that  framed  the 
constitution.  Less  than  a  year  and  a  half 
afterwards,  he  was  a  leader  in  the  scheme  of 
the  Connecticut  River  towns  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  to  join  together  and  form  a  new 
state,  and  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
that  issued,  Dec.  i,  1778,  a  long  "  public 
defense  "  of  their  right  to  do  so.  In  less 
than  two  years  from  that  time  he  was  an 
emphatic  and  headlong  advocate  of  New 
Hampshire's  jurisdiction  over  the  whole  of 
Vermont,  and  Nov.  22,  1780,  wrote  to  Presi- 
dent Weare  of  New  Hampshire  :  "  For  my 
part  I  am  determined  to  fight  for  New 
Hampshire  and  the  United  States  as  long  as 
I  am  alive  and  have  one  copper  in  my 
hand." 

But,  notwithstanding  his  erratic  state  poli- 
tics, he  was  unflinchingly  faithful  to  the  con- 
tinental cause,  and  his  later  state  flops  were 
largely  due  to  his  suspicions  of  the  Aliens. 
He  warned  Washington  repeatedly  that  there 
was  treason  afoot.  "We  have  half  a  dozen 
rascals  here,"  he  said,  and  in  1781  he  fully 
believed  that  ^'ermont  had  been  sold  out  to 
Canada.  British  emissaries  in  the  state  wrote 
to  Haldimand  in  that  year,  that  he  had  been 
employed  by  Congress  at  great  expense  to 
"counteract  underhand  whatever  is  doing 
for  government."  He  was  in  1780  intensely 
anxious  to  lead  an  invasion  into  Canada — 
"the  harbor  for  spoils,  thieves,  and  robbers," 
as  he  wrote  President  ^Veare.  He  thought 
then  that  the  patriot  cause  was  "sinking  so 
fast"  as  to  make  the  attempt  a  vital  necessity 
whatever  the  risk.  He  did  important  service 
throughout  the  war  in  guarding  the  ex- 
tensive frontier  of  two  hundred  miles,  keep- 
ing friendship  with  the  Indians,  and  keeping 
them  employed  for  the  American  cause  so 
far  as  he  could.  He  was  in  this  way  con- 
stantly in  confidential  communication  with 
^^'ashington  to  the  end  of  the  war.  He  was 
repeatedly  waylaid  while  in  the  performance 
of  his  arduous  duties,  his  house  rifled  and 
his  papers  stolen  by  the  bands  of  both  scouts 
and  lawless  men  that  roamed  the  forests  be- 


tween the  hostile  countries.  He  was  a  com- 
missary-general during  a  part  of  the  war. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  famous  Council 
of  Safety  in  1777,  and  the  next  spring  was 
elected  to  the  Covernor's  Council.  He  was 
at  Castleton  in  military  service  in  1777,  but 
appears  to  have  been  acting  under  his  New 
York  commission.  For  the  next  few  years 
the  Vermonters  had  no  use  for  him,  but  in 
1793  he  was  again  elected  councilor  by  a 
close  margin  over  John  \Miite.  He  repeat- 
edly represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature, 
and  was  a  judge  of  Orange  county  court 
after  that  county  was  organized. 

He  died  at  Newbury,  March  i,  1S16.  He 
was  married,  Oct.  16,  1745,  to  Prudence 
Noyes.  They  had  ten  children,  and  their 
descendants  have  been  numerous  and  re- 
spectable. 

MARSH,  JOSEPH,  the  first  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  the 
state,   and    an- 
cestor of  sever- 
al of  the  ablest 
men  that  have 
graced    Ver- 
mont    history, 
was  born  at  Le- 
banon,   Conn., 
Jan.   12,    1726, 
the  son  of  Jos- 
eph Marsh  and 
descended  from 
John  Marsh,  an 
early     Puritan, 
and  from  Dep- 
uty    Governor 
He    is,   however,    said    to 
a    single    month's    school- 
ing himself.     He  came  to  Hartford  in  1772 
and    soon   became    active    and    influential 
in   public   affairs.     He  took  the  New  York 
side  in    the    early  part  of  the  controversy 
over  the  grants,  as  did  a  vast  majority  of  the 
people  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains   in 
the  beginning,  because  they  had  their  grants 
from    New  York,  or  where   they  were   from 
New  Hampshire,  New  York  had  taken  pains 
to  secure  their  friendship  against  the  "Pen- 
nington mob"  by  confirming  them. 

In  August,  1775,  he  was  by  New  Vork 
authority  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
upper  regiment  of  Cumberland  county,  and  in 
the  January  following  he  was  promoted  to  a 
full  colonelcy.  He  was  also  in  1776  ap- 
pointed by  the  Cumberland  county  commit- 
tee of  safety  a  delegate  to  the  New  York 
Provincial  Congress  for  the  sessions  begin- 
ning in  February,  May,  and  July  ;  but  he 
appears  to  have  been  present  only  at  the 
May  and  a  part  of  the  July  session,  and 
within  a  year  of  that  time  he  was  among  the 
leaders  of  the  "new  state"  men,  participat- 


John    Webster, 
have     had    but 


CARPENTER. 


63 


ing  in  the  conventions  of  June,  lulv,  and 
December  of  that  year,  and  being  their  vice- 
president.  The  July  convention  made  him 
chairman  of  the  committee  to  procure  arms 
for  the  state.  As  military  commander  he 
did  some  efficient  service  that  year,  (jeneral 
Schuyler  ordered  him,  in  February,  to  enlist 
every  fifth  man  in  his  regiment  to  reinforce 
the  Continental  army  at  Ticonderoga,  and  he 
executed  the  order  with  remarkable  prompt- 
itude. The  Vermont  council  of  safety,  in 
August,  ordered  him  to  march  half  of  the 
regiment  to  liennington,  and  he  did  so,  but 
apparently  not  in  season  to  participate  in 
that  battle,  though  the  regiment  was  after- 
ward in  service  under  his  command  on  the 
Hudson. 

When  the  new  state  government  was  or- 
ganized in  March,  1778,  he  was,  by  a  narrow 
margin,  elected  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  was 
re-elected  for  another  term  and  then  was 
succeeded  by  Benjamin  Carpenter.  In  17S7, 
however,  he  was  again  elected  and  successive- 
ly reelected  until  1 790.  He  was  almost  simul- 
taneously with  his  first  election  as  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  made  chairman  of  the  court  of 
confiscation  for  Eastern  Vermont  and  was 
also  during  the  "East  union"  chairman  of 
the  committee  of  safety  for  a  section  of  Ver- 
mont, including  also  the  annexed  territory 
from  New  Hampshire  and  had  his  head- 
quarters at  Dresden.  He  represented  Hart- 
ford in  the  (General  Assemblies  of  1781  and 
'82,  was  one  of  the  first  council  of  censors 
and  was  from  1787  to  1795  chief  judge  of 
the  Windsor  county  court.  He  died  Feb.  9, 
1811. 

Colonel  Marsh  married,  Jan.  10,  1750, 
Dorothy,  a  descendant  of  Gen.  John  Mason, 
the  famous  commander  of  the  English 
forces  in  the  Pequot  Indian  war,  and  an 
aunt  of  the  distinguished  jurist  Jeremiah 
Mason  of  Boston.  Among  their  descend- 
ants have  been  Professor  and  President 
James  Marsh  of  the  University  of  Vermont, 
Dr.  Leonard  Marsh  of  Burlington,  Charles 
Marsh,  congressman  and  famous  lawyer,  and 
greatest  of  all,  George  P.  Marsh,  congress- 
man, minister  to  Turkey  and  Italy,  Scandi- 
na\ian  scholar  and  a  profoundly  able  author 
in  many  lines. 

Governor  Marsh  is  described  by  his  grand- 
son, Hon.  Roswell  Marsh  of  Steubenville, 
Ohio,  who  was  brought  up  in  the  former's 
family,  thus  :  "  He  excelled  in  acquiring 
knowledge  from  conversations,  and  his  own 
was  exceedingly  interesting.  His  knowl- 
edge, however  acquired,  was  utilized  by  a 
close  logical  mind.  His  temper  was  equable, 
and  children  loved  him.  In  politics  nothing 
save  remarks  disrespectful  to  President 
Washington,  ever  disturbed  him,  for  he  was 
of  the  pure  \\'ashingtonian  school,  and 
trained    his    children    in    it.     He   was    an 


earnest  Christian,  but  free  from  bigotry.  In 
person  he  was  of  large  stature  and  well  pro- 
jjortioned — broad  shouldered,  large  boned, 
lean  and  of  great  muscular  power ;  in 
weight  over  two  hun,dred." 

CARPHNTHR,  BENJAMIN.— Colonel  in 
the  Revolutionary  service,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, I  779-'8i,  among  the  foremost  of  the 
early  patriots  of  the  state,  and  a  character 
whose  steady  strength  of  principle  makes 
one  of  the  most  interesting  figures  of  Thomp- 
son's romance,  was  born  in  Swanzey,  Mass., 
May  I  7,  1725,  the  son  of  Edward  and  Eliza- 
beth (Wilson)  Carpenter.  He  had  only  a 
common  school  education,  yet  he  was  evi- 
dently a  man  of  prominence  before  he  came 
to  \'ermont,  for  the  famous  inscription  on 
his  tombstone  at  Guilford  states  that  he  was 
a  magistrate  in  Rhode  Island  in  1764.  He 
appeared  on  the  Grants  and  settled  in  Guil- 
ford in  1770,  and  he  was  the  first  delegate 
from  Guilford  to  a  \'ermont  convention  and 
one  of  the  very  few  on  the  east  side  of  the 
state  that  had  any  part  in  the  early  struggles 
against  New  York.  He  was  in  the  ^Vest- 
minister  convention  of  April  11,  1775,  which 
condemned  the  New  York  government  for 
the  Westminster  massacre,  in  the  Dorset  and 
Westminster  conventions  of  1776,  and  in 
the  Windsor  convention  that  framed  the  con- 
stitution of  the  state.  An  incident  in  this 
connection,  given  on  the  authority  of  the 
late  Rev.  Mark  Carpenter,  shows  a  creditable 
freedom  on  his  part  from  the  greed  for  land 
speculation  which  was  so  mixed  up  with  the 
\'ermont  patriotism  of  those  days.  'I'he  Leg- 
islature, which  consisted  largely  of  the  men 
who  had  framed  the  constitution,  voted  to 
themselves  several  townships  of  land  as 
"  compensation  for  their  long  and  self-sacri- 
ficing services."  Colonel  Carpenter  voted 
against  the  measure,  denounced  it  as  detract- 
ing from  the  dignity  of  the  work,  and  to  his 
dying  day  persisted  in  never  touching  what 
the  town  \oted  to  him,  (Barre),  or  in  taking 
any  compensation  for  his  public  services. 

In  the  heated  politics  of  Guilford,  going 
far  beyond  what  was  ever  known  elsewhere 
in  the  state,  the  New  York  adherents  got 
atop  in  1778  and  ruled  the  town  for  the 
next  thirteen  years  ;  but  Colonel  Carpenter 
fought  them  uncompromisingly  and  at  much 
risk  and  sacrifice,  as  it  is  recorded  that  in 
December,  1783,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  \'orkers  and  carried  away  "  to  his  great 
damage." 

He  was  a  leader  among  the  patriots  as 
soon  as  the  Revolution  broke  out,  being 
chairman  of  the  Cumberland  county  com- 
mittee of  safety  Feb.  i,  1776,  and  by  that 
body  was  nominated  lieutenant-colonel  of 
militia  and  the  appointment  confirmed  by 
New  York  authoritv.     He  was  a  member  of 


64 


HASWELL. 


the  Council  of  Safety  which  managed  the 
1777  campaign  so  efificiently,  building  out 
of  disaster  and  disorganization  the  victory 
at  Bennington  and  the  eventual  capture  of 
Burgoyne.  With  pack  and  cane  he  went 
afoot  from  his  Guilford  home,  thirty  miles 
through  the  woods  by  his  line  of  marked 
trees,  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Council 
that  took  the  decisive  measures  of  confiscat- 
ing Tory  estates  to  raise  money,  and  stimu- 
lating enlistments  by  the  promise  of  a 
township  of  land  for  each  company.  So 
important  were  his  services  recognized  to 
be,  that  at  the  second  election  of  the  new 
state  in  1779,  he  was  chosen  Lieutenant- 
Governor  and  re-elected  in  1780.  In  the 
later  politics  of  the  state  he  was  a  staunch 
Jeftersonian  ;  in  the  words  on  the  tombstone  : 
"  A  public  leader  of  righteousness,  an  able 
advocate  to  his  last  for  Democracy  and  the 
equal  rights  of  man."  His  last  office  was 
that  in  the  Council  of  Censors  in  17S3. 

He  was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church,  of 
which  he  was  for  fifty  years  a  member,  influ- 
ential throughout  the  denomination  in  New 
England,  and  occasionally  preaching  himself. 

He  died  March  29,  1804,  at  the  age  of 
nearly  seventy-nine,  and  leaving  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-six  persons  of  lineal  posterity. 
His  wife  was  a  fourth  cousin,  Annie,  daugh- 
ter of  Abial  and  Prudence  Carpenter,  whom 
he   married   at    Providence,    R.    I.,  Oct.  3, 

1745- 

Colonel  Carpenter  was  a  man  of  impres- 
sive presence,  being  over  six  feet  tall  and 
weighing  two  hundred.  Thompson's  His- 
tory of  Vermont  truly  says  that  he  "  deserv- 
edly holds  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  early 
history  of  the  state." 

HASWELL,  ANTHONY.— Editor,  pub- 
lisher, and  author,  the  postmaster-general  of 
the  state  when  it  was  an  independent  re- 
public, and  in  after  years  one  of  the  victims 
of  the  alien  and  sedition  laws,  was  born  at 
Portsmouth,  Eng.,  April  6,  1756,  came  to 
Boston  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old, 
learned  the  printer's  trade  with  Isaiah 
Thomas,  afterwards  drifted  to  Vermont  and 
started  the  Vermont  Gazette  at  Bennington, 
June  5,  1783.  He  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  public  printers  of  the  state,  the  work 
being  divided  between  his  and  the  press 
established  at  Windsor  about  the  same  time. 
The  Legislature  in  1784  passed  an  act 
establishing  postoffices  at  Bennington,  Brat- 
tleboro,  Rutland,  Windsor,  and  Newbury, 
and  made  him  postmaster-general,  and  this 
position  he  held  with  extensive  powers  and 
increasing  business  until  the  state  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  LTnion'  in  1791.  In  national 
politics  he  then  became  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican, and  when  Mathew  Lyon  was  prose- 
cuted under  the  sedition  law,  he  criticised  the 


proceeding  severely  in  his  paper,  and  also 
published  another  article  severely  condemn- 
ing President  Adams'  appointment  to  office. 

The  articles,  though  they  showed  consid- 
erable warmth  of  feeling,  were  not  anywhere 
near  as  bad  as  have  been  published  thou- 
sands of  times  since  in  political  controversy 
without  exciting  more  than  passing  attention, 
and  they  did  not  begin  to  compare  for  bit- 
terness and  personal  invective  with  the  utter- 
ances which  the  Federalists  were  constantly 
pouring  forth  from  both  press  and  pulpit 
against  Jefferson  and  the  Democratic  lead- 
ers. Nevertheless,  he  was  indicted  before 
the  United  States  Circuit  court,  at  Windsor, 
and  sentenced  by  Judge  Patterson  to  S200 
fine  and  two  months'  imprisonment.  He 
was  allowed  to  serve  out  the  imprisonment  in 
the  jail  at  Bennington,  but  the  fine  he  had  to 
pay,  and  it  was  refunded  to  his  descendants 
over  fifty  years  afterward.  The  prosecution 
made  him  a  good  deal  of  a  popular  hero,  as 
it  did  Lyon,  and  the  celebration  of  the 
Fourth  of  July  in  1800  was  postponed  at 
Bennington  till  July  9,  when  his  term  ex- 
pired, and  he  was  liberated  amidst  the  roar 
of  cannon  and  a  great  demonstration  of  the 
people. 

The  publication  of  the  old  Bennington 
Gazette  which  Mr.  Haswell  established  was 
continued  with  occasional  interruption  both 
before  and  after  his  death,  until  1849,  when 
it  expired  in  the  hands  of  his  son,  John  C. 
Haswell.  The  elder  Haswell  also  started  a 
paper  in  Rutland,  in  1792,  called  the  "  Her- 
ald of  Freedom,"  the  progenitor  of  the  pres- 
ent Rutland  Herald,  but  his  office  was  burned 
after  he  had  issued  the  fourteenth  number, 
and  it  was  to  recoup  this  misfortune  that  the 
Legislature  authorized  him  to  raise  $200  by 
lottery.  Mr.  Haswell  ventured  twice  into  the 
magazine  field,  starting  in  March,  1794,  "The 
Monthly  Miscellany,  or  Vermont  Magazine," 
and  on  Jan.  8,  180S,  another  monthly  called 
the  "Mental  Repast."  Both  had  a  short  life, 
though  the  latter  carried  considerable  original 
and  interesting  matter.  He  published  a 
good  many  books  and  pamphlets  from  his 
office,  among  them  the  "  Memoirs  of  Capt. 
Matthew  Phelps  "  of  which  he  was  the  author, 
and  he  wrote  or  rather  composed  much  on 
moral,  religious  and  political  subjects,  in 
both  prose  and  verse,  for  most  of  his  thoughts 
took  shape  as  he  put  them  into  type  at  his 
case. 

He  was  a  man  of  decided  ability,  warm 
and  impulsive  temperament  and  thorough 
conscientiousness.  He  was  twice  married, 
and  dying.  May  26,  18 16,  left  numerous  de- 
scendants. 

PAYNE,  ELISHA. — Lieutenant-Governor 
in  1 781,  simultaneously  chief  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  in  1782  one  of  the  dele- 


CHANDLER. 


gates  to  Congress,  appears  only  brielly  in 
\'ermont  history,  during  tiie  continuance  of 
the  "  Kast  union  "  of  New  Hampshire  towns 
with  Vermont.  He  was  born  at  Canterbury, 
Conn.,  in  1731,  became  quite  prominent  in 
New  Hampshire  in  colonial  days,  doing 
good  service  in  the  French  war,  rising  to  be 
colonel  and  deputy  surveyor-general  of  the 
King's  woods,  to  preserve  the  pine  trees  re- 
served in  all  grants  for  the  royal  navy.  In 
the  short-lived  union  of  the  sixteen  New 
Hampshire  towns  with  X'ermont  in  1778, 
Colonel  Payne  appeared  as  representative  of 
Cardigan,  N.  H.,  and  was  elected  councilor, 
though  he  refused  the  position  because  he 
thought  he  could  be  more  useful  in  the  House 
in  resisting  the  effort  he  knew  would  be 
pressed  to  dissohe  the  union.  He  was  a 
leader  in  the  Charleston  convention  of  i7iSi 
which,  with  the  aid  of  Ira  Allen's  manipula- 
tion, resolved  to  ask  annexation  to  \'ermont 
of  all  of  New  Hampshire  west  of  a  line 
seventy  miles  from  the  sea-coast,  instead  of 
attempting  to  form  still  another  new  state  of 
this  part  of  New  Hampshire  and  the  eastern 
half  of  \'ermont,  as  had  been  originally 
planned. 

He  urged  the  union  energetically  and 
eloquently  before  the  Vermont  Legislature 
until  it  was  consummated  in  the  .April  fol- 
lowing, when  he  enjoyed  a  liberal  share  of 
the  honors  of  the  new  state  as  above  stated. 
His  election  as  Lieutenant-Governor  was  by 
the  Legislature,  as  there  had  been  no  choice 
by  the  people.  In  the  winter  following, 
when  New  Hampshire  started  to  regain  the 
seceded  territory  by  force,  Mr.  Payne's  ad- 
dress and  firm  stand  undoubtedly  went  far 
to  avert  bloodshed.  When  Governor  Chit- 
tenden ordered  him  to  call  out  the  militia 
"  to  repel  force  by  force,"  he  at  once  wrote 
President  Weare  of  New  Hampshire  stating 
his  instructions,  but  in  a  tone  so  conciliatory 
and  yet  firm  that  peace  was  restored.  When 
this  last  "  union "  was  dissolved,  Gov- 
ernor Payne  adhered  to  New  Hampshire, 
though  he  had  now  such  a  hold  on  the 
respect  and  affections  of  the  people  of  Ver- 
mont that  he  could  have  commanded  high 
honors  from  them  which  were  impossible 
from  the  former  state.  He  died  at  Lebanon, 
July  20,  1807,  aged  seventy-six.  One  of  his 
descendants  was  Col.  E.  P.  Jewett,  of  Mont- 
pelier. 

CHANDLER,  ThO.MAS.— Among  the 
earliest  and  most  influential  settlers  on  the 
east  side  of  the  mountain,  but  dying  finally 
in  poverty  and  disgrace,  was  a  native  of 
Woodstock,  Conn.  He  was  born  July  22, 
1709,  and  came  to  Vermont  in  1763,  being 
one  of  the  proprietors  under  New  Hampshire 
of  the  present  town  of  Chester,  luider  the 
name  of  New  Flamstead.     He  procured  its 


rechartering  with  the  name  of  Chester  by 
New  Vork,  after  jurisdiction  had  been  given 
that  colony  by  the  Crown,  and  in  the  course 
of  1766  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace, 
surrogate  of  the  county,  colonel  of  militia, 
and  judge  of  the  inferior  court  of  common 
pleas  under  New  Vork  authority,  and  held 
all  these  appointments  when  the  (-ounty  was 
reorganized  by  direct  act  of  the  Crown. 

His  conduct  at  the  attempted  session  of 
the  court  that  led  to  the  Westminster  massa- 
cre is  difficult  to  understand.  'I'he  picture 
which  D.  P.  Thompson  paints  in  such  dark 
colors  of  the  sycophancy,  the  cowardice  and 
tergivisation  of  his  conduct  corresponds  to 
the  idea  that  was  generally  held  at  the  time 
and  covered  his  reputation  with  an  obloquy 
from  which  it  never  recovered.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  he  wavered  in  his  ideas  of  duty. 
He  had  presided  at  meetings  of  settlers  that 
resolved  to  resist  the  British  encroachments. 
He  had  publicly  said  a  few  days  before  that  he 
thought  it  would  not  be  best  to  hold  the  court, 
"as  things  then  were,"  but  yielded  to  the  more 
resolute  loyalty  of  Judge  Sabin  and  perhaps 
to  the  pressure  of  the  land  grabbers  by  whom 
he  was  surrounded,  and  convened  the  court, 
though  he  evidently  exerted  himself  to  a\ert 
the  violence  that  followed,  and  conducted 
himself  with  prudence  and  dignity  through 
the  difficulty.  He  was  im])risoned  for  tw'o  or 
three  days  by  the  popular  party  and  though 
released  on  bonds  was  never  brought  to  trial. 
He  appears  to  have  been  zealously  on  the 
patriot  side  in  the  next  few  years,  though  so 
distrusted  that  he  had  no  public  position. 

He  was  deeply  embarrassed  financially  in 
his  later  years,  the  result,  as  Thompson 
charges,  "of  a  long  course  of  secret  fraud  in 
selling  wild  land  to  which  he  had  no  title," 
and  in  1784  petitioned  the  Legislature  for 
an  act  of  insolvency  in  his  favor.  It  was 
finally  granted,  June  16,  1785,  but  on  June 
20  of  the  same  year  he  died  in  jail  at  West- 
minster, where  he  had  laid  for  several 
months,  and  was  buried  privately  and  with- 
out funeral,  owing  to  the  superstition  that 
then  prevailed  about  the  inhumation  of  the 
body  of  an  imprisoned  debtor. 

Similarly  wretched  was  the  fate  of  his 
two  sons,  who  came  with  him  to  Chester 
after  a  residence  of  a  year  or  two  at  Walpole, 
N.  H.  John,  the  eldest,  was  assistant  judge 
for  six  years,  1766  to  1772,  and  county  clerk 
for  nearlv  the  same  period  :  but  he  was  re- 
moved for  misconduct,  and  the  rest  of  his 
career  is  buried  in  obscurity,  except  once  in 
I  781,  when  a  case  appears  before  the  Legis- 
lamre  to  recover  a  tract  of  9,000  acres  of 
land  in  Tomlinson  (Grafton)  which  he  had 
unlawfully  deeded  as  attorney  for  a  Tory, 
after  the  latter  had  joined  the  enemy,  and 
showing  that  he  had  his  father's  business 
habits. 


66 


HAZELTINE. 


Thomas  Chandler,  Jr.,  the  second  son, 
first  secretary  of  state  for  a  few  months, 
then  for  nearly  three  years  speaker  of  the 
General  Assembly,  was  born  Sept.  23,  1740, 
and  died  towards  the  close  of  the  century  in 
poverty  and  embarrassment,  like  that  of  his 
father.  He  was  also  for  nine  years,  17  76-' 75, 
an  assistant  judge  of  the  inferior  court  of 
common  pleas,  a  court  which  New  York 
seems  to  have  made  a  family  snap  for  the 
Chandlers.  But  he  was  soon  after  active 
among  the  Vermont  men,  was  a  delegate  in 
the  Westminster  convention  of  October, 
1776,  and  January,  1777,  was  elected  to  the 
first  General  Assembly  in  March,  1778,  and 
chosen  its  clerk,  but  abandoned  the  post  to 
take  the  secretaryship  of  state,  was  re-elected 
in  1778  and  1781,  was  a  member  of  the 
council  in  1779  and  1780,  a  commissioner 
of  sequestration  on  the  estates  of  Tories, 
and  was  judge  of  the  first  Supreme  Court, 
elected  in  October,  1778.  He  resigned  the 
speakership  of  the  Assembly  in  the  middle  of 
the  session  of  1 780,  because  of  charges 
brought  by  Azariah  '\\'right  of  Westminster, 
alleging  that  he  had  acted  as  an  attorney 
for  a  negro  while  speaker,  and  that  he  also 
invited  the  massacre  at  Westminster  in  1775 
by  misleading  the  sons  of  liberty  by  writing 
to  them  that  he  knew  his  father's  mind  in 
their  favor.  Chandler  brought  a  libel  suit 
against  Wright  because  of  these  charges, 
and  finally  recovered  some  $50  and  costs, 
but  they  nevertheless  brought  him  into 
"great  discredit"  and  he  sank  into  a  rapid 
decline  politically.  He  was  once  elected  a 
judge  of  the  Windsor  county  court  in  1786, 
and  in  1787  again  represented  Chester  in 
the  Assembly,  but  the  prejudice  against  him 
was  too  great  to  permit  his  successful  ad- 
vancement. He  was,  however,  an  undoubted 
patriot  during  the  war,  and  exerted  himself 
much  for  the  patriot  cause  in  Chester  town 
meetings.  The  records  of  the  Governor 
and  council  in  October,  1792,  show  that 
like  his  father  he  was  a  petitioner  for  an  act 
of  insolvency  in  his  favor,  having  been  re- 
duced to  poverty  "by  a  long  series  of  sick- 
ness in  his  family." 

SAFFORD,  Gen.  Samuel,  — Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  judge  and  councilor,  was  born 
at  Norwich,  Conn.,  April  14,  1737,  and  came 
to  Bennington  among  its  earliest  settlers.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  land  controversy 
with  New  York,  represented  Bennington  in 
several  of  the  conventions  of  settlers,  and 
was  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  new  state  idea. 
When  the  regiment  of  Green  Mountain  Boys 
was  organized  under  the  recommendation  of 
Congress  to  support  the  Revolutionary  cause, 
he  was  chosen  major  and  second  officer  to 
Warner,  who  was  lieutenant  colonel,  and 
he    served   under   ^^'arner   in  Canada,  and 


when  Warner's  continental  regiment  was 
raised  Safford  was  appointed  lieutenant  col- 
onel, and  as  such  fought  at  Hubbardton  and 
Bennington  and  throughout  the  war.  The 
Legislature  in  1781  elected  him  general  of 
militia.  He  represented  Bennington  in 
1 781  and  '82  and  the  next  year  was  elected 
state  councilor  and  regularly  re-elected  for 
nineteen  years.  In  1781  he  was  elected 
chief  judge  of  Bennington  county  court  and 
held  the  office  for  twenty-six  successive 
years.  Governor  Hall  well  describes  him  as 
"an  upright,  intelligent  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment and  universally  respected."  "He  was 
one  of  the  few  who  were  cognizant  of  the 
Haldimand  negotiations,  but  his  patriotism 
was  never  questioned,"  says  Walton.  He 
died  March  3,  1813,  and  tliere  are  some  of 
his  descendants  still  at  EJennington. 

HAZELTINE,  JOHN,  of  Townshend,  was 
one  of  the  early  and  most  trusted  patriots  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountain.  He  came  to 
Townshend  from  Upton,  Mass.,  soon  after 
the  first  settlement  in  1761.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  convention  at  Westminster,  Oct. 
19,  1774,  which  resolved  to  "assist  the  peo- 
ple of  Boston  in  defense  of  their  liberties  to 
the  utmost  of  our  abilities,"  and  also  chair- 
man of  the  convention  of  Feb.  7,  following, 
which  formed  a  standing  committee  of  cor- 
respondence with  the  friends  of  independence 
in  other  colonies,  and  he  was  made,  by  order 
of  the  convention,  custodian  of  all  its  papers. 
He  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  convention  after  the  Westminster  massa- 
cre to  draw  up  resolutions  of  indignation 
and  resistance  to  the  authority  of  New  York. 
He  procured  the  signature  of  every  man  in 
Townshend  to  a  pledge  to  maintain  and  dis- 
seminate the  principles  of  American  liberty. 
In  May,  1775,  he  was  appointed  with  Dr. 
Spooner  and  Major  Williams  a  delegate  from 
Cumberland  county  to  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress and  Convention  of  New  York  and 
attended,  but  remained  only  three  days.  He 
was  the  person  to  whom  bonds  with  security 
were  given  by  sundry  of  the  persons  who 
were  arrested  for  participation  in  the  West- 
minster massacre.  This  is  only  one  of  the 
evidences  of  the  confidence  in  which  the 
whigs  held  him.  Another  is  the  epithet 
"King  Hazeltine"  which  John  Grout,  the 
pestilent  Tory,  bestowed  on  him.  He  died 
in  the  early  part  of  1777,  owning  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  land  of  Townshend.  He  was 
quite  a  land  speculator,  and  his  enemies  used 
to  tell  amusing  tales  of  the  sharp  methods  by 
which  he  got  his  titles. 

FLETCHER,  GEN.  SAMUEL.— Judge, 
councilor  and  Revolutionary  soldier,  was 
born  at  Grafton,  Mass.,  in  1745,  served  a 
year  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  married 


TOWNSHEND. 


JONES. 


67 


a  daughter  of  Col.  John  Hazeltine,  and  gave 
up  the  blacksmith  trade  to  which  he  had 
been  trained,  and  moved  to  Townshend. 
He  was  one  of  the  few  men  on  the  east  side 
of  the  mountain  active  in  the  formation  of 
the  new  state  and  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
ventions  of    October,    1776,    and   January, 

1777.  He  was  at  the  Bunker  Hill  fight  as 
orderly  sergeant,  then  was  made  captain  of 
militia,  was  at  the  siege  of  Ticonderoga  and 
the  Bennington  fight  in  1777  and  on  the 
way  to  the  former  at  the  head  of  a  party  of 
thirteen,  he  attacked  a  British  detachment 
of  forty,  killed  one  and  took  seven  prisoners 
without  the  loss  of  a  man  himself.  He  was 
promoted  to  be  major  and  continued  in  the 
service  until  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 
He  was  afterwards  a  brigadier  and  major 
general  in  the  Vermont  Militia,  represented 
Townshend  at  the  first  session  under  the 
new  government  in  1778  and  also  in  1779. 
He  was  councilor  from  1779  to  1790  and  in 
1808,  sheriff  of  Windham  county  from  i  78S 
to    1S06,  and  judge  of  the  county  court  in 

1778,  1783,  1784  and  1786.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  judge  of  the  superior  court  in 
1782  but  refused  to  serve.  He  died  Sept. 
15,  1 814.  Physically  he  was  a  man  of  fine 
proportions  and  manly  beauty,  elegant  in 
manners  and  bland  and  refined  in  deport- 
ment, while  his  intellectual  equipment  was 
strong  and  his  courage,  integrity  and  busi- 
ness capacity  conceded.  He  was  a  fine 
writer  and  through  much  of  his  active  life 
kept  a  journal,  recording  daily  events  of 
public  importance,  but  it  was  unfortunately 
lost  in  the  burning  of  the  house  of  his  son- 
in-law  and  executor.  One  of  his  daughters 
married  Epaphroditus  Ransom,  afterwards 
Governor  of  Michigan. 

TOWNSHEND,  MiCAH,  for  twenty-four 
years  a  lawyer  at  Brattleboro,  Secretary  of 
State  i78i-'88,  and  the  ablest  and  most 
trusted  of  the  "Yorkers"  in  the  early  years 
of  the  controversy,  was  born  at  Cedar 
Swamp,  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  May  13,  1749, 
graduated  from  Princeton  in  1767,  studied 
law  in  New  York  City,  and  first  settled  in 
practice  at  White  Plains,  N.  Y.  He  was 
active  among  the  young  patriots  there  at  the 
opening  of  the  Revolution,  clerk  of  the 
county  committee  of  safety,  and  ca])tain  of  a 
company  of  militia  to  operate  against  the 
Tories.  The  destruction  of  the  village  of 
White  Plains  by  fire  caused  him  to  start 
anew  in  life  and  to  locate  at  Brattleboro, 
where,  in  August,  1778,  he  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Col.  Samuel  Wells.  He  was 
here  in  confidential  correspondence  with 
Governor  Clinton,  making  a  series  of  able 
and  cool-headed  reports  on  the  condition  of 
affairs  and  frequently  being  entrusted  with 
important  negotiations  with  the  Vermont 
men.     He  was  a  delegate  from  Cumberland 


county  to  the  New  York  .Assembly,  and  ex- 
erted a  great  influence  there.  He  earnestly 
opposed  the  ])ro]iosal  to  divide  the  state  on 
the  mountain  line  with  New  Hampshire  after 
the  extraordinary  exertion.s  and  sacrifices  the 
people  of  his  county  had  made  to  remain  in 
New  York,  and  his  arguments  were  effective 
in  dissuading  New  York  from  going  into  the 
scheme. 

Finally  he  became  satisfied  that  New  York 
could  not  maintain  her  claims,  and  gave  in 
his  adherence  to  the  new  state,  which  was 
quick  to  avail  itself  of  his  talents  in  public 
employment.  Besides  the  secretaryship  of 
state,  he  was  judge  and  register  of  probate 
for  Windham  county  from  1781  to  '87.  He 
resigned  the  former  office  in  '88,  and  the 
Legislature,  by  resolution,  "  expressed  the 
warmest  sentiment  of  gratitude  for  the  fidel- 
ity and  skill  "  with  which  he  had  peformed 
its  duties.  Nathaniel  Chipman  regarded  him 
as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  useful  men  the 
state  had  at  this  period.  He  served  with  Chip- 
man  on  the  committee  to  frame  the  "  quieting 
act."  He  was  secretary  of  the  council  of 
censors  for  the  first  revision  of  the  constitu- 
tion, and  his  promptness  and  skill  with  rec- 
ords, and  his  facility  in  phrasing  legislative 
propositions  made  him  almost  indispensable 
to  the  times.  He  had  a  large  and  success- 
ful practice  as  a  lawyer,  was  not  renowned 
for  oratory,  but  for  the  clear,  cogent  way  he 
had  of  making  his  statements.  He,  how- 
ever, quitted  the  state  and  country  in  1801, 
selling  his  Brattleboro  property  to  Judge 
Tyler,  and  settling  in  Farnham,  Que.,  on 
lands  which  the  British  government  had 
granted  his  father-in-law  for  his  Toryism, 
where  he  died,  April  23,  1832. 

JONES,  Dr.  Reuben,  of  Rockingham 
and  afterwards  of  Chester,  was  the  earliest 
and  perhaps  the  most  active  of  the  new  state 
men  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains.  He 
was  active  in  stirring  up  the  people  to  arrest 
the  loyal  court  after  the  Westminster  massa- 
cre, riding  express  and  hatless  to  Dummer- 
ston  on  this  errand.  He  gave  history  the 
answer  to  the  misrepresentation  of  the  offi- 
cial reports,  with  his  "relation"  of  the  affair. 
He  was  an  efficient  member  of  each  of  the 
Vermont  conventions,  beginning  with  that  of 
Sept.  25,  1776,  and  being  secretary  of  several 
of  them.  He  represented  Rockingham  in 
the  first  four  Legislatures  and  also  Chester 
for  one  year.  He  was  one  of  the  most  ar- 
dent and  uncompromising  whigs  in  the  state. 
His  later  years  were  spent  in  deep  po\erty 
and  in  dodging  back  and  forth  between  New 
Hampshire  and  \'ermont  to  avoid  imprison- 
ment for  debt.  Once  when  under  arrest  pop- 
ular sympathy  forced  his  release,  for  which  he 
and  two  friends  were  indicted  in  the  W'intlsor 
county  court. 


68 


SPAULDING. 


SPAULDING,   Lieut.    Leonard,  of 

L)ummerston,  shared  with  Dr.  Jones  the 
honor  of  being  among  the  earliest  leaders  in 
this  county  of  the  new  state  men.  He  was 
born,  probably  in  Rhode  Island,  (Jet.  28, 
1728,  served  in  the  French  and  Indian  war 
and  soon  after  its  close  settled  in  Putney  and 
later  for  a  few  months  in  \\estmoreland,  N. 
H.  He  was  a  member  of  all  the  conven- 
tions beginning  with  September,  1776,  but 
for  years  before  that  he  had  been  a  headlong 
agitator  against  both  royal  and  New  York 
authority,  and  had  built  up  a  strong  popular 
following.  It  was  early  when  he  shocked 
pious  people  by  denouncing  the  King  as 
"Pope  of  Canada"  because  of  the  Quebec 
bill.  In  1 77 1  while  he  was  a  resident  of 
Putney  some  of  his  property  had  been  seized 
under  a  judgment  of  a  York  court,  and  a 
large  party  crossed  the  river  from  New 
Hampshire  and  rescued  it  by  force.  In  1774, 
after  he  had  come  to  Dummerston,  he  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned  at  \\'estminster  for 
high  treason  in  speaking  disrespectfully  of 
the  King,  and  it  is  related  that  it  required 
three  or  four  Yorkers  to  arrest  him.  .\  meet- 
ing of  indignation  was  held  at  Dummerston 
the  next  day  to  denounce  "  the  ravages  of 
the  British  tyrant  and  his  New  York  and  other 
emissaries."  A  large  body  of  men  formed 
from  that  town,  Putney,  Halifax  and  Draper 
and  proceeded  to  \\'estminster  a  few  days 
later  and  forcibly  released  him.  He  was  once 
arraigned  before  the  county  committee  for  the 
arrest  and  imprisonment  of  Col.  Sam  Wells, 
which  in  the  excess  of  his  patriotic  zeal  he 
had  effected  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  fol- 
lowers. But  his  penalty  w-as  only  a  require- 
ment of  apology  to  the  Tory  leader,  which  he 
made.  He  was  the  first  man  in  Dummers- 
ton to  shoulder  his  gun  and  start  for  West- 
minster for  the  fight  of  March  13,  1775.  He 
joined  the  Re\olutionary  army  as  soon  as  hos- 
tilites  broke  out,  served  through  most  of  the 
war,  gained  a  captain's  commission,  was  in 
the  battle  of  Bennington  and  was  wounded 
in  the  batde  of  White  Plains,  Oct.  28,  1776. 
He  represented  Dummerston  in  the  General 
Assembly  in  1778,  'Si,  '84,  '86,  and  '87.  He 
died  July  17,  1788,  aged  fifty-nine. 

PHELPS,  Charles.— The  first  lawyer 
to  settle  upon  the  grants,  in  1764,  one  of 
the  leaders  in  the  organization  of  Cumber- 
land county,  and  the  most  unbending  of  all 
the  "Yorkers,"  though  a  supporter  of  the 
Revolution,  was  born  at  Northampton,  Mass., 
.'\ugust  15,  1717,  of  a  family  which  had  con- 
tained John  Phelps,  private  secretary  of 
Oliver  Cromwell.  He  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inal grantees  of  Marlboro  under  New  Hamp- 
shire authority,  and  he  petitioned  unsuc- 
cessfully for  a  confirmation  of  the  charter 
by  New  York,  but  nevertheless   supported 


New  York  authority  with  a  courage  and 
devotion  that  were  pathetic  in  the  sacrifices 
and  suffering  it  caused  him,  but  with  an  ec- 
centricity that  indicated  the  twist  of  mind 
that  after  events  made  only  too  evident. 
"Vile  ^'ermonters"  was  his  regular  epithet 
for  the  great  men  of  the  new  state.  For  a 
time  after  the  \\'estminster  massacre,  when 
New  York  and  royal  authoritv  appeared  to 
be  identical,  he  was  in  revolt  against  both, 
and  was  on  the  committee  that  framed  reso- 
lutions of  denunciation.  At  one  time  also 
he  intrigued  industriously  for  the  annexa- 
tion of  the  state  to  Massachusetts,  declaring 
that  he  regarded  the  authority  of  New  York 
as  composed  of  "as  corrupt  a  set  of  men  as 
were  out  of  hell,"  and  that  he  would  as  "soon 
put  manure  in  his  pocket  as  a  commission 
from  New  York" — though  he  held  such  com- 
missions for  a  good  share  of  his  life.  But 
this  aberration  was  short-lived,  and  he  was 
soon  engaged  again  in  fighting  New  York 
fights. 

Twice,  in  1779  and  17S2,  he  appeared 
before  Congress,  first  as  a  delegate  from  the 
Yorkers  of  Cumberland  county,  and  last  on 
his  own  responsibility,  to  oppose  the  recog- 
nition of  the  new  state,  and  he  stuck  to  the 
latter  mission,  penniless,  hungry,  and  almost 
freezing  at  one  time,  an  actual  object  of 
charity  from  the  New  York  delegates,  until, 
by  his  "  persistence,  zeal,  craftiness,  and 
finesse,"  as  Jay  describes  it,  he  thought,  as 
was  the  general  idea,  that  he  had  won  in  the 
resolution  from  Congress,  ordering  "  full  and 
ample  restitution  "  to  be  made  to  the  New 
York  adherents  who  had  been  arrested  or 
imprisoned,  or  had  their  property  confis- 
cated, and  declaring  the  purpose  of  Congress 
to  enforce  a  compliance  with  this  demand  ; 
but  he  found  when  he  reached  Vermont  that 
these  resolves  were  treated  with  as  much  in- 
difference as  the  edicts  of  New  York.  It 
was  while  on  this  mission  that  he  wrote 
his  trenchant  pamphlet,  "  Vermonters  Lln- 
masked." 

He  was  jailed  in  January,  1784,  his  prop- 
erty ordered  to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the 
state,  and  even  his  law  books  given  to  Nath. 
Chipman  and  Micah  Townshend  to  pay  for 
their  services  in  revising  the  laws  of  the 
state.  But  his  petition  for  pardon  and  re- 
mission of  sentence,  on  taking  the  oath  of 
allegiance,  brought  a  resolution  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  October,  1 784,  restoring  such  prop- 
erty as  had  not  been  sold  for  the  benefit  of 
the  state.  One  of  the  reasons  given  for  this 
clemency  was  his  fidelity  to  the  whig  cause. 
But  his  allegiance  was  only  nominal.  He 
remained  to  the  end  intensely  opposed  in 
feeling  to  the  new  state,  and  he  dated  his 
last  will  at  "  New  Marlborough,  in  the  county 
of  Cumberland  and  state  of  New  York." 
He  died  in  April,  1 789,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 


A    GROUP    OK   TORIES. 


69 


three.  Among  his  descendants  have  been 
some  exceptionally  able  men,  but  all,  in  the 
early  generations  at  least,  showing  often  to 
the  point  of  insanity,  the  mental  eccentrici- 
ties that  became  so  marked  in  his  later  years. 
His  oldest  son,  Solomon,  a  graduate  of  Har- 
vard and  a  lawyer  and  preacher  of  fine 
powers,  committed  suicide  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight,  'limothy,  his  third  son,  a  man 
of  great  energy  of  character  and  steadfast- 
ness of  opinion,  and  sheriff  of  Cumberland 
county  under  New  York  authority,  ])assed 
his  later  years  with  darkened  mind. 

John  I'helps,  son  of  Timothy  and  grandson 
of  Charles,  was  register  of  probate,  state  sena- 
tor and  councilor  in  1831  and  1832.  Other 
descendants  have  been  :  John  Phelps,  of 
Guilford,  son  of  Timothy,  who  was  state 
councilor  in  1831  and  1S32,  his  son  Charles 
E.  Phelps,  congressman  from  Maryland  and 
brigadier-general  of  the  Union  army  ;  Judge 
Charles  I'helps,  of  Townshend,  who  was 
councilor  in  i820,-'2i,-'22,  and  his  son,  the 
late  Judge  James  H.  Phelps,  of  Townshend  ; 
Gen.  John  W.  Phelps,  the  author,  scholar  and 
accomplished  soldier,  who  entered  the  war 
with  such  brilliant  prospects  which  were 
blasted  by  his  quarrel  with  Butler  and  his  in- 
sistance  on  emancipation  of  negroes  in 
Louisiana  before  the  administration  was 
ready  for  that  measure,  and  who  was  the 
anti-Masonic  candidate  for  President  in  i  780. 
Except  for  a  young  son  of  General  Phelps, 
the  male  line  of  the  family  is  now  extinct. 

ENOS,  Gen.  Roger.— One  of  the  few 
men  in  the  secret  of  the  Haldimand  corres- 
pondence, and  Vermont's  military  com- 
mander through  that  trying  period,  was  born 
at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in  1729.  He  was  in 
the  colonial  service,  and  in  the  French  and 
Indian  war,  being  promoted  to  be  an  en- 
sign in  1760,  an  adjutant  in  1761,  and  a 
captain  in  Col.  Israel  Putnam's  regiment  in 
1764.  He  also  took  part  in  the  Havana 
campaign  of  1762.  He  was  afterwards  a 
member  of  the  commission  to  survey  lands 
in  the  Mississippi  valley.  He  promjjtly 
took  the  side  of  the  patriots  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolution  and  had  command  of  the 
rear  guard  of  .Arnold's  expedition  against 
Quebec.  He  left  it,  however,  with  a  siz- 
able detachment,  in  order  to  avoid  starva- 
tion, as  he  claimed.  He  was  afterwards 
courtmartialed  under  a  charge  of  cowardice 
in  this  action  but  was  honorably  acquitted. 
He  was  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  16th  Con- 
necticut regiment  in  1776,  and  colonel  of 
another  regiment  in  177  r' '9-  In  17S1  he 
came  to  ^'ermont,  settling  at  Enosburg, 
which  was  named  after  him,  and  his  inti- 
macy with  the  Vermont  leaders,  so  many  of 
whom  had  come  from  Connecticut,  at  once 
gave    him   a   prominent   position.     He  was 


that  year  appointed  brigadier-general  in  com- 
mand of  all  the  \'ermont  troops  and  was  at 
the  head  of  the  army  that  was  pretending  to 
resist  the  invasion  from  Canada.  In  1787 
he  was  appointed  major-general  of  the  First 
Division  of  the  militia  but  resigned  in  1791, 
after  thirty-two  years  of  nearly  continuous 
military  service.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Vermont  board  of  war  from  1781  to  1792, 
served  several  terms  in  the  General  .As- 
sembly, was  a  trustee  of  the  Vermont  Uni- 
versity, a  member  of  the  commission  to 
adjust  the  trouble  with  New  Hampshire,  and 
of  the  committee  to  consider  to  resolutions 
of  Congress  for  the  admission  of  the  state  to 
the  Union.  His  daughter  married  Ira  .Allen 
and  his  son,  Pascal  Paoli,  was  one  of  the 
four  proprietors  of  the  original  site  of 
Springfield,  111. 

A  GROUP  OF  TORIES.— .As  before 
stated,  notwithstanding  the  peculiar  situation 
of  the  state,  outside  of  the  Union,  or  recog- 
nition with  the  other  colonies,  an  independ- 
ent republic,  having  to  maintain  herself  by 
her  own  efforts,  Vermont  contained  fewer 
Tories  and  British  sympathizers  than  any 
other  part  of  .America. 

Perhaps  the  most  distinguished  of  these 
was  the  one  who  played  only  a  brief  part 
either  in  Vermont  or  on  earth  after  the  Rev- 
olution began. 

Crean  Brush  came  to  this  country  about 
1762,  from  Ireland,  where  he  had  evidently 
had  quite  a  career,  being  educated  as  a 
lawyer  and  having  held  a  commission  in  the 
military  service.  He  first  settled  in  New 
York  City,  was  for  several  years  assistant 
under  the  deputy  secretary  of  the  province 
and  having  by  his  connection  obtained  large 
grants  of  land  in  this  section,  came  to  West- 
minster in  1 77 1,  was  appointed  clerk  of 
Cumberland  county,  obtained  a  large  law 
practice,  and  cut  a  big  figure  among  the 
high-toned  and  arrogant  loyalists.  He  and 
Col.  Samuel  \Yells  were  elected,  in  1773,  as 
representatives  from  the  county  to  the  (Gen- 
eral .Assembly  of  New  York,  where  Brush 
became  a  leader  in  the  advocacy  of  all  min- 
isterial measures,  fighting  against  the  meas- 
ures of  Schuyler,  ^Voodhall,  and  the  leading 
patriots,  and  made  the  report  offering  a  re- 
ward for  the  head  of  Ethan  .Allen— whom  his 
step-daughter  afterwards  wedded — and  the 
other  Vermont  patriots. 

When  hostilities  broke  out  Brush  offered 
his  services  to  General  Gage  at  P.oston,  and 
was  employed  in  removing  goods  from  the 
buildings  where  Gage  wished  to  take  winter 
quarters.  He  improved  the  opportunity  for 
pillage  and  plunder  of  the  merchants  and 
people  by  the  wholesale,  packed  a  ship  with 
goods  he  had  seized  under  his  commission, 
and    calculated    to    make    himself  wealthy. 


70 


A  GROUP  OF  TORIES. 


J  ROUP  OF  TORIES. 


But  the  ship  fell  into  the  hands  of  an  Ameri- 
can cruiser,  and  Brush  and  some  of  his  fellow 
plunderers  were  thrown  into  jail  at  Boston, 
but  he  finally  escaped  by  the  time-honored 
device  of  donning  his  wife's  apparel,  when 
she  came  to  visit  him.  He  made  his  way  to 
the  British  quarters  at  New  York,  but  met 
little  but  contempt  from  Lord  Howe,  and 
living  in  poverty  and  neglect  for  several 
months,  finally  blew  his  brains  out  in  an 
apartment  house.  His  large  estate  in  Ver- 
mont was  confiscated  to  the  use  of  the  state, 
his  name  being  included  in  the  12S  specified 
by  a  legislative  act  as  Tories. 

Samuel  Adams  formed  a  company  of 
Tories  from  Arlington,  Sandgate  and  Man- 
chester, to  co-operate  with  Pkirgoyne. 

Capt.  Jehial  Hawley,  the  founder  of  ."Xrl- 
ington,  connected  by  marriage  with  the 
Warners,  a  leader  among  the  settlers  against 
New  York,  though  peaceful  and  a  non-com- 
batant, was  strongly  royalist  in  sympathy, 
and  took  refuge  with  Burgoyne,  and  died 
on  Lake  Champlain  while  on  his  way  to 
Canada.  He  had  several  sons  who  took  the 
same  side,  and  one  of  them,  Eli,  helped  con- 
vey the  correspondence  between  Canada 
and  the  Vermont  authorities,  and  believed 
to  the  day  of  his  death  that  the  Vermont 
leaders  really  wanted  to  form  a  British 
colony.  He  often  pointed  out  the  "Raven 
Rock,"  where  he  had  a  midnight  interview 
with  Governor  Chittenden  on  one  of  these 
trips. 

Camp  James  Hard  from  Arlington,  held 
a  commission  in  the  British  army.  Zodack, 
his  brother,  was  a  loyalist  in  principle  but 
took  no  active  part  in  the  war,  though  he  is 
said  to  have  secreted  and  fed  the  loyalists 
who  came  to  him  for  shelter,  and  he  was 


always  generous  and  hospitable.  He  was 
several  times  arrested  and  hea\ily  fined  by 
the  patriot  authorities. 

Noah  Sabin,  of  Putney,  a  native  of  Reho- 
both,  Mass.,  was  the  judge  whose  insistence  on 
holding  the  court  when  Chief  Justice  Chand- 
ler was  inclined  to  temporize,  led  to  the  West- 
minister massacre.  His  thorough-going  con- 
scientiousness, his  conception  of  his  duty  to 
the  Crown,  from  which  he  held  his  commis- 
sion, led  him  to  this  course.  He  was  impris- 
oned for  some  time  after  the  affair.  He  was, 
in  the  first  years  of  the  Revolution,  strongly 
attached  to  the  Crown,  and  so  strong  was 
the  whig  feeling  against  him  that  he  was 
confined  to  his  farm  in  1776  by  order  of  the 
committee  of  safety,  with  permission  gi\en 
to  anybody  to  shoot  him  if  seen  beyond  its 
limits,  and  he  was  refused  communion  at 
church.  Finally,  after  a  period  of  indecision, 
he  took  the  side  of  the  colonies  and  de- 
veloped into  quite  an  earnest  patriot.  He 
was  elected  judge  of  probate  for  Windham 
county,  1 781,  and  though  suspended  for  a 
few  months  because  of  the  suspicions  of  his 
loyalty,  was  soon  reinstated  and  continued 
to  serve  until  1801.  He  died  March  10, 
181 1,  aged  ninety-six.  He  was  a  man  of 
large  mental  power,  superior  education  for 
his  times,  and  of  indisputable  integrity. 

Col.  James  Rogers  of  Kent  ( now  London- 
derry), who  had  been  a  prominent  man  of 
that  section,  was  offered  the  office  of  briga- 
dier-general of  militia  by  New  York,  but 
refused  it  "  upon  political  principles."  He 
afterwards  became  an  avowed  Tory  and  left 
the  country,  and  his  property  was  confis- 
cated, though  the  Legislature  in  i  797  restored 
to  his  son,  James  Rogers,  Jr.,  all  the  lands 
that  had  not  been  sold. 


THE  GOVERNORS. 

'I'he  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  ( lovernors  of  Vermont,  with  the  dates  of  service. 
Biographical  sketches  of  the  entire  list  are  given  on  the  following  pages,  with  exceptions  noted . 


*Thomas  Chittenden, 

1789-90 

SilasH.Jennison(3), 

1835-36 

Paul  Dillingham, 

1865-67 

*"Moscs  Robinson, 

bilas  H.  Jennison, 
Charles  Paine, 

.836-41 

John  B.  Page, 

1867-69 

*Thomas  Chittenden, 

1790-97 

■8i.-43 

Peter  T.  Washburn, 

1869-70 

Paul  Brigham  (s). 

John  Mattocks, 

1843-44 

fOcorge  W.  Hendee  (5), 

.870 

•,-  ..        ■''"^-  =5  '" 

Oct.  16,  1797 

William  Sladc, 

1844-46 

tjohn  W.  Stewart, 

1870-72 

Isaac  lichcnor. 

1797-1807 

Horace  Eaton, 

1846-48 

Julius  Converse, 

1872-74 

Israel  Smith, 

1807-08 

Carlos  Coolidge, 

1S48-50 

Asahel  Peck. 

1874-76 

Isaac  Tichenor, 

1808-09 

Charles  K.  Williams, 

1850-52 

Horace  Fairbanks, 

1876-78 

Jonas  C^ilusha, 

1809-13 

Erastus  Fairbanks, 

.852-53 

tRedfield  Proctor, 

T878-80 

Martin  Chittenden, 

1813-15 

*John  S.  Robinson, 

i853-i4 

tRoswell  Farnham, 

1880  82 

lonas  Galusha, 
Richard  Skinner, 

1815-20 

Stephen  Royce, 

1854-56 

tJohn  L.  Barstow, 

1882-84 

1820-23 

Rylaiul  Fletcher, 

1856-58 

tSamuel  E.  Pingrce, 

1S84-86 

Cornelius  P.  Van  Xess, 

1823-26 

Hiland  Hall, 

1858-60 

tEbenczer  J.  Ormsbce. 

1886-88 

Ezra  Butler, 

1826-28 

Erastus  Fairbanks, 

1860-61 

tW.lli.tm  P.  Dillingham, 

1888-90 

Samuel  C.  Crafts, 

1828-31 

tFredcrick  Holbrook, 

1861-63 

tCarrol  S.  Page, 

1890-92 

William  A.  Palmer, 

1811-35 

J.  Gregory  Smith, 

1863-65 

tLevi  K.  Fuller, 

1892-94 

*  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  among  "  The  Fathers."  f  Biographical  sketch 

(2)  Lieutenant  Governor,  acting  Governor  on  the  death  of  Governor  Chittenden. 

(3)  Lieutenant-Ciovernor,  Governor  by  reason  of  no  election  of  Governor  by  the  people. 
(5)    Lieutenant-Governor,  Governor  bv  reason  of  the  death  of  Governor  Washburn. 


'ill  be  found  in  Part  II. 


BRIGHAM,  Paul.— For  twenty-one 
years  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of 
the  state  and  a 
few  months,  in 
jt,  •  797)  the  acting 

ff'  Ct  o  V  e  r  n  o  r ,    a 

M^      — ^  -■  Revolutionary 

^0^.    ^T^  soldier,    state 

councilor  for  five 
years,  and  ma- 
jor-general of 
the  state  militia, 
was  born  at  Cov- 
entry,  Conn., 
Jan.  17,  1746. 
He  early  devel- 
oped military 
capacity,  and  rose  in  the  militia  of  his  native 
state,  through  every  intermediate  position, 
from  the  ranks  to  a  captaincy,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-eight.  When  the  Revolution  broke 
out  he  had  been  captain  long  enough  to  be 
exempt  from  military  duty,  but  he  went 
promptly  into  active  service  with  his  com- 
pany, in  Colonel  Chandler's  regiment  of 
McDougall's  brigade  in  the  Continental  ser- 
vice, fought  at  Cermantown,  Monmouth  and 
Mud  Island,  and  was  in  the  service  three 
years. 

In  I  781  he  joined  the  tide  of  adventurous 
spirits  from  Connecticut  to  Vermont,  and 
settled  with  his  family  at  Norwich.  Here 
again  he  became  active  in  militia  services, 
passing  through  every  grade  until  he  became 
a  major-general.  He  and  Samuel  Fletcher, 
Isaac  Tichenor  and  Ira  .Alien  commanded 


the  four  divisions  of  the  state  in  1794,  at  the 
time  President  Washington  ordered  detach- 
ments of  minute  men  to  be  formed,  accord- 
ing to  the  act  of  Congress  of  that  year.  He 
rapidly  rose  to  prominence  in  Windsor 
county,  being  successively  elected  high  sher- 
iff, judge  of  probate,  assistant  judge  and 
chief  judge  of  Windsor  county  court.  He 
represented  Norwich  in  the  Ceneral  Assem- 
bly in  1783,  1786  and  1791,  and  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Constitutional  Conventions  of 
1793,  1814  and  1822.  In  1792  he  was 
elected  councilor  and  five  times  re-elected, 
until  in  1796  he  was  elevated  to  the  lieuten- 
ant-governorship. During  his  service  on 
the  council  he  was  prominent  in  the  state 
bank  and  state  prison  controversies,  and  with 
John  White  and  Nathaniel  Niles  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  that  reported  the  com- 
promise bill  for  the  banks  in  1806.  In  1792 
he  was  a  Washington  presidential  elector. 

The  quality  of  his  service  as  Lieutenant- 
Governor  is  illustrated  by  the  remarkable 
way  he  held  on  through  all  the  ups  and 
downs  of  party  politics  in  the  state.  He  was 
re-elected  regularly  with  Governor  Tichenor 
years  after  the  Jeffersonians  had  got  a  major- 
ity in  the  state,  and  when  in  1807  Tichenor 
was  defeated  by  the  Democratic  Israel  .Smith 
for  Governor,  Brigham  was  still  elected 
Lieutenant-Governor.  So  it  was  when 
Tichenor  was  returned  in  180S,  and  still 
again  when  Tichenor  was  overthrown  by 
Galusha  in  1809.  Brigham  started  out  a 
Federalist,  but  gradually  drifted  in  his  sym- 
pathies towards  the  Jeffersonians,  and  when 
the   Federalists  got  atop  again  for  a  short 


72 


TICHENOR. 


TICHENOR. 


time  in  1 8 13-'!  4  they  defeated  Brigham  as 
well  as  Galusha  for  re-election.  But  the 
fight  was  a  close  as  well  as  a  hot  one,  and 
in  neither  year  was  there  a  choice  by  the 
people,  and  the  election  went  to  the  Legis- 
lature and  the  Federalists  only  won,  in  1S13, 
by  tactics  that  bore  more  than  a  suspicion  of 
dishonesty.  But  with  the  return  of  the 
Jeffersonians  in  1815,  Brigham  was  again 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  success- 
ively re-elected  until  1820,  when  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four,  together  with  his  great  party 
chieftain,  Governor  Galusha,  he  declined  re- 
election. 

He  died,  June  15,  1824,  after  a  few  years 
of  happy  and  easeful  retirement,  deepened 
in  its  enjoyment  by  the  consciousness  of 
duty  long  and  well  done,  and  by  the  consola- 
tion of  a  religious  faith  which  had  gaited 
and  ennobled  his  whole  career. 

TICHENOR,  ISAAC— rhe  third  Gover- 
nor of  the  state  ; 
for  six  years  a 
judge  of  the  Su- 
p  r  e  m  e  Court, 
,;_  twice    a   LTnited 

States  senator 
and  the  Federal- 
ist leader  for  a 
number  of  years, 
was  a  resident  of 
the  state  all 
through  her  ex- 
istence as  an  in- 
dependent re- 
public, but 
came  on  the 
stage  of  political 
activity  only  towards  the  close  of  that  inter- 
esting period.  He  was  born  at  Newark,  N. 
J.,  Feb.  S,  1754,  and  graduated  from  Prince- 
ton College  in  1775  under  the  presidency  of 
Dr.  \\'itherspoon  and  for  whom  he  always  had 
the  utmost  consideration.  He  studied  law 
at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  in  1777 
appointed  an  assistant  to  Commissary  Gen- 
eral Cuyler  in  buying  supplies  for  the  north- 
ern department.  It  was  on  this  duty  that  he 
came  to  Bennington  in  the  summer  of  that 
year  and  remained  there  and  in  that  vicinity 
collecting  the  supplies  whose  accumulation 
tempted  the  fatal  expedition  of  Burgoyne. 
Tichenor  had  just  left,  August  13,  with  a 
drove  of  cattle  for  Albany  when  the  tidings 
of  that  expedition  were  received.  He  re- 
turned by  way  of  Williamstown,  reaching  the 
field  at  dusk  on  the  evening  of  the  i  7th  after 
the  fighting  had  ceased. 

He  then  decided  to  settle  in  Bennington, 
and  this  was  his  home  when  not  in  actual 
service  in  the  commissary  department.  In 
the  line  of  his  duty  he  incurred  heavy  pecuni- 
ary responsibilities,  which  embarrassed  him 


through  a  large  part  of  his  life.  About  the 
close  of  the  war  he  began  the  practice  of 
law  there.  He  was  town  representative  in 
i78i-'82-'83-'84,  speaker  of  the  House  in 
17S3,  and  an  agent  to  Congress  in  1782. 
In  that  year  he  was  also  sent  by  the  Legis- 
lature to  Windham  county  to  urge  the  claims 
of  the  new  state  on  the  people,  and  quell  the 
disturbances  there,  and  the  mission  had  con- 
siderable effect,  though  severer  measures  had 
to  be  taken  later.  He  was  a  commissioner 
under  the  act  of  1789  to  determine  the  terms 
of  settlement  with  New  York. 

He  had  been  steadily  growing  in  reputa- 
tion among  the  \'ermont  leaders,  and  the 
peculiar  value  of  his  services  with  his  plausi- 
ble, persuasive  ways  added  much  to  his 
prominence.  He  was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  1791  to  1796,  and  chief  justice 
the  last  two  years,  when,  on  the  resignation 
of  Senator  Moses  Robinson,  he  was  chosen 
to  fill  out  the  latter's  term.  He  was  re- 
elected the  next  year  for  a  full  term  of  six 
years,  but  he  was  also  elected  Governor 
that  fall,  and  resigned  the  senatorship  to 
accept.  He  had  then  become  the  recog- 
nized Federalist  leader  of  the  state,  and 
the  canvass  for  the  governorship  was  a 
sharp  one.  The  retirement  of  Governor 
Chittenden  had  loosed  the  restraint  partisan- 
ship had  felt.  The  result  was  no  choice  by 
the  people  for  Governor,  but  Tichenor  was 
elected  by  the  Legislature  by  a  large  ma- 
jority. He  served  eleven  years  in  all  as 
Governor,  being  steadily  re-elected  every 
year  until  1809,  except  1807,  when  he  was 
defeated  by  the  Democrats  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Israel  Sinith  ;  so  strong  had  he  be- 
come that  he  was  re-elected  several  years 
after  his  party  had  got  into  a  minority. 

He  was  in  1814  again  elected  Senator  to 
Congress,  serving  six  years,  until  March  3, 
182  I,  when  with  the  complete  obliteration  of 
his  party  from  American  politics  he  retired 
to  private  life,  after  a  public  service  filling 
thirty-eight  out  of  the  forty-four  years  be- 
tween 1777  and  1821.  He  died  Dec.  11, 
1S38,  at  the  age  of  eighty-fotir  and  leaving 
no  descendants. 

Governor  Hall  measures  him  compactly 
as  a  man  of  "  good  private  character,  of 
highly  respectable  talents  and  acquirements, 
of  remarkably  fine  personal  appearance,  of 
accomplished  manners  and  insinuating  ad- 
dress." So  marked  was  his  make-up  in  the 
latter  particular  as  to  earn  for  him  the 
sobriquet  of  "  Jersey  Slick,"  which  stuck  to 
him  all  through  his  career.  But  though  he 
had  these  qualities,  perhaps  to  the  point  of 
fault,  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose 
that  he  had  not  solid  merit  beneath  his 
smooth  exterior,  even  beyond  what  Governor 
Hall  credits  as  "respectable  talents."  It 
was  a  clear  head  and  a  strong  will  that  he 


73 


carried  on  his  shoulders.  With  all  his  poli- 
tician arts  he  was  a  real  statesman.  It  was 
on  the  state's  prison  issue  largely,  that  he 
defeated  Governor  Smith  for  re-election  in 

1808,  but  he  had  strongly  recommended 
such  an  institution  in  1803,  got  a  bill  through 
the  Legislature  for  it,  and  had  the  prepara- 
tory steps  taken  under  his  administration, 
and  in  his  message  after  his  return  to  power 
did  not  hesitate  to  commend  it  as  a  "  hu- 
mane and  benevolent "  idea,  and  urge 
measures  to  carry  it  into  "complete  effect." 
His  messages  were  often  strongly  tinctured 
with  Federalist  doctrine,  but  so  skillfully 
phrased  that  the  able  young  Republicans  in 
the  Legislature  found  it  hard  to  find  any 
effective  point  on  which  to  join  issue.  A 
strong  proof  of  his  popularity  was  alTorded 
in  1799,  when  the  Legislature  by  a  unani- 
mous vote  adopted  a  resolution  of  thanks, 
whose  author,  L'dney  Hay,  was  the  leader 
of  the  opposition  in  the  House,  for  the 
"  happy  and  speedy "  settlement  he  had 
effected  with  Canada  of  the  difficulty  over 
the  arrest  by  American  officers  on  British 
soil,  and  the  subsequent  accidental  death, 
but  alleged  murder,  of  John  Griggs.  The 
event  has  "  increased,  if  possible,"  so  the 
resolution  read,  "  the  very  high  esteem  we 
have  ever  entertained  of  your  patriotism, 
your  candour,  your  abilities,  your  integrity." 
His  high  courtesy  and  genuine  kindliness  of 
character  were  shown  by  the  letter  of  con- 
gratulation   he   wrote    after    his    defeat    in 

1809,  to  his  successful  competitor.  Governor 
Galusha,  tendering  "in  great  sincerity,  my 
best  services  in  any  matter  that  shall  relate 
to  the  duties  of  your  office  or  shall  have  a 
tendency  to  promote  the  interests  of  our 
country." 

Governor  Hall  tells  a  couple  of  anecdotes 
that  are  illuminating.  He  had  an  art,  some- 
times too  obvious,  of  ingratiating  himself 
into  favor.  While  traveling  in  a  distant  part 
of  the  state  he  contrived  to  pass  the  resi- 
dence of  a  farmer  of  great  influence  in  his 
town,  who  had  formerly  supported  him  for 
Governor,  but  who  was  now  supposed  to  be 
wavering.  On  his  approach  to  the  place  he 
discovered  the  farmer  at  some  distance 
building  stone  wall  by  the  road  side.  Leav- 
ing his  carriage  the  Governor  began  to 
examine  the  wall  with  great  care  and  earnest- 
ness, looking  over  and  along  both  sides  of  it 
and  exhibiting  signs  of  excessive  admiration. 
On  coming  within  speaking  distance  the 
Governor  exclaimed,  with  much  ap]iarent 
emotion  :  "  Bless  me,  friend,  what  a  beauti- 
ful and  noble  wall  you  are  building — I  don't 
believe  there  is  another  equal  to  it  in  the 
state."  "Yes,  Governor,"  was  the  reply  of 
the  farmer,  "  it's  a  very  good  wall  to  be  sure, 
but  I  can't  vote  for  you  this  year." 


He  was  quite  a  s|)ortsman  and  delighted 
to  range  the  mountains  hunting  and  fishing 
until  the  feebleness  of  age  prevented.  Once 
he  laid  a  wager  with  a  companion  with 
whom  he  was  out  fishing,  as  to  which  would 
catch  the  most  trout.  (Jn  weighing  the  fish 
at  Landlord  Dewey's  the  Governor  was 
found  to  have  lost  the  bet,  which  he  readily 
paid,  though  considerably  disappointed.  "  I 
don't  see,"  said  he  to  his  friend  M.,  "  how 
your  trout  should  weigh  the  most,  mine  cer- 
tainly looks  the  largest,  and  besides  I  filled 
it  full  of  gravel  stones."  "  .Ah,  Governor," 
said  his  friend,  "  I  was  too  much  for  you 
this  time,  I  stuffed  mine  with  shot.' 

SMITH,  Israel,  the  fourth  Governor, 
judge,  congressman  and  senator,  the  first 
popular  favorite  of  the  young  1  )emocrats  of 
the  state,  and  a  fine  specimen  of  the  politi- 
cian of  the  early  days,  was  also  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  born  at  Sheffield,  April  4,  1759. 
He  graduated  from  Vale  in  1781,  and  two 
years  later  settled  at  Rupert,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  represented  that  town 
in  the  General  Assembly  in  1785,  '88,  '89  and 
'90,  and  became  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the 
state  during  the  latter  part  of  its  period  of 
independence.  He  was  one  of  the  com- 
mission in  '89  to  close  the  controversy  with 
New  York,  and  a  member  of  the  convention 
in  '91  that  ratified  the  federal  constitution 
preparatory  to  the  admission  of  the  state 
into  the  Linion.  In  this  year  he  moved  to 
Rutland.  He  was  immediately  elected  one 
of  the  first  representatives  in  Congress  from 
the  western  district  of  the  state,  and  was  re- 
elected several  times,  when  in  1797  he  was 
at  last  defeated  by  Matthew  Lyon,  who  had 
twice  before  contested  the  election  with  him. 
He  and  Lyon  were  both  identified  with  the 
leffersonian  party,  though  Lyon  was  far  the 
more  rabid,  and  the  Federalist  element  of 
the  district  supported  a  third  candidate.  But 
he  was  that  fall  elected  to  the  Legislature 
from  Rutland,  and  the  Republicans  being  in 
a  majority  he  was  elected  chief  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  But  he  held  the  ]3osition 
only  one  term  ;  for  the  next  year  came  a  re- 
turn of  Federalist  control,  and  the  "  Yer- 
gennes  slaughter-house,"  when  every  position 
in  the  state  within  reach  was  made  party  spoils. 
In  1 80 1,  he  was  again  elected  to  the  chief 
justiceship  but  declined  it.  He  was  that  fall 
the  Republican  candidate  for  tJovernor 
against  'I'ichenor  but  was  defeated.  He  was, 
however,  again  elected  representative  to 
Congress  and  at  the  end  of  the  term  elected 
Senator  over  Chipman. 

In  1S07  the  Democratsor  Republicans  were 
finally  able  to  overcome  for  a  short  time  the 
great  popularity  of  Governor  Tichenor  and 
elected  Mr.  Smith  Governor.  He  resigned 
his  seat  in  the  Senate  to  accept  the  place. 


74 


His  inaugural  address,  tliough  most  courteous 
to  Inis  defeated  opponent,  for  his  "urbanity 
and  unassuming  administration,"  was  breezy 
witii  liealtliful  new  ideas.  He  laid  down  the 
good  Democratic  truth,  that  "the  end  of  all 
government  is  to  teach  each  individual  of 
the  community  the  necessity  of  self-govern- 
ment." He  urged  a  measure  whose  import- 
ance is  only  just  beginning  to  be  realized  to- 
day, for  state  supervision  of  highways,  like  that 
of  schools.  He  argued  that  the  two  subjects 
were  equally  of  "^•ery  general  concern,"  and 
that  the  state  was  entitled  to  be  "officially 
informed  how  far  and  in  what  manner"  laws 
about  them  were  carried  into  effect.  He 
ably  discussed  ptmitive  problems,  urged  the 
abolition  of  all  cor])oral  punishment  and 
the  substitution  of  confinement  at  hard  labor, 
"to  initiate  the  culprit  into  a  habit  of  useful 
industry,  and  as  a  method  peculiarly  suited 
to  an  advanced  state  of  society  where  the 
arts  abound."  His  discussion  would  be  a 
good  text  for  prison  reformers  today.  His 
influence  was  exerted  strongly  to  secure  the 
construction  of  the  state's  prison.  But  these 
good  ideas  were  the  cause  of  his  political 
undoing.  The  farmers  of  the  state  were  too 
accustomed  to  government  of  the  utmost  fru- 
gality to  welcome  such  plans,  and  though  the 
Democrats  had  now  secured  an  easy  ascend- 
ing in  the  state  and  cast  its  electoral  vote  for 
Madison  that  fall.  Smith  was  defeated  for  re- 
election by  Tichenor,  after  a  hard  fought 
campaign,  by  a  jjlurality  of  859  and  majority 
of  432. 

Soon  after  his  health  began  to  fail,  and  he 
died  at  Rutland,  Dec.  2,  1810,  aged  fifty-one. 
His  son,  William  Donaglas  Smith,  a  graduate 
of  iNIiddlebury,  and  a  lawyer,  was  clerk  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  from  1809 
until  his  death,  Feb.  22,  1822,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six.  (;o\ernor  Smith  was  a  brother  of 
Noah  Smith,  who  also  came  to  Vermont  soon 
after  his  graduation,  became  state's  attorney 
for  Cumberland,  then  for  Bennington  county, 
judge  of  county  and  Supreme  Courts,  U.  S. 
collector  of  internal  revenue,  and  coun- 
cilor. 

Little  that  Governor  Smith  wrote  besides 
his  one  inaugural  address  has  come  down  to 
present  times.  But  he  was  conceded  to  be 
a  man  of  fine  talents  and  high  ideas,  of 
"amiable  candor,"  one  cotemporary  says, 
and  of  "inflexible  integrity"  as  another  de- 
scribes him.  "He  was  a  noble-looking  man, 
and  got  the  name  of  the  handsome  judge." 
He  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  principles  on 
which  the  French  Revolution  was  based  in 
its  earlier  and  nobler  days,  and  was  at  that 
time  one  of  the  Republicans  who  gloried  in 
the  charge  of  being  French  sympathizers. 


GALUSHA,  Jonas,   Revolutionary  sol- 
dier,   sheriff, 
judge,  Governor, 
for  forty  years  in 
continuous  pub- 
lic   service,    the 
Democratic 
leader    who    led 
his  party  into  as- 
cendency   that 
lasted  for  nearly 
a  generation,  and 
one  of  the  most 
interesting    per- 
sonalities of  our 
whole    history, 
was  born  at  Nor- 
wich, Conn.,  Feb. 
II,  1753,  and  came  to  Shaftsbury  in   1775. 
He  was  captain  of  one  of  the  town's  two 
militia  companies,  commanded  them  both  in 
the  battle  of  Bennington,  and  saw  much  ac- 
tive service  from   1777  to  '80.     He  was  by 
occupation  a  farmer  and  inn-keeper,  and  his 
first   political  office   was  that  of   sheriff  of 
Bennington  county  from  17S1  to  '87,  and  as 
such  he  did  prompt  and  efficient  work  in 
preventing  Shay's  men  during  their  rebellion 
in  Massachusetts  from  making  Vermont  soil 
a  base  of  operations.     He  was  elected  state 
councilor  in  1793,  '94,  '95,  '96,  '97,  '98,  and 
again  in    1801,  '02,  '03,   '04  and  '05,   and 
judge  of  the  county  court  in  1795,  '96,  and 
'97,  and  again  in  1800,  '01,  '02,  '03,  '04,  '05 
and  '06.     He  had,  as  soon  as  the  national 
jiarties    developed    in    politics,   become   an 
ardent  Democrat,  and  the  recognized  leader 
of  the  party  in  state  politics.     After  the  de- 
feat of  Governor  Smith  by  Tichenor  in  1808, 
Galusha  was  made  the  next  Republican  can- 
didate and  elected,  by  a  vote  of  14,583  to 
13,467  for  Tichenor,  and  498  scattering,  and 
re-elected  in  1810,  'i  i  and  '12,  and  again  in 
1815,  '16,  'i  7,  '18  and  '19,  a  service  of  nine 
years. 

His  party  was  rapidly  increasing  in  strength 
and  aggressiveness  until  the  New  England 
feeling  against  the  embargo  and  the  war  of 
181 2  produced  a  reaction,  and  he  failed  of  a 
majority  in  the  election  in  18 13,  getting  16,- 
S2S  votes,  to  16,532  for  Martin  Chittenden 
and  625  scattering.  This  sent  the  election 
to  the  Legislature  where  the  vote  was  a  tie, 
and  where  after  a  long  struggle  Chittenden 
was  elected,  and  the  Democrats  claimed  that 
the  state  "was  stolen."  The  result  turned 
on  the  vote  of  Colchester,  which  if  counted 
would  elect  the  three  1  )emocratic  councilors 
and  if  rejected  would  elect  the  three  F'eder- 
alists.  The  House  was  Federalist  and  the 
Council  Democratic.  The  House  appointed  a 
canvassing  committee  which  rejected  the  Col- 
chester returns,  on  the  ground  that  other  Uni- 


ted  States  troops  had  voted  there  in  company 
with  those  from  this  state  in  the  national  ser- 
vice who  were  allowed  under  the  act  of  1812 
to  vote  in  any  town  in  the  state  where  they 
might  hapi^en  to  be.  There  was  violent  dis- 
pute over  the  facts  and  also  over  the  consti- 
tutional power  to  canvass  the  votes.  The 
constitution  made  the  House  the  judge  of  the 
election  and  qualifications  of  its  members  ; 
but  it  had  no  such  power  over  the  members 
of  the  Coimcil  nor  was  the  latter  body  given 
any  ])ower  to  determine  the  election  of  its 
members.  In  other  words  the  power  rested 
expressly  nowhere  and  the  House  assumed 
it.  But  for  this  returning  board  action  the 
Democrats  would  ha\e  controlled  the  joint 
Assembly  and  re-elected  (lovernor  (Jalusha 
and  Lieutenant-Governor  Brigham  ;  as  it  was, 
that  body  was  just  a  tie.  The  council  pro- 
tested and  insisted  that  the  Colchester  votes 
should  be  counted,  that  the  Asseml)ly  refused 
a  reading  to  the  report.  Finally  the  ballot- 
ing in  the  Legislature,  greatly  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  Democrats,  showed  1 12  votes  for 
("hittenden  and  iii  for  Calusha.and  the  lat- 
ter was  declared  elected.  Two  days  later  the 
Democrats  offered  to  show  by  the  oaths 
of  one  hundred  and  twelve  members  that 
they  had  voted  for  (lalusha,  so  that  there 
was  an  error  or  fraud  in  the  result  as  de- 
clared, and  therefore  they  asked  that  the 
first  vote  be  counted  as  naught,  and  another 
one  taken.  A  long  debate  ensued,  but 
before  a  conclusion  was  reached  Chittenden 
and  ("hamberlain  appeared  in  the  House 
and  council,  took  the  oaths  of  office  and 
Chittenden  delivered  his  speech.  The  truth 
probably  was  as  developed  later,  that  one  of 
the  Democratic  assemblymen  was  bribed  to 
withhold  his  vote. 

Notwithstanding  this  scaly  \ictory,  the 
feeling  over  the  war  ran  so  high  that  the 
Federalists  won  again  in  18 14  by  a  narrow 
margin.  The  popular  vote  was  :  C'hittenden, 
17,466;  Galusha,  17,411;  scattering,  451. 
But  the  Federalists  had  a  stiff  majority  in 
the  Legislature  and  elected  Chittenden  again 
by  a  vote  of  123  to  94,  and  ('hamlierlain  by 
a  still  larger  majority.  But  the  next  year 
witnessed  a  merited  revolution  on  both  state 
and  national  lines,  (lalusha  defeated  Chit- 
tenden handsomely  at  the  ])olls,  18,055  to 
16,632.  'Ihe  next  year  the  Federalists  made 
Samuel  Strong  their  candidate  and  were 
worse  whipped,  17,262  to  13,888.  In  181  7 
the  Federalists  tried  Tichenor  again  for  a 
candidate  and  were  beaten  almost  two  to 
one,  13,756  to  7,430.  By  1819  there  was 
no  organized  opposition  to  ( ialusha  left,  less 
than  3,000  votes  being  cast  for  v'arious  can- 
didates against  him,  and  the  bulk  of  these 
for  other  Democrats,  W.  C.  Bradley  and 
Dudley  Chase. 


GAI.USIIA.  75 

Governor  Galusha  was  well  qualified  to 
bring  about  such  a  state  of  affairs.  A  plain 
farmer  without  jjretending  to  scholastic  at- 
tainments, but  with  commanding  native 
abilities,  his  thoroughly  democratic  man- 
ners and  habits  of  thought  ap])ealed  strongly 
to  a  constituency  of  yeomen.  .\  resolute 
fighter  and  skillful  campaigner,  he  had  too 
generous  a  nature  to  be  mean  or  vindictive 
and  too  jihilo.sophic  a  bent  of  mind  to  fail 
to  see  beyond  personal  interests  and  feelings 
to  the  larger  forces  involved  in  jjolitics. 
l'"ervently  jiatriotic,  his  voice  and  thought 
naturally  headed  the  sweep  of  sentiment 
that  followed  the  peace  after  the  last  war 
with  (Ireat  Britain,  while  his  c:omprehen- 
sive  understanding  and  his  humble,  nay, 
even  religious  devotion  of  the  best  there  was 
in  him  to  the  service  of  his  fellowmen  made 
him  a  most  useful  legislator  and  adminis- 
trator, though  never  very  original  or  sug- 
gestful  of  new  ideas. 

It  is  impossible  to  read  his  inaugiiral 
addresses,  elo(iuent  with  the  intensity  of 
sincerity,  without  comprehending  in  some 
measure  the  sources  of  his  ])ower.  For  in- 
stance, on  his  accession  to  power  in  i8og, 
after  one  of  the  most  heated  struggles,  there 
was  not  a  word  of  bitterness  toward  his  ad- 
versaries, no  epithet  worse  than  "misguided" 
for  the  "spirit  of  discord  and  disunion" 
that  had  been  so  ramjiant  in  New  Kngland, 
no  expression  but  of  "  gratitude  to  Heaven  " 
that  the  "  efforts  of  foreign  emissaries  and 
domestic  traitors"  had  "failed  to  distract 
and  divide  us,"  and  no  hope  worse  than 
that  "  the  talents,  the  wisdom  and  the  ener- 
gies of  the  states "  might  now  be  united, 
and  citizens  soon  "  lay  aside  all  party  feel- 
ings and  become  united  like  a  band  of 
brothers."  The  address  was  Jeffersonian, 
alike  in  the  shrewdness  with  which  it  was 
[jhrased  and  the  warmth  of  its  faith  in  human 
good.  He  had  a  kindly  word  to  say  of  the 
new  state's  prison  as  "an  humane  and  bene- 
ficent institution,"  but  he  wanted  a  strict 
in(|uiry  made  into  the  exjaenditures  for  its 
erection.  His  message  of  1S12  urged  the 
laying  aside  of  all  party  prejudices  and  unit- 
ing of  the  whole  people  in  the  common 
cause.  In  1815,  after  all  the  heated  struggles 
of  the  past  two  years,  the  only  lesson  he  had 
to  draw  was  that  "during  the  calm,"  since 
the  return  of  peace  to  the  country,  "we 
ought,  by  an  indissoluble  union,  to  be  pre- 
l)ared  for  any  storm  that  may  arise."  He 
pictured  the  triumph  of  ruthless  despotism 
in  every  part  of  the  Old  World,  and  besought 
the  ]ieople  solemnly  to  remember  that  "  of 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  "  they  "  alone 
were  left  to  support  a  government  whose 
basis  is  e(|ual  liberty  and  whose  sovereignty 
is  the  will  of  the  people." 


76 


CHITTENDEN. 


CHITTENDEN. 


His  message  of  1817  alluded  with  satisfac- 
tion to  the  "wide  and  recent  spiritual  har- 
vest" in  the  state,  in  the  shape  of  the  great 
religious  revival  of  that  year,  probably  the 
only  allusion  of  the  kind  ever  made  in  any 
governor's  message.  He  hailed  with  joy  the 
revolutionary  movements  in  South  .America, 
and  they  stimulated  for  him  beatific  visions 
of  the  future  of  humanity.  He  urged,  in 
1819,  legislation  to  free  the  bodies  of  debtors 
from  arrest  and  imprisonment  on  debts  of 
small  amount,  being  "of  opinion  that  more 
money  is  spent  in  the  collection  of  such 
debts  than  is  saved  by  the  collection,"  and 
arguing  that  it  would  be  a  benefit  to  "dis- 
courage credit."  He  advised  the  chartering 
of  agricultural  societies  throughout  the  state, 
by  "experiments,  proper  researches,  and  cor- 
respondence," to  improve  agriculture.  He 
was  always  an  earnest  supporter  and  presi- 
dent of  both  societies.  He  died  Sept.  24, 
1834,  his  last  years,  full  of  honor  and  con- 
tentment, having  been  passed  in  rural  enjoy- 
ment at  his  Shafcsbury  home.  He  was 
always  profoundly  religious  in  his  methods 
of  life,  of  thought  and  expression,  but  never 
joined  any  church,  though  he  announced 
his  intention  of  doing  so  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-nine, when  he  attended  a  protracted 
meeting  at  Manchester  and  took  an  active 
])art  in  the  exercises. 

His  first  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Gov. 
Thomas  Chittenden,  and  so  sister  of  his 
strongest  opponent  in  political  life,  and  by 
her  he  had  nine  children  —  five  sons  and  four 
daughters  ;  one  of  the  former,  Elon,  became 
an  eminent  Baptist  clergyman. 

He  rarely  failed  in  his  messages  to  urge 
the  encouragement  of  manufactures,  and  in 
that  of  18 10  said  :  "I  trust  the  time  is  not 
far  distant  when  the  citizens  of  these  United 
States,  instead  of  relying  on  foreign  coun- 
tries for  their  clothing,  will  be  able  not  only 
to  supply  their  own  wants,  but  to  export 
every  kind  of  cotton,  if  not  woolen  goods, 
and  restore  to  the  Union  that  portion  of 
specie  which  has  been  drawn  from  us  by  the 
exclusive  use  of  foreign  manufactured  goods." 

(iovernor  Galusha  retired  from  office  with 
expressions  of  affection  from  the  Legis- 
lature and  the  people,  second  only  to  those 
which  had  been  bestowed  on  Thomas  Chit- 
tenden. He  was  a  presidential  elector  in 
1808,  1820  and  1824,  and  a  member  of  the 
constitutional  conventions  of  18 14  and  1822. 

CHITTENDEN,  MARTIN.— Second  son 
of  Gov.  Thomas  Chittenden,  sixth  (jovernor, 
and  thirty  years  in  the  public  service  as 
judge,  congressman  and  legislator,  was  born 
at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  March  12,  1769,  and  was 
liberally  educated,  graduating  from  Dart- 
mouth   in    1 789.       He   inherited    much    of 


his  father's  aptitude  for  public  affairs  and 
many  of  his  popular  qualities,  so  that  the 
very  next  year  after  his  graduation  in  1790, 
he  was  elected  Jericho's  representative  and 
subsequently  for  eight  years,  and  W'illiston's 
two  years  after 
he  moved  to  that 
town.  He  was 
clerk  of  the  Chit- 
tenden county 
court  four  years, 
judge  ten  years, 
judge  of  probate 
two  years,  and.  a 
<lelegate  to  the 
'  o  n  s  t  itutional 
ronventions  of 
1791  and  1793. 
I  le  was  elected  a 
r  e  p  r  esentative 
in  Congress  in 
1 803  and  four 
times  re-elected,  until  his  elevation  to 
the  governorship  in  1813.  The  circum- 
stances of  that  election  and  suspicions 
surrounding  it  have  been  fully  explained 
in  the  sketch  of  Governor  Galusha.  Ver- 
mont was  the  one  New  P^ngland  state  that 
had  sustained  the  declaration  of  war  in  1812, 
had  cast  her  electoral  vote  for  Madison,  and 
the  revolution  of  181 3,  though  not  accom- 
plished by  the  vote  of  the  people,  produced 
a  deep  sensation  at  the  time,  all  the  more 
aggravating  because  of  the  obvious  unfair- 
ness and  dishonesty  that  brought  it  about, 
unfairness  in  excluding  the  votes  cast  at  Col- 
chester of  the  citizens  who  were  defending 
the  state — even  though  there  were  irregular- 
ities about  it — and  dishonesty  somewhere, 
somehow  in  the  final  vote  of  the  Legislature. 
His  re-election  in  18 14  bore  no  such  stigma, 
though  it  had  to  be  reached  through  the 
Legislature,  there  being  no  choice  by  the 
people  but  a  plurality  for  Governor  Galusha 
and  the  patriotic  side. 

(>o\ernor  Chittenden's  administration  was 
in  the  main  in  full  sympathy  with  the  anti- 
war element,  though  on  the  whole  it  may 
fairly  be  said  to  have  been  better  in  this 
respect  than  most  of  the  New  Kngland  ad- 
ministrations, and  the  Vermont  sentiment 
was  generally  better  than  that  of  the  sea- 
board states.  His  address,  in  18 13,  argued 
that  the  "conquest  of  Canada  of  which  so 
much  has  been  said,  if  desirable  at  all," 
would  be  "poor  compensation  for  the  sacri- 
fices" that  must  be  made,  and  in  1814  he 
reiterated  his  opinion  that  the  war  was  "un- 
necessary, unwise  and  hopeless,  in  all  its 
offensive  operations."  The  minority  of  the 
House,  89  in  the  former  year  and  82  in  the 
latter,  under  the  lead  of  William  .\.  Griswold, 
solemnly  entered  their  protest  on  the  journal 


CHITTENDEN. 


77 


against  such  sentiments,  and  against  the 
replies  which  the  House  had  by  a  ]jartisan 
vote  given  to  the  (Governor  in  echo  of  his 
words.  Governor  Chittenden  took  the 
ground  in  both  messages,  the  contempti- 
ble one  that  was  then  general  with  New 
England  executives,  that  the  militia  could 
not  be  ordered  out  of  the  state  for  the  com- 
mon defense,  or  to  "repel  invasion"  of  any 
e.xcept  the  state's  territory. 

In  November  of  that  year,  while  a  part  of 
the  3d  brigade  of  the  3d  division  of  the 
state  militia  was  about  Plattsburg,  "  under  the 
command  and  at  the  disposal  of  an  officer 
of  the  United  States,  out  of  the  jurisdiction 
or  control  of  the  executive  of  this  state," 
Governor  Chittenden  issued  a  proclamation 
reciting  this  lugubrious  situation,  and  the 
danger  to  "our  own  frontier,"  and  com- 
manding the  militia  "forthwith  to  return  "  to 
their  homes. 

The  order  was  received  with  hot  indigna- 
tion by  the  troops,  the  messenger  who  brought 
it  was  marched  by  force  out  of  camp,  and  the 
officers  united  in  a  reply  to  the  Governor 
declaring  that  "  an  invitation  or  order  to 
desert  the  standard  of  our  country  will  never 
be  obeyed  by  us,  although  it  proceeds  from 
the  Governor  and  captain-general  of  ^'er- 
mont."  They  told  him  flatly  that  the  proc- 
lamation was,  in  their  opinion,  "  a  renewed 
instance  of  that  spirit  of  disorganization  and 
anarchy  which  is  carried  on  by  a  faction,  to 
overwhelm  our  country  with  ruin  and  dis- 
grace," and  they  told  him  that  even  the  sol- 
diers of  the  line  regarded  it  "with  mingled 
emotions  of  pity  and  contempt  for  its  author 
and  as  a  striking  monument  of  his  folly."  Prob- 
ably it  was  the  most  extraordinary  military 
communication  of  its  kind  ever  framed,  and 
it  was  not  altogether  undeserved  or  without 
good  effect ;  for  the  next  year  when  General 
Macomb  wrote  of  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
again  towards  Plattsburg,  and  calling  for  "all 
the  assistance  in  his  power,"  Governor  Chit- 
tenden promptly  replied,  that  he  would  take 
"the  most  effectual  measure  to  furnish  such 
number  of  volunteers  as  may  be  induced  to 
turn  out."  He  insisted  that  he  was  not 
"authorized  by  the  constitution  or  laws  to 
order  the  militia  out  of  the  state,"  but  could 
request  them  logo,  and  he  "  recommended" 
the  officers  to  volunteer  to  go.  The  call  was 
grandly  responded  to  by  the  people,  fathers, 
sons,  and  veterans  of  the  Re^■olution,  from 
all  parts  of  the  state,  and  the  result  was  the 
glorious  victory  at  Plattsburg. 

Chittenden  could  not  help  feeling  the  in- 
spiration, and  as  the  British  army,  notwith- 
standing the  failure  of  Provost's  campaign, 
was  hovering  on  our  frontier,  the  Governor 
issued  a  proclamation,  Sept.  14,  exhorting 
the  people  to  defense.  "The  conflict  has 
become  a  common,  and  not  a  party  concern," 


he  said,  "and  the  time  has  now  arrived 
when  all  party  distinctions  and  animosities 
*  *  ought  to  be  laid  aside  :  that  every  heart 
may  be  stimulated,  and  every  arm  nerved  for 
the  protection  of  our  common  country,  our 
liberty,  our  altars,  and  our  firesides."  .And 
he  "enjoined"  upon  all  military  officers  to 
be  in  "a  complete  state  of  readiness  to 
march  at  a  moment's  warning,"  and  upon 
all  selectmen  and  civil  authorities  to  render 
all  aid  possible. 

It  was  good  talk  at  last,  after  victory  had 
been  seemingly  won  in  the  war,  but  it  did 
not  save  Chittenden  and  his  party  from 
defeat  and  emphatic  rebuke  at  the  polls  the 
next  September.  The  party  went  to  speedy 
ruin  in  the  state  and  nation,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor into  a  political  eclipse  from  which  he 
never  emerged  until  his  death,  Sept.  5,  1840, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 

Still  it  is  but  just  to  the  Governor  to  say 
that  these  positions  into  which  the  party 
passion  of  the  time  swept  him,  were  not 
natural  to  him.  His  blood  and  breeding 
were  patriotic,  and  his  real  feeling,  that 
which  finally  burst  partisan  bonds,  found 
expression  in  the  last  quoted  proclamation. 
He  was  constitutionally  moderate  and  tem- 
perate, and  broadly  intelligent  in  his  views, 
but  lacked  in  assertive  strength,  and  was  too 
apt  to  yield  to  the  counsels  of  party  leaders. 
In  his  personal  relations  he  was  kindly  and 
winning,  and  leaving  an  impress  of  large 
capacity  on  all  with  whom  he  came  into 
intercourse. 

SKINNER,   Richard.— The  seventh 
Governor,    con- 
gressman, judge, 
and    speaker  of 
t  h  e    Assembly, 
was    born    at 
l,itchfield,Conn., 
May    30,    1778, 
the  son  of  Gen. 
Timothy  Skin- 
ner ;  received  his 
legal    education 
at  the  famous  law 
school    in     that 
place,  and  came 
Id    Vermont    in 
"-  e  p  t  e  m  b  e  r  , 
1  799,  settling  at 
Manchester.     The    next   year   he    was    ap- 
pointed   state's    attorney    for     Bennington 
county  and  held  the  position  until  i<8i2,  and 
was  judge  of  probate  for  the  last  six  years  of 
this  time.     The  next  year,  in  18 13,  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  ser\ing  a  single  term, 
and  then  representing  his  town  in  the  state 
Legislature,  serving  for  two  years  and  being 
the  speaker  in  the  last,  1818.     He  was  also 
assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1815 


78 


VAN    NESS. 


and  1816,  and  in  18 17  was  elected  chief 
justice  but  declined  to  accept.  He  was 
again  state's  attorney  for  his  county  in  1819. 
In  1820  in  the  era  of  "good  feeling"  he  was 
elected  Governor  by  nearly  a  unanimous 
vote,  13,152  to  934  scattering.  He  was  re- 
elected in  1 82 1  with  still  greater  unanimity, 
12,434  to  163,  and  again  in  1822,  though 
the  record  of  the  vole  cannot  be  found.  He 
declined  further  re-election,  but  was  the 
next  fall  chosen  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  served  until  1829,  when  he 
retired  from  public  life  for  good,  and  died 
May  23,  1853,  from  injuries  received  by 
being  thrown  from  his  carriage  while  crossing 
the  Cireen  Mountains. 

'J"he  period  of  Governor  Skinner's  admin- 
istration was  in  the  years  of  cessation  from 
the  great  controversies  of  early  politics,  so 
that  there  was  no  chance  for  the  exhibition 
of  great  qualities  of  leadership.  His  state 
papers  had  the  clearness  and  force  which  are 
said  to  have  characterized  his  arguments  as 
a  lawyer,  and  were  always  severely  practical 
in  their  scope.  His  inaugural  address  of 
1820  advanced  some  suggestions  for  the  im- 
provement of  our  judicial  system,  especially 
on  the  chancery  side  and  with  regard  to  the 
probate  courts,  which  afterward  bore  good 
fruit.  He  pointed  out  that  the  difficulties 
which  had  become  so  serious  in  the  settle- 
ment of  estates  was  due  to  a  lack  of  clear 
apprehension,  that  our  whole  system  of  pro- 
bate law  must  be  essentially  different  from 
that  of  England,  whence  we  derived  our 
common  law.  He  expressed  disapproval  in 
this  address  in  emphatic  terms  of  the  Mis- 
souri compromise,  and  of  the  failure  of  the 
last  Legislature  to  instruct  the  state's  delega- 
tion to  vote  against  it.  He  also  expressed 
the  opinion,  in  his  address  in  182 1,  that  there 
could  "be  no  doubt  of  the  wisdom  and  jus- 
tice" of  a  protective  tariff  policy. 

He  was  president  of  the  northeastern 
branch  of  the  American  Educational  Society, 
and  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Middlebury  College,  which  institution  confer- 
red on  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 

In  personal  appearance  he  is  described  as 
of  ordinary  form  and  stature,  eyes  and  com- 
plexion dark,  and  hair  of  the  deepest  black. 
"Intellectually,"  says  Henry  R.  Minor,  Man- 
chester's historian,  "his  qualities  were  of  a 
kind  which  gain  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  mankind  rather  than  immediate  admi- 
ration." 

VAN  NESS,  Cornelius  P.— The  eighth 

Governor,  was  born  at  Kinderhook,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  26,  1782,  son  of  Peter  Van  Ness,  and  of 
a  wealthy  and  prominent  Dutch  family.  Two 
of  his  brothers  were  distinguished  in 
public  life.  Gen.  John  P.  ^'an  Ness,  congress- 
man, and    for  years   mayor  of  Washington, 


and  William  P.  Van  Ness,  United  States  dis- 
trict judge  for  New  York.  Judge  W.  W.  Van 
Ness,  the  distinguished  jurist  and  scholar,  was 
a  cousin. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  did  not  receive 
a  college   education,   though   designed  and 
prepared  for  it  by  his  father,  because  he  pre- 
ferred   a   c  o  m  - 
mercial  to  a  pro- 
fessional life.  He 
soon  changed  his 
mind,     however, 
and  studied  law 
in   the   office   ot 
his    brother, 
w  here     Martin 
^"an  liuren  was  a 
fellow  -  s  t  u  dent. 
Ileing    admitted 
t  o  t  h  e   bar,  h  e 
]iracticed   at 
Kinderhook    for 
two   vears    a  n  d 
then    came    to 
N'ermont,  first  settling  at  St.  .Albans  in  1806 
and  then  at    Burlington  in    1809.     He  was 
appointed  United  States  district  attorney  for 
this  state  in  1810  and  this  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  public   career   in    the    state   and 
Federal  field  that  lasted  for  more  than  thirty 
years. 

He  rapidly  rose  in  the  confidence  of  the 
Madison  administration  and  in  181 3  was 
appointed  collector  of  customs  at  Burling- 
ton, at  that  time  the  most  important  position- 
of  the  kind  in  the  county,  especially  so  be- 
cause of  the  necessity  the  administration  had 
found  of  getting  around  its  restriction  policy, 
by  admitting  importations  of  goods  from 
Montreal  under  the  legal  fiction  that  they 
were  goods  from  neutrals.  Mr.  Van  Ness 
handled  this  delicate  duty,  both  as  district 
attorney  and  collector,  with  tact  and  skill. 
He  held  the  latter  position  until  the  close  of 
the  war  and  then  was  appointed  one  of  the 
commissioners  under  the  treaty  of  Crhent  to 
settle  the  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  British  possessions,  a  task  to 
which  he  gave  a  large  part  of  his  time  for 
several  years,  but  without  coming  to  an  agree- 
ment with  the  British  commissioners. 

He  was  Burlington's  representative  in  the 
Legislature  from  1S18  to  1820,  chief  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  in  i82i-'22,  and  in 
1823  was  elected  Governor,  being  twice  re- 
elected, in  1824  and  1825,  until  he  declined 
further  service. 

He  was  at  this  time  at  the  height  of  his 
popularity  and  influence.  Nearly  twenty 
years  of  practice  had  brotight  him  to  rank 
with  the  half-dozen  leading  lawyers  of  the 
state,  in  an  era  that  has  not  been  surpassed 
for  brilliant  ability  at  the  bar.  He  had  for 
a   decade   been    supreme    in   wielding    the 


VAN    NESS. 


79 


federal  patronage  of  the  state  as  well  as  that 
of  state  affairs  while  (iovernor.  His  ad- 
ministration in  the  latter  office  had  been 
most  acceptable ;  first  elected  with  only 
1,431  votes  cast  against  him,  his  re-election 
in  1824  was  almost  as  unanimous' — with  only 
1,962  votes  cast  for  the  opposing  candidate, 
Joel  Doolittle, besides 346  scattering— and  in 
1825  it  was  so  strongly  so  that  no  record  is 
preserved  of  the  vote.  He  had  done  the 
honors  for  the  state  during  Lafayette's  visit 
in  a  manner  of  which  everybody  was  proud. 
The  favors  he  had  had  to  distribute  with 
the  genuine  good-fellowship  and  kindliness 
as  well  as  shrewd  discernment  and  knowledge 
of  men  which  he  had  shown,  had  attracted 
to  him  a  strong  following  of  devoted  friends. 
He  was  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the 
Democratic  development  upon  which  our 
institutions  had  entered,  and  he  had  to  some 
extent  led  and  directed  it.  And  his  wealth, 
with  the  generous  hospitality  he  dispensed, 
and  the  social  leadership  he  and  his  ac- 
complished wife  had  wielded  in  the  most 
cultivated  circles,  seemed  to  make  him  strong 
in  the  only  remaining  direction  where 
strength  was  needed. 

But  all  this  prestige  was  shattered  at  a 
single  blow,  which  sent  him  in  mortification 
into  political  exile.  He  desired  to  crown 
his  career  with  a  term  in  the  Senate,  and 
even  before  he  left  the  executive  chair,  laid 
his  plans  to  succeed  Horatio  Seymour  whose 
term  was  to  expire,  and  who,  it  was  generally 
understood,  would  not  seek  a  re-election  ; 
but  the  latter  was  finally  persuaded  to  do  so. 
It  was  at  the  time  of  a  reformation  of  party 
lines,  and  when  the  feeling  was  most  ran- 
corous between  the  adherents  of  Adams  and 
Jackson ;  antagonisms  that  for  years  had 
been  smouldering  against  Van  Ness  burst 
forth ;  men  whom  he  had  disappointed  in 
giving  out  offices  entered  the  field  actively 
against  him,  while  the  disposition  of  Ver- 
monters,  which  has  exhibited  itself  from  the 
beginning,  to  retain  senators  in  long  service, 
was  a  large  factor,  adding  much  to  the 
strength  which  his  talents  and  conciliating 
manners  gave  Mr.  Seymour.  It  was  the 
most  exciting  personal  fight  the  state  ever 
had,  and  few  in  the  country  have  e\er 
equalled  it.  Where  it  was  supposed  at  first 
Governor  Van  Ness  would  be  irresistible,  the 
result  was  left  doubtful  at  the  ]3olls  and  the 
fight  was  taken  to  the  Legislature  where  at 
length  Seymour  won  by  a  small  majority. 

Governor  Van  Ness  attributed  his  defeat 
to  the  influence  of  the  Adams  administration, 
and  issued  a  manifesto  to  the  peo])le  declar- 
ing hostility  to  Adams,  and  himself  went  to 
work  actively  to  pay  off  scores  by  organizing 
Jackson  support  in  the  state.  He  was  in- 
volved, as  a  consequence  of  the  manifesto, 
in  a  number  of  contro\ersies  with  men  who 


had  long  been  in  his  confidence  and  friend- 
shi]),  and  before  the  election  of  1828  his  old 
])ovver  had  been  pretty  generally  broken  and 
the  state  cast  its  vote  for  .Adams  by  a  strong 
majority. 

Shortly  after  Jackson's  inauguration,  how- 
ever, he  was  appointed  minister  to  Spain  and 
continued  to  occupy  this  position  for  about 
ten  years.  He  returned  to  the  country  and 
state  in  1840  and  made  a  determined  effort 
to  carry  Vermont  for  his  old  friend  Van  Huren, 
but  of  course  with  even  less  results  than  in  the 
campaign  of  1828,  and  the  next  spring  he 
shook  the  dust  of  Vermont  from  his  feet, 
and  took  up  his  home  in  New  York  City. 
He  was  after  this  for  a  year  and  a  half,  in 
i844-'45,  collector  of  the  port  of  New  York 
by  appointment  of  President  Tyler.  This 
was  his  last  political  position.  The  death  of 
his  brother,  General  Van  Ness,  at  Washing- 
ton, in  1846,  devolved  the  care  of  the  latter's 
estate  on  him  and  he  spent  much  of  his  time 
in  Washington  until  his  death,  Dec.  15,  1852, 
which  occurred  at  Philadelphia  while  he  was 
journeying  between  New  York  and  the  Cap- 
itol. 

G.  B.  Sawyer  in  an  obituary  sketch  of 
Governor  Van  Ness  in  the  New  York  liven- 
ing Post  just  after  his  death,  thus  summed  up 
his  character  :  "Governor  Van  Ness  neither 
felt  nor  affected  love  for  literature  ;  troubled 
himself  little  with  theoretical  speculations  or 
with  abstract  principles,  except  as  connected 
with  the  kindred  sciences  of  law  and  politics, 
which  few  men  more  thoroughly  studied  and 
understood  ;  this  concentration  of  mind  and 
effort  was  the  secret  and  the  source  of  his 
success.  Without  imagination,  using  lan- 
guage plain,  but  expressing  always  the  pre- 
cise idea  he  wished  to  convey,  disregarding 
decoration,  his  reasoning,  compacted  link 
within  link,  glowed  with  the  fire  of  earnest- 
ness and  conviction — or  rather  his  speech 
was  a  torrent  of  impassioned  argument,  as 
clear  as  it  was  rapid,  capable  of  sweeping 
away  juries  and  assemblies,  and  of  moving 
from  their  moorings  the  anchored  caution  and 
gravity  of  the  bench." 

The  most  considerable  monument  to  Go\- 
ernor  Van  Ness  in  our  statutes  is  the  act  of 
Oct.  25,  1824,  for  the  present  system  of 
choosing  presidential  electors,  which  was 
passed  in  pursuance  of  his  recommendation 
in  place  of  the  old  method  of  election  by  the 
Legislature.  He  made  many  valuable  sug- 
gestions for  legislation  regarding  the  militia 
and  imprisonment  for  debt,  and  was  par- 
ticularly clamorous  that  the  last  should  be 
abolished,  at  least  as  regards  females.  Each 
of  his  messages  argued  for  a  protective  tariff 
as  was  the  habit  of  all  the  old  1  )emocratic 
Governors,  and  he  took  what  afterwards  be- 
came solid  Whig  ground  as  to  internal  im- 
provements.    A  large  part  of  his  address  of 


1825  was  given  to  adiscussionof  the  projects 
for  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  Con- 
necticut and  the  junction  of  its  waters  by 
canal  with  those  of  Lakes  Memphremagog 
and  Champlain,  a  work  in  which  he  thought 
the  general  go\ernment  ought  to  assist  under 
the  "general  welfare"  clause  of  the  constitu- 
tion. 

Ciovernor  Van  Xess  was  twice  married, 
first,  March  5,  1804,  to  Rhoda,  daughter  of 
James  Savage  of  Chatham,  X.  V.,  who  died 
at  Madrid,  Spain,  July  18,  1834,  and  second 
to  a  Spanish  lady.  Three  sons  and  two 
daughters  were  the  fruit  of  the  first  union. 
The  second  son,  Cornelius,  went  to  Texas, 
where  he  was  secretary  of  state  at  the  time 
of  his  death  by  accident,  July  18,  1842.  The 
third  son,  George,  also  died  in  Texas  in 
1855,  being  then  a  collector  of  customs. 
Of  the  daughters,  the  eldest  married  Lord 
Onseley  of  the  British  legation  at  Washing- 
ton, and  the  second,  Cornelia,  a  famous 
belle  of  her  time,  married  Judge  J.  J.  Roose- 
velt of  the  New  York  Supreme  Court. 

BUTLER,  Ezra. — Legislator,  councilor, 
judge,  representative  in  Congress  and  Gov- 
ernor, was  another  Baptist  preacher  and 
Democrat.  He  was  a  native  of  Lancaster, 
Mass.,  the  fifth  of  seven  children  of  .Asaph 
and  Jane  (McAllister)  Butler,  and  born  Sept. 
24,  1763.  During  his  early  youth  his  father 
came  to  A\'est  Windsor  in  this  state,  but  the 
death  of  his  mother  necessitated  the  boy's 
spending  of  most  of  his  time  in  the  family  of 
an  older  brother,  and  his  taking  care  of  him- 
self after  he  was  fourteen,  with  only  six 
months  of  schooling.  He  went  to  work  on 
the  farm  of  Dr.  Stearns  at  Claremont,  N.  H., 
soon  having  the  entire  management  of  it.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revokitionary  army  and  early  in  17S5,  when 
twentv  vears  old,  having  spent  a  few  months 
in  Weathersfield,  he  and  his  brother  came  to 
Waterbury,  where  they  built  a  log  house,  to 
which  Mr.  Butler,  in  June  of  that  year, 
brought  his  bride.  Miss  Tryphena  Diggins, 
they  making  the  journey  into  the  wilderness 
on  horseback  by  way  of  a  bridle  path.  They 
were  the  second  family  to  settle  in  Water- 
bury  and  suffered  all  the  privations  and  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life.  He  afterward  built  the 
first  frame  house  in  town. 

The  town  of  Waterbury  was  organized  at 
a  meeting  in  1790,  and  Mr.  Butler  was  chos- 
en the  first  town  clerk,  and  for  the  next  forty 
years  he  was  constantly  in  the  public  service, 
frequently  holding  two  or  more  important 
positions  at  a  time,  so  that  if  we  count  the 
years  of  his  terms  of  office  they  make  over 
sixty-five.  He  was  town  representative  for 
eleven  years,  from  1794  to  1805,  excepting 
I  79S,  and  again  in  1807,  when  he  was  chos- 
en both  representative  and  member  of  the 


council,  and  acted  a  part  of  the  time  in  one 
body  and  a  part  in  the  other.  He  served  in 
the  council  sixteen  years,  1807  to  1826,  ex- 
cepting 1813  and  '14,  when  he  was  in  Con- 
gress. In  1803,  '04  and  '05,  he  was  assist- 
ant judge  of  the  county  court  of  Chittenden, 
to  which  Waterbury  then  belonged,  and  in 
1S06  to  '11  he  was  its  chief  judge.  In  1812, 
when  Jefferson  (now  Washington)  county 
was  organized,  he  was  elected  its  chief  jus- 
tice and  held  the  position  uninterruptedly 
except  for  the  two  years  of  his  congressional 
service,  until  1825,  when  the  present  judi- 
ciary system  was  formed,  and  he  was  elected 
first  assistant  judge.  In  1806  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Council  of  Censors,  and  in 
1822  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
that  year. 

He  was  a  vigorous  supporter  of  Jonas 
Galusha,  in  state  politics,  and  in  his  long 
and  active  ser\ice  in  the  Council  steadily  rose 
to  a  recognized  position  of  leadership.  But 
he  fought  for  his  beliefs  of  right  rather 
than  for  personal  advancement  and  he  was 
so  earnestly  conscientious  that  party  rewards 
came  slowly  to  him.  He  was  well  started  in 
that  way  when  in  181 2  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  on  a  general  ticket  with  James 
Fisk,  William  Strong,  W.  C.  Bradley,  Richard 
Skinner  and  Charles  Rich,  a  galaxy  of  talent 
that  has  ne\'er  been  surpassed  in  the  state's 
representation.  He  was  with  the  rest  an 
earnest  supporter  of  the  Madison  adminis- 
tration. But  the  New  England  revulsion 
against  the  war  gave  the  state  to  the  Fed- 
eralists in  1 8 14,  and  the  delegation  to  Con- 
gress was  entirely  changed.  But  Mr.  But- 
ler's constituents  were  prompt  to  return  him 
to  the  council  and  to  the  bench,  and  he  was 
regularly  re-elected  until  in  1826  he  was 
made  the  Democratic  candidate  for  (lover- 
nor  and  was  elected  and  re-elected  without 
any  party  putting  up  a  candidate  to  oppose 
him,  though  some  2,000  votes  were  cast  for 
Joel  Doolittle  at  each  election.  His  most 
notable  work  as  Governor  was  his  strenuous 
opposition  to  lotteries  as  expressed  in  both 
his  messages,  and  his  arguments  for  legislation 
to  abolish  or  minimize  imprisonment  for 
debt. 

He  declined  in  182S  to  be  a  candidate 
for  another  term  and  retired  to  private  life 
after  a  continuous  political  service  since 
1790.  But  he  went  into  the  anti-Masonic 
movement,  which  after  the  disappearance  of 
the  old  political  issues  now  swept  the  state, 
and  held  control  of  its  affairs  for  the  next 
few  years,  with  only  a  remnant  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic organization  to  stand  up  against  it. 
Mr.  Butler  was  one  of  the  electors  to  cast  the 
electoral  vote  of  the  state  in  1832  for  Wirt 
and  EUmaker.  He  had  before  been  a  Jef- 
ferson elector  in  1S04  and  a  Monroe  elector 
in  1820.     He  was  a  member  of  the  commit- 


tee  that  fixed  the  site  of  the  first  state  house 
in  Montpeher  and  of  the  commissioners  that 
located  the  state's  prison  and  state  arsenal 
and  made  the  plans  for  them.  He  was  a 
trustee  of  the  University  of  Vermont  from 
1810  to  1816.  With  the  other  party  leaders 
in  the  Legislature  of  1804  he  aided  in  the 
defeat  of  the  Massachusetts  proposal  of  a 
constitutional  amendment  to  exclude  slaves 
in  the  apportionment  for  representatives  in 
Congress,  arguing  that  this  was  one  of  the 
sacred  compromises  of  the  constitution  and 
thus  the  consideration  for  it  in  the  pro\ision 
which  Massachusetts  also  proposed  to  abolish 
for  the  apportionment  of  direct  taxes  by 
population  might  be  important  in  case  of  war. 

For  above  forty  years  he  was  an  elder  of 
the  Baptist  church,  its  pastor  at  W'aterbury, 
its  preacher  whenever  at  home  and  a  con- 
stant and  unremitting  teacher  of  religion 
wherever  he  was.  According  to  his  own 
account  he  was  an  irreligious  and  profane 
youth,  presumptuous  in  his  skepticism.  His 
conversion  was  brought  about  one  Sunday 
by  the  reading  with  his  wife  of  a  pamphlet, 
whose  beginning  and  end  were  gone  and 
whose  author  he  never  knew,  on  hereditary 
sin.  Its  perusal  threw  him  into  deep  and 
anxious  thought,  bordering  on  despair, 
which  lasted  for  several  days  until  he  was 
brought  "into  the  clear  light  and  liberty  of 
the  gospel."  In  a  few  months  he  was  bap- 
tized into  the  Baptist  church  and  when  a 
church  of  that  denomination  was  organized 
in  Waterbury  he  was  ordained  its  pastor  and 
continued  in  the  discharge  of  its  duties  until 
within  a  few  years  of  his  death,  July  12, 
1838,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  adding  this 
service  to  all  his  other  multifarious  cares 
as  legislator  and  judge,  and  political  leader, 
for  love  of  his  Maker  and  his  fellowmen, 
without  salary  or  remuneration  to  the  end. 

Rarely  indeed  does  any  man  hold  public 
confidence  as  Ezra  Butler  did.  He  had  not 
the  winning  presence  of  Fisk  or  Tichenor, 
or  the  learning  of  the  Bradleys,  or  the  tre- 
mendous popular  strength  of  Galusha,  but 
his  judgment  was  sound  and  penetrating,  his 
ideals  high,  his  purposes  pure,  his  methods 
always  painstaking,  and  his  appearance  al- 
ways that  of  intensest  sincerity.  This  is 
illustrated  by  the  tradition  that  after  one  of 
his  executive  speeches  a  man  in  the  gallery 
invited  the  audience  to  sing  "Hear."  He 
always  had  the  air  of  meekness  and  dignity 
characteristic  of  the  ministry,  and  one  that 
could  not  fail  to  command  respect. 

No  portrait  of  him  was  ever  painted — "He 
was  not  that  sort  of  a  man,"  replied  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family  to  an  inquiry  of  Governor 
Walton.  But  he  is  described  by  Rev.  C.  C. 
Parker  as  in  form  "slightly  stooping,  his 
complexion  sallow  and  dark,  and  his  whole 
appearance  quite  unprepossessing ;  but  his 


.JVf^i 


penetrating  black  eye  and  the  calm  tones  of 
his  voice  quickly  told  of  an  intellect  and  will 
of  no  common  order." 

CRAFTS,  Samuel  C- Governor,  sen- 
ator, and  rep- 
resentative in 
Congress,  filled 
nearly  e\ery 
office  within 
the  gift  of  the 
people  of  Ver- 
mont, being  in 
continuous 
]j  u  b  1  i  c  service 
for  fifty  years 
or  more.  He 
was  born  in 
\V  oodstock, 
Conn.,  Oct.  6, 
1768,  the  son 
of  Col.  Eben- 
ezer  Cralts,  a  tirst  and  leading  settler  of 
Craftsbury,  and  in  honor  of  whom  the  town 
was  named.  The  son  was  liberally  educated 
and  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1790,  then 
accompanied  his  father  into  the  wilderness, 
and  two  years  later,  on  the  organization  of 
the  town  of  Craftsbury,  was  elected  its  first 
town  clerk,  and  held  the  position  for  thirty- 
seven  consecutive  years,  even  while  his  pub- 
lic duties  called  him  away  from  home  a 
large  part  of  the  time.  He  was  in  the  con- 
vention to  revise  the  state  constitution  in 
I  793,  being  its  youngest  member,  and  even 
then  showed  the  marked  aptitude  for  pubhc 
affairs  that  achieved  his  distinguished  career. 
In  1796  he  was  Craftsbury's  rei^resentative  in 
the  General  Assembly,  in  1798  and  1799  he 
was  clerk  of  the  House,  and  the  next  year  was 
again  on  the  floor,  being  re-elected  in  1801, 
1803,  and  1805.  He  was  register  of  pro- 
bate for  the  Orleans  district  from  1796  to 
18 1 5,  judge  of  the  Orleans  county  court  from 
1800  to  1810,  and  chief  judge  for  the  next 
six  years,  and  twenty  years  later,  from  1836 
to  1838,  after  he  had  filled  the  highest  posi- 
tions in  the  state,  he  was  clerk  of  the  court. 
In  1809  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  ex- 
ecutive council,  serving  for  three  years,  and 
again  from  1825  to  1827.  At  this  time  also, 
from  1825  to  1S28,  he  was  again  chief  judge 
of  his  county  court. 

In  1816  he  was  elected  representative  in 
Congress  and  served  eight  years,  until  1S25, 
usefully  and  industriously,  but  without  any 
great  distinction  or  prominence  in  the  na- 
tional battles  of  those  times.  Indeed,  he 
was  seldom  heard  in  debate  in  either  state 
or  national  halls,  for  he  had  little  faith  in  the 
good  of  speech-making.  Afterward  he  was 
senator  for  a  few  months,  from  December,  '42, 
to  March,  '43,  being  appointed  by  Governor 
Faine,  and  then  also  chosen  by  the   I.egisla- 


ture,  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge 
Prentiss,  who  had  resigned  to  accept  the  of- 
fice of  United  States  district  judge. 

In  1828,  after  his  last  term  in  the  council, 
he  was  elected  Governor  and  re-elected  in 
1829  and  '30.  His  first  election,  which  was 
substantially  without  opposition,  as  Van 
Ness'  and  Butler's  had  been,  closed  the  "era 
of  good  feeling"  in  state  politics.  The  vote 
in  1828  was  16,285  for  him  and  916  for  Joel 
Doolittle.  The  two  parties  had  already 
taken  lines  under  the  names  of  "National 
Republican"  and  the  "Jackson  Party"  or 
"Democrats,"  with  the  Anti-Masons  soon 
to  appear,  and  in  1829  the  vote  was  14,325 
for  Crafts,  3,973  for  Joel  Doolitde,  and 
7,347  for  Heman  .\)\en,  of  Highgate,  then  of 
Burlington,  whom  the  ,\nti-Masons  sup- 
ported, though  he  had  refused  to  identify 
himself  with  them.  But  in  1S30  the  Anti- 
Masons  had  become  so  strong  as  to  prevent 
an  election  by  the  people.  The  vote  was 
13,476  for  Crafts,  10,923  for  William  A. 
Palmer,  Anti-Mason,  and  6,285  for  Ezra 
Meech,  Democrat,  with  37  scattering.  This 
threw  the  election  into  the  Legislature,  where 
the  Democrats  substituted  William  C.  Brad- 
ley for  Meech  as  their  candidate,  and  thirty- 
two  ballots  were  required  to  reach  a  result. 
Crafts  was  finally  elected  by  eight  of  the 
Anti- Masons  and  some  of  the  scattering 
votes  going  to  his  support.  The  next  year 
the  Anti-Masons  had  a  strong  plurality  lead 
in  the  popular  vote,  and  won  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, though  a  portion  of  the  National  Re- 
publicans supported  Governor  Crafts  in  the 
balloting,  endeavoring  to  compromise  on  him 
when  it  was  evident  that  their  candidate, 
Heman  Allen,  could  not  be  elected. 

Clovernor  Crafts'  address  in  1829  was  the 
first  to  treat  of  the  evils  of  intemperance,  and 
he  urged  higher  licenses  and  more  stringent 
regulation  of  public  houses  to  check  the 
"free  indulgence  in  the  use  of  spirituous 
liquors."  He  advanced  in  his  message  of 
1828  what  may  be  called  the  germ  idea  of 
our  present  town  system  of  schools,  and  he 
urged  the  system  of  highway  taxes  that  has 
since  been  adopted.  He  was  able  to  see 
into  the  future  even  beyond  today,  when 
he  said  in  his  message  of  1830  :  "The  state 
of  Vermont,  possessing  a  salubrious  climate, 
a  productive  soil,  much  mineral  wealth,  an 
immense  amount  of  water  power,  and  an  in- 
dustrious, enterprising  and  intelligent  popu- 
lation, seems  destined  to  become,  when  the 
natural  resources  shall  be  fully  developed,  a 
very  important  member  of  our  great  family  of 
states.  If  some  safe,  cheap  and  expeditious 
means  of  communication  with  the  market 
towns  be  constructed,  no  part  of  the  Union 
would  offer  more  eligible  situation  for  some 
branches  of  manufacture  than  Vermont." 

Governor  Crafts,  after  his  retirement,  was 
president  of  the  constitutional  convention  of 


1829  and  was  an  elector  on  the  Harrison 
ticket  in  1S40. 

Personally  he  was  modest  and  unassum- 
ing— not  "  magnetic  "  in  leadership,  but  with 
a  profound  power  of  inspiring  confidence  ; 
scholarly  in  habit,  especially  in  dealing  with 
practical  affairs,  he  became  in  the  course  of 
his  long  life  an  almost  exhaustless  storehouse 
of  information  which  he  gathered  from  every 
side.  In  June,  1802,  when  there  were  but 
few  log  huts  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Cincinnati,  he  commenced  a  tour  of  obser- 
vation to  the  lower  Mississippi,  and  in  com- 
pany with  Michaux,  the  younger,  made  a 
botanical  reconnoissance  of  the  valley  of  the 
Great  \\'est  in  canoes  and  arks.  All  the 
sciences,  including  natural  history,  geology, 
mineralogy,  astronomy,  as  well  as  the  higher 
mathematics,  were  the  objects  of  study  and 
extensive  reading  and  some  writing  by  him 
all  his  life.  While  in  college  he  calculated  a 
transit  of  Venus,  the  first  achievement  of 
the  kind  that  had  ever  been  made  by  an 
undergraduate  at  Harvard.  He  was  also  an 
accomplished  student  of  architecture,  ser\'- 
ing  on  the  committee  of  public  buildings  in 
Congress,  and  the  noble  structure  of  a  state 
house  was  a  monument  of  his  learning  until 
it  was  burned  in  1857.  Above  all  was  he  a 
student  of  the  Bible,  and  the  most  honorable 
station  he  ever  filled,  in  his  view,  was  that  of 
.Sunday  school  teacher,  whose  duties  he  faith- 
fully performed  whenever  at  home,  giving 
freely  of  his  vast  and  varied  knowledge  to 
illuminate  the  text.  He  was  active  in  every 
good  work,  serving  on  the  official  boards  of 
the  various  state  benevolent  societies.  He 
died,  Nov.  19,  1853,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five. 

Governor  Crafts  married,  in  i  798,  Eunice 
Todd,  a  sister  of  the  famous  alienist,  Dr.  Eli 
Todd,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  by  whom  he 
had  two  children,  one  son  and  one  daughter. 
The  former  died  while  at  college  at  Burling- 
ton, and  the  latter  married  N.  S.  Hill,  treas- 
urer of  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont. 

PALMHR,  William  A.— The  eleventh 
(lovernor  of  the 
state,  judge,  leg- 
islator and  Fed- 
eral senator,  was 
another  leader  of 
Connecticut  ori- 
gin, born  at  He- 
bron, Conn., 
Sept.  12,  1 781, 
the  son  of  Joshua 
and  Susanna  Pal- 
mer, of  a  family 
that  had  emi- 
grated from  Eng- 
land before  the 
Revolution,  and 
was  full  of  intel- 
lectual and  physical  vigor.     Of  the  Gover- 


83 


mor's  seven  brothers  and  sisters,  all  ii\eil  to 
the  age  of  eighty  or  upward.  He  had  only  a 
common  school  education,  but  an  accident 
by  a  fall  on  the  ice  with  an  axe  lost  him  the 
•use  of  a  part  of  one  of  his  hands  and  unfitted 
him  for  manual  labor,  so  that  he  studied  law 
with  Judge  Peters,  and,  after  coming  to  \'er- 
mont,  with  Daniel  Buck  at  Chelsea,  ])rac- 
ticed  a  few  years  at  St.  Johnsbury  and  then 
moved  to  Danville,  where  in  after  years  he 
devoted  most  of  the  time  that  he  was  free 
•from  public  cares  to  agriculture.  He  was 
for  eight  years  county  clerk  and  judge  of 
probate  of  Caledonia  county  and  served  one 
year  as  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1816, 
refusing  a  further  election.  He  was  si.x  times 
elected  representative  from  Danville. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Jeffersonian  Demo- 
crat, and  during  the  ascendency  of  that  party 
in  the  state,  until  the  .\nti-Masonic  break-up, 
was  one  of  its  most  potent  leaders.  In  18 17 
he  was  elected  United  States  senator  to  suc- 
ceed James  Fisk,  resigned,  and  then  for  a 
full  term  of  six  years,  closing  in  1825.  He 
had  for  several  years  been  under  something 
of  a  cloud  of  unpopularity,  because  of  his 
vote  for  the  Missouri  compromise,  and  be- 
fore that  in  favor  of  admitting  the  state  with 
the  constitution  which  she  had  herself 
adopted,  though  it  allowed  slavery.  He  was 
practically  the  only  senator  from  the  state 
who  ever  cast  a  vote  on  slavery's  side.  But 
he  always  maintained  to  his  dying  day  that 
the  vote  was  right,  not  because  he  approved 
of  slavery,  but  because  he  stood,  even  at  that 
early  day,  on  what  afterwards  became  the 
Douglas  idea  of  squatter  sovereignty  as  the 
only  doctrine  consistent  with  the  com- 
promises of  our  constitution.  Returning  to 
his  home  in  Danville  he  was  the  next  year 
elected  again  to  the  Legislature,  and  re- 
elected in  1827. 

He  was  elected  Governor  in  1S31,  and 
re-elected  till  1835.  He  had  in  1S.50  been 
the  candidate  of  the  new  and  rapidly  rising 
element  that  called  itself  the  Anti-Masonic 
party,  and  obtained  so  strong  a  vote  as  to 
throw  the  election  into  the  Legislature  as 
detailed  in  the  sketch  of  Governor  Crafts. 
At  the  1 83 1  election.  Palmer  and  the  .Anti- 
Masons  were  in  a  strong  lea:d  in  the  popular 
vote,  it  standing  15,258  for  Palmer,  12,990 
for  Heman  Allen,  National  Republican,  and 
6,158  for  Ezra  Meech,  Democrat.  No 
party  had  a  majority  in  the  Legislature,  and 
it  took  nine  ballots  and  a  heated  contest  to 
elect  Palmer,  and  this  was  only  accomplished 
by  one  majority,  due  to  a  break  among  the 
National  Republicans  in  trying  to  transfer 
their  support  from  .Allen  to  Governor  Crafts. 

In  1832  again  there  was  no  election  by  the 
people.  The  National  Republicans  returned 
again  to  Governor  Crafts,  whom  they  had 
found  to  be  their  strongest  candidate,  and 


gave  him  15,499  votes,  while  Palmer  had 
17,318,  and  Meech  8,210.  It  took  forty- 
three  l)allots  in  the  Legislature  to  re-elect 
(Governor  Palmer,  with  barely  two  majority, 
and  this  result  was  finally  due  to  the  aid  of  a 
few  friends  of  Crafts.  In  1833  the  National 
Republicans  had  gone  out  entirely  or  been 
absorbed  by  the  .Anti-Masons,  owing  to  a 
combination  of  both  national  and  state 
causes,  and  the  Democrats  were  the  only 
party  to  stand  up  with  any  show  against 
the  new  party.  The  \ote  was  20,565  for 
Palmer,  15,683  for  Meech  (Dem.),  1765  for 
Horatio  Seymour,  772  for  John  Roberts,  and 
120  scattering.  This  was  the  only  election 
Governor  Palmer  received  by  a  majority  vote 
of  the  people.  By  1834  the  Whigs  had  got 
well  organized  under  the  lead  of  Horatio 
Seymour,  and  the  vote  was  17,131  for 
Palmer,  10,365  for  William  C.  Bradley 
(Dem.),  and  10,159  for  Seymour;  but  Pal- 
mer was  elected  on  the  first  ballot  in  the 
Legislature,  getting  126  out  of  the  168  votes 
cast.  This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  both  par- 
ties, anticipating  the  early  collapse  of  the 
Anti-Masons  as  a  political  organization,  were 
playing  to  catch  the  pieces.  Seymour  had 
published  a  letter  announcing  that  he  would 
not  be  a  candidate  in  the  General  Assembly 
against  Governor  Palmer,  and  the  vote  indi- 
cates that  Bradley  or  the  Democratic  leaders 
had  been  conveying  the  same  assurances 
privately. 

In  1835  Governor  Palmer  still  led  in  the 
popular  vote,  16,210  for  him  to  13,254  for 
Bradley,  and  5,435  for  Paine,  Whig,  but 
could  not  win  in  the  Legislature,  and  after 
sixty-three  ballots  without  any  choice,  the 
highest  vote  for  Palmer  being  112,  Bradley 
73,  and  Paine  45,  the  effort  was  given  up, 
and  Jennison,  who  had  been  chosen  Lieuten- 
ant-Cio\ernor,  had  to  take  the  executive 
chair.  .AH  the  rest  of  the  .Anti- .Masonic  ticket 
except  Governor  Palmer  had  been  indorsed 
by  the  Whigs,  and  the  combination  to  defeat 
the  Ciovernor  was  due  to  the  recollection  of 
his  Democratic  proclivities  and  the  belief 
that  he  purposed  to  support  Van  Buren  for 
the  presidency  the  next  year. 

Governor  Palmer  had  been  the  .Anti-Ma- 
sonic leader  because  he  profoundly  believed 
in  the  evil  of  all  secret  societies.  He  was 
never  a  member  of  any  of  them  or  of  any 
similar  social  organization.  But  he  did  not 
take  any  such  radical  grounds  in  his  mes- 
sages as  might  have  been  expected.  In  his 
first  address  in  1831  he  declared  his  purpose 
to  appoint  to  ofifice  only  men  who  were  "un- 
shackled by  any  earthly  allegiance  except  to 
the  constitution  and  laws,"  and  he  suggested 
legislation  to  prohibit  the  administration  of 
oaths  except  "when  necessary  to  secure  the 
faithful  discharge  of  public  trusts  and  to 
elicit  truth  in  the  administration  of  justice," 


JENNISON. 


and  to  "diminish  the  frequency"  of  even 
these,  because  of  the  "influence  which  they 
exercise  over  the  human  mind."  He  reiter- 
ated these  recommendations  in  subsequent 
messages. 

He  followed  up  the  denunciations  of  the 
previous  Governors  of  the  system  of  im- 
prisonment for  debt,  which  he  pronounced 
"a  relic  of  a  dark  age,  and  a  barbarous 
code,"  and  declared  to  be  inconsistent  with 
the  constitution  of  the  state  as  it  was,  "ex- 
cept where  a  strong  presumption  of  fraud" 
could  be  shown.  He  took  occasion  in  his 
1834  message  to  disapprove  President  Jack- 
son's severe  measures  against  the  national 
bank  as  "pernicious  in  their  consequences, 
and  altogether  unwarrantable,"  though  he 
admitted  the  misconduct  of  the  bank  and  the 
dangerous  features  of  its  charter,  to  whose 
renewal  he  was  opposed  "  in  its  present 
form."  The  latter  declaration  was  the  reason 
of  the  Whig  bitterness  towards  him. 

In  1837  Governor  Palmer  was  again  re- 
turned to  the  Legislature,  being  elected 
county  senator,  and  with  this  service  he 
closed  his  public  career,  retiring  to  his  farm 
in  Danville,  where  he  lived  in  honored  ease 
until  his  death,  Dec.  3,  i860,  at  the  age  of 
se\enty-nine.  He  had  in  his  later  years 
been  so  subject  to  epileptic  fits  as  to  become 
a  great  source  of  trouble  and  anxiety  to  his 
friends  and  family. 

The  Governor  was  a  very  popular  man 
personally,  and  also  a  good  manager  in  po- 
litical contests,  and  hard  to  beat  when  up  as 
a  candidate.  He  was  charitable  to  a  fault, 
as  is  sometimes  said,  frequently  giving  to  his 
own  hurt  financially,  and  at  his  death  he  was 
comparatively  poor.  He  was  often  consulted 
as  an  adviser  by  his  townsmen  and  others, 
and  his  opinion  was  always  considered  valu- 
able— and  quite  usually  acted  upon.  He 
was  certainly  a  man  of  "  strong  natural  abil- 
ity, possessing  a  decided  and  penetrating 
mind,"  and  with  such  an  "  unpretending 
simplicity  of  manners,"  as  inevitably  made 
him  a  popular  favorite. 

He  married  in  September,  1813,  at  Dan- 
ville, Miss  Sarah,  third  daughter  of  Capt. 
Peter  and  Sarah  Blanchard  of  Danville,  who 
had  removed  to  Vermont  from  Concord,  N. 
H.,  in  I  790  or  before.  The  Governor  and 
wife  had  seven  children  in  all,  two  daughters 
dying  in  infancy ;  five  boys  lived  to  man- 
hood :  William  B.,  Abial  O.,  Henry  Wirt, 
Edward  Carter,  and  Franklin  Rolfe,  all  ex- 
cept Edward,  who  died  in  1SS8,  residing  in 
Danville. 

JENNISON,  Silas  H.— Governor  of  the 
state  in  iS36and  for  the  six  years  following, 
was  the  last  of  the  Clovernors  to  secure  such 
repeated  re-elections,  and  the  first  who  was 
native  born.      He  was  born  in  Shoreham, 


May  17,   1 791,  the  son  of  Levi  and  Ruth 
Hemenway  Jennison.     His  father  died  when 
he  was  only  a  year  old,  but  his  mother  was  a 
woman  of  uncommon  strength  of  character, 
and  to  her  very 
largely  was  due 
his    success    in 
after  life,  as   is 
the     case    with 
most  great  men. 
He  had  to  work 
hard    in     his 
youth,     attend- 
ing school  only 
a    few    weeks 
each    year,    but 
with    the    en- 
couragement of 
his  energetic,  in- 
dustrious    and 
ambitious  moth- 
er, he  secured  an  education  by  omniverous 
reading,  devoting  his  nights   to   study  and 
reciting  to  Mr.  Sisson,  a  neighbor.     .And  he 
kept  up  this  habit  of  study  all  through  his 
life,  storing  his  mind  with   information,  so 
that  though   he  was    never  a  speaker  and 
never  engaged  in  public  debate,  the  weight 
and    solidity    of  his   attainments,   with    his 
faculty  of  facile  and  accurate  transaction  of 
public  business,  won  him  prominence.     He 
early  became  an  expert  in  mathematics  and 
surveying. 

He  represented  his  town  1826  to  1831, 
was  assistant  justice  of  the  county  court  six 
years,  i82g-'35,  councilor,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor in  1835,  acting  also  as  Governor,  as 
there  was  no  choice  by  the  people  or  in  the 
Legislature,  as  explained  in  the  sketch  of 
Governor  Palmer.  He  was  then  elected 
Governor  in  1836  as  a  whig,  by  a  vote  of 
20,471  over  \\illiam  C.  Bradley,  who  had 
16,1 24.  He  issued  a  proclamation  this  year, 
during  the  rebellion  in  Canada,  warning 
against  any  violation  of  the  neutrality  laws, 
as  there  was  much  sympathv  among  our 
people  with  the  rebels. 

The  proclamation  affected  his  popularity 
for  the  time  being,  but  in  the  end  only  in- 
creased it,  as  his  firmness  and  good  judg- 
ment came  to  be  appreciated.  The  Demo- 
crats, however,  took  advantage  of  the  feeling 
to  make  a  sharp  canvass  against  him  in 
1837,  but  he  was  re-elected  with  an  increase 
of  187  in  his  majority.  In  1838  it  was  in- 
creased 1,024  more,  though  so  able  and 
strong  a  man  had  been  his  competitor  each 
year.  The  next  year  the  Democratic  fight 
was  made  under  the  cry  of  "Simlie  and  Bank 
Reform,"  with  Nathan  Simlie  as  the  candi- 
date, and  Jennison's  majority  was  cut  to 
2,354.  But  in  the  Harrison  log-cabin  year, 
1840,  he  got  a  majority  of  10,798,  after  the 
most  exciting  canvass  he  ever  had.     In  the 


MA'nncKs. 


85 


Legislature,  and  as  Governor,  he  interested 
himself  largely  in  the  subject  of  the  grand 
list  and  problems  of  taxation.  At  the  close 
of  his  term  in  1841  he  declined  re-election. 
But  he  served  for  six  years  after  this  as 
judge  of  probate,  1 841 -'4  7,  and  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1S43,  and  he  died  in  September,  1849,  after 
a  protracted  illness. 

Governor  Jennison,  who  was  of  tall,  stately 
build,  and  unaffected,  cordial  manners,  was 
a  man  of  cultivated  tastes,  clear-viewed  on 
public  (piestions,  and  prudent  and  correct  in 
administration.  .As  a  political  leader  he  was 
a  man  of  uncommon  shrewdness  and  percep- 
tion, of  winning  lines  of  argument,  and  he 
was  one  of  the  half-dozen  leaders  to  whom  it 
was  due  that  out  of  the  .Anti-Masonic  shake- 
up  the  U'higs  brought  such  growingly  secure 
control  of  the  state,  to  hand  down  to  the 
Republicans  after  them. 

PAINE,  Charles. — (;overnorof  the  state 
in  i84i-'43,  the  youngest  man  who  had  ever 
held  the  office,  one  of  the  leading  projectors 
of  the  Vermont  Central  R.  R.,  and  its  first 
president,  was  the  son  of  Judge  F^lijah  Paine, 
and  was  born  .April  15,  1799.  He  inherited 
his  father's  executive  ability  and  bold  con- 
ceptions of  mind  and  enterprise  of  spirit, 
with  even  more  than  his  benevolence,  be- 
cause of  the  easier  lines  on  which  his  life 
was  cast.  His  last  work,  where  he  lost  his 
life,  fitly  supplementing  what  he  had  done  in 
Vermont,  was  exploring  a  route  in  Texas  for 
a  Pacific  railroad. 

He  was  well  educated,  graduated  from 
Harvard,  and  was  intended  for  a  profession, 
but  instead  took  hold  of  his  father's  business 
matters,  showing  such  an  efficiency  and  grasp 
of  affairs  as  pointed  out  the  proper  career 
for  him.  The  great  ambition  of  his  young 
manhood  was  the  building  of  the  \'ermont 
Central  R.  R.  He  interested  foreign  capital 
in  it,  and  Oct.  11,  1848,  he  rode  on  the  first 
train  into  Northfield,  where  he  had  settled. 
He  l)uilt  and  conducted  for  years  the  large 
hotel  at  Depot  Village,  and  was  all  his  days 
engaged  in  important  enterprises.  Like  his 
father,  he  was  interested  in  agriculture,  and 
imported  a  full-blooded  Durham  into  town 
to  improve  the  breeding  of  the  cattle  there. 
He  was  elected  Governor  in  1841  as  a  whig, 
being  re-elected  the  next  year.  He  had  for 
several  years  been  prominent  in  his  party,  and 
had  been  its  candidate  as  far  back  as  1835, 
when  its  resurrection  began  from  the  ruins  of 
Anti-Masonry,  as  explained  in  the  sketch  of 
(jovernor  Palmer.  There  were  no  great  feat- 
ures to  his  administration,  though  it  was  busi- 
ness-like in  its  conduct,  and  his  messages 
gave  considerable  prominence  to  topics  of 
■education. 


lie  donated  the  land  on  which  the  Xorth- 
field  .Academy  was  built,  giving,  besides,  an 
excellent  apparatus  and  S500  in  cash.  He 
built  entirely  with  his  own  funds  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  I  )epot  Village.  He 
bequeathed  to  the  Catholic  church  the  land 
for  its  church  and  cemetery,  and  he  also 
gave  the  land  for  the  beautiful  Elmwood 
cemetery  at  that  place.  He  was  a  man  of 
too  broad  mind  to  be  sectarian  in  his  gen- 
erous impulses,  and  his  charities  always  ex- 
tended to  the  most  diver.se  objects.  His 
views  were  epitomized  in  his  will,  which, 
leaving  all  details  to  the  trustees,  required 
them,  after  "assisting  such  persons  as  they 
may  think  have  any  claim  arising  from  con- 
sanguinity, friendship  or  obligation"  in- 
curred by  him,  "to  use  and  appropriate  what- 
e\er  property  I  may  die  possessed  of  for  the 
best  good  and  welfare  of  my  fellowmen,  to 
assist  in  the  improvement  of  mankind,  re- 
commending that  they  do  it  without  sec- 
tarianism or  bigotry  according  to  the  inten- 
tion of  that  God  whose  will  is  found  in  the 
law  of  the  Christian  religion  in  which  I  be- 
lie\e  and  trust." 

This  will  is  not  lawyer-like,  could  not 
stand  under  the  law  of  trusts  as  expounded 
by  the  courts  nowadays,  and  notably  in  the 
Tilden  case,  but  it  is  noteworthy  as  showing 
the  character  of  the  man. 

His  career  was  cut  short  by  his  death  in 
Texas,  as  above  stated,  after  only  twenty-six 
days'  illness,  July  6,  1853,  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  only  fifty-four. 

In  personal  appearance  he  is  described  by 
a  friend,  Rev.  E.  Gannett,  D.  D.,  as  of 
"erect  form,  open  face,  and  princely  de- 
meanor, always  with  words  of  cordial  greet- 
ing." 

MATTOCKS,  JOHN.— A  distinguished 
lawyer,  briefly  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  1832,  ( Governor  in  iS43,and  three  times  a 
representative  in  Congress,  was  born  at  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  March  4,  1777,  the  son  of  Samuel 
Mattocks,  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  who  afterwards  came  to  Vermont,  be- 
came prominent  in  the  early  days,  represent- 
ing Tinmouth  in  the  Legislature  for  four  years, 
being  judge  and  chief  justice  of  the  l^utland 
county  court  for  five  years,  serving  in  the 
ninth  council,  succeeding  Ira  Allen  as  state 
treasurer,  and  holding  the  position  fourteen 
years,  from  1786  to  1800. 

John  Mattocks  was  only  a  year  old  when 
his  father  moved  from  Connecticut  to  Tin- 
mouth,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  went  to  live 
with  his  sister,  Rebecca  Miller,  at  Middle- 
l)ury  for  two  or  three  years,  where  he  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Samuel 
Miller,  completing  it,  however,  at  Fairfield, 
under  Judge  Bates  Turner,  and  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in   February,  1797.     He 


commenced  practice  at  Danville,  but  soon 
after  moved  to  Peacham,  where  he  carved 
out  his  successful  career.  He  was  Peacham's 
representative  in  the  General  Assembly  in 
i8o7-'i5-'i6-'23-'24,  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1836,  and  was 
first  elected  to  Congress  in  1820,  then  in 
1824,  and  again  in  1840.  He  joined  the 
Whig  party  as  soon  as  it  was  formed,  and 
was  an  unyielding  adherent  of  that  organiza- 


tion to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was  chosen 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1832,  but 
declined  a  re-election  the  following  year.  ■ 
He  devoted  himself  to  his  professional  prac- 
tice for  the  next  four  years,  until  in  1S43 
the  Whigs  nominated  him  for  Governor  and 
elected  him  by  a  vote  of  24,465  to  21,982 
for  Judge  Daniel  Kellogg,  Democrat,  and 
3,766  for  Charles  K.Williams. 

He  was  in  1806  one  of  the  thirteen  direc- 
tors of  the  Vermont  State  Bank,  and  a  brig- 
adier-general of  the  state  militia  in  1812. 

As  a  lawyer  Governor  Mattocks  was  often 
likened  to  the  great  Jeremiah  Mason  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  was  especially  strong  before 
a  jury,  with  a  concentration  of  mind,  a  power 
of  analysis  and  illustration,  a  capacious  mem- 
ory that  was  a  storehouse  of  argument,  and  a 
clear  and  convincing  way  of  statement  that 
were  apt  to  make  him  irresistible.  He  was 
keen  and  searching  on  cross-examination, 
and  his  knowledge  of  practical  life  and  his 
quickness  of  judgment  of  human  nature, 
made  him  a  very  shrewd  and  adroit  mana- 
ger of  cases.     In  Congress  his  most  notable 


speech  accompanied  the  presentation  of  ai 
petition  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the 
District  of  Columbia.  His  personal  de- 
meanor was  always  that  of  the  utmost  cour- 
tesy, and  his  kindliness  to  young  lawyers  has 
been  the  subject  of  anecdote  for  generations. 
He  was  deeply  religious,  Calvinistic  in  belief,, 
and  in  his  later  years  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Peacham.  .A  severe 
domestic  affliction  in  the  death  of  a  son 
caused  him  to  refuse  re-election  as  (Gov- 
ernor and  to  retire  to  private  life. 

Governor  Mattocks  wedded,  Sept.  4,  1810^ 
Esther  Newell,  of  Peacham,  who  died  on  her 
fifty-second  birthday,  July  21,  1844,  leaving 
a  daughter  and  three  sons  living.  Two 
daughters  died  ■  in  infancy.  Governor  Mat- 
tocks died  August  14,  1S47.  Of  the  three 
sons  who  survived,  one  filled  an  honorable 
position  as  a  clergyman,  another  as  a  lawyer,, 
and  the  other  as  a  physician. 

SLADE,  William. — Congressman,  Gov- 
ernor, secretary  of  state,  secretary  of  the 
National  Board  of  Education,  political  edi- 
tor, compiler  of  "Slade's  State  Papers,"  and 
who  probably  held  a  greater  \ariety  of  civil 
trusts  than  any  other  citizen  of  the  state,, 
was  born  at  Cornwall  in  1786.  His  father 
was  Col.  \\'illiam  Slade,  a  Revolutionarv  vet- 
eran, who  came  from  Washington,  Conn.,  in. 
1786,  was  sheriff  of  Addison  county  for  sev- 
eral years,  an  active  Republican  politician, 
and  a  staunch  supporter  of  Madison  and  the 
war  of  181  2.  Young  Slade  graduated  from 
Middlebury  College  in  1807,  studied  law,, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1810.  But 
his  attention  was  soon  absorbed  in  journal- 
ism and  politics,  and  in  historical  and  liter- 
ary studies.  In  i8i4-'i5-'i6  he  edited  the 
Columbian  Patriot,  a  political  papier  at  Mid- 
dlebury, where  he  also  kept  a  book  store.    In. 

1 81 6  he  was  made  secretary  of  state,  and 
held  the  position  for  eight  years.  He  was  a 
Madison  presidential  elector  in  181 2.    From 

1817  to  1823  he  was  also  judge  of  the  Addi- 
son county  court,  and  was  afterwards  state's, 
attorney.  Before  the  close  of  the  Monroe 
administration  he  was  appointed  clerk  in  the 
state  department  in  Washington,  and  served 
until  1829,  when  he  had  to  "go"  under  Jack- 
son. But  he  had  improved  the  opportunity  in 
the  meantime  to  equip  himself  intellectually 
for  the  larger  usefulness  of  later  years,  and 
was  one  of  the  few  men  who  ever  rose  from. 
de]5artmental  service  to  anything  higher. 

In  1830  he  was  elected  representative  to- 
Congress  and  served  contiruiously  for  twelve 
years.  On  his  retirement,  such  was  the 
versatility  he  had  shown,  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed reporter  of  the  decisions  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Vermont.  But  he  held 
this  position  only  one  year,  because  in  1844 
he  was  chosen  Governor,  and  re-elected  the 


8? 


next  year.  Subse(|iiently  he  was  for  nearly 
fifteen  years  secretary  of  the  national  board 
of  popular  education,  having  for  its  object 
the  furnishing  of  the  West  with  teachers 
from  the  Kast,  and  gave  himself  to  the  duties 
of  the  position  with  the  thoroughness  and 
the  zest  that  always  characterized  him,  and 
with  an  effect  for  good  that  it  is  not  easy  to 
measure.  These  labors  ceased  only  with  his 
death,  Jan.  i8,  1859. 

His  best  title  to  historical  rank  will  rest  on 
his  speech,  Dec.  20,  1S37,  on  a  petition  for 
the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  and  though  the  speech 
was  suppressed  by  vote  of  the  House,  the 
pluck  with  which  he  presented  the  case  and 
the  skill  and  coolness  with  which  he  prodded 
the  slavocracy  to  desperation,  were  well 
worthy  of  admiration.  In  arguing  for  the 
removal  of  the  disgrace  of  this  traffic  from 
the  National  Capital,  he  naturally  branched 
off  into  a  discussion  of  the  wicked  and 
brutalizing  character  of  the  traffic  every- 
where. Quoted  Franklin,  Jefferson  and 
Madison  in  reprobation  of  it,  and  when  points 
of  order  were  fired  at  him  to  the  effect  that 
"slavery  in  the  United  States"  could  not  be 
discussed,  he  was  ready  with  (juotations 
from  these  great  southern  statesmen  them- 
selves to  show  that  they  were  ready  to  dis- 
cuss and  consider,  but  never  to  throttle 
debate  on  the  subject.  He  finally  got  the 
southerners  into  a  corner  where  they  ob- 
jected to  quotations  from  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  itself,  and  driving  them  re- 
morselessly in  their  dilemma,  extorted  a  call 
from  the  leaders  for  the  southern  delegations 
to  leave  the  hall  in  a  body.  When  they 
attempted  the  gag  rule  to  suppress  him  he 
said  :  "  Vou  may  indeed  silence  the  voice  of 
truth  in  this  hall,  but  it  will  be  only  to  give  it 
louder  and  deeper  tones  elsewhere" — words 
that  were  prophetic.  His  speech  on  the 
tariff  bill  of  1842  was  also  regarded  as  a 
strong  one  for  the  protectionist  side  of  the 
argument,  especially  for  its  wool  schedule, 
and  it  was  widely  published  and  circulated 
by  the  \\'higs. 

One  of  the  interesting  episodes  of  Ver- 
mont politics  in  those  days  was  the  "war  of 
pamphlets"  between  him  and  Senator  Phelps 
in  1845  an  J  1846,  growing  out  of  the  charges 
made  against  the  senator  before  his  re-election 
in  1844,  that  he  had  been  inclined  to  kick 
out  of  the  party  traces  and  to  refuse  to  vote 
for  the  tariff  bill  of  1842  and  against  the  land 
distribution  bill,  and  that  he  had  impaired 
his  usefulness  by  excessive  intemperance, 
violence  of  temper,  and  coarseness  of  lan- 
guage. Slade  was  at  the  time  (lovernor  and 
claimed  that  Phelps  had  got  him  nominated 
to  silence  these  accusations.  He  had  been 
an  aspirant  for  the  senator's  seat,  as  also  had 
Hiland  Hall,  and  these  two  with  Ezra  Meech 


and  Charles  .\dams  fathered  the  reports,  as 
Phelps  claimed.  The  thing  was  fought  out 
in  the  Whig  convention  and  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, which  apijointed  a  committee  of  inves- 
tigation. Phelps  wtm  at  both  (joints,  and 
then  in  the  following  winter  published  an 
".\])pear'  to  the  peo])le  of  \'ermont  in  his 
vindication,  reviewing  the  charges,  produc- 
ing letters  from  a  large  number  of  his  col- 
leagues and  associates  to  show  the  baseless- 
ne.ss  of  the  charges.  Slade  followed  with  a 
"reply,"  then  Phelps  with  a  "rejoinder"  and 
Slade  with  another  address  "'I'o  the  People 
of  Vermont,"  in  which  they  handled  each 
other  severely  and  with  a  personal  bitterness 
that  would  be  irreparably  damaging  to  the 
author  in  these  days. 

EATON,  Horace,  (lovernorof  the  state 
in  1846-8,  Lieutenant-Covernor  for  the  three 
years  preceding,  physician,  college  professor 
and  writer,  was  a  man  of  modest  but  wide 
merit.  The  accessible  biographical  facts 
about  him,  however,  are  meagre.  He  was  a 
son  of  Dr.  Eliphoz  and  Polly  ( liarnes )  P^aton, 
born  at  Barnard,  June  22,  1804,  but  remov- 
ing with  his  parents  to  Enosburg  two  years 
later.  He  attended  the  district  schools  until 
he  was  fifteen,  when  he  was  sent  to  St.  .Albans 
Academy  to  fit  for  college,  entered  Middle- 
bury  in  1821,  and  graduated  in  1825, having 
taught  school  every  winter  to  help  pay  his 
expenses,  but  keeping  up  with  his  class  with- 
out difficulty.  He  taught  the  academy 
school  in  Ivliddlebury  for  two  years  after 
graduation,  and  then  returned  to  Enosburg 
and  studied  medicine  with  his  father,  and 
also  attended  medical  lectures  at  Castleton, 
where  he  received  his  diploma.  He  contin- 
ued at  Enosburg  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  company  with  his  father,  until  the 
latter's  retirement,  then  alone,  and  still  later 
in  company  with  his  brother,  Dr.  Rollin 
Eaton.  He  was  town  clerk  for  a  number  of 
years,  representative  in  the  Legislature  six 
different  times,  and  once  in  the  Constitu- 
tional Council.  In  1837  he  was  elected  state 
senator,  and  again  in  1839,  being  re-elected 
three  times.  Though  unpretentious,  he  was 
so  diligent  and  useful  a  legislator  that  he 
made  a  reputation  which  resulted  in  his 
nomination  by  the  Whigs  for  Lieutenant- 
Covernor,  in  1843,  on  the  ticket  w-ith  Cov- 
ernor  Mattocks,  and  he  was  re-elected  on  the 
ticket  with  Covernor  Slade  for  his  two 
terms.  In  1846  he  was  the  party  nominee 
for  Ciovernor,  and  was  elected  by  a  plurality 
of  5,763,  the  largest  the  \\higs  had  up  to 
this  time  obtained,  except  in  presidential 
years,  and  he  was  re-elected  the  next  year. 
On  his  retirement  from  the  Go\ernor's  chair 
he  was  called  to  Middlebury  College  to  take 
the  post  of  professor  of  natural  history  and 
chemistry,  which  he  held  for  about  six  years 


88 


until  his  death,  July  4, 1855,  in  his  sixty-first 
year.  He  had  for  several  years  been  in 
feeble  health,  the  victim  of  wasting  and  ex- 
hausting disease  contracted  in  the  care  of  a 
professional  brother.  Doctor  Bard,  of  Troy. 

He  was  a  man  of  clear  and  well-balanced 
mind,  Madison-like  in  the  simple,  convincing 
fairness  of  his  arguments,  and  the  comprehen- 
siveness of  his  understanding  of  the  subjects 
he  handled,  just  and  kindly  towards  others,  of 
great  delicacy  of  feeling,  and  always  exceed- 
ingly careful  not  to  wound,  always  a  gentleman 
in  his  deportment.  It  was  a  combination  of 
qualities  that  when  bottomed  on  real  intellec- 
tual strength  and  extensive  learning,  as  was  the 
case  with  him,  make  a  strong  man,  a  con- 
trolling one  in  deliberative  assemblies  and  an 
authoritative  on  executive  duties.  He  wrote 
much  in  the  way  of  public  addresses  and 
lectures,  reports  and  newspaper  articles,  not 
much  of  which,  however,  was  of  an  enduring 
character.  His  last  address  delivered  but  a 
few  weeks  before  his  death  was  before  the 
"  Enosburg  Young  Men's  Temperance  So- 
ciety." He  was  much  interested  in  temper- 
ance work  all  through  his  later  years,  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  agitation  that  finally  led 
to  the  enactment  of  our  prohibitory  law. 
Besides  all  his  other  services  to  the  state  he 
was  for  five  years  the  state  superintendent  of 
common  schools. 

(jovernor  Eaton  was  twice  married,  first, 
August  14,  1821,  to  Cordelia  L.  Fuller,  who 
died  Feb.  7,  1841  ;  and  second,  December, 
1 84 1,  to  Miss  Edna  Palmer.  There  were 
two  children,  but  only  one,  Mrs.  R.  D.  Ross 
of  Missouri,  lived  to  reach  maturitv. 

COOLIDGE,  Carlos.— Speaker,  sen- 
ator, and  Governor,  son  of  Xathan  and 
Elizabeth  (Curtis)  Coolidge,  was  born  in 
Windsor,  June  25,  1792.  He  fitted  for  col- 
lege with  Rev.  James  Converse  of  Weathers- 
field,  and  entered  Dartmouth  in  the  fall  of 
1807,  but  transferred  to  Middlebury  in  the 
spring  of  1809,  and  was  graduated  in  181 1. 
After  graduation  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law  with  Peter  Starr,  Esq.,  of  Middlebury, 
with  whom  he  rvpnained  about  two  years, 
and  then  returnii^i•^,'  to  Windsor  completed 
his  legal  studies  with  Hon.  Jonathan  H. 
Hubbard,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Windsor 
county  bar  at  the  September  term,  1814,  and 
established  himself  in  practice  in  his  native 
town.  In  1 83 1  he  was  elected  state's  at- 
torney for  the  county  of  Windsor,  and  was 
successively  re-elected  for  five  terms.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first,  board  of  bank 
commissioners,  appointed  under  a  statute 
enacted  in  1831.  In  1834  he"  was  elected 
to  represent  Windsor  in  the  Legislature,  and 
re-elected  during  the  two  succeeding  years, 
being  speaker  in  1836,  and  was  also  repre- 
sentative  for  another   term  of  three  years, 


i839-'4o-'4 1,  and  speaker  during  the  whole 
term,  and  distinguished  himself  by  the  dig- 
nity and  im])artiality  with  which  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  that  station. 

In  1845  he  was  presidential  elector  and 
assisted  in  giving  the  vote  of  ^'ermont  to 
Henry  Clay.  He  was  the  candidate  of  the 
Whig  party  for  Governor  in  1848,  and,  no 
election  being  made  by  the  people,  was 
chosen  by  the  Legislature.  In  the  same  way 
he  was  re-elected  in  1849.  He  was  a  sena- 
tor from  Windsor  county  in  i853-'S4-'55, 
and  was  frequently  called  upon  to  act  as 
president  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate  and 
Joint  .Assembly. 

He  married  Harriet  Bingham  of  Clare- 
mont,  X.  H.,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  who 
died  in  early  childhood,  and  one  daughter  : 
Mary,  who  married  Rev.  Franklin  Butler. 

He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A. 
M.  from  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont  in  1835, 
and  that  of  LL.  D.  from  his  alma  mater  in 
1849.  He  died  at  Windsor,  August  14,  1866, 
aged  sixty-nine. 

WILLIAMS,  Charles  Kilborn.— 

( J  o  V  e  r  n  o  r ,  an 
eminent  jurist 
and  one  of  the 
most  wideh'  use- 
ful of  our  states- 
;  men,    was    born 

at  C  am  bridge, 
Mass.,    Jan.    24, 
1782.    Youngest 
son  of  that  emi- 
nent philosopher 
and     historian. 
Rev.  Samuel  Wil- 
liams, LL.  D.,  by 
lane,  daughter  of 
Klphialet    Kil- 
born.    He  came 
to  ^'ermont  with  his  father  in    1790,  gradua- 
ted   at   Williams    in    1800,  and    locating    at 
Rutland,  continued  to  reside  there  until  his 
death.     He  studied  law   with  Cephas  Smith, 
Esq.,    of   Rutland,  then   clerk   of   the  L'.  S. 
courts  for  the  district  of  Vermont ;  was  ad- 
mitted   to    the  bar   in    March,    1803;    was 
appointed  a  tutor  in  Williams  College  in  1802, 
and  about  the  same  time  received  a  similar 
appointment  from  Middlebury  College,  both 
of  which  he  declined.     He  served  one  cam- 
paign on  the  north  frontier  in  the  war  of  1 8 1 2. 
Represented   Rutland    1809-'!  i-'i4-'i5-'2o- 
'21  and  '49.     After  his  retirement  from  the 
bench,  by  the  general  concurrence  of  all  po- 
litical parties  in  town,  he  was  state's  attorney 
of  Rutland  county  in  1815  ;  was  elected  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Vermont,  in    1822- 
'23-'24,  declining  the  last  election  ;  was  ap- 
pointed collector  of  customs  for  Vermont  in 
1825  and  held  the  position  until  October,  1829, 


I'AIRHANKS. 


89 


when  he  resigned,  being  again  elected  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  Vermont  Supreme  Court :  to 
this  office  he  received  seventeen  successive 
annual  elections.  He  retired  from  the  bench 
in  1849,  declining  a  re-election.  In  i85o-'5i 
he  was  elected  Governor  by  a  majority  of 
the  popular  vote.  In  1827  he  was  ajjpointed 
one  of  the  state  commissioners  for  common 
schools,  a  board  to  select  and  recommend 
suitable  text  books  and  to  have  general  super- 
vision over  educational  affairs  of  the  state  ; 
was  a  member  of  the  corporation  of  Middle- 
bury  College  from  1827  to  1843,  and,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  was  ]3resident  of  the  society 
of  the  Alumni  of  Williams  College.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from 
Middlebury  and  Williams  Colleges  in  1803, 
and  that  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  the  former 
in  1834. 

Governor  Williams  died  very  suddenly  at 
his  residence  in  Rutland,  March  9,  1853. 

FAIRBANKS,  ERASTUS.— Twice  (;over- 
nor  of  the  state,  the  signer  of  its  prohibitory 
law,  which  defeated  him  for  re-election,  but 
eight  years  later  elected  the  first  of  our 
three  war  Governors,  the  founder,  with  his 
brother  'I'haddeus,  of  the  great  firm  of  scale 
•  manufacturers  at  St.  Johnsbury,  one  of  the 
fathers  of  the  Passurapsic  R.  R.,  and  its 
first  president,  was  born  in  Brimfield,  Mass., 
Oct.  28,  1792. 

The  early  American  ancestors  of  the  Fair- 
banks family,  Jonathan  and  Grace  Fair- 
banks, came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  in 
1633  and  settled  in  Dedham,  Mass.,  where 
the  family  mansion  there  erected  still  stands. 
In  Erastus  Fairbanks,  the  sixth  generation 
in  the  line  of  descent,  was  seen  the  junc- 
tion of  the  qualities  of  character  in  the  early 
New  England  settlers,  energy,  public  spirit, 
and  clear  religious  convictions.  Joseph  Fair- 
banks, a  farmer,  carpenter,  and  mill  owner, 
was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  he  came  to  Vermont  and  St.  Johnsbury 
in  18 15,  the  son  having  preceded  him  by  a  few 
years.  Erastus  Fairbanks'  early  means  of  edu- 
cation were  very  limited  and  confined  wholly 
to  the  common  school  of  which  he  made  un- 
common use.  In  referring  to  this  period 
of  his  early  history  he  himself  said  of  the 
school  where  he  studied  :  "I  went  thor- 
oughly through  all  the  stages  of  the  fresh- 
man, sophomore,  junior,  and  senior  classes 
of  this  institution,  and  graduated  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
branches  there  taught  as  a  foundation.  I 
ever  considered  myself  a  student  at  large, 
capable  of  acquiring,  and  bound  to  acquire, 
a  knowledge  of  other  sciences  more  or  less 
thoroughly,  and  an  acquaintance  with  what- 
ever is  requisite  to  qualify  myself  for  any 
calling  or  station  whicn  in  the  providence  of 
God  I  may  be  called  upon  to  occupy."     For 


a  little  while  after  leaving  school  he  con- 
tmued  his  education  by  teaching  for  two 
terms.  Soon  after,  in  181 2,  he  accepted  an 
invitation  from  his  uncle,  Judge  l-^ihriam 
I'addock  of  St.  Johnsbury  to  enter  his  office 
as  a  student  of  law.  A  serious  affection  of 
the  eyes  soon  compelled  him  to  abandon  his 
legal  studies  and  'engage  in  other  pursuits. 
He  entered  mercantile  life  as  represented  in 
a  country  store,  and  continued  in  this  for 
eleven  years  in  Wheelock,  East  St.  Johns- 
bury, and  Barnet.  In  these  years  he  estab- 
lished a  reputation  for  absolute  integrity  and 
for  interest  in  everything  that  concerned  the 
public  welfare. 

On  the  settlement  of  his  affairs  in  Barnet, 
he  returned  to  St.  Johnsbury  and  entered 
into  business  with  his  next  younger  brother, 
Thaddeus  Fairbanks,  as  manufacturers  of 
stoves,  plows,  etc.  In  1829  the  brothers 
added  to  their  business  the  purchase  and 
preparation  of  hemp  for  market.  The  rude 
antl  inaccurate  mode  of  weighing  their  pur- 
chases led  to  the  invention  of  the  platform 
scale  by  them.  This  invention,  like  most  of 
the  discoveries  that  have  revolutionized 
methods  of  industry,  was  simple  and  easily 
understood.  The  demand  for  the  new  scale 
compelled  the  brothers  to  relinquish  other 
business  interests.  The  two  men  were  fitted 
for  partnership  in  the  work  and  growth  of  a 
great  manufacturing  establishment.  Thad- 
deus  gave  the  strength  of  his  inventive 
genius  to  the  improvement  and  manufacture 
of  the  scale,  while  Erastus  with  his  genius 
for  business,  by  original  and  far  seeing 
methods,  secured  a  wide  and  solid  financial 
success,  though  they  had  their  full  share  of 
struggles  and  misfortunes.  A  fire  and  a 
freshet  in  1828  compelled  them  to  ask  for  a 
two  years  extension  from  their  creditors, 
which  was  cordially  granted. 

In  1836  Erastus  Fairbanks  was  elected  to 
represent  the  town  in  the  state  Legislature, 
and  was  re-elected  for  the  two  succeeding 
years.  In  1844,  and  again  in  1S48,  he  was 
chosen  a  presidential  elector  for  the  state. 
In  1848  he  was  appointed  with  Charles  K. 
Williams  and  Lucius  B.  Peck  to  prepare  a 
general  railroad  law,  and  also  one  relating  to 
manufacturing  corporations,  and  their  report 
still  remains  embodied  in  the  statutes  of  the 
state.  In  1852  he  was  elected  Governor  by 
the  Legislature,  having  fallen  a  few  hundred 
short  of  a  majority  in  the  popular  vote,  be- 
cause of  the  candidacy  of  Brainerd  and  the 
Liberty  party.  In  the  closing  days  of  the  Leg- 
islature of  that  year  the  law  for  the  prohibition 
of  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  was  passed  ; 
Governor  Fairbanks  signed  it,  and  in  conse- 
quence was  defeated  for  re-election  the  next 
year.  The  figures  and  particulars  of  that 
interesting  contest  are  given  in  the  sketch  of 
Governor  Robinson,  his  successful  competi- 


amim 


FAIRBANKS. 


9> 


tor.  'I'he  Whigs  desired  to  fight  out  the  issue 
in  1854  with  Governor  Fairbanks  again  as  a 
candidate,  but  he  declined  a  nomination 
because  of  his  business  engagements. 

In  i860,  however,  the  Republican  con- 
vention unanimously  made  him  its  candi- 
date, and  he  was  easily  elected  over  John  (1. 
Saxe,  the  poet,  Democratic  candidate.  His 
administration  in  1861  secured  for  him  a 
reputation  as  a  "man  with  a  brain  and  con- 
science." By  his  energy  and  patriotism  ; 
he  being  "as  lavish  of  his  own  time  and 
money  as  by  was  sparing  of  the  people's  ; 
and  as  regardless  of  his  private  interests  as 
he  was  devoted  to  the  public  good,"  he 
earned  the  name  of  the  war  Governor.  War 
meant  loss  of  property  and  credits  which  the 
firm  had  in  the  South,  but  he  never  wavered 
for  a  moment  in  the  conviction  that  the 
Union  must  be  sustained.  He  called  an 
extra  session  of  the  Legislature  eight  days 
after  the  assault  on  Sumter,  and  it  placed 
$1,000,000  at  his  disposal  without  check  on 
his  discretion,  for  the  arming  and  forwarding 
of  troops,  but  at  his  earnest  request  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  at  the  October  session 
to  audit  his  accounts,  and  on  its  report  the 
Legislature  adopted  a  series  of  resolutions 
highly  complimentary  to  the  ability  and 
patriotic  devotion  with  which  he  had  ex- 
ecuted the  trust.  The  first  six  regiments  of 
the  state,  of  the  famous  "Vermont  Brigade," 
and  the  first  company  of  sharp-shooters  were 
organized  and  mustered  into  the  service 
under  his  administration.  The  Clovernor's 
services  all  through  this  trying  period  were 
purely  a  patriotic  offering.  He  declined  even 
to  draw  his  salary,  such  was  his  sentiment 
on  the  subject,  and  it  still  remains  in  the 
treasury  a  monument  of  his  self-sacrifice. 

As  a  man  of  business,  he  had  the  power 
that  easily  assumes  and  carries  on  great  op- 
erations. In  1850  he  was  active  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Passumpsic  R.  R.,  and 
was  for  years  president  of  the  company.  He 
was  also  a  leading  and  efficient  member  of 
the  company  that  constructed  the  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  canal.  He  was  always  a  man  of  deeds 
rather  than  words.  "  .\  staid  and  stable  cit- 
izen, a  successful  man  of  business,  a  dignified 
and  courteous  Christian  gentleman,"  is  Colo- 
nel Benedict's  description  of  him  in  "  Ver- 
mont in  the  Civil  War."  A  man  of  wide 
reading,  to  which  he  devoted  an  hour  every 
day,  of  wide  and  practical  information,  in- 
tensely earnest  in  his  convictions,  and  reso- 
lute in  carrying  them  out,  he  was  well 
equipped  in  every  way  for  success  in  both 
private  and  public  life. 

He  made  work  of  public  good,  especially 
the  interests  of  the  town,  an  integral  and  a 
necessary  part  of  his  business.  Anything 
that  touched  the  community  touched  his  in- 
terests.    Probably  his  most  enduring  reputa- 


tion is  that  of  a  business  philanthropist. 
Prominent  among  his  home  charities  rejire- 
sented  in  an  active  way  may  be  mentioned 
the  founding  of  the  .Academy,  with  his  broth- 
ers ;  and  his  endowments  assist  in  maintain- 
ing the  Athenreum,  the  .Museum  of  Natural 
Science,  and  the  North  Church.  From  1849 
until  his  death,  he  was  president  of  the  Ver- 
mont 1  )omestic  Missionary  Society,  and  for 
many  years  was  a  corporate  member  of  the 
American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 

He  was  married.  May  30,  181 5,  to  Lois 
Grossman,  of  Peacham.  His  married  life 
continued  to  within  a  few  months  of  half  a 
century.  They  had  nine  children,  of  whom 
four  now  survive  :  Charles,  Franklin,  Sarah 
(Mrs.  C.  M.  Stone),  and  Emily  (Mrs.  C.  L. 
Goodell). 

Governor  Fairbanks  died  Nov.  20,  1864. 

ROYCE,  Stephen.— Governor  in  1S54 
and  1855,  for  twenty-five  years  a  member  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state,  and  for  six 
years  the  chief  justice,  had  some  of  the 
brainiest  and  most  patriotic  blood  of  the 
state  in  his  veins,  and  belonged  to  a  family 
that  for  four  generations  has  been  distin- 
guished in  Vermont  affairs.  He  was  the 
grandson  of  Maj.  Stephen  Royce,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier  and  a  member  of  the  Dorset 
convention  that  declared  Vermont's  inde- 
pendence, and  son  of  that  Stephen  Royce, 
also  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  was  Berk- 
shire's first  representative  in  the  Legislature. 
On  his  mother's  side  he  was  a  grandson  of 
ludge  and  Doctor  Ebenezer  Marvin,  like- 
wise a  Revolutionary  officer,  who  was  with 
F^than  .Allen  at  Ticonderoga,  a  surgeon  in  the 
Continental  army,  judge  of  the  county  courts 
in  Rutland,  Chittenden,  and  F'ranklin  for  six- 
teen years,  and  member  of  the  Governor's 
Council  for  eleven  years.  His  nephew,  Homer 
K.  Royce,  was  a  member  of  Congress  for 
four  years,  and  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  for  nearly  a  generation,  and  for  eight 
years  chief  justice. 

Governor  Royce  was  born  in  Tinmouth, 
August  12,  1787,  but  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Huntsburgh  (now  Franklin),  in 
I  79 1,  and  two  years  later  to  the  still  newer 
town  of  Berkshire  where  there  were  at  the 
time  only  two  other  families.  His  oppor- 
tunities for  schooling  in  his  early  youth  were 
very  meagre,  but  besides  an  able  father  he 
had  in  his  mother,  Minerva  Marvin  Royce, 
the  best  of  teachers  and  character  de- 
velopers, and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was 
sent  to  Tinmouth  to  attend  the  common 
school,  and  a  year  later  began  an  academ- 
ical course  at  Middlebury  under  Charles 
Wright,  afterwards  a  famous  clergyman,  and 
in  1803  entered  Middlebury  College,  where 
he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1S07  which 
contained    such    a   remarkable    number   of 


eminent  men.  Twice  was  he  interrupted  in 
his  academical  and  collegiate  course  by  the 
necessity  of  returning  to  the  farm  to  work. 
But  he  persevered,  made  his  journey  back  to 
college  on  foot,  with  packages  of  furs  secured 
in  the  wilderness,  from  which  he  obtained 
the  money  for  the  purchase  of  necessary 
books. 

After  graduating  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he 
taught  district  school  for  one  term  and 
studied  law  with  his  uncle,  Ebenezer  Mar- 
vin, Jr.,  with  whom  he  was  afterwards  in 
partnership  for  a  few  years.  He  commen- 
ced practice  at  Berkshire,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  then  for  six  years  was  at  Sheldon, 
representing  the  town  in  1815  and  i Si 6,  and 
in  1 81 7  went  to  St.  Albans,  where  he  re- 
mained the  rest  of  his  life,  pursuing  his  pro- 
fession with  ever-increasing  success  until  he 
was  called  to  the  bench.  St.  Albans  sent 
him  to  the  Legislature  in  1822,  1S23,  and 
1824  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  constitu- 
tional convention  in  1823.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislative  committee  in  1816  that 
made  a  strong  report  in  favor  of  adopting 
the  constitutional  amendment  proposed  by 
North  Carolina  for  choosing  both  presi- 
dential electors  and  congressmen  by  the  dis- 
'trict  system,  the  same  principle  substantially 
as  has  recently  been  tried  in  Michigan.  He 
was  state's  attorney  for  Franklin  county  from 
1816  to  1 818  and  held  the  office  of  judge 
during  1825  and  1826,  when  he  declined  a 
re-election  and  resumed  his  professional 
practice  until  1829,  when  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  bench  and  continuously  re- 
elected for  twenty-three  years  until  1S52, 
rising  to  be  chief  justice  in  1847,  and  hold- 
ing that  position  until  he  positively  refused 
a  re-election.  In  1854  the  whigs  nomi- 
nated him  as  their  candidate  for  Governor 
and  he  was  easily  elected. 

In  1855  he  was  re-elected,  and  at  the  end 
of  his  term  retired  to  private  life,  passing 
the  remaining  twelve  years  until  his  death, 
Nov.  II,  1868,  in  a  serenity  and  well-earned 
contentment  that  made  a  beautiful  picture, 
with  its  easy  hospitality,  its  enjoyment  of 
literature  and  social  amenities,  and  its  care 
from  kindred ;  for,  though  he  was  never 
married,  his  declining  years  were  attended 
by  nephews  and  nieces.  His  local  attach- 
ments were  deep,  and  among  his  later  works 
was  a  carefully  written  historv  of  Berkshire, 
though  he  did  not  li\e  to  complete  it. 

His  personal  appearance  is  described  by 
B.  H.  Smalley  as  "tall,  erect,  with  a  vigorous 
and  well-proportioned  frame,  of  a  command- 
ing presence  and  a  serene  majesty  of  man- 
ners. His  face  was  mobile,  expressive,  and 
strongly  marked.  The  gleam  of  his  mild  gray 
eye  illuminated  his  countenance  and  revealed 
every  emotion  whether  grave  or  gay  that  was 
passing  within,  moving  the  looker-on  by  a 


sort  of  magnetic  influence  to  sympathize 
with  him."  Professionally  his  ideal  of  honor 
was  high. 

He  made  it  a  rule  ne\  er  to  accept  a  fee  in 
a  case  in  whose  justice  he  did  not  believe, 
and  if  afterwards  he  was  convinced  it  was 
wrong,  to  compel  the  client  to  settle  or 
abandon  the  case.  .\s  a  judge,  he  resem- 
bled Marshall  and  Chipman  in  his  way 
of  stating  a  case,  laying  down  the  legal 
principles  and  seldom  referring  to  the  books 
for  authority ;  in  other  words,  regarding  the 
law  in  its  high  relation  as  the  science  of 
reason  and  right,  which  authorities  can  only 
illuminate,  not  slavishly  bind.  He  followed 
this  method  e\en  while  confining  himself  to 
the  case  before  him  and  carefully  avoiding 
any  essays  upon  law  at  large.  He  refused  to 
report  cases  where  there  were  no  new  prin- 
ciples involved,  and  it  is  said  that  he  also 
refused  to  report  some  when  he  was  satis- 
fied, upon  reviewing  the  case,  that  his  de- 
cision had  been  wrong,  holding  that  it  was 
bad  enough  to  have  done  injustice  to  an 
individual  without  sending  it  out  as  a  prece- 
dent for  future  wrongs.  He  had  considera- 
ble trouble  because  of  these  omissions  to 
report,  and  the  Legislature  withheld  a  part  of 
his  salary  for  a  time,  but  without  moving 
him.  Politically  his  career  cannot  be  said  to 
have  been  a  notable  one.  The  times  of  his 
prominence  were  not  of  a  kind  to  call  forth 
great  powers,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  his  tem- 
perament was  of  a  kind  to  strive  in  political 
turmoil.  He  made  a  good  and  painstaking 
(Governor. 

FLETCHER,  RylAND.— Ihe  first  dis- 
tinctively Republican  Governor  of  the  state, 
was  born  in  Cavendish,  Feb.  i8,  1799,  the 
son  of  Dr.  .\saph  and  Sally  (Clreen)  Fletcher. 
His  father  who  came  from  Westford,  Mass., 
in  1787,  had  been  a  member  of  the  conven- 
tion that  framed  the  constitution  of  that  state 
and  was  a  man  of  considerable  prominence 
both  professionally  and  politically  in  ^'er- 
mont,  being  a  judge,  legislator,  councilor 
and  presidential  elector.  CJne  of  the  sons, 
Richard,  who  studied  law  with  Daniel  Web- 
ster, and  after  whom  one  of  the  latter's  sons 
was  named,  represented  Massachusetts  in 
Congress  and  was  a  judge  of  her  Supreme 
Court,  .\nother.  Rev.  Horace  Fletcher  of 
Townshend,  was  quite  a  distinguished  Bap- 
tist clergyman.  The  family  was  of  English 
and  Welsh  origin  and  probably  farther  back 
of  French,  and  Rev.  John  Fletcher,  the  early 
Methodist  ]3hilologist  and  philosopher  rank- 
ing next  to  Wesley  himself  for  his  influence 
on  religious  thought,  belonged  to  one  branch 
of  it. 

Ryland  was  the  youngest  of  Dr.  Fletcher's 
children,  had  only  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, worked  on  his  father's  farm  through  his 


FLETCHER. 

young  manhood,  teacliing  district  school 
winters,  but  by  his  soHd  merits  of  mind  and 
character  grew  to  be  a  man  of  local  inlluence. 
He  w-as  seized  with  the  "western  fever"  in 
1836,  but  after  a  few  months'  vain  quest  of 
fortune  in  the  several  parts  of  the  country, 
was  glad  to  return  to  okl  \ermont.  Me  was 
early  identified  with  the  militia  of  the  state, 
joining  the  company  at  Cavendish  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  being  made  a  lieutenant  the  next 
year,  captain  two  years  later,  major  in  six 
years  more,  then  successively  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  colonel,  until  in  1S35  he  was  ap- 
pointed brigadier-general,  resigning  when  he 
went  west.  He  became  active  as  an  anti- 
slavery  man  as  early  as  1837,  and  was  the 
intimate  associate  of  Garrison,  Giddings, 
Wilson,  Tappan,  Gerrit  Smith,  and  John  P. 
Hale,  in  their  work  for  the  cause.  He  attend- 
ed the  great  meeting  of  the  anti-slavery  lead- 
ers in  1845,  at  Fanueil  Hall,  Boston,  and  was 
with  Henry  Wilson  present  at  the  Philadel- 
phia meeting  of  the  Native  American  or 
Know-nothing  leaders  to  launch  a  new  party, 
and  he  and  \Mlson  were  the  only  decided 
anti-slavery  men  present,  and  after  their  elo- 
quent appeals  to  commit  the  proposed  party 
to  this  cause,  the  convention  finally  adjourned 
in  great  excitement  w'ithout  accomplishing 
the  purpose  for  which  it  had  been  convened. 

In  1854  the  practical  fusion  through  the 
action  of  the  state  committees  of  the  Whigs 
with  the  Free  Soilers  and  Liberty  party  men 
resulted  in  the  selection  of  Mr.  Fletcher  as 
candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor  after  the 
nomination  had  been  refused  by  Oscar  L. 
Shaffer,  and  he  was  elected  this  year  and  in 
185s  on  the  ticket  with  Governor  Royce. 
He  distinguished  himself  as  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  Senate,  and  in  1856  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  Republicans  for  the  chief 
magistracy,  and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
23,121  over  Henry  Keyes,  Democrat,  and 
re-elected  the  next  year  with  a  majority  of 
23,688,  also  over  Keyes.  In  his  messages  he 
took  strong  ground  for  prohibition,  and 
recommended  the  appointment  of  a  board  of 
education,  which  was  done.  He  began  the 
agitation  for  the  establishment  of  a  reform 
school  with  the  first  gubernational  recom- 
mendation to  that  effect.  It  was  during  his 
adminstration  that  the  state  house  was  de- 
stroyed, and  the  location  and  construction 
of  the  new  one  determined. 

He  retired  from  office  after  trying  respon- 
sibilities, with  general  agreement  that  his 
record  had  been  a  clean  and  creditable  one. 
He  was  again  summoned  to  the  public  ser- 
vice in  1861  and  '62,  when  his  town  sent 
him  to  the  Legislature  to  give  the  weight  of 
his  reputation  and  influence,  as  well  as  his 
ability  and  experience,  to  the  war  measures 
of  the  state.  He  of  course  exerted  a  large 
power  for  good  in  this  emergency.     He  was 


HALL.  93 

also  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1870,  and  strongly  favored  the 
policy  of  biennial  elections.  He  was  several 
times  a  presidential  elector  and  a  delegate 
to  Republican  national  conventions.  He 
was  identified  with  temperance  work  from  a 
very  early  period,  gave  many  lectures  on  the 
subject,  and  was  for  several  years  president 
of  the  State  Temperance  Society.  While 
colonel  in  the  militia  he  induced  the  officers 
of  his  regiment  to  pass  a  vote  to  abolish  the 
custom  of  "  treating  "  on  parade  days.  He 
was  prominent  in  the  denominational  work 
of  the  Baptist  church,  and  always  active  in 
Sunday-school  duties. 

Governor  Fletcher's  distinction  was  won, 
not  as  a  man  of  brilliant  abilities,  but  as  one 
of  well-balanced  and  well-poised  character, 
pure  of  purpose,  high  of  aims,  and  sound  of 
judgment.  .\s  a  public  speaker  he  was  most 
logical  and  convincing,  without  oratorical 
display,  but  with  a  power  of  pointed  illustra- 
tion and  simplicity  and  clearness  of  state- 
ment that  went  straight  to  the  understanding 
of  the  ordinary  audience. 

Governor  Fletcher  wedded,  June  11,  1829, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Fleazer  May  of  West- 
minster. Of  the  three  children  of  this  union 
only  one,  Col.  Henry  A.  Fletcher,  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of  the  state  in  1890,  survives. 
Governor  Fletcher  himself  died  Dec.  19, 
1885,  at  ProctorsA'ille. 

HALL,  HILAND.— Governor  in  iS58-'59, 
for  ten  years  a 
congressman. 
Comptroller    of 
the     I'  n  i  t  e  d 
States   Treasury 
for  about  a  year 
more,   and  per- 
haps   the    most 
indefatigable   of 
the    state's    his- 
torians, certain- 
ly the  most  fruit- 
f  u  1    in    results, 
was  born  in  Pien- 
nington  July  20, 
1795,  the  eldest 
of  seven  c  h  i  1  - 
Nathaniel    and    .Abigail 
He    was  descended   on 
both   sides  from  good   English    stock,  from 
ancestors  who  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of    Middletown,    Conn.,   going   there    from 
Boston  in  1650. 

Hiland  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  receiv- 
ing only  a  common  school  education  with 
one  finishing  term  at  the  Granville,  N.  Y., 
.Academy.  But  he  had  besides  the  best  of 
all  education,  in  an  experience  of  several 
terms,  with  all  its  power  of  development  and 
discipline,  as  a  district  schoolteacher.     .And 


dren     of     Deacon 
(Hubbard)    Hall. 


94 


he  was  from  early  youth  an  omniverous 
reader,  especially  along  historical  and  bio- 
graphical lines,  absorbing  the  contents  of 
every  book  he  could  get  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, often  by  the  light  of  coals  on  the 
hearth  of  an  old-fashioned  fireplace,  even 
candles  at  that  time  being  a  luxury.  He 
was  a  born  patriot,  and  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen was  interested  in  the  formation  of  the 
"  Sons  of  Liberty,"  a  society  of  young  men 
in  Bennington  to  uphold  the  rigorous  prose- 
cution of  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  protest 
against  the  pro-English  sympathy  that  was 
then  so  rampant  in  New  England. 

Studying  law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1 819,  and  continued  its  practice  through 
his  active  life  at  Bennington,  except  when 
called  away  by  official  duties.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  Legislature  in  1827, 
was  clerk  of  the  Supreme  and  county  court 
for  Bennington  county  in  1828,  and  was 
state's  attorney  in  i828-'3i.  On  the  forma- 
tion of  party  lines  afresh,  after  the  "era  of 
good  feeling"  under  Monroe,  he  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  National  Republicans  dur- 
ing the  brief  existence  of  that  party  under 
John  Quincy  Adams,  then  became  a  whig, 
and  finally  a  Republican.  In  1833,  on  the 
death  of  Hon.  Jonathan  Hunt,  he  was 
elected  to  succeed  him  in  Congress  and  rep- 
resented the  old  south  district  of  the  Senate 
for  ten  years,  when  he  declined  a  renomina- 
tion,  and  attempted  to  return  to  private  life. 
His  service  in  Congress  was  a  laborious 
rather  than  a  speechmaking  one,  his  com- 
mittee places  being  on  that  of  postoffice  and 
post  roads,  and  Revolutionary  claims. 

His  chief  speeches  were  in  May,  1834, 
joining  the  attack  on  President  Jackson's 
removal  of  the  government  deposits  from  the 
national  bank,  and  in  May,  1836,  favoring 
the  distribution  of  the  surplus  among  the 
states,  from  which  Vermont  received  nearly 
Si 00,000  as  her  portion  to  be  added  to  the 
school  fund  of  the  towns.  Both  these  speech- 
es were  printed  and  extenivesly  circulated  by 
the  Whigs  as  campaign  documents.  In  one 
of  the  premonitory  struggles  over  the  slavery 
question,  he  presented  a  strong  minority  re- 
port on  "incendiary  publications"  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  message  of  the  President  and 
the  advice  of  the  Postmaster-General  and  in 
answer  to  a  report  made  in  the  Senate  by 
Mr.  Calhoun,  of  South  Carolina.  So  thor- 
oughly and  convincingly  did  it  answer  the 
position  of  the  slave  party  that  the  majority 
of  the  committee  did  their  best  to  suppress  it 
by  failing  to  make  a  majority  report.  But 
it  found  its  way  into  the  newspapers  and  was 
widely  published  and  commented  on. 

Mr.  Hall  did  an  important  and  permanent 
service  in  connection  with  the  act  of  July  22, 
1836,  in  procuring  the  passage  of  which  he 
took  an  active  and  leading  part  and  by  which 


in  the  reorganization  of  the  postoffice  depart- 
ment a  system  for  which  the  settlement  of 
accounts  was  established,  which  inaugurated 
an  economical  administration. 

He  made  a  big  and  single-handed  and  tri-  ■ 
umphant  fight  against  the  fraudulent  claims 
which  had  for  years  been  put  in  by  \'irgin- 
ians  under  the  name  of  commutation  half 
pay  and  bounty  land  claims,  founded  on  al- 
leged promises  of  the  state  of  Virginia  or  of 
the  Continental  Congress  to  officers  of  the 
Re\olutionary  army.  It  was  an  organized 
raid  led  by  influential  Virginians,  Governors 
and  congressmen,  and  had  been  pushed 
through  Congress  with  little  opposition,  so 
that  over  $3,000,000  had  been  collected  in 
the  names  of  deceased  officers,  and  the  de- 
mands were  fast  multiplying.  Mr.  Hall's 
habit  of  thorough  and  exhaustive  investiga- 
tion stood  him  in  good  stead  in  this  fight. 
He  went  through  the  Re\olutionary  archives 
at  Washington  and  the  public  records  at 
Richmond,  he  found  authentic  evidence  that 
every  one  of  these  claims  was  unfounded, 
and  he  made  a  report  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  Revolutionary  claims  to  this 
effect.  The  whole  Virginia  delegation,  led 
by  ex-(  Governor  Gilmer,  who  was  getting  i 
per  cent  on  all  he  could  collect  of  these 
claims,  aided  by  their  sectional  sympathizers 
in  the  South  and  political  in  the  North,  at- 
tacked him  bitterly  and  attempted  a  re- 
opening of  the  case  by  means  of  a  select 
committee.  Hall  in  response  gave  a  list  of 
sixteen  of  the  last  claims  that  had  been  paid, 
and  on  which  over  S2oo,ooo  had  been  drawn, 
challenged  the  Virginians  to  show  that  a 
single  one  was  well  or  honestly  founded  and 
offered  to  withdraw  his  opposition  if  they 
could.  The  fight  lasted  through  several  days. 
Mr.  Hall  sustained  every  position  he  had 
taken  in  the  debate,  and  so  thoroughly  dis- 
comfited his  assailants  as  to  win  the  plaudits 
of  ex-President  Adams  and  of  the  whole 
country.  The  result  was  a  select  committee 
and  a  report  from  it  prepared  by  Mr.  Hall 
which  definitely  suppressed  the  rascality. 

He  was  president  of  the  large  "Whig" 
convention  held  in  Burlington  in  1S40,  and 
made  the  opening  speech,  and  introduced  to 
and  presented  Hon.  Daniel  Webster  at  the 
famous  "  Stratton  \\'hig  convention,"  held  on 
the  top  of  the  Green  Mountain  on  the  i6th 
of  August  of  the  same  year. 

He  was  bank  commissioner  of  \'ermont 
for  four  years,  from  1843,  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  for  a  like  period  until  1850, 
when  he  was  appointed  second  controller  of 
the  United  States  Treasury.  He  had  an 
opportunity  while  in  the  latter  position  to  do 
the  country  a  permanent  serxice,  and  to  lay 
down  lines  which  have  since  been  followed 
in  departmental  practice.  He  took  the 
ground   that  he  should,  if  satisfied  of    the 


95 


illegality  of  an  expenditure,  reject  it,  no 
matter  who  ordered  it,  even  if  the  head  of  a 
department,  or  if  sanctioned  V)y  the  Presi- 
dent himself.  He  held  this  ground  against 
the  published  opinion  of  three  former  attor- 
ney generals.  He  showed  conclusively  that 
judicial  authority  had  been  designedly  con- 
ferred on  the  accounting  officers  as  a  check 
upon  la\ish  expenditures  in  the  sexeral  de- 
partments, and  a  second  edition  of  his  pub- 
lished opinion,  which  has  since  been  followed 
in  the  department,  has  recently  been  printed 
for  government  use. 

In  1 85 1  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Fillmore,  with  Gen.  James  Wilson  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  Judge  H.  I.  Thornton  of 
.\labama,  a  land  commissioner  for  Cali- 
fornia, resigned  his  position  as  controller, 
recommending  for  his  successor,  Edward  |. 
Phelps  of  Burlington.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  commission  and  wrote  the  opinion  in 
the  famous  Mariposa  claim  of  (len.  J.  ('. 
Freemont,  which  included  almost  without 
exception,  all  the  points  that  would  be  liable 
to  arise  in  the  adjusting  of  land  claims 
under  the  treaty  with  Mexico.  After  the 
election  of  President  Pierce,  he  remained 
for  a  time  in  San  Francisco  with  the  law 
firm  of  Halleck,  Peachy,  Billings  &  Park  as 
general  adviser,  and  to  assist  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  important  papers. 

He  returned  to  Vermont  in  the  spring  of 
1854,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Bennington,  was  a  delegate  to  the 
first  Republican  national  convention  at  Phila- 
delphia in  1856,  and  in  185 8  was  elected 
Governor  by  a  majority  of  16,322  over 
Henry  Keyes,  Democrat,  and  re-elected  in 
1 85 9  by  a  still  larger  majority,  16,717,  over 
John  G.  Saxe,  Democrat.  He  spoke  severely 
in  his  message  of  the  attempt,  by  a  decision 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  to  legalize  slavery  in 
the  Territories,  he  pronounced  the  decision 
in  the  "  Dred  Scott  "  case  as  "  extra  judicial, 
and  as  contrary  to  the  plain  language  of  the 
constitution,  to  the  facts  of  history  and  to 
the  distastes  of  common  humanity."  He, 
however,  acted  as  chairman  of  the  delega- 
tion from  Vermont  to  the  fruitless  "  Peace 
Congress,"  at  Washington  in  February,  1861, 
on  the  eve  of  the  rebellion. 

Mr.  Hall  always  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  history  connected  with  the  territory  and 
state  of  N'ermont.  He  delivered  the  first 
annual  address  that  was  made  before  the 
\"ermont  Historical  Society  :  and  for  six  years, 
from  1859,  was  its  president  and  was  after- 
wards active  in  the  preparation  of  the  mate- 
rials for  a  number  of  the  \olumes  of  its  col- 
lections, and  otherwise  promoting  its  success. 
He  read  se\eral  papers  at  the  meetings  of 
the  society,  some  of  which  were  published  ; 
among  them,  one  in  1869,  in  vindication  of 
Ethan  .\llen  as  the  hero  of  Ticonderoga,  in 


refutation  of  an  attempt  made  in  the  "  ( lalaxy 
.Magazine  "  to  rob  him  of  that  honor.  He 
contributed  papers  to  the  "  New  ^■ork  His- 
torical .Magazine,"  to  the  "  N'ermont  Histori- 
cal Gazetteer,"  to  the  "  Philadelj)hia  Histori- 
cal Record,"  and  also  to  the  "  New  England 
Historic  Genealogical  Register."  In  i860, 
he  read  before  the  .New  York  Historical 
Society  a  paper  showing  why  the  early  inhabi- 
tants of  \"ermont  disclaimed  the  jurisdiction 
of  New  York,  and  established  a  separate 
government. 

In  186S,  his  "  Karly  History  of  Vermont," 
a  work  of  over  five  hundred  pages,  was  pub- 
lished, in  which  is  unanswerably  shown  the 
necessity  of  the  separation  of  the  inhabitants 
from  the  government  of  .\ew  York  ;  their 
justification  in  the  struggle  they  maintained 
in  the  establishment  of  their  state  independ- 
ence, and  their  valuable  services  in  the  cause 
of  .American  liberty  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  In  it  the  loyalty  of  all  the  important 
acts  of  the  leaders  is  so  firmly  established  by 
documentary  evidence,  that  he  was  confi- 
dent no  aspersion  could  be  maintained 
reflecting  upon  the  patriotism  of  any  of 
the  early  heroes.  Naturally  he  has  also 
taken  a  leading  part  in  the  rearing  of  the 
Bennington  battle  monument. 

The  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont in  1859.  He  was  a  life  member  and 
vice-president  for  Vermont  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Historic  Genealogical  Society,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Buffalo  and  corres- 
ponding member  of  the  New  York  Histori- 
cal Societies. 

Mr.  Hall  was  possessed  of  the  qualities 
which  go  to  make  up  a  statesman  ;  a  strong 
mind  stored  with  good  common  sense,  a  re- 
tenti\e  memory,  and  a  practical  mode  of 
thinking.  His  flow  of  language  as  an  ex- 
temporaneous speaker  was  deficient,  but  at 
the  desk  he  excelled,  as  formulated  thoughts 
and  moulded  ideas  flowed  as  freely  as  could 
be  readily  written,  and  in  whatever  position 
he  was  placed  he  was  found  equal  to  any 
exigency  which  arose,  as  his  fund  of  informa- 
tion extended  to  all  branches  of  national, 
constitutional  or  international  research. 

He  married  in  1818,  Dolly  Tuttle  Davis, 
daughter  of  Henry  Davis  of  Rockingham. 
She  died  Jan.  8,  1879.  Henry  Davis  was  at 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  under  Colonel 
Stark  at  the  line  of  rail  fence,  and  also  served 
at  West  Point  at  the  time  of  .Arnold's  trea- 
sonable attempt  to  surrender  it  to  the  enemy, 
being  in  the  Revolutionary  service  over 
three  years.  .\t  a  family  reunion  in  .North 
Bennington,  July  20,  1S85,  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Hall,  at  the  residence  of  his  granddaughter, 
on  which  day  he  was  ninety  years  of  age,  there 
were  present  fifty-one  of  his    descendants. 


96 


DILLINGH.\iI. 


there  being  five  others  who  were  detained 
from  this  interesting  gathering. 

Governor  Hall  died  in  Sjiringfield,  Mass., 
at  the  house  of  his  son,  with  whom  he  was 
spending  the  winter,  Dec.  i8,  18S5. 

SMITH,  John  Gregory.— The  third  of 

the  war  Ciovernors  of  the  state,  the  organizer 
and  the  head  for  years  of  the  great  Central 
Vermont  railroad  system,  and  one  of  the  pro- 
jectors of  the  Northern  Pacific,  was  for 
nearly  thirty  years  the  most  potent  person- 
ality in  Vermont  affairs.  He  was  born  at  St. 
Albans,  July  22,  1S18,  and  was  the  son  of 
John  Smith,  a  pioneer  railroad  builder  in 
Vermont,  and  a  leading  lawyer  and  public 
man  of  his  generation,  representing  St.  Al- 
bans nine  successi\e  years  in  the  Legislature 
and  serving  one  term  in  Congress.  The 
family  came  from  Barre,  Mass.  John  Greg- 
ory graduated  from  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont in  1 84 1,  and  subsequently  from  the 
Yale  law  school.  He  at  once  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  practice  of  law  and  inci- 
dentally in  railroad  management. 

At  the  death  of  his  father  in  1858  John 
Gregory  succeeded  to  the  position  of  trustee 
under  the  lease  of  the  ^'ermont  &  Canada 
R.  R.  Simultaneously  he  entered  politics, 
and  for  many  years  the  career  in  each  line 
was  involved  with  the  other.  The  roads  ran 
down  so  that  in  1865  trust  bonds  began  to 
be  issued  to  provide  for  repairs,  and  from 
this  Governor  Smith  advanced  to  a  large 
policy  of  "  development  "  forming  by  leases 
and  purchases  a  great  "  through  system  of 
roads,  all  under  the  authority  "  of  the  court 
of  chancery,  and  as  an  extension  of  the 
policy  of  repairs.  The  emissions  of  "trust" 
bonds  continued  till  1872,  when  54,356,600 
were  out.  When  the  financial  panic  struck 
the  country,  these  structures  tumbled,  the 
rent  payment  to  the  Vermont  &  Canada 
was  defaulted,  notes  went  to  protest,  a  legis- 
lative investigation  was  held,  and  a  long  and 
complicated  litigation  ensued.  Governor 
Smith  and  his  management,  generally  speak- 
ing, came  out  of  the  courts  successful,  but 
before  the  end  was  reached  a  compromise 
was  effected  by  which  new  securities  were 
issued  to  the  different  interests  and  the 
"  Consolidated  Railway  of  Vermont  "  formed, 
still  under  Smith's  management.  He  was 
one  of  the  originators  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
railroad  enterprise  and  was  the  president  of 
the  cor])oration  from  1S66  to  1872,  when  he 
retired  amid  the  troubles  that  were  thicken- 
ing about  both  companies.  Under  his  lead 
five  hundred  and  fifty-five  miles  of  the  road 
were  built. 

He  entered  the  Legislature  as  St.  Albans' 
representative  in  i860,  and  in  '61  and  '62 
was  speaker  of  the  House,  winning  such 
popularity  that   he   was  unanimously  nom- 


inated for  Governor  in  1863  and  re-elected 
in  '64.  And  none  are  there  to  deny  the  high 
quality  of  his  ser\ice  to  the  state  and  nation, 
in  those  days.  He  was  the  friend  and  con- 
fidant of  Lincoln  and  Stanton.  He  was  par- 
ticularly solicitous  in  caring  for  the  Vermont 
boys  at  the  front,  and  his  many  deeds  of 
kindness  won  him  many  enthusiastic  and 
life-long  admirers.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  state  delegation  to  the  national  Re- 
publican conventions  in  1872,  1880,  and 
1884.  After  his  retirement  from  the  Gover- 
nor's chair  he  held  no  public  office,  though 
for  about  twenty  years  he  was  the  master  of 
Vermont  politics. 

He  was  frequently  afterward  talked  of  for 
a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate,  particu- 
larly in  1886,  when  quite  a  breezy  little  fight 
was  made  for  him,  and  again  in  1891  after 
Edmunds'  resignation.  But  in  both  cases 
he  withdrew  his  name. 

He  was  a  very  remarkable  man — shrewd, 
far-seeing,  persuasive,  and  yet  iron-handed 
in  his  determination  to  carry  his  purposes. 
He  had  a  wonderful  faculty,  with  his  wide 
knowledge  of  human  nature  and  his  singu- 
lar affability  of  manner,  of  winning  other 
men  to  his  support,  and  his  marked  execu- 
tive ability  made  successful  the  schemes  he 
was  so  facile  in  organizing  and  inaugurating. 
He  was  prominently  interested  in  several 
local  business  enterprises,  and  was  president 
of  \Velden  National  Bank,  the  People's  Trust 
Co.,  and  the  Franklin  County  Creamery 
Association.  He  was  a  life-long  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  and  a  liberal 
giver  for  church  purposes,  a  late  contribution 
being  a  gift  of  some  $7,000  for  remodeling 
the  church  edifice.  In  1888  he  gave  the 
village  of  St.  Albans  an  elegant  bronze  foun- 
tain costing  §5,000,  which  now  adorns  the 
public  park.  His  palatial  residence  in  St. 
Albans  has  been  the  scene  of  many  gather- 
ings, at  which  Governor  and  Mrs.  Smith 
have  dispensed  a  courteous  hospitalitv.  He 
married  in  1842,  Ann  Eliza,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Lawrence  Branerd,  who  has  written  several 
novels  and  other  charming  books  and  who 
survives  him  with  five  children  :  George  G., 
in  business  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Edward 

C,  president  of  the  Central  Vermont  R.  R., 
Mrs.  C.  O.  Steven   of  Boston,  and  Mrs.  Rev. 

D.  S.  Mackay  of  St.  .Albans. 

Governor  Smith  died  at  St.  Albans,  after  a 
month's  illness,  Nov.  6,  i8gi. 

DILLINGHAM,  Paul.— Congressman, 
Governor,  and  a  lawyer  of  singular  power 
and  eloquence,  was  born  at  Shutesbury^ 
Mass.,  August  10,  1799,  the  son  of  Paul 
and  Hannah  (Smith)  Dillingham,  and  of  a 
family  that  traces  back  to  the  \Vinthrop 
colony  in  American  history,  that  had  brave 
officers,  the  direct  ancestors  of  the  Gover- 


DII.I.INGHA-M. 


UILLISC;1IAM. 


97 


nor,  in  both  the  French  and  the  Revolution- 
ary wars,  and  that  has  always  been  marked 
by  that  fervent  patriotism  and  usually  by  the 
religious  earnestness  so  characteristic  of  him. 
Paul's  father,  a  farmer,  moved  from 
Shutesbury  to  Waterbury  when  the  boy  was 
only  six  years  old.  The  latter  was  educated 
in  the  \\'ashington  county  grammar  school, 
studied  law  at  Middlebury  in  the  office  of 
Dan  Carpenter,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
March,  1823,  and  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  preceptor,  which  lasted  until  the  latter's 
elevation  to  the  bench.     For  fifty-two  vears. 


until  his  retirement  in  1875,  '''^  ^^'^^  '^^  the 
constant  practice  of  his  profession,  except 
for  the  interruptions  by  his  public  service, 
and  as  a  jury  advocate  he  was  at  the  head  of 
a  bar  that  for  a  full  generation  was  among 
the  ablest  the  state  ever  contained,  and 
ranked  perhaps  as  the  first  in  the  state. 

As  a  Supreme  Court  lawyer  he  was  not  so 
great,  though  strong.  A  fine  presence,  six 
feet  tall  and  weighing  over  two  hundred 
pounds,  with  a  kindly  bearing,  manly  frank- 
ness and  dignified  simplicity,  an  eye  beam- 
ing with  magnetic  quality,  a  voice  "  musical 
and  sweet  as  a  flute  in  its  lower  cadences, 
but  in  passion  or  excitement  resounding  like 
the  music  of  a  bugle,"  were  only  the  exter- 
nals of  his  power.  The  real  secret  was  a 
nature  rich  with  human  sympathy.  A  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  of  affairs  gathered  in  a  long 
and  observant  contact,  was  illuminated  by  a 
mind  fertile  in  poetic  conceptions,  apt  illus- 
trations and  happy  anecdotes,  and  deepened 
and  strengthened  by  a  profound  study  of  the 


Scriptures  to  enforce  his  thought.  .As  H.  F. 
Fifieid  says  in  a  sketch  of  him  :  "  When  in 
his  best  mood,  he  played  upon  the  strings  of 
men's  hearts  with  the  facility  that  a  skilled 
musician  plays  upon  the  strings  of  a  guitar, 
and  made  them  respond  to  emotions  of 
laughter,  anger,  sympathy  or  sorrow,  when- 
ever he  pleased  and  as  best  suited  the  pur- 
poses of  his  case." 

He  was  town  clerk  of  Waterbury  from 
1829  to  '44;  representative  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1833,  '34,  '37,  '38  and  '39  ;  state's 
attorney  for  Washington  county  in  1835,  '36 
and  '37  :  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1836,  '57  and  '70  ;  state  sen- 
ator of  Washington  county  in  1841,  '42  and 
'61  ;  and  in  1843  was  elected  member  of 
Congress,  where  he  served  two  terms,  and 
was  on  the  committee  on  the  judiciary.  In 
1862,  '63  and  '64  he  was  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, and  in  1865  and  '66  Governor  of  the 
state. 

He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  state 
Democracy,  in  what  may  be  called  its  golden 
era  intellectually,  though  it  was  a  hopeless 
minority  ;  and  when  a  state  convention  met 
with  Saxe,  Eastman,  Dillingham,  Smalley, 
Kellogg,  Stoughton,  Thomas,  Field,  Chit- 
tenden, Poland,  Redfield,  Davenport  and 
others,  to  flash  their  wit  and  eloquence 
across  it,  and  with  Hawthorne  frequently 
coming  up  from  Massachusetts  to  partake  of 
the  communion,  there  was  apt  to  be  a  "feast 
of  reason  and  flow  of  soul,"  such  as  no  other 
political  organization  in  the  state  before  or 
since  has  witnessed.  \\'hile  in  Congress  Mr. 
Dillingham  was  the  only  Democrat  on  the 
delegation.  He  strongly  favored  the  admis- 
sion of  Texas,  and  the  policy  that  led  to  the 
Mexican  war,  not  that  he  had  any  sympathy 
with  slavery,  but  because  he  was  a  believer 
in  the  manifest-destiny  doctrine,  and  one  of 
his  speeches  predicted  the  territorial  growth 
and  expanding  greatness  of  his  country  in 
words  that  were  almost  prophetic. 

Mr.  Dillingham's  personal  jwwer  was  a 
large  factor  in  making  that  section  of  the 
state  so  strongly  Democratic.  Pmt  the  firing 
on  Sumter  shattered  in  a  moment  the 
political  affiliations  of  a  life-time.  With  a 
nature  like  his  it  was  impossible  for  patriot- 
ism to  take  any  other  course.  He  would  go 
to  the  utmost  verge  in  concessions  under 
the  constitution  to  keep  the  South  content 
in  the  L^nion  and  this  same  intense  love  of 
the  Union  would  lead  him  to  like  sacrifice 
when  once  the  blow  of  rebellion  was  struck. 
He  couldn't  see  why  any  Democrat  should 
fail  to  take  that  view.  He  wanted  party 
lines  obliterated  entirely  and  the  whole 
North  to  stand  solid  in  support  of  the  national 
administration.  He,  of  course,  received  a 
warm  welcome  into  the  Republican  ranks. 
He  was  a  leader  in  the   state  Senate  in  the 


war  measures  of  1861,  and  the  next  year  his 
services  were  recognized  with  the  nomina- 
tion for  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  after 
three  years'  service  in  this  position  with  that 
for  chief  executive  in  '65  and  '66.  The  can- 
didate against  him  both  years  was  his  old 
political  friend,  Charles  N.  Davenport. 
Governor  Dillingham's  majority  in  '65  was 
16,714  and  in  '66  22,822.  The  great  mon- 
ument of  his  administration  is  the  establish- 
ment of  the  reform  school,  which  he  recom- 
mended in  his  first  message.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1870  and  with  this  his  public  service 
closed.  He  retired  from  law  practice  in 
1875  and  lived  for  fifteen  years  more,  in  se- 
rene and  well  earned  leisure,  dying  at 
Waterbury  July  26,  1891. 

He  was  for  many  years  an  influential  lay- 
man of  the  Methodist  church,  and  was  the 
first  lay  delegate  from  the  Vermont  confer- 
ence to  the  quadrennial  general  conference 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  V.,  in  May,  1872,  where  he 
took  a  high  position. 

(lovernor  Dillingham  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Sarah  P.,  eldest  daughter  of  his  friend, 
preceptor,  and  partner,  Dan  Carpenter.  She 
died  Sept.  20,  1831,  and  Sept.  5,  1832,  he 
married  her  younger  sister,  Julia.  Seven 
children,  three  daughters  and  four  sons,  lived 
to  reach  maturity.  One  daughter,  who  died 
in  1875,  married  J.  F.  Lamson  of  Boston, 
and  another  the  great  senator,  Matthew  H. 
Carpenter  of  \\'isconsin,  while  the  other  is 
unmarried.  'JVo  of  the  sons  entered  the 
army  :  Col.  Charles,  president  of  the  Hous- 
ton &  Texas  Central  R.  R.,  and  Major  Edwin, 
who  was  killed  at  Winchester.  Frank  is  a 
citizen  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  while  William 
P.,  Governor  of  the  state  in  '88  and  '90,  is 
still  practicing  law  at  Waterburv  and  Mont- 
pelier. 

PAGE,  John  B. — Governor,  state  treas- 
urer, and  for  a  generation  prominent  in 
Vermont  railroading,  was  born  in  Rutland, 
Feb.  25,  1826,  the  son  of  William  and  Cyn- 
thia (Hickok)  Page.  Educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  Burr  and  Burton  Semi- 
nary at  Manchester,  he  was  called  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  to  assist  his  father,  then  cashier 
of  the  old  bank  at  Rutland,  to  which  office 
the  son  of  John  B.  succeeded  later,  and  so 
became  a  banker,  and  was  many  years  presi- 
dent of  the  National  Bank  of  Rutland,  the 
reorganized  form  of  the  old  state  bank.  He 
became  interested  in  the  Rutland  &  Bur- 
lington R.  R.,  by  being  appointed  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  second  mortgage  bond- 
holders, and  upon  the  reorganization  of  the 
property  as  the  Rutland  Railroad  Co.,  was 
made  president.  He  was  for  a  time  co- 
trustee with  Hon.  T.  U'.  I'ark  of  the  Ben- 
nington  &   Rutland    R.    R.,  and  later  was 


associated  with  Hon.  J.  Gregory  Smith  as 
vice-president  of  the  Central  Vermont.  He 
was  a  director  of  the  Chamjilain  Transporta- 
tion Co.,  and  various  other  railroad  enter- 
prises, and  also  in  the  Caughnawauga  Ship 
Canal  project  for  connecting  Lake  Cham- 
plain  and  the  St.  I,awrence,  etc. 

He  was  instrumental    in  the  transfer  of 
the    shops   of  the    Howe   Scale    Co.,    from 


Brandon  to  Rutland,  of  which  company  he 
was  the  treasurer.  He  was  in  1852  elected 
a  representative  to  the  General  .Assembly  of 
Vermont  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  and  re- 
elected for  the  sessions  of  1853  and  1854. 
In  1860  he  was  elected  state  treasurer  and  re- 
ceived successive  re-elections  annually  till 
1 866,  and  was  during  this  time  allotment  com- 
missioner by  appointment  of  President 
Lincoln.  He  originated  the  plan  for  the 
payment  of  the  extra  state  pay  voted  by 
Vermont  to  her  soldiers,  $7  per  month,  and 
disbursed  during  his  term  as  treasurer  a 
total  of  §4,635,150.80  for  military  expenses. 

In  1867  he  was  elected  Governor  and  re- 
elected in  1868,  serving  with  judgment  and 
ability  through  the  critical  period  after  the 
war. 

He  was  again  elected  representative  from 
Rutland  in  1880  and  took  the  place  for  the 
purpose  of  furthering  some  important  meas- 
ures that  he  had  become  interested  in. 
Chief  among  these  was  a  comprehensive 
scheme  of  tax  reform,  which  is  the  founda- 
tion of  our  present  corporation  law,  and  with 
which  he  wished  also  to  include  a  plan  for 
the  taxation  of  personal   property  like  that 


WASIlliURN. 


WASIIHIKN. 


99 


of  Connecticut.  He  made  a  strong  fight  for 
these  ideas  with  the  influential  vested  in- 
terests of  the  state  mustered  against  him, 
and  he  lived  to  see  them  afterwards  incor- 
porated into  its  laws. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  for  many  years  a  deacon  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school,  a  corporate 
member  of  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions  and  was  in- 
strumental in  having  the  meeting  of  that 
society,  the  only  one  ever  convened  in  the 
state,  held  at  Rutland  in  1874.  During  this 
meeting  he  led  in  the  movement  which 
resulted  m  the  establishment  of  a  Christian 
College  in  Japan  which  the  late  Jose])h 
Neesima  projected.  His  strong  personality 
was  illustrated  by  his  advocacy  and  accom- 
plishment, at  a  meeting  of  this  society  at 
Providence,  of  an  effort  to  pay  off  a  debt  of 
over  $70,000. 

He  was  one  of  the  most  public-spirited  of 
men  and  had  always  in  mind  the  welfare  of 
his  town  and  state.  In  his  young  manhood 
he  was  foreman  of  the  Nickwackett  Fngine 
Co.,  one  of  the  oldest  organizations  of  fire- 
men in  the  state.  He  pushed  the  erection 
of  the  commodious  Congregational  church 
in  i860,  building  for  future  generations,  and 
largely  aided  in  the  construction  of  the 
chapel  addition,  the  two  united  forming, 
perhaps,  the  most  complete  church  property 
in  the  state.  He  died  Oct.  24,  1885,  and  is 
buried  near  Rutland  in  Evergreen  cemetery, 
a  "city  "which  he  helped  to  purchase  and 
adorn. 

WASHBURN,  PETER  T.— Governor, ad- 
jutant and  inspector-general  during  the  war, 
and  one  of  that  brilliant  group  of  lawyers 
that  made  Woodstock  famous  through  so 
many  years,  was  born  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  Sept. 
7,  1 8 14,  the  eldest  son  of  Reuben  and  Han- 
nah B.  (Thacher)  Washburn.  There  was 
distinguished  ancestry  on  both  sides.  John 
Washburn,  the  sixth  generation  back,  was 
secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Co., 
while  in  England.  Joseph  Washburn,  his 
grandson,  married  a  granddaughter  of  Mary 
Chilton,  the  first  female  member  of  the  Pil- 
grim band  that  stepped  upon  Plymouth 
Rock.  The  Thachers  were  for  several  gen- 
erations dstinguished  preachers  in  Massa- 
chusetts. 

In  18 1 7  the  father  of  Peter  T.  Wash- 
burn moved  to  Vermont,  first  setding  at 
Chester,  then  at  Cavendish,  and  finally  at 
Ludlow.  Voung  Peter  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth in  1835,  studied  law  first  under  the 
direction  of  his  father,  then  for  a  time  in  the 
office  of  Senator  L'pham  at  Montpelier,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1838,  and  began  prac- 
tice at  Ludlow,  moving  in  1844  to  Wood- 
stock where   he   formed  a   partnership  with 


Charles  P.  Marsh  which  continued  until  the 
death  of  the  latter  in  1870.  Mr.  Washburn 
was  in  1844  elected  reporter  of  the  decisions 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  N'ermont,  holding 
the  position  for  eight  years  with  high  credit. 
He  rejiresented  Woodstock  in  the  Legisla- 
tures of  1853  and  '54.  But  his  c:hief  ener- 
gies had  been  devoted  to  his  professional 
work,  with  ever  growing  reputation,  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  in  1861.  He  had 
been  chairman  of  the  \"ermont  delegation 
to  the  Republican  national  convention  that 
in  i860  nominated  Lincoln  and  Hamlin. 
He  was  then  in  command  of  the  Woodstock 
Light  Infantry,  a  company  of  citizen  soldiers 
who  at  once  proffered  their  services  to  their 
country,  and  on  the  ist  of  May  marched  to 
Rutland  where  it  was  incorporated  with  the 
First  Vermont  Regiment.  Washburn  was 
commissioned  lieutenant-colonel,  but  acted 
as  colonel  during  its  entire  period  of  service. 

In  October,  1861,  he  was  elected  adjutant 
and  inspector-general  of  \"ermont  and  until 
the  war  closed  devoted  himself  to  its  arduous 
duties,  foreseeing  their  importance  to  the 
future,  bringing  order  and  system  out  of 
chaos  and  making  it  the  model  adjutant's 
office  of  the  country.  He  was  often  likened 
by  his  admirers  to  Stanton  for  the  energy, 
force  and  intellectual  grasp  with  which  he 
performed  the  duties  of  his  office. 

He  was  in  1869  elected  Co\ernor  by  a 
majority  of  22,822  over  Homer  W.  Heaton, 
the  Democratic  candidate,  arid  died  in 
office  February  7,  1870.  He  had  simply 
worn  himself  into  the  grave  by  overwork  in 
the  e.\cess  of  his  faithfulness  to  duty.  No 
trace  of  disease,  organic  or  functional,  could 
be  found  by  the  physicians  after  his  death. 
The  decision  was  that  there  had  been  a 
complete  breaking  down  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem. He  was  at  the  time  preparing  a  digest 
of  all  of  the  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  the  beginning,  and  had  worked  his 
wav  through  thirty-eight  of  the  forty-one 
volumes  of  the  Vermont  reports  when  his 
labors  were  interrupted. 

The  able,  painstaking  and  widely  varied 
service  he  had  done  the  state  were  ap- 
preciated at  his  taking  off,  and  have  been 
more  so  since.  "He  was  our  Carnot,  in  or- 
ganizing and  administrati\e  talents,  our 
Louvois  in  energy  and  e.xecutive  force,"  said 
the  Rutland  Herald,  in  speaking  of  his  ser- 
vice as  war  adjutant  Thorough,  studious, 
accurate,  absolutely  incorruptible,  inflexibly 
just,  judicious  and  kindly,  he  was  a  man  the 
people  could  not  fail  to  admire. 

Ciovernor  Washburn  was  twice  married, 
first  to  .\lmira  E.  Ferris  of  Swanton,  and 
second  to  .\lmira  P.  Hopkins  of  ( Hens  Falls, 
N.  v.  Two  children  by  the  first  wife  died 
young,  but  two  daughters  and  a  son  by  the 
second  marriage  survived  his  decease,  as 
did  the  widow. 


CONVERSE,  Julius.— Governor  and 
another  Woodstock  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Stafford,  Conn.,  Dec.  17,  1798,  the  fourth 
son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Con- 
verse. The  family  was  of  French  origin,  the 
primary  orthography  being  De  Coigners,  but 
emigrated  to  England  centuries  ago,  and  the 
American  ancestor,  l)ea.  Edward  Converse, 
came  with  Winthrop's  colony  in  1630.  The 
Governor's  grandfather  and  great-grand- 
father, Lieutenant  Josiah  and  Major  James 
Converse,  were  renowned  in  the  Indian  wars 
of  Massachusetts. 

Joseph  Converse,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  and  a  farmer,  came  to  Vermont 
and  settled  at  Randolph  in  1801.  Julius 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
Randolph  Academy,  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  William  Nutting  at  Randolph,  was 
admitted  to  the  Orange  county  bar  in  1826, 
and  settled  first  at  Bethel,  whence  he  re 
moved  in  1840  to  Woodstock.  At  Bethel 
he  was  for  several  years  in  partnership  with 
A.  P.  Hunton,  afterwards  speaker  of  the 
lower  house  of  the  Legislature  in  i8oo-'62. 
At  Woodstock  he  formed  a  connection  with 
Andrew  Tracy  and  later  with  James  Barrett, 
the  firms  of  Tracy  &:  Converse,  Tracy,  Con- 
verse &  Barrett,  and  after  Mr.  Tracy's  elec- 
tion to  Congress,  Tracy  &  Barrett,  being 
among  the  strongest  in  the  state.  After  Mr. 
Barrett's  elevation  to  the  Supreme  Court 
Mr.  Converse  formed  a  partnership  with  W. 
C.  French  which  continued  until  1S65,  and 
after  that  Mr.  Converse's  practice  was  alone 
and  within  comparatively  narrow  limits.  As 
a  lawyer  he  was  particularly  strong  in  the 
careful  preparation  of  his  cases  and  as  a 
cross-examiner  of  witnesses.  He  also  ex- 
celled in  chancery  practice. 

He  several  times  represented  Bethel  in  the 
Legislature  and  was  a  member  from  Wind- 
sor county  of  the  first  Senate  in  1836,  and 
three  times  re-elected  to  that  body.  He  also 
represented  Woodstock  several  times,  and 
was  state's  attorney  for  Windsor  county  from 
1844  to  '47.  In  1850  and  '51  he  was  elected 
Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  ticket  with 
Crov.  Charles  K.  Williams.  For  the  next 
twenty  years  he  was  out  of  public  life  until 
in  1872,  when  nearly  seventy-four  years  old, 
he  was  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  nomi- 
nated for  Governor,  being  taken  up  to  defeat 
Frederick  Billings,  a  purpose  that  was  ac- 
complished by  a  narrow  majority  of  one  after 
a  hard  fight  in  the  Republican  state  conven- 
tion. Mr.  Con\-erse  was  traveling  outside  of 
the  state  at  the  time,  and  the  first  he  knew 
of  his  candidacy  was  when  he  read  about  the 
nomination  in  the  morning  papers.  He  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  25,319  over  A.  B. 
Gardner,  ex-Lieutenant  Governor,  who  had 
joined  the  Liberal  Republican  movement  of 
that   year,  and  whom  the    Greeleyites  and 


Democrats  had  nominated  in  high  hopes  of 
cutting  the  Republican  majority  down  to 
10,000.  His  administration  was  without 
notable  incident. 

(Governor  Converse  was  twice  married, 
first  in  1827  to  Melissa,  daughter  of  Henry 
Arnold  of  Randolph,  who  died  two  months 
after  his  inauguration  as  Governor,  Dec.  14, 
1872.  June  12,  1873,  he  wedded  Jane  E., 
daughter  of  Joseph  Martin,  and  a  daughter 
was  the  issue  of  this  second  union. 

Governor  Converse  died,  .August  16,  1885, 
at  Dixville  Notch,  N.  H. 

PECK,  ASAHEL.— Judge  of  the  Su- 
pre  me  Court 
and  Gover nor, 
was  born  at  Roy- 
alsto  n,  M  a  s  s., 
September,  1 803, 
the  son  of  Squire 
j^    ■^  and    F'.liza  b  e  t  h 

t|  ^.  (Goddard)  Peck 

of  Puritan  ances- 
try on  both  sides. 
The  family  rec- 
ord can  be 
traced  back  from 
Joseph  Peck,  the 
first  Americ  a  n 
anc  estor,  for 
twenty-one  gen- 
erations to  John  Peck,  Esq.,  of  Belton, 
Yorkshire,  England,  probably  farther  than 
that  of  any  other  Vermont  family.  His 
father  came  to  Vermont  and  settled  at  Mont- 
pelier  when  Asahel  was  only  three  years  old. 
Asahel's  youth  was  passed  on  the  farm, 
where  he  developed  the  sturdy  vigor,  men- 
tal, moral  and  physical,  that  was  so  marked 
throughout  his  career.  He  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  fitted  at  the  Wash- 
ington county  grammar  school  to  enter  the 
sophomore  class  of  the  L^niversity  of  Ver- 
mont in  1824 ;  but  he  did  not  graduate, 
leaving  in  his  senior  year  at  the  invitation  of 
the  president  of  a  French  college  in  Canada, 
for  a  course  of  study  in  the  French  language 
in  the  family  of  the  latter.  He  studied  law 
in  the  office  of  his  oldest  brother,  Nathan 
Peck,  at  Hinesburgh,  and  one  of  the  leading 
lawyers  of  that  section,  and  afterward  for  a 
year  or  two  in  the  office  of  Bailey  &:  Marsh 
at  Burlington.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  March,  1832,  practiced  alone  for  a  while 
and  afterward  in  partnership  with  Archibald 
Hyde  and  later  with  D.  A.  Smalley. 

He  was  a  man  of  solid  rather  than  brilliant 
parts,  but  he  made  his  way  steadily.  E.  P. 
Walton  says  that  it  was  "characteristic  of  him 
that  he  was  slow  in  everything,  but  in  the 
end  he  was  almost  always  sure  to  be  right 
and  that  he  regarded  as  the  only  point  worth 
gaining.     He  was   a    thorough   and  patient 


FAIRl'.ANKS. 


student.  *  *  Possessing  a  tenacious  mem- 
ory, he  held  firmly  all  that  he  had  secured  in 
years  of  study,  and  could  instantly  bring  his 
great  store  of  learning  to  bear  upon  any  legal 
question  presented  to  him."  (Jne  critic  has 
said  that  no  man  in  New  England  since  Judge 
Story  has  equalled  him  in  knowledge  of  the 
common  law  of  England  and  the  law  of 
equity.  He  and  Rufus  Choate  were  once 
pitted  against  each  other  in  a  case,  and  that 
wonderful  genius  of  the  profession  professed 
astonishment  to  find  such  a  lawyer  in  Ver- 
mont, and  besought  him  to  move  to  Boston, 
where  he  would  surely  win  both  fame  and 
fortune.  But  there  were  higher  things  in  life 
for  Peck  and  he  persisted  in  staying  in  \'er- 
mont,  whose  practice  he  beheved  was  the 
best  in  the  Union  to  develop  a  lawyer  of 
really  great  attainments. 

He  was  judge  of  the  circuit  court  from 
185  I  till  it  ceased  in  1857.  In  i860  he  was 
elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  under 
the  present  .system  and  heki  the  position  con- 
tinuously, though  desiring  toward  the  end  to 
retire,  until  his  election  as  (jo\ernor  in  1874. 
He  was  nominated  then  in  response  to  a 
strong  demand  from  the  people  and  against 
the  calculations  of  the  old  line  of  managing 
politicians.  He  did  not,  however,  make 
such  radical  recommendations  on  the  ques- 
tions of  the  day,  especially  with  regard  to  the 
regulation  of  railroads,  as  some  of  his  sup- 
porters had  expected.  But  generally  speak- 
ing, his  administration  was  able,  sound  and 
deeper  in  its  impress  on  the  opinion  of  the 
people  than  that  of  almost  any  (lovernor  of 
recent  years.  He  strongly  urged  in  his  mes- 
sage the  establishment  of  the  house  of  cor- 
rection to  supply  a  serious  lack  "in  the 
means  of  the  suppression  of  crime  and  the 
punishment  and  reform  of  criminals,"  and 
he  may  justly  be  called  the  father  of  that  in- 
stitution. 

On  his  retirement  from  the  gubernatorial 
chair  Judge  Peck  retired  to  his  farm  in  Jer- 
icho, where  he  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of 
rural  life,  of  which  he  was  passionately  fond, 
until  his  death  May  18,  1879. 

In  politics  Judge  Peck  was  by  nature  and 
early  affiliations  a  Democrat.  But  the  ag- 
gressions of  the  slaveocracy  early  disgusted 
him,  and  he  became  a  Free  Soiler  in  1848, 
being  a  member  of  the  famous  Buffalo  con- 
vention that  nominated  Van  Buren  and 
.^dams  ;  and  after  the  formation  of  the  Free 
Democracy  or  Liberty  party  he  identified 
himself  with  it,  was  its  candidate  for  Con- 
gress in  the  Burlington  district,  and  naturally 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party.  His  patriotism  was 
of  the  uncompromising  kind,  and  during  the 
war  he  had  little  patience  with  the  assailants 
of  the  administration.  A  western  lawyer  of 
■copperheadish  proclivities  who  had  been  a 


student  in  his  office  in  former  years,  and 
knew  his  reverence  for  law  and  all  legal 
safeguards  of  the  individual,  met  him  one 
day  in  Burlington,  and  speaking  of  the  Val- 
landingham  or  some  similiar  case,  asked, 
"How  long  are  such  outrages  to  be  endured?" 
"What  outrages?"  demanded  the  Judge. 
"The  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  .'Vmerican 
citizens  without  process  of  law."  The  Judge 
replied,  "I  don't  know  what  this  case  is,  but 
I  do  know  one  thing,  that  a  good  many  more 
men  are  out  of  jail  who  ought  to  be  in,  than 
in  who  ought  to  be  out."  The  reply  was 
evidently  aimed  at  the  coUoquist  individ- 
ually and  he  subsided.  Judge  Peck  was  too 
great  a  lawyer,  too  large-minded  a  man  to 
allow  the  forms  of  law  to  outweigh  the  es- 
sentials of  right  and  justice. 

Personally  he  was  a  most  lovable  man, 
tender  and  chivalric  almost  to  the  point  of 
fault,  as  it  sometimes  seemed,  when  as  a 
judge  he  was  accused  of  "riding"  cases  in 
favor  of  the  weaker  party,  especially  if  a 
woman — modest,  kindly,  and  unostentatious 
— with  a  side  of  poetic  beauty  to  his  rugged 
nature,  with  its  positive  integrity.  He  was 
profoundly  religious,  and  Gov.  W.  P.  Dill- 
ingham, who  was  his  secretary  of  civil  and 
military  affairs,  says  that  he  was  one  of  the 
best  biblical  students  he  ever  met,  that  he 
would  sit  up  until  nearly  midnight  talking  of 
religious  matters,  of  the  lofty  purity  of  Isaiah 
and  of  the  mission  of  Christ,  whose  divinity, 
in  his  opinion,  was  better  attested  by  His 
character  and  by  the  fact  that  through  Him 
the  (iospel  is  preached  to  the  poor,  than  by 
His  miracles. 

Governor  Peck  was  never  married. 

FAIRBANKS,  HORACE.  — Governor  and 
son  of  a  Governor,  was  born  at  Barnet, 
March  21,  1820,  coming  with  the  family  to 
St.  Johnsbury  five  years  later.  The  general 
facts  about  the  family  are  given  in  the 
sketch  of  Gov.  Erastus  Fairbanks  on  page 
89.  Horace  was  the  second  son  of  Erastus 
and  Lois  (Grossman)  Fairbanks,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  ac- 
ademies in  Peacham  and  Lyndon,  Meriden, 
.\.  H.,  and  Andover,  Mass.  .-^t  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  took  a  clerkship  in  the  firm  of 
E.  &  T.  Fairbanks  &  Co.,  became  active 
]3artner  in  1843,  and  finally  the  financial 
manager  of  its  e.xtensive  business,  whose 
annual  product  he  saw  grow  from  §50,000  to 
53,000,000,  and  force  of  workmen  from  forty 
to  six  hundred.  He  was  from  the  beginning 
identified  with  the  construction  of  the  Port- 
land &  Odgensburg  R.  R.,  almost  the  father 
of  the  idea,  the  piloter  of  the  charter  through 
the  New  Hampshire  Legislature,  and  the 
backer  of  the  enterprise  with  the  utmost  of 
his  means  and  credit.  The  I'"airbanks 
characteristic   of    benefaction     towards    St. 


HORACE  FAIRBANKS. 


FAIRHANKS. 


FAIR  HANKS. 


I  "3 


lohnsbury  and  of  desire  to  devote  a  share  of 
their  prosperity  to  public  good,  was  very 
strong  with  Horace  Fairbanks  and  took 
shape  to  correspond  with  the  great  success 
which  his  adminstration  of  the  business 
achieved.  The  result  is  the  great  free  pub- 
lic library  and  art  gallery  under  the  name  of 
the  St.  Johnsbury  .Athenffium,  for  which  the 
foundation  was  laid  in  1868  and  which  was 
finished  and  dedicated  in  187 1.  The  library 
now  contains  some  15,000  volumes  and  in 
the  gallery  is  a  splendid  collection  of  paint- 
ings including  liierstadt's  masterpiece  the 
"  Domes  of  the  Voseniite."  The  cost  of  this 
donation  was  never  made  public  by  Gover- 
nor Fairbanks,  but  the  spirit  in  which  he 
gave  it  and  the  keynote  of  his  whole  life, 
were  well  expressed  in  the  words  of  the  dedi- 
cation in  which  he  said  :  "  It  gives  me  pro- 
found satisfaction  and  sincere  pleasure  to 
present  to  you  and  your  children  and  to  all 
who  may  come  after  you,  the  free  use  of  this 
building  and  its  contents.  My  highest 
ambition  will  be  satisfied  and  my  fullest  ex- 
pectations realized,  if  now  and  in  the  com- 
ing years  the  people  make  the  rooms  of  the 
Athenffium  a  favorite  place  of  resort  for 
patient  research,  reading  and  study." 

Governor  Fairbanks'  active  life  was  spent 
as  a  business  man  rather  than  a  politician, 
and  in  moral,  educational  and  religious  work 
rather  than  office-holding.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Republican  national  conventions 
of  1864  and  1872,  and  was  a  presidential 
elector  in  1868.  The  only  other  political 
position  to  which  he  was  chosen,  before  the 
governorship,  was  that  of  state  senator  from 
Caledonia  county,  to  which  he  was  elected 
in  1869,  but  was  unable  by  reason  of  illness 
to  take  his  seat.  His  nomination  for  (Gov- 
ernor was  a  compromise  after  a  bitter  pre- 
convention  fight  in  the  party  over  the  candi- 
dacy of  Deacon  Jacob  Estey  of  Brattleboro. 

A  number  of  names  were  placed  in  the 
field,  arraying  different  elements  against 
Estey,   and    finally    that    of  Fairbanks    was 


brought  forwarti  and  he  was  nominated  on 
the  third  ballot,  though  he  had  before  de- 
clined o\ertures.  He  was  out  of  the  state 
at  the  time.  The  result  at  the  polls  was  his 
election  by  a  vote  of  44,723  to  20,988  for 
W.  H.  H.  Bingham,  the  Democratic  can- 
didate. 

The  chief  criticism  of  his  administration 
was  that  concerning  his  use  of  the  pardoning 
power.  His  humanitarianism  and  his  kind- 
ness of  heart  made  it  difficult  for  him  to  re- 
sist appeals  that  appeared  to  have  any  basis 
of  merit  to  them.  It  was  during  this  term 
that  the  celebrated  case  of  John  P.  Phair 
came  up,  and  the  Governor  granted  the  con- 
demned man  a  reprieve  on  the  very  day 
fixed  for  his  execution,  on  a  telegram  from 
Boston  that  seemed  to  indicate  his  inno- 
cence. Phair  finally  went  to  the  gallows 
after  the  Supreme  Court  had  passed  on  his 
case,  but  Governor  Fairbanks'  conduct, 
though  bitterly  assailed  at  the  time,  was 
amply  justified  by  the  circumstances.  His 
inaugural  message  was  to  quite  an  extent 
devoted  to  the  different  systems  of  prison 
discipline,  the  condition  of  our  county  jails 
especially  receiving  his  critical  notice,  and 
he  earnestly  urged  more  attention  to  the 
work  of  reforming  criminals,  and  a  revision 
of  our  whole  prison  system  with  this  in  view. 
His  recommendations  bore  fruit  of  good 
in  this  line,  and  his  administration  for  what 
it  did  and  what  it  proposed,  deserved  and 
commanded  the  respect  of  thoughtful  peo- 
ple. He  was  held  in  high  esteem  abroad, 
being  a  member  of  the  Century  Club  at  New 
York,  and  the  St.  Botolph,  Boston. 

Governor  Fairbanks  was  married,  .'\ugust 
9,  1849,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  James  and 
Persis  (Hemphill)  Taylor  of  Derry,  N.  H. 
Of  their  three  children,  Helen  Taylor,  the 
oldest  daughter,  died  in  March,  1864  ;  Agnes, 
the  wife  of  Ashton  R.  Willard  of  Boston,  is 
now  living ;  and  Isabel,  wife  of  Albert  L. 
Farwell,  died  July  2,  1891.  Governor  Fair- 
banks died  in  New  York,  March  17,  1888. 


SENATORS  IN  CONGRESS. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  Senators  in  Congress  for  \'ermont.    Biographical 
sketches  of  the  entire  list  are  gi\en  on  the  following  pages,  with  the  exceiitions  noted. 


FIRST  CLASS. 

Solomon  Foot, 

1851-66 

*Moses  Robinson, 

1791-96      1 

JGeorge  F.  Edmunds, 

1866-91 

flsaac  Tichenor, 

Nathaniel  Chipman, 

1797-1803      i 

tisrael  Smitli, 

1803-07      ' 

Stephen  R.  Bradley, 

1791-95 

*Jonatlian  Robinson, 

1807-15 

Elijah  Paine, 

1795-1801 

tisaac  Tichenor, 

181S-21 

Stephen  R.  Bradley, 

i8oi-iii 

Horatio  Seymour, 

1821-33 

Dudley  Chase, 

1813-17 

Benjamin  Swift, 

1833-39 

James  Fisk, 

i8i7-t8 

Samuel  S.  Phelps, 

1839-51 

tWilliam  A.  Palmer, 

181S-25 

Dudley  Chase, 
Samuel  Prentiss, 

tSamuel  C.  Crafts. 
William  Upham, 
Samuel  S.  Phelps, 
Lawrence  Brainerd, 
Jacob  Collamer, 
Luke  P.  Poland, 

t Justin  S.  Morrill. 


defined  in  the  : 


cle  in  the  Constituti 


aphical  sketch  will  be  found  in  Part  11. 


BRADLEY,  STEPHEN  R.,  and  Moses 
Robinson  were  the  first  senators  after  the 
admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union.  Mr. 
Bradley  was  five  times  elected  the  president 
pro  tern  of  the  Senate,  the  third  highest  of- 
fice in  the  government,  was  the  friend  and 
close  adviser  of  Jefferson  and  iMadison,  and 
all  through  that  era  up  to  the  war  of  1812 
was  regarded  as  the  ablest  and  most  potent 
Democrat  in  New  England.  He  was  on 
terms  of  intimacy  also  with  Ethan  Allen,  and 
filled  a  brilliant  career  during  the  state's 
e.xistence  as  an  independent  republic,  being 
one  of  the  brainiest  of  her  statesmen,  and 
acquiring  great  wealth  in  the  land  operations 
in  which  most  of  the  fathers  were  engaged. 

Stephen  R.  Bradley  was  born  at  Walling- 
ford  (now  Cheshire),  Conn.,  Eeb.  20,  1754, 
the  son  of  Moses  and  Mary  (Row)  Bradley 
and  grandson  of  Stephen  Bradley,  one  of  a 
family  of  six  brothers  who  came  to  this 
country  in  1637,  after  service  in  Cromwell's 
Ironsides,  in  which  one  of  them  was  an  offi- 
cer. Young  Eiradley  graduated  from  Yale  in 
1775,  having  while  a  student  there  prepared 
an  almanac  for  that  year,  of  which  an  edi- 
tion of  two  thousand  copies  was  published 
by  Ebenezer  AVatson  in  November,  1774,  and 
having  in  his  course  shown  frequent  promise 
of  the  unusual  abilities  he  afterward  devel- 
oped. Soon  after  graduation  he  entered  the 
Revolutionary  service,  being  captain  of  a 
company  of  "  Cheshire \'olunteers,"  as  early 
as  January  and  February,  i  776,  being  in  the 
fighting  about  New  York,  and  afterward 
serving  as  quartermaster  and  as  aid  on  the 
staff  of  General  Wooster,  until  that  patriot 
fell  at  Danbury  in  April,  1777. 

The  next  year  Bradley  was  employed  as 
commissary  and    in   the   summer  of  '79  as 


major  at  New  Haven.  About  this  time, 
probably  in  the  fall  or  winter  previous,  he 
had  appeared  in  Vermont,  certainly  being 
present  at  the  May  term  of  court  in  West- 
minster in  '79,  when  he  was  licensed  to  prac- 
tice law  in  the  new  state.  He  had  in  the  in- 
termissions of  his  military  service  both 
taught  school  and  pursued  his  law  studies 
under  the  direction  of  Thomas  Reeve,  after- 
ward the  founder  of  the  famous  Litchfield 
Law  School.  He  had,  before  1780,  located 
definitely  in  A'ermont,  for  he  was  in  June  of 
that  year  appointed  state's  attorney  for  Cum- 
berland county,  and  still  earlier,  Dec.  10, 
1779,  had  prepared,  at  the  request  of  the 
Go\-ernor  and  council,  a  statement  of  Ver- 
mont's case  against  the  claims  of  New  York, 
New  Hampshire,  and  Massachusetts,  en- 
titled "\'ermont's  .Appeal  to  a  Candid  and 
Impartial  World."  It  was  a  pamphlet  of  re- 
markable power,  considering  that,  coming  to 
the  state  a  stranger  to  the  controversy,  he 
had  had  actually  less  than  two  months  to 
studv  it  up.  He  reviewed  trenchantly  the 
claims  of  each  of  the  states,  laid  bare  with 
great  skill  the  inconsistencies  and  weak 
points  of  all,  and  concluded  with  the  declara- 
tion that  "Vermont  has  a  natural  right  of  in- 
dependence ;  honor,  justice  and  humanity 
forbid  us  tamely  to  surrender  that  freedom 
which  our  innocent  posterity  have  a  right  to 
demand  and  receive  from  their  ancestors. 
Full  well  mav  thev  hereafter  rise  up  in  judg- 
ment against  us,  if,  like  ])rofane  Esau,  we 
mortgage  away  their  birthright,  and  leave 
them  at  the  expense  of  their  lives  to  obtain 
freedom.  We  have  now  existed  as  a  free 
and  independent  state  almost  four  years ; 
have  fought  Britains,  Canadians,  Hessians, 
Tories  and  all,  and  have  waded  in  blood  to 


I05 


^^fi/t^^  ^  Qs  >^<S4 


maintain  and  support  our  independence. 
^^'e  beg  lea\e  to  appeal  to  your  own  mem- 
ories with  what  resolution  we  have  fought  by 
your  sides,  and  what  wounds  we  have  re- 
ceived fighting  in  the  grand  American  cause, 
and  let  your  own  recollection  tell  what  Ver- 
mont has  done  and  suffered  in  the  cause  of 
civil  liberty  and  the  rights  of  mankind,  and 
must  we  now  tamely  gi\e  up  all  worth  fight- 
ing for?  No,  sirs ;  while  we  wear  the  names 
of  Americans  we  never  will  surrender  those 
glorious  pri\"ileges  for  which  so  many  have 
fought,  bled,  and  died ;  we  appeal  to  your 
own  feelings,  as  men  of  like  sufferings, 
whether  you  would  submit  your  freedom 
and  independence  to  the  arbitrament  of  any 
court  or  referees  under  heaven?  If  you 
would,  after  wasting  so  much  blood  and 
treasure,  you  are  unworthy  the  name  of 
Americans  :  if  you  would  not,  condemn  not 
others  in  what  you  allow  yourselves." 

He  and  Jonas  Fay  and  Moses  Robinson 
were  appointed  agents  to  Congress  to 
urge  the  recognition  of  the  independence  of 


the  state.  They  arri\ed  there  February  i, 
1780,  presented  the  appeal  and  declared 
their  readiness  to  unite  in  placing  Ver- 
mont on  a  footing  with  other  states,  but  had 
no  authority  to  close  with  the  resolutions  of 
Sept.  24.  They  said,  if  given  time,  they 
thought  they  could  show  that  Great  Britain 
had  made  a  distinct  government  of  Vermont, 
appointed  (iovernor  Skeene  to  preside  over 
it,  and  hence  Vermont  had  equal  right  with 
any  of  the  other  states  to  assume  an  inde- 
pendent goverment. 

The  fruitlessness  of  this  mission  has  been 
explained  in  previous  sketches,  but  the  abil- 
ity and  resourcefulness  with  which  Bradley 
sustained  the  argument  added  greatly  to 
his  re])utation,  and  though  only  twenty-six 
years  old,  he  at  once  took  a  position  at  the 
forefront  among  the  Vermont  leaders.  B.  H. 
Hall  says  :  "  .\n  examination  of  his  papers 
affords  conclusive  evidence  that  at  this  pe- 
riod, and  for  many  years  after,  he  was,  in  many 
respects,  the  ablest  man  in  the  state."  In 
September  he  again    went    to    Congress   in 


io6 


company  with  Ira  Allen,  as  an  agent  for  the 
state  to  meet  and  defeat  Luke  Knowlton, 
the  representative  of  the  Cumberland  Coun 
ty  \'orkers,  and  Peter  Olcott  who  was  there  in 
advocacy  of  the  scheme  to  form  still  another 
state  by  slicing  off  strips  on  each  side  of 
Connecticut.  How  safety  was  brought  out 
of  this  complication  and  an  agreement  of  all 
the  factions  reached,  is  told  in  the  sketch  of 
Ira  Allen.  Bradley  was  that  year  and  again 
in  1 781,  '84,  '85,  '88,  '90  Westminster's  repre- 
sentative and  in  i  785  speaker  of  the  House, 
of  which  he  had  been  clerk  in  1779.  He 
was  selectman  of  Westminster  in  17S2,  and 
town  clerk  in  i787-'88.  He  continued  to 
be  state's  attorney  till  1775,  and  was  for  sev- 
eral years  a  general  prosecuting  officer  for 
the  state.  He  was  register  of  probate  from 
December,  1781,  to  March,  '91,  when  he  en- 
tered the  United  States  Senate.  In  1783  he 
was  judge  of  the  county  court  and  from 
October,  1788,  to  October,:  789,  was  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court.  In  addition  to  all  this 
he  was  active  in  the  military  service,  being 
first  appointed  a  lieutenant  and  then  a 
colonel  in  the  first  regiment  of  the  Vermont 
militia,  serving  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Ethan 
Allen,  and  finally  in  1791  being  made 
a  brigadier-general.  He  was  repeatedly 
called  out  with  his  troops  to  restore  order 
during  the  troubles  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  county  and  with  his  skillful  management 
seldom  failed  of  success. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  commission  that 
settled  the  controversy  with  New  York  and 
of  that  which  afterwards  established  the  bound- 
ary. He  was  a  powerful  ad\ocate  in  the  conven- 
tion of  1791,  of  the  ratification  of  the  Federal 
constitution  and  of  the  vote  to  join  the  Union, 
and  next  to  Chipman,  is  entitled  to  the  chief 
credit  for  the  sweeping  victory  which  the 
Union  party  won  there. 

By  lot  it  fell  to  him  when  elected  in  1791 
to  be  a  senator  of  the  second  class  whose 
term  expired  in  four  vears,  and  then  as  politi- 
cal lines  began  to  form  and  the  Federalists 
were  a  majority,  he  was  defeated  for  re-elec- 
tion in  1794,  but  six  years  later,  after  serving 
one  term  in  the  council,  in  1798,  and  one  in 
the  General  Assembly,  in  1800,  on  Paine's 
declination  to  serve  another  term,  Bradley 
was  again  elected,  and  re-elected  in  1.S06, 
serving  with  great  distinction. 

He  was  president  of  the  convention  of 
Republican  members  of  Congress,  and,  as 
such,  Jan.  19,  1808,  he  summoned  the  con- 
vention of  members  which  met  and  nomina- 
ted Mr.  Madison  as  President,  and  though 
there  was  vigorous  kicking  by  the  minority 
faction  of  the  party  when  he  called  the  caucus, 
the  nomination  that  resulted  was  confirmed 
by  the  country.  He  was  placed  on  commit- 
tees to  which  the  most  important  and  delicate 
questions  were  referred,  for  example— on  the 


special  message  of  Jefferson,  Jan.  13,  1806, 
transmitting  the  claim  of  Hamet  Caramelli, 
ex-Bashaw  of  'I'riiioli,  which  involved  the 
then  late  war  with  the  ruling  Bashaw,  and  Mr. 
Bradley  made  the  report,  including  a  bill  for 
Hamet's  relief,  and  a  resolution  of  thanks  to 
General  William  Eaton  and  his  American 
associates,  for  their  eminently  brave  and  suc- 
cessful services  in  Hamet's  behalf:  on  the 
confidential  message  of  President  Jefferson, 
Dec.  18,  1807,  proposing  an  embargo;  and 
on  the  confidential  message  of  President 
Madison,  Jan.  3,  181 1,  suggesting  that  the 
United  States  take  possession,  for  the  time 
being,  of  East  Florida,  and  publish  a  declara- 
tion that  the  United  States  could  not  see, 
without  services  inquietude,  any  part  of  a 
neighboring  territory,  in  which  they  have, 
in  different  respects,  so  deep  and  so  just  a 
concern  pass  from  the  hands  of  Spain  into 
those  of  any  other  foreign  power.  This  was 
aimed  against  Great  Britain,  and  this,  in  fact, 
contained  the  germ  of  the  famous  "  Monroe 
doctrine,"  of  1823. 

A  still  more  important  service  was  that 
for  the  constitutional  amendment  of  1S03, 
requiring  the  \'ice- President,  like  the  Presi- 
dent, to  be  elected  by  a  majority  of  the 
electoral  votes,  of  which  he  was  the  author, 
and  which  he  reported  from  the  appropriate 
committee. 

But  Mr.  Bradley  partook  of  the  New 
England  feeling  about  the  war  of  1812.  He 
earnestly  counselled  Madison  against  it,  and 
at  the  close  of  his  term  in  18 13,  he  had 
become  greatly  dissatisfied  with  his  party's 
policy  and  he  retired  finally  from  public 
life.  ■ 

In  181S  he  removed  from  Westminster  to 
the  neighboring  village  of  Walpole,  N.  H., 
where,  after  a  happy  and  contented  evening 
of  life,  he  went  to  rest  Dec.  9,  1S30. 

I  )artmouth  and  Middlebury  both  conferred 
the  degrees  of  LL.  D.  on  him.  Some  of  his 
contemporaries  called  him  "  eccentric  "  or 
"  erratic,"  but  all  united  in  testimony  to  his 
great  ability,  his  power  as  an  orator,  and  his 
high  qualities  of  leadership.  Graham's  let- 
ters from  Vermont  in  1 79 1  say  of  him  :  "  Few- 
men  have  more  companionable  talents,  a 
greater  share  of  social  cheerfulness,  a  more 
inexhaustible  unaffected  urbanity." 

S.  C.  Goodrich,  or  "  Peter  Parley  "  who 
married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Bradley,  says  in 
his  "Recollections  of  a  Lifetime  :"  "He  was 
distinguished  for  political  sagacity,  a  ready 
wit,  boundless  stores  of  anecdotes,  a  large 
acquaintance  with  mankind  and  an  exten- 
sive range  of  historical  knowledge.  His 
conversation  was  exceedingly  attractive 
being  always  illustrated  by  pertinent  anec- 
dotes and  apt  historical  references.  His 
developments  of  the  interior  machinery  of 
parties,  during  the  times  of  Washington,  Jef- 


I07 


ferson  and  Madison  :  his  portraitures  of  the 
political  leaders  of  these  interesting  eras  in 
our  history  — all  freely  communicated  at  a 
period  when  he  had  retired  from  the  active 
arena  of  politics,  and  now  looked  back  upon 
them  with  the  feelings  of  a  philosopher — 
were  in  the  highest  degree  interesting  and 
instructive." 

PAINE,  Elijah. — Senator  at  the  close 
of  the  last  century,  state  judge,  United 
States  judge  for  forty  years,  and  a  pioneer 
manufacturer,  road  maker  and  scientific  far- 
mer, was  born  at  Brooklyn,  N.  V.,  Jan.  2, 
1757,  the  son  of  Seth  Paine,  a  respectable 
farmer  of  Brooklyn,  and  grandson  of  Seth 
Paine  of  Pomfret,  Conn.  He  entered  Har- 
vard in  1774,  but  abandoned  his  studies  for 
a  few  months  to  fight  for  his  country  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  and  graduated  in  1781. 
Then  after  studying  law  he  came  to  Ver- 
mont in  17S4,  locating  first  at  Windsor 
where  he  cultivated  a  farm,  and  then  pushed 
into  the  wilderness  and  opened  a  settlement 
in  Williamstown  near  the  North  field  line, 
and  soon  established  a  large  manufactory  of 
fine  broadcloths,  which  finally  employed 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  to  two  hun- 
dred workmen,  erected  the  first  saw  and  grist- 
mills in  that  section,  and  constructed,  at  a 
cost  of  Si 0,000,  a  turnpike  road  twenty 
miles  through  the  forest  from  Brookfield 
to  Montpelier  and  which  he  finally  presen- 
ted to  the  state.  Full  of  energy  and  enter- 
prise, with  a  capacity  for  large  affairs  and  of 
extensive  scientific  attainments,  he  intro- 
duced progressive  ideas  in  every  direction. 
He  was  a  pioneer  in  the  rearing  of  Merino 
sheep  of  which  he  had  at  one  time  a  flock 
of  1,500.  He  also  gave  much  attention  to 
improvement  in  the  breeding  of  horses,  cattle 
and  swine.  And  in  addition  to  all  this  busi- 
ness and  to  his  professional  engagements, 
his  farming  was  done  on  a  vast  scale  and  it 
is  said  to  have  been  no  uncommon  thing  for 
him  to  have  thirty  or  forty  men  at  work  in  the 
field,  and  himself  superintending  them.  But 
with  all  these  multifarious  activities  he  grew 
to  be  a  very  able  lawyer  and  a  great  judge, 
even  while  he  devoted  some  of  his  best 
years  to  politics  and  statesmanlike  useful- 
ness and  to  educational  projects.  His  re- 
markable executive  ability  seemed  to  win 
success  from  everything  he  undertook,  and 
he  died  very  wealthy  for  those  times. 

His  public  serxice  extended  almost  con- 
tinuously through  sixty  years.  In  17S6  he 
was  a  member  of  the  convention  to  revise 
the  constitution  of  the  state,  and  was  its 
secretary.  From  1787  to  1791  he  was  \\'ill- 
iamstown's  representative  in  the  (leneral 
Assembly.  Then  he  was  appointed  judge  of 
the  superior  court,  and  held  that  office  until 
in  1794  he  was   elected   I'nited  States  Sen- 


ator to  succeed  Ste])hen  R.  Bradley.  He 
was  offered  a  re-election  for  another  term  in 
1800,  but  declined  it  because  in  the  late 
days  of  the  .-Vdams  administration  he  was 
appointed  United  States  di.strict  judge  for 
the  district  of  Vermont.  The  appointment 
was  one  of  'those  of  partisan  grab  in  the  last 
days  of  P>deralist  power,  which  so  marred 
the  record  of  patriotic  upbuilding  the  party 
had  made,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  most  ad- 
mirable appointment,  for  Judge  Paine's  long 
career  on  the  bench  extending  over  a  period 
of  o\er  forty  vears,  until  within  a  few  weeks 
of  his  death,  April  28,  1S42,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six,  was  one  of  strength  and  honor 
throughout,  bearing  with  it  at  notable  points 
the  enlightenment  he  brought  to  his  business 
o])erations. 

Though  he  came  to  the  state  after  her 
formative  period  was  well  advanced,  he  be- 
came prominent  in  her  affairs  before  the 
period  of  independent  statehood  had  passed, 
and  he  was  with  Tichenor,  Bradley,  Chip- 
man  and  Ira  Allen  one  of  the  commission- 
ers to  settle  and  close  the  controversy  be- 
tween Vermont  and  New  York.  He  was  on 
terms  of  personal  friendship  with  Washing- 
ton and  on  the  visit  of  Lafayette  to  .America 
was  selected  as  the  fittest  man  in  the  state, 
because  of  these  associations,  to  deliver  the 
address  of  welcome.  He  was  interested  in 
many  movements  for  the  intellectual  and 
moral  betterment  of  his  time,  and  in  close 
relations  with  the  best  minds  of  his  day. 
He  was  president  of  the  Vermont  Coloniza- 
tion Society,  the  first  president  of  the  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  Society  at  Harvard,  pronounc- 
ing its  first  oration,  a  trustee  of  Dartmouth 
College,  a  pecuniary  benefactor  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  ^'ermont,  elected  a  fellow  of  the 
American  .Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and 
an  honorary  member  of  several  other  literary 
institutions.  Both  Harvard  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont  conferred  the  degree  of 
I.L.  D.  on  him. 

All  around  he  ranked  with  his  great  po- 
litical antagonist,  Nathaniel  Niles,  as  intel- 
lectually the  most  versatile  man  Vermont 
has  contained.  He  was  an  exemplary  Chris- 
tian of  the  orthodox  faith,  and  a  constant 
attendant  at  church.  One  secret  of  his 
varied  attainments  was  his  close  economy  of 
time.  It  is  said  that  he  was  never  seen  idle 
in  his  waking  moments.  \Vhenever  there 
was  an  intermission  of  labor,  it  was  improved 
with  book  and  pencil.  His  thought  powers 
were  brought  into  training  so  that  he  could 
deal  thoroughly  and  systematically  with  one 
subject  after  another  as  they  came  before 
him — now  a  problem  of  constitutional  law, 
then  one  about  the  construction  of  the  hog- 
pen, and  anon  one  about  the  machinery  in 
the  woolen  mill — and  come  out  superior  to 
difficulty  in  every  one.     He  was  ])unctual  to 


the  uttermost  in  business  matters.  Two 
anecdotes  illustrate  this ;  One  night  he 
happened  to  remember  that  he  had  not 
paid  a  note  due  to  a  townsman  that  day, 
and  he  routed  out  his  hostler,  hitched  up 
and  drove  to  the  townsman's  house  with  the 
money  before  the  hour  of  midnight  had 
arrived.  "  Vou  need  not  have  bothered," 
remarked  the  creditor,  "  to-morrow  would 
have  answered  just  as  well."  "  Did  I  not 
promise  to  pay  it  to-day?"  was  Judge  Paine's 
response  in  his  quick,  nervous  style.  The 
late  Hon.  Daniel  Baldwin  tells  another : 
Once  Judge  Paine  called  on  him  for  a  loan 
of  Si,ooo  for  a  few  days,  until  he  could  get 
a  remittance  from  Washington  for  his  salary, 
which  he  had  been  expecting  for  some  time. 
Baldwin,  who  was  a  merchant,  said  he  could 
spare  it  until  a  certain  day,  when  he  would 
have  to  take  it  to  Boston  to  buy  goods  with. 
On  the  appointed  day  Judge  Paine  came 
hurrying  to  Baldwin  just  before  time  for  the 
stage  to  leave  and  explained  that  he  had 
waited  for  his  ^^■ashington  remittance  until 
the  day  before,  but  not  receiving  it  he  had 
gone  to  Woodstock,  forty  miles  distant,  rid- 
ing all  night,  and  making  a  journey  of  eighty 
miles  to  procure  it  and  return  to  fulfill  his 
promise. 

Judge  Paine  married,  June  7,  1790,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  John  Porter,  a  lawyer  of  Ply- 
mouth, N.  H.  She  was  a  woman  of  culti- 
vated mind,  engaging  manners  and  lofty 
character,  and  the  result  was  a  brainy  fam- 
ily of  children.  There  were  four  sons,  three 
of  whom  graduated  at  Harvard,  and  one  at 
Dartmouth.  Martin,  the  eldest,  was  a  dis- 
tinguished physician  at  Montreal  and  New 
York,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  New  York, 
where  he  for  years  held  a  professor's  chair, 
and  the  author  of  various  medical  works,  es- 
pecially some  aimed  at  materialistic  ideas, 
which  attracted  much  attention  in  both  Eu- 
rope and  .America.  The  second  son,  Elijah, 
was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New 
York,  rendering  the  notable  decision  sus- 
taining the  constitutionality  of  the  statute 
that  freed  slaves  when  brought  by  the  owner 
into  the  state,  and  a  law  writer  of  reputa- 
tion, associated  in  the  making  of  Wheaton's 
reports  and  the  United  States  Circuit  reports 
that  bear  his  name.  Gov.  Charles  Paine  was 
the  third  son,  and  the  fourth,  George,  also  a 
lawyer,  died  in  his  twenty-ninth  year  at  Mar- 
sellon,  Ohio.  (Jne  of  the  judge's  descend- 
ants married  into  the  Fionaparte  family  in 
Baltimore. 

\\'alton  describes  Judge  Paine  as  a  "tall, 
well-proportioned  gentleman,  dressed  in  the 
style  of  President  \\'ashington,  of  a  grave 
countenance  and  dignified  bearing,  scornful 
to  none  but  affable  to  all."  His  daughter, 
Mrs.  John  Paine,  says  he  "had  a  command- 


ing personal  appearance,  a  well  proportioned 
frame  of  six  feet  in  height,with  a  physiognomy 
of  the  Roman  cast  and  a  corresponding 
vigor  of  mind.  Though  sternly  dignified  he 
was  as  gentle  as  a  woman  and  was  loved 
and  venerated  by  his  children." 

CH1PM.4N,  Nathaniel.— One  of   the 

most  eminent  jurists  and  statesmen  of  his 
time.  United  States  senator  for  one  term,  a 
Federal  judge  and  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  state  for  many  years.  He 
was  also  of  Salisbury,  Conn.,  origin,  being 
born  there,  Nov.  15,  1752,  the  son  of  Samuel 
and  Hannah  Chipman  and  one  of  a  family  of 
six  sons,  of  whom  two  were  physicians,  and 
four  lawyers,  and  nearly  all  men  of  eminence. 
He  graduated  from  Yale,  in  1777,  served  for 
a  time  as  lieutenant  in  the  Revolution,  fought 
at  Monmouth  and  was  at\'alley  Forge  through 
a  part  of  that  winter  of  destitution  and  suffer- 
ing, but  resigned  because  of  poverty,  and 
completed  his  study  of  the  law.  Admitted 
to  the  bar  in  March,  1779,  he  came  to  \'er- 
mont,  setded  in  Tinmouth,  where  his  father 
had  preceded  him,  and  where  in  addition  to 
his  professional  duties  he  took  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm  and  built  a  forge  for  the 
manufacture  of  bar  iron.  There  was  a  most 
promising  field  for  lawyers  in  those  days  and 
he  and  young  Bradley,  espousing  the  side  of 
the  new  state  with  ardor,  rapidly  and  almost 
simultaneously  came  to  the  front  as  leaders. 
Chipman,  however,  became  a  member  of  the 
"young  party,"  opposing  Governor  Chitten- 
den and  his  administration  and  seeking  to 
clear  the  way  of  the  fathers  for  a  generation 
of  younger  men.  The  "  fathers  "were  indeed 
at  that  time  only  men  of  middle  life  and 
many  of  them  of  less,  but  the  contingent  of 
younger  and  ambitious  men,  as  is  almost  in- 
variably the  case,  viewed  their  ascendency 
with  impatience. 

But  Chipman  was  loo  candid  and  just- 
minded  a  man  to  carry  this  party  feeling  to 
unreasonable  lengths,  and  several  times  at 
critical  junctures  he  rendered  the  Governor 
and  his  associates  important  service.  One 
of  these  was  at  Windsor  when  knowledge  of 
the  intrigue  with  Canada  was  exploded  be- 
fore the  Legislature  and  he  helped  the  Gover- 
nor and  Ira  Allen  to  concoct  the  hasty  de- 
ception which  bridged  the  affair  over.  He 
was  frequently  in  confidential  relations  with 
the  CrO\ernor  and  wrote  out  many  of  the  lat- 
ter's  letters  and  state  papers.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  and  resourceful  shrewdness  in 
legislative  and  political  management.  It 
was  his  idea  that  stayed  the  paper  money 
flood  when  the  Legislature  was  overwhelm- 
ing in  favor  of  such  an  issue.  Coming  to 
Rutland,  where  the  Legislature  was  in  ses- 
sion in  1 786,  he  found  such  a  bill,  with 
another    making  specified   articles  a    legal 


I09 


tender  for  debt,  on  the  point  of  i)assage,  and 
seeing  after  looking  the  ground  over  and 
consulting  with  various  members,  that  there 
was  no  hope  of  defeating  the  bill  on  a 
straight  issue,  he  prepared  the  amendment, 
which  made  the  enactment  conditional  on 
the  approval  of  the  voters  of  the  state  and  to 
go  into  effect  only  after  it  had  been  stibmitted 
to  a  vote  of  the  electors.  Then  the  ques- 
tioij  was  fought  out  at  the  next  election  and 
the  result  was  the  rejecting  of  the  bill  by  a 
vote  of  more  than  four  to  one. 

.And  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  Ver- 
mont's exceptional  prosperity  above  any 
part  of  the  Union  in  the  next  thirty  years, 
and  its  freedom  from  troubles  like  Shay's 
rebellion  in  Massachusetts  that  afflicted  so 
many  parts  of  the  country,  and  came  so  near 
reducing  things  to  a  state  of  anarchy,  was 
the  result  of  this  referendum  scheme.  It 
was,  considering  the  times,  a  measure  of  ex- 
traordinary wisdom,  and  even  yet  its  lesson 
has  not  been  fully  learned,  that  where  dema- 
gogues and  agitators  with  their  plausible 
fallacies  are  bringing  on  disaster  the  safest 
defense  is  a  reference  to  the  original  source 
.of  power,  the  people.  It  cannot  be  said,  of 
course,  that  the  people  will  always  be  right, 
especially  on  new  problems  before  they  have 
been  fully  discussed  and  sifted.  But  they 
are  more  apt  to  be  right  than  any  other 
source  of  authority.  This  is  the  bottom  princi- 
pal of  democracy  as  against  monarchy  or 
oligarchy.  Especially  is  it  true,  in  a  repre- 
sentative government  where  leaders  con- 
stantly figure  that  the  way  of  popularity  and 
power  lies  in  pandering  to  the  selfishness 
and  meaner  passions  of  mankind,  that  an 
occasional  direct  application  of  the  ozone  of 
genuine  popular  thought  is  necessary.  The 
politicians  of  Vermont  then  believed  as  did 
the  politicians  of  other  states,  while  the 
times  were  hard  and  debt  burdens  were  op- 
pressive, that  the  people  would  be  pleased 
with  a  measure  of  inflation.  The  error  was 
shown  by  an  appeal  to  the  people  in  Vermont ; 
if  it  had  been  in  the  other  states  they  would 
have  escaped  some  severe  experiences.  .An- 
other notable  case  like  it  in  political  history 
was  in  Ohio  in  1 875,  when  the  wave  of  Green- 
backism  was  at  its  highest,  men  of  all  parties 
were  bending  before  it,  the  Democrats  had 
made  it  their  chief  issue,  with  the  idea  that 
success  lay  that  way,  and  the  Republicans 
feared  to  face  the  issue.  Gen.  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes,  the  Republican  candidate  for  Go\ern- 
or,  insisted  that  there  should  be  no  faltering, 
but  the  canvass  should  be  fought  out  on  that 
question  before  the  people,  and  the  result 
was  a  signal  victory  for  sound  money  against 
all  the  calculations  of  the  time  servers.  It 
was  this  act  of  clear-viewed  courage  that 
made  General  Hayes  his  party's  candidate  for 


President  the  next  year.     It   is  always  the 
safest  course. 

Mr.  Chipman  was  also  Governor  Chitten- 
den's coadjutor  in  the  pressing  to  passage  of 
that  extraordinary  measure  of  good  sense  in 
law,  the  quieting  act,  which  is  explained  in 
the  sketch  of  Governor  Chittenden.     Chip- 
man  represented  Tinmouth  in  the  General 
.Assembly   in     t784-'85.     In    1786    he   was 
elected  assistant  judge  of  the  superior  court 
being  the  first  lawyer  to  be  placed  on  the 
bench  in  Vermont.     In  1789  he  was  elected 
chief  justice  and    held    the  office   for   two 
years.     He  also  had  the  decisive  part  in  the 
negotiations  which  finally  closed  the  contro- 
versy with   New  York   and    brought   about 
Vermont's  admission  to  the  Union.     He  was 
a  friend  of  Alexander  Hamilton  and  in  178S 
opened  a   correspondence  with   that   great 
leader,  which   finally  ended   in    Hamilton's 
espousing  the  cause  of  Vermont  or  throwing 
all    his  power  and    influence  into  an  argu- 
ment for  an  adjustment.     Daniel  Chipman 
says  that  the  two  men  had  an  interview  at 
.Albany  that  winter,  in  which  they  agreed  on 
the  mode  of  settlement  that  was  afterward 
adopted  by   the   two   states.     When  finally 
the   consent  of  the   New  York   Legislature 
was  secured  Chipman  was  appointed  one  of 
the  commissioners  for  Vermont  to  determine 
the  terms  of  settlement.     He    had   always 
been  fearful  that  the  Vermont  claims,  and  so 
land  titles  under  ^'ermont  authority,  would 
fail  to  stand  the  test  of  law  if  they  should 
ever  be  brought  to  adjudication,  and  so  was 
not  only  solicitous  for  agreement  with  New 
York  but  that  all  these  questions  be  disposed 
of  in  the  agreement,  as  was  done.     He  was 
a  member  of    the    commission    that    deter- 
mined the  boundary  between  the  two  states. 
In  the  convention  at  Bennington  to  pass 
on  the  act  of  union   and  adopt  the  Federal 
Constitution,  Chipman  was  the  "  Colossus  of 
the  debate,"  as  Jefferson  said  of  .Adams  in 
the  Congress  that  adopted  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.     There  was  then  a  strong 
feeling  for  the  continued  independence  of 
Vermont ;    her   prosperity    had   for  several 
years  been  the  envy  of  her  neighbors  ;  her 
own  taxes  were  very  light,  and  she  had  no 
share  to  bear  of  the  burdens  which  the  Rev- 
olution had  left  upon  the  rest  of  the  country  ; 
her  population  was  fast  increasing  and  her 
values  steadily  mounting  upward  ;    she  had 
gone  safely  through  difficulties  which  seemed 
impossible  of  parallel,  had  shown  her  ability 
to  take  care  of  herself,  was   in  a  situation 
where  it  was  an  obiect  for  all  sides  to  culti- 
vate her  friendship,  had  established  a  stable 
and  smooth-working  system  of  her  own — 
and  many  were  the  men  who  argued  that 
there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  hitching 
the  state  to  the  federal  system.     Probably 
consent  would  have  been  positively  refused 


in  the  latter  years  of  the  old  confederation, 
but  the  vigor  and  hopefulness  which  the  new- 
government  under  the  constitution  showed 
was  very  attractive  to  men  of  Chipman's 
views.  Still  the  result  seemed  very  doubtful 
when  the  convention  at  Bennington  assem- 
bled, and  under  the  leadership  of  Daniel 
Buck  the  arguments  against  union  were 
speciously  presented.  Chipman  made  a 
speech  of  magnificent  logic  and  eloquence, 
portraying  the  possibilities  of  political  devel- 
opment in  art,  literature,  science,  industry 
and  commerce,  that  were  contained  in  the 
proposed  connection,  discussing  and  analyz- 
ing the  new  constitution  in  comparison  with 
the  best  the  world  had  seen.  It  was  master- 
ful as  an  argument  and  with  the  support  of 
Bradley  and  Niles  and  others,  it  carried 
such  conviction  that  the  ratification  was 
agreed  to  by  a  vote  of  105  to  4.  January  18, 
1 79 1,  he  was  appointed  with  Lewis  R.  Mor- 
ris commissioner  to  attend  Congress  and 
negotiate  for  the  admission  of  the  state  into 
the  Union. 

Immediately  after  the  admission  Presi- 
dent Washington  appointed  Chipman  United 
.States  judge  for  the  district  of  Ver- 
mont, a  position  which  he  resigned  in 
1793.  But  three  years  later,  in  1796,  he  was 
again  elected  chief  justice  and  in  1797 
elected  senator  to  succeed  Tichenor,  serving 
from  1797  to  1803.  .\t  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  returned  to  Vermont  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  law  with  ever  increasing 
fame.  But  he  was  not  above  serving  the 
public  in  the  humbler  capacity  and  for  the 
meagre  pay  of  a  legislator  because  he  had 
been  a  United  States  judge  and  senator  and 
he  again  represented  Tinmouth,  in  the  Leg- 
islature in  i8o6,-'7-'8-'9-'i  I. 

In  March,  18 13,  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
council  of  censors,  a  body  chosen  once  in 
seven  years  to  review  the  constitution  and 
recommend  admendments.  The  ideas  for 
which  he  stood  then  have  some  of  them 
had  to  be  adopted  since  and  others  must  be 
to  overcome  evils  that  remain  in  our  system. 
He  always  advocated  amending  the  constitu- 
tion to  create  a  Senate  as  a  co-ordinate 
branch  of  the  Legislature,  to  take  the  power 
of  election  of  judges  from  the  Legislature  and 
provide  for  appointment  during  good  behav- 
ior and  also  to  constitute  a  court  of  chan- 
cery distinct  from  the  courts  of  law.  He 
made  and  published  a  great  argument  then 
for  the  independence  of  the  judiciary,  re- 
viewing the  constitutions  and  practice  of  all 
the  states,  and  applying  most  cogently  the 
lessons  of  history  and  of  the  methods  of  other 
countries.  But  in  spite  of  this  luminous 
showing  the  old  method  of  election  at 
each  session  still  survives,  a  relic  of  distorted 
and  misapplied  democracy,  a  method  that 
combines  the  vices  of  both  the   appointive 


and  elective  systems  without  the  merits  of 
either.  It  is  simply  wonderful  that  the  re- 
sults of  it  have  not  been  more  evil. 

Chipman  was  chosen  chief  justice  of  the 
state  in  1813,  receiving  a  majority  of  seven- 
teen, where  his  party,  the  Federalists,  had 
the  lead  by  only  one  or  two  on  joint  ballot. 
He  was  however  displaced  in  18 15  when 
the  Democrats,  or  Republicans  as  they  then 
generally  called  themselves,  returned  to 
power. 

This  was  his  last  public  position.  He  had 
for  many  years  been  an  associate  justice  on 
the  supreme  bench,  and  had  four  times  left 
the  practice  of  law  to  take  a  seat  on  the 
bench.  In  18 16  he  was  appointed  profes- 
sor of  law  in  Middlebury  College,  and  gave 
a  course  of  lectures  that  attracted  much  at- 
tention, and  held  the  chair  until  1843. 

During  the  nullification  times  he  wrote 
and  published  a  very  strong  pamphlet 
against  the  Calhoun  doctrine,  more  than 
matching  in  its  vise-like  logic  the  argument 
of  the  able  South  Carolinian. 

Judge  Chipman  died  Feb.  13,  1843,  from 
congestion  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
aged  ninety-one  years.  The  last  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life  were  the  golden  period,  where 
in  well  earned  retirement,  except  for  such  law 
business  as  he  chose  to  undertake,  he  enjoy- 
ed in  rural  pursuits  his  books,  his  friendship 
and  correspondence  with  some  of  the  most 
cultivated  men  of  his  time,  and  he  was  re- 
garded by  his  neighbors  and  brethren  of  the 
profession  almost  as  a  patriarch. 

His  measurement  as  a  lawyer  and  a  judge 
will  best  be  given  by  Mr.  Huse  in  his  de- 
partment of  this  work.  We  will  only  allude 
to  one  of  his  methods  as  a  judge,  his  habit  of 
giving  in  his  charges  a  summary  of  the  testi- 
mony of  each  witness,  instructing  the  jury 
as  to  the  points  on  which  it  bore,  clearing 
away  immaterial  matter  and  laying  before 
the  jury  a  compact  and  lucid  statement  of 
the  whole  case  in  all  its  bearings,  while  in- 
structing them  upon  the  law  of  it.  He  had 
a  clear  and  discriminating  mind,  compre- 
hensive in  its  grasp,  and  steadily  analytic  in 
its  processes.  He  was  cautious  in  forming 
his  opinions,  proceeding  entirely  without 
prejudice  or  bias,  conscious  that  he  had 
done  so,  and  therefore  positive  and  em- 
phatic when  he  had  reached  a  conclusion. 

In  1 793  he  published  a  small  work  entitled 
"  Sketches  of  the  Principles  of  Government " 
and  also  a  volume  of  "  Reports  and  Disserta- 
tion" containing  reports  of  cases  decided 
while  he  was  chief  justice,  with  dissertation 
on  the  statute  adopting  the  common  law  of 
England,  the  statute  of  offsets,  on  negotiable 
notes  and  on  the  statute  of  conveyances.  In 
1796,  he  was  appointed  one  of  a  committee 
to  revise  the  statutes  of  Vermont  and  the  re- 
vised laws  of  1797  were  written  by  him.     In 


iSj;3  he  published  "Principles  of  Govern- 
ment, a  treatise  on  free  institutions  including 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States," 
which  contained  parts  of  his  1796  work. 

CHASE,  Dudley.— Speaker  of  the  state 
Assembly  for  five  years,  twice  United  States 
senator,  and  four  years  chief  justice  of  the 
state  Supreme  Court,  was  of  a  brainy  family, 
being  a  brother  of  Bishop  Philander  Chase 
of  Ohio,  founder  of  Kenyon  and  Jobilee 
colleges,  and  the  uncle  of  Salmon  P.  Chase, 
the  great  Republican  statesman  and  chief 
justice. 

Dudley  Chase  was  born  at  Cornish,  N. 
H.,  Dec.  30,  1 77 1,  the  son  of  Deacon  Dudley 
Chase,  and  one  of  a  numerous  family  of 
eight  .sons  and  six  daughters.  His  youth 
was  passed  in  pioneer  privations  at  Cornish 
and  Sutton,  Mass.,  but  he  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining a  college  education,  graduating  at 
Dartmouth  in  1791.  He  studied  law  with 
Hon.  Pot  Hall  at  \\'estminster,  and  in  the 
early  nineties  settled  at  Randolph.  He  was 
state's  attorney  for  Orange  county  for  eight 
years  from  1S03  to  181 1  inclusive.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  constitutional  conventions  of 
1814  and  1822.  He  represented  Randol])h 
in  the  Legislature  from  1805  to  1812  in- 
clusive, and  for  the  last  five  years  he  was 
speaker  of  the  House,  closing  the  service  with 
such  popularity  that  he  was  immediately 
elected  United  States  senator  to  succeed 
Stephen  R.  Bradley. 

He  was  elected  for  a  full  term  of  six  years, 
but  he  resigned  his  seat  in  181 7  to  accept 
an  election  as  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  state.  He  was  re-elected  to 
that  post  each  year  until  182 1  when  he  re- 
tired to  return  to  the  practice  of  law,  but 
was  sent  to  the  Legislature  in  i823-'24  and 
again  won  such  popularity  that  he  was 
in  1825  again  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  1831  he 
retired  finally  to  private  life,  devoting  his 
attention  to  farming  and  gardening,  of 
which  he  was  exceedingly  fond.  A  little  of 
the  scattering  and  disorganized  opposition 
to  Governor  Galusha  in  iSig  centered  about 
him,  giving  him  618  of  the  2,618  votes 
cast   against  Galusha  for  Governor. 

He  was  of  attractive  and  winning  address, 
portly  in  person,  commanding  in  presence, 
well  balanced  mentally,  with  a  poise  of  mind 
that  fitted  him  admirably  for  judicial  posi- 
tion, and  a  real  kindness  of  heart  that  could 
not  help  to  make  him  a  favorite  among  men. 
He  was  perhaps  somewhat  lacking  in  the 
aggressive  quality,  like  that  of  Galusha  or 
Bradley  or  Niles,  that  makes  the  political 
leader  of  enduring  power  or  that  leaves  per- 
manent impress  in  statesmanlike  work. 
Still  there  are  events  and  good  ideas  in  Ver- 
mont  historv   with    which    Dudlev   Chase's 


name  is  identified.  He  was  always  earnest 
in  advocacy  of  the  support  of  district 
schools  by  a  tax  on  the  grand  list  so  as  to 
give  poor  children  an  equal  opportunity  with 
the  rich  to  obtain  an  education.  He  helped 
in  the  framing  in  the  act  of  1805  regulating 
marriage  and  divorce.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  that  fixed  upon  Montpe- 
lier  for  the  location  of  the  state  capital. 
Phe  state  bank  was  established  in  i8o6  on 
lines  largely  laid  down  by  him.  He  was 
that  year  also  a  member  of  the  legislative 
committee  that  drafted  the  famous  "address 
of  the  Vermont  Legislature"  to  President 
Jefferson  entreating  him  to  be  a  candidate 
for  a  third  term.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  that  provided  for  the  location  of 
the  state  prison  at  Windsor.  He  supported 
Bradley's  resolution  in  1807  for  a  consti- 
tutional amendment  empowering  the  Presi- 
dent to  remove  Supreme  Court  judges  on 
address  by  a  majority  of  the  House  and 
two-thirds  of  the  Senate. 

He  died  P"eb.  23,  1846,  at  the  age  of  se\en- 
ty-four,  after  several  years  of  declining  health 
with  fits  of  epilepsy.  A  fall  in  his  room  para- 
lyzed his  right  leg  which  swelled  badly,  be- 
came erysipelas,  and  terminated  in  mortifica- 
tion and  death.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Olivia  Brown  and  whom  he  married 
in  1796  when  she  was  seventeen  years  old, 
survived  him  but  twenty-three  days.  They 
had  no  children  of  their  own,  but  brought 
up  many  nephews  and  nieces  and  indentur- 
ed boys,  and  of  these  gave  a  college  educa- 
tion to  not  less  than  twelve  or  fifteen. 

FISK,  James. — Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  representative  and  senator  in  Con- 
gress, Universalist  preacher,  and  a  leader  of 
the  Democratic  or  Republican  party  in  the 
state  during  its  era  of  power  and  prosperity, 
was  a  nati\e  of  Greenwich,  Mass.,  born  Oct. 
4,  I  763,  and  came  to  Vermont  from  Green- 
wich. Little  is  known  of  his  ancestry  or 
early  youth,  but  his  circumstances  were 
humble  and  he  was  self-educated.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  only  two  years  old, 
and  he  was  early  left  to  shift  for  himself.  In 
1779,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  enlisted  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  served  for  three  years, 
then  returned  to  (Jreenwich  and  went  to 
work  as  a  farm  hand.  He  was  only  twenty- 
two  years  old  when  he  was  elected  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Assembly  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  about  this  time  he  began  to 
preach  as  a  Universalist  minister.  He  came 
to  Barre  in  1 798,  continued  preaching 
occasionally,  cleared  a  farm,  and  in  his 
leisure  hours  studied  law,  opened  practice 
and  rapidly  rose  to  eminence  and  influence. 
His  alert  mind,  ready  wit  and  power  of  prac- 
tical and  winning  argument,  his  poise  of 
character  and  justice  and  kindliness  of  views. 


combined  with  liis  singularly  genial,  attract- 
ive demeanor,  qualified  him  to  an  unusual 
extent  for  leadership.  The  late  E.  P.  Wal- 
ton says  of  him  that  "  in  his  form,  the  vigor 
of  his  intellect  and  the  brilliancy  of  his  mind, 
he  much  resembled  Aaron  P3urr."  He  was 
small  of  stature,  keen-eyed,  a  brilliant  conver- 
sationalist, and,  as  Thompson  says,  "really 
talented." 

He  had  been  in  Barre  only  three  years 
when  he  was  elected  one  of  its  selectmen, 
and  the  next  year  was  sent  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, representing  the  town  nine  years,  from 
1800  to  1S05,  1809  and  18 10,  and  in  1815. 
He  was  a  useful  and  prolific  legislator,  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  legislation  for  the  ob- 
servance of  the  Sabbath,  the  taxing  of  liquor 
selling,  the  overhauling  of  the  statutes  for 
the  support  of  the  gospel,  the  collection  of 
debts,  proceedings  in  case  of  absconding 
debtors,  land  taxes,  the  forfeiture  of  charters, 
the  reorganization  of  the  judiciary  system, 
and  the  regulation  of  marriage  and  divorce. 
He  was  prominent  in  the  fight  of  1804  over 
the  law  of  libel,  when  it  was  proposed  to  do 
away  with  the  old  principle  of  privilege, 
"the  greater  the  truth  the  greater  the  libel," 
and  in  criminal  prosecutions  to  allow  the 
respondent  to  plead  in  defence  the  truth  of 
his  words.  He  moved,  as  early  as  1803,  for 
the  establishing  of  a  permanent  seat  for  the 
Legislature,  and  when  the  Assembly  had 
passed  the  bill,  before  the  Governor  and 
Council  had  got  the  subject  postponed,  he 
was  selected  for  Orange  county's  member  of 
the  special  committee  to  locate  the  capital. 
He  was  also,  in  1S04,  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee that  endeavored  to  get  a  settlement 
of  our  northern  boundary  with  Canada. 

He  was  an  ardent  friend  of  the  University 
of  Vermont  in  its  younger  days,  and  served 
on  its  board  of  trustees  for  several  years,  re- 
signing in  181 2.  He  naturally,  with  his 
adroitness  and  resourcefulness,  became  the 
leader  of  the  Jeffersonians,  being  placed  in 
the  front  in  most  of  the  contests  with  the 
Federahsts,  and  especially  where  they  wanted 
to  match  Governor  Tichenor,  who  was  in- 
dubitably one  of  the  shrewdest  politicians  of 
his  time.  He  was  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee in  1805  to  draft  an  address  in  reply 
to  the  Governor's  speech,  and  framed  the 
answer  to  the  proposal  of  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature  for  constitutional  amendments  to 
exclude  slaves  from  representation  in  any 
measure  in  Congress.  He  regretted  the  ex- 
istence of  slavery,  and  its  influence  in  the 
making  of  laws  to  bind  the  freemen  of  our 
free  state,  but  could  see  no  remedy  that 
"would  not  subvert  the  first  and  most  opera- 
tive principles  of  our  federal  compact."  The 
skill  with  which  these  replies  managed  to 
take  issue  with  the  Governor,  while  couched 
in  the  most  commendatory  phrase,  were  too 


much  for  even  "Jersey  Slick"  himself,  and 
they  may  be  instructively  studied  as  models 
of  this  sort  of  sheathed  stabbing  in  politicaL 
warfare. 

Mr.  Fisk  was  also  the  chairman  of  the 
same  committee  when  the  Democracy  came 
into  power  in  1809  and  it  was  the  address  of 
Governor  Galusha,  with  whom  he  was  in  full 
political  sympathy,  that  was  to  be  answered. 

He  was  a  judge  of  the  Orange  county  court 
in  1802  and  1809,  and  in  1816  the  I^egisla- 
ture  chose  him  one  of  the  three  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  state.  The  next  year 
hewas  re-elected,  becoming  the  first  assistant, 
and  with  his  undoubted  talent  as  a  lawyer 
was  on  his  way  to  the  chief  justiceship  when 
he  resigned  to  accept  an  election  to  the 
Senate. 

He  was  elected  a  representative  in  Con- 
gress in  1804,  serving  two  terms,  and  again 
two  terms  from  181 1  to  1815,  and  then  after 
his  two  years  service  on  the  Supreme  Court, 
was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  L^nited  States 
senator  in  181 7  to  succeed  Dudley  Chase, 
but  resigned  after  less  than  two  years  service 
and  William  A.  Palmer  was  elected  to  suc- 
ceed him. 

He  was  a  close  friend  and  confidential  ad- 
viser of  President  Madison  and  the  adminis- 
tration through  the  war  of  181 2  ;  he  voted  for 
the  declaration  of  that  war  and  his  cotmsel 
was  constantly  sought,  with  reference  to  war 
measures. 

He  took  a  vigorous  part  in  the  "John 
Henry"  debate  of  1812,  over  the  papers 
secured  from  that  reprobate,  who  after  five 
years  life  as  a  farmer,  lawyer  and  editor  in 
Vermont,  was  in  1809  employed  by  the 
Governor  of  Canada  to  get  into  communica- 
tion with  the  most  violent  Federalists  in 
New  England  and  ascertain  how  far  they 
could  be  brought  to  turn  against  their  own 
country  and  in  favor  of  England  in  case  the 
embargo  and  other  resistance  to  British 
aggressions  should  result  in  war.  These 
papers  opened  the  lid  only  a  bit  upon  one 
of  the  most  shameful  chapters  of  our  history, 
a  chapter  over  which,  fragmentary  and  un- 
satisfactory as  is  our  knowledge  of  it,  the 
blood  of  right  feeling  men  cannot  fail  to  boil 
to-day,  a  chapter  that  tells  of  sordid  men 
and  money  making  interests  in  New  England 
that  conspired  in  treason  against  the  govern- 
ment that  was  fighting  their  battle  and  seek- 
ing to  protect  them  from  British  spoliation, 
because  they  believed  that  the  government 
ought  to  crawl  at  Britain's  feet  and  do 
Britain's  bidding  against  France,  in  order  to 
help  them  to  continue  their  money  making. 
Mr.  Fisk  treated  the  subject  vigorously  in 
this  view,  and  collected  and  presented  a 
large  mass  of  evidence  showing  how  plottings 
for  the  dissolution  of  the  L'nion  had  been^ 
going    on.      He   quoted    letters    from    Mr., 


Krskine,  the  British  minister,  in  su|>port  of 
this  view.  His  arraignment  was  one  that 
must  have  done  an  iniijortant  part  in  cover- 
ing the  once  glorious  Federalist  party  with 
the  disgrace  that  brought  it  into  speedy 
decay  and  ruin. 

But  Mr.  risk's  moderation  at  another  time 
served  the  state  a  good  turn.  The  country's 
indignation  at  the  selfish  and  base  deeds  of 
Federalists,  focussed  in  the  introduction,  Jan. 
6,  1814,  of  resolutions  in  the  House  in- 
structing the  attorney-general  to  institute  a 
prosecution  against  (lov.  Martin  Chittenden 
for  his  proclamation  of  the  year  before 
ordering  the  Vermont  militia  home  from 
New  York,  where  they  had  been  assigned  to 
military  duty  at  a  critical  time  and  point  un- 
der the  orders  of  federal  commanders.  The 
Governors  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island  had  pursued  a  similar  policy, 
refusing  or  threatening  to  refuse,  on  state 
rights  grounds,  requisitions  on  their  militia 
for  the  common  defense.  Unscrupulous  parti- 
sanship had  reached  about  its  worst  abase- 
ment when  Federalist  executives  could  take 
this  ground,  and  so  far  as  they  were  concerned 
personally,  prosecution  might  have  been 
healthy.  But  Fisk  deprecated  the  resolu- 
tions. He  admitted  ,  that  the  proclamation 
was  unjustifiable,  thought  few  people  in  Ver- 
mont approved  of  it,  knew  the  delegation  in 
Congress  did  not,  but  he  did  not  think  it 
advisable  to  thus  force  the  issue  between 
state  and  nation.  If  the  Governor  had  com- 
mitted an  offense  against  the  laws  let  him  be 
prosecuted,  but  let  not  Congress  turn  in- 
former, which  was  all  the  resolutions  meant ; 
their  effect  would  be  only  to  give  undue 
weight  to  successful  prosecution  and  make 
Congress  ridiculous  if  unsuccessful ;  they 
neither  made  nor  strengthened  law,  and  so 
were  of  no  use.  The  argument  was  so  well 
made  that  the  resolutions  were  put  to  final 
sleep  on  the  table. 

Air.  Fisk  was  nominated  and  confirmed 
judge  of  the  territory  of  Indiana  in  181 2, 
but  declined  the  office  after  the  Federalist 
presses  in  Vermont  had  wasted  considerable 
energy  in  ridiculing  the  appointment.  He 
did  not  cut  much  of  a  figure  in  his  senatorial 
service  because  it  was  too  brief  to  permit 
him,  even  under  the  rules  then,  to  get  to  the 
front.  He  resigned  in  1819  to  accept  the 
post  of  collector  of  customs  for  the  district 
of  Vermont,  which  he  held  for  eight  years, 
and  during  that  time  moved  to  Swanton, 
where  he  made  his  home  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  Dec.  i,  1844. 

In  his  later  years  he  was  a  Whig  as  ardent 
as  he  had  formerly  been  a  Democrat.  He 
was  by  temperament  and  logic  a  follower  of 
Henry  Clay,  and  the  development  of  issues 
after  the  death  of  the  Federalist  party,  that 
made  the  great  Kentuckian  the  leader  of  the 


SEVMOUR.  113 

new  party,  naturally  brought  Fisk  with  them. 
Mr.  Fisk,  soon  after  he  came  out  of  the 
Revolution,  wedded  Miss  Priscilla  West,  of 
(ireenwich,  who  died  .August  19,  1840,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven.  They  had  six 
children — three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

SEYMOUR,  Horatio.— Judge,  coun- 
cilor and  senator,  was  born  in  Litchfield, 
Conn.,  May  31,  1778,  the  son  of  Major  Moses 
and  Mary  ( Marsh)  Seymour.  His  father  was 
a  man  of  importance  in  Connecticut,  a  Rev- 
olutionary otiicer,  state  legislator  for  seventeen 
years  and  town  clerk  forty  years,  and  among 
his  descendants  was  Horatio  Seymour,  the 
New  York  statesman.  Democratic  candidate 
for  the  presidency  in  1S68,  and  a  nephew  of 
the  Horatio  Seymour  who  became  the  Ver- 
mont senator  and  for  a  number  of  years  the 
acknowledged  leader  of  the  Whigs  in  this 
state. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  fitted  for  college 
under  the  tuition  of  his  brother-in-law-.  Rev. 
Truman  Marsh,  graduated  from  Yale  in  1797, 
taught  an  academy  for  a  year  at  Cheshire, 
Conn.,  then  attended  Judge  Reeve's  famous 
law  school  at  Litchfield  for  a  year,  and  in 
October,  1799,  came  to  Middlebury  to  con- 
tinue his  studies  in  the  office  of  Daniel  Chip- 
man,  and  in  1800  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  was  soon  after  appointed  postmaster  at 
Middlebury,  and  continued  in  the  office  nine 
years,  until  the  growth  of  his  law  practice  pre- 
vented his  longer  holding  it.  His  reputa- 
tion professionally  was  confined  mainlv  to 
his  own  county,  but  he  was  probably  engaged 
in  more  cases  than  any  lawyer  before  or  after 
him.  His  great  defect  was  over  modesty 
and  lack  of  confidence  in  himself,  so  that  he 
never  pushed  himself  in  law  practice  or  poli- 
tics as  he  might. 

He  had  to  get  absorbed  in  the  cause  of 
his  client,  and  the  feelings  and  interests  in- 
volved, before  he  could  do  himself  justice. 
But  he  was  very  shrewd  and  tactful  in  the 
management  of  cases,  and  as  a  speaker, 
while  making  no  pretensions  to  oratory, 
clear,  logical  and  persuasive.  In  manners 
he  was  not  only  unassuming,  but  most  ur- 
bane and  courteous,  and  careful  not  to 
offend.  His  make  up,  in  fine,  was  such  as 
was  sure  in  the  course  of  years  to  command 
a  great  popularity,  and  he  held  it  almost 
against  his  will,  while  shrinking  from  lead- 
ership, as  few  Vermonters  have  done.  He 
was  state's  attorney  for  .\ddison  county  iSio 
to  1813  and  again  1815  to  18 19,  and  coun- 
cilor 1809  to  1814.  When  the  Vermont 
state  bank  was  established  in  1806  he  was 
chosen  one  of  the  first  directors,  and  re- 
mained such  until  the  branch  at  Middlebury 
was  closed.  In  1S20  he  was  elected  United 
States  senator,  and  re-elected  in  1S26  after 
a  vigorous  contest  with  (lovernor  ^'an  Ness. 


114 


He  was  in  early  life  a  supporter  of  the  ad- 
ministration and  measures  of  Jefferson  and 
Madison,  but  after  the  breakup  following 
the  Monroe  administration  he  went  with  the 
Adams,  on  National  Republican  or  what 
was  afterwards  the  Whig  element,  and  was 
influential  in  the  party  councils  until  his 
term  in  the  Senate  closed.  He  was  also  on 
terms  of  intimate  personal  friendship  with 
Adams,  Clay,  Webster,  King  and  Marcy,  and 
men  of  such  caliber,  w-ho  all  relied  much  on 
his  judgment  in  matters  of  legislation, 
though  it  was  rarely  they  could  ever  get 
him  to  speak  in  the  Senate.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  agriculture. 

.\t  the  close  of  his  second  term  he  re- 
turned to  his  law  practice,  and  to  party 
leadership  in  the  state.  It  was  due  to  his 
shrewd  management  very  largely,  that  after 
the  Anti-Masonic  wave  had  swept  over  the 
state  and  controlled  it  for  several  years,  the 
whigs  were  able  to  get  the  chief  advantage 
of  its  breakup.  Mr.  Seymour  was  their  can- 
didate for  Governor  in  1833  and  1S34,  in  the 
former  of  which  years  the  whig  vote  fell  to 
less  than  two  thousand.  In  1834,  when  the 
election  was  thrown  into  the  Legislature, 
Seymour  wrote  a  letter  before  the  assemb- 
hng,  announcing  that  he  would  not  be  a 
candidate.  This  was  to  allow  Governor 
Palmer  an  ^unobstructed  re-election,  which 
it  was  calculated  would  count  when  the 
collapse  of  Anti-Masonry  came.  Bradley, 
the  Democratic  candidate,  who  had  about 
the  same  vote  as  Seymour,  each  a  little  over 
ten  thousand,  pursued  the  same  wary  course, 
but  by  individual  instruction  rather  than  a 
public  letter,  and  with  much  less  effect  on 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  voters. 

Mr.  Seymour's  later  years  were  passed  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  and  in  the 
duties  of  judge  of  probate,  which  he  per- 
formed from  1847  to  1856.  Middlebury 
conferred  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  on  him  in 
1847. 

He  died  Nov.  21,  1S57,  after  se\eral 
years  of  infirmity,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  He 
married  in  1800  Lucy,  daughter  of  Jonah 
Case,  of  Addison.  She  died  in  October, 
1838,  leaving  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
One  of  the  sons,  Moses  Seymour,  settled  at 
Gene\a,  Wis.  ;  another,  Horatio,  was  a  law- 
yer at  Buffalo,  X.  V.,  and  another,  Ozias,  an 
attorney  at  Middlebury. 

PRENTISS,  Samuel,  twice  United 

States  Senator,  one  of  the  great  Whig  leaders 
of  his  day,  ranking  with  thesi.x  of  highest  fame 
whom  Vermont  has  had  among  "  the  Elders 
of  the  land,"  the  peer  of  the  intellectual  giants 
with  whom  he  sat,  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun, 
and  Benton,  and  perhaps  even  greater  yet 
on  the  bench  of  the  state  Supreme  Court 
and  the  LTnited  States  district   court,  was  a 


native  of  Stonington,  Conn.,  where  he  was 
born  March  31,  1782,  the  son  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Prentiss.  The  family  had  been  one  of  note 
for  centuries,  tracing  back  to  13 18  in  Eng- 
lish official  records,  and  including  Capt. 
Thomas  Prentiss,  the  noted  cavalry  officer 
in  the  King  Phillip  war,  and  Col.  Samuel 
Prentiss,  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  the 
great  -  grandfather  of  Judge  and  Senator 
Samuel. 

Young  Pren- 
tiss' boyhood  was 
chiefly  passed  at 
dfMr^  Xorthfield,  Mass., 

g^  ^ii  where  Dr.   Pren- 

w)  JH  tiss  moved    after 

,^  ^^  fff  a    short    stay   at 

Worcester,  when 
the  future  states- 
m  a  n  was  only 
four  years  old. 
^\'ith  only  a  com- 
mon school  edu- 
cation, supple- 
mented by  a 
study  of  the 
classics  under 
Rev,  S.  C.  .Allen,  the  minister  of  the  town, 
young  Prentiss  studied  law,  first  with  Samuel 
Vose,  of  Northfield,  then  with  John  W.PJlake, 
at  Brattleboro,  was  admitted  to  the  Windham 
county  bar  in  December,  1802,  and  located 
at  Montpelier  a  few  months  later.  He  de- 
voted himself  for  full  twenty  years  to  his 
profession,  and  to  extensive  study  and  read- 
ing in  cognate  lines  until  his  equipment  was 
such  as  few  men  have. 

The  Legislature  offered  him  almost  unani- 
mously in  1822,  a  position  as  associate  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court,  but  he  declined 
it.  But  in  1824  he  did  accept  an  election 
as  Montpelier's  representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  from  this  time  his  rise  in 
politics  was  rapid.  It  was  at  a  time  when 
the  era  of  great  Democratic  leadership,  the 
era  of  Galusha,  Niles,  Butler,  Fisk,  Bradley, 
and  Van  Ness,  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  a 
man  of  Prentiss'  intellectual  sweep  found  but 
little  to  obstruct  his  progress.  He  was  re- 
elected to  the  General  Assembly  in  1825, 
and  during  the  session  was  chosen  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  where  four  years'  service 
won  him  an  election  by  common  consent  to 
the  chief  justiceship,  and  one  year  more 
brought  a  summons  to  go  to  Washington  as 
senator  to  succeed  Dudley  Chase.  He  was 
re-elected  for  a  second  term  in  1836,  but 
before  it  e.xpired  he  resigned  to  accept  an 
appointment  as  judge  of  the  LTnited  States 
district  court  for  the  district  of  ^"ermont  to 
succeed  Elijah  Paine,  deceased.  The  nom- 
ination was  confirmed  by  unanimous  con- 
sent without  the  usual  reference  to  a  com- 
mittee.    He  continued  in   this  position  for 


fourteen  years  until  his  death,  Jan.  15,  1857, 
completing  an  otficial  career  of  thirty-four 
years  which  was  not  begun  until  he  was  forty- 
two.  There  is  reason  for  beliexing  that  he 
could  have  had  a  seat  on  the  Federal  su- 
preme bench,  but  preferred  this  because  the 
duties  were  so  near  home. 

As  a  lawyer  he  was  profoundly  learned 
with  a  learning  that  reached  to  the  sources 
of  the  Roman  as  well  as  the  common  law, 
with  a  comprehension  that  embraced  it  as  a 
great  system  of  i3rinci]jles  rather  than  tech- 
nicalities and  with  a  thorough  belief  that  no 
less  could  be  said  of  the  law,  in  the  words  of 
Bishop  Hooker,  "than  that  its  seat  is  the 
bosom  of  God."  As  a  judge  no  less  an 
authority  than  Chancellor  Kent  said:  "I 
cannot  help  regarding  Judge  Prentiss  as  the 
best  jurist  in  New  England."  His  penetrat- 
ing judgment,  his  power  of  analysis,  like  that 
of  chernical  forces  in  the  certainty  with 
which  it  could  resolve  every  problem  into  its 
elements,  his  habit  of  sifting  and  of  classifi- 
cation, together  with  his  faculty  of  luminous 
.statement,  and  his  resolute  uprightness,  com- 
bined to  render  him  well  nigh  a  model  for  a 
judge. 

It  is  said  that  not  one  of  his  decisions  while 
on  the  Supreme  Court  was  afterwards  over- 
ruled. In  the  Senate  his  rank  was  easily 
among  the  first.  John  C.  Calhoun  said  of  him 
and  his  speech  against  the  bankruptcy  law  of 
1840,  that  it  was  the  clearest  and  most  un- 
answerable argument  on  a  debatable  ques- 
tion which  he  had  heard  for  years.  Mr.  Pren- 
tiss' independence  in  following  where  his  con- 
victions led  was  illustrated  by  his  stand  on 
his  questions,  for  he  was  the  only  Whig,  with 
one  exception,  that  fought  the  bill.  But  he 
was  generally  in  close  and  confidential  rela- 
tions with  Clay  and  ^Vebster,  sharing  with 
them  as  third  in  command,  the  party  leader- 
ship in  the  Senate.  They  both  regarded 
him  as  the  best  lawyer  in  the  Senate. 

He  was  the  originator  and  successful  ad- 
vocate of  the  law  to  suppress  dueling  in  the 
District  of  Columbia.  He  was  in  at  the 
opening  of  the  great  and  protracted  battle 
with  the  slavocracy,  presenting  in  1S3S,  the 
resolutions  of  the  state  Legislature  for  the 
abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia and  also  against  the  annexation  of  Texas. 
Several  of  his  speeches  on  different  subjects 
have  gone  into  the  reading  books  as  among 
the  .\merican  classics,  and  they  are  fine 
examples  of  the  eloquence  of  straightfor- 
ward logic.  In  his  younger  days  he  wrote 
considerable  on  literary  and  moral  topics, 
which  was  published  in  the  newspapers,  and 
all  through  his  life  he  constantly  sought  re- 
freshment and  invigoration  of  the  mind  by 
communion  with  the  great  masters  of  Eng- 
lish literature.  In  his  personal  habits  and 
his  domestic  life,  he  was  a  severe  economist,  a 


habit  to  which  early  necessity  trained  him  ; 
but  he  was  still  a  liberal  giver  where  the  object 
commanded  his  approval.  It  is  related  of 
him  that  when  the  minister  lost  his  own 
cow,  the  judge  sent  his  man  to  the  parson- 
age stable  with  one  of  his  own  two  cows, 
and  when  as  luck  would  have  it  that  cow 
died  the  first  night,  he  forwarded  to  the 
minister  the  money  required  to  buy  still 
another. 

He  married,  in  1804,  Lucretia,  daughter 
of  Edward  Houghton  of  Northfield,  a  woman 
of  unusual  powers  of  mind  and  strength  of 
character,  who  bore  most  of  the  family  cares 
during  Judge  Prentiss'  busy  life.  She  died 
at  Montpelier,  June  15,  1855,  aged  sixty- 
nine.  She  had  twelve  children  of  whom  ten 
were  boys,  and  all  of  them  who  lived  to 
reach  manhood  became  lawyers. 

SWIFT,  Benjamin. — Representative  in 
Congress  in  1827,-1831,  and  senator  from 
1833  to  1839,  came  of  a  family  of  distinction 
in  Connecticut,  where  his  uncle,  a  Revolu- 
tionary colonel,  was  a  judge  and  member  of 
the  council  for  twelve  years.  His  father.  Rev. 
Job  Swift,  was  a  well-known  divine  at  Ben- 
nington and  Addison.  .\  brother,  the  sev- 
enth son  of  Rev.  Job,  was  Samuel  Swift, 
lawyer,  editor,  historian  of  Addison  county,  a 
judge  of  probate  and  assistant  judge  there, 
and  secretary  of  the  Governor  and  council  in 
1813  and  1814. 

Benjamin  Swift,  the  sixth  child  of  Rev. 
Job,  was  born  at  .\menia,  N.  Y.,  .A-pril  8, 
1780,  before  his  father's  coming  to  Vermont. 
He  was  well  educated  for  tho.se  days,  took  a 
course  in  the  law  school  of  Reeves  &  Gould 
at  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  first  put  out  his 
shingle  for  practice  in  Bennington  county, 
but  moved  to  St.  Albans  in  1809.  Like 
most  young  lawyers'Tie  soon  plunged  into 
politics,  taking  the  side  of  the  then  declining 
Federalists,  so  as  to  be  effectually  estopped 
from  office-holding  for  a  while  and  leaving  a 
good  share  of  his  time  and  energy  for  im- 
provement in  his  profession.  He  thus  at- 
tained a  leading  place  at  the  bar,  though  his 
etiuipment  was  not  by  nature  that  of  a  lawyer. 
He  was  repeatedly  a  candidate  on  local  and 
county  tickets  and  was  two  or  three  times 
elected  representative  from  St.  Albans,  but  it 
was  eighteen  years  after  his  settlement  in  St. 
Albans  before  he  reached  any  other  office. 
He  had  come  out  of  the  war  of  1812  a  good 
deal  better  than  most  Federalists,  for  he  did 
not  allow  his  feeling  against  the  Madison  ad- 
ministration and  his  criticism  of  the  war  to 
carry  him  to  any  such  foolish  or  traitorous 
lengths  as  it  did  many  of  his  party.  In  fact, 
when  the  report  came  of  a  probable  engage- 
ment with  the  British  at  Plattsburgh  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  shoulder  his  musket  and 
proceed  to  the  scene,  and  though  he  arri\ed 


^ 


too  late  for  the  battle  he  showed  a  (lisi)Osi- 
tion  which  rountcd  in  his  iavor  in  after 
years. 

As  party  lines  were  reformed  after  the 
"era  of  good  feeling"  under  the  Monroe 
administration,  he  naturally  took  the  side  of 
the  national  Republicans,  and  afterwards  the 
Whigs,  and  as  such  was  elected  representa- 
tive to  Congress  in  1827.  He  was  re-elected 
in  1S29,  but  before  his  term  had  expired  the 
opposition  party  had  become  so  strong,  that 
though  he  was  earnestly  supported  by  his 
followers  for  a  third  election,  he  withdrew  in 
favor  of  Henian  Allen  of  Milton,  who  was 
elected.  The  next  year,  however,  while  the 
politics  of  the  state  were  shaken  all  to  pieces 
as  regards  the  old  parties,  by  the  Anti- 
Masonic  mo\ement,  he  was  brought  forward 
as  a  candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate, 
as  a  man  whose  moderation  of  views  could 
command  votes  from  all  factions.  He  was 
elected  and  served  a  full  term  till  1S39,  re- 
tiring with  a  fair  degree  of  credit.  On  one 
point  especially  he  took  an  emphatic  posi- 
tion in  line  with  Vermont's  views  from  the 
beginning.  He  refused  to  vote  for  the  ad- 
mission of  Arkansas  in  TCS36,  because  the 
new  constitution  of  the  state  sanctioned  per- 
petual slavery.  He  w'as  a  warm  admirer 
and  follower  of  Clay,  and  an  enthusiastic 
advocate  of  his  policies. 

.After  his  retirement  from  the  Senate  he 
de\oted  himself  mainly  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  scholarly  leisure,  except  when  he 
buckled  on  the  armor  for  the  management  of 
cam])aign  work  for  the  Whig  party,  and  it 
was  while  he  was  at  work  in  the  fields  with 
his  laborers  that  death  overtook  him.  \Miile 
in  Congress  he  engaged  earnestly  in  temper- 
ance work  and  was  among  the  pioneer  movers 
in  the  great  Washingtonian  temperance  re- 
form. 

\\hile  in  the  Legislature  he  obtained  the 
charter  for  the  Bank  of  St.  .Albans,  and  was 
its  first  president. 

He  was  a  man  of  simple  tastes  and  haliits 
of  life,  of  clear  and  penetrating  judgment, 
severe  in  his  notions,  even  while  of  a  natur- 
ally impulsive  temperament,  anil  inclined  to 
pursue  with  an  absorbing  energy  any  object 
for  which  he  had  started.  In  theology  he  was 
a  Cahinist  of  the  most  rigid  type  in  the  regu- 
lation of  his  own  conduct,  but  inclined  to 
gentleness  in  abstract  views.  There  was  a 
rugged  kindly  courtesy  about  him,  a  freedom 
from  malice  or  personal  bitterness  in  contro- 
versy, political  or  religious,  which  in  spite  of 
his  uncompromising  argument,  could  not  fail 
to  command  respect  and  even  attachment. 
"  Physically,  mentally  and  morally,"  says  E. 
P.  Walton,  "he  was  a  large  man." 

PHELPS,  Samuel  S.— Senator  for  thir- 
teen years,  councilor,  Supreme  Court  judge. 


and  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  accomplish- 
ed men  the  state  has  ever  had  in  public  life, 
was  born  at  Litchfield,  Conn.,  in  May,  1793, 
and  of  a  family  that  had  for  generations 
been  one  of  intelligent  well-to-do  farmers. 
Litchfield  was  in  those  days  a  breeding 
ground  for  able  and  influential  men,  and 
has  probably  turned  out  more  than  any 
town  of  its  size  in  the  country.  It  then 
contained  the  very  best  law  school  in  the 
country.  The  intellectual  friction  of  such 
associations  was  of  incalculable  benefit  for 
such  a  bright  youth  as  Phelps,  and  here 
may  be  found  the  foundation  of  his  great- 
ness and  that  of  his  son.  He  entered  Vale 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  graduating  in  181 1, 
in  the  class  with  John  .M.  Clayton  of  Dela- 
ware and  Roger  S.  Baldwin  of  Connecticut. 
He  pursued  his  legal  studies  for  a  few 
months  in  the  law  school  until  in  181 2  he 
came  to  Middlebury  and  entered  the  office 
of  Horatio  Seymour  who  had  himself  coiiie 
from  Litchfield.  He  served  in  the  war  of 
18 1 2,  in  the  ranks  at  Burlington  and  Platts- 
burg  and  afterwards  as  paymaster.  In  those 
days  he  was  an  enthusiatic  young  Democrat 
and  supporter  of  the  administration  and 
the  war ;  but  when  the  ^\'hig  party  was 
formed  he  went  with  that,  though  all  through 
his  political  life  he  exhibited  an  indepen- 
dence of  judgment  and  action  that  was  un- 
usual in  those  times,  and  several  times  he 
stood  up  for  his  views  against  the  majority 
of  his  party  when  it  cost  something  of  peril 
and  sacrifice  to  do  so. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  .\ddison  county 
bar  in  1815,  and  made  rapid  progress  to 
professional  eminence,  even  with  such  lawyers 
as  Seymour,  Dan  Chipman  and  Robert  B. 
Bates  as  competitors.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  council  of  censors  of  1827,  and  wrote 
the  address  of  that  body  to  the  people  of  the 
state,  chiefly  notable  for  its  argument  for 
the  abolition  of  the  Governor's  council,  and 
the  establishment  of  a  Senate  as  a  co-ordinate 
branch  of  the  Legislature — an  argument 
which  bore  fruit  seven  years  later,  though  it 
then  failed.  In  1831  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Governor's  council,  and  at  that 
fall's  se.ssion  was  chosen  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  was  annually  re-elected 
seven  times  until  1838,  when  he  was  chosen 
a  senator  in  Congress  to  succeed  Benjamin 
Swift.  He  was  again  elected  in  1844, 
though  he  had  one  of  the  most  disagreeable 
fights  that  the  state  has  ever  seen  ;  an  ac- 
count of  it  is  gi\en  in  the  sketch  of  Gov- 
ernor Slade. 

In  January,  1853,  on  the  death  of  Senator 
Upham  he  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy  on 
the  recommendation  of  the  Vermont  delega- 
tion in  Congress,  though  he  lived  on  the 
west  side  of  the  state,  because  he  was  in 
Washington  at  the  time  ;  the  nomination  of  a 


'17 


judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  pending  in 
the  Senate  and  it  was  doubtful  if  any  one  else 
if  appointed,  could  reach  the  Capital  from 
Vermont,  in  season  to  help  the  \\'higs  on  the 
vote.  JikIrc  Phelps  remained  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  through  that  session,  and 
returned  to  Washington  the  next  winter  to 
claim  his  seat,  but  as  the  Legislature  had  met 
in  the  meantime  and  failed  to  elect  him  or 
anybody  else,  the  Senate  refused  to  admit  him 
on  the  ground  that  an  executive  ap])ointee 
could  not  continue  after  the  Legislature  had 
had  an  opportunity  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

Judge  I'helps  then  retired  to  private  life 
and  the  delights  of  his  farm,  though  he  still 
practiced  in  the  courts  in  important  cases, 
especially  before  the  Supreme  Court  at 
\Vashington,  where  he  had  a  high  reputa- 
tion. ( )ne  argument  especially,  on  the 
Woodworth  planing  machine  patent,  was 
regarded  as  among  the  strongest  ever  de- 
livered before  the  court.  He  was  not  a 
fre(pient  speaker  in  the  Senate,  reserving 
himself  for  great  occasions.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  thirteen  that 
reported  the  Clay  compromise  measure  be- 
tween the  North  and  South,  the  (")mnibus 
bill  of  1S50,  and  the  action  greatly  weakened 
him  at  home.  He  had  been  fully  committed 
to  the  principle  of  the  \Vilmot  proviso  ;  he 
had,  in  a  powerful  speech  the  year  before, 
reminded  the  .Southerners  that  the  whole 
agitation  over  the  slavery  question  of  which 
they  complained,  and  because  of  which  they 
were  threatening  the  dissolution  of  the 
Union,  was  "  only  the  logical  sequence  of 
the  Mexican  war,  *  *  *  which  carried  in  its 
train  elements  that  might  end  in  despoiling 
the  Republic  ;"  but  when  the  real  danger  of 
dissolution  confronted  him,  his  love  of  the 
L^nion  led  him,  like  Webster,  to  temporize, 
where  with  larger  and  cooler  prevision  he 
had  recognized  that  temporizing  was  useless. 

There  was  no  stronger  argument  made 
against  slavery  in  the  whole  course  of  the 
debates  than  that  of  Phelps  in  answer  to 
Calhoun  and  Berrien  in  1848  on  the  bill  for 
the  exclusion  of  slavery  from  Oregon,  with 
the  lessons  and  warning  he  drew  from  the 
action  of  the  new  l'"rench  republic  in  abol- 
ishing it.  Henry  Wilson  in  his  "Rise  and 
Fall  of  the  Slave  I'ower"  describes  it  as  a 
speech  of  "remarkable  eloquence  and  pow- 
er." Wilson  says,  in  a  general  estimate  of 
Phelps,  that  he  was  "a  man  of  rare  ability 
and  equalled  by  few  as  a  lawyer  and  forensic 
debater,  but  his  unfortunate  habits  impaired 
public  confidence."  His  position  in  the 
Senate  gradually  grew  to  be  a  conservati\e 
one,  out  of  sympathy  with  the  current  of 
thought  and  events,  soon  to  be  guided  by 
men  like  Seward  and  Chase,  and  he  thus 
became  less  of  a  leader  than  his  admirers 
thought  he  ought   to  be.     He  served  labor- 


iously on  the  committees  of  claims  and  In- 
dian affairs,  and  it  is  said  that  the  recom- 
mendations of  his  reports,  fortified  as  they 
were  by  a  definite  statement  of  the  case, 
were  seldom  rejected.  He  was,  both  as 
senator,  judge  and  advocate,  a  cogent,  pow- 
erful reasoner,  with  a  clear,  simple,  vigorous 
way  of  stating  his  argument,  and  a  habit  of 
viewing  questions  that  was  at  once  compre- 
hensive and  discriminating,  large  in  its 
grasp  and  quick  in  its  mastery  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  this  with  his  dignified  bearing  and 
his  air  of  resolute  honesty,  made  him  a 
weighty  man  in  what  was  perhaps  the  great- 
est era  of  the  greatest  deliberative  body  of 
the  world,  a  peer  among  such  senators  as  Clay, 
Webster,  Calhoun,  Cass,  Benton,  Macy,  Clay- 
ton, Wright,  Forsyth,  Corwin  and  Douglas. 
'I'he  senator  died  at  his  home  in  Middle- 
bury,  March  25,  1855.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  brought  up  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren of  whom  the  eldest  is  Edward  J.  Phelps, 
the  late  minister  to  England.  [For  a  sketch 
of  E.  J.  Phelps  see  page  309,  part  H.] 

UPHAM,  William— For  ten  years  Ignited 
States  Senator,  and  though  not  ranking  u]i 
with  the  great  historii:al  names  from  Ver- 
mont— ISradley,  Phelps,  Prentiss,  Collamer, 
and  Foote — yet  a  strong  and  able  man  of 
his  time  in  national  councils.  He  was  born 
at  Leicester,  Mass.,  .'Vugust  5,  1792,  the  son 
of  t'apt.  Samuel  L'pham,  who  moved  to  \'er- 
mont  in  1802,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Mont- 
pelier.  Voung  William  worked  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  fifteen,  attending  school  only 
winters,  when  an  accident  in  a  cider  mill, 
crushing  his  right  hand  so  that  it  had  to  be 
amputated,  and  unfitting  him  for  manual 
labor,  procured  paternal  consent  to  his  being 
"educated."  A  few  terms  at  the  old  acad- 
emy at  .Montpelier,  then  some  tutoring  in 
Latin  and  Greek  by  R.ev.  James  Hobart  at 
Berlin,  and  a  short  time  at  the  LIniversity  of 
\"ermont  were,  however,  all  that  his  means 
would  jjermit  in  this  line.  Then  he  studied 
law  with  Samuel  Prentiss  at  Montpelier:  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  i8ri,  and  for  a  few 
years  practiced  in  partnership  with  Nicholas 
Itaylies  and  afterwards  alone  or  in  temporary 
partnership  for  about  thirty  years,  with  hardly 
an  interruption  from  politics  to  mar  his 
professional  achievements. 

It  was  a  bar  of  great  lawyers  with  whom 
he  had  to  match  wits,  including  besides 
Senator  Prentiss,  such  giants  as  Dillingham, 
Collamer  and  Lucius  B.  Peck.  But  he  was 
a  foeman  worthy  of  the  best  of  them,  and 
became,  in  fact,  one  of  the  strongest  jury 
advocates  the  state  has  ever  had.  He  was 
Choate-like  in  the  fiery  impetuousness  of  his 
eloquence,  though  without  the  rich  poetic 
fancy  with  which  Choate  embellished  his 
argument,  masterful  in  his  methods  of  state- 


ment,  biting  in  sarcasm,  full  of  nervous 
energy.  Senator  Seward  in  the  obituary 
speeches  in  Congress  described  him  as  a 
"man  of  strong  and  vigorous  judgment, 
which  acted  always  by  a  process  of  inductive 
reasoning,"  and  these  were  qualities  that 
gave  him  peculiar  powers  in  the  rough  and 
tumble  of  the  law  combats  of  those  days. 

He  kept  carefully  out  of  politics  until  his 
reputation  was  made  at  the  bar,  refused  all 
proffers  of  nomination  to  office,  including 
one  for  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  held  firmly  to  the  theory  that 
the  "law  is  a  jealous  mistress."  In  1S27 
he  did  accept  an  election  as  town  represen- 
tative, because  success  seemed  very  dubious 
when  he  consented  to  run,  and  he  was  re- 
elected the  next  year  and  again  in  1830. 
He  took  high  rank  as  a  debater,  of  course, 
but  at  the  close  of  his  third  term  he  re- 
mained for  ten  years  more  a  simple  lawyer 
though  he  was  state's  attorney  for  Washing- 
ton county  in  1S29.  But  he  was  ardently  in 
sympathy  with  the  Canadian  rebellion  of 
1838,  presided  over  a  great  meeting  at  Mont- 
pelier  that  year  to  send  greetings  to  the 
insurgents  and  condemn  the  Van  Buren 
administration  for  its  efforts  to  stop  filibust- 
ering aid,  and  the  1840  campaign  aroused 
him  and  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  when 
nearly  fifty  years  old,  he  plunged  actively 
into  jiolitics,  and  stumped  nearly  the  whole 
state  for  Harrison. 

The  fruit  was  an  enthusiastic  personal  fol- 
lowing for  himself,  which,  in  1842,  showed 
itself  in  his  election  as  United  States  senator 
to  succeed  Samuel  C.  Crafts  :  at  the  end  of 
his  term  he  was  re-elected  for  another  term 
but  died  before  completing  it,  Jan.  14,  1853. 

He  was  an  ardent  Whig  and  all  the  more  so 
because  of  the  power  of  partisan  advocacy 
which  his  training  as  a  lawyer  had  given  him. 
Ill-health  in  the  later  years  of  his  service 
interfered  much  with  his  activity,  but  he 
made  a  number  of  notable  speeches  and 
took  positions  on  some  occasions  that  were 
historic.  He  and  Crittenden  of  Kentucky 
were  the  two  men  who  voted  "aye,  except 
the  preamble"  on  the  bill  in  1S45,  declaring 
that  "war  existed  by  the  act  of  Mexico  "  and 
authorizing  the  President  to  call  out  50,000 
men.  He  moved  the  Wilmot  proviso,  for- 
ever forbidding  slavery  in  the  territory  to  be 
acquired,  as  an  amendment  to  the  bill  in 
1846  appropriating  $3,000,000  to  authorize 
the  President  to  negotiate  peace  with  Mexico, 
and  he  made  a  speech  on  the  subject,  treating 
trenchantly  as  it  deserved  the  whole  iniquity 
back  of  the  Mexican  war,  which  was  widely 
circulated  and  published  in  pamphlets  and 
newspapers.  He  made  a  number  of  strong 
speeches  on  different  questions  connected 
with  the  war,  the  greatest  of  them  being  that 
of  Jan.  28,  1848,  on  the  bill  to  establish  ter- 


ritorial governments  in  Oregon,  California, 
and  New  Mexico.  But  perhaps  the  greatest 
one  and  the  one  most  independent  of  party 
lines  of  all  his  career  was  that  of  July  i  and 
2,  1850,  against  the  "compromise  bill"  of 
that  year  on  the  slavery  question. 

On  the  tariff  question  he  was  a  Whig  of 
Whigs,  believing  that  increase  of  industry 
and  growth  of  national  wealth  would  surely 
flow  from  a  protective  policy,  and  being  one 
of  the  most  strenuous  advocates  of  the  idea 
that  wool  growing  was  to  be  promoted  by  high 
duties.  He  fought  hard  against  the  Walker 
tariff-reducing  bill  of  1846,  and  his  speech 
on  that  occasion  was  highly  complimented 
by  Daniel  Webster,  who  wrote  asking  for 
memoranda  of  some  of  his  "  statements  re- 
specting the  market  abroad  for  our  wool," 
and  adding,  "  following  in  your  track,  my 
work  is  to  compare  the  value  of  the  foreign 
and  home  market." 

The  senator  had  a  habit  of  exhaustively 
studying  his  subject  before  speaking  and  then 
an  effective  way  of  marshaling  his  facts  and 
arguments.  As  Senator  Foot  said  in  his 
eulogy,  his  speeches  had  "  the  peculiar  im- 
press of  his  earnestness,  his  research,  his 
ability,  and  his  patriotic  demotion."  Mr. 
Upham  was  for  several  years  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  Revolutionary  claims  and  post 
office  and  post  roads,  so  that  a  vast  deal  of 
detail  work  was  thrown  on  his  shoulders. 

The  senator's  domestic  life  was  a  singu- 
larly happy  one.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Keyes 
of  Ashford,  Conn.,  whom  he  met  while  she 
was  on  a  visit  in  Montpelier  with  her  sister, 
Mrs.  Thomas  Brooks,  grandmother  of  Gen. 
W.  T.  Brooks,  commander  of  the  Vermont 
Brigade.  She  w-as  a  beautiful,  accomplished 
woman,  who  made  her  home  at  Montpelier 
and  at  Washington  a  center  of  social  charm 
as  well  as  a  delight  to  its  inmates.  She  died 
May  8,  1856.  One  of  their  sons,  William  K. 
L'pham,  went  to  Ohio,  where  he  rose  to  the 
front  in  law,  ranking  with  such  men  as  Chase, 
Corwin,  and  Bingham.  Another,  Major 
Charles  C.  Upham,  was  paymaster  in  the 
United  States  Navy. 

FOOT,  Solomon.— Senator,  repre- 
sentative' in  Congress  for  nineteen  years, 
like  Bradley  and  Edmunds  long  president 
pro  tern  of  the  Senate,  and  among  the  great- 
est of  the  siiccession  of  remarkable  men 
Vermont  has  kept  in  the  Senate,  with  hardly 
an  exception,  from  the  beginning,  was  a 
native  of  the  state,  born  in  Cornwall,  Nov. 
15,  1802,  the  son  of  Dr.  Solomon  and  Betsey 
(Crossett)  Foot.  The  family  w-as  of  Con- 
necticut origin,  where  one  of  the  ancestors 
was  prosecuted  in  1 702  "for  having  his  negro 
servant  sit"  in  his  church  pew,  "contrary  to 
religion  and  profanation  of  the  Sabbath." 
Dr.   Foot  died  when    young   Solomon    was 


"9 


only  nine  years  old,  and  the  boy  was  left  to  the 
training  of  an  intelligent  and  prayerful 
mother.  W  ith  intermissions  of  farm  work  and 
teaching  of  district  schools  to  earn  money, 
he  fitted  for  college  and  graduated  from 
Middlebury  in  1826.  For  the  next  five 
years,  excejit  for  one  year  while  he  was  a 
tutor  at  Middlebury,  he  was  preceptor  of 
Castleton  Ac-ademy,  and  professor  of  natural 
philosophy  at  the  Vermont  Medical  School 
at  that  place.  He  re-established  the  academy 
on  a  broader  basis,  erected  a  handsome  and 
spacious  edifice,  and  indeed  achieved  a 
large  success  as  a  pedagogue,  as  he  did  with 
everything  he  took  hold  of  in  life. 

But  while  teaching  he  had  pursued  the 
study  of  law ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1831,  and  established  himself  in  practice  at 
Rutland.  He  at  once  plunged  into  politics, 
attracted  attention  the  next  year  with  an  ad- 
dress which  he  issued  in  favor  of  Clay  for 
President  and  against  the  re-election  of  Jack- 
son, and  from  this  time  until  his  death  he 
was  almost  constantly  before  the  public. 
Rutland  sent  him  to  the  Legislature  in  1833, 
again  in  i836-'37-'38,  he  being  speakerin  the 
last  two  sessions,  and  freshly  enhancing  his 
reputation  by  the  ease  and  ability  with  which 
he  discharged  the  duties.  From  1836  to 
1842  he  was  state's  attorney  for  Rutland 
county,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  elected 
representative  in  Congress  as  an  ardent  ^\'hig, 
a  follower  of  Clay,  and  a  repudiator  of  Tyler. 
His  first  appearance  on  the  floor  was  to  pre- 
sent a  petition  for  the  "protection  of  .Ameri- 
can producers  against  the  unfriendly  and 
ruinous  competition  of  foreign  nations." 

His  first  speech,  June  4,  1844,  was  in  the 
same  line,  and  this  was  his  position  as  long 
as  he  was  in  Congress.  He  was  one  of  the 
few  Republicans  to  vote  against  the  low 
tariff  bill  of  1857.  He,  of  course,  fought  the 
Walker  tariff  bill  of  1846  strenuously.  He 
earnestly  opposed  the  admission  of  Texas 
and  the  .Mexican  war,  whose  purpose  he  de- 
clared to  be  simply  to  obtain  more  territory 
for  slavery,  and  denounced  the  measures  of 
the  Polk  administration  almost  uniformly, 
and  especially  its  construction  of  the  ( )regon 
boundary  question.  He  made  a  hot  speech 
Feb.  10,  1847,  full  of"  scornful  defiance  "  of 
the  President  for  his  intimation  that  those 
who  censured  the  conduct  of  the  executive 
in  carrying  on  the  war  were  guilty  of  con- 
structive treason.  He  was  one  of  the  three 
intrepid  men  who  came  to  the  rescue  of 
Giddings  of  Ohio,  when  Dawson  of  Louis- 
iana, supported  by  four  other  Southerners, 
pistol  in  hand,  threatened  to  shoot  him  for 
his  denunciation  of  the  "brutal  coarseness" 
and  "  moral  putridity  "  of  slavery,  and  when 
it  looked  for  a  time  as  if  the  floor  of  Con- 
gress was  to  be  a  general  shooting-ground. 


He  served  in  the  House  two  terms  and 
refused  a  re-election  in  i84i,to  return  to 
the  practice  of  law.  Hut  he  was  the  next 
fall  sent  to  the  Legislature  by  Rutland  and 
re-elected  in  1848,  and  again  was  speaker  of 
that  body,  and  in  1850  he  was  elected  to  the 
Senate  to  succeed.  Judge  Phelps,  and  this 
was  the  arena  where  he  won  his  largest 
tame.  He  was  prominent  in  the  debates 
over  the  Kansas  question  against  the  ad- 
mission of  the  state  under  the  Lecompton 
constitution.  He  opposed  the  scheme  for 
the  acquisition  of  Cuba,  justified  the  action 
of  Commodore  Paulding  in  the  arrest  of 
William  Walker  whose  filibustering  expedi- 
tion to  South  .\merica  he  recognized  as  a 
scheme  of  the  slavery  extensionists.  He 
was  a  participant  in  the  discussion  of  all 
Central  .\merican  matters,  and  strenuous  in 
insisting  that  Klngland  should  give  up  her 
protectorate  over  the  Mosquito  territory. 
He  served  with  Jeff  Davis  as  a  commissioner 
to  reorganize  the  course  of  study  and  disci- 
pline at  West  Point.  He  was  a  strong 
advocate  of  governmental  construction  of  a 
railroad  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  carried 
through  bills  for  the  erection  of  a  custom 
house  at  Burlington  and  court  houses  at 
Windsor  and  Rutland  and  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  breakwater  at  Burlington.  He 
served  industriously  on  the  committees  on 
pensions,  post-offices  and  post  roads,  revo- 
lutionary claims,  public  lands,  pensions  con- 
tingent claims  and  foreign  relations,  rising 
steadily  by  the  care  and  thoroughness  of  his 
work  to  a  position  of  leadership.  He  super- 
vised the  enlargement  of  the  capitol  and  the 
erection  of  other  government  structures. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  of  ar- 
rangements for  the  inauguration  of  President 
Lincoln. 

When  the  extra  session  of  Congress  was 
convened  on  account  of  the  war,  July  4,  1861, 
Mr.  Foot  was  unanimously  elected  president 
pro  tempore  and  through  the  whole  of  this, 
the  whole  of  the  Thirty-seventh  and  a  part 
of  the  Thirty-eighth  Congress  he  continued  in 
this  position.  During  the  trying  days  of  the  war 
he  did  not  appear  on  the  floor  so  much  as  he 
had  before  done,  evidently  regarding  speech- 
making  as  a  needless  waste  of  energy  when 
there  was  so  much  work  to  be  done,  and  the 
party  in  power  had  things  all  their  own  way, 
anyhow.  On  several  important  occasions, 
however,  he  kicked  out  of  party  traces.  He 
voted  against  the  legal  tender  act  because  he 
regarded  it  as  clearly  unconstitutional,  and 
against  Sumner's  bill  in  i86i  to  wipe  out  of 
slavery  in  the  proposed  new  state  of  \\'est 
Virginia  as  a  prerequisite  to  its  admission. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  national 
convention  of  1864.  One  of  his  last  speeches 
in  the  Senate  was  that  of  Jan.  12,  1S65,  in 
favor  of  terminating  the  Canadian  reciproc- 


HRAINERD. 


ity  treaty.  He  was  with  the  leaders  of  his 
party  in  sharp  antagonism  to  President 
Johnson  and  his  pohcy,  but  died  March  28, 
i<S66,  before  the  crisis  in  that  struggle  came, 
though  he  clearly  foresaw  it. 

In  him  the  country  plainly  saw  it  had  lost 
one  of  its  best  equipped  statesmen.  He 
may  not  have  had,  as  Senator  Edmunds  says, 
"  that  aggressive  intellectual  combativeness 
and  analytical  subtlety  of  mind,  which,  for- 
tified by  learning,  has  produced  the  greatest 
lawyers,"  but  he  had  a  sound  and  practical 
mind,  an  active  and  vigilant  industry,  a 
habit  of  thoroughness  of  preparation  for  his 
duties,  together  with  an  intellectual  and 
moral  courage,  and  a  hatred  of  meanness 
and  duplicity,  that,  while  it  sometimes  car- 
ried him  too  far  in  partisanship,  made  him 
faithful,  reliable  and  useful. 

Senator  Foot  was  twice  married,  first  in 
1S39,  to  Emily,  daughter  of  William  Fay  of 
Rutland,  who  soon  after  died  ;  and  second, 
to  Mrs.  Anna  Dora,  daughter  of  Henry 
Hodges  of  Clarendon,  who  survived  him. 

BRAINERD,  LAWRENCE.— Briefly  sen- 
ator, to    fill   out 
Mr.  U  p  h  a  m '  s 
term,    for    years 
the   recognized 
leader  of  the  Jjib- 
erty  party  in  the 
state  and   under 
whose  auspices 
the    old  Whig 
partv   was    ab- 
solved  into    it, 
under  the   n  e  w 
name  "  Republi- 
can," was  a  na- 
tive of  Connecti- 
cut, born  at  East 
Hartford,  March 
16,  1794.     He  was  from  a   family  that  has 
been  called  one  of  "  the  two  great  families  of 
divines" — the  Beechers  being  the  other — be- 
cause of  its  great  number  of  clergymen,  Con- 
gregational,   Presbyterian     and     Methodist, 
Among  them  have  been  several  missionaries, 
including  David  Brainerd,  the  evangelist  of 
the  aborigines,  whose  biography  was  written 
by  lonathan  Edwards. 

Lawrence  was  the  fifth  of  the  thirteen  chil- 
dren of  Dea.  Ezra  and  Mabel  (Porter)  Brain- 
erd, but  when  nine  years  old  went  to  Troy, 
N.  v.,  to  live  with  an  uncle,  Joseph  Brainerd. 
Five  years  later  he  started  out  to  shift  for 
himself,  went  to  St.  Albans  on  the  proceeds 
of  walnuts  he  had  gathered  and  sold,  and 
with  a  capital  of  just  twenty-five  cents  began 
the  struggle  of  life.  That  same  year,  though 
only  fourteen,  he  was  sent  to  Massachusetts, 
a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  to  fetch  a 
pair  of  oxen.     He  made  the  journey  on  foot 


but  executed  the  trust  faithfully.  Though 
his  education  had  been  limited,  he  fitted  him- 
self to  teach  district  school  and  that  pursuit 
he  followed  for  several  winters.  Then  he 
became  a  clerk  in  a  store,  and,  in  181 6,  em- 
barked in  business  for  himself,  and  with  his 
foresight,  courage  and  large  judgment  rapidly 
enlarged  his  operations,  acquiring  additional 
wealth  at  every  step. 

He  conducted  a  large  mercantile  estab- 
lishment, doing  an  extensive  barter  with  the 
farmers.  He  also  engaged  in  farming  and 
sheep  raising,  and  as  "railroad  times"  ap- 
proached took  hold  of  these  enterprises  with 
all  his  energy.  \\'ith  John  Smith  and  Joseph 
Clark  he  effected  the  construction  of  the 
Vermont  &  Canada  R.  R.,  borrowing  S500,- 
000  on  their  personal  credit  before  any  stock 
subscriptions  had  become  available.  He  was 
connected  with  the  Vermont  Central  either 
as  director  or  trustee  until  his  death,  and  was 
among  the  original  projectors  and  promoters 
of  the  Stanstead,  Sheffield  &  Chambly,  and 
of  the  Missisquoi  roads.  He  was  also  largely 
interested  before  this  time  in  Lake  Cham- 
plain  navigation,  built  the  first  upper  cabin 
steamer  that  plied  its  waters,  and  was  a 
director  of  the  St.  Albans  Steamboat  Co.  for 
many  years. 

His  political  life  began  with  service  as 
deputy  sheriff  in  his  young  manhood,  to 
which  he  was  recommended  by  his  reputa- 
tion for  bravery.  In  1834  he  was  elected 
representative  from  St.  Albans,  but  this  was 
his  last  office  until  he  became  Federal  sena- 
tor, because  in  1840  he  abandoned  the 
\\'hig  party,  with  which  he  had  been  aiifili- 
ated,  on  the  slaverv  issue.  He  was  one  of 
the  three  hundred  and  nineteen  in  Vermont 
to  cast  their  votes  for  Birney  for  President 
in  1840.  He  stood  as  the  Liberty  party's 
candidate  for  Governor  in  1846  and  1S47, 
yielding  the  post  to  Oscar  L.  Shafter  and 
the  "Free  Soil"  movement  of  1848,  but  re- 
turning to  it  in  T852  and  1853,  holding  the 
balance  of  power  so  as  to  throw-  the  election 
into  the  Legislature  in  1852,  and  defeat 
the  \Vhigs  and  prevent  Ciovernor  Fairbanks' 
re-election  in  1853.  The  result  was  the 
break- down  of  the  Whigs,  the  coaHtion  of 
1854  and  the  formation  of  the  new  Repub- 
lican party,  over  whose  first  convention  in 
July  of  that  year  Mr.  Brainerd  presided.  He 
was  a  candidate  for  the  state  Senate  from 
his  county,  but  was  beaten  by  the  old  Whig 
animosity.  But  the  new  movement  had  be- 
come so  strong  before  the  close  of  the  year, 
that  when  a  vacancy  in  the  United  States 
Senate  occurred  by  the  death  of  Senator 
Upham,  Brainerd  was  elected  to  it  by  a 
practically  unanimous  vote,  the  first  man 
who  had  been  sent  there  on  purely  abolition- 
ist principles. 


He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican 
national  conventions  of  1856  and  i860,  and 
chairman  of  the  \ermont  delegation  in  the 
latter  that  threw  the  vote  of  the  state  for 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  called  the  conven- 
tion of  1856  to  order,  was  chosen  one  of  its 
vice-presidents,  and  served  during  the  cam- 
paign on  the  national  executive  committee. 
He  was,  of  course,  a  cordial  supporter  of  the 
Union  cause  through  the  war,  and  a  less 
impatient  one  than  most  of  the  old  anti- 
slavery  leaders,  because  he  foresaw  that  the 
end,  in  the  inevitable  logic  of  events,  must 
be  emancipation.  He  had,  before  the  war, 
kept  the  last  station  of  the  "  underground 
railroad  "  on  the  route  to  Canada,  and  many 
a  poor  runaway  black  had  been  aided  by 
him  to  liberty. 

Aher  the  war  he  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  work  of  the  American  Missionary  Associ- 
ation in  educating  and  uplifting  the  freemen, 
and  was  president  of  the  association  and 
always  a  generous  contributor  to  its  funds. 
He  in  fact  came  to  be  known  as  among  the 
most  princely  of  Vermont  philanthropists, 
and  his  donations  were  in  many  lines  of  edu- 
cational and  religious  work.  He  was  a  bus- 
iness man  of  remarkable  ability  always,  and 
his  training  and  habits  of  thought  followed 
him  in  his  benefactions.  He  had  to  be  con- 
vinced that  the  object  of  charity  was  a 
worthy  one,  that  the  money  would  be  judi- 
ciously expended,  and  then  his  purse  strings 
were  open.  Disbursements  increased  in 
magnitude  as  his  means  increased,  and  he 
recognized  in  the  possession  of  wealth  a  trust 
to  be  executed  for  good. 

He  was  married  Jan.  16,  1819,  to  Fidelia 
Barnet,  daughter  of  William  Ciadcomb,  and 
she  died  Oct.  iS,  1852,  having  borne  him 
twehe  children,  of  whom  four  sons  and  two 
daughters  reached  maturity.  One  daughter 
married  J-  Gregory  Smith,  afterwards  Gover- 
nor ;  and  the  other,  F.  S.  Stranahan,  the 
present  Lieutenant-Governor.  The  sons 
were  :  Lawrence,  Aldis,  Frastus  P.,  and 
Herbert,  who  have  all  been  men  of  promi- 
nence. 

COLLAMHR,  JACOB.— Judge,  both 
representative  and  senator  in  Congress,  post- 
master-general under  Taylor,  the  only  Yer- 
monter  before  Proctor  to  serve  in  the 
cabinet,  is  the  man  whose  statue,  as  the  rep- 
resentative \'ermonter,  stands  with  that  of 
Ethan  Allen  in  legislative  hall  at  Washing- 
ton. He  was  born  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  8, 
1 79 1,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Yan 
Ormun)  Collamer,  the  third  of  eight  chil- 
dren. His  father  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  of  a  family  that  had  for  genera- 
tions been  prominent  in  Massachusetts, 
"  Collamores  Ledge  "  being  named  after  one 
member,  Capt.  Anthony  Collamer,  who  was 


shipwrecked  there.  Samuel  Collamer  came 
to  Vermont  when  Jacob  was  about  four 
vears  old.  Early  in  youth,  ambition  and 
thirst  for  knowledge  possessed  the  boy,  and 
by  his  own  energy  and  industry  he  procured 
the  means  to  prosecute  preparatory  collegi- 
ate and  professional  study  and  yet  was 
fitted  for  admission  to  the  University  of 
\'ermont  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  gradu- 
ated in  1 8 10,  and  then  studied  law  with  Mr. 
Langworthy  and  later  with  Benjamin  Swift 
at  St.  Albans,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
18 13.  There  was  an  interruption  in  1812 
when  he  was  drafted  into  the  detailed  militia 
service  and  served  in  the  frontier  campaign 
as  lieutenant  of  artillery. 

In  1816  he  moved  to  Royalton,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession  with  growing  repu- 
tation for  twenty  years,  until  in  1S36  he 
went  to  Woodstock.  He  was  for  several 
years  register  of  probate  in  the  Royalton 
district.  He  represented  that  town  in  the 
Legislatures  of  182 1,  '22,  '27  and  '28.  He 
was  state's  attorney  for  Windsor  county 
in  1822,  '23  and  '24.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1836, 
that  did  away  with  the  old  Governor's 
council  and  established  the  state  Senate, 
and  took  a  leading  part  in  effecting  the 
change. 

In  1833,  unexpectedly  to  himself,  Mr. 
Collamer  was  elected  one  of  the  assistant 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  regularly 
re-elected  until  1842,  when  he  declined 
further  service.  If  his  career  had  ended 
here  it  would  have  been  distinguished  ;  as  a 
nisi prius  judge  he  was  extraordinarily  well 
equipped  by  habit  and  training  of  mind. 
.As  Judge  James  Barertt,  long  his  partner, 
says  of  him  :  "Without  any  of  the  qualities 
designated  fancy,  imagination,  brilliancy, 
or  genius,  his  mind  was  made  up  of  a  clear 
and  ready  perception,  acuteness  of  discrimi- 
nation, a  facile  faculty  of  analysis,  an  apt- 
ness and  ease  in  rigid  and  simple  logic, 
excellent  common  sense,  and  withal,  a  most 
tenacious  memory  of  facts.  These  qualities 
of  mind  enabled  him  to  serve  and  master  all 
the  substantial  purposes  of  professional  and 
judicial  avocation  without  his  becoming  em- 
phatically a  judicial  scholar.  What  his  law- 
books contained  he  knew  not,  as  mere  mat- 
ter of  recollection,  their  substance  became 
incorporated  as  matter  of  consciousness 
into  the  very  substance  of  his  mind,  which 
thus  became  thoroughly  indoctrinated  and 
imbued  with  the  foundation  principles  upon 
which  the  superstructure  of  his  professional 
greatness  arose." 

Says  Judge  Poland  :  "His  published 
opinions  while  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
are  models  of  judicial  compositions.  For 
accuracy  of  learning,  terseness  of  statement, 
clearness  and  com])rehensiveness  of  style,  I 


COLLAMER. 


COLLAMER. 


do  not  know  where  they  are  excelled.  Had 
Judge  Collamer  remained  upon  the  bench  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  like  Chief  Justice  Shaw  of 
Massachusetts,  or  Chief  Justice  Gibson  of 
Pennsylvania,  I  have  no  doubt  his  judicial 
fame  would  have  equalled  that  of  those  emi- 
nent jurists." 

But  the  next  year,  after  a  close  and  hotly- 
contested  campaign  that  required  two  trials 
at  the  polls,  and  with  Ransom  and  Titus 
Hutchinson  the  candidates  against  him,  he 
was  elected  to  Congress  and  entered  upon 
the  national  career  that  continued,  with  only 
brief  interruptions  and  with  steadily  enlarg- 
ing fame  and  usefulness,  until  his  death.  His 
colleagues  when  he  took  his  seat  were  George 
P.  Marsh,  Solomon  Foot  and  Paul  Dilling- 
ham. His  first  speech  was  in  February, 
1844,  in  opposition  to  the  apportionment 
resolution,  and  it  attracted  a  good  deal  of 
attention.  But  the  argument  which  fixed  his 
place  in  the  front  rank  of  the  Whig  leaders 
was  delivered  in  the  .April  following,  on  the 
tariff,  and  under  the  title  of  "  ^^"ool  and 
Woolens,"  to  which  a  large  part  of  it  was 
given.  It  is,  perhaps,  the  strongest  and 
most  exhaustive  argument  ever  made  in  favor 
of  protection  to  wool  growing,  and  as  a  his- 
torical, constitutional  and  economic  argu- 
ment was  one  of  the  best  Congress  has  ever 
heard  on  the  protective  side  of  the  question. 
He  served  on  the  public  lands  committee 
and  was  its  chairman  in  the  Thirtieth  Con- 
gress. He  originated  the  system  now  in 
force  of  mapping  the  public  domain  and 
thus  exhibiting  the  real  location  and  market 
status  of  every  section  of  land.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  debates  on  the  annexation 
of  Texas  and  the  Mexican  war,  taking  the 
Whig  view,  of  course,  but  with  the  modera- 
tion and  independence  of  judgment  that  so 
often  marked  his  conduct. 

He  declined  a  re-election  to  Congress  in 
1S48,  but  a  legislative  caucus  that  fall  for- 
mally recommended  him  for  a  cabinet  posi- 
tion, and  President  Taylor  on  his  inauguration 
named  him  for  Postmaster-General.  Here 
again  his  clear-headed  and  progressive 
thought  brought  some  good  ideas  to  the 
administration,  and  though  the  service  was 
brief,  it  is  the  testimony  of  his  associate  in 
the  cabinet,  Reverdy  Johnson,  that  the  "vast 
and  complicated  business  of  the  department 
was  never  more  ably  conducted."  Henry 
Wilson  says  in  his  history,  the  "Rise  and 
Fall  of  the  Slave  Power,"  that  Mr.  Collamer 
"was  a  statesman  of  recognized  ability  and 
firmness,  and  was  unquestionably  the  most 
decided  of  any  member  of  the  cabinet  in  his 
opposition  to  the  increasing  encroachments 
of  the  slave  power." 

On  the  death  of  President  Taylor,  in  July, 
1850,  Mr.  Collamer  resigned  with  the  rest  of 
the  cabinet,  and  again  returned  to  his  law 


practice  in  \'ermont.  and  was  that  fall 
elected  circuit  judge  by  the  Legislature. 
The  choice  between  the  Supreme  Court  and 
circuit  judiciary  was  offered  him,  but  he  pre- 
ferred the  latter  and  continued  to  preside  in 
the  county  courts,  until  in  1854  the  young 
Republican  party  elected  him  United  States 
Senator  as  an  anti-slavery  A\'hig,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Lawrence  Brainerd  of  Free  Soil 
antecedents.  He  at  once  entered  the  arena 
over  the  Kansas  troubles,  presented  a  min- 
ority report,  signed  only  by  himself,  upon  the 
condition  of  affairs  in  that  territory,  and  he 
was  fully  a  match  for  Douglass  in  the  great 
debate  that  followed,  ushering  in  the  years 
of  controversy  that  ended  with  the  admis- 
sion of  Kansas  as  a  free  state  in  1861,  a 
result  that  was  largely  developed  out  of  his 
efforts.  He  was  not  and  never  professed  to 
be  an  abolitionist,  but  he  understood  fully 
the  spirit  and  purpose  and  inevitable  pro- 
cedure of  the  slave  power.  He  long  be- 
lieved that  it  could  be  met  and  defeated  by 
standing  on  the  constitution,  but  never  by 
yielding  to  its  encroachments.  He  and 
Grimes  of  Iowa,  and  Fessenden  of  ^Iaine 
were  most  intimate  associates  through  this 
era,  forming  in  their  conservatism  along  cer- 
tain lines,  and  their  agreement  in  economic 
views  a  triumvirate  not  less  useful,  though  less 
conspicuous  than  that  of  Seward,  Chase  and 
Sumner  which  finally  aroused  and  brought 
to  fruition  the  tremendous  moral  sentiment 
of  the  North  on  the  slavery  question.  .\s 
has  been  well  said  of  him,  he  "united  the 
best  traits  of  the  radical  and  the  conserva- 
tive." He  was  one  of  the  three  senators 
from  New  England  who  voted  against  the 
tariff  bill  of  1S57. 

When  his  term  expired  in  i860  he  was 
re-elected  for  a  second  term,  and  filled  even 
a  larger  place  in  national  councils.  Indeed, 
A'ermont  ]iresented  his  name  to  the  Chicago 
convention  that  year  for  the  Republican 
nomination  for  the  presidency,  and  he  re- 
ceived ten  votes  on  the  first  ballot  of  the 
convention,  the  only  Vermonter,  except  Ed- 
munds, who  has  been  so  honored  in  the 
national  conventions  of  either  party.  But 
his  name  was  withdrawn  after  the  first  ballot, 
and  though  there  was  some  talk  of  him  for 
the  vice-presidential  nomination,  he  was  left 
to  do  an  important  work  and  one  for  which 
he  was  best  adapted  in  the  Senate,  to  meet 
the  storm  which  was  gathering  upon  the 
country. 

At  first,  as  Sunset  (^"ox  says  in  his  "Three 
Decades,"  Senator  Collamer  was  "  regarded 
as  not  indifferent  to  a  compromise  which 
would  at  least  retain  the  border  states,  if  it 
did  not  stop  the  moyement  of  the  Gulf  states" 
toward  secession.  He  and  Fessenden  were 
among  the  few  Republicans  who  declined 
to  vote    against    the    "  Crittenden  compro- 


Cdl.I.AMER. 


123 


mise  "  of  the  winter  of  1861,  proposing  by 
constitutional  amendment  to  fore\er  forbid 
any  revocation  of  the  guarantees  of  slavery 
within  existing  limits,  its  three-fifths  repre- 
sentation and  its  perpetual  right  to  recover 
fugiti\es,  in  other  words,  to  intrench  the 
institution  securely  in  the  organic  law  of 
the  land.  They  did  not  vote  for  this  amend- 
ment, but  by  abstaining  from  voting  at 
all,  signified  their  willingness  to  concede  so 
much  if  it  would  satisfy  the  South ;  and 
indeed  it  would  only  have  been  putting 
into  constitutional  phrase  the  doctrine  upon 
which  all  parties  had  professed  to  stand  up 
to  that  time.  He  voted  and  spoke  power- 
fully in  the  panic  following  Hull  Run,  for  the 
Crittenden  resolution,  declaring  that  the  war 
was  waged  only  to  preserve  the  Union,  the  su- 
premacy of  the  constitution,  and  the  dig- 
nity, equality  and  rights  of  all  the  states,  and 
as  soon  as  these  objects  were  accomplished 
the  "war  ought  to  cease." 

But  while  he  was  of  the  conservative  ele- 
ment of  the  party,  repressing  the  extreme 
measures  to  which  the  times  naturally  tended, 
he  was  resolute  and  uncompromising  in  his 
stand  for  the  Union.  The  great  act  of  July 
13,  1 86 1,  which  invested  the  President  with 
new  powers  and  gave  the  war  its  first  con- 
gressional sanction,  was  drawn  by  him,  and 
in  the  words  of  Charles  Sumner,  who  was  so 
often  in  conflict  with  him,  it  was  "a  land- 
mark in  our  history,  and  might  properly  be 
known  by  the  name  of  its  author  as  Col- 
lamer's  Statute."  He  offered  the  resolution 
in  the  amended  form  it  finally  took  regard- 
ing the  reclaiming  and  surrender  of  fugitive 
slaves,  forbidding  any  army  or  naval  officer 
under  severe  penalties  from  assuming  to  take 
any  action  whatever  on  the  subject. 

He  opposed  in  1862  Sumner's  amendment 
to  an  appropriation  bill  prohibiting  the  do- 
mestic sla\e  trade,  on  the  ground  that  any 
law  which  should  undertake  in  anv  wav 
to  recognize  negroes  as  merchandise  in- 
stead of  "persons,"  as  described  in  the 
constitution,  was  "  totally  unauthorized  and 
unconstitutional."  He  offered  the  bill  of 
1S64,  to  treat  all  negroes  who  had  enlisted 
on  the  same  footing  as  other  troops.  But 
he  opposed,  as  did  several  of  the  most  radi- 
cal anti-slavery  men,  the  prohibition  of 
slavery  in  West  Virginia  when  it  was  cre- 
ated into  a  state  and  admitted  to  the  Union. 
He  stood  out  against  the  bulk  of  his  party 
in  denying  the  right  of  Congress  to  tax  the 
state  banks  out  of  existence.  He  opposed 
also  the  Legal  Tender  Act,  making  an  ex- 
haustive argument  against  it  as  unconstitu- 
tional. He  would  not  admit  the  "  necessity  " 
or  the  morality  of  the  greenback  issue.  He 
was  not  willing  that  the  government  should 
be  like  the  man  who  says,  "  Here  is  my  note, 
if  I  do  not  pay  it  you  must  steal  the  amount 


from  the  first  man  you  come  to  and  give 
him  this  note  in  payment." 

As  the  war  closed  and  the  era  of  recon- 
struction came  on,  Mr.  Collamer  found  him- 
self more  nearly  in  line  with  the  more 
radical  section  of  his  party.  He  denied  the 
right  of  the  insurgent  states  to  participate  in 
any  presidential  election  until  Congress  had 
declared  that  the  insurrection  was  ended. 
He  demanded  of  the  South  in  the  last 
speech  he  made,  "  some  security  for  future 
peace."  His  argument  for  the  requirement 
of  the  "  ironclad  oath  "  is  declared  by  Henry 
Wilson  to  have  been  "  among  the  most 
lucid  and  logical  presentation,  of  the  reasons 
for  extra-judicial  and  extra-constitutional 
legislation."  He  took  the  ground  fully  that 
Congress  could  and  should  control  in  the 
matter  of  reconstruction.  But  disease  and 
death  cut  short  his  service  before  the 
struggle  over  this  subject  had  reached  its 
great  historic  intensity.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Woodstock,  Nov.  9,  1865. 

The  judgment  of  his  cotemporaries  was 
one  of  profound  admiration  for  his  character 
and  abilities.  Senator  Morrill,  in  presenting 
to  Congress  the  statue  in  behalf  of  the  state, 
declared  him  to  be  its  "foremost  citizen  in 
ability,  moral  excellence,  and  national  dis- 
tinction." Mr.  Blaine  in  "Twenty  Years  of 
Congress"  sums  Collamer  up  as  "an  able, 
wise,  just  and  firm  man,  stern  in  principle, 
conservative  in  action,"  and  again,  "to  de- 
scribe him  in  a  single  word,  he  w-as  a  w'ise 
man."  "Conservative  in  his  nature,  he  was 
sure  to  advise  against  rashness.  Sturdy  in 
his  principles,  he  always  counseled  firmness. 
In  the  periods  of  excitement  through  which 
the  party  was  about  to  pass,  his  judgment 
was  sure  to  prove  of  highest  value — influ- 
enced, as  it  always  was,  by  patriotism,  and 
guided  by  conscience.  Without  power  as 
an  orator,  he  was  listened  to  in  the  Senate 
with  profound  attention,  as  one  who  never 
offered  counsel  that  was  not  needed.  He 
carried  into  the  Senate  the  gravity,  the  dig- 
nity, the  weight  of  character,  which  enabled 
him  to  control  more  ardent  natures,  and  he 
brought  to  a  later  generation  the  wisdom 
and  experience  acquired  in  a  long  life  de- 
voted to  the  service  of  his  state  and  of  his 
country." 

Of  his  personality  the  best  picture  was 
that  drawn  at  a  single  touch  by  Representa- 
tive \\'oodbridge,  in  presenting  resolutions 
upon  his  death.  "  Vou  all  recollect  the 
sweetness  of  his  face.  He  seemed,  as  Sidney 
Smith  said  of  Horner,  to  have  the  ten  com- 
mandments w-ritten  there."  He  was  a  man 
who  was  loved  by  children,  by  neighbors,  by 
all  who  knew^  him.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church  for  the  last  twenty 
years  of  his  life,  and  he  delivered  a  course  of 
lectures,  as  reverent  as  thev  were  learned,  on 


124 


^**-  »•{• 


"  The  Authenticity  of  the  Scriptures."  He 
was  for  some  time  professor  of  medical  juris- 
prudence in  the  \'ermont  Medical  College, 
at  Woodstock,  where  he  ga\e  short  but 
instructive  courses  of  lectures.  The  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  conferred  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.  on  him  in  1S49,  and  Dartmouth  in 
i860. 

Mr.  Collamer  wedded,  July  15,  1S17, 
Mary  N.,  daughter  of  Abijah  Stone,  and 
seven  children  were  the  fruit  of  this  union  : 
Harriet  (Mrs.  P^liakim  Johnson),  Mary  (Mrs. 
Horace  Hunt,  of  New  York  City),  Edward, 
now  in  Ohio  ;  Kllen  (Mrs.  Thomas  G.  Rice, 
of  Cambridge,  Mass.),  and  Frances,  who 
resides  at  the  old  family  mansion  at  Wood- 
stock. William  Collamer  died  in  iSy,-?,  being 
a  man  of  unusually  brilliant  i^arts. 

POLAND,  Luke  P.— Chief  Justice  of  the 
state     Supreme 
r  -    Court,  both  sen- 

I  ■        ator  and  repre- 

s  e  n  t  a  t  i  V  e  in 
Congress,  and  a 
man  of  extraor- 
(linarily  large 
brain  power, 
though  without 
the  qualities  of 
popular  success 
in  politics,  was 
born  at  West- 
ford,  Nov.  I , 
1S15,  the  son 
of  Luther  and 
Nancy  (  Potter) 
Poland.  The  father  and  grandfather  were 
carpenters  and  joiners  by  trade  and  farmers 
as  well,  and  the  father  was  Waterville's  first 
representative  in  the  Legislature  after  it  was 
organized  as  a  town.  But  the  family  was  in 
comparatively  humble  circumstances  and 
Luke's  educational  advantages  were  limited 
to  a  few  weeks  each  year  in  the  public 
school,  until  he  was  twelve  years  old,  and  a 
bare  five  months  in  the  academy  at  Jericho, 
when  he  was  seventeen.  The  balance  of 
his  youth  was  passed  as  clerk  in  a  country 
store  at  Waterville,  and  in  work  upon  the 
paternal  farm  and  in  the  saw-mill.  But  he 
was  an  eager  student  and  gathered  such 
knowledge  from  reading  and  contact  with 
life  that  his  father  approved  of  his  desire  to 
study  law,  and  he  set  out  on  foot  with  a 
capital  consisting  of  just  one  change  of 
underclothing,  for  the  neighboring  village  of 
Morristown,  and  teaching  school  that  win- 
ter, began  the  study  the  following  spring  in 
the  office  of  Samuel  A.  Willard. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1836  and 
by  the  force  of  his  native  ability  rose  so 
rapidly  in  the  ranks  of  his  profession  that 
twelve  years  later,  in   1848,  he  was  elected 


one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  over 
a  Whig  competitor  and  by  a  Whig  Legisla- 
ture, though  he  had  himself  always  been  a 
Democrat  until  that  year  when  he  was  can- 
didate for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  Free 
Soil  ticket.  He  had  before  been  register  of 
probate  for  I>amoille  county  in  i839-'4o;a 
member  of  the  state  constitional  conven- 
tion in  1843;  states  attorney  for  Lamoille 
county  in  1844  and  '45.  His  judicial 
duties  kept  him  out  of  active  politics  for 
the  next  twenty  years,  though  he  was  still 
a  Democrat  of  Free  Soil  sympathies  until 
after  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party  when  he  joined  that.  In  i860  he  was 
chosen  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
and  held  the  position  until  his  election  as 
senator.  .Some  important  questions  went 
into  the  crucible  of  his  thought  and  decision 
during  these  years,  among  them  the  power 
of  eminent  domain  or  the  right  to  take  pri- 
vate property  for  public  uses  and  the  proper 
extent  and  limitation  of  that  power ;  the 
adoption  of  the  common  law  of  Kngland  by 
the  United  States  :  the  subject  of  easements  ; 
the  constitutionality  of  retroactive  statutes  ; 
the  acquirement  of  title  by  adverse  posses- 
sion :  to  what  extent  promises  to  pay  the 
debt  of  another  are  governed  by  the  statute 
of  frauds.  His  opinion  upon  the  extent  of 
the  constitutional  power  of  the  state  to  au- 
thorize its  soldiers  in  camp  to  vote  was  re- 
garded as  a  settlement  of  that  \exed  ques- 
tion, and  was  followed  by  several  states. 

Judge  James  Barrett  says  of  him  :  "In 
thirty  years  conversancy  with  the  bench  and 
bar  of  Vermont,  it  has  not  been  my  fortune 
to  know  any  other  instance  in  which  the 
presiding  judge  in  his  nisi prius  circuit  has 
been  so  uniformly,  and  by  the  spontaneous 
acquiesence  of  the  bar,  so  emphatically  'the 
end  of  the  law'  in  all  things  appertaining  to 
the  business  of  these  courts.  As  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  sitting  in  banc  his  adapt- 
edness  to  the  place  was  equally  'manifest. 
His  mastery  of  the  principles  of  the  law,  his 
discriminating  apprehension  of  the  principles 
involved  in  the  specific  case  in  hand,  his 
facility  in  developing,  by  logical  processes 
and  practical  illustrations,  the  proper  ap- 
plications and  results  of  these  principles  are 
^ery  strikingly  evinced  in  the  judicial  opin- 
ions drawn  up  by  him,  contained  in  the  Ver- 
mont reports.  His  memory  of  cases  in 
which  particular  points  ha^•e  been  decided 
was  extraordinary,  and  this  memory  was  ac- 
companied by  a  very  full  and  accurate  appre- 
hension of  the  very  points  and  grounds  and 
reasons  of  the  judgment.  Some  of  the 
cases  in  which  he  drew  the  opinion  of  the 
court  stand  forth  as  leading  cases,  and  his 
treatment  of  the  subjects  involved  ranks  with 
the  best  specimens  of  judicial  disquisition." 


I'pon  the  death  of  Senator  Collamer, 
having  some  years  before  moved  to  the  east 
side  of  the  mountain  and  made  St.  Johns- 
bury  his  home,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legis- 
lature to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  a 
little  over  a  year,  and  in  1866  was  elected 
representative  to  the  lower  house  of  Con- 
gress and  Morrill  transferred  to  the  Senate. 
While  in  the  Senate  he  was  placed  on  the 
judiciary  committee  and  piloted  the  bank- 
ruptcy bill,  of  which  he  was  given  charge, 
to  enactment.  While  in  the  Senate  also  he 
inaugurated  the  greatest  work  of  his  con- 
gressional career,  the  revision  and  consoli- 
dation of  the  statutes  of  the  United  States. 
The  plan,  a  singularly  clear  and  comprehen- 
sive one,  was  his,  and  passed  substantially  in 
the  shape  he  reported  it,  the  direction  of  all 
subsequent  proceedings  in  the  following 
seven  years  was  by  him,  as  chairman  of  the 
house  committee  ;  the  ultimate  decision  of 
what  was  and  was  not  law,  the  sifting  out  of 
statutes  that  over-lapped  one  another,  or 
were  repealed  because  of  incompatibility  or 
inconsistency ;  the  construing  of  difficult  or 
conflicting  phrases,  the  rearrangement  of  the 
statutes  by  subject  and  in  all  the  detail  and 
diversity  of  chapters  and  sections,  were  all 
guided  ultimately  by  him.  This  codification 
was  a  work  largely  judicial  in  character,  and 
as  Hon.  Lorin  Blodgett  said  in  an  address 
before  the  Social  Science  .Association  at 
Philadelphia,  in  1S75,  entitled  to  "  a  rank 
quite  distinct  from  if  not  higher  than  any 
previous  work  of  the  kind  known  to  history." 
Both  the  House  and  Senate  accepted  the 
work  as  it  came  from  his  hands  and  it  be- 
came law  June  3,  1874. 

judge  Poland  filled  several  other  important 
posts  during  his  House  service.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  to  investigate  the 
Ku  Klu.x  outrages,  which  took  e\idence  fill- 
ing thirteen  large  volumes,  and  whose  report 
had  much  to  do  with  breaking  up  that  organ- 
ization. He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
discussion  of  the  vexed  question  of  the 
Geneva  award,  advocating  the  right  of  the 
insurance  companies  to  receive  the  money 
awarded  for  vessels  and  cargoes  destroyed 
by  the  rebel  cruisers  where  the  owners  had 
received  their  insurance.  He  was  chairman 
of  the  Credit  Mobilier  investigating  com- 
mittee, and  drew  the  report  which,  though 
unanimous  on  the  part  of  the  committee,  and 
relegating  several  prominent  men  to  pri\ate 
life,  was  regarded  as  somewhat  of  a  com- 
promise on  the  merits  of  the  case.  In  the 
winter  of  i874-'75,  after  he  had  been  de- 
feated for  re-election,  he  was  chairman  of 
the  special  committee  appointed  to  in\esti- 
gate  the  troubles  in  .Arkansas,  and  his  report 
was  in  direct  antagonism  to  the  views  of 
President  Grant  and  the  party  leaders,  and 
strong  in  its  condemnation  of  the  policy  of 


military  interference  with  state  elections  and 
state  governments.  It  was  a  \igorous  dis- 
play of  independence,  such  as  he  had  not 
often  been  accustomed  to  in  the  heat  of  the 
politics  of  the  previous  few  years,  but  natural 
ot  his  judicial  mind.  There  had  been  a 
marked  incident  of  a  similar  kind  while  he 
was  in  the  Senate  when  he  \oted  in  oi)])osi- 
tion  to  the  bulk  of  his  party  in  favor  of 
Senator  Stockton  in  the  contested  election 
case  from  New  Jersey. 

It  was  in  the  Congress  of  i8-3-'75,  while 
leading  in  the  Credit  Mobilier  investigation, 
and  as  his  great  work  in  the  revision  of  the 
laws  was  Hearing  its  end,  that  Judge  Poland 
seemed  to  be  on  the  crest  of  the  wa\e  of 
advancement.  There  were  even  suggestions 
of  him  for  the  Presidential  nomination  in 
the  next  campaign.  But  the  prospects  were 
all  dashed  at  one  blow,  by  the  passage  of  the 
"salary  grab"  bill,  so  called,  increasing  the 
salaries  of  members  to  87,500  a  year  and 
dating  it  back  to  the  beginning  of  that  Con- 
gress. Judge  Poland  voted  against  the  bill, 
but  he  would  not  yield  to  the  storm  of  pop- 
ular fury  which  arose.  U'hile  other  members 
hastened  to  convert  their  extra  salary  back 
into  the  treasury,  or  give  it  to  their  states  or 
benevolent  objects,  he  felt  only  contempt  for 
their  terror.  "Here,"  he  said,  slapping  his 
trousers  pocket,  when  asked  as  to  the  dispo- 
sition of  his  extra  pay,  "here  it  is  and  here 
it  is  going  to  stay."  He  had  had  a  sharp 
fight  against  the  brilliant  Judge  B.  H.  Steele 
to  secure  his  renomination  in  1872,  and 
antagonisms  and  claims  of  broken  trades 
arose  on  every  side  to  confront  him. 

There  had  always  been  weaknesses  in  him 
as  a  politician.  His  brainy  quality  could  not 
be  denied,  and  personally  there  was  a  spark- 
ling wit  and  genial  humor  that  won  some 
men  to  him,  while  it  seemed  to  repel  others  ; 
there  were  accusations  of  greed  in  money 
matters,  of  too  much  grasping  of  honors  for 
himself  and  of  too  great  fondness  for  whiskey, 
all  of  which  had  some  basis  of  truth,  though 
greatly  exaggerated  and  entitled  to  weigh  but 
little  in  the  balance  against  his  extraordinary 
intellectual  equipment.  But  in  the  peculiar 
conditions  of  that  year,  the  political  revulsion 
that  extended  through  the  land,  they  were 
sufficient  to  defeat  him  for  re-election  in  one 
of  the  strongest  Republican  districts  of  the 
country. 

He  was,  however,  chairman  of  the  state's 
delegation  to  the  Republican  national  con- 
vention of  1876,  and  was  still  suggested  in 
some  quarters  as  a  vice-presidential  candi- 
date :  but  he  himself  presented  Wheeler's 
name  to  the  convention  and  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  nomination  for  that 
gendeman.  In  1878  St.  Johnsbury  sent 
him  to  the  state  Legislature,  where,  of 
course,    he   took   a    leading    position.       In 


126 


i882,  he  made  something  of  a  contest  against 
Senator  Morrill  for  the  latter's  seat  in  the 
Senate,  but  unsuccessfully  of  course.  But 
a  "surprise  party"  in  the  convention  of  the 
new  second  district  of  that  year  secured  him 
the  nomination  for  the  House  away  from 
General  Grout.  But  he  ser\ed  only  one  term 
and  despite  his  great  and  recognized  ability, 
and  long  experience,  without  especial  dis- 
tinction ;  he  seemed  to  be  out  of  the  current, 
all  the  more  because  it  was  evident  that  he 
would  not  secure  a  re-election. 

He  was  married  on  the  12th  of  Janua- 
ry, 1838,  to  Martha  Smith,  daughter  of  Dr. 
■William  Page  of  Waterville.  By  this  mar- 
riage   he    had    three    children.  '    Of  these 


Martin  L.,  the  eldest,  was  educated  at  West 
Point  Military  Academy,  and  afterward 
served  as  captain  of  the  ordnance  corps; 
he  died  at  Fort  Yuma  in  August,  1878; 
Mary  died  in  August,  1865  ;  and  Isabel  is 
now  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Rankin  of  St.  Johns- 
bury.  Mrs.  Poland  died  in  .^pril,  1853. 
In  1S54  Judge  Poland  married  .Adelia  H. 
Page,  sister  of  his  deceased  wife. 

He  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the 
University  of  Vermont  in  1S61,  was  a  trus- 
tee of  the  institution,  1878,  and  founded 
the  Westford  scholarship  there  in  honor  of 
his  native  town. 

Judge  Poland  died  July  2,  18S7. 


REPRESENTATIVES   IN   CONGRESS. 


The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  Representatives  in  Congress  for  Vermont.     Hio- 
graphical  sketches  of  the  entire  list  are  given  on  the  following  pages,  with  exceptions  noted. 


Nathaniel  Niles, 

1791-95 

Orsamus  C.  Merrill, 

1817-19 

^Solomon  Foot. 

1843-47 

•Israel  Smith, 

179J-97 

Charles  Rich, 

i8i7-=s 

tPaul  Dillingham, 

1843-47 

Daniel  Buck, 

"795-99 

Henry  Olin, 

1824-25 

§Jacob  Collamer. 

1843-49 

Matthew  Lyon, 

1797-1801 

Mark  Richards, 

1817-21 

William  Henry, 

1847-5- 

1  cwi»  !!.  Moms, 

1797-1803 

William  Strong, 

1819-21 

Lucius  B.  Peck, 

1847-51 

•l-,%u-l  >„nlh. 

1801-03 

Ezra  Meech, 

1819-21 

William  Hebard, 

1849-53 

Willi. ,m  Chamberlain. 

1803-05 

Rollin  C.  Mallory, 

1819-31 

James  Meacham, 

1849-56 

'  M.irtm  i-'hitlenden, 

1803-13 

Elias  Kcyes, 

1821-23 

Ahiinan  L.  Miner, 

1851-53 

lame,  Elliot, 

1803-09 

tjohn  Mattocks, 

1821-23 

Thomas  Bartleti,  Jnn.. 

1851-53 

C.kk.m  Olin, 

1803-07 

Phineas  White, 

1821-23 

Andrew  Tracey. 

1853-55 

vMamcsFisk, 

1805-og 

William  C.  Bradley, 

1823-27 

Alvah  Sabin, 

1853-57 

'"lanie.  Witherell. 

1807-08 

D.  Azro  A.  Buck, 

1823-29 

JJustin  S.  Morrill, 

1855-67 

Samuel  Shaw, 

1808-13 

Ezra  Meech, 

1825-27 

George  1.  Hodges, 

1856-57 

William  Chamberlain. 

1809-11 

tJohn  Mattocks, 

1825-27 

Eliaklm  P.  Walton, 

1857-63 

Jonathan  H.  Hubbard, 

180^-11 

George  E.  Wales, 

1825-29 

Homer  E.  Royce, 

1857-61 

SJ.an.es  Fisk, 

1811-IS 

Heman  Allen  of  Milt 

Dn, 

1827-29 

Portus  Ba.vter, 

1861-67 

\\  illi  nil  Strong, 

1811-15 

§  Benjamin  Swift. 

1827-31 

Frederick  E.  Woodbridge, 

1863-69 

W  illi  nil  C.  Bradley, 

1813-15 

Jonathan  Hunt, 

1827-32 

Worthington  C.  Smith, 

1867-73 

•1     1,1   Iniilcr, 

1813-15 

William  Cahoon, 

1827-33 

§Liike  P.  Poland, 

1867-75 

■Ki.  h  ir.l  Skinner, 

1813-15 

Horace  Everett, 

1K29-43 

Charles  W.  Willard, 

1869-75 

Charles  Rich, 

1813-15 

tWilliam  Slade, 

i8)i-43 

JGcorge  W.  Hendee, 

■873-79 

Daniel  Chipman, 

1815-17 

Heman  Allen  of  Milton, 

1832-39 

Dudley  C.  Denison, 

1875-79 

Luther  Jewett, 

1815-.7 

tHil.and  Hall. 

1833-43 

tCharles  H.  Joyce, 

.875-83 

Chauncey  Langdon, 

1815-17 

Benjamin  F.  Deming 

1833-35     ■ 

Bradley  Barlow, 

1879-81 

Asa  Lyon, 

1815-17 

Henry  F.  Janes, 

1835-37 

tjames  U.  Tyler, 

1879-S3 

Charles  Marsh, 

1815-17 

Isaac  Fletcher, 

1837-41 

tWilliam  W'.  Grout, 

1881-83 

John  Noyes, 

1815-17 

John  Smith. 

1839-41 

IjLuke  P.  Poland, 

1885-85 

Heman  .nllen  of  Colchester,      1817-18 

Augustus  Young, 

1841-43 

ijohn  W.  Stewart, 

1883-92 

tSamuel  C.  Crafts, 

1817-25 

tJohn  Mattocks, 

1841-43 

nVilliam  W.  Grout, 

1885- 

William  Hunter, 

1817-19 

George  P.  Marsh, 

1843-49 

JH.  Henry  Powers, 

1892- 

*  Biographical  sketch  v 

fill  be  found  amo 

ng  "  The  Fathers." 

§  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  among  "  The  Se 

nators." 

t  Biographical  sketch  v 

fill  ht  found  amo 

ng  *'  The  Governors." 

X  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  in  Part  IL 

NILHS,  Nathanie  L.— Legi-slator, 
speaker,  councilor,  congressman,  lawyer, 
judge,  physician,  preacher,  inventor,  and  with- 
al something  of  a  poet,  was,  perhaps,  the  man 
of  the  most  varied  attainments  of  any  of  the 
fathers.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Fairlee,  and  having  been  a  legislative  leader 
during  the  state's  career  as  an  independent 
republic,  was,  with  Israel  Smith,  its  first 
representative  in  the  Federal  Congress. 

He  was  born  at  South  Kingston,  R.  I., 
.April  3,  1 74 1,  the  grandson  of  Samuel  Xiles, 
the  famous  author  and  minister  at  Braintree, 
Mass.  He  commenced  his  collegiate  course 
at  Harvard,  and,  ill-health  compelling  him  to 
suspend  his  studies  for  a  time,  graduated  at 
Princeton.  He  studied  theology  under  Rev. 
Dr.  Bellamy,  early  exhibiting  his  tendency 
toward  independent  thought  and  inquiry 
along  unusual  lines.  He  was  also  in  these 
young  days  a  student  of  law  and  medicine, 
taught  school  awhile  in  New  York  City, 
preached  for  a  time  at  Norwich  and  Torring- 
ton,  Conn.,  and  showed  his  versatility  of 
mind  with  mechanical  experiments.  He  was 
the  inventor  of  the  process  of  making  wire 
from  bar  iron  by  water  power,  and  he  erected 
at  Norwich,  Conn.,  where  he  early  took  up 
his  residence,  a  woolen  card  manufactory. 
He  was  an  ardent  patriot  in  the  Revolution 
and,  though  there  is  no  record  preser\ed   of 


military  service  on  his  part,  he  was  the  au- 
thor of  an  ode  entitled  "  The  American 
Hero,"  written  just  after  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill  and  published  in  the  Connecticut  Ga- 
zette in  February,  1776,  which  was  immedi- 
ately set  to  music  by  Rev.  Dr.  Sylvanus  Rip- 
ley, father  of  Gen.  E.  W.  Ripley,  and  was 
almost  universally  sung  in  the  churches  of 
the  eastern  states,  and  is  said  to  have  be- 
come the  war  song  of  the  New  England 
soldiers.     Its  concluding  stanza  read  : 

Life  for  my  country  and  the  cause  of  freedom 
Isbul  a  trifle  for  a  man  to  part  with: 
.\nd  if  preserved  in  so  great  a  contest. 
Life  is  redoubled. 

He  came  to  West  Fairlee  with  a  number 
of  Connecticut  associates  just  after  the  Rev- 
olution, settled  near  the  center  of  the  town 
and  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land.  Here 
he  preached  every  Sunday  in  his  own  house 
for  twelve  years,  and  became  a  strong  relig- 
ious and  moral  force  in  the  community.  He 
w-as  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1784  and 
was  immediately  chosen  speaker.  .\s  a  pre- 
siding officer  he  won  the  same  success  as 
everyw-here  in  life,  being  masterful  in  parlia- 
mentary law,  fair  in  rulings,  and  efticient  and 
expeditious  in  the  transaction  of  business. 
In  17S4  he  was  also  elected  with  Moses  Rob- 
inson and  Ira  Allen  an  agent  to  Congress  to 
"transact  and  negotiate  the  business  of  this 
state  with  that  body."     In  the  break-up  of 


128  NILES. 

I  ySQjwhen  Governor  Chittenden  failed  for  one 
year  of  re-election,  Mr.  Niles  got  a  few  of  the 
scattering  votes  for  Governor.  The  same  year 
also  he  was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  held  the  position  until 
1 788.  In  1785  and  1787  he  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  council,  and  served  in  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  i79i,and  took  the 
lead  with  Chipman  in  securing  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  Federal  Constitution. 

Upon  the  admission  of  the  state  to  the 
Union  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  serving 
two  terms  from  1791  to  1795.  But  the  close 
of  his  service  in  Congress  did  not  mean  his 
retirement  from  public  life.  He  again  rep- 
resented Fairlee  in  the  Legislatures  of  iSoo- 
'oi-'o2,  and  in  iSi2-''i3-'i4,  was  again  a 
member  of  the  council  of  censors  in  1799, 
and  was  again  returned  to  the  Governor's 
Council  in  1803,  and  served  five  years  until 
1808,  while  he  also  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1814. 

In  politics  Mr.  Niles,  like  that  other  great 
Baptist  preacher-politician  of  the  state,  Ezra 
Butler,  was  a  thorough-going  Jeffersonian 
Republican,  all  the  more  influential  because 
their  views  were  in  such  marked  contrast  to 
the  generality  of  ministers  in  New  England. 
For  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years  Mr. 
Niles  was  perhaps  the  most  steadfast  and 
most  popular  champion  of  Democratic  views 
in  Vermont.  His  first  election  to  Congress 
was  before  party  lines  had  been  definitely 
formed  in  either  the  state  or  nation,  and  his 
retirement  became  inevitable  as  the  Federal- 
ists got  control  of  the  state,  and  party  pas- 
sion was  running  to  a  high  degree  of  virulence. 
It  is  worthy  of  note  that  all  four  of  the  state's 
first  congressmen,  Senators  Robinson  and 
Bradley,  and  Representatives  Niles  and 
Israel  Smith,  afterwards  took  the  Jeffersonian 
side  of  pohtics.  Naturally,  coming  from  the 
healthy  mountain  atmosphere  of  freedom, 
they  were  shocked  even  as  Jefferson  was,  at 
the  growth  of  aristocratic  ideas  and  mon- 
archical leanings  which  increasingly  charac- 
terized the  career  of  the  Federalist  party,  and 
ruined  its  usefulness  so  quickly  after  it  had 
achieved  its  great  work  of  consolidating  the 
Union.  His  political  feeling  once  led  him 
to  what  approached  rather  near  sharp  prac- 
tice for  a  man  of  the  cloth.  It  was  in  1813, 
when  the  people  of  Vermont  had  failed  to 
elect  a  Governor  by  popular  vote  and  when 
the  issue  in  the  Legislature  hung  so  long 
doubtful.  Three  of  the  Federalist  councilors 
had  failed  to  arrive  at  the  opening  of  the 
Legislature,  and  Niles  and  Henry  Olin  on 
October  16,  moved  to  proceed  at  once  to 
the  election  and  fought  hard  to  bring  it 
about  in  joint  committee.  Probably  if  they 
had  succeeded  Governor  Galusha  would  have 
been  re-elected,  but  they  were  beaten  by  a 
vote  of  108  to  102. 


Niles  was  consistent  with  the  spirit  and 
hope  of  his  party  in  those  days,  in  being  a 
resolute  antagonist  of  slavery.  He  led  in 
formulating  the  demand  of  the  state  in  1S05 
for  a  constitutional  amendment  to  forever 
prohibit  the  importation  of  slaves,  or  people 
of  color  into  the  country. 

His  name  appears  all  through  the  records 
of  the  "Ciovernor  and  Council"  alike  during 
his  service  on  the  floor  of  the  .\ssembly  and 
in  the  Council,  as  among  the  busiest  of  legis- 
lators, alike  with  topics  of  mere  local  inter- 
est and  those  of  large  importance.  He  was 
prominent  in  1801  in  advocacy  of  the 
amendment  to  the  Federal  constitution  for 
the  election  by  districts  of  presidential  elec- 
tors and  representatives  in  Congress,  which 
passed  the  Vermont  legistature  by  a  vote  of 
nearly  three  to  one,  but  failed  of  assent  by 
the  requisite  number  of  states.  He  and 
Olin  made  sharp  issue  with  Gov.  Martin 
Chittenden's  address  of  1S14,  expressing 
the  extreme  Federalist  antipathy  to  the  war 
of  181  2,  and  declaring  it  "unnecessary,  un- 
wise and  hopeless  in  all  its  offensive  oper- 
ations." After  fighting  the  answer  of  the 
legislative  committee  echoing  this  sentiment, 
they  with  eighty  other  1  )emocratic  members 
entered  their  solemn  protest  against  it  on 
the  records  of  the  House.  It  was  a  time 
that  stirred  men  deeply. 

That  Niles  was  not  ordinarily  indisposed 
to  the  amenities  of  official  intercourse  was 
shown  in  1800,  when  he  was  chairman  of 
the  committee  to  draft  a  response  to  Gover- 
nor Tichenor's  address,  and  though  they 
were  on  opposite  sides  in  politics  and  it  was 
the  year  of  a  presidential  campaign,  the  re- 
port responding  to  the  sentiments  of  the 
Governor  was  such  as  was  agreed  to  by  the 
Assembly  without  a  division.  He  was  also 
chairman  of  a  committee  to  respond  to 
Governor  Galusha's  patriotic  address  in 
1 81 2,  and  being  in  full  sympathy  with  the 
Governor  did  it  in  a  style  that  was  called 
"  eminently  partisan."  He  is  on  record 
with  -Asaph  Fletcher  and  Samuel  Shepardson 
in  1804,  as  "entering  a  solemn  protest" 
against  some  of  the  lottery  legislation  of  that 
year,  not  so  much  against  the  principle  of 
the  thing  itself  as  the  extraordinary  immuni- 
ties granted  the  sellers  of  the  tickets.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  in  1814,  that 
reported  against  the  constitutional  amend- 
ment proposed  by  Tennessee  and  Pennsyl- 
vania to  reduce  the  term  of  senators  from 
six  years  to  four,  and  he  was  chairman  on 
the  part  of  the  House  of  the  joint  committee 
to  consider  the  invitation  of  Massachusetts 
to  send  delegates  to  the  Hartford  conven- 
tion, and  which  to  the  lasting  credit  of  Ver- 
mont, by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  six  Fed- 
eralists   and    three    Republicans,   reported 


I 


at;ainst    having   anything   to    do    with    this 
traitorous  scheme. 

He  was  a  strenuous  opponent  of  the  bank 
bill  schemes  proposed  so  thickly  in  the  early 
years  of  the  century,  though  he  did,  finally, 
in  1806,  assent  to  the  compromise  for  the 
establishment  of  the  Vermont  State  Bank. 
Some  of  the  arguments  of  his  reports  read 
interestingly  now.  "Banking  operations,"  he 
wrote,  are  "a  vicious  substitute  for  that  in- 
dustry and  economy,  which  constitute  the 
best  portion  of  our  means  of  livelihood." 
"  Credit  is  not  less  lial)le  than  money  to  be 
misimproved,  and  while  the  misimprovement 
of  money  merely  diminishes  property,  that  of 
credit  creates  debt  and  when  it  is  employed 
to  discharge  one  debt  by  incurring  another, 
nothing  can  commonly  be  gained.  Sudden 
changes  in  the  quantity  of  circulating  me- 
dium are  not  less  fatal  to  prosperity  than  all 
such  changes  in  the  atmosphere  to  the  com- 
fort and  health  of  mankind.  They  operate 
powerfully,  to  shift  property  from  hand  to 
hand  without  at  all  augmenting  the  general 
wealth  of  a  country  ;  banking  establishments, 
to  say  the  least,'possess  in  a  very  high  degree, 
the  very  dangerous  power  of  producing  such 
changes,  in  the  circulation  of  the  pecuniary 
medium  of  commerce."  The  "  tendency  "  of 
bank  bills  would  be  to  "  palsy  the  vigor  of  in- 
dustry and  to  stupefy  the  vigilance  of  econ- 
omy." Among  the  many  other  measures  of 
permanent  interest  with  which  he  was  iden- 
tified was  that  of  1803  defining  the  power  of 
justices  of  the  peace. 

With  his  work  in  the  Legislature,  and  the 
constitutional  convention  of  18 14,  Judge 
Niles,  at  the  age  of  nearly  seventy-four,  re- 
tired from  his  thirty  years  of  almost  con- 
tinuous public  service,  and  passed  the  rest 
of  his  days  until  his  death,  in  November, 
1828,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  at  his  com- 
fortable home  in  West  Fairlee,  and  being 
until  the  end  among  the  most  revered  of 
our  ])ublic  characters.  A  massive  granite 
monument,  typical  of  his  character,  stands 
over  his  grave  in  the  center  of  the  town. 

Judge  Niles  was  twice  married,  first  to 
a  daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Lathrop  of 
West  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  second  to 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  Watson  of 
Plymouth,  Mass.,  a  lady  of  the  highest  ac- 
complishments and  the  intimate  friend  and 
correspondent  of  the  most  eminent  philoso- 
phers and  theologians  of  the  period.  He 
left  two  sons  of  considerable  intellectual  at- 
tainments ;  one  of  them,  also  named  Nath- 
aniel, became  United  States  consul  at 
Sardinia,  acting  plenipotentiary  to  Austria, 
and  secretary  of  legation  at  the  court  of  St. 
James  under  General  Cass. 

Judge  Niles  was  quite  a  voluminous  writer 
and  a  large  number  of  his  sermons,  addresses 


HUCK.  1 29 

on    one    occasion    or    another,    essays    and 
poems  were  published. 

BUCK,  Daniel.— One  of  the  state's  re- 
presentatives to  Congress  and  speaker  of  the 
Assembly  just  after  the  admission  to  the 
Union,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the 
state,  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  repre- 
sented Norwich  for  several  years,  was  active 
and  prominent  in  legislation  always,  and  held 
the  speaker's  chair  in  1795-6.  He  was  also 
in  the  Legislature  again  in  1806.  He  was 
in  1792  counsel  for  Ira  Allen  in  the  long 
and  bitter  fight  in  the  Legislature  over  the 
latter's  accounts,  one  phase  of  which  re- 
sulted in  a  political  revolution,  and  ousted 
( 'rovernor  Chittenden  from  office  for  one 
term.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
at  Bennington  that  adopted  the  act  of  union, 
but  took  the  lead  in  opposing  that  action 
and  urging  Vermont  to  continue  an  inde- 
pendent little  republic  by  herself.  He  made 
the  motion  in  1 794,  though  then  speaker, 
by  which  it  was  decided  after  long  debate 
not  to  make  provision  to  pay  the  debts  of 
those  Tories  whose  property  had  been  con- 
fiscated by  the  state.  He  took  a  leading 
part  in  the  passage  of  the  act  of  1806,  em- 
powering judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
judicature  to  grant  divorces.  He  was  one 
of  the  committee  in  1805  that  drafted  the 
resolution  to  concur  in  the  proposal  of  Ken- 
tucky to  amend  the  constitution  so  as  to 
limit  the  jurisdiction  of  United  States 
courts  by  excluding  caiises  between  citizens 
of  different  states.  He  was  also  active  in 
the  Legislature  of  1806  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  state  bank.  He  appears  to  have 
served  the  state  as  attorney-general  in  1794, 
as  the  records  of  the  (lovernor  and  council 
show  an  act  in  October,  '95,  directing  pay- 
ment for  the  last  year. 

His  service  in  Congress  from  1795  to  '99 
was  in  no  way  noteworthy,  except  that  as 
parties  formed  he  became  an  ardent  Feder- 
alist, while  his  colleague  Matthew  Lyon  was 
a  red-hot  Democrat. 

Soon  after  his  last  term  in  the  Legislature 
expired  he  was  committed  to  jail  at  Chelsea 
for  debt,  and  obtaining  the  liberties  of  the 
prison  took  up  his  residence  there  and  kept 
up  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  his 
death  in  181 7. 

BrcK,  D.  .^ZRO  A.,  son  of  the  former,  also 
speaker  and  representative  in  Congress,  was 
born  at  Norwich  in  1789,  and  was  a  young 
man  when  his  father  moved  to  Chelsea.  He 
graduated  from  Middlebury  in  1807,  and  also 
from  West  Point  in  1808,  when  he  entered 
the  army,  being  appointed  second  lieutenant 
of  engineers ;  but  he  resigned  his  commis- 
sion in  1811.  The  state  offered  him  a  com- 
mission as  major  in  a  volunteer  corps  ordered 
by  the  Legislature.     The  next  year,  Aynil  13, 


I30 


he  became  a  captain  in  the  21st  Regt.  in  the 
U.  S.  Army,  which  was  made  up  of  Ver- 
monters,  and  served  creditably  through  the 
war,  but  finally  abandoned  the  military  pro- 
fession in  18 1 5,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  established  himself  as  a  lawyer  at  Chel- 
sea, and  though  not  profoundly  learned 
reached  a  reasonable  success.  His  easy  and 
courteous  address,  with  the  demeanor  of  the 
real  old-fashioned  gentleman,  made  him  quite 
effective  as  an  ad\ocate  and  won  rapid  polit- 
ical promotion.  He  was  for  six  years  state's 
attorney  for  Washington  county,  and  was 
Chelsea's  representative  in  the  Legislature 
fourteen  years,  and  was  speaker  in  i820-'23, 
i825-'2  7,  and  i829-'3o,  a  length  of  service 
equaled  only  by  (lideon  Olin  and  James  L. 
Martin  in  the  w-hole  history  of  the  state. 
He  was  with  William  Strong  and  Stephen 
Royce  a  member  of  the  committee  in  1S16 
that  drafted  the  report  in  favor  of  electing 
congressmen  and  presidential  electors  by 
districts,  as  proposed  by  the  constitutional 
amendment  that  had  been  sent  up  by  the 
Kentucky  I^egislature.  He  was  one  of  the 
presidential  electors  in  1820  that  cast  the 
vote  of  the  state  for  Monroe.  He  was  twice 
elected  to  Congress,  in  1822  and  1826.  In 
1836  he  moved  to  Washington,  where  he 
was  connected  with  the  Indian  Bureau  of  the 
War  Department,  and  he  died  there  Dec.  24, 
1841. 

LYON,  Matthew.— Elected  to  Congress 
from  three  states,  the  peppery,  red-headed 
little  Irishman,  whose  ups  and  downs  in  life 
with  his  big  ideas  and  his  untiring  enterprise, 
made  a  career  that  can  but  kindle  the  admira- 
tion of  the  reader  even  as  it  did  of  some  of 
his  cotemporaries,  while  it  stirred  the  pro- 
found animosity  of  others.  He  came  to  this 
country  a  poor  boy,  indentured  for  his  pas- 
sage money,  and  touched,  before  he  got 
through,  most  of  the  extremes  of  human 
experience.  His  apprenticeship  indenture 
was  transferred  a  few  months  after  he  reached 
here  for  a  yoke  of  steers  and  his  favorite  oath 
in  after  years  was  "  By  the  bulls  that  bought 
me." 

He  was  born  in  Wicklow,  Ireland,  about 
1 746  ;  his  parents  were  poor  and  his  father 
died  when  he  was  a  boy.  He  attended 
school  at  Dublin  where  he  got  an  English 
education  and  a  respectable  smattering  of 
Latin.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to  a  printer 
and  bookbinder,  where  he  got  a  taste  for 
the  "  art  preser\ative  "  that  followed  him 
through  life  ;  but  at  the  age  of  thirteen  a  sea 
captain,  with  glowing  tales  of  .America,  in- 
duced him  to  run  away  and  come  here,  even 
though  it  meant  several  years  slavery  to  pay 
his  passage.  Lyon  in  after  years  would  be- 
come sentimental  instead  of  combative  for  a 
few  moments  whenever  he  recurred  to  this 


experience  and  his  last  visit  to  his  mother's 
chamber  to  kiss  her  good-bye  while  she 
slept.  On  the  sea  voyage  he  was  very  sick 
and  tenderly  ministered  to  by  some  aban- 
doned women  on  board  who  also  suppHed 
his  necessities  for  new  clothing,  most  of  his 
old  having  been  rendered  unfit  for  use  by 
his  illness.  This  was  one  of  the  extremes  of 
life  which  he  touched,  and  perhaps  it  helped 
to  give  him  the  broad  human  sympathy  that 
always  accompanied  his  resolute  aggressive- 
ness. He  ne\er  told,  or  if  he  did  it  is  not 
remembered,  of  his  first  fifteen  years  in  this 
country,  the  working  out  of  his  indenture 
and  his  struggles  for  a  livelihood. 

But  he  was  in  Vermont  in  1776,  for  he 
then  held  a  lieutenant's  commission  under 
Captain  Fassett  and  was  stationed  at  Jericho 
w'ith  a  squad  of  men  to  hold  a  post  of  obser- 
vation there.  The  men  refused  to  serve  be- 
cause of  the  unsupported  position,  and 
cleared  out,  leaving  Lieutenant  Lyon  to 
report  the  facts.  It  was  strongly  surmised 
that  the  officers  were  as  willing  as  the  men 
to  get  away  from  the  post  and  Lyon  and  the 
others  were  court  martialed  and  cashiered 
for  cowardice.  The  story,  which  his  political 
enemies  were  careful  to  keep  alive  all 
through  his  career  was  that  he  was  presented 
with  a  wooden  sword,  and  made  to  ride 
about  the  camp,  and  he  was  called  in  derision 
the  "  Knight  of  the  wooden  sword."  But 
Ceneral  Schuyler  reinstated  him,  and  in  July, 
1777,  appointed  him  paymaster  of  the  North- 
ern army. 

Before  the  end  of  that  year  and  after  the 
battle  of  Bennington,  we  find  him  in  .Arling- 
ton and  a  laborer  on  the  farm  of  Governor 
Chittenden,  with  whom  he  had  apparently 
come  to  take  possession  of  the  confiscated 
estates  of  the  Tories  and  who  made  him  also 
deputy  secretary  for  the  Governor,  and  clerk 
of  the  court  of  confiscation  until  1780.  He 
got  himself  into  one  of  his  scrapes  in  later 
years  and  suffered  some  opprobrium,  because 
he  refused  to  give  up  the  records  of  this 
court. 

He  married  the  widow  lieulah  Galusha, 
daughter  of  the  (Governor,  an  intelligent, 
warm-hearted  and  benevolent,  though  rather 
coarse  woman,  and  was  soon  a  rising  man. 
He  had  before  wedded  a  woman  by  the  name 
of  Hosford,  who  died  after  bearing  him  four 
children. 

He  became  a  captain  and  colonel  of  the 
militia  and  served  the  state  in  its  contests 
with  New  York. 

He  represented  .Arlington  in  the  Legisla- 
ture in  i779-'82,  serving  on  important  com- 
mittees. He  was  one  of  the  original  gran- 
tees of  Fair  Haven  under  the  new  state's 
authority  and  "moved  there  in  1783,  having 
already  established  a  saw  and  grist  mill  there. 
He    erected    an    iron    mill    in    1785  and    a 


paper  mill  soon  after.  He  manufactured 
paper  from  bass  wood,  and  with  some  suc- 
'cess,  long  years  before  it  was  thought  of  any- 
where else,  and  in  his  iron  mill  he  turned 
out  hoes,  axes  and  various  agricultural  im- 
plements, but  the  business  was  mainly  the 
making  of  iron,  from  the  ore  imported  from 
abroad,  into  nail  rods  which  were  then  man- 
ufactured into  nails  by  hand.  During  the 
time  of  his  prosperity  he  employed  a  large 
number  of  hands.  He  drew  distinctions  of 
honor  between  his  business  and  his  public 
relations  that  could  well  be  emulated  in  these 
days  of  subsidy  and  special  privileges.  Once 
he  endeavored  to  get  a  legislative  act  giving 
him  the  exclusive  right  of  slitting  iron  in  the 
state  and  he  counted  every  member  from 
Bennington  county  as  a  supporter  of  the 
bill  because  a  political  friend.  But  after 
hearing  the  arguments  on  both  sides  he 
refused  to  support  the  measure  himself  and 
when  his  name  was  reached  in  the  roll  call 
he  asked  to  be  excused,  because  his  con- 
science would  not  permit  him  to  so  use  the 
trust  of  the  people  for  his  private  benefit. 
He  was  for  years  the  king-bee  of  Fair  Haven, 
was  selectman  in  1788,  1790,  and  1791,  the 
town's  representative  in  the  General  Assembly 
ten  years  continuously  from  1783  to  1796, 
except  1785,  1786  and  1789,  and  he  gave 
most  of  his  time  to  town  affairs  till  the  ad- 
mission of  the  state  to  the  Union.  He  was 
•a  man  of  multifarious  activities.  Besides  all 
his  other  business  enterprises  he  started  in 
1 793  a  newspaper  called  "  The  Farmers 
Library "  and  later  through  his  son  James, 
a  political  sheet,  the  "  Fair  Haven  Gazette." 

In  I  786  he  was  assistant  judge  of  the  county 
court.  He  plunged  into  politics  as  soon  as 
the  state  was  admitted  to  the  Union, 
became  a  red-hot  Democratic  leader,  and 
immediately  a  candidate  for  Congress.  He 
contested  the  election  with  Israel  Smith  and 
Isaac  I'ichenor  in  1791,  '93,  '95.  Party 
lines  had  not  been  very  clearly  formed  then, 
but  'I'ichenor  stood  for  the  Federalist  ten- 
dencies, and  between  Smith  and  Lyon  who 
were  in  political  sympathy,  it  was  a  matter 
of  personal  choice.  Lyon  announced  his 
candidacy  as  that  of  the  "commercial, 
agricultural  and  manufacturing  interests  in 
preference  to  any  of  the  law  characters." 
At  the  first  election,  in  August,  1791,  he  had 
a  plurality — 597  votes  to  513  for  Smith  and 
473  for  Tichenor  ;  but  at  the  second  trial 
Tichenor  withdrew  and  Smith  was  elected  by 
a  majority  of  391  over  Lyon.  The  next 
election,  in  January,  1793,  also  required  two 
trials,  but  Smith  was  elected.  Lyon's  re- 
markable strength  among  his  neighbors  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  1793  he  got  355  of 
the  376  votes  cast  in  Fair  Haven. 

In  1795  he  was  elected  in  a  close  contest 
in  which  he  and  Smith  were  the  onlv  candi- 


dates, the  vote  being  1,804  to  1,783,  and  he 
took  his  seat  in  1797,  having  grown  steadily 
in  the  \iolence  of  his  hatred  of  the  Federal- 
ists. His  first  appearance  in  debate  was  in 
a  long  speech  replying  to  the  President's 
message.  He  and  Andrew  Jackson  in  the 
Senate  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  two 
most  rabid  anti-Washington  men  in  Con- 
gress. In  January,  i  798,  he  had  a  personal 
fray  with  Roger  Griswold  of  Connecticutt 
that  ruined  his  position  in  that  body.  In 
the  course  of  a  debate  Griswold  twitted  him 
with  the  "wooden  sword"  story.  Lyon  spit 
in  his  face.  Griswold  started  to  give  him  a 
thrashing,  but  was  prevented  by  his  col- 
leagues. A  motion  of  expulsion  against  both 
was  lost  by  a  less  than  two-thirds  vote,  though 
it  had  a  majority.  In  an  address  to  his  con- 
stituents the  February  following  justifying  his 
conduct,  Lyon  said  that  if  he  had  borne  the 
insult  he  should  have  been  "bandied  about 
in  all  the  newspapers  on  the  continent,  which 
are  supported  by  British  money  and  federal 
patronage,  as  a  mean  poltroon.  The  district 
which  sent  me  would  ha\e  been  scandalized." 

But  perhaps  the  thing  with  which  Lyon's 
name  is  most  strikingly  linked  in  history  is 
his  martyrdom  to  the  alien  and  sedition  law. 
At  the  October  term  of  the  United  States 
court  at  Rutland  in  1798  he  was  indicted 
for  "  scurrilous,  scandalous,  malicious,  and 
defamatory  language "  about  President 
Adams,  written  in  June,  fourteen  days  be- 
fore the  passage  of  the  law,  but  published  in 
the  \\'indsor  Journal  the  last  of  July.  The 
language,  though  Lyonesque  decidedly,  was 
no  worse  than  has  been  used  thousands  of 
times  in  every  political  campaign  without 
other  effect  than  an  amused  pity  that  men 
will  so  lose  their  heads,  and  the  prosecu- 
tion was  an  illustration  of  the  dangerous 
and  vicious  tendency  which  Federalist 
ideas  had  taken  after  their  great  service 
in  consolidating  the  Union.  The  article  was 
about  appointments  and  removals  and  the 
use  of  religion  to  make  men  hate  each  other 
— all  legitimate  though  exaggerated  argu- 
ment— and  the  offensive  words  about  Presi- 
dent Adams  were  these  :  "  Every  considera- 
tion of  public  welfare  swallowed  up  in  a  con- 
tinual grasp  for  power,  unbounded  thirst  for 
ridiculous  pomp,  foolish  adulation  or  selfish 
avarice." 

He  was  also  accused  of  having  "  malic- 
iously" procured  the  publication  of  a  letter 
from  France  which  reflected  somewhat 
severely  on  the  government.  Lyon  pleaded  his 
own  case  at  the  trial,  but  was  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  four  months  imprisonment  and 
a  S  1,000  fine.  He  was  committed  to  jail  at 
\'ergennes  and  treated  with  inexcusable  hard- 
ship. But  the  prosecution  only  increased 
his  ])opularity.  While  in  the  jail,  he  was 
re-elected  to  Congress  bv  fi\e  hundred  ma- 


jority.  The  sentence  expired  in  February, 
1799,  and  he  only  saved  himself  from  re- 
arrest by  proclaiming  that  he  was  on  the  way 
to  Philadelphia,  as  a  member  of  Congress. 
His  journey  was  one  of  triumph  in  a  coach 
and  four  under  the  American  flag  and  with  a 
succession  of  fetes  along  the  way,  especially 
at  Bennington.  He  was  for  the  time  being 
a  party  and  popular  hero.  Another  effort 
was  made  to  expel  him,  but  without  success. 
In  the  prolonged  contest  over  the  presiden- 
tial election  of  iSoo,  he  became  prominent 
by  finally  casting  the  vote  of  the  state,  which 
had  been  divided  in  the  House,  for  Jefferson, 
and  in  after  years  when  out  of  temper  with 
that  great  leader,  he  said,  "  I  made  him,  and 
can  unmake  him."  This  was  of  course  an 
exaggeration,  as  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  also 
cast  the  vote  of  that  state  for  Jefferson, 
while  Maryland  voted  blank,  and  Jefferson 
had  nine  of  the  sixteen  states,  without  ^'er- 
mont. 

But  his  neglect  of  his  extensive  business 
while  in  jail  and  so  immersed  in  politics,  with 
the  bitter  antagonisms  engendered  by  the 
prosecution,  had  ruined  him  financially  and  he 
determined  to  quit  Vermont  and  start  anew 
in  life.  So  putting  his  affairs  into  liquida- 
tion, and  settling  his  debts  as  best  he  could, 
on  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  Congress  he 
moved  to  Kentucky,  established  the  first 
printing  office  in  the  state  at  what  is  now 
Eddyville,  and  again  engaged  in  extensive 
business  operations  and  was  again  elected  to 
Congress  in  1804,  serving  until  18 10.  He 
again  fell  into  business  disaster,  owing  to  his 
failure  during  the  war  of  1812,  to  deliver  to 
the  government  in  season  some  ships  he  had 
contracted  to  construct,  and  he  again  struck 
out  to  new  fields,  going  to  Arkansas,  whence 
he  was,  in  1820,  chosen  the  first  delegate  to 
Congress,  but  died  at  Little  Rock,  August  i, 
before  taking  his  seat.  One  of  his  sons, 
Chittenden  Lyon,  was  also  afterward  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress.  Another,  Matthew,  was  a 
man  of  considerable  business  prominence  in 
Kentucky,  and  a  Jackson  elector.  General 
H.  B.  Lyon  of  Kentucky  was  also  the  latter's 
son. 

That  this  "ardent,  combative,  rough  and 
ready  Irishman"  as  Pliney  H.  White  charac- 
terizes him,  this  "rough  and  wilful  man"  as 
A.  N.  Adams,  the  historian  of  Fair  Haven, 
styles  him,  was  a  man  of  extraordinary 
qualities  as  his  career  sufficiently  attests. 
Among  the  men  with  whom  he  came  into 
friendly  contact  he  was  wonderfully  popular. 
He  was  a  forceful  writer,  an  independent 
thinker,  full  of  moral  courage,  and  physical 
also,  notwithstanding  the  episode  of  1776. 
He  dispensed  a  generous  hospitality  always. 
He  was  a  business  genius,  and  unsuccessful 
mainly  because  instead  of  looking  out  for 
himself  alone   he   was    always  ambitious  to 


build  up  prosperity  around  him.  Perhaps 
the  personal  ugliness  that  so  often  appeared 
in  him  was  due  to  the  fact  that  like  Ethan 
-Allen  he  was  often  a  deep  drinker.  One  of 
the  traditions  still  preserved  at  .Arlington, 
where  perhaps  much  of  the  old  Tory  feeling 
is  handed  down,  is  that  of  often  seeing 
.Allen,  Lyon  and  most  of  the  old  Vermont 
heroes  staggering  drunk  through  the  streets 
in  squads  after  their  meetings  of  state. 

In  1S40,  Congress  refunded  to  Colonel 
Lyon's  heirs  the  fine  that  he  paid  under  the 
sedition  law. 

MORRIS,  LEWIS  R.— Six  years  congress- 
man, prominent  in  the  last  days  of  Ver- 
mont's independence,  and  in  the  negotia- 
tions which  resulted  in  her  admission  to  the 
L'nion  ;  was  a  native  of  New  York,  where  he 
was  born,  Nov.  2,  1760,  of  one  of  the  most 
illustrious  families  of  the  colonial  period. 
The  family  influence  secured  a  grant  of  land 
for  him  in  Springfield,  which  was  settled 
under  a  charter  from  New  York,  and  he 
came  to  the  new  state  about  1786,  and  at 
once  became  prominent  in  business  and 
political  affairs  of  both  the  town  and  county. 
Though  his  land  tides  originated  in  New 
York  authority,  he  came  to  the  state  after 
the  controversy  had  practically  ceased,  and 
no  distinction  w^as  made  against  him  on  this 
account.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Benning- 
ton convention  that  voted  to  ratify  the 
Federal  constitution  ;  was  influential  in  carry- 
ing the  \ote,  and  was  one  of  the  com- 
missioners to  Congress  that  completed  the 
negotiation  for  admission  to  the  Union  in 
1791. 

He  represented  Springfield  in  the  General 
.Assembly  in  i795-'96,  i8o3-'o5-"o6-'o8.  He 
was  secretary  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion held  in  Windsor  in  1793.  From  1797 
to  1803  he  was  a  member  of  the  National 
House  of  Representatives,  and  though  an 
ardent  Federalist  in  politics,  he  assisted  in 
ending  the  long  contest  over  the  presi- 
dential election  of  1800,  and  to  defeat  the 
Federalist  intrigue  to  supplant  Jefferson  with 
Burr,  by  absenting  himself  on  the  thirty- 
sixth  ballot  and  allowing  Lyon  to  cast  the 
vote  of  the  state  for  (efferson.  He  was 
subjected  to  much  bitter  criticism  at  the 
time,  for  this  action  ;  but  history  has  amply 
justified  it  with  the  revelations  of  after  years 
about  Burr's  character. 

Many  are  the  anecdotes  told  of  General 
Morris,  all  going  to  show  that  he  was  kind 
and  considerate  to  those  in  humble  circum- 
stances with  whom  he  had  to  deal.  He  was 
a  complete  gentleman  ;  the  ease  and  grace 
of  his  manner  under  all  circumstances  made 
him  a  general  favorite.  Soon  after  settling 
in  Springfield  he  married  the  daughter  of 
Re^•.  Buckley  Olcott  of  Charleston,  N.  H.     A 


CHAMBKRLAIN. 


iiS 


few  years  later  his  wife  died,  and  he  later 
married  Ellen,  daughter  of  (len.  Arad  Hunt 
of  Vernon.  He  had  children  by  both  wives, 
but  the  descendants  of  the  family  have  all 
left  the  state. 

The  last  years  of  (General  Morris's  life 
were  devoted  to  rural  pursuits  on  his  farm 
on  the  banks  of  the  Conncticut,  where  he 
died,  Dec.  29,  1S25,  surrounded  by  mem- 
bers of  his  family. 

CHAMBERL.AIN,  WILLIAM.— A  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  general  of  militia,  councilor, 
judge,  congressman  and  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  at  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  in 
1753,  and,  when  twenty  years  old,  moved 
with  his  father  to  London,  N.  H.  He  en- 
listed promptly  when  the  war  for  independ- 
ence opened,  was  in  the  Canada  expedition 
as  an  orderly  sergeant,  and  one  of  nine 
officers  and  privates  out  of  a  companv  of 
seventy  that  survived  to  take  part  in  the 
battle  of  Trenton,  N.  ).  He  soon  after  re- 
turned to  his  New  Hampshire  home,  but 
volunteered  again  upon  Burgoyne's  invasion, 
and  was  in  the  battle  of  Bennington  where 
he  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery,  and 
brought  away  some  trophies  of  personal  com- 
bat with  the  enemy.  He  settled  in  Peacham 
about  1780,  being  clerk  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  town,  and  was  town  clerk  for  twelve 
years  ;  justice  of  the  peace  twenty-four  years  ; 
town  representative  twelve  years,  1785  and 
'87  to  1796,  and  in  1805  and  1808;  chief 
judge  of  the  Caledonia  county  court  seven- 
teen years,  1787  to  1803,  and  in  1814,  and 
councilor  seven  years,  from   1796  to  1803. 

He  was  twice  elected  to  Congress,  first  in 
1802  and  again  in  1808,  serving  only  one 
term  in  each  case.  The  Federalist  victory 
of  1 81 3  elected  him  Lieutenant-Governor 
with  Martin  Chittenden,  and  they  were  re- 
elected in  1 8 14.  He  was  an  Adams  presi- 
dential elector  in  1800.  He  was  for  nearlv 
two  decades  one  of  the  party  leaders — facile 
and  resourceful  in  tactics,  and  very  strong 
before  the  people.  But  he  came  to  the  front 
in  the  period  of  his  party's  decline,  which 
was  particularly  rapid  in  Vermont  after  the 
war  of  18 1 2,  and  this  fact  prevented  his  at- 
taining further  distinction.  The  close  and 
hard-fought  election  of  1815  retired  him  to 
private  life  finally,  though  he  ran  a  little  bet- 
ter than  Chittenden.  He  was  for  fifteen 
years  president  of  the  Caledonia  County 
Bible  Society,  and  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Peacham  Academv.  He  died  Sept.  27, 
1828. 

Personally  he  was  a  man  of  clean  and  up- 
right life,  sincere  in  all  his  relations,  both 
public  and  pri\ate,  interested  in  the  forward 
movements  of  humanity,  and  of  a  simple 
and  earnest  religious  faith.  He  had  two  sons 
of  some  distinction  :    Mellin,  a  I\Iaine  law- 


yer, who  was  drowned  in  Europe  in  1840, 
and  William  A.,  jirofessor  of  languages  at 
Dartmouth,  who  died  in  1830.  Judge  Mel- 
lin Chamberlain  of  Boston  was  a  grandson. 

ELLIOT,  James. — in  Congress  three 
terms,  1803-9,  ^  "i^n  ^^'ho  had  to  shift  for 
himself  from  the  time  he  was  seven  years  old, 
and  yet,  without  educational  or  professional 
advantages,  was  in  Congress  before  he  was 
thirty,  and  was  for  some  years  the  foremost 
Democrat  of  his  part  of  the  state.  He  was 
born  at  Gloucester,  Mass.,  Au.^ust  18,  1775. 
His  fatherwas  a  seafaring  man  and  lost  his  life 
while  the  boy  was  yet  an  infant.  The  widow 
moved  to  New  Salem  five  years  later,  and  ill- 
health  rendering  it  ditificult  for  her  to  sup- 
port the  family,  young  James  was  placed  in 
the  family  of  Colonel  Sanderson  of  Peters- 
ham, as  the  youngest  and  most  menial 
farm  servant.  He  was,  however,  taught  the 
rudiments  of  grammar  by  his  employer.  His 
mother  had  before  taught  him  to  read,  and 
the  few  books  within  his  reach,  the  Bible, 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  Josephus'  Wars  of  the 
Jews,  Rollins'  Ancient  History,  Dilworth's 
spelling  book,  and  the  catechism,  were  pe- 
rused and  reperused  until  he  was  the  thorough 
master  of  their  contents.  This  he  was  able 
to  supplement  in  later  years  with  other 
books  of  travel  and  history,  and  it  may  be 
said  to  have  constituted  his  education. 

He  came  to  Guilford  at  the  age  of  about 
fifteen,  and  got  a  position  as  clerk  in  a 
retail  store,  where  he  had  the  advantage  of 
an  acquanitance  and  conversations  with  a 
remarkable  circle  of  literary  people,  includ- 
ing Royall  Tyler,  John  Phelps,  J.  H.  Palmer, 
John  Shepardson,  Henry  Denison,  and  Miss 
Elizabeth  Peck.  According  to  his  own  ac- 
count, young  Elliot  had  come  to  be  pretty 
lawless  about  this  time  and  spent  a  good 
share  of  his  leisure  in  gambling.  It  was 
only  a  brief  aberration,  however  ;  he  had  too 
much  mind  to  find  lasting  enjoyment  in 
such  things.  His  youthful  readings  had 
filled  him  with  military  ardor,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  enlisted  at  Springfield,  Mass., 
as  the  first  non-commissioned  officer  in  the 
Second  L'.  S.  Sub-legion,  commanded  by 
Capt.  Cornelius  Lyman,  and  was  in  the  ser- 
vice for  three  years  against  the  insurgents  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  Indians  in  Ohio.  Re- 
turning to  Guilford,  he  published  in  1798  a 
volume  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  pages, 
called  "The  Poetical  and  Miscellaneous 
Works  of  James  Elliot,"  including  a  diary  of 
his  military  service,  twenty-five  short  essays 
called  "The  Rural  Moralists,"  a  number  of 
fiigitive  political  pieces,  and  some  twenty 
poetical  effusions,  chiefly  versifications  of  the 
Odes  of  Horace,  but  including  several  original 
pieces,  lines  of  glorification  on  the  adoption 
of    the    Federal    constitution,    an    Ode    to 


Equality,  another  to  General  Lafayette, 
etc.  The  diary  part  of  the  work  is  notable 
for  the  views  it  expresses  on  the  Indian 
question,  uncommon  for  the  time,  and  such 
as  would  make  him  a  leader  in  these  times 
in  the  Indian  Rights  Association.  The  es- 
says, poems  and  fugitive  pieces  had  been 
published  in  the  Greenfield  Gazette,  and  the 
New  England  Galaxy. 

Mr.  Elliot  had  from  his  youth  enthusiastic- 
ally taken  the  Democratic  or  Republican  side 
in  the  political  division,  though  he  was  of  too 
candid  a  cast  of  mind  to  ever  be  so  bigoted 
a  partisan  as  was  usual  in  those  days.  He 
was  also  a  warm  admirer  and  follower  of 
Nathaniel  Niles  and  took  the  lead  in  politi- 
cal discussions  in  this  part  of  the  state,  and 
in  1S03,  ha\ing  in  his  leisure  moments  read 
law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  settled  in 
practice  at  Brattleboro.  He  was  elected  to 
Congress  to  succeed  Lewis  R.  Morris.  On  his 
retirement  from  congressional  ser\ice,  in 
1809,  he  published  a  paper  for  a  w-hile  in 
Philadelphia,  then  entered  the  army  in  the 
warofi8i2asa  captain,  but  after  a  brief 
service  returned  to  Vermont  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  law  at  Brattleboro,  being 
sent  to  the  Legislature  by  that  town  in  1818- 
'19  ;  afterwards  removed  to  Nevvfane,  rejjre- 
sented  that  town  in  i837-'_38;  became 
county  clerk,  register  of  probate,  and  in  the 
last  two  years  before  his  death  state's  attor- 
ney. 

He  died  at  Newfane,  Nov.  10,  1839, 
aged  sixty-four.  His  wife,  a  daughter 
of  General  Dow,  survived  him  for  thirty 
years,  and  both  are  buried  in  the  Prospect 
Hill  cemetery  at  Brattleboro.  One  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  D.  Pomroy,  of  New  York,  was  at  a 
recent  date  the  only  survivor  of  that  family. 

Mr.  Elliot  was  a  man  of  fine  intellectual 
equipment,  thoroughly  honest  and  sincere, 
and  with  the  force  of  character  to  make  his 
mark.  The  mistake  of  his  life  was  that  his 
energies  were  so  scattered.  Samuel  Elliot, 
so  long  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Brattle- 
boro, was  his  brother. 

OLIN,  Gideon. — Congressman,  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  state,  was  born  in 
Rhode  Island,  in  1 743,  and  came  to  Vermont 
and  settled  in  Shaftsbury  in  1776.  His  ability 
and  force  of  character  were  such  as  to  at 
once  bring  him  to  the  front  in  Vermont  af- 
fairs, and  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  '\^'indsor 
convention  of  June  4,  1777,  and  a  represen- 
tative in  the  first  Legislature  under  the  new- 
state  government  in  1778.  He  was  also  ap- 
pointed a  commissioner  of  sequestration  that 
year.  He  was  major  of  the  second  regiment 
under  Colonel  Herrick,  in  1778,  and  after- 
wards under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walbridge, 
and  was  often  in  service  on  the  frontier  dur- 
ing   the    Revolutionary    war.       During     the 


WITHERELL. 

state's  independence  he  was  one  of  its  most 
trusted  leaders  :  being  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly fourteen  years,  from  1780  to  1793,  and 
speaker  six  years,  from  1788  to  1793  ;  judge 
of  the  Bennington  county  court  from  1781 
to  1798.  After  the  admission  to  the  Union 
he  was  equally  prominent,  serving  in  the  coun- 
cil from  1793  to  1798,  being  again  judge  of 
the  county  court  from  1800  to  1S02,  and 
chief  judge  from  1807  to  181 1 — a  total  judi- 
cial service  of  twenty- three  years.  He  was. 
a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1 791  and  1793,  and  was  in  Congress  two 
terms,  from  1803  to  1807. 

He  died  in  January,  1823.  Martin  Matti- 
son  says  in  his  sketch  of  Shaftsbury.  "Gideon 
Olin  was  one  of  the  firmest  supporters  of  the 
state,  and  in  the  hours  of  political  darkness, 
not  a  star  of  lesser  magnitude ;  possessed 
great  natural  talents,  an  intuiti\e  knowledge 
of  mankind,  was  nobly  free  in  his  opinions^ 
and  decided  in  his  conduct." 

Congressman  .Abraham  B.  Olin  of  New 
York  was  his  son.  Congressman  Henry  Olin,. 
of  this  state  his  nephew,  and  the  descend- 
ants of  distinction  from  him  and  his  brother^ 
of  Shaftsbury,  have  been  numerous. 

WITHERELL,  JAMES.— Patriot  of  the- 
Revolution  and  the  war  of  181 2,  doctor,, 
councilor,  congressman  and  United  States 
territorial  judge,  had  a  stirring  career. 
Born  at  Mansfield,  Mass.,  June  16,  1759,  of 
an  old  English  family,  he  enlisted  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  in  the  Revolutionary  service,  and 
continued  in  it  from  early  in  the  siege  of 
Boston,  and  being  severely  wounded  at 
White  Plains,  until  peace  was  won  and  the 
army  disbanded  at  Newburgh  in  1783,  when 
he  came  out  an  officer  in  the  Continental 
line,  with  just  S70  in  continental  currency 
as  pay  for  his  eight  years  of  fighting,  bleed- 
ing and  suffering  for  his  country.  With  this, 
it  is  said,  he  "treated  a  brother  officer  to  a 
bowl  of  punch,  and  set  out  penniless  to  fight 
the  battle  of  life."  He  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  Billings  of  Mansfield,  and  in  1789 
settled  in  practice  at  Fair  Haven,  where  the 
next  year  he  wedded  Amy,  daughter  of 
Charles  Hawkins,  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Roger  Williams.  He  was  the  hearty  associate 
and  coadjutor  of  Matthew  Lyon  in  politics, 
a  red-hot  uncompromising  Democrat.  He 
represented  Fair  Haven  from  1798  to  1802; 
was  assistant  judge  of  the  Rutland  county 
court  1801-3,  and  chief  justice  1803-6; 
councilor  1802  till  1807,  when  he  was  elected 
to  Congress,  where  he  had  the  pleasure  of 
voting  for  the  act  abolishing  the  slave  trade, 
which  was  passed  in  1808. 

But  before  his  term  was  completed  Presi- 
dent Jefferson  appointed  him  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  territory  of  Michigan,  with 
executive  and  legislative  duties  to  perform 


1 


iiiiii;ARn. 


as  well  as  judicial,  antl  with  a  jurisdiction 
extending  over  a  vast  wilderness  from  the 
Great  Lakes  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  con- 
taining a  population  of  only  about  three 
thousand  in  all.  Here  he  helped  to  lay  out 
the  new  city  of  Detroit.  Here  also  he  had 
an  opportunity  to  again  serve  his  country 
bravely  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  he  embraced 
it.  He  commanded  a  corps  at  Detroit  and 
when  the  post  fell  before  the  British,  he 
refused  to  surrender  his  command  but 
allowed  his  men  to  disperse  and  escape 
while  he  and  his  son  and  son-in-law  re- 
mained to  be  taken  prisoners.  He  again 
lived  in  Fair  Haven  a  few  years  while  paroled, 
but  when  exchanged  returned  to  Detroit  to 
resume  his  mixed  judicial  and  political  duties 
which  he  continued  with  increasing  use- 
fulness and  honor  until,  in  i<S26,  President 
John  (^uincy  .Adams  appointed  him  secretary 
of  the  territory.  He  died  at  Detroit  Jan.  9, 
1838,  aged  seventy-nine.  One  of  his  sons, 
Benjamin  F.  H.  A\'itherell  of  Detroit,  was 
a  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Michigan  and 
a  man  of  much  influence. 

SHAW,  Samuel. — Physician,  councilor, 
congressman,  and  Democrat  of  the  Matthew 
Lyon  school,  was  born  at  Dighton,  Mass.,  in 
December,  176S;  came  to  Putney  with  his 
parents  in  1778,  and  nine  years  later,  when 
he  was  only  nineteen  years  old,  though  he 
had  had  but  a  limited  education,  settled  him- 
self at  Castleton  and  began,  after  two  years 
of  study,  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  soon 
became  a  leading  politician  of  that  locality, 
and  Lanman  says  in  his  "Dictionary  of  Con- 
gress" that  he  was  "one  of  the  victims  of  the 
sedition  law.  For  his  deunciation  of  the 
administration  of  John  .Adams  he  was  im- 
prisoned, and  liberated  by  the  people  with- 
out the  forms  of  the  law."  Walton  says  he 
is  unable  to  verify  this  statement,  but  there 
was  probably  a  demonstration  of  some  kind 
to  furnish  a  foundation  for  it.  \)t.  Shaw  was 
Castleton's  representative  from  1800  to  1807, 
when  he  was  elected  to  both  Houses,  but 
accepted  the  office  of  councilor.  He  was, 
however,  defeated  for  re-election  the  next 
year,  when  the  Federalists  elected  ten  of  the 
twelve  councilors.  But  he  was  immediately 
elected  a  re]3resentati\e  to  Congress,  ser\ing 
from  1808  to  18 13,  being  high  in  the  confi- 
dence of  Jefferson  and  Madison,  and  vigor- 
ously supporting  the  war  measures  of  the 
latter. 

He  had,  while  in  private  practice,  won 
quite  an  extended  reputation  as  a  surgeon, 
and  on  his  retirement  from  Congress  was  ap- 
pointed a  surgeon  in  the LTnited  States  army, 
being  stationed  at  different  times  at  New 
York,  Greenbush,  St.  Louis,  and  Norfolk, 
and  attaining  an  eminence  that  was  remark- 
able, considering  his  earlv  ilisadvantages.  He 


was  indis]:iutably  a  man  of  decided  native 
ability  and  with  physical  powers  to  corre- 
spond. He  once  rode  on  horseback  from 
St.  Louis  to  .Albany,  N.  V.,  in  twenty-nine 
days.  He  continued  in  his  duties  as  sur- 
geon throughout  the  war  and  until  1816.  He 
died  at  Clarendon,  Oct.  22,  1827. 

HUBBARU,    Jonathan    Hatch.— 

Jurist,  born  in  Windsor,  in  1768;  died 
there  Sept.  20,  1849.  After  receiving  a  lib- 
eral education  he  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted in  1790,  and  practiced  his  profession 
with  success  until  his  election  to  Congress  in 
1808.  He  served  until  181 1,  and  in  1813 
became  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ver- 
mont, continuing  in  office  until   1845. 

STRONG,  William.— At  two  different 
times  in  Congress,  was  born  at  Lebanon, 
Conn.,  in  1763,  the  son  of  Benajahand  Polly 
(Bacon)  Strong, descended  in  the  sixth  gen- 
eration from  Elder  John  Strong  of  North- 
ampton, the  .American  ancestor.  Benajah 
Strong  was  also  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Hartford  in  this  state,  coming  there  in  1764 
when  William  was  a  baby.  The  latter  was 
necessarily  self-educated,  denied  even  the 
advantages  of  a  common  school  in  youth, 
and  gaining  from  contact  with  men  and  life, 
and  from  the  reading  of  such  books  as  he 
could  borrow,  the  knowledge  that  made  him 
a  man  of  power  and  usefulness  in  his  later 
years.  He  was  in  early  manhood,  for  several 
years  extensively  engaged  in  making  land 
surveys  in  Grand  Isle  county,  a  ])rofessional 
work  for  which  he  had  fitted  himself  by  his 
own  exertions.  Returning  to  Hartford  and 
engaging  in  farming  he  quickly  liecame  a 
man  of  inlluence  in  the  town  and  county  ; 
represented  Hartford  in  the  Legislature  in 
1798-99,  1801,  '02,  '15,  '16,  '17,  and  '18, 
and  taking  a  leading  position  among  that  re- 
markable coterie  of  Democrats  or  Republi- 
cans, including  (Salusha,  Leland,  Butler, 
Skinner,  Richards,  and  Meech,  who  so  long 
ruled  the  state.  He  w-as  also  sheriff  of  \Vind- 
sor  county  for  eight  years,  from  1802  to 
iSio,  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Wind- 
sor county  in  181 7,  and  a  member  of  the 
council  of  censors  in  1834.  He  was  first 
elected  to  Congress  in  181  r,  and  served  two 
terms  with  James  Fisk,  Samuel  Sha\v,  Will- 
iam C.  PJradley,  Butler,  Skinner,  and  Charles 
Rich  for  his  colleagues  a  part  or  all  of  the 
time.  In  1819  he  was  again  returned.  ser\- 
ing  one  term. 

He  died  Jan.  28,  1840,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity,  hearty  and  cordial  in  manner, 
thoroughly  democratic  in  his  instincts  and 
bearing,  broadly  generous  in  views  and  ac- 
tion, and  of  ample  mental  cajiacity.  He 
was  throughout  his  public  career  connected 


136 


n^^^<-(rJifmC^u 


with  events  of  large  importance,  and  always 
acquitted  himself  creditably  in  them. 

He  married,  June  17,  1793,  Abigail 
Hutchinson  of  Norwich,  who  bore  him  nine 
children.  Of  these,  Jasper,  a  man  of 
superior  abilities,  was  an  extensive  govern- 
ment contractor  before  the  war,  and  two 
others,  John  P.  and  Charles,  were  woolen 
manufacturers  at  Quechee,  and  the  latter, 
the  in\entor  of  valuable  improvements  in 
vertical  and  horizontal  motion.  One  daugh- 
ter, Emily,  was  the  wife  of  Hon.  A.  G. 
Dewey. 

BRADLE\',  William  C— Twice  a  con- 
gressman, long  the  leader  of  the  Jacksonian 
Democracy  of  the  state,  and  its  perennial 
candidate  for  tlovernor,  in  the  opinion  of 
Pliney  White,  "  all  things  considered  the 
greatest  man  \'ermont  has  produced,"  and 
whom  \Vebster  declared  to  have  one  of  the 
greatest  minds  in  the  country,  was  born  at 
Westminster,   March   23,    1782,  the    son  of 


Senator   Stephen  R.  and  Merab   (Atwater) 
Bradley. 

His  youth  contained  abundant  promise  of 
his  brilliant  future.  He  began  to  write 
poetry  when  only  six  years  old  and  at  twelve 
his  first  prose  work  was  published  under  the 
title  of :  "The  Rights  of  Youth,  composed 
revised  and  submitted  to  the  candid  reader 
by  William  C.  Bradley,  Esq.,  author  of  the 
poem  on  Allen's  and  Tichenor's  Duel."  At 
nine  he  had  read  the  Bible  through  seven 
times  and  thoroughly  saturated  his  young 
mind  with  the  noble  imagery,  the  right 
thought  and  sublime  eloquence  better  im- 
bibed from  the  Scriptures  than  any  other 
source  on  earth.  At  eleven  he  w-as  fitted  for 
college  :  at  twelve  he  was  studying  Hebrew 
and  at  thirteen  he  entered  Vale,  but  was  ex- 
pelled before  his  freshman  year  was  ended. 
At  seventeen  he  delivered  the  Fourth  of 
July  oration  at  the  U'estminster  celebration, 
followed  by  an  ode  which  he  had  composed. 
Both    exhibited    a    remarkable    maturity    of 


137 


thought.  At  eighteen  he  was  secretary  of 
the  Commissioners  of  bankruptcy,  ser\ing 
for  three  years,  and  before  he  was  of  age  he 
was  state's  attorney  for  Windham  county, 
being  specially  appointed  by  the  Legislature, 
though  he  had  been  refused  permission  to 
practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  because 
of  his  youth.  He  held  this  position  for 
seven  years.  .\t  twenty-four  he  rei)resented 
his  town  in  the  Legislature.  At  thirty  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Governor's  Council 
and  at  thirty-two  was  sent  to  Congress. 

His  expulsion  from  college  (for  some 
prank,  of  w^iich  he  always  claimed  that  he 
was  not  guilty,  though  he  admitted  that  he 
deserved  it  on  general  principles)  greatly 
enraged  and  mortified  his  father,  who  for 
discipline  ga\e  him  a  dung  fork  and  set  him  to 
work  on  a  manure  heap  and  finally  expelled 
him  from  home.  He  went  to  .Amherst,  Mass., 
and  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  with 
Judge  Simeon  Strong,  and  soon  showed  the 
manly,  sturdy  stuff  in  him,  sufiiciently  to  win 
back  the  stern  parent's  forgi\eness,  so  that 
on  Mr.  Strong's  appointment  to  the  Supreme 
Court  young  Bradley  returned  to  his  home  at 
Westminster  and  continued  the  study  of  the 
law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S02.  He 
was  for  a  number  of  years  town  clerk  of 
Westminster,  and  it  was  in  i8o6-'o7  that  he 
represented  the  town,  and  in  181 2  that  he 
was  in  the  council.  Besides  all  his  other 
accomplishments  he  had,  through  his  father's 
intimacy  with  the  great  men  and  events  of  the 
time  and  by  constant  and  instructive  corres- 
pondence with  that  great  statesman  while  at 
Washington,  acquired  an  understanding  of 
politics  on  their  practical  and  personal,  as 
well  as  their  philosophic  side,  that  was  an 
education  of  itself.  Few  men  ever  entered 
public  life  so  thoroughly  and  admirably 
equipped  or  so  certain  of  winning  the  largest 
fame  ;  but  he  soon  developed  a  strong  dis- 
taste for  office  holding,  while  his  love  of 
home  life  was  unceasing.  Besides,  after  the 
formation  anew  of  party  lines  after  the  ad- 
ministration of  John  Quincy  Adams,  he  was 
in  the  minority  party,  and  pleased  to  be  so, 
though  he  enjoyed  leading  the  Democracy  in 
its  up-hill  fight,  and  did  so  with  \ery  great 
skill  at  times  and  with  a  relish  that  was  in 
inverse  proportion  to  his  chance  of  being 
elected.  He  was  the  Democratic  nominee 
for  Governor  in  1S30,  i834-'35-',36,  twice 
in  i837-'38  driving  the  choice  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, holding  the  organization  together  against 
the  .Anti-Masonic  wave,  playing  warily  but 
unsuccessfully  against  Seymour  to  get  the 
remnants  of  that  mo\ement  when  it  should 
collapse,  and  still  heading  the  ticket  after  the 
Whigs  had  gained  a  secure  ascendency  in  the 
state.  But  when  the  extension  of  slavery 
became  the  issue  of  our  politics  he  was 
prompt  to  join  the  Free  Soil  jjarty  of  184S, 


and  afterward  the  young  Republican  party, 
in  company  with  many  others  of  his  old 
associates,  and  he  headed  the  Fremont  elec- 
toral ticket  in  1856. 

He  was  first  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Jef- 
fersonian  Democrat  in  181 2,  and  was  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  war  policy  of  the 
Madison  administration.  He  was  the  friend 
and  intimate  associate  of  Clay,  .\dams,  Web- 
ster, Calhoun,  Graudy,  Forsyth,  Pickering 
and  men  of  that  stamp,  who  were  all  won  and 
charmed  by  his  wonderful  versatility.  It  may 
be  that  he  shone  too  much  in  the  drawing  room 
and  social  circle  for  the  best  achievements 
in  committee  and  on  the  floor.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  he  was  appointed  agent 
of  the  United  States,  under  the  treaty  of 
(;hent,  for  fixing  the  northeastern  boundary, 
a  work  that  required  five  years,  and  which 
he  regarded  as  the  greatest  service  of  his 
public  life.  He  went  in  person  to  the  wild 
region  in  dispute  and  laid  down  the  line 
which,  rejected  by  (^reat  Britain  and  dis- 
puted over  almost  to  the  point  of  war,  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  finally  seeing  adopted 
by  the  .Ashburton  treaty.  He  was  again 
elected  to  Congress  in  1822,  and  re-elected 
in  1824,  and  this  substantially  closed  his 
office-holding,  though  he  again  represented 
Westminster  in  the  Legislature  of  1850  and 
was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  conven- 
tion of  1857.  During  his  last  term  in  Con- 
gress he  had  a  rupture  with  President  .Adams 
over  what  he  considered  a  breach  of  faith 
on  the  latter's  part.  This  was  the  immediate 
occasion  of  his  retirement,  and  naturally  also 
of  his  allegiance  to  the  Jacksonians,  as 
party  lines  were  reformed,  though  his  sym- 
pathies and  antecedents  were  such  as  would 
have  made  him  a  Democrat  anyway.  He 
had  some  part  in  the  tariff  debates  of  that 
time,  though  always  moderate  in  his  views, 
which  he  well  summarized  in  after  years  in 
his  eulogy  of  Webster,  when  he  said,  "Tariffs 
are,  of  necessity,  alway  matters  of  expedi- 
ency, and  an  unchanging  one  would  in  time 
defeat  itself." 

In  1858,  he  took  formal  leave  of  the  bar, 
after  fifty-six  years  of  constant  practice,  ex- 
cept when  called  away  by  public  duties, 
with  the  most  brilliant  success,  and  always 
as  the  acknowledged  head.  The  banquet 
and  toasts  on  this  occasion  at  Newfane 
formed  one  of  the  most  interesting  annals 
of  the  Windham  county  bar.  The  sunset 
years  that  followed  were  indeed  beautiful. 
He  had  been  called  a  free  thinker,  because 
he  was  willing  to  read  and  to  discuss  can- 
didly all  that  was  written  on  the  great  prob- 
lems of  life,  the  works  of  the  German  infidels 
as  well  as  the  Scriptures  whose  thought  and 
feeling  had  been  interwoven  with  every  fiber 
of  his  mind  in  childhood.  He  was  a  truth 
seeker  always,  but  never  a  scoffer.     "Theol- 


138 


ogy''  he  once  said  "is  the  noblest  profession, 
law  is  second  to  it."  "My  boy,"  he  said  to 
a  pert  fellow  once,  "never  make  sport  of  the 
religious  worship  of  any  sect,  no  true  gentle- 
man will  do  it."  Shortly  before  his  death 
he  remarked  to  a  minister  "As  I  grow  older, 
my  faith  grows  simpler  ;  I  come  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  simple  truth  of  salvation  by 
Christ."  A  correspondent  of  a  New  York 
paper,  who  visited  him  about  this  time, 
wrote,  "He  was  portly  and  florid,  as  if  fed  on 
roast  beef  and  port;  but  redeemed  from  the 
sensual  by  a  massive,  noble-formed  head. 
He  had  a  keen  bright  eye,  which  gave  me 
at  once  a  glance  into  that  capacious  brain, 
as  I  have  sometimes  peeped  through  the 
window  of  a  conservatory  and  caught  a  vis- 
ion of  rich  masses  of  foliage  and  rare  flowers. 
*  *  *  It  is  delightful  to  see  this  man  in  the 
green  November  of  life,  hale  and  hearty, 
ripened  and  mellowed,  with  all  the  juices  of 
a  kindly  nature  flowing  in  a  full,  strong  cur- 
rent in  his  veins.  Such  a  spectacle  does 
one  good  ;  we  understand  better  the  capac- 
ity and  power  of  the  human  soul  to  enjoy 
and  impart  enjoyment." 

He  died  at  Westminster  in  March,  1867, 
at  the  old  homestead  where  he  had  remained 
after  bringing  the  remains  of  his  fondly 
loved  wife  from  Brattleboro,  for  interment 
in  the  family  tomb  in  the  .August  preceding. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Mark  Richards, 
a  woman  of  rare  beauty  of  person,  and  had 
mingled  in  the  politest  society  of  the  time, 
to  whom  he  plighted  troth  when  they  were 
school  boy  and  girl  together  and  between 
whom  love  and  devotion  grew  till  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  death  separated  them.  There 
were  four  children  of  whom  only  two,  Jona- 
than Dorr  and  Merah  Ann,  who  afterwards 
married  Judge  Daniel  Kellogg,  survived 
until  maturity. 

Mr.  Bradley  with  his  rich  imagination  and 
vast  stores  of  learning  from  English,  French, 
German,  Latin,  Greek,  Arabic  and  Hebrew 
literatures,  his  keen  wit  and  wholesome 
nature,  was  a  good  deal  of  a  poet  and  some 
of  the  scraps  which  he  dashed  off,  notably  ".-\ 
Ballad  of  Judgment  and  Mercy,"  may  fairly 
be  counted  among  the  gems  of  our  litera- 
ture. 

Rev.  Pliney  H.  \\'hite  in  the  estimate  above 
quoted  of  him,  says:  "Williams  may  have 
equalled  him  as  a  lawyer,  Collamer  as  a 
reasoner,  Phelps  as  an  orator  and  Marsh  may 
be  a  peer  in  multifarious  learning ;  but 
neither  of  them,  nor  any  other  Vermonter, 
living  or  dead,  who  has  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge, has  been  at  once  lawyer,  logician, 
orator  and  scholar  to  so  eminent  a  degree. 
His  personal  presence  was  that  of  a  remark- 
ble  man." 

And  E.  P.  Walton  says, "  Rich  in  the 
wisdom  that  comes  from  learning,  reflection 


and  intercourse  with  the  ablest  men  of  the 
country,  he  had  also  a  ready  wit  and  a  large 
fund  of  anecdotes,  so  that  in  public  ad- 
dresses or  social  converse  he  was  charming." 

Rev.  J.  F.  Fairbanks,  says  "He possessed 
a  wonderful  memory,  accompanied  with  rare 
conversational  powers.  His  capacious  mind 
seemed  an  inexhaustible  reser\'oir  of  learn- 
ing, wit  and  wisdom,  which  poured  forth  in 
a  full  torrent  from  his  powerful,  yet  melodi- 
ous voice,  that  would  hold  the  delighted 
hearers  entranced  for  hours." 

J.  Dorr  Br.adlf.v,  was  of  the  third  gen- 
eration of  this  remarkable  family,  and  by 
many  good  judges  rated  as  the  most  brilliant 
intellectually  of  all,  with  the  large  practical 


i»«i^ 


J.    DORR    BRADLEY, 

talent  of  his  grandfather,  and  the  rich  origin- 
ality of  his  father  developed  into  positive 
genius.  He  held  no  public  office  higher  than 
that  of  representative  in  the  Legislature  from 
Brattleboro,  though  he  was  several  times  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  from  his 
district.  Indeed,  he  had  very  little  ambi- 
tion for  official  place  which  he  could  have 
readily  commanded  after  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  early  be- 
came a  member.  He  was  also  utterly  without 
care  for  money.  His  tastes  and  desires  were 
all  intellectual  ;  the  only  acquisitions  for 
which  he  cared  were  those  of  law,  literature 
and  science,  with  liberal  enrichment  from  the 
humorous  and  the  knowledge  of  contact  with 
life. 

lonathan  Dorr  Bradley  was  born  at  West- 
minster   in    1803,    the    son    of    William    C. 


139 


llradley.  He  graduated  from  \'ale,  studied 
law  in  his  father's  office,  began  practice  at 
lieliows  Falls,  but  mo\ed  to  Brattleboro 
about  1S32.  It  was  in  1856  that  he  repre- 
sented that  town  in  the  Legislature,  and 
greatly  distinguished  himself  in  the  debate 
over  the  new  state  house  question.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  \'erniont  and  Massachu- 
setts R.  R.  enterprise,  and  was  on  the  first 
board  of  directors  of  the  company.  Pro- 
fessionally, he  stood  for  years  admittedly  at 
the  head  in  this  portion  of  the  state,  and  one 
of  the  two  or  three  leaders  of  the  brilliant 
bar  of  ^'ermont.  As  a  pure  lawyer,  a  rea- 
soner  from  foundation  principles,  he  was 
great  and  masterful,  and  added  to  that,  in  the 
words  of  the  tribute  of  a  committee  at  the 
session  of  the  U.  S.  circuit  court  after  his 
death,  "his  varied  and  elegant  acquire- 
ments as  a  scholar,  his  general  and  attractive 
qualities  as  a  man  *  *  professional  labors  en- 
riched by  learning  so  complete,  by  wit  so 
rare,  and  sense  so  full,  and  inspired  always 
by  so  thorough  an  appreciation  of  what  be- 
longed to  the  lawyer  and  the  gentleman,"  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  that  he  won  so  large  a 
fame.  E.  P.  Walton  says  of  him  :  "His 
reading  was  extensive  and  recherche,  his 
memory  was  retentive,  his  style  of  conversa- 
tion was  playful  and  captivating,  and  always 
appropriate  to  his  theme,  his  perceptions 
were  quick  and  vivid,  his  illustrations  apt 
and  beautiful,  and  his  whole  air  and  manner 
reminded  us  of  the  school  of  elder  time.s  in 
which  he  had  his  training."  He  was  always 
fond  of  mechanical  and  scientific  investiga- 
tions, and  especially  strong,  of  course,  in 
those  lines  of  law  that  were  allied  to  these 
studies.  He  was  facile  in  adapting  himself 
to  all  grades  of  intellect,  a  keen  judge  of 
human  nature,  and  so  a  jury  advocate  of 
tremendous  power.  Thousands  are  the 
anecdotes  that  still  linger  in  local  annals 
of  his  wit  and  readiness  at  repartee.  Withal 
he  was  something  of  a  poet  and  dashed  off 
at  different  times  soine  good  specimens  of 
verse,  especially  of  a  satirical  kind. 

He  married  at  Bellows  Falls,  in  icSii;, 
Susan  Crossman,  who  bore  him  four  children  : 
William  C,  a  Harvard  graduate  in  1851,  now 
librarian  at  Brattleboro  :  Richards,  of  EJoston 
and  Brattleboro  :  Stephen  Rowe  of  New  York, 
and  of  the  firm  of  Hall,  Bradley  &  Co.,  exten- 
sive manufacturers  of  white  lead  ;  and  .Arthur 
C,  an  .Amherst  graduate  in  1876,  and  now  of 
Newport,  N.  H.,  and  who  has  won  fortune 
by  the  genius  of  mechanics  and  scientific 
experiments  which  he  inherited  from  his 
father. 

Mr.  Bradley  died  after  three  weeks  of  ill- 
ness from  fe\er,  in  September,  1862. 

RICH,  Charles. — Congressman  for  ten 
years,  was  a  thoroughly  representati\e  Ver- 


monter  in  the  first  ijuarter  of  this  century 
with  its  \igorous  1  )emocratic  growth, healthy 
hard-working  pros]jerity  and  beautiful  home 
life.  He  was  born  in  Warwick,  Mass.,  Sept. 
13,  1 77 1,  and  came  to  Vermont  with  his 
father,  Thomas,  in  1787,  going  all  the  way 
to  Shoreham  on  foot.  Charles  at  the  age 
of  twenty-nine  vvas  elected  representative 
from  Shoreham  to  the  Legislature  and  was  re- 
elected eleven  times.  He  served  as  county 
judge  six  years.  He  was  first  elected  to 
Congress  in  18 12,  and  constantly  re-elected, 
except  for  the  term  of  i8i5-'i7,  till  1825. 
He  was  there  a  member  of  practical  useful- 
ness, a  ready  debater,  well  and  (juite  widely 
informed,  with  a  habit  of  thoroughly  study- 
ing every  subject  that  came  before  him,  so 
constantly  growing  more  active  and  promi- 
nent in  service.  He  had  only  a  limited 
education,  attending  school  only  three 
months  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  his 
aid  being  required  by  his  father  in  erecting 
mills,  clearing  land,  etc.,  but  he  was  always 
a  great  reader,  especially  of  .Addison's  Spec- 
tators, had  a  retentive  memory  and  a  faculty 
of  analysing  and  assimilating  his  informa- 
tion, and  he  early  began  to  discipline  his 
mind  by  committing  his  thoughts  to  writing. 
.As  a  youth  he  was  often  called  upon  for  ora- 
tions on  public  occasions.  His  mind  was 
well  balanced  and  considering  his  opportun- 
ities, a  well  trained  one,  his  knowledge  of 
human  nature  was  penetrating,  and  his  fine 
personal  ajjpearance  and  his  open  bland 
manners  fitted  him  for  the  great  popularity 
he  so  long  enjoyed.  He  continued,  along 
with  his  ]Hiblic  duties,  the  mill  business 
which  his  father  established,  and  he  took  a 
cold  from  working  in  the  water  for  several 
days  on  some  repairs,  and  died  from  the  con- 
sequences Oct.  15,  1824,  aged  fifty-three. 

He  wedded  at  the  age  of  twenty  a  daugh- 
ter of  Nicholas  Wells,  to  whom  he  had  been 
attached  since  childhood  and  toward  whom 
he  was  a  lover  to  his  last  day,  and  the  affec- 
tion evidenced  by  his  correspondence  with 
her  and  with  the  children  is  inspiring  for 
the  depth  and  richness  of  life's  possibilities 
which  it  shows.  He  commenced  life  with 
one  cow,  a  pair  of  steers,  six  sheep  and  a  few 
articles  of  furniture,  on  about  forty-five 
acres  of  land  which  Mrs.  Rich's  father  had 
given  them,  but  by  industry  and  prudence 
from  this  small  beginning  he  became  a  \ery 
wealthy  man. 

OLIN,  Henry. —  Both  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor and  congressman  and  a  leader  of  the 
Jeffersonian  Democrats  to  their  long  con- 
trol of  the  state,  vvas  born  in  Shaftsbury,  May 
6,  I  768,  the  son  of  Justice  and  Sarah  (l)win- 
ell)  Olin,  and  a  nephew  of  the  distinguished 
patriot,  Gideon  Olin.  The  family  was  a 
Rhode  Island  one.     Henrv  settled  in  Leices- 


140 


ter  in  1788  and  it  was  there  that  he  passed 
his  active  life  and  won  his  distinction. 
He  was  chosen  to  the  Legislature  in  1 799 
and  steadily  re-elected,  except  four  years, 
until  1825  and  was  elected  to  the  council  in 
1820  and  '21.  This  twenty-three  years  of 
legislative  service  was  matched  by  a  similar 
period  on  the  bench.  He  was  elected  assist- 
ant judge  of  the  county  court  in  1801,  when 
only  twenty-three  years  old,  and  held  the 
place  eight  years,  then  being  chosen  chief 
judge  and  serving  for  fifteen  years  more.  In 
1824  he  was  elected  to  Congress  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Charles  Rich.  He  was 
chosen  Lieutenant-C.overnor  in  1827,  and  for 
the  three  years  subsequently.  His  popularity 
was  so  great  that  he  had  the  nearly  unani- 
mous vote  of  his  town  for  Governor  in  1827. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con- 
ventions of  i8i4,'22,and  '28.  He  became 
a  \\'hig  after  that  party  was  formed  and 
about  that  time  retired  from  public  life  after 
nearly  forty  years  of  almost  uninterrupted 
service. 

He  was  undeniably  a  strong  man — one  of 
the  "self-made,"  so-called — winning  his  way 
upward,  in  spite  of  his  limited  early  educa- 
tion, by  his  native  wit,  shrewdness  and 
vigorous  common  sense.  He  was  almost 
Lincolnlike  in  his  exhaustless  fund  of  stories 
and  apt  illustrative  humor.  He  had  a  great 
unwieldy  frame,  but  such  was  the  sense  of 
power  that  went  with  it  that  it  is  said,  wher- 
ever he  went,  men,  women  and  children 
would  abandon  any  task  to  look  at  him.  He 
mixed  his  Jeffersonian  Democracy  with  zeal- 
ous Methodism,  and  of  his  nine  children 
one,  .Stephen  Olin,  I).  D.,  became  a  famous 
Methodist  divine  in  the  South,  professor  of 
belles  lettres  in  Franklin  College,  Ga.,  presi- 
dent of  Randolph,  Macon  and  Wesleyan 
Colleges,  and  author  of  "Travels  in  Holy 
Land  "  and  other  books. 

Henry  Olin  died  at  Salisbury  in  August, 
1837,  having  moved  there  the  spring  before. 

CHIPM.^N,  Daniel.— Brother  of  Na- 
thaniel, the  youngest  of  seven  sons  who  were 
all  distinguished  men,  congressman  for  one 
session,  legislator,  speaker,  biographer  of 
his  brother.  Gov.  Thomas  Chittenden,  and 
Seth  Warner,  and  a  law  writer  of  some  note. 
He  was  born  at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  Oct.  22, 
1763,  fitted  for  college  with  his  brother, 
Nathaniel,  at  Tinmouth,  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  in  1788,  studied  law  with  his 
brother,  opened  an  office  in  Poultney  in  '90 
but  moved  to  Middlebury  in  '94.  He  rep- 
resented Middlebury  in  the  Legislature 
several  times  between  1798  and  1808,  and 
also  in  1812-13-14-18  and  21,  was  speaker 
of  the  House  in  '13  and  '14,  and  was  a 
meiiiber  of  the  Governor's  council  in  1808. 
In    1814   he  was   elected   to   Congress,  but 


had  to  resign  because  of  ill-health  after  one 
session.  In  1828  he  moved  to  Ripton, 
where  he  had  large  property  interests  and 
where  he  did  most  of  his  literary  work. 
His  biographies  cannot  be  praised  as  either 
very  interesting  or  instructive,  though  of 
course  they  have  preserved  a  few  facts  from 
loss,  especially  in  the  history  of  the  state 
under  Chittenden. 

In  1822  he  published  a  treatise  on  law 
contracts  for  the  sale  of  specific  articles 
which  is  highly  esteemed  by  the  profession 
and  was  commended  by  Kent,  Story  and 
other  jurists.  In  1823  the  Legislature  ap- 
pointed him  reporter  of  the  decisions  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  the  necessity  of  which  work 
he  had  strenuously  urged,  and  he  had  pub- 
lished one  volume  of  reports  when  ill-health 
compelled  him  to  resign.  His  law  pactice 
was  extensive  and  in  his  younger  years  took 
him  regularly  to  all  the  courts  in  Rutland, 
Bennington,  .Addison  and  Chittenden  coun- 
ties. He  was  state's  attorney  for  Addison 
county  for  twenty  years,  from  1797  to  181  7. 
He  was  a  member  of  five  different  Consti- 
tutional Conventions  in  1793,  1814,  1836, 
1843  and  1850.  In  attending  the  latter  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four  he  incurred  the 
disease  that  ended  in  his  death.  In  the 
convention  of  1843  he  was  conspicuous  in 
the  debate  over  the  amendment  for  the 
establishment  of  the  state  Senate  which  was 
adopted  by  a  small  majority.  E.  P.  Walton, 
who  saw  him  there,  says  he  strongly  re- 
sembled John  Quincy  Adams  in  personal 
and  intellectual  qualities,  and  "  with  equal 
advantages  in  culture  and  experience  in  lofty 
statesmanship,  Mr.  Chipman  would  certainly 
have  won  high  repute  in  the  nation."  His 
ideas  were  considerably  different  from  his 
brother's,  or  rather  ran  to  an  extreme  from 
the  same  premises,  for  his  writings  are  not- 
able for  the  distrust  they  express  of  democ- 
racy, while  some  of  his  brother's  grandest 
achievements  had  their  roots  in  that  trust. 
In  state  politics  Daniel  Chipman  will  proba- 
bly be  longest  remembered  for  his  part  as 
speaker  of  the  Assembly  in  carrying  through 
the  seating  of  Gov.  Martin  Chittenden.  The 
details  of  the  affair  are  given  in  the  sketch 
of  Governor  Galusha.  Chipman's  part  was 
to  refuse  to  yield  his  chair  to  the  Governor 
for  a  joint  assembly  the  second  day,  holding 
that  the  report  of  the  canvassing  committee 
the  first  day,  that  there  was  no  choice,  was 
conclusive,  and  that  the  two  Houses  had  no 
power  to  canvass  the  votes  or  to  act  on  the 
subject  otherwise  than  by  concurrent  resolu- 
tions to  meet  and  elect  a  Governor.  In 
other  words  he  held  that  the  Legislature 
had  no  power  to  act  on  the  report  of  its  own 
committee  ;  if  there  had  been  a  deliberate 
and  palpable  falsification  of  the  figures  there 
would  have  been  no  escape.     In  this  case  it 


jEWErr. 

amounted  to  nearly  the  same  thing,  for  the 
action  prevented  any  consideration  of  ques- 
tions of  law  and- fact,  whether  (certain  votes 
should  be  counted  or  not,  on  which  the 
result  turned.  To  the  lay  mind  it  looks  like 
a  curious  doctrine  for  so  great  a  lawyer  as 
Mr.  Chipman.  .-Xt  any  rate  it  was  unexpected 
for  the  joint  assembly  had  adjourned  to  the 
next  morning  for  just  that  consideration  and 
Speaker  Chipman's  action  assumed  to  dis- 
solve it.  15ut  he  said  he  had  satisfied  him- 
self by  an  examination  of  the  constitution 
during  the  night  that  this  was  the  proper 
action,  and  Governor  Calusha  and  his  sup- 
porters were  unable  to  help  themselves  with- 
out violence.  Afterwards,  while  the  dispute 
over  the  election  was  in  progress,  Chipman 
ended  it  by  escorting  Chittenden  to  the 
chair  and  having  him  sworn  in  as  Governor. 

He  was  a  liberal  supporter  of  Middlebury 
College  and  a  member  of  the  corporation 
from  the  beginning.  He  received  the  degree 
of  I.L.  D.  from  it  in  1849. 

He  married,  in  1796,  Elatheria,  sister  of 
Rev.  Lemuel  Hedge,  of  Warwick,  Mass.,  sister 
of  Prof,  Levi  Hedge,  of  Harvard. 

J  E  W  E  T  T,  Luther. — Congressman, 
physician,  preacher,  and  editor  of  St.  Johns- 
bury's  first  paper,  was  born  at  Canterbury, 
Conn.,  in  1772,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in 
1792,  and  came  to  St.  Johnsbury  in  1800. 
He  began  his  career  there  with  the  practice 
of  medicine  and  kept  it  up  more  or  less  all 
his  active  life.  He  was  later  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Coos  .Association,  and  supplied 
the  pulpits  of  Newbury  and  other  towns  for 
ten  years.  In  1827  he  started  the  first  paper 
in  St.  Johnsbury,  which  he  styled  the  Friend, 
and  issued  chiefly  to  combat  .iXnti-Masonry, 
to  which  he  was  strenuously  opposed,  though 
he  gave  considerable  attention  to  slavery  and 
intemperance.  The  next  year,  July  3,  1828, 
he  issued  the  first  copy  of  the  Farmers'  Her- 
ald, Whig  in  politics,  but  ably  edited,  and 
which  he  continued  for  four  years,  when  de- 
clining health  compelled  him  to  abandon  it. 
In  1815  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the 
northeastern  district  of  the  state,  but  served 
only  one  term.  He  was  a  man  of  varied  ac- 
quirements, scrupulously  just,  and  all  through 
his  later  years  was  one  of  St.  Johnsbury's 
most  honored  citizens.  He  died  in  i860  at 
the  age  of  eighty-seven. 

LANGDON,  HON.  ChaunCY.— Rep- 
resentative in  Congress,  i8i5-'i7,  state  leg- 
islator and  councilor,  was  a  man  of  very 
considerable  power,  who  was  kept  from  the 
public  employment  his  talents  merited,  by 
the  fact  that  he  was  a  Federalist  in  a  strongly 
Democratic  locality. 

Among  the  families  that  came  early  from 
Connecticut  to  the  New  Hampshire  Grants, 


I.ANGDON.  141 

when  it  was  probable  that  they  would  soon 
be  admitted  into  the  .Vmerican  Union  as  a 
new  state,  were  the  Langdons.  Chauncv 
was  the  second  son  of  F^benezer  I.angdon  of 
Farmington,  Conn.,  where  he  was  born  Nov. 
8,  1763.  Having  by  his  own  efforts,  secured 
for  himself  a  collegiate  education,  graduating 
at  Vale  in  17S7,  and  studied  law  at  Litch- 
field, he  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
new  state,  and  removing  to  "the  Grants"  in 
1788,  he  pursuaded  his  parents  and  his  five 
brothers  and  sisters  to  go  with  him,     Thev 


went  first  to  Windsor,  where  his  parents  and 
older  brother,  Ira,  remained.  The  young 
lawyer,  however,  with  the  younger  members 
of  the  family  settled  in  the  new  \illage  of 
Casdeton,  between  Rutland  and  Skeensboro. 
Here  Mr.  Langdon  became  an  influential 
member  of  the  community,  in  consequence 
not  only  of  his  superior  education  and  abili- 
ties, his  force  of  character  and  his  unflagging 
industry  and  energy,  but  even  more  on  ac- 
count of  his  capacity  for  public  affairs  and 
his  proud  integrity  and  thorough  uprightness. 
He  was  register  of  probate,  i792-'97,  and 
judge  of  probate  in  1798  and  1799.  He 
represented  Castleton  in  the  General  .Assem- 
bly in  1813  and  '14,  '17,  '19,  and  '20,  and 
'22.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  with  the 
full  Federalist  delegation  in  1814,  during  the 
last  war  with  England.  But  it  was  nearly  the 
last  effort  of  Federalism  in  Vermont.  The 
delegation  went  out  at  the  end  of  its  first 
term  and  the  party  thereafter  went  rapidly  to 


pieces.  But  Mr.  Langdon  who  had  been  a 
councilor  for  one  term  in  1808,  was  again 
elected  to  this  body  in  1823  and  continued 
until  his  death  in  1830,  While  in  Congress, 
and  indeed  so  long  as  the  party  lasted,  he  was 
a  Federalist  of  the  most  pronounced  type, 
strong  and  sturdy  in  temper  and  character, 
a  representative  Vermonter  of  the  day.  He 
was  a  trustee  of  Middlebury  College  for  nine- 
teen years,  from  181 1  until  his  death;  and 
for  many  years  president  of  the  State  Bible 
Society. 

"Squire  Langdon"  brought  with  him  from 
Connecticut  a  young  wife,  Lucy  Nona 
Lathrop,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Elijah  Lath- 
rop  of  Hebron,  who,  as  "Lady  Langdon," 
is  remembered  by  some  yet  living.  Besides 
children  who  died  in  early  life,  they  left  one 
daughter  and  two  sons  :  Lucy,  who  married 
Charles  K.  Williams  of  Rutland,  afterwards 
chief  justice  and  Governor  of  the  state  : 
Benjamin  Franklin,  who  succeeded  his 
father  as  lawyer  and  judge  at  Castleton  ;  and 
John  Jay,  who  removed  from  Vermont  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  afterwards  to  the 
South. 

The  Hon.  Chauncy  I^angdon  died  July 
23,  1830.  and  with  his  wife,  who  survived 
him  four  years,  is  buried  at  Castleton. 

L  YON ,  ASA. — Representative  in  Congress 
1815-'!  7,  member  of  the  Governor's  Council 
one  year  in  1808,  for  eight  years  a  member 
of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  for 
four  years  chief  judge  of  the  Grand  Isle 
county  court,  a  preacher  who  preached  a 
life-time  without  pay,  and  yet  died  the 
wealthiest  man  in  his  county,  was  one  of  the 
unique  characters  of  our  history.  He  be- 
longed to  that  remarkable  generation  of 
clergymen,  including  Nathaniel  Niles,  Ezra 
Butler  and  .Aaron  Leland,  that  had  so  de- 
cided an  influence  in  the  state's  adolescent 
period.  He  was  always  a  hard  fighter  in 
theology  and  politics  and  in  money  getting, 
a  man  as  cordially  hated  and  roundly  de- 
nounced by  his  enemies  as  ALatthew  Lyon 
(to  whom  he  was  in  no  way  related),  and 
yet  within  his  range  exercised  the  completest 
influence  and  commanded  the  most  devoted 
following,  which  was  very  likely  only  strength- 
ened by  his  eccentricities. 

Rev.  Asa  Lyon  was  born  at  Pomfret,  Conn  , 
Dec.  31,  1763,  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
in  I  790,  and  for  nearly  a  year,  from  Octo- 
ber, 1792,  to  September,  1793,  was  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  church  at  Sunderland, 
Mass.,  where  he  got  into  some  controversy 
that  resulted  in  his  leaving.  Soon  after  he 
appeared  at  Grand  Isle,  which  was  origin- 
ally united  with  North  and  South  Hero  in 
one  town  under  the  name  of  the  Two  Heroes, 
then  divided  into  two  and  finally  into  three 
towns.     Here  he  organized  the  Congrega- 


tional church,  and  was  its  first  minister  and 
continued  to  serve  it  for  over  forty  yeais, 
though  he  was  never  installed  as  pastor,  but 
was  elected  by  the  members.  \Vhen  after 
a  few  years  a  difficulty  arose  about  its  sup- 
port he  declared  that  his  pastoral  services 
should  be  gratuitous  and  so  they  ever  con- 
tinued to  be.  One  of  his  motives  in  this 
action  was  to  match  the  Methodists,  who 
were  in  those  days  declaiming  against  sala- 
ries. But  while  he  proclaimed  a  free  gospel 
he  had  an  eye  for  the  dollar  in  other  direc- 
tions, and  was  all  his  days  a  shrewd  and  ex- 
acting, though  strictly  just,  business  man, 
frugal  to  the  point  of  penuriousness  and 
never  giving  money  to  any  charitable  object, 
regarding  his  contribution  of  services  as 
sufficient  for  him. 

He  secured  a  fine  tract  of  the  most  valua- 
ble land  in  North  Hero,  richly  timbered,  and 
built  a  house  of  cedar  logs  containing  just 
two  rooms  and  a  lobby,  in  which  he  lived 
and  wrote,  reared  his  family,  and  transacted 
his  business  until  in  later  years,  after  he  had 
got  wealthy,  he  built  a  brick  house.  He 
never  made  pastoral  calls,  except  in  sickness, 
but  required  people  to  come  to  him  on 
church  matters  as  well  as  other  business, 
summoning  each  one  by  letter,  for  which  he 
used  about  a  tenth  of  a  sheet  of  foolscap. 
His  economy  of  time  was  as  severe  as  of  other 
things,  and  enabled  him  to  do  thorough  work 
in  each  of  his  multifarious  employments. 
With  all  the  rest  he  had,  because  his  wife  (a 
Miss  Newell  from  Charlotte)  was  crazy  for 
many  years,  to  carry  the  cares  of  the  family 
and  the  rearing  of  five  children.  He  was 
not  too  stingy  to  own  a  copy  of  the  Edin- 
burgh Encyclopedia,  and  he  studied  it  and 
made  himself  master  of  vast  masses  of  its 
information.  With  his  assimilative  powers 
of  mind,  his  vigor  and  positiveness  of  logic, 
he  was  regarded,  as  he  was  in  fact,  a  very 
learned  man.  Theologically,  he  belonged  to 
the  Jonathan  Edwards  school,  and  he  was 
the  moulder  of  the  religious  thought  not 
only  of  his  congregation,  but  of  the  minis- 
terial associations  of  that  part  of  the  state. 

He  was  also  for  a  long  period  its  foremost 
public  man  and  its  political  leader.  He 
represented  South  Hero  in  the  (General  As- 
sembh'  1799  until  1S03,  1804  until  1807,  and 
in  1S08  for  a  short  time  until  he  entered  the 
council.  He  was  Grand  Isle's  representa- 
tive from  181 2  until  18 15,  when  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  being  the  third  of  the 
council  of  1808  who  succeeded  in  the  same 
Congress.  He  was  chief  judge  of  the  county 
court  in  i8o5,-'6,-'8  and  '13,  being  in 
nearly  continuous  public  service  for  eighteen 
years. 

In  politics  he  was  a  thorough-going  Fed- 
eralist, and  W'ith  Chipman  and  .\rad  Hunt 
was  in  constant  tilts  in  the  Legislature  with 


143 


such  leffersonian  champions  as  WilUain  C 
I'.radlev,  James  Fisk,  Fzra  IJutler,  Aaron  l.e- 
land,  Henry  ( )lin,  Charles  Rich,  Mark  Rich- 
ards, Titus  Hutchinson,  and  Samuel  Shaw, 
who  all  but  two  afterward  became  congress- 
men. 

He  leil  the  opposition  to  Governor 
Cialusha  in  the  Legislature  of  iSii,  and 
moved  a  substitute  to  the  address  of  the 
committee  in  reply  to  the  Governor's  ad- 
dress. When  he  was  elected  to  Congress, 
so  the  story  goes,  he  decided  that  he  must 
have  a  new  suit  of  clothes.  So  he  sheared 
the  wool  from  one  of  his  sheep,  did  the  card- 
ing, spinning  and  weaving  in  his  own  family, 
]irocured  butternut-tree  bark  for  the  dyeing, 
and  had  the  suit  made  up  by  a  woman  who 
was  owing  him.  Thus  he  fitted  himself  out 
for  service  in  the  halls  of  national  legisla- 
tion without  the  expenditure  of  a  penny  in 
cash.  Though  his  service  in  Congress  ex- 
tended only  through  two  years,  it  was 
enough  to  impress  his  colleagues  with  his 
powers.  -Another  anecdote  illustrates  this  : 
( )ne  of  the  committees  on  which  he  served 
had  a  bill  to  frame  of  more  than  ordinary 
importance,  and  a  member  remarked  ; 
"Lyon  will  draft  it  so  strong  nothing  can 
break  it.  Let  us  go  down  to  him  to-night ; 
but  we  must  buy  the  candles." 

The  late  Charles  Adams  of  Burlington 
said  :  "There  have  been  two  men  in  the 
state  whose  intellect  towered  above  all 
others  ;  one,  'Nat'  Chipman  of  Tinmouth, 
the  other  .Asa  Lyon  of  Grand  Isle."  Said 
one  of  his  old  parishioners  :  "People  would 
talk  about  Father  Lyon  and  his  peculiarities 
but  when  he  arose  in  his  pulpit  every  one 
forgot  the  man,  or  the  peculiarities  in  the 
man  ;  with  such  a  dignity  he  looked  down 
upon  his  assembly,  with  such  a  commanding 
power  of  eye,  voice,  thought,  he  drew  every 
one  up  to  him  and  carried  them  with  him. 
All,  whether  pulpit  audience,  political  op])o- 
nent  or  theological  controversialist  to  be 
brought  over,  were  not  more  irresistibly 
than  agreeably  drawn  to  his  conclusions." 
Rev.  Simeon  Parmalee  in  his  sketch  of  him 
for  the  Gazetteer,  describing  his  personal 
appearance,  said  :  "He  was  a  great  man  in 
stature  and  in  powers  of  mind.  He  had  a 
dark  complexion,  coarse  features,  powerful 
build,  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  large 
boned,  giant-framed  and  a  little  stooping." 

He  died  April  4.  1841,  in  his  seventy- 
eighth  year. 

MARSH,  Charles.— Congressman  one 
term,  but  greatest  as  a  lawyer,  standing  undis- 
jnitedly  at  the  head  of  the  bar  of  the  state 
tor  many  years,  was  a  member  of  one  of  the 
remarkable  families  of  the  state,  being  the 
son  of  Lieut.  Gov.  Joseph  Marsh.  "He  was 
born  at  Lebanon,  (^onn.,  July   10,  1765,  but 


came  to  Hartford,  in  this  state,  with  the 
lamily  in  177,5.  lie  was  graduated  from 
Dartmouth,  in  1786,  took  a  course  in  the 
famous  law  school  of  Judge  Reeves  at  Litch- 
field, Conn.,  and  established  himself  in 
])ractice  at  Woodstock.  His  honors  were 
nearly  all  in  the  line  of  his  profession  up  to  the 
time  of  his  election  to  Congress.  He  was  ap- 
jiointed  in  1797  by  President  Washington  to 
the  then  comparatively  unimportant  position 
of  district  attorney  for  the  district  of  Vermont, 
ser\ing  until  1801.  In  1814  he  was  electecl 
to  Congress  but  served  only  one  term.  While 
in  Washington  he  became  identified  with  the 
.American  Colonization  Society  as  one  of  its 
founders.  He  acquired  great  popularity  as 
a  patron  of  benevolent  societies  generally,  and 
was  a  highly  influential  and  useful  citizen. 
He  made  three  notable  speeches  while  in  the 
House,  on  the  tariff,  the  war  with  Mexico, 
and  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  the  latter  a 
particularly  thoughtful  one.  He  was  chosen 
one  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Dartmouth 
College  in  1809,  and  continued  as  such  until 
his  death.  'Lhe  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  con- 
ferred on  him  by  this  institution. 

He  was  twice  married — first,  June  18, 
I  793,  to  Xancy  Collins  of  Litchfield,  Conn., 
and  second,  after  her  decease,  to  Susan, 
widow  of  Josiah  Arnold  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
and  daughter  of  Dr.  Elisha  Perkins  of  Plain- 
field,  Conn.  There  were  two  children  by 
the  first  wife,  and  five  by  the  second.  One 
son,  Lyndon  Arnold,  was  a  lawyer  at  Wood- 
stock for  thirty-three  years,  and  register  of 
probate  for  that  district.  Another  son, 
Charles,  a  lawyer  at  Lansingburg,  X.  \'., 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven.  Joseph, 
the  third  son  of  the  second  marriage,  was 
professor  of  theory  and  practice  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont.  The  youngest  son, 
Charles,  spent  his  life  on  the  paternal  estate. 
The  daughter  by  the  first  marriage  married 
Dr.  John  Barnell  of  Woodstock,  and  the 
daughter  by  the  second  marriage,  who  died 
when  only  thirty-four,  was  the  wife  of  Wyllys 
Lyman,  a  Hartford  lawyer. 

Mr.  Marsh  died  at  Woodstock,  Jan.  11, 
1849,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age. 

NOYES,  John.— Representative  in  Con- 
gress 1815-'!  7,  and  for  years  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  southeast  part 
of  the  state.  He  was  born  at  Atkinson,  X. 
H.,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  earlv  settlers 
of  Massachusetts,  and  of  an  unusually  learned 
and  scholarly  family.  He  was  graduated  at 
Dartmouth  in  1795,  and  became  a  tutor 
there,  and  had  among  his  pupils  Daniel 
Webster,  who  in  after  life  admitted  his  debt 
intellectually  to  the  tutor.  Mr.  Xoyes  en- 
gaged in  theological  study  and  fitted  himself 
for  the  ministry,  but  gave  it  up  because  of 
ill-health    and    returned    to    teaching,    had 


144 


charge  of  the  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  Academy 
for  a  time,  and  in  1800  moved  to  Brattleboro 
to  engage  in  mercantile  trade  with  (leneral 
Mann,  the  grandfather  of  the  wife  of  Gen. 
George  B.  McClellan.  There  were  several 
famous  connections  through  the  firm  of 
Noyes  &  Mann.  A  partner  of  one  of  its 
branches,  at  Wilmington,  was  Rutherford, 
father  of  President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes. 
Mr.  Noyes'  oldest  son  was  John  H.  Noyes, 
founder  of  the  (.)neida,  N.  Y.,  Perfectionist 
community,  which  had  its  first  start  at  Put- 
ney. His  eldest  daughter  was  Mrs.  L.  G. 
Mead,  mother  of  the  famous  sculptor  of  that 
name. 

The  firm  did  a  heavy  business,  with  stores 
at  Brattleboro,  Wilmington,  \\'hitingham  and 
Putney,  and  rapidly  amassed  wealth. 

Mr.  Noyes  represented  Brattleboro  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  1 80S-' 10  and  181 2, 
and  in  1815  was  elected  to  Congress,  serv- 
ing one  term  as  contemporary  with  Clay, 
Randolph  and  other  celebrities.  On  his 
return  from  Washington  he  moved  to  Dum- 
merston,  where  he  lived  for  four  years,  and 
then  retired  from  active  life  to  a  farm  in 
Putney,  where  he  died  Oct.  26,  1841,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight.  He  wedded,  in  1804, 
Polly,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Rutherford 
Hayes,  the  grandfather  of  the  President. 

ALLEN,  HEMAN.— "Chili"  Allen,  as  he 
was  called  to  distinguish  him  from  his  distant 
relative  and  long  political  opponent,  but  per- 
sonal friend  and  for  many  years  close  neigh- 
bor, Heman  Allen  of  Milton,  who  was  also 
in  Congress,  was  a  son  of  Heber  Allen  and 
nephew  of  Ethan  and  Ira,  born  at  Poultney 
in  1779.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he 
was  at  an  early  age  adopted  into  the  family 
of  his  uncle  Ira  at  Colchester  and  given  a 
good  education,  graduating  from  Dartmouth 
in  1795.  He  adopted  the  profession  of  law, 
but  did  not  practice  very  extensively  as  he 
was  in  public  life  nearly  all  his  days. 

He  was  sheriff  of  Chittenden  county  in 
1808  and  1809;  from  1811  to  1814  he  was 
chief  justice  of  the  Chittenden  county  court ; 
from  181 2  to  181 7  he  w^as  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  state  Legislature  :  was  appointed 
quartermaster  of  militia,  with  the  title  of 
brigadier,  and  was  a  trustee  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont.  He  was  first  elected  a 
representative  in  Congress  from  Vermont  in 
1S17,  but  resigned  in  181S  to  accept  from 
President  Monroe  the  appointment  of  United 
States  marshal  for  the  district  of  Vermont. 
In  1823  he  received  from  the  same  President 
the  appointment  of  minister  to  Chili,  which 
he  resigned  in  1828  ;  in  1S30  he  was  ap- 
pointed president  of  the  L'nited  States 
Branch  Bank  at  Burlington,  which  he  held 
until  the  expiration  of  its  charter,  after 
which   he   setded    in  the  town  of  Highgate, 


where  he  died  of  heart  disease  April  9,  1852. 
His  remains  were  brought  to  Burlington  and 
interred  in  the  Allen  cemetery  there.  He 
had  much  of  the  .Allen  ability. 

HUNTER,  Willi  A.M.- -Was  born  in  Ver- 
mont ;  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
1807,  1809  :  was  a  state  councilor  in  1809, 
1 8 14  and  1815  ;  was  elected  a  representative 
from  Vermont  in  the  Fifteenth  Congress, 
serving  from  Dec.  i,  1817  to  March  3,  1819. 

MERRILL,  ORSAMUS  C— Printer,  law- 
yer, judge,  congressman  and  councilor,  was 
born  at  Farniington,  Conn.,  June  18,  1775, 
came  to  Bennington  in  April,  1791,  and  was 
apprenticed  to  .Anthony  Haswell.  On  com- 
pleting his  apprenticeship  he  engaged  in 
the  printing  business  for  himself,  and  his 
first  printed  book  was  a  U'ebster's  spelling 
book.  He  then  studied  law  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  June,  1804. 

He  entered  the  military  service  in  the 
war  of  i8i2-'i5,  and  was  made  major  in  the 
eleventh  Ignited  States  infantry,  March  3, 
1813;  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  twenty-sixth 
infantry  as  riflemen,  Sept.  4,  18 14,  and 
transferred  back  to  the  eleventh  infantry  as 
lieutenant-colonel,  .Sept.  26,  1814.  He  was 
register  of  probate  1815  ;  clerk  of  the  courts 
1816  ;  member  of  Congress  i8r7-'i9  ;  repre- 
sentative of  Bennington  in  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  and  General  Assembly  in 
1822  ;  judge  of  probate  court  in  1822,  1841, 
1842  and  1846:  state's  attorney  1823  and 
'24;  councilor  1824  and  1S26,  and  member 
of  the  first  state  Senate.  Governor  Hall 
states  that  he  was  also  postmaster  for  sever- 
al years.  He  was  a  candidate  for  re-elec- 
tion to  Congress  in  18 18,  and  the  joint 
assembly  declared  him  elected,  but  R.  C. 
Mallory,  the  opposing  candidate,  contested 
his  claim,  showed  that  the  result  was  de- 
clared for  Merrill  before  the  returns  from 
several  towns  had  been  received,  and  the 
result  was   that   Mallory  was  given  the  seat. 

Mr.  Merrill  lived  in  the  honor  and  respect 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  eighty-nine,  dying  April  12,  1865. 
The  late  Timothy  Merrill,  of  Montpelier, 
who  held  many  responsible  positions  in  the 
public  service,  was  his  brother. 

RICHARDS,  Mark  —Councilor,  Lieu- 
tenant-Go^■ernor,  congressman,  and  one  of 
the  brilliant  coterie  of  Jeffersonian  leaders 
that  so  long  ruled  the  state  in  the  first  quar- 
ter of  the  territory,  was  born  in  Waterbury, 
Conn.,  July  15,  1760,  the  grandson  on  his 
mother's  side  of  Rev.  Dr.  Hopkins,  the  dis- 
tinguished theologian  and  divine.  He  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  enlisting  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  and  seeing  hard  service  at 
Stony    Point,   Monmouth,    Red    Bank    and 


145 


X'alley  Forge.  He  afterwards  settled  in 
lioston,  and  accumulated  property  in  mer- 
cantile and  mechanical  pursuits,  until  in 
1796,  he  moved  to  Westminster,  where  he 
also  continued  in  trade.  Five  years  later,  in 
1 80 1,  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  town, 
and  was  re-elected  in  i8o2-'o4-'o5.  From 
1806  to  1810  he  was  sheriff  of  U'indham 
county,  in  18 13-'!  5  was  in  the  Governor's 
council,  and  in  1816  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, serving  two  terms  until  1820.  He 
again  represented  his  town  in  1 824-' 26,  and 
1828,  and  in  i830-'3i  was  I.ieutenant-Ciov- 
ernor  of  the  state,  being  associated  on  the 
ticket  with  (lovernor  Crafts.  He  was  again 
in  the  Legislature  in  1832  and  1834. 

His  son-in-law,  William  C.  Bradley,  de- 
scribes him  as  in  person  "  lean  and  tall,  of 
pleasant  but  somewhat  formal  manners  and 
in  spite  of  lameness  a  remarkably  active  man. 
His  liberality  though  great  for  his  means  was 
discriminating  and  well  timed  ;"  his  "industry 
and  perseverance  whenever  occasion  called 
for  it  were  untiring ;  his  love  of  order  was 
so  precise  and  descended  to  such  minuteness 
of  detail  that  it  appeared  almost  incompatible 
with  much  expansion  of  thought,  and  yet  few 
men  can  be  named  who  united  more  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature,  more  sagacity  and 
promptness  in  business." 

His  wife  was  the  widow  Dorr,  and  their 
(laughter,  Sarah,  married  Mr.  Bradley.  He 
died  at  W'estminster,  August  10,  1844,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four. 

MEECH,  Ezra. — Twice  in  Congress, 
Democratic  candidate  for  Governor  in 
1 830,-3 1 '-32,  and  afterwards  prominent  as  a 
Whig,  and  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and 
far-seeing  business  operators  the  state  had 
in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  was  born  at 
New  London,  Conn.,  July  26,  1773  and 
came  with  his  father  to  Hinesburgh  in  1785. 
He  was  in  his  young  manhood  a  hunter  and 
trapper,  then  branched  out  into  the  fur 
trade,  became  associated  with  John  Jacob 
Astor  in  it,  and  in  1806,  and  for  a  few  years 
after,  was  the  agent  of  the  Northwest  Fur 
Co.  He  frequently  went  into  Canada  on 
his  purchasing  trips,  bringing  large  packs 
through  the  wilderness,  and  in  1809  was 
agent  for  supplying  the  British  government 
with  spars  and  timber.  In  1795  ^^  opened 
a  store  at  Charlotte  Four  Corners,  still 
keeping  up  his  fur  trade.  In  1806  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  along  the  lake  shore  in  Shel- 
burne,  moved  there,  opened  a  retail  store, 
also  continuing  the  purchase  of  furs  ;  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  potash  and  in 
1810  in  lumbering,  especially  with  oak, 
which  he  shipped  to  the  Quebec  market. 

At  the  declaration  of  the  war  of  181 2  he 
was  caught  in  Canada  with  a  large  quanity 
of  timber,  and  obtained  a  permit  to  remain 


and  close  his  business.  During  the  war  he 
was  an  extensive  contractor  in  sup])lying  the 
government  and  army  with  ])ro\isions.  At 
its  close  he  again  went  into  the  lumber  trade 
with  success,  and  all  through  his  later  years 
was  also  an  extensive  agriculturist  and  stock 
breeder,  his  farm  containing  three  thousand 
acres  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  on  which 
could  be  seen  a  flock  of  three  thousand  sheep 
and  eight  hundred  oxen.  He  was  probably 
the  largest  land  holder  in  the  state,  and  at 
his  death  his  real  estate  was  appraised  at 
8125,000. 

He  was  in  1S05  and  1807  elected  to  the 
state  Legislature.  In  1S22  and  1823  he  was 
chief  justice  of  the  Chittenden  county  court 
and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1820  and  1826.  His  first 
election  to  Congress  was  in  1818  :  he  served 
only  one  term  but  was  again  elected  for 
another  term  in  1824.  His  candidacies  for 
Governor  were  during  the  period  that  the 
state  was  swept  by  anti-.Masonry  and  it  was 
largely  under  his  leadership  that  the  skeleton 
of  a  Democratic  organization  was  preserved. 
But  before  1840  he  had  become  a  Whig, 
being  then  a  Harrison  presidential  elector. 

He  was  emphatically  what  is  called  a  "  self 
made  man"  ;  with  but  a  limited  education  he 
won  fame  and  fortune  by  the  aid  alone  of  a 
strong  mind,  an  accurate  judgment  and 
resolute  perseverance.  He  was  a  large  man, 
physically  as  well  as  intellectually,  being  six 
feet  five  inches  in  height  and  weighing 
three  hundred  and  seventy  pounds,  and  yet 
he  was  one  of  the  most  expert  trout  fishers  in 
the  country,  following  the  sport  with  delight 
to  his  last  years,  even  as  he  had  the  chase 
with  his  rifle  in  his  youthful  days.  He  was 
always  noted  for  his  generous  hospitality. 

He  died  at  Shelburne,  Sept.  23,  1856, 
aged  eighty-three.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  in  1800  to  Mary  McNeil,  who  died 
while  he  was  in  Congress,  and  subsequently 
to  Mrs.  L.  C.  Clark  who  survived  him.  He 
was  the  father  of  ten  children,  only  two  of 
whom  survived  him,  sons  who  lived  in  Shel- 
burne. 

He  joined  the  Methodist  f^piscopal  church 
in  1S33,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  was  a 
very  influential  man  in  his  conference. 

MALLORY,  ROLLIN  CaRLOS.— Rep- 
resentative in  Congress  from  1819  to  1831, 
and  like  Morrill  in  later  years  the  chief 
framer  and  foremost  advocate  of  the  high 
tariff  bill  of  his  time,  was  born  in  Cheshire, 
Conn.,  May  27,  1784.  He  was  graduated 
from  Middlebury  in  1S05,  studied  law  with 
Horatio  Seymour  at  Middlebury,  and  Robert 
Temple  at  Rutland,  and  settled  at  Castleton 
in  1806,  where  he  was  preceptor  of  the  acad- 
emy for  a  year,  then  was  admitted  to  the  bar 


146 


in  1807  and  practiced  at  Castleton  till  1818, 
when  he  moved  to  Poultney. 

He  was  secretary  of  the  Governor  and 
Council  in  1807,  1809  to  1812,  and  1815  to 
1819  — ten  years  in  all — was  state's  attorney 
for  Rutland  county,  i8ii-'i3  and  in  1816; 
was  elected  to  Congress  in  1818,  serving  for 
six  terms  until  1S31,  and  becoming  a  leader 
among  the  protectionists.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  manufactures  that 
reported  the  tariff  of  1828,  the  "tariff  of  ab- 
ominations" as  the  Democrats  called  it,  that 
led  to  South  Carolina's  act  of  nullification,  and 
Jackson's  energetic  measures  for  the  Union, 
though  it  was  largely  the  reaction  of  the 
country  against  this  tariff  bill,  which  had  been 
calculated  to  strengthen  Adams'  cause,  that 
had  made  General  Jackson  President.  ]\Ir. 
Mallory  therefore  was  one  of  the  issue-mak- 
ing men  of  one  of  the  most  exciting  epochs 
in  our  national  history.  He  was  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  principles  of  protection,  like 
Governor  McKinley  of  our  day,  and  it  was  a 
subject  that  grew  on  his  hands.  This  tariff 
was  projected  at  first  in  the  interest  of  the 
woolen  manufacturers  but  ended  by  includ- 
ing all  the  manufacturing  interests.  He  was 
the  leader  of  the  House  debate  on  it  and  ex- 
erted himself  greatly  to  secure  its  passage. 
He  was  also  prominent  in  the  fight  over 
the  Missouri  compromise  which  took  place 
soon  after  his  entrance  into  Congress  and 
he  opposed  the  admission  of  the  state  with 
its  slave  constitution. 

But  sudden  death,  at  Baltimore,  Md., 
April  15,  1 83 1,  cut  short  a  career  which 
promised  to  become  one  of  continent-wide 
fame,  and  hardly  second  to  that  of  his  great 
compeers.  Clay,  Webster  and  Hayne,  in  the 
great  economic  struggle  ushered  in  bv  the 
1828  tariff. 

Lanman  says  of  him  that  "  he  was  held  in 
the  highest  estimation  both  for  his  public 
acts  and  his  private  virtues."  He  was  a 
brother  of  Rev.  Charles  D.  Mallory,  D.  D., 
the  Baptist  divine  and  founder  of  Mercer 
(Ga.)  University. 

That  branch  of  the  family  has  produced  a 
number  of  distinguished  men  of  the  South. 

KEY'ES,  ELIAS. — Representative  in  Con- 
gress for  one  term,  and  a  judge,  and  a  coun- 
cilor in  state  affairs,  a  native  of  Ashford, 
Conn.,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Stock- 
bridge,  whither  he  came  in  17S4  or' 85.  He 
represented  the  town  sixteen  years,  i  793  to 
'97,  1798  to  1803,  1818,  1820  and  i823-'26, 
and  was  in  the  Governor's  council  fourteen 
years,  from  1803  to  18 18,  except  the  one 
term  of  1814  ;  was  assistant  judge  of  the 
Windsor  county  court  eight  years,  1806-14, 
and  chief  judge  two  years  more,  1813-17. 
He  also  ser\'ed  in  the  constitutional  conven- 


tion of    T814.     He  was   in   Congress   from 
1S21  10  1823. 

WHITE,  PhineaS.  —  Representative  in 
Congress  182 1-3,  was  a  native  of  South  Had- 
ley,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born  Oct.  30,  1770. 
Graduating  at  Dartmouth  in  1797,  he  studied 
law  with  Charles  ^Nlarsh  at  ^^'oodstock  and 
Judge  Samuel  Porter  at  Dummerston  and  in 
1800  began  practice  at  Putney  where  he 
made  his  home  the  rest  of  his  life.  He 
represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature  in 
i8i5-'2o;  was  postmaster  1802-9  ;  wasstate's 
attorney  for  the  county  in  1813  ;  register  of 
probate  1800  to  1809  ;  judge  of  probate  for 
several  years  afterward  and  chief  judge  of 
the  county  court  from  1S18  to  1820,  or  until 
his  election  to  Congress.  On  his  return  from 
the  latter  service  he  abandoned  his  law  prac- 
tice and  devoted  himself  to  farming  on  quite 
an  extensive  scale,  but  was  frequently  called 
to  public  duty,  nevertheless.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1836, 
and  was  a  state  senator  in  1838-40.  He 
was  for  several  years  president  of  the  Ver- 
mont Bible  and  Vermont  Colonization  So- 
cieties, and  was  prominent  in  Masonry, 
being  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
the  state.  He  was  also  one  of  the  trustees 
of  Middlebury  College.  He  was  a  man  of 
solid  rather  than  brilliant  abilities,  always 
fulfilling  faithfully  and  creditably  the  many 
positions  of  trust  to  which  he  was  called. 
He  died  at  Putney,  July  6,  1847,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six.  His  wife,  who  survived  hmi 
for  nine  years,  was  Esther,  daughter  of  Xehe- 
miah  and  Hepziba  Stevens  of  Plainfield, 
Conn.,  and  he  married  her  July  5,  1801. 

WALES,  George  E.— judge,  speaker 
of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  and 
four  years  in  Congress,  was  born  in  West- 
minster May  13,  1792,  studied  law  in  the 
offices  of  Gen.  Stephen  R.  Bradley  at  \\'est- 
minster  and  Titus  Hutchinson  at  \\'oodstock, 
was  admitted  to  the  Windsor  county  bar  in 
181 2,  and  settled  at  Hartford  that  year.  .-V 
man  of  brilliant  parts,  he  rapidly  rose  to 
success  and  prominence.  He  was  Hartford's 
representative  in  the  Legislature  in  1822, 
1823  and  1824.  He  was  in  his  first  term 
elected  speaker  on  the  resignation  of  D. 
.Azro  .-X.  Buck,  and  he  was  re-elected  in  1823 
and  1824,  holding  the  position  as  long  as 
he  was  in  the  House.  .\  nomination  to 
Congress  followed  these  triumphs,  and  he 
was  elected  in  1825,  and  re-elected  in  1829. 
But  here  he  formed  habits  of  dissipation 
that  brought  much  criticism  upon  him  and 
really  wrecked  his  political  career,  though 
doubtless  his  prominence  in  Masonry,  being 
grand  master  in  iS25-'27,  just  as  the  wave 
of  -Anti-Masonry  was  beginning  its  sweep  of 
the  state,  had  more  to  do  with  it.     At  least 


■it  brought  attack  for  things  that  would  other- 
wise have  passed  without  mention.  Doubt- 
less also  the  attack  and  defeat  aggravated 
the  evil.  After  leaving  Congress  he  located 
in  different  places  in  Windsor  county,  prac- 
ticing his  profession,  but  finally  returning  to 
Hartford,  where  he  was  elected  town  clerk 
in  1840,  and  held  the  position  until  his 
death.  He  was  elected  judge  of  probate 
for  the  Hartford  district  in  1S47,  but  held 
the  office  only  three  years.  He  was  active 
in  Masonry,  beginning  in  181 2,  he  being 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  lodge  at 
Hartford. 

Personally  he  was  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive men  we  have  had  in  public  life  ;  accom- 
I)lished,  eloquent,  quick-witted,  genial  and 
large-hearted,  ever  drawing  about  him  a 
coterie  of  friends  and  admirers. 

He  married  in  January,  1813,  Miss 
.\manda  Lathrop  of  Sharon,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children.  He  died  at  Hartford, 
Jan.  8,  i860. 

ALLEN,  Heman,  of  Milton — twice  a 
representative,  serving  in  all  eight  years,  and 
one  of  the  \Miig  leaders  of  his  time,  was 
-born  in  Ashfield,  Mass.,  within  limits  of  what 
was  anciently  1  )eerfield,  June  14,  1777, 
the  son  of  Enoch  Allen.  His  grandfather 
and  several  of  his  other  ancestors  were  \ic- 
tims  of  the  different  Indian  raids  upon  that 
historic  ground.  On  his  mother's  side  he 
was  descended  from  Elijah  Belding,  the 
first  town  clerk  of  Deerfield.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  only  twelve  years  old,  and 
a  few  years  later  the  family,  a  widow  and 
younger  children  came  up  to  (Irand  Isle 
where  two  of  their  uncles  had  preceded 
them.  Heman  remained  behind  for  a  time 
and  took  a  course  of  two  years  at  the  old 
■academy  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  then  he 
followed  to  Grand  Isle,  pursuing  his  classi- 
cal studies  under  Rev.  Asa  Lyon,  and  read- 
ing law  with  EInathan  Keyes  at  Burlington, 
and  Judge  Turner  at  Fairfield,  until  in  1S03 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  opened 
practice  at  Milton.  Though  a  modest  and 
unassuming  man,  very  diffident  about  ap- 
pearing in  court,  he  within  a  few  years 
secured  a  clientage  that  extended  through 
Chittenden,  Franklin  and  (irand  Isle  coun- 
ties, won  a  high  reputation  for  the  thorough- 
ness with  which  he  prepared  his  cases,  and 
as  the  best  real  estate   lawyer  in  the  circuit. 

He  represented  Milton  in  the  Legislature 
in  1 8 to,  and  eleven  years  afterward  between 
that  time  and  1S26,  whenever  in  fact  he 
would  be  a  candidate.  He  was  Milton's 
earliest  lawyer  and  a  man  whom  the  people 
there  almost  universally  admired.  He  was 
several  times  a  colleague  of  his  namesake  of 
Colchester  in  the  Legislature,  and  he  being 
a  Federalist  and  the  other  just  as  warm  a 


ALLEN.  147 

Democrat,  they  helped  to  keep  things  inter- 
esting. He  was  first  nominated  in  1826  for 
Congress  and  elected  only  after  a  close  con- 
test, because  his  candidacy  was  entangled 
with  that  of  Governor  Van  Ness  for  the 
Senate,  so  that  he  was  susjjected  of  being  a 
"  Jackson  man  "  and  jjartly  because  of  a  lack 
of  understanding  with  the  supporters  of 
IJenjamin  Swift.  He  served  only  one  term 
at  this  time  because  of  these  complications, 
but  was  again  elected  after  a  protracted  con- 
test in  1832,  and  three  times  re-elected.  He 
served  on  the  Revolutionary  claims  commit- 
tee where  he  stood  bravely  and  efficiently 
with  Hiland  Hall  against  the  swindlers  from 
X'irginia.  His  lawyer-like  habits  of  pains- 
taking care  and  thoroughness  made  his  con- 
gressional service  efficient.  He  was  defeated 
for  re-election  in  1S38  because  of  his  vote 
for  the  neutrality  bill  proposed  by  President 
Van  Buren  against  the  insurrection  which  had 
broken  out  in  Canada.  Mr.  Allen's  district 
was  a  hot-bed  of  sympathy  with  the  insur- 
rection and  he  understood  fully  the  risk  he 
took  with  this  vote,  but  it  was  clearly  right 
and  even  the  entreaties  of  his  friends  to 
at  least  absent  himself  from  the  roll  call 
could  not  shake  his  resolution  to  do  his 
duty.  The  September  election  failed  to  give 
a  majority  for  anybody  and  he  peremptorily 
refused  to  stand  for  the  second  contest.  It 
had  been  his  idea  from  the  first  that  the  un- 
popularity he  had  incurred  made  it  injudi- 
cious for  his  party  to  nominate  him,  but  he 
yielded  to  the  persuasions  of  his  enthusiastic 
supporters  in  accepting.  There  was  a  move- 
ment afterward  to  make  him  the  Whig  can- 
didate for  senator,  but  it  failed.  He  was  also 
offered  the  Whig  nomination  for  Governor 
but  declined  it. 

For  the  next  four  years  he  devoted  him- 
self with  all  his  energy  to  his  professional 
practice,  but  died  Dec.  11,  1844,  after  a  lin- 
gering illness  brought  on  by  a  cold  contract- 
ed in  the  service  of  a  client. 

Mr.  .\llen  wedded,  Dec.  4,  1804,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Dr.  John  Prentiss  of  St  .-Vlbans. 
There  were  nine  children,  of  whom  five  lived 
to  maturity.  Of  these  George  became  pro- 
fessor of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  University 
of  Pensylvania,  Joseph  W.  became  a  lawyer 
of  some  prominence,  and  Sarah  was  the 
wife  of  Rev.  J.  R.  Converse. 

His  son  George  describes  his  personal 
appearance  as  "  of  lofty  stature,  over  six  feet 
high,  and  of  commanding  presence.  His 
strongly  marked  countenance  indicated  that 
combination  of  massive  strength  of  intellect 
with  inflexible  adherence  to  principle  in 
private  and  public  life,  which  formed  the 
salient  points  of  his  character.  His  feat- 
ures, in  repose,  wore  a  slight  expression  of 
severity,  which  belied  the  real  kindness  of 
his  disposition.     The  dignified  simplicity  of 


his  manners  was  perfectly  expressive  of  his 
habitual  absence  of  all  personal  pretension." 

HUNT,  JONATHAN.— Congressman, 
i827-'32,  and  dying  in  the  service,  a  man 
of  remarkable  popular  strength  in  his  day, 
came  from  a  notable  \'ermont  family.  His 
father  was  Jonathan  Hunt,  Sr.,  who  was 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state  in  1794- 
'96,  a  native  of  Northfield,  Mass.,  a  leader 
in  the  early  troubles  of  the  settlers,  first  a 
"Yorker"  and  afterward  appointed  a  sheriff 
under  New  York  authority,  then  an  advocate 
of  the  division  of  the  "  Grants "  between 
New  York  and  New  Hampshire,  and  one  of 
the  committee  of  thirteen,  with  Luke  Knowl- 
ton,  Charles  Phelps  and  Micah  Townshend, 
to  prepare  a  plan  to  establish  still  another 
new  government  out  of  parts  of  \'ermont 
and  New  Hampshire,  and  only  joining  the 
"new  state"  men,  as  did  Knowlton  and 
Townshend,  when  they  saw  that  these 
schemes  were  hopeless.  He  was  one  of 
four  brothers,  who  were  all  men  of  superior 
abilities  and  large  influence  in  the  affairs  of 
this  part  of  the  country.  Among  them  was 
Gen.  Arad  Hunt,  of  Yernon,  who  got  his 
title  in  the  command  of  Yermont  militia, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Wesminster  con- 
vention of  June,  1776,  and  who  donated 
5,000  acres  of  land  in  the  town  of  Albany, 
Vt.,  to  Middlebury  College.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  Governeur  Morris  of  New 
York.  The  distinguished  Hunt  family  of 
New  York  is  also  a  branch  of  this,  which 
was  also  connected  by  marriage  with  the 
Seymours  of  Connecticut. 

Gov.  Jonathan  Hunt,  the  father  of  the 
congressman,  married  Lavinia  Swan  of  Bos- 
ton, a  woman  of  superior  intellectual  en- 
dowments, a  former  pupil  of  President  John 
Adams,  and  their  home  in  Vernon,  with  its 
wealth  and  generous  hospitality,  was  long  a 
social  center  for  the  best  and  brainiest  peo- 
ple in  New  England.  With  such  an  ances- 
try and  such  surroundings,  Jonathan  Hunt, 
Jr.,  who  was  born  August  12,  17S0,  natur- 
ally came  up  a  man  of  unusual  talent  and 
promise,  uniting  as  he  did  uniform  industry 
and  perseverance  to  his  other  advantages. 
He  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1807, 
studied  law  at  Brattleboro,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Windham  county  bar  in  November, 
1792. 

He  settled  in  a  practice,  which  grew  to  be 
extensive,  at  Brattleboro,  and  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  town's  commercial 
and  social  life.  He  was  chosen  the  first 
president  of  the  old  Brattleboro  Bank,  after 
its  incorporation  in  1821,  and  held  the  posi- 
tion until  his  death.  He  represented  the 
town  in  the  Legislature  in  i8i6-'i7-'24. 
He  succeeded  ^^'illiam  C.  Bradley  as  repre- 
sentative in  Congress  in  1827  and  was  twice 


re-elected,  holding  the  office  until  his  death 
in  Washington,  May  15,  1832,  aged  only 
forty-two.  The  news  of  his  death  was  re- 
ceived almost  as  a  personal  bereavement  by 
the  people  of  the  district,  so  deep  was  the 
hold  he  had  obtained  on  their  affections  and 
regard. 

Mr.  Hunt  married  Jane  Maria  Leavitt. 
Among  the  five  children  were  William  Mor- 
ris Hunt,  the  artist  of  world-wide  renown, 
and  Richard  M.  Hunt,  the  architect,  of  New 
York. 

CAHOON,  Gen.  William.— in  Con- 
gress from  1827  to  1833,  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor  1820-22,  was  born  at  Providence, 
R.  I.,  in  I  774,  the  son  of  Laniel  Cahoon  and 
brother  of  Daniel  Cahoon,  Jr.,  the  first  settler 
of  Lyndon.  The  misfortunes  of  Revolution- 
ary times  brought  to  comparative  poverty 
and  to  Vermont  the  father,  who  had  been  an 
importing  merchant  and  was  one  of  the 
charter  grantees  of  Lyndon,  where  the  family 
has  ever  been  one  of  prominence.  The 
elder  Cahoon  was  town  representative  eight 
years,  selectman  eleven,  and  town  clerk  fif- 
teen in  succession.  Ihe  son,  \\'illiam,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  latter  position  in  1808  and 
held  it  uninterruptedly  until  he  went  to  Con- 
gress. He  was  elected  town  representative 
in  1802  and  re-elected  eight  times.  He  was 
a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  con\  entions 
of  1814  and  1828,  a  Madison  presidential 
elector  in  1808,  judge  of  the  Caledonia 
county  court  i8ii-'i9,  and  councilor  18 15- 
'20.  He  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most 
influential  Democratic  leaders  of  the  state, 
and  was  one  of  the  candidates  for  councilor 
counted  out  in  the  close  contest  of  181 3. 
He  obtained  his  title  of  general  in  the  miL 
itia  and  was  the  commander  of  the  fourth 
division  at  the  time  of  the  war  of  1812,  with 
the  rank  of  major-general. 

EVERETT,  HORACE.— Congressman 
for  years,  one  of  the  strong  A\'hig  leaders, 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1780.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Brown  L'niversity  in  1797,  studied 
law,  and  practiced  in  Windsor.  He  was 
state's  attorney  for  Windsor  county  1813-'!  7 
and  became  famous  as  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful jury  advocates  in  the  state.  He  repre- 
sented ^^'indsor  in  the  Legislature  in  18 19, 
1820,  1822,  1824,  and  1834,  and  was  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  state  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1828,  and  in  that  year  also 
was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Whig,  defeating 
George  K.  \\'ales.  He  was  re-elected  to  the 
Twenty-third  Congress  on  the  second  trial, 
receiving  304  majority;  was  re-elected  again 
to  the  Twenty-fourth,  defeating  Anderson 
(Dem.)  and  Arnold  (Whig),  and  again  to 
the  Twenty-fifth  and  Twenty-sixth  Con- 
gresses, receiving  5,183  votes  in  the  latter 


149 


year  against  3,841  votes  for  Partridge  (Dem.), 
and  was  re-elected  to  tlie  Twenty-seventh — 
2,222  majority — serving  from  Dec.  7,  1829, 
to  Marcli  3,  1843. 

His  chief  fame  in  Congress  was  made  by 
his  advocacy  of  the  rights  of  the  Indians. 
Among  his  notable  speeches  was  that  of  June 
3,  1836,  against  the  Indian  bounty  bill  and 
the  removal  of  the  Creeks,  Seminoles,  Cher- 
okees,  Choctaws,  and  Chickasaws  to  Indian 
'I'erritory,  a  very  exhaustive  one,  and  he  pre- 
dicted that  the  removal  only  changed  the 
scene  of  war.  He  died  at  Windsor  [an.  30, 
1851. 

DEMING,   Benjamin  F.— Who  was 

.sent  to  the  House  for  one  term,  i833-'35, 
being  elected  from  the  Fifth  congressional 
district  on  the  .Anti-Masonic  ticket  by  a 
large  majority,  was  a  native  of  Danville, 
where  he  was  born  in  1790.  He  received 
only  a  common  school  education,  began  life 
as  a  clerk  in  a  store  and  then  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  a  merchant  at  Danville  until  he 
gave  up  his  time  to  his  public  duties.  He 
was  for  sixteen  years,  i8i7-'32,  the  Cale- 
donia county  clerk,  and  eleven  years, 
i82i-'32,  judge  of  probate,  and  councilor 
for  six  years,  1827  to  1833,  winning  in  these 
positions  the  reputation  which  secured  his 
nomination  to  Congress.  He  served,  how- 
ever, only  one  session,  and  contracting  a 
disease  of  the  bowels  at  Washington,  died 
while  on  his  way  home,  at  Saratoga  Springs, 
X.  v.,  July  II,  1834,  aged  only  forty-four. 
He  left  a  wife  and  young  family. 

He  was  a  man  of  "  more  than  ordinary 
talent,  of  a  calm  and  deliberative  mind, 
quick  of  perception,  prompt,  apt  and  up- 
right in  business  transactions,  gentle  and 
winning  socially,  and  benevolent  in  ideas." 

JANES,  Henry  F.— Congressman  1835- 
'37,  councilor  from  1830  to  1834,  and  state 
treasurer  from  1830  to  1841,  was  of  a  family 
that  was  among  the  pioneers  in  Vermont, 
and  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  several 
towns.  He  was  himself  born  in  October, 
1792,  at  Brimfield,  Mass.,  the  third  of  eight 
children  of  Solomon  and  Beulah  (Fisk) 
Janes.  The  family  came  in  his  early  boy- 
hood to  Calais,  and  he  studied  law  at  Mont- 
pelier,  enlisted  from  there  in  a  company 
that  was  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg  in  the 
war  of  181 2,  and  settled  in  Waterbury  for 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  18 17,  being 
reasonably  successful  with  his  cases  as  well 
as  in  amassing  a  competence  and  in  winning 
popular  favor.  He  was  postmaster  for  ten 
years,  i82o-'29.  Then  he  was  immediately 
elected  a  councilor,  serving  four  years,  till 
I S34,  and  then  promoted  to  Congress  where 
he  represented  the  district  for  one  term,  and 
then    was    elected    state    treasurer,    serving 


three  years,  1838  to  1S41.  This  closed  his 
political  life  in  a  large  field,  though  he  was 
a  member  of  the  council  of  censors  in  1848, 
and  represented  Waterbury  several  terms  in 
the  Legislature,  his  last  election  being  in 
1S55.  He  died  June  6,  1879,  i"  his  eighty- 
eighth  year.  He  wedded,  in  1826,  Fanny, 
daughter  of  Cov.  Ezra  Butler  ;  and  Dr.  Henry 
Janes,  a  distinguished  physician  and  war 
surgeon,  was  their  son. 

Mr.  Janes  is  described  as  a  most  just  man 
in  every  relation  of  life,  with  clear,  strong 
judgment,  and  conscientious  devotion  to 
duty. 

FLETCHER,  GEN.  Isaac— Representa- 
tive in  Congress  for  two  terms,  i837-'4i,  was 
native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in  1784,  and  a 
graduate  of  Dartmouth.  After  teaching  the 
academy  awhile  at  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  he 
studied  law  with  Mr.  Vose  in  that  state  and 
Judge  White  at  Putney,  and  established  him- 
self in  practice  at  Lyndon.  He  rose  rapidly 
to  the  front  rank  of  the  profession,  participa- 
ting for  a  time  in  the  trial  of  nearly  every 
case  in  Caledonia,  Orleans  and  Kssex  coun- 
ties, and  literally  wearing  himself  out  with 
overwork.  He  represented  Lyndon  in  the 
(General  .Assembly  four  years,  was  state's 
attorney  of  Caledonia  county  eight  years  and 
was  adjutant-general  on  the  staff  of  Gover- 
nor Van  Ness,  getting  his  title  from  that 
source.  His  health  had  failed  before  he  got 
far  in  his  congressional  service  and  though 
he  was  still  faithful  to  his  duties,  his  weak- 
ness prevented  his  attaining  any  distinction. 
He  died  in  October,  1842,  just  after  the 
close  of  his  second  term. 

He  married  Miss  .Abagail  Stone  of  Chester- 
field who  survived  him.  His  only  son,  C. 
B.  Fletcher,  a  lawyer  of  Boston,  was  a  man  of 
brilliant  parts,  but  died  of  consumption  at 
the  age  of  thirty-four. 

SMITH,  John.— Representative  in  Con- 
gress, i839-'4i,  and  one  of  the  chief  projec- 
tors of  the  Vermont  &  Canada  R.  R.,  was 
a  native  of  Barre,  Mass.,  born  August  12, 
1789,  and  the  son  of  Deacon  Samuel  Smith. 
The  family  moved  to  St.  .Albans  in  1800, 
where  young  John  had  only  the  advantage 
of  the  slender  educational  facilities  of  the 
town,  studied  law  first  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  Roswell  Hutchins,  and  then  with  Ben- 
jamin Swift,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1810, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Swift, 
which  continued  with  high  success  for  seven- 
teen years,  until  Mr.  Swift  went  to  Congress. 
He  represented  the  town  in  the  General 
Assembly  ten  years,  from  1827  to  1S38,  with 
the  exception  of  1834,  and  was  speaker  of 
the  House  in  '32  and  '33.  He  was  state's 
attorney  for  Franklin  county  seven  years, 
i827-'33.     In   1838  the   Democrats  of  that 


'SO 


district  nominated  him  for  Congress,  and, 
thougli  the  district  was  strongly  U'hig,  Mr. 
Smith  was  elected,  after  a  vigorous  canvass 
to  which  his  large  personal  popularity  added 
much  strength.  But  it  was  only  for  one 
term.  The  great  political  storm  of  1840 
left  him  high  and  dry  at  home.  His  con- 
gressional service  was  of  course  too  short  to 
permit  any  great  reputation  in  it  to  be  won, 
but  he  made  one  speech,  a  defense  of  the 
independent  treasury  idea,  which  was  wide- 
ly published  and  counted  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  thorough  ever  made  on  the  sub- 
ject. His  defeat  for  re-election  to  Congress 
closed  his  public  life  and  he  returned  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  until  1845,  after 
which  he  gave  his  time  and  energies  chiefly 
to  railroad  enterprises,  and  it  was  to  him  in 
conjunction  with  Lawrence  Brainerd  and 
Joseph  Clark  and  to  their  boldness  of  action 
through  the  most  critical  emergencies,  risk- 
ing their  entire  fortunes  in  the  project  by 
borrowing  $350,000  on  their  personal  credit, 
that  the  Vermont  &  Canada  road  was  made 
a  reality  and  the  last  link  forged  that  was  to 
connect  New  England  with  the  great  lakes. 

The  conception  was  a  great  one  and  by 
energy  and  sagacity  was  it  reahzed,  but  the 
triumph  was  followed  by  perplexing  and  ex- 
hausting labor  to  make  a  business  success  of 
the  enterprise,  and  the  strain  and  the 
anxiety  undermined  Mr.  Smith's  health  and 
led  to  his  sudden  death,  Nov.  20,  1858. 

Mr.  Smith  was  a  man  of  large  mold,  liberal 
and  public-spirited,  of  clean  and  worthy  ])ri- 
vate  life,  and  in  the  words  of  a  local  biogra- 
pher :  "  An  earnest  Christian  man,  full  of 
charity  and  good  works,  without  partiality 
and  without  hypocrisy." 

He  married,  Sept.  18,  1814,  Miss  Maria 
W.  Curtis,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  Gov.  John 
Gregory  and  Congressman  W'orthington  C. 
Smith  were  their  sons. 

YOUNG,  AUGUSTUS.— Representative 
in  Congress  tS4i-'43,  and  a  scientific  author 
of  reputation,  was  born  in  Arlington,  March 
20,  1785,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  St.  Albans  in  18 10,  began  practice 
at  Stowe,  but  in  about  eighteen  months 
moved  to  Craftsbury,  where  his  active  life 
was  spent.  He  represented  the  town  eight 
years,  was  state's  attorney  for  Orleans  county 
four  years,  and  judge  of  probate  in  1 830. 
He  was  elected  state  senator  in  1836,  and 
was  twice  re-elected.  His  election  to  Con- 
gress was  in  1840,  but  he  declined  a  re-elec- 
tion. In  1847  he  moved  back  to  St.  .Albans, 
and  for  several  years  was  judge  of  probate, 
but  devoted  most  of  his  time  until  his  death. 
Tune  17,  1857,  to  literary  and  scientific  pur- 
suits, and  was  appointed  state  naturalist  in 
1856.  He  was  one  of  the  most  learned  men 
the    state   ever   contained    in    geologv   and 


mineralogy,  was  a  great  mathematician  and 
a  profound  reasoner.  His  intellectual  charm 
was  such,  with  his  easy  and  kindly  manners, 
as  to  give  him  great  popularity,  and  though 
his  energies  were  perhaps  too  scattered  to 
win  the  greatest  success,  none  knew  him  but 
to  admit  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  talents. 

MARSH,  George  Perkins.— Son  of 

Congressman  Charles  Mansh  and  grandson  of 
the  Lieutenant-Governor,  a  lawyer,  congress- 
man, diplomat,  philologist  and  of  world-wide 
fame  as  an  author  and  scholar,  was  perhaps 
the  most  broadly  accomplished  man  the  state 
ever  produced.  He  was  born  March  15, 
1 80 1,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1820,  stud- 
ied law  in  his  father's  office,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1825,  and  settled  at  Burlington, 
speedily  acquiring  an  extensive  practice.  But 
he  divided  his  time  between  law,  literature 
and  politics,  and,  in  1835,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  (Governor's  council.  In  1842  he  was 
elected  representative  to  Congress  and  three 
times  re-elected,  until,  in  1849,  President 
Taylor  appointed  him  minister  to  Turkev. 
The  time  and  the  situation  were  such  as  to 
give  him  opportunity,  which  he  improved  to 
the  utmost,  to  render  important  service  to  the 
cause  of  ci\il  and  religious  toleration  in  the 
Turkish  empire.  The  marked  improvement 
of  the  system  of  the  Porte  in  this  respect  in 
the  past  forty  years  may  truly  be  said  to  be 
due  to  Mr.  Marsh  more  than  any  other  one 
man.  He  was  also  charged  in  1852  with  a 
s])ecial  mission  to  Greece,  which  he  filled  with 
added  reputation.  On  the  change  of  admin- 
istration, however,  in  1853,  he  was  relieved, 
and  returning  to  Vermont,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  rebuild  the  pres- 
ent state  house  in  Montpelier,  and,  in  1857, 
he  was  appointed  railroad  commissioner, 
serving  two  years.  In  1857,  also  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  Governor  Fletcher,  he  made  a 
\aluable  and  exhaustive  report  on  the  artifi- 
cial propagation  of  fish,  laying  the  foundation 
for  much  of  the  work  that  has  been  done 
since.  In  1 861  President  Lincoln  appointed 
him  minister  to  Italy,  and  he  held  the  position, 
being  the  patriarch  of  American  diplomacy, 
twenty-one  years,  until  his  death,  in  Valom- 
brosa,  not  far  from  Florence,  July  23,  1882. 

During  his  residence  abroad  he  travelled 
extensively  in  the  East  and  in  Europe,  pass- 
ing some  time  in  Denmark,  Sweden  and  Nor- 
way, where  he  has  long  been  recognized  as  a 
leading  Scand)na\ian  scholar.  His  published 
works  include  a  "  Compendious  Grammar  of 
the  Old  Northern  or  Icelandic  Language," 
compiled  and  translated  from  the  Grammar 
Rask  (Burlington,  1838)  ;  "The  Camel,  His 
Organization,  Habits  and  L'ses,  considered 
with  reference  to  his  introduction  into  the 
United  States"  (Boston,  1856)  ;  and  "Lec- 
tures on  the  English  Language"  (New  York, 


i86o)  ;  originally  delivered  in  1S59  in  tlie 
post-graduate  course  of  Columbia  College, 
New  York,  in  which  he  "aimed  to  excite  a 
more  general  interest  among  educated  men 
and  women  in  the  history  and  essential  char- 
acter of  their  native  tongue,  and  to  recom- 
mend the  study  of  the  Faiglish  language  in  its 
earlier  literary  monuments  rather  than 
through  the  medium  of  grammars  and  lin- 
guistic treatises. 

He  never  tired  in  dehing  in  the  languages 
and  literature  of  the  North  of  Europe,  and 
his  sympathies  appear  to  be  with  the  Goths, 
whose  presence  he  traces  in  whatever  is 
great  and  peculiar  in  the  character  of  the 
founders  of  New  England.  In  a  work  en- 
titled "The  Goths  in  New  England,"  he  has 
contrasted  the  Gothic  and  Roman  charac- 
ters, which  he  appears  to  regard  as  the  great 
antagonistic  principles  of  society  at  the 
present  day.  He  was  also  the  author  of  va- 
rious essays,  literary  and  historical,  relating 
to  the  Goths  and  their  connection  with 
.\merica. 

Still  another  of  his  works,  and  one  of  great 
merit,  was  "Man  and  Nature,"  first  pub- 
lished in  1864,  and  largely  re- written  and  re- 
published in  1874  under  the  title:  "The 
Earth  as  Modified  by  Human  .Action."  He 
was  collaborator  in  the  preparation  of  the 
dictionary  of  the  English  language,  issued 
under  the  auspices  of  the  London  Philologi- 
cal Society.  And  his  miscellaneous  pub- 
lished addresses  and  speeches  are  quite 
numerous.  Henry  Swan  Dana  says  he 
"was  a  truly  learned  man,  in  the  variety  and 
thoroughness  of  his  acquisitions,  in  all  de- 
partments of  human  knowledge  being  almost 
without  a  peer  in  the  world."  His  library, 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  country,  rich  beyond 
compare  in  Scandinavian  literature,  he  pre- 
sented to  the  University  of  Vermont,  of 
whose  corporation  he  was  chosen  a  member, 
in  1844. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  who  lived  but  a  few  years  after  the  mar- 
riage, was  Harriet,  daughter  of  Ozias  Buell, 
of  Burlington.  The  second,  whom  he 
wedded  Dec.  i,  181 6,  was  Carohne  Crane, 
of  Berkeley,  Mass.,  a  woman  of  literary 
power  and  an  author  of  some  reputa- 
tion. Her  published  productions  are  : 
"The  Hallig ;  or,  the  Sheepfold  in  the 
Waters,"  translated  from  the  German  of 
Biernatzki,  with  a  biographical  sketch  of  the 
author  (Boston,  1S57)  ;  and  "Wolfe  of  the 
Knoll,  and  Other  Poems"  (New  ^'ork, 
i860). 

There  were  two  children  by  the  first  wife  : 
Charles,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  George 
Ozias,  a  promising  New  York  lawyer,  who 
died  when  only  thirty-three. 

HENRY,  William. — Congressman  for 
two  terms,  close  friend  of  Lincoln,  and   one 


of  the  fatliersof  the  now  large  village  of  ISel- 
lows  Falls,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in 
1788.  He  received  only  a  common  school 
education,  moved  to  Bellows  Falls,  where  he 
was  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Bellows  Falls  for 
fifteen  years,  and  held  various  stations  in 
l«iblic  life.  It  was  on  his  motion  in  1834 
that  the  act  incorporating  the  village  was 
accepted  at  a  meeting  of  the  corporation, 
after  it  had  once  been  rejected.  From  that 
time  up  to  and  including  1843,  Mr.  Henry 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  fire  wardens. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Harrisburg  conven- 
tion in  1839  which  nominated  (leneral  Har- 
rison and  a  presidential  elector  in  1S40.  In 
1846  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  and  was  re-elected  and 
served  two  terms.  In  i860  he  was  again 
elected  a  presidential  elector  and  during  the 
campaign  visited  Mr.  Lincoln  at  his  home 
in  Illinois,  with  whom  he  was  personally 
acquainted,  they  having  served  together  in 
Congress  where  their  seats  were  near  to- 
gether and  they  had  been  in  close  sympathy 
asU'higs.  The  Democratic  candidate  against 
him  at  both  his  elections  was  William  C. 
Bradley. 

Mr.  Henry  died  at  Bellows  Falls  .\pril  17, 
1 86 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  just  as  the 
great  civil  war  was  breaking  upon  the 
country.  Vp  to  his  last  moment  almost,  he 
followed  the  progress  of  events  with  intensest 
interest. 

PECK,  Lucius  B. — Representative  in 
Congress  from  1847  to  185 1,  was  born  at 
Waterbury  in  October,  1802,  the  son  of  Gen. 
lohn  Peck.  He  was  admitted  as  a  cadet  at 
West  Point  in  1822,  but  had  to  resign  be- 
cause of  ill-health  after  a  year's  study,  en- 
tered upon  the  study  of  law  first  with  Judge 
Prentiss  at  Montpelier,  and  then  with  Denni- 
son  Smith  at  Barre,  and  was  aidmitted  to  the 
bar  in  September,  1825.  He  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Smith,  who  had  an  exten- 
si\e  practice,  but  was  growing  old  so  that 
the  burden  soon  fell  upon  young  Peck's 
shouklers.  But  he  rapidly  rose  in  his  pro- 
fession and  became  one  of  the  leading 
lawyers  of  Washington  and  Orange  counties, 
and  the  worthy  antagonist  in  the  forensic 
forum  of  such  men  as  Paul  Dillingham, 
William  i'pham,  and  Jacob  Collamer.  He 
represented  Barre  in  1831,  but  soon  after 
moved  to  Montpelier,  where  he  devoted 
himself  to  his  profession  with  all  the  ardor  of 
his  nature,  keeping  out  of  politics  steadily  for 
fifteen  years.  In  1846  the  Democrats  of  the 
district  nominated  him  for  Congress  and 
elected  him,  and  re-elected  him  for  a  second 
term  in  184S.  While  in  Washington  he  was 
on  intimate  and  familiar  terms  with  such 
great  ]5arty  leaders  as  William  L.  Marcyand 
Daniel  S.  Dickinson.  He  was  also  twice 
the  Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  and 


152 


from  1853  to  1857  was  United  States  dis- 
trict attorney  by  appointment  of  President 
Pierce.  But  these  were  all  the  political 
honors  he  ever  held,  and  indeed  he  had  but 
little  taste  for  politics,  and  little  ambition  for 
its  contests  or  distinctions.  B.  F.  Fifield,  the 
able  lawyer  with  whom  he  was  in  partner- 
ship in  his  later  years,  says  that  i\Ir.  Peck 
often  told  him  that  the  greate.st  mistake  of 
his  life  was  in  going  to  Washington  at  all. 

He  resumed  his  professional  practice  after 
his  congressional  career  closed  and  to  the 
end  held  a  rank  close  to  the  front  at  the  bar 
of  the  state  and  being  especially  potent  in 
railroad  litigation.  He  was  president  of  the 
Vermont  &  Canada  road  from  1859  until  his 
death.  His  power  as  a  lawyer  and  poli- 
tician, too,  was  in  his  candor  and  fairness  of 
statement,  his  fine  and  unruffled  courtesy, 
his  masterful  analysis,  separating  the  true 
from  the  false,  the  essential  from  the  non- 
essential, and  the  clearness  with  which  he 
piled  up  proposition  upon  proposition  un- 
answerable. It  was  true  of  him,  as  his 
admiring  colleague  said  of  John  G.  Carlisle, 
that  he  "never  had  a  clouded  thought." 
He  was  slow  and  deliberate,  cautious  in  con- 
clusions, but  most  apt  to  be  convincing 
when  he  reached  them,  and  a  safe  and  dis- 
criminating adviser.  He  had  little  of  the 
art  of  oratory  or  the  embellishments  of 
fancy  ;  he  spoke  to  convince,  not  to  please. 

He  married  in  1S30  the  daughter  of  Ira 
Day  of  Barre,  an  accomplished  lady  with 
whom  his  home  life  was  a  most  beautiful  one 
for  the  fifteen  years  until  her  death  in  1845. 

He  was  stricken  with  paralysis  while  on  a 
professional  visit  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  died 
there  Dec.  28,  1S66. 

HEBARD,  William.— Was  a  self-made 
and  self-educated  man,  and  read  law  with 
William  Nutting  of  Randolph.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Orange  county  bar  in  1827,  and 
commenced  to  practice  at  East  Randolph, 
but  in  1845  removed  to  Chelsea,  and  re- 
mained there  practicing  his  profession  until 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  popular  men  of  his  time, 
represented  Randolph  four  years,  and  Chel- 
sea five  years  in  the  General  Assembly  ;  was 
state  senator  in  i836-'38,  and  state's  attor- 
ney in  i832-'34-'36 ;  judge  of  probate  in 
1838,  1840,  and  1 84 1,  and  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Vermont  from  1842  to 
1844  inclusive.  In  1848  he  was  elected  to 
Congress,  and  again  in  1850.  In  i860  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  national  Republican 
convention  that  nominated  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. Judge  Barrett  of  the  Supreme  Court 
pays  him  this  tribute  ;  "I  think  his  promi- 
nent characteristics  were  candor,  consider- 
ateness,  integrity  and  faithfulness.  He  was 
plain  and  practical,  with  substantial  common 


sense  that  gave  itself  with  faithful  effort  to 
such  office  as  he  was  called  to  do,  and  the 
estimate  in  which  he  was  held  is  amply  and 
best  attested  by  the  fact  of  his  large  and  long 
continued  professional  practice  with  all  classes 
of  the  community,  by  his  early  and  oft  re- 
peated calls  to  offices  of  important  respon- 
sibility, in  which  his  integrity  and  assiduity 
were  always  conspicuous  ;  by  the  universal 
respect  in  which  he  was  held  as  a  citizen,  as 
a  member  of  society,  as  a  neighbor,  and  as  a 
friend." 

As  an  advocate,  in  the  putting  of  his  facts 
and  ideas,  his  propositions  and  his  argument 
into  written  expression  he  had  unusual  facility 
and  merit. 

Judge  Hebard  married  Elizabeth  Stockwell 
(Brown),  Sept.  12,  1830.  He  died  at  Chel- 
sea at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  Oct.  20,  1875. 

MEACHAM,  James.— College  professor 
and  Congregational  preacher  as  well  as  poli- 
tician, was  born  in  Rutland,  August  10,  1810, 
and  being  left  an  orphan  in  early  childhood 
was  apprenticed  to  a  cabinet  maker.  But  a 
benevolent  neighbor,  impressed  with  his  tal- 
ents and  ambition,  assisted  him  to  an  educa- 
tion, and  he  graduated  from  Middlebury  in 
1832,  took  a  course  of  theology  at  Andover, 
and  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  at  New  Haven  in  1838.  He 
had  been  employed  before  completing  his 
education  as  a  teacher  in  the  academies  at 
Castleton  and  St.,  Albans,  and  for  two  years, 
from  1836,  had  been  a  tutor  at  Middlebury. 
In  1846,  he  was  called  back  to  the  college  to 
take  the  professorship  of  elocution  and  Eng- 
lish literature.  His  reputation  as  an  orator, 
writer  and  man  of  high  culture  rapidly  ex- 
tended and  in  1848  he  was  elected  to  Con 
gress,  served  four  terms  and  had  been 
unanimously  nominated  for  a  fifth  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  August  23,  1856,  at  the 
age  of  only  forty-six.  He  resigned  his 
chair  in  the  college  in  1850  and  devoted  him- 
self entirely  to  his  public  and  political 
duties.  In  Congress  he  was  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and  the  severe  labors  of  the  position  are 
what  undermined  his  health.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  opposition  to  the  abroga- 
tion of  the  Missouri  compromise,  which  he 
regarded  as  a  contract  which  both  sides 
were  bound  to  obey  in  good  faith,  and  he 
warned  the  Southerners  that  if  they  persis- 
ted it  was  the  last  compromise  that  would 
be  made  between  the  clashing  interests  of 
the  sections.  .\  number  of  his  speeches 
while  in  Congress  have  been  published. 

MINER,  AHLMAN  L.— Representative  in 
Congress,  i85i-'53,  was  a  native  of  Middle- 
town,  the  son  of  Deacon  Gideon  and 
Rachel  (Davison)  Miner,  and  was  born 
Sept.  23,  1804. 


I 


'53 


Heworkeilon  his  father's  farm  until  he 
was  of  age  and  then  fitted  for  the  sophomore 
class  in  college,  hut  instead  of  entering  studied 
law  in  the  offices  of  Malloney  &:  Warner  at 
Poultney  and  Royce  &  Hodges  at  Rutland  ; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1832  ;  practiced  for 
three  years  at  W'allingford  and  then  moved 
to  Manchester.  He  represented  the  latter 
town  four  years  in  the  Legislature,  1838,  '39, 
'46  and  '54  and  was  also  in  1840  county 
senator.  He  was  clerk  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  i836-'38  ;  state's  attorney 
for  Hennington  county  in  i843-'44  ;  register 
of  probate  seven  years  and  judge  of  probate 
three  years,  i846-'49.  His  nomination  for 
Congress,  by  the  Whigs  from  the  southern 
district  of  the  state,  in  185 1,  was  secured 
after  one  of  the  hardest  fought  pre-conven- 
tion  campaigns  the  state  has  ever  seen. 
Col.  Calvin  Townsley  opposing  him.  He 
was  a  man  of  popular  power,  social  and  en- 
gaging personally.  He  was  twice  married 
and  had  eight  children.  He  died  July  19, 
1886. 

BARTLETT,  THOMAS  Jr.— Was  a  na- 
tive of  Burke,  the  son  of  Thomas  liartlett,  a 
man  of  ability  and  local  prominence  in  his 
time.  \'oung  Bardett  studied  law  and  set- 
tled in  Lyndon  in  1839  ;  in  '41  and  '42  he  was 
the  state's  attorney  for  the  county,  in  1840 
and  '41  was  in  the  state  Senate  and  in  1850 
was  elected  to  Congress  for  a  single  term.  In 
the  former  year  he  was  also  chosen  the  town's 
representative  and  again  filled  that  position 
in  '54  and  '55.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  constitutional  conventions  of  1850  and 
'57  and  presided  over  the  former  body.  At 
that  time  he  was  one  of  the  most  influential 
men  of  his  district  and  of  the  state. 

TRACY,  ANDREW. —  In  Congress  for 
one  term  and  speaker  of  the  state  House  of 
Representatives  for  three  years,  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Dec.  15,  1797,  the  son  of  James 
and  Mercy  (Richmond)  Tracy.  The  family 
was  one  of  worthy  and  prosperous  farmers, 
but  it  was  decided  to  give  young  .Andrew  an 
education,  because  he  was  not  robust  physic- 
ally. He  was  fitted  for  college  at  the  Royal- 
ton  and  Randolph  Academies,  and  entered 
Dartmouth,  but  remained  there  only  two 
years,  because  his  friend  and  classmate, 
Leonard  Marsh,  had  to  leave  on  account  of 
trouble  with  his  eyes.  The  two  young  men 
then  struck  out  into  New  York  state,  and 
Tracy  taught  school  at  Troy  for  two  years. 
Returning  home  he  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  George  E.  Wales,  being  a  portion  of  the 
time  postmaster  at  White  River  village,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S26,  and  began 
]iractice  in  Quechee  village,  enlarging  his 
clientage  and  reputation  steadily  until  it  be- 
came of  state  extent.      In  1838  he  moved  to 


Woodstock,  where  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Norman  Williams  that  lasted  until  the 
spring  of  1839,  when  Mr.  Williams  became 
t  ounty  clerk.  The  next  year  he  formed  one 
with  Julius  Converse,  and  in  1849  with  Con- 
verse and  James  Barrett,  which  lasted  until 
he  went  to  Congress. 

For  more  than  a  generation  Woodstock 
was  famous  as  a  place  of  big  lawyers,  and 
this  firm,  and  Mr.  Tracy  at  its  head,  more 
than  kept  alive  the  tradition  and  held  its 
rank  among  some  of  the  ablest  competitors 
ever  gathered  at  any  bar.  Of  him  W.  H. 
Tucker,  Hartford's  historian,  says  :  "  Mr. 
Tracy's  power  and  strength  as  a  lawyer  and 
advocate  consisted  in  his  wonderful  quickness 
of  perception,  the  rapidity  with  which  he 
could  adapt  facts  to  legal  principles,  his 
quick  comprehension  of  the  full  merits  or 
demerits  of  a  case,  his  keen  discriminating 
analysis  of  facts,  the  nervous  power  and 
eloquence  with  which  he  presented  facts  to 
a  jury,  and  in  his  masterly  power  of  sarcasm 
and  invective.  Mr.  Tracy  was  not  what  we 
called  a  learned  lawyer,  he  rarely  read  text- 
books or  reports,  but  consulted  them  in 
connection  with  his  cases.  He  was  well 
grounded  in  the  principles  of  common  law, 
and  in  his  arguments  of  legal  points,  rea- 
soned from  first  principles,  and  rarely  cited 
or  referred  to  decisions." 

H.  S.  Swan,  the  Woodstock  historian,  tells 
of  his  swift  and  ready  way  of  speaking,  the 
force  and  compactness  of  his  statements,  and 
the  keenness  of  his  sarcasm. 

His  political  career  would  have  been  one 
of  equal  brilliance  if  his  tastes  had  permitted 
him  to  persist  in  it.  He  was  at  first  a  National 
or  Adams  Republican  and  then  after  the  Whig 
partv  was  formed  an  ardent  follower  of  it. 
He  represented  Hartford  in  the  Legislature 
for  four  years,  i833-'37,  and  after  his  removal 
to  Woodstock,  he  was,  in  1839,  elected  a 
state  senator.  In  1840  he  was  a  candidate 
against  Horace  Everett  for  the  Whig  nomina- 
tion for  Congress,  but  was  defeated  after 
a  hard  fight,  much  to  his  chagrin.  In  1842, 
however,  Woodstock  sent  him  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  he  was  immediately  made  speaker, 
being  re-elected  in  1843  and  1844,  as  long  as 
he  was  in  the  House  and  coming  out  with 
great  eclat.  In  1852,  he  was  nominated  and 
elected  to  Congress  as  a  Whig,  but  declined 
re-election  after  serving  one  term,  being 
thoroughly  satiated  with  political  honors  and 
a  good  deal  disgusted  with  what  he  saw  at 
Washington.  He  returned  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession  with  renewed  zest  and  con- 
tinued at  it  without  further  distraction  through 
his  active  life. 

Personally,  he  is  described  as  a  tall,  slim, 
cadaverous  man,  who  to  a  stranger  would 
seem  to  be  in  the  last  stages  of  consum])tion. 
But  his  step  was  ever  quick  and  elastic,  and 


154 


he  had  a  great  amount  of  energy  and  an  in- 
domitable will,  though  never  a  well  man. 
He  died  at  Woodstock,  Oct.  28,  186S. 

SABIN,  ALVAH.— Another  preacher-pol- 
itician of  a  power  approaching  that  of  Niles, 
Lyon,  Leland  and  the  giants  of  the  earlier 
days,  was  born  in  Georgia,  Oct.  23,  1793. 
the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Polly  ( McMaster ) 
Sabin.  He  was  graduated  at  Columbian  Col- 
lege in  the  District  of  Columbia,  educated 
for  the  Baptist  ministry,  and  preached  at 
Cambridge,  Westfield  and  Underhill  until  he 
was  settled  in  Georgia  in  1825.  Here  he  re- 
mained, a  fine  specimen  of  the  old-time 
power  of  the  country  minister  in  the  com- 
munity, for  forty- two  years,  removing  in  1867 
to  Sycamore,  111.,  where  he  continued  his 
ministerial  duties  as  long  as  life  and  strength 
lasted.  His  only  brother,  Daniel  Sabin,  was 
also  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and  after  preach- 
ing at  Swanton,  North  Fairfax,  and  other 
places  for  several  years,  went  to  Wisconsin. 

Parson  Sabin  was  ten  times  his  town's 
representative  in  the  Legislature,  in  1826, 
'35.  '38.  '40,  47,  '48,  '49.  5''  '61,  and  '62, 
and  in  the  latter  sessions,  though  nearly 
seventy  years  old,  was  prominent  in  the  war 
legislation.  He  was  three  times  county 
senator,  in  i84i,'43  and  '45  and  was  secre- 
tary of  state  in  1841.  He  was  also  county 
commissioner  for  Franklin  county  under  the 
prohibitory  law  in  1861  and  '62. 

He  was  first  elected  to  Congress  in  1852 
and  re-elected  in  1854. 

HODGES,  George  T.— Was  born  in 
Clarendon,  July  4,  17S9,  the  son  of  Dr. 
.Silas  Hodges,  a  surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  and  for  some  time  in  the  military 
family  of  General  Washington,  and  for  twenty 
years  the  leading  physician  of  his  section. 
George  was  the  third  son  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  and  took  a  partial  course  in 
college,  but  abandoned  it  for  a  business 
career  and  went  to  Rutland  where  he  was  a 
prosperous  merchant  for  many  years  and 
until  his  death.  He  served  repeatedly  in 
both  houses  of  the  Legislature.  On  the 
death  of  Hon.  James  Meacham,  representa- 
tive to  Congress,  in  1856,  he  was  chosen  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
old  Bank  of  Rutland  from  its  organization 
in  1825,  until  his  death,  and  its  president 
from  1834.  He  was  also  a  director  and  the 
vice-president  of  the  Rutland  &  Burlington 
R.  R.,  from  its  commencement. 

He  was  also  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Ver- 
mont Agricultural  Society.  He  was  a  man 
of  dignified  and  courteous  demeanor  and 
with  a  good  deal  of  ability  in  both  business 
and  political  affairs.  He  died  at  Rutland 
Sept.  9,  t86o. 


WALTON,     ELIAKIM     p.— Representa- 
tive in  Congress 
from     1857    to 
1863,  one  of  the 
great  editors  of 
the  state,  and  a 
valuable    c  o  n  - 
tributor    to    its 
history,wasborn 
a  t    ^Iontpelier, 
Feb.    17,   t8i2, 
the  son  of  Gen. 
E.  P.  and  Prus- 
s  i  a    (  Parsons  ) 
Walton.      The 
family  was   of 
Quaker    origin, 
and  the   father, 
who  rose    to  be  major-general  of  the  state 
militia,  was  also  for  years  one  of  the  chief 
editorial  powers  of  the  state,  who  probably 
did  more  than  any  other  one  man  towards 
building  up  the  old  Whig  party  and  its  suc- 
cessor to  secure  ascendency,  and  who  was 
nominated  for  ( Governor  by  the  first  Repub- 
lican convention  in  1S54,  but  withdrew  in 
favor  of  Judge  Royce  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
solidating  the   various    elements    into    one 
organization. 

Eliakim,  the  eldest  of  his  children,  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
Washington  county  grammar  school,  but, 
better  than  all,  had  a  double  advantage  in  in- 
struction by  a  cultured  and  discriminating 
mother  and  of  training  at  the  printer's  case 
in  his  father's  office.  He  studied  law  in  the 
ofifice  of  Samuel  &  S.  B.  Prentiss,  where  he 
also  obtained  an  instructive  insight  into 
national  politics,  as  the  former  was  then 
United  States  senator.  But  instead  of  giv- 
ing his  life  to  law  he  was,  when  twenty-one,, 
in  1833,  taken  into  partnership  with  his 
father  in  the  publication  of  the  Vermont 
Watchman  and  State  Journal  and  in  the 
general  printing  and  publishing,  book-bind- 
ing and  paper-making  business.  Soon  the 
main  editorial  duties  fell  upon  him,  while 
General  \Valton's  attention  was  chiefly  ab- 
sorbed in  the  other  departments  of  the  busi- 
ness, and  for  thirty-five  years,  except  while  in 
Congress  and  engaged  in  other  public  duties, 
he  was  constantly  in  the  editorial  harness.  He 
established  the  first  exclusively  legislative 
newspaper,  which  soon  expanded  into  a 
daily.  Early  in  the  war  he  started  a  daily, 
maintained  a  li\e  correspondent  in  e\ery 
Vermont  regiment  at  the  front  and  gathered 
and  preserved  in  this  way  an  immense 
quantity  of  historical  data  that  is  of  price- 
less value. 

Like  his  father  he  was  not  a  seeker  for 
office  for  himself,  but  in  1853  represented 
Montpelier  in  the  Legislature,  and  three 
vears  later,  at  the  solicitation  of  ludge  Col- 


1 


lamer  and  other  party  leaders,  reluctantly 
consented  to  stand  for  Congress  in  order  to 
solve  a  political  situation  that  was  full  of 
com[)lications.  He  was  easily  elected  by  a 
majority  of  over  three  to  one,  and  twice  re- 
elected, in  1858  and  i860.  His  most  notable 
speeches  during  this  service  were  on  the 
admission  of  Kansas  to  the  Union  in  March, 
1858;  on  the  tariff  question,  in  February, 
1859  ;  on  the  state  of  the  Union,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1 86 1,  and  on  the  confiscation  of  rebel 
property,  in  May,  1862.  He  demonstrated 
by  an  exhaustive  table  of  figures  the  injustice 
to  Vermont  and  seven  other  states  of  the 
apportionment  act  of  1862,  based  on  the 
census  of  i860,  and  calling  Senator  Coila- 
mer's  attention  to  it,  the  latter  procured  the 
passage  of  a  supplementary  act  by  whii  h 
Vermont's  representation  in  the  House  wa> 
sa\ed  from  being  cut  down  from  three  U> 
two.  He  performed  a  similar  service  for  the 
state  under  the  act  after  the  census  of  1870, 
and  Edmunds  and  Thurman,  producing  his 
facts  and  figures,  carried  an  amendment 
which  again  sa\ed  the  threatened  states 
from  a  cut-down. 

Mr.  Walton,  returning  to  private  life,  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  the  Watchman  until 
1868,  when  he  sold  it  to  J.  and  J.  M.  Poland, 
but  continued  to  write  much  as  long  as  he 
lived.  He  was  a  member  of  the  constitu- 
tional con\ention  of  1870  and  a  senator 
from  U'ashington  county  for  two  terms,  1874 
to  '78.  He  was  three  times  a  delegate  to 
national  conventions,  in  1840  to  the  young 
men's  convention  at  Baltimore,  in  1864  to  the 
Republican  convention  at  Philadelphia,  and 
in  1866  the  Philadelphia  convention  to  meet 
and  consult  with  southern  men.  He  was 
])resident  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society 
from  the  retirement  of  Rev.  Dr.  Lord  in 
1876  until  his  death,  and  of  the  Vermont 
Fxiitors'  and  Publishers'  Association  from  its 
organization  until  1881.  He  edited  Vol.  II 
of  the  collections  of  the  Vermont  Historical 
Society,  including  the  Haldimand  Papers 
and  the  eight  volumes  of  the  "  Records  of 
the  (;o\ernor  and  Council,"  and  his  notes — 
biographical,  historical  and  explanatory — 
exhibit  a  painstaking  and  exhaustive  re- 
search, while  the  ilhnnination  of  the  Haldi- 
mand business,  under  his  careful  analysis, 
was  a  service  to  the  state  and  to  the  truth  of 
history  which  cannot  be  too  highly  appreci- 
ated, 'j'he  "\"erraont  Capitol,"  1857,  consisted 
mainly  of  his  reports,  and  Walton's  Vermont 
Register,  up  to  within  ten  or  a  dozen  years, 
was  under  his  editorial  charge.  Printed  ad- 
dresses of  his  include  those  on  Gov.  Charles 
Paine,  on  the  Battle  of  Hubbardton,  and  on 
Nathaniel  Chipman. 

Mr.  Walton  was  twice  marrieil,  first  to 
Sarah  Sophia,  daughter  of  Joseph  Howes,  of 
Montjielier.      She" died  Sept.   3,    1880,  and 


«W  0«%'. 


Oct.    19,    1882,   he    wedded    Mrs.   Clara    P. 
Field,  >ief  Snell,  of  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Mr.  Walton  died  Dec.  19,  1890. 

ROYCE,  Homer  H.— Congressman, 
and  chief  jus- 
tice of  the  state 
Supreme  Court, 
was  born  at 
Berkshire,  June 
14,  1820,  the 
son  of  Elihu 
Mar  V  i  n ,  and 
Sophronia  (Par- 
k  er  )  Roy  ce  . 
His  ancestry  in 
his  father's  side 
traces  back  on 
Z'  both    directions 

to  the  fathers  of 
the  state,  Maj. 
Stephen  Royce 
and  I'2benezer  Marvin,  and  he  was  a  nephew 
of  Gov.  Stephen  Royce.  His  maternal 
grandfather  was  Rev.  James  Parker,  the  first 
settled  minister  of  Underbill  and  long 
known  as  an  able  preacher  of  the  Congre- 
gational denomination. 

Young  Royce  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  and  at  the  academies  in  St.  Albans 
and  Enosburgh,  studied  law  with  Thomas 
Childs,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844, 
was  in  partnership  for  two  or  three  years  at 
F^ast  Berkshire  with  Mr.  Childs,  and  after- 
wards for  about  the  same  time  with  his  rela- 
tive, Heman  S.  Royce.  He  was  state's 
attorney  for  Franklin  county  in  1846  and 
'47.  In  the  same  year  also  he  represented 
Pierkshire  in  the  Legislature,  was  chairman 
of  the  railroad  and  a  member  of  the  judic- 
iary committees,  which  had  some  difficult 
work  in  a  hitherto  unexplored  field  in 
guiding  legislation  upon  the  relations  of  the 
railroads  to  the  state.  In  1849,  '50  and  '51 
and  again  in  1861  and  '68  he  was  elected 
to  the  state  Senate  from  Franklin  county, 
doing  his  most  notable  work  on  the  judic- 
iary committee. 

Professionally  and  politically  he  had  come 
to  be  recognized  as  a  man  of  brilliant  parts 
and  comprehensive  reach  of  mind,  and  in 
1856  he  was  elected  a  representative  in 
Congress,  being  the  youngest  member  of 
that  body,  but  taking  quite  an  active  part 
for  a  new  member,  serving  on  the  foreign 
affairs  committee,  and  attracting  attention 
by  his  speech  on  the  Cuban  ciuestion,  which 
was  at  that  time  deeply  agitating  the  country. 
Retiring  from  Congress  he  resumed  his 
professional  practice  with  increasing  renown, 
until  in  1S70  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  regularly  re-elected 
until  in  1882,  on  the  death  of  Judge  Pier- 
point,    Governor    Farnham    appointed    hinv 


'56 


WOODBRIDGE. 


chief  justice,  a  position  tliat  he  held  by 
regular  re-election,  though  once  or  twice 
with  a  spirited  contest,  until  his  death.  It 
was  under  him  as  chancellor  that  the  long 
and  involved  litigation  of  the  Central  Ver- 
mont R.  R.  arose.  Many  of  his  opinions, 
notably  as  to  the  disqualification  of  jurors, 
as  to  what  constitutes  an  expert,  and  as  to 
the  rights  of  riparian  owners,  are  often 
quoted. 

Judge  Royce  was  prominent  among  the 
promoters  of  the  Mississquoi  R.  R.  In 
1882  he  received  the  degree  of  I.L.  1).  from 
the  University  of  Vermont. 

He  married,  Jan.  23,  185 1,  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Edmunds  of  Boston,  who  bore 
him  three  children  :  Stephen  E.,  Homer  C, 
and  Mary  Louise. 

Mr.  Royce  died  April  34,  1891. 

BAXTER,   PORTUS.— Representative  in 
Congress    1861- 
'65,    the    "sol- 
dier's friend,"  as 
^  he    w  a  s    t  h  e  n 

fondly  and  de- 
ser^•edly  called, 
and,  for  a  full 
decade  before, 
the  Thurlovv 
Weed  of  Ver- 
mont politics, 
the  greatest  per- 
sonal  political 
force  on  the  east 
side  of  the 
mountains,  was 
born  from  one  of 
iiulies  of  the  state,  at 
Brownington,  1806.  He  was  liberally  educated 
at  Norwich  University,  but  engaged  at  Derbv 
in  1828  in  mercantile  and  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and,  with  his  keen  activity,  energy,  and 
farsightedness,  most  successfully.  His  posi- 
tive character,  his  fine  judgment  of  men,  and 
his  facile  handling  of  them  rapidly  won  him 
an  influential  position  in  politics,  first  in  his 
town  and  county,  then  throughout  the  dis- 
trict and  the  state,  and  finally  in  national 
affairs.  But  he  was  never  a  self-seeker,  more 
enjoying  power  behind  the  throne,  in  con- 
ventions and  appointments,  and  in  using  his 
electric  power  to  lift  other  men  rather  than 
himself. 

He  repeatedly  refused  election  as  town 
representative  and  once  or  twice  at  least 
could  have  had  his  party's  nomination 
for  Congress  but  preferred  it  to  go  to  others. 
He  was  an  ardent  Henry  Clay  Whig  while 
the  party  lasted,  and  was  the  only  delegate 
from  New  P^ngland  in  the  convention  of 
1848  to  advocate  the  nomination  of  Gen- 
eral Taylor  from  the  beginning.  In  1852 
he  headed  the  Scott  electoral  ticket  in  Ver- 


the  ol.k 


mont,  and  in  1856  that  of  the  young  Repub- 
lican party  for  Fremont. 

Finally,  in  i860,  he  accepted  a  nomina- 
tion for  Congress,  beginning  services  with  the 
opening  of  the  rebellion  and  continuing 
through  the  momentous  events  of  that  pe- 
riod, until  in  1866,  with  the  Union  secure,  he 
declined  a  re-election,  which  he  had  before 
had  almost  unanimously.  He  served  indus- 
triously on  the  committees  of  elections,  agri- 
cultural, and  expenditures  of  the  navy  de- 
partment. He  was  a  close  friend  of  Secretary 
Stanton,  and  the  latter  as  he  said,  found  it 
about  impossible  to  refuse  him  anything. 
Mr.  Baxter  improved  the  opportunity  to  min- 
ister with  extraordinary  zeal  to  the  wants 
of  the  soldiers  in  the  field.  He  operated 
by  personal  efforts,  by  the  charm  of  his  man- 
ners and  the  magnetism  of  his  conversation 
and  social  intercourse,  rather  than  by  speech- 
making.  He  never  but  twice  attempted 
any  formal  speech-making  or  any  real 
argument  on  his  feet.  What  he  had  to  say 
he  said  in  a  few  words,  so  surcharged  with  the 
intense  conviction  and  the  thorough  earnest- 
ness of  his  nature  as  to  well  take  the 
place  of  logic  and  rhetoric.  He  was  in 
every  fibre  of  his  being  a  patriot ;  he  was  a 
man  of  generous  and  warm  svmpathies. 
These  two  facts,  with  his  frank  and  engaging 
manners,  explain  his  remarkable  power  of 
party  leadership.  "We  never  knew  a  more 
earnest  or  energetic  politician,"  said  one 
eulogist  after  his  death.  During  the  ghastly 
days  of  the  Wilderness  campaign  and  fight 
he  was  at  the  front  at  Fredericksburg  to 
minister  to  the  wounded  and  suffering,  and 
all  that  sunmier  both  he  and  his  wife 
remained  at  their  post  of  tender  duty  until  they 
were  themselves  prostrated,  and  sickness  only 
made  an  interval  in  their  labors.  It  was  no 
wonder  that  he  obtained  such  a  large  place  in 
the  soldiers'  affections.  Two  of  his  sons, 
physicians,  also  rendered  invaluable  ser- 
vice on  the  field  and  in  the  hospitals,  and 
a  third,  the  youngest,  entered  the  service  as  a 
private,  in  the  i  ith  Vermont  and  came  out  a 
brevet  major,  with  successive  promotions,  all 
won  by  gallantry. 

His  wife,  was  Ellen  Jannette,  daughter  of 
Judge  Harris  of  Strafford,  whom  he  wedded 
in  1832. 

Mr.  Baxter  died  at  Washington,  March  4, 
1868,  from  pneumonia,  after  only  a  few  days' 
illness,  though  he  had  for  years  suffered  from 
asthma. 

WOODBRIDGE,  FREDERICK  E.— For 
four  years  in  Congress,  was  born  at  Ver- 
gennes,  .August  29,  1818,  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Vermont,  1840,  studied  law 
with  his  father,  Hon.  E.  D.  Woodbridge  and 
was  admitted  and  practiced  at  Vergennes. 
He  was  a   member  of  the    state   House  of 


«57 


Representatives,  1849,  1857,  1858,  repeatedly 
mayor  of  \'ergennes,  state  auditor,  i85o-'5i- 
52,  prosecuting  attorney,  i854-'58,  engaged 
in  railroad  management,  and  was  several 
years  vice-president  and  active  manager  of  the 
Rutland  &  Washington  R.  R. ;  a  state  senator, 
i86o-'6i,  and  president  pro  tonpoie  of  that 
body  in  1861.  He  was  elected  a  represent- 
ative from  Vermont  in  the  Thirty-eighth 
Congress  as  a  Republican,  receiving  8,565 
votes,  against  3,486  for  White,  Democrat  ; 
was  re-elected  to  Thirty-ninth  Congress,  re- 
ceiving 9,447  votes,  against  3,671  for  \\'ells, 
Democrat,  was  re-elected  to  Fortieth  Con- 
gress, 10,568  votes,  against  3,036  for  Wells, 
Democrat. 

Mr.  Woodbridge  died  April  25,  18SS. 

SMITH,  WORTHINGTON  C— Congress- 
man from  1867  to  1873,  son  of  Congressman 
John  and  Maria  (Curtis)  Smith,  and  brother 
of  Gov.  John  Gregory  Smith,  was  born  at 
Barre,  Mass.,  August  12,  1789.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  University  of  Vermont,  near 
the  head  of  his  class,  in  1843,  and  studied 
law  for  a  while  in  his  father's  office,  but 
abandoned  it  before  admission  to  the  bar  to 
enter  business  life.  He  embarked  in  the 
iron  trade  in  1845,  and  carried  it  along  suc- 
cessfully, either  alone  or  in  partnership,  until 
i860,  when  he  leased  the  works  known  as 
the  St.  Albans  Foundry  until  1878,  then  re- 
suming the  active  management  again.  The 
business  consisted  chiefly  in  the  manufacture 
of  articles  needed  by  railroad  companies. 
He  was  himself  largely  identified  with  the 
railroading  of  the  state,  being  a  director  for 
several  years  and  afterwards  president  of  the 
Vermont  &  Canada,  a  trustee  and  manager 
of  the  Vermont  Central  and  the  leased  lines 
from  1870  to  the  crash  of  1S73,  then  vice- 
president  for  three  years  of  the  Central  Ver- 
mont, and  one  of  the  trustees  for  six  years 
after  1872,  and  then  president  and  manager 
of  the  Missisquoi  road.  He  was  also  presi- 
dent of  the  \'ermont  National  Bank,  at  St. 
.Albans,  from  1864  to  1870. 

Up  to  the  war  he  was  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, but  promptly  identified  himself  with 
what  he  regarded  as  the  party  of  the  Union 
after  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter.  As  presi- 
dent of  the  corporation  of  St.  .'Albans  he  con- 
vened the  first  "war  meeting"  at  the  place, 
and  he  helped  to  raise  and  equip  the  Ransom 
Guards,  a  company  in  the  first  volunteer  reg- 
iment dispatched  from  Vermont.  In  1863 
he  represented  St.  .'\lbans  in  the  Legislature, 
and  in  i864-'65  was  state  senator,  being 
complimented  by  a  unanimous  election  to 
the  presidency  pro  tem  of  that  body  in  the 
latter  year.  He  had  ser\ed  so  usefully  in  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature  that  in  1S66  he 
was  sent  to  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1868  and  1S70.     In  the  two  latter  terms  he 


served  on  the  committee  on  banking  and  cur- 
rency, of  which  Garfield  was  chairman.  His 
position  was  not  a  prominent  one  in  Con- 
gress, though  its  duties  were  well  filled.  His 
first  speech,  on  the  question  of  the  impeach- 
ment of  President  Johnson,  was  a  very  good 
one  in  its  discussion  of  constitutional  princi- 
ples. Another  one  which  attracted  some 
attention  was  delivered  Jan.  26,  1869,  and 
took  the  ground  that  the  way  to  reach  specie 
payments  was  to  retire  the  greenbacks. 

Mr.  Smith  was  possessed  of  a  good  deal  of 
executive  ability,  was  keen  and  farsighted  as 
a  business  man,  and  personally  was  a  most 
interesting  conversationalist,  and  he  had  the 
powers  of  mind  that  would  have  adorned 
almost  any  of  the  professional  walks. 

He  married,  Jan.  12,  1850,  Catherine  M., 
daughter  of  Maj.  John  \\'alworth  of  Platts- 
burg,  N.  v.,  and  seven  children,  of  whom 
five  sursived  childhood,  were  the  issue  of 
the  union. 

He  died  Jan.  2,  1894. 

W  1  L  L  A  R  D  ,  Charles  W.—  Lawyer, 

editor  and  congressman,  was  born  at  Lyndon, 
June  18,  1827,  and  son  of  Josiah  and  Abigail 
(Carpenter)  Willard.  He  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  in  1851,  and  came  to  Montpelier 
where  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Peck  & 
Colby,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853,  and 
for  a  time  was  in  partnership  with  F.  F. 
Merrill.  He  was  a  man  of  refined  scholarly 
habit,  of  a  breadth  and  candor  of  mind  that 
were  almost  Madisonian,  and  of  high  ideals 
and  earnest  purposes  in  every  relation  of  life. 
These  qualities  combined  with  practical  good 
sense  and  ready  courage  in  contests  for  what- 
ever he  believed  to  be  right,  made  him  a 
power  for  good  in  state  thought  and  opinion, 
and  though  he  was  lacking  utterly  in  the  arts 
of  politics  secured  him  steady  advancement. 
In  1855  and  '56  he  was  secretary  of  state, 
until  he  declined  a  further  re-election.  In 
i860  and  '61  he  was  a  state  senator  from 
Washington  county,  and  in  the  latter  year 
became  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Mont- 
pelier Freeman,  which  he  built  up  to  be  one 
of  the  most  influential  papers  of  the  state, 
and  a  fine  exponent  of  the  more  temperate 
thought  of  his  party.  He  retained  the  con- 
trol of  its  conduct  and  most  of  the  time  did 
its  editorial  work  until  1873,  though  in  1865 
he  was  for  a  time  in  Milwaukee  in  the  editor- 
torial  chair  of  the  Sentinel,  and  as  long  as 
life  lasted  he  wrote  much  and  inspiringly  on 
current  events. 

He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1868,  and 
re-elected  in  1870  and  1872.  His  service 
was  both  conscientious  and  laborious,  so 
much  so  as  to  undermine  his  health.  In  the 
latter  part  of  his  service  amid  the  revulsions 
of  wholesale  corruption,  the  credit  Mobilier, 
salary    grab  and  other  scandals,  the  use  of 


iS8 


force  to  sustain  state  governments  in  the 
South,  and  the  progress  of  the  third  term 
movement  for  President  Grant,  hs  got  out  of 
sympathy  with  his  party,  and  voted  inde- 
pendently on  a  number  of  questions,  while 
he  wrote  vigorously  in  criticism  of  e\ents. 
The  result  was  that  he  was  defeated  for  re- 
nomination. 

For  some  time  afterwards  his  energies 
were  given  largely,  with  visits  to  Colorado 
and  other  places,  in  efforts  to  regain  his 
health,  but  with  only  partial  success.  His 
intellectual  activity,  however,  did  not  cease, 
and  in  1879  he  accepted  an  appointment  as 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  revise  the 
statutes  of  the  state,  and  his  colleague,  Col. 
W.  G.  Veazey,  having  gone  upon  the  bench, 
the  burden  of  the  work  fell  on  Mr.  Willard, 
and  he  did  it,  had  the  copy  all  prepared  and 
about  three-fourths  of  it  put  to  press,  before 
death  overtook  him,  June  7,  1880. 

In  the  state  election  of  1878  he  received 
quite  a  complimentary  vote,  without  any 
action  or  approval  on  his  part,  from  an  inde- 
pendent movement  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  state,  consisting  mainly  of  I  )emocrats. 
He  was  a  life-long  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church,  and  a  genuine  Christian  in 
his  daily  walk. 

He  married,  in  1855,  Emily  Doane,  daugh- 
ter of  H.  H.  Reed,  and  she  bore  him  four 
children:  Mary,  Ashton  R.  (a  lawyer  and 
literateur  of  growing  reputation),  KlizaMay, 
and  Charles  Wesley. 

DENISON,  Dudley  C. -Congressman, 
born  in  Royalton,  Sept.  13,  i8ig,  was  the 
son  of  Joseph  A.  and  Rachael  (Chase)  Den- 
ison.  The  Denison  family  is  of  English 
origin,  represented  now  in  that  country  by 
the  Earl  of  Londesborough.  The  Chase 
family  and  its  distinction  in  .American  life  is 
traced  in  the  sketch  of  Senator  Dudley  Chase, 
after  whom  our  subject  was  named. 

Dudley  C.  Denison  was  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  1840,  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  John  S.  Marcy,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1845,  and  has  practiced 
continually  at  Royalton,  having  his  oldest  son, 
J.  D.  Denison,  for  a  partner  after  1870.  He 
was  coimty  senator  in  t853-'54,  state's  attor- 
ney 1858  '60,  and  represented  Royalton  in  the 
House  in  i86i-'62-'63,  serving  on  the  com- 
mittee of  ways  and  means,  and  doing  efficient 
work  in  securing  the  first  appropriation  for 
defraying  the  expenses  of  the  war  for  the 
Union.  In  1864  President  Lincoln  ap- 
pointed him  United  States  District  .Attorney 
for  the  District  of  Vermont,  and  he  held  the 
position  until  1869,  having  a  good  many  dif- 
ficulties growing  out  of  the  war  to  handle, 
as  also  those  connected  with  the  Fenian 
raid  on  Canada. 


The  political  reaction  of  1874,  so  strong 
throughout  the  country,  was  intensified  in  the 
old  Second  District  of  Vermont  by  the  an- 
tagonism left  by  the  animated  contest  for  the 
nomination  to  Congress  in  1872  between 
Judge  Poland  and  Judge  B.  H.  Steele. 
Poland  won,  but  he  had  another  hard  fight, 
though  against  a  more  scattered  and  more 
poorly  led  opposition  to  get  the  nomination 
in  1874.  The  result  was  a  bolt  after  the  con- 
tention, the  opposition  concentrating  on 
Denison.  The  result  was  no  election  in 
September  and  at  the  second  trial  in  Novem- 
ber the  Democrats  generally  united  with  the 
dissatisfied  Republicans,  and  Denison  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  getting 
8,295  ^'otes  to  4,079  for  Poland,  and  1,524 
for  Alex.  McLane,  the  Democrat.  Mr.  Deni- 
son was  elected  for  a  second  term  in  1876, 
by  a  vote  of  14,430  to  5,739  for  A.  M. 
Dickey,  Democrat.  His  congressional  career, 
however,  was  without  notable  incident,  e.x- 
cept  that  he  was  one  of  the  twelve  in  the 
House  to  vote  against  a  resolution  declaring 
that  no  man  should  be  eligible  to  a  third 
term  for  the  presidency. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  returned 
to  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  renewed 
\igor  and  success.  He  was  regarded  as  an 
especially  strong  jury  advocate,  full,  clear  and 
explicit  in  his  statement  of  the  case,  and  with 
a  rare  faculty  of  inspiring  confidence. 

He  was  married  Dec.  22,  1846,  to  Eunice, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Dunbar,  of  Hartland,  and 
seven  children,  of  whom  five  survive,  were  the 
issue  of  this  union.  Besides  Joseph  D.,  his 
father's  partner,  John  H.,  is  a  lawyer  at  Den- 
ver, Col.,  and  three  are  daughters. 

B  A  R  L  OW,  Bradley. — Congressman, 
banker,  railroad 
operator,  over- 
land stage  pro- 
prietor and  for 
forty  years  one 
.  of  the  most  ac- 

tive and  influen- 
tial men  of  his 
section, was  born 
in  Fairfield,  May 
12,  1814,  the  son 
of  Col.  Bradley 
and  De  b  o  r  a  h 
(Sherman)  Bar- 
low. His  father 
was  one  of  the 
leading  citizens 
and  business  men  of  Franklin  county. 

The  son,  receiving  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, commenced  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  store 
at  Philadelphia,  then  succeeded  his  father  in 
business  at  Fairfield,  until  he  moved  to  St. 
.Albans,  in  1857,  to  become  cashier  of  the 
bank  there.     The  bank  management  was  his 


..;*i  1«5l 


159 


primary  business,  first  as  cashier,  then,  after 
1S74,  as  president,  until  the  collapse  of  all 
his  interests  in  1883. 

In  1S60  he  was  drawn  through  a  loan  he 
had  made  into  the  overland  stage  and  ex- 
press business  in  the  West.  He  readily  saw 
the  opportunities  and  future  of  the  business, 
and  for  the  next  twenty  years  as  the  chief 
member  of  the  firm  of  Barlow  &  Sanderson, 
and  in  other  connections,  he  was  deeply  en- 
gaged in  it,  building  htmdreds  of  miles  of 
road,  employing  hundreds  of  men,  and  thou- 
sands of  horses  and  mules,  and  at  one  time 
covering  an  aggregate  distance  of  seven 
thousand  miles  a  day.  The  enterprise  was 
very  successful,  and  when  Mr.  Barlow  re- 
tired it  was  with  a  fortune.  Hut  he  was 
also  a  thorough  believer  in  Vermont  and  her 
resources,  as  are  all  who  know  the  West  best, 
and  he  was  full  of  projects  for  Vermont 
development,  in  the  water  power  at  Ver- 
gennes,  the  statuary  marble  quarries  and 
mills  at  Brandon,  in  all  of  which  he  had  in- 
terests, but  misfortune  prevented  the  fulfil- 
ment of  his  plans.  He  was  liberal  to  every 
project  of  enterprise,  benevolence,  or  public 
spirit  at  St.  Albans,  and  especially  he  put 
some  540,000  into  the  Welden  House  at 
that  place. 

He  became  interested  in  the  Southeastern 
Railway  of  Canada  and  Northern  Vermont 
in  1879,  after  the  death  of  Col.  A.  B.  Foster, 
whose  sons,  one  of  whom  had  married  a 
daughter  of  William  Barlow,  found  his  es- 
tate badly  involved.  Barlow  stepped  into 
the  breach,  purchased  one  interest  after 
another  until  he  became  substantial  owner  of 
the  whole  property,  entered  upon  an  exten- 
sive scheme  of  equipment,  improvement  and 
development,  acquiring,  by  lease  and  pur- 
chase of  securities,  control  of  a  line  300 
miles  in  length  and  connecting  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  with  Montreal  and  the  Canadian 
Northwest.  He  had  a  contract  with  the  syn- 
dicate controlling  the  Canadian  Pacific  and 
went  ahead  with  his  improvements  in  full 
confidence  that  the  contract  would  be  ful- 
filled, because  it  was  a  needed  property  for 
the  syndicate. 

But  the  latter  preferred  to  get  control 
cheaper,  so  at  a  critical  time  it  refused  to 
ad\'ance  the  expected  money,  and  Barlow 
was  compelled  to  fail,  drawing  his  bank  down 


with  him  and  making  the  beginning  of  a 
series  of  crashes  that  wiped  out  every  bank 
in  St.  Albans.  He  turned  over  everything 
for  the  benefit  of  creditors,  who  almost  uni- 
versally felt  only  sympathy  for  him,  regarding 
the  failure,  disastrous  as  it  was,  as  a  misfor- 
tune rather  than  fault.  He  never  recovered 
from  the  blow,  and  his  remaining  years  were 
passed  in  comparative  retirement  until  his 
death. 

Mr.  Jjarlovv  represented  Fairfield  in  the 
Legislature  of  1845,  1850.  1851  and  1852, 
and  St.  Albans  in  1864  and  1865,  while  he 
was  a  member  of  the  state  Senate  from 
Franklin  county  in  1866  and  1868.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tions of  1843,  1850  and  1857  and  assistant 
secretary  of  the  former.  In  each  of  these 
bodies  and  wherever  he  was  placed,  his 
ready  and  resourceful  mind,  his  faculty  of 
making  winning  combinations,  and  his  clear 
and  businesslike  way  of  statement  whenever 
he  spoke,  made  him  a  leader  in  influence. 
Up  to  the  war  he  was  a  Democrat  in  politics 
but  afterwards  a  Republican.  He  was  the 
county  treasurer  from  i860  to  1867,  and 
among  the  other  positions  of  responsibility 
and  trust  he  held  were  that  of  director  and 
president  of  the  ^'ermont  &:  Canada  R.  R., 
and  director  of  the  Central  \'ermont  and 
other  companies. 

In  1878  he  was  ambitious  to  go  to  Con- 
gress, but  was  defeated  for  the  nomination 
by  Gen.  W.  W.  Grout.  A  bolt  was  soon 
organized,  and  an  independent  convention 
held  to  endorse  the  nomination  which  had 
been  given  him  by  the  Greenbackers,  who 
were  quite  strong  in  the  district,  and  the 
bulk  of  the  Democrats  turned  in  to  his  sup- 
port. The  result  was  to  prevent  Grout's 
election  at  the  first  trial  and  Barlow's  easy 
victory  at  the  second.  Barlow  had  the 
unanimous  vote  of  his  native  town  of  Fair- 
field and  the  largest  one  that  was  ever  cast 
for  any  candidate  of  any  party  in  St.  .Ailbans. 
But  he  served  only  one  term.  Before  that 
was  out  he  got  involved  in  his  Southeastern 
enterprise  and  before  the  next  campaign 
opened  withdrew  his  name  in  favor  of  his 
former  competitor.  Gen.  \\'.  W.  Grout. 

Mr.  Barlow  married,  Jan.  17,  1837,  Caro- 
line, daughter  of  Gen.  James  Farnsworth  of 
Fairfax,  and  the  issue  of  the  union  were 
five  children,  only  two  of  whom  survive. 


JUDGES  OF  THE  SUPREME  COURT. 


By  HIRAM  A.  HUSE. 


The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Vermont,  with 
dates  of  service,  from  1778  to  1894. 


•Moses  Robinson,  Ch.  J., 

tjonas  Galusha, 

1807-09      1      Milo  L.  Bennett, 

1838-50, 

1852-59 

177S-S4.  1785-80 

David  Fay, 

1809-1:5      1      William  Hebard, 

1842-43, 

1844-45 

John  Shepardson,                          1778-80 

Daniel  Farrand. 

1813-ii      1      Daniel  Kellogg, 

1843-44. 

1845-5' 

John  Fassett,                                  1778-86 

ITJonathan  H.  Hubbard, 

1813-15 

tHiland  Hall. 

1846-50 

Thomas  Chandler,                         1778-79 

Asa.41dis,  Ch.  J., 

1S15-16 

Charles  Davis, 

1846-48 

John  Throop,                                 1778-82 

tRichard  Skinner.  Ch.  J., 

§LukeP.Poland.Ch.J., 

1848-50, 

1857-65 

Paul  Spooner,  Ch.  J.,                   1779-89 

18.5-17. 

1823-29 

Pierpoint  Isham. 

.851-57 

Increase  Mosley,                          1780-81 

§James  Fisk, 

1815-17 

Asa  0.  Aldis. 

1857-05 

•ElishaPayne,  Ch.  J.,                   1781-82 

tWilliam  A.  Palmer, 

1816-17 

John  Pierpoint,  Ch.  |., 

1S57-82 

Simeon  Olcott,                             1781-82 

§Dudley  Chase,  Ch.  I., 

1817-21 

James  Barrett. 

1857-80 

•Jonas  Fay,                                       1781-83 

Joel  DooHttle, 

1817-23 

Loyal  C   Kellogg, 

1859-67 

Peter  Olcott,                                   1782-85 

William  Brayton. 

1817-22 

tAsahel  Peck, 

1860-74 

Thomas  Porter.                              1783-86 

tCornelius  P.  Van  Ness,  Ch.  J 

William  C.  Wilson, 

1863-70 

Nathaniel  Niles,                             1784-88 

1821-23 

Benjamin  H,  Steele, 

1865-70 

§Nathaniel  Chipman,  Ch,  J., 

tCharles  K.  Williams,  Ch.  J., 

JohnProut 

1867-69 

1786-87,  1789-91,  1796-97,  1813-15 

1822-24, 

1829-46 

tHoyt  H.  Wheeler, 

1869-77 

•Luke  Knowlton,                            1786-87 

Asa  Aikens, 

1823-25 

jHomer  E.  Rnyce.  Ch. 

., 

1870-Qo 

§Stephen  R.  Bradley,                     1788-89 

§Samuel  Prentiss,  Ch.  J., 

1S25-30 

Timothy  P    Redfield. 

.870-84 

Noah  Smith,                1789-91,  1798-1801 

Titus  Hutchinson,  Ch.  J., 

1825-34 

tJonathan  Ross,  Ch.  J., 

1870- 

Samuel  Knight,  Ch.  J.,               1789-94 

tStephen  Royce,  Ch.  J.. 

tH.  Henry  Powers. 

.874-9° 

§Elijah  Paine,                                   1791-94 

1825-27, 

1829  52 

Walter  C.  Dunton, 

1877-79 

tisaac  Tichenor,  Ch.  J.,                1791-96 

Bates  Turner, 

1827-29 

Wheelock  G.  Veazey, 

1879-89 

Lott  Hall,                                    1794-1801 

Ephraim  Paddock. 

1828-31 

Russell  S.  Taft, 

1880- 

Enoch  Woodbridge,  Ch.  J.,    1794-1801 

John  C.  Thompson. 

1830-31 

John  W.  Rowell. 

1882- 

tisrael  Smith,  Ch.  J.,                     1707  98 

Nicholas  Baylies, 

1831-34 

William  H    Walker, 

1884-87 

•Jonathan  Robinson,  Ch.  J.,        1801-07 

«Samuel  S.  Phelps. 

1S3.-38 

James  M.  Tyler, 

"!?'" 

RoyalTyler,  Ch.  J,,                     1801-13 

Ijacob  Coilamer. 

1834-42 

Loveland  Munson. 

i88q- 

Stephen  Jacob,                            1801-03 

tjohn  Mattocks, 

i8j4-35 

Henry  R.  Start, 

1890- 

Theophilus  Harrington,             1803-13 

Is.iac  F.  Redfield,  Ch.  J.. 

1835-60 

Laforrest  H.  Thompsor 

1890- 

*  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  among  "  The  Fathers."        t  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  a 
t  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  in  Part  H.  §  Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  ; 

V,   Biographical  sketch  will  be  found  among  "  The  Representatives." 


ng"TheGo 


THEIR   FIELD  OF  LABOR. 

There  are  (since  Dec.  i,  1893)  three  terms  (October,  January  and  May  terms)  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  all  held  in  Montpelier.  The  seven  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  (one  chief 
judge  and  six  assistant  judges)  all  attend  these  terms,  giving  them  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
weeks'  work  in  a  year  hearing  cases  that  go  up  from  the  county  courts  on  appeal  or  excep- 
tion. Besides  this  each  judge  presides  in  four  terms  of  county  court  (our  trial  court)  each 
year.  For  some  years  the  judges  have  gone  in  rotation  to  their  county  court  work,  and,  as 
there  are  fourteen  counties  in  the  state,  it  takes  each  judge  three  and  one-half  years  to  make 
the  entire  circuit  of  the  state  as  presiding  judge  of  the  county  court.  Until  about  ten  years 
ago  this  county  court  work  was  done  in  a  different  way,  each  judge  having  two  or  three 
counties  where  he  regularly  presided,  and  till  Dec.  i,  1893,  a  term  of  the  Supreme  Court  was 
held  in  each  county  attended  by  four  judges,  there  being  only  one  general  term  held  in 
Montpelier. 

So  that  the  Supreme  Court,  as  to  its  own  terms,  has  ceased  to  be  "  on  wheels,"  but  its 
members  still  have  to  wheel  about,  or  slide  about  the  whole  state  to  do  their  nisi  prius 
work. , 

The  aboriginal  jurisdiction  of  the  Indians  was  not  much  interfered  with  till  about  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  till  that  time  they  ran  things  and  themselves  pretty 
much  as  they  liked,  and  indeed,  for  many  years  after  that,  now  and  then  ran  the  whites  off 
in  a  way  the  latter  did  not  like. 

Governor  Benning  (hence  Bennington,  and  John  and  Molly,  whose  real  name  was 
Elizabeth  Stark,  and  the  battle  and  the  monument)  Wentworth  of    New  Hampshire  began 


JUDGES   OF    THE   SUPREME    COURT.  l6l 

granting  towns  in  1749,  and  to  1764  had  granted  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  towns,  on 
what  is  now  Vermont  territory.  .At  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  immigration 
set  in,  and  in  1 764  an  order  of  the  King  in  council  made  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut 
River  the  boundary  between  New  Hampshire  and  New  York,  and  New  York  began  granting 
not  only  lands  not  before  granted  by  New  Hampshire,  but  also  regranting  such  granted 
lands  on  which  settlements  had  been  made.  The  King,  in  1767,  ordered  New  York  to 
cease  making  these  grants,  but  the  New  York  authorities  construed  the  order  to  apply  only 
to  lands  already  granted  by  New  Hampshire. 

We  get  to  1764  no  counties,  for  New  Hampshire  itself  was  not  divided  into  counties 
till  1769  or  1771,  and  as  her  courts  between  1749  and  1764  seem  to  have  been  held  at 
Portsmouth,  the  luxury  of  a  lawsuit  was  rather  a  long-distance  blessing  for  Vermont.  From 
I  764,  for  some  years,  the  privilege  of  "  'tendin'  court  "  could  only  be  indulged  in  in  Albany, 
for  the  whole  state  was  then  in  .Albany  county.  This  "  privilege  "  continued  for  the  west 
])art  of  the  state  longer  than  for  the  east,  and  was  not  highly  valued  by  the  settlers  of  the 
"  grants,"  as  is  set  forth  in  Judge  Taft's  excellent  sketches  of  the  Supreme  Court  now  publish- 
ing in  the  "Green  Bag."  He  says:  "So  many  of  the  recalcitrant  settlers  were  sum- 
moned to  the  City  Hall  in  .Albany,  in  which  the  blind  goddess  purported  to  hold  sway,  that 
a  meeting  of  the  settlers  was  held  at  Bennington  to  devise  means  to  get  rid  of  the  building. 
Several  methods  of  blowing  it  up  were  suggested,  when  Ethan  .Allen,  to  divert  their  minds 
from  that  manner  of  destruction,  proposed  that  Sim  Sears,  a  famous  land  speculator,  noted 
tor  selling  property  that  did  not  belong  to  him,  'be  employed  to  sell  the  d — d  thing.'  " 

By  the  way,  how  Ethan  keeps  himself  to  the  fore  !  Evidently  not  as  much  loved  by  his 
fellows  as  were  Seth  \Varner  and  Remember  Baker,  his  "please  mention  that  I  was  there" 
gets  obeyed  by  later  generations,  though  it  only  drew  from  the  parson  to  whom  it  was 
directly  addressed,  the  rebuke,  "Sit  down,  thou  bold  blashemer."  He  7iias  bold,  and  strong  ; 
not  modest :  loved  to  do  things  deserving  praise,  and  loved  praise.  Only  the  other  day, 
going  down  through  the  State  House  yard,  I  met  by  the  gate  a  man  and  woman  with  their 
little  girl  between  them.  It  would  have  warmed  the  cockles  of  Ethan's  heart  to  have  heard, 
as  I  did  when  I  passed  them,  the  mother  say  to  the  girl,  "I'll  show  him  to  you  just  as  soon 
as  we  get  there."  The  Bennington  cannon  and  Mead's  statue  of  .Allen  flank  the  State  House 
door,  and  within  and  above  are  the  battle-flags  borne  against  the  rebellion — all  symbols  of 
the  sword  that  won  and  preserved  the  peace  in  which  our  courts  give  justice  to  those  who 
seek  it  within  their  precincts. 

.Allen,  \Varner,  Baker,  and  their  fellow  settlers  didn't  have  county  seats  and  court- 
houses on  the  "  Hampshire  Grants  "  for  some  time,  but  in  the  Documentary  History  of 
New  York  may  be  found  some  "  mighty  interesting  reading,"  as  to  how  they  judged  and 
punished  those  who  trespassed  on  their  lands.  In  fact,  these  plaints  of  those  who  suffered 
from  the  beech  seal,  and  from  the  twigs  of  the  wilderness,  and  from  the  free  and  untram- 
meled  language  of  the  woodland  judges,  are  excellent  specimens  of  reporting,  and  would 
make  at  least  as  large  a  volume  as  N.  Chipman. 

New  York  took  measures  for  the  administration  of  her  laws  in  the  territory  declared  to 
be  hers  in  the  order  of  1764,  beginning  in  1766  to  establish  the  county  of  Cumberland  and 
effecting  it  finally  by  a  charter  of  March  17  or  19,  1768 — the  boundaries  were  the  west 
bank  of  the  Connecticut,  thence  twenty-six  miles  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Stamford,  thence 
north  fifty-six  miles  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Socialborough  (Clarendon),  thence  north 
fifty-three  degrees,  east  thirty  miles  to  the  south  corner  of  Tunbridge,  thence  by  the  south  line 
of  Tunbridge,  Strafford  and  Thetford  to  the  Connecticut.  The  county  seat  was  first  Ches- 
ter, then  (1772)  Westminster.  .A  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the 
Peace  was  authorized  to  be  held  twice  a  year.  Thomas  Chandler  of  Chester,  Joseph  Lord 
of  Putney  and  Samuel  Wells  of  Brattleboro  were  first  commissioned  judges  of  the  Inferior 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  July  16,  1766,  and  their  commissions  were  renewed  in  April,  1768 
and  1772,  and  in  the  last  named  year  Noah  Sabin  was  added  to  their  number.  So  the  first 
court  ever  held  in  Vermont  w-as  at   Chester,  in  the  county  of  Cumberland  of  the  state  of 


l62  JUDGES    OF   THE    SUPREIIE    COURT. 

New  York,  and  the  first  judges  were  the  above  named.  I  think  Charles  Phelps  of  Marlboro, 
the  great-grandfather  of  Gen.  John  W.  Phelps,  was  the  first  Vermont  lawyer,  at  any  rate  he 
had  the  first  law  library  of  any  member  of  the  profession  in  the  state  and  by  being  a  Yorker 
in  sympathy  and  action,  got  it  confiscated.  Mr.  Phelps  got  most  of  his  books  back  after  a 
time,  but  the  revisers  of  the  laws  in  1782  made  use  of  them  in  their  work  and  they  may  be 
said  to  have  constituted  the  first  appearance  of  a  Vermont  State  Library. 

Solomon  Phelps,  Crean  Brush,  Charles  Phelps  and  Samuel  Knight  were  commissioned 
as  attorneys.  John  Grout,  of  Chester,  was  also  admitted  an  attorney.  They  were  the  first 
"block  of  five"  of  lawyers  here,  and  in  their  lives  pretty  well  exemplified  the  varying  for- 
tunes of  the  profession.  Grout  had  an  especially  rocky  time  in  attempting  to  practice ; 
Brush  was  a  tory,  and  committed  suicide  in  1777;  Knight  was  an  estimable  man  and  highly 
esteemed  after  the  unpopular  stand  he  took  with  the  Yorkers  had  grown  to  be  an  old  story ; 
the  Phelpses  were  men  of  brains  but  Charles  was  always  in  troubled  waters,  and  Solomon, 
his  son,  at  last  killed  himself. 

By  a  New  York  ordinance  of  March  16,  1770,  Gloucester  county  was  established  out  of 
that  part  of  Albany  county  lying  north  of  Cumberland  county  and  east  of  the  Green  Moun- 
tains, and  May  29  of  that  year,  at  Kingsland  (or  Kingsborough),  now  Washington,  the  first 
court  for  Gloucester  county  was  held.  There  was  not  an  inhabitant  or  a  house  within  the 
hmits  of  Kingsland  when  the  county  was  estabHshed,  but  a  log  courthouse  and  jail  were 
there  when  court  was  held  in  May,  and'  the  stream  that  flows  near  by  is  still  called  "Jail 
Branch."  Governor  Farnham's  article  on  the  Orange  County  Bar  in  Child's  Gazetter  of 
Orange  County  sets  forth  the  records  of  this  Gloucester  county  "  courts  of  quarter  sessions 
and  court  of  common  pleas."  John  Taplin,  Samuel  Sleeper  and  Thomas  Sumner  were  the 
"judges  being  appointed  by  the  government  of  New  York."  There  were  also  present 
James  Pennoc,  Abner  Fowler  and  John  Peters,  "Justices  of  the  Quor'm,"  as  well  as  John 
Taplin,  Jr.,  High  Sheriff.  The  business  recorded  is  :  "The  court  adjourned  to  the  last 
Tuesday  of  August  next."  The  last  Tuesday  of  August  it  met  and  "adjourned  to  the  last 
Tuesday  in  November  next."  In  November  it  had  eight  cases  before  it,  called  them  and 
put  them  over,  and  adjourned  to  the  last  Tuesday  in  February,  1771. 

The  record  of  the  next  term  shows  that  when  our  Supreme  Court  wheeled  and  slid 
about  the  state  it  was  not  in  the  lowest  condition  attainable,  for  here  was  its  humble  fore- 
runner fairly  traveling  "on  its  uppers."  This  is  the  record  (now  at  Chelsea),  and  in  read- 
ing it  one  must  remember  that  Mooretown  (Moretown)  is  now  Bradford  and  not  the  town 
which  now  has  that  name,  and  that  Kingsland  is  now  Washington. 


"  Feb.  25th,     Sat   out   from  Mooretown   for  Kings  Land  travieled   untill 
1771.  Knight  there  being  no  road  and  the  Snow  very  Depe  we 

travieled  on  Snow  Shoes  or  Racatts  on  the  26th  we  travieled  some  ways  and 
Held  a  Council  when  it  was  concluded  it  was  Best  to  open  the  Court  as  we  saw 
No  Line  it  was  not  whether  in  Kingsland  or  Not  But  we  concluded  we  were 
farr  in  the  woods  we  did  not  expect  to  see  any  house  unless  we  marched  tliree 
miles  into  Kingsland  and  no  one  lived  there  when  the  Court  was  ordered  to  be 
opened  on  the  spot. 

Present        John  Tapun         Jniige 

John  Peters  of  the  Qitor^m. 
John  Taplin,  Jun'r,  Sheriff. 

All  cases  continued  or  adjourned  over  untill  next  term.     The  Court,  if 
unc,  adjourned  over  untill  the  last  Tuesday  in  May  next." 

"  If  one  "  is  careful  and  good. 

In  1772  it  was  ordered  that  the  February  and  August  terms  be  held  in  Newbury,  and 
the  court  ran  a  year  or  more  longer. 

In  July,  1774,  there  first  appeared  in  Vermont  a  Supreme  Court  judge  doing  official 
business.  This  was  at  Westminster,  and  the  judge  was  Robert  R.  Livingston,  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Province  of  New  York,  presiding  in  a  court  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer  and  general  gaol  delivery.  Judge  Livingston  was  born  in  New  York  in  August, 
1 718,  and  died  in  Clermont,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  9,  1775.  He  was  a  man  of  abihty  and  many 
accomphshments,  and  the  richest  landholder  in  New  York — his  country  home  at  Clermont 


JUDGES    OF   THE    SUPREME    COURT.  163 

and  his  city  residence  in  New  York  being  of  the  best  in  their  day.  He  married  Margaret) 
daughter  of  Col.  Henry  Beekman,  and  his  daughter  Janet  married  Gen.  Richard  Montgomery. 
Judge  Livingston  was  also  a  landholder  in  Vermont,  as  one  of  the  grantees  of  Camden, 
(part  of  Jamaica  and  vicinity). 

The  Revolution  was  coming  on  apace  and  the  next  March  saw  the  close  of  courts  held 
under  authority  of  a  Province  of  a  King,  and  of  New  York  judicial  rule  in  \"ermont.  This 
close  was  more  than  dramatic ;  it  was  tragic  ;  and,  while  there  has  been  much  dispute  as  to 
whether  the  uprising  was  against  New  York  or  Britain,  and  some  doubt  as  to  William 
French's  right  to  the  title  that  has  been  given  him,  it  should  be  remembered  that  Benjamin 
H.  Hall,  than  whom  no  more  painstaking,  accurate  and  truthful  historian  ever  wrote,  claims 
for  him  in  the  History  of  Eastern  Vermont,  "the  title  of  the  proto-martyr  to  the  cause  of 
American  liberty  and  of  the  Revolution."  The  Westminster  massacre  marked  the  last  attempt 
to  hold  court  in  Vermont  under  royal  authority  ;  and  William  French's  epitaph  on  the  old 
gravestone  that  first  marked  his  resting  place,  is  the  testimony  of  his  own  day  and  genera- 
tion as  to  the  cause  in  which  this  young  man  from  Brattleboro  died.     It  ran  thus  : 

"  In  Memory  of  William  French, 
Son  to  Mr.  Nathaniel  French.     Who 
Was  Shot  at  Westminster  March  ye  i3lh, 
1775,  by  the  hands  of  Cruel  Ministereal  tools, 
of   Georg  ye  s^  in  the  Corthouse  at  a  11  a  Clock 
at  Night  in  the  22^1  year  of  his  Age. 

Here  William  French  his  Body  lies. 
For  Murder  his  Blood  for  Vengance  cries. 
King  Georg  the  third  his  Tory  crew 
tha  with  a  bawl  his  head  Shot  threw. 
For  Liberty  and  his  Country's  Good, 
he  lost  his  Life  his  Dearest  Blood." 

Charlotte  county  had  been  established  by  New  York  March  12,  1772,  its  territory  being 
the  northern  part  of  what  had  been  Albany  county,  and  lying  partly  in  Vermont  and  partly 
in  New  York.  The  southern  part  of  what  is  now  Bennington  county  remained  in  Albany 
■county.  So  much  of  Charlotte  county  was  hostile  to  New  York  that,  in  1774,  the  courts  of 
Albany  county  were  given  jurisdiction  of  crimes  committed  in  Charlotte  county — that  was 
the  year  that  one  hundred  pounds  reward  was  ofTered  by  New  York  for  Ethan  .^Uen,  the 
same  for  Remember  Baker,  and  fifty  pounds  each  for  six  others.  Those  named  in  the  act 
of  outlawry  issued  an  address  threatening  immediate  death  to  any  one  trying  to  arrest  them. 
Charlotte  county,  whose  county  seat  was  Fort  Edward,  really  did  no  business  this  side  the 
present  New  York  line.  After  the  Westminster  tragedy  no  courts  were  in  operation  till  the 
organization  of  the  state  government.  The  people  took  care  of  public  matters  by  commit- 
tees and  by  the  Council  of  Safety.  The  division  into  counties  was  recognized,  however,  as 
may  be  seen,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  on  the  title  page  of  Rev.  Aaron  Hutchinson's  Sermon, 
"  preached  at  Windsor,  July  2,  1777,  before  the  representatives  of  the  towns  in  the  counties 
of  Charlotte,  Cumberland  and  Gloucester,  for  the  forming  of  the  State  of  Vermont." 

When  Vermont's  first  Legislature  convened  the  new  state  was  organized  into  two 
counties,  Bennington  and  Unity.  This  act  was  passed  March  17,  1778.  March  21  the 
name  of  Lhiity  was  changed  to  Cumberland.  Cumberland  included  the  territory  east  of 
the  Green  Mountains  and  was  divided  into  two  shires  by  the  "  ancient  county  line" — the 
Newbury  shire  and  the  Westminster  shire.  Bennington  county  had  also  two  shires,  Ben- 
nington and  Rutland.  At  the  February  session,  17S1,  Bennington  county  was  divided,  keep- 
ing under  its  own  name  substantially  what  is  now  its  territory,  and  its  northern  part  becom- 
ing Rutland  county.  The  same  session  Cumberland  was  divided  into  three  counties — 
Windham  and  Windsor,  substantially  as  now  existing  ;  and  Orange  county,  comprising  every- 
thing to  the  Canada  line  north  of  Windsor  and  east  of  Rutland.  October  18,  1785,  Addi- 
son county  was  established  and  Oct.  22,  1787,  Chittenden  county.  November  5,  1792, 
Franklin,  Caledonia,  Orleans  and  Essex  counties  were  established,  but  the  Orange  county 
territory  in  the  above  counties  was  to  "continue  to  be  annexed"  to  Orange  county  till  Oct. 


164  JUDCES   OF   THE    SUPREME   COURT. 

I,  1796.  Cirand  Isle  county  was  formed  Nov.  9,  1802,  getting  North  and  South  Hero  from 
Chittenden  and  its  other  three  towns  from  Franklin.  November  i,  1810,  Jefferson  county 
was  incorporated  and  it  was  organized  in  18 11,  beginning  its  working  existence  Dec.  i 
iSii.  It  got  its  territory  from  Orange,  Caledonia,  Chittenden  and  Addison  counties.  The 
name  of  Jefferson  was  changed  to  Washington  Nov.  8,  1814.  Lamoille  county  was  estab- 
lished in  1836. 

Vermont's  first  Legislature  met  March  12,  1778,  and  had  a  session  of  two  weeks,  and 
another  session  in  June.  It  established  a  special  court,  with  five  judges  to  each  court,  for 
each  shire,  thus  electing  twenty  judges,  none  of  whom,  it  may  be  noted,  were  lawyers.  In 
June  they  re-elected  twelve  of  these,  and  elected  eight  new  ones,  and  among  the  eight  not 
re-elected  was  Maj.  Jeremiah  Clark,  the  first  judge  of  the  Bennington  shire.  His  court  had 
done  business,  however,  before  he  went  out  of  office,  for  David  Redding  was  tried  for  and 
convicted  of  "  enemical  conduct."  Redding  was  a  spy,  and  had  been  detected  in  his  secret 
work,  and  in  carrying  off  some  muskets  to  the  enemy.  But  June  4,  John  Burnham,  who 
appears  never  to  have  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  appeared  before  the  (Governor  and  Council 
with  a  copy  of  Blackstone,  and  convinced  them  that  it  was  all  wrong  to  hang  Redding,  as 
the  jury  that  convicted  him  consisted  of  only  six  men.  They  gave  the  prisoner  a  new  trial. 
Ethan  Allen  had  returned  the  week  before  from  his  captivity  in  England,  and  had  completed 
the  celebration  of  his  return,  at  which,  he  records,  they  "  passed  around  the  flowing  bowl." 
The  Governor  and/Council  on  that  4th  of  June  reprieved  Redding,  who  was  to  have 
been  hung  that  very  day,  for  one  week,  and  appointed  .Allen  as  prosecutor  to  conduct 
the  case  at  the  new  trial.  A  multitude  had  gathered  to  see  Redding  hung,  and  on  learning 
of  the  reprieve  seemed  inclined  to  appeal  to  Judge  Lynch.  Allen  mounted  a  stump,  waved 
his  hat,  and,  without  speaking  through  it,  called  ".Attention,  the  whole  !  "  advised  the  people  to 
go  quietly  home,  and  to  return  the  i  ith,  adding  :  "You  shall  see  somebody  hung,  for  if  Red- 
ding is  not  then  hung  I  will  be  hung  myself."  The  crowd  left ;  Redding  was  tried  the  gth  by 
a  jury  of  twelve  men.  Major  Clark  being  presiding  judge  again,  and  Allen  conducting  the 
prosecution.  The  twelve  found  Redding  guilty,  as  the  six  had  done  before,  and  on  the  i  ith 
he  was  duly  hung,  having  had  the  same  benefit  he  would  from  exceptions,  if  there  had  been 
any  provision  for  exceptions,  which  benefit  figured  up  just  seven  days  more  of  life. 

June  17,  1778,  the  General  Assembly  constituted  a  Superior  Court  for  the  banishment 
of  Tories  and  appointed  as  its  judges  Col.  Peter  Olcott  of  Norwich  (afterwards  a  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court),  Bezaleel  Woodward  of  Dresden  (now  Hanover,  N.  H.,  and  then  with 
Piermont  and  many  other  New  Hampshire  towns,  represented  in  the  Vermont  Legislature), 
Major  Griswdld,  Patterson  Piermont,  Esq.,  and  Major  Tyler.  I  think  it  was  this  court  that 
passed  judgment  of  banishment  on  James  Breakenridge,  Ebenezer  Cole  and  John  McNeill, 
and  which  the  council,  July  17,  1778,  recommended  to  "  dissist  from  any  further  prosecu- 
tions "  till  the  "  rising  of  the  Sessions  of  Assembly  in  October  next."  These  men  sentenced 
to  banishment  were  reprieved  till  such  rising  of  the  Assembly  :  S^f  Xo].  I,  Governor  and 
Council,  pp.  273,  274. 

The  Major  Tyler  of  this  court  was  evidently  Major  Joseph  Tyler  of  Townsend.  Major 
Griswold  was  doubtless  Major  John  Griswold  of  Lebanon.  Patterson  Piermont,  Esq.,  I  am 
now  unable  to  place.  It  is  a  fact  that  a  Capt.  Isaac  Patterson  was  then  or  soon  after  a  resi- 
dent of  Piermont.  The  ridiculous  mistake  once  made  by  the  .Austrian  police,  warns  me 
however  from  indulging  the  notion  that  Patterson  of  Piermont  was  the  fourth  judge. 

The  relation — by  consanguinity,  affinity,  or  otherwise — of  the  Austrian  police  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Vermont  may  be  rather  distant  but  this  paragraph  goes  in  all  the  same.  In 
Watertown,  Wis.,  Feb.  6,  1857,  I  heard  the  brilliant  if  eccentric  Rev.  James  Cook  Richmond 
lecture  on  Hungary,  the  body  of  whose  patriot  Kossuth  is  at  this  writing  on  its  way  to  burial 
in  the  land  he  loved.  No  better  word-painting  was  ever  done  at  the  bar  or  on  the  lecture  plat- 
form than  Mr.  Richmond's  of  the  bewilderment  of  the  Austrian  police  when  they  had  muddled 
their  brains  by  some  alleged  mental  process  peculiar  to  themselves  and  superinduced  by 
James  Cook  Richmond's  peculiar  name,  and  became  thereby  convinced  that  there  was  within 


.H'I)i;ks  of  the  suprkme  court.  165 

the  bounds  of  the  iMnpire  a  James  Cook  (or  \'awmess  Ko-ok  as  they  pronoiun-ed  it)  of 
Richmond,  who  had  mysteriously  disappeared  from  their  ken.  This  dupUcation  business 
brought  on  by  their  own  stupidity  or  carelessness  was  a  horror  to  the  police  and  an  amuse- 
ment to  Richmond  as  it  was  to  his  audience  as  he  told  of  the  police  inquiries  continually 
made  of  him  in  the  hope  that  he  might  give  aid  by  having  and  imparting  knowledge  of  the 
whereabouts  of  his  interesting  countryman,  Yawmess  Ko-ok.  The  tragic  close  of  Mr.  Rich- 
mond's life  brought  an  incident  of  peculiar  interest  to  Vermonters.  In  July,  1866,  Rich- 
mond was  brutally  murdered  by  two  of  his  servants.  Frank  A.  Flower  in  his  life  of  Matt 
Carpenter,  says  :  "  With  perhaps  a  single  exception.  Carpenter  entertained  a  deeper  regard 
for  Rev.  James  Cook  Richmond  than  for  any  other  man  of  God  he  ever  knew."  The 
December  after  Richmond's  murder  Carpenter  went  from  Milwaukee  to  Dutchess  county,  N. 
Y.,  and  offered  to  aid  in  the  prosecution,  which  offer  was  accepted.  The  prisoner's  counsel 
tried  to  prejudice  the  jury  by  alleging  that  Carpenter,  by  his  long  journey  and  free  services, 
showed  he  was  seeking  revenge  and  not  justice.  Carpenter  made  the  closing  argument  and 
the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  after  being  out  only  twenty  minutes. 
Judge  Gilbert  who  presided  at  the  trial,  after  it  closed,  said  to  him  :  "  I  presume,  Mr.  Car- 
ter, you  were  a  member  of  Father  Richmond's  church."  "  No,"  says  Flower,  was  the  instant 
reply,  "  I  take  my  religion  by  the  curtesy." 

And  now  getting  near  the  beginning  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  mentioning  Carpenter 
there  comes  to  mind  the  picture  of  the  professional  beginning  of  those  supreme  lawyers, 
Edmunds  and  Carpenter,  in  their  night  struggle  with  each  other  in  the  justice's  court  in 
Bolton  nigh  unto  Camel's  Hump  ;  a  scene  on  which  Edmunds  threw  a  flash  light  when 
speaking  in  the  Senate  on  the  death  of  Carpenter. 

There  were  no  lawyers  in  the  territory  that  is  now  Yermont  before  the  State  of  Yer- 
mont  was  established,  except  those  in  Cumberland  county.  These,  in  their  order  of  com- 
ing, were  :  Charles  Phelps,  who  came  from  Massachusetts  to  Marlboro  in  1764  and  was 
then  a  lawyer  before  there  was  any  court  for  the  place  of  his  new  residence,  unless  one  went 
to  Portsmouth  or  .-Xlbany  to  find  it — according  as  one  stood  for  the  Hampshire  or  York 
jurisdiction;  John  (irout,  about  1 768,  who  came  to  Windsor  first  and  rapidly  changed  to 
Chester;  Crean  Brush  who  was  licensed  to  practice  law  Jan.  27,  1764,  in  New  York  by 
Governor  Colden,  and  who  came  to  Westminster  in  1771  ;  Solomon  Phelps,  son  of  Charles 
whose  name  perhaps  should  come  before  Grout's,  as  Solomon  came  to  Marlboro  with  his 
father  and  was  commissioned  by  Gov.  Henry  Moore  of  New  York,  as  an  attorney-at-law, 
March  31,  176S,  though  the  (record  of  his  admission  to  the  bar  by  the  court  in  Cumberland 
county  is  as  of  Sept.  8,  1772  ;  Samuel  Knight  (afterwards  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court), 
who  was  admitted  as  an  attorney  by  the  court  the  same  day  as  Solomon  Phelps,  Sept.  8, 
1772,  though  he  was  "commissioned  "  as  an  attorney,  June  23,  1772  ;  Elijah  Williams  who 
was  admitted  at  March  term,  1773,  though  it  does  not  appear  where  he  lived— an  Elijah 
Williams  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Guilford  in  1754 — and  the  most  that  can  be  hoped 
is  that  when  Patterson  Piermont  makes  his  local  habitation  known  Williams  will  come  with 
him;  Simeon  Olcott,  who  was  admitted,  Sept.  15,  1774,  but  as  he  was  doubtless  resident 
in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  he  can  hardly  count  as  a  Cumberland  county  lawyer— he  was  after- 
wards elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  but  did  nothing  as  such  except  to  resign,  and 
still  later  he  was  chief  justice  of  and  a  senator  from  New  Hampshire  ;  and  last  but  not  least 
Micah  Townsend  of  Brattleboro,  who  was  admitted  in  New  York  in  April,  1770,  and  came 
to  Yermont  about  1777.  Two  of  the  above  killed  themselves — Crean  Brush  shot  his  brains 
out  in  New  York  in  May,  1778,  and  Solomon  Phelps  after  preaching,  went  crazy  and  tried 
to  beat  out  his  brains  with  the  head  of  an  axe  but  only  broke  his  skull,  whereupon  trepan- 
ning saved  his  life  till  1 790,  when  he  cut  his  throat  with  a  razor.  Knight  became  chief 
judge  of  Yermont  and  Olcott  chief  justice  of  New  Hampshire  and  senator  as  above  stated. 
Micah  Townsend  lived  long  and  had  the  happiness  so  clerkly,  and  able,  and  pious  a  man 
deser%-ed,  and  as  to  Charles  Phelps  and  John  (irout,  of  each  the  old  epitaph  is  true,  "  af- 
flictions sore  long  time  he  bore." 


100  JUnOES  OF  THE  SUPREME  COURT. 

At  one  of  the  many  sessions  in  which  Lyman  G.  Hinckley,  of  happy  memory,  repre- 
sented Chelsea,  somebody  who  had  the  notion  that  the  state  was  being  impoverished  by  the 
emoluments  pertaining  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  had  introduced  a  new  fee  bill 
for  justices  and  speech  after  speech  was  made,  all  aimed  at  abuses  real  or  imaginary  that 
needed  to  be  corrected  in  our  fifteen  hundred  or  more  "courts  of  record"  that  don't  have  a 
seal,  .^t  last  "Lyme" — it  was  years  after  he  had  been  Lieutenant-Governor — who  had 
nearly  all  his  life  been  a  justice  without  being  made  aware  of  the  disgraceful  character  of  the 
occupation  as  set  forth  by  his  fellow-representatives,  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  rank  and  file 
of  the  judiciary  force  and  announced  that  he  had  heard  enough  of  invective  against  a  re- 
spectable body  of  men,  invective  having  its  moving  cause,  he  said,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
in  the  knowledge  of  those  who  assailed  our  worthy  magistrates,  that  they  never  could  hope 
to  arrive  at  and  be  clothed  with  the  dignity  of  a  justice  of  the  peace.  The  House  laughed, 
killed  the  bill,  and,  figuratively  speaking,  took  off  its  hat  to  the  representative  from  Chelsea 
and  his  army  of  justices. 

Well  it  might,  for  in  early  times  as  well  as  later,  the  pathway  of  the  local  magistrate  was 
not  strewn  with  roses.  And  in  September,  1778,  when  the  Superior  Court  had  not  been 
established  and  the  Supreme  Court  was  yet  farther  off  in  the  future,  and  the  Special  Courts 
were  not  in  session  and  the  Superior  Court  for  the  banishment  of  tories  had  been  recom- 
mended to  "dissist  from  any  further  prosecution,"  the  judicial  power  of  the  state  was  in  ex- 
ercise only  by  the  despised  justices.  The  following  complaint  shows  some  of  the  emolu- 
ments and  pleasures  of  the  office  of  justice  in  early  days  : 

''State  of  Vermont    (  u  u-r       c     .      u  ^  o 

Cumberland  County  f  Hallifax,  September   y  20,  1778. 

To^  His  Exellencv  the  Governoh,  to  His  Honour  the  Lielt. -Governor,  to  the  Honourable  Counsil  and  House  of 
Representatives: 

Greeting— The  Complaint  of  William  Hill  Most  Humbly  sheweth  that  your  complainant  Did  on  the  24'li  Day  of  Instant 
September  receive  a  warrant  from  Hubbel  Wells  Esqr  to  arrest  the  Bodys  of  John  Kirkley  and  Hannah  his  wife,  of  the  Town 
and  County  afore  Said  for  asault  and  Battery  parpetrated  in  the  Highway  on  the  body  of  David  Williams  in  Hallifax  afore 
S-j  I  therefore  took  the  said  John  and  Hannah  persuant  to  the  orders  and  Brought  them  Before  said  athority  without  any 
abuse  the  warrant  was  returned  the  partys  called  and  the  Cort  opened— then  there  came  Thomas  Clark  Thomas  Baker  Isaac 
Orr  Henrey  Henderson  Alexander  Stewart  Jonathan  Saflord  Elijah  Edwards  Peletiah  Fitch  With  about  Sixteen  Others  of  Said 
Town  armed  With  Clubs  to  attempt  to  Resque  the  prisoners  or  to  set  the  Court  aside  and  in  a  Tumultuors  manner  Rushed 
into  the  House  Drew  their  Clubs  and  Shok  them  over  the  Justices  Head  and  Swore  he  Should  not  try  the  case  Called  him  a 
Scoundral  and  that  he  to  Shew  himself  such  was  forgery  Which  he  Should  answer  for  and  Bid  Defience  to  the  State  and  all  its 
authority  with  Many  more  Insults  and  abuses  which  Stagnated  the  free  Course  of  Justice,  in  that  way  overpowered  the  author- 
ity and  Stopt  the  Court— all  which  is  against  the  peace  of  the  Community  Subversive  of  the  athority  of  the  State  against  the 
peace  and  Dignity  of  the  Same  Your  Complainant  prays  for  your  advice  and  assistance  in  this  Matter  that  Some  Method  may 
be  taken  Whereby  the  above  Said  Offenders  may  be  Brought  to  Justice  for  such  acts  of  Contempt  of  athority  and  for  such 
atrotious  acts  of  out  rage. 

this  Granted  and  Your  Complainant  as  in  Duty  Bound  Shall  Ever  pray. 

William    Hill,    Criisl.iile." 

One  gathers  from  the  above  that  the  men  with  clubs  were  adherents  of  New  York,  for 
they  maintained  that  for  ^Vells  (who  was  a  justice  under  appointment  of  the  new  State  of 
Vermont)  "  to  shew  himself  such  " — that  is,  to  claim  to  be  or  shew  himself  as  a  justice — was 
"  forgery,"  a  rather  unique  but  forcible  use  of  the  word. 


THE  JUDGES. 

At  the  October  session,  1778,  at  Windsor,  Oct.  23,  the  General  Assembly  "Resolved, 
that  there  be  a  Superior  Court  appointed  in  this  State,  consisting  of  five  judges ;"  also, 
"  Resolved,  that  the  Hon.  Moses  Robinson,  Esq.,  be,  and  is  hereby  appointed  chief  judge 
of  the  Superior  Court,  and  Maj.  John  Shepardson,  second  ;  John  Fassett,  Jun.,  third  ;  Major 
Thomas  Chandler,  Jr.,  fourth  ;  and  John  Throop,  Esq.,  fifth,  judges  of  said  court."  The 
court  was  to  sit  four  times  a  year — at  Bennington,  \\'estminster,  Rutland  and  Newbury,  and 
was  not  to  "sit  longer  at  one  sitting  than  one  week."     This  court  existed  four  years. 

The  first  session  was  held  at  Bennington  and  began  Dec.  10,  177S.  The  record  be- 
gins : 


JUDGES    OF   THE    SUPREME    COURT.  1 67 

"State  of  Vermont,  Bennington,  lo"'  December,  1778. 
This  day  met  the  Superior  Court  for  said  State  in  the  Council-Chamber  .at  Bennington  half  shire  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Stephen 
Fay's  in  said  town  agreeable  to  an  act  of  the  Geneial  Assembly  of  the  state  made  and  provided  lor  that  purpose. 

Prescnt-Thc  Hon.  Moses  Robinson,  Esi/uire,  Chief  Judge, 
John    Fassett,  Jiin'r,  and 
Thomas   Chandler,  Jutz^r,  Esquit-es. 
Havins  each  ..f  them  taken  the  necessary  oaths  of  office  proceeded  to  the  choice  of  a  clerk  for  said  court,"  i^c. 

They  chose  Joseph  Fay,  F^sii.,  clerk.  The  following  account,  which  was  allowed, 
shows  what  judges  attended.  It  seems  that  Major  Shepardson  did  not  attend,  but  Jonas 
Fay  who  was  a  member  of  the  council,  did  attend,  this  coming  from  a  provision  of  law  that 
in  the  absence  of  a  judge  a  member  of  the  council  might  sit  as  a  judge.  The  account  given 
below  bears  on  its  back  the  "  aproval "  of  Thomas  Chittenden  and  the  receipt  of  John  Fas- 
sett,  Jun.,  to  Ira  .Allen,  the  treasurer,  in  January,  1779,  when  it  is  plain  Fassett  got  his  pay 
for  the  money  ad\anced  to  pay  the  judges  and  officers.     This  is  the  account : 

Bennington,  14th  December,  1778. 

State  of  Vermont.                                              To  the  Superior  Court,  Dr. 

To  Moses  Robinson,  Esq.,  Chief  Judge,  4  days' Service,  ^600 

Thomas  Chandler,  Esq.,  I2  days'  Service,  60  miles  Travel,  21     o    o 

John  Fassett,  Jur.,  Esq.,  7  days' Service,  18  miles  Travel,  11     8     o 

John  Throop,  Esq.,  11  days'  Service,  100  miles  Do.,  ^1  10    o 

Jonas  Fay,  Esq.,  2  days'  Do.,  300 

John   Burnum,   Esq.,   State's  Attorney,  2  days'  service,  300 
Benjamin  Fay,  Esq.,  Sheriflf,  4  days'  Service,  .\ttend  Court,  Summoning 

24  Jurymen,  36  miles  Travel,  9180 

David  Robinson,  Constable,  Attending  i  day,  o  18    o 

Grand  Jury's  Bill,  10  16     o 

Joseph  Fay,  Clk.,  3  days'  Service,  3  12     o 

^i     '     o 
Samuel  Robinson,  Esq.,  2  Days,  280 

i<ii     to      O 

December  14th,  1778. 

We  whose  names  are  heretotore  prefi.xed  do  hereby  acknowledge  to  have  Reed,  of 
John  Fassett,  Jur.,  Esq.,  the  several  sums  anne.xed  to  each  of  our  Names  in  the  above 
Acct.  in  full  of  all  demands  on  said  Acct.  Moses  Robinson. 

Thos.  Chandler,  Jr.  John  Fassett,  Jur. 

This  may  certify  that  the  Grand  Joseph  Fay.  Jonas  Fay. 

Jury  Reed,  the  money  mentioned  in  David  Robinson.  John  Throop. 

the  above  act.  Saml.  Robinson.  Benj.  Fay. 

Attest:  Jos.  Fay,  Clk.  John  Burnam,  Junr. 

Ira  Allen,  Esq.,  Treasurer. 

.\t  this  session  it  seems  nothing  was  done  the  loth,  the  day  court  met,  except  to  appoint 
a  clerk  and  adjourn  to  the  nth.  On  the  nth  the  court  was  mainly  occupied  with  the  case 
of  William  Griffin  vs.  Jacob  Galusha  for  fraudulently  taking  and  detaining  a  certain  white 
horse  belonging  to  Griffin  ;  the  parties  appeared  and  joined  issue  and  the  defendant  Galusha 
"]3leading"  for  a  continuance  for  the  want  of  material  evidence,  it  was  granted  him  to  the 
third  Thursday  of  February,  and  to  that  time  the  court  adjourned  on  the  nth.  On  the 
14th  of  December,  at  a  Special  Superior  Court,  "called  on  special  occasion,"  a  prisoner 
pleaded  guilty  of  "  enemical  conduct  against  this  and  the  United  States  and  going  over  and 
joining  the  enemies  thereof,"  and  was  sentenced,  having  prayed  the  mercy  of  the  court,  and 
presumably  getting  benefit  from  the  prayer,  to  be  banished  and  transported  within  the 
"enemies  lines  at  Canada,  and  to  depart  this  state,  on  or  before  the  loth  day  of  February 
next ;  and  to  proceed  within  the  enemies  lines,  without  delay ;  never  more  to  return  within 
this,  or  the  United  States  of  America,  on  penalty  of  being,  on  conviction  thereof,  before 
any  court  or  authority  proper  to  try  him,  whipped  on  the  naked  back,  thirty  and  nine 
lashes  ;  and  the  same  number  of  lashes  to  be  repeated  once  every  week,  during  his  stay  ; 
paying  cost."  The  bill  for  service  printed  above  evidently  covers  the  sitting  of  the  court  at 
its  regular  session  on  the  loth  and  nth,  and  at  its  special  session  of  the  14th. 

It  is  rather  interesting  to  follow  out  Griffin  vs.  Galusha.  At  the  February  term,  1779, 
C'Talusha  was  defaulted,  and  the  court  judged  "  that  a  certain  white  horse,  now  in  the  custody 
of  the  sheriff,  the  property  of  William  Griffin,  be  delivered  up  to  the  said  Griffin  and  that 
the  defendant  pay  cost,"  which  order  was  discharged  by  the  defendant,  who  turned  up  after 


IDS  JUDGES    OF   THE   SUPREME    COURT. 

he  was  defaulted  and  asked  the  court  to  grant  a  review  ;  this  it  did  and  on  the  next  day 
tried  the  cause.  Galusha  got  beaten  on  the  trial  and  had  an  additional  bill  of  cost  to  pay. 
At  this  February  term  Timothy  Brownson  of  the  Council  sat  with  Robinson  and  Fassett, 
judges,  to  make  a  quorum. 

At  the  May  term,  1779,  at  Westminster,  Stephen  R.  Bradley  and  Noah  Smith  were 
"  appointed  attornies  at  law,  sworn  and  licensed  to  plead  at  the  bar  within  this  state  " — 
being  the  first  lawyers  admitted  by  a  Vermont  court.  At  the  June  term,  1779,  at  Rutland, 
Nathaniel  Chipman  was  appointed  attorney  at  law,  sworn  and  licensed  to  plead  at  the  bar 
within  this  state.  These  three  young  men  were  very  much  in  evidence  in  the  state  later 
on,  and  Chipman  was  the  first  lawyer  to  become  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
Bradley  the  second,  and  Smith  the  third. 

Noah  Smith  was  appointed  state's  attorney  pro  tempore  for  the  county  of  Cumberland 
the  day  he  was  admitted,  and  on  the  same  day  exhibited  a  complaint  against  Nathan 
Stone,  of  Windsor,  for  uttering  reproachful  and  scandalous  words  of  the  authority.     It 

appears  that  Stone,  on  the  15th  of  March,  at  Windsor,  had  said  to  the  sheriff,  " 

you,  and  your  Governor  and  your  Council,"  or,  as  set  forth  by  Smith  in  his  complaint,  "  you 
(meaning  the  high  sheriff  of  said  county,  John  Benjamin,  Esq.),  and  your  Governor  (mean- 
ing his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  this  state),  and  your  Council  (meaning  the  Honorable 
Council  of  this  state),  which  opprobrious  language  was  a  violation  of  the  law  of  the  land." 
Stone  was  fined  twenty  pounds  and  cost.  Lucky  for  Stone  he  didn't  damn  the  Court  as 
well.  At  that  term  all  five  of  the  judges  were  present,  so  no  member  of  the  Honorable 
Council  sat  in  judgment  on  his  reviler.  Smith  and  Chipman  were  the  first  lawyers  to  be 
admitted  who  resided  west  of  the  Green  Mountains.  Smith  had  lived  in  Bennington  nearly 
a  year  and  Chipman  had  come  that  spring  from  Connecticut,  where  he  had  been  admitted 
an  attorney  in  March. 

It  is  not  intended  to  give  here  any  detailed  account  of  the  acts  constituting  the  courts 
of  Vermont.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  county  courts  were  established  by  acts  of  the  Feb- 
ruary and  April  sessions,  1781,  and  the  first  county  court  was  held  at  Westminster  June  26, 
1 78 1.  In  1779  the  Governor,  council  and  assembly  were  invested  with  equity  powers  as  a 
court  in  cases  involving  more  than  four  thousand  pounds  and  with  appellate  powers  in  equity 
cases  involving  more  than  twenty  and  less  than  four  thousand  pounds,  but  the  1785  Council 
of  Censors  pointed  out  the  inconvenience  of  that  arrangement  and  in  i  786  it  was  repealed. 
The  Superior  Court  was  given  equity  jurisdiction  in  cases  above  twenty  and  less  than  four 
thousand  pounds.  The  Governor,  council  and  assembly  had  one  chancery  case  before  them 
in  1785  but  gave  up  the  consideration  of  it.  There  was  no  chancery  court  between  1786 
and  1797.  In  1797  the  court  of  chancery  was  constituted  by  legislative  enactment,  and 
till  1839  consisted  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  in  1814  each  of  the  Supreme 
Court  judges  was  authorized  to  make  as  a  chancellor  interlocutory  orders  in  vacation  in 
chancery  cases  preparatory  to  final  hearing.  The  Supreme  Court  continued  to  1839  to  be 
the  Court  of  Chancery  and  of  course  there  were  no  appeals,  but  since  then  (except  from 
1850  to  1857,  when  the  circuit  judges  were  chancellors),  there  has  been  a  court  of  chancery, 
consisting  of  one  judge  as  chancellor  ( each  Supreme  Court  judge  being  a  chancellor) ,  sitting 
contemporaneously  with  the  county  courts  in  each  county,  appeal  from  all  decrees  lying  to 
the  Supreme  Court.  The  Supreme  Court  was  constituted  in  1782  and  five  judges  elected. 
The  Supreme  Court  judges  concluded  the  work  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  except  to  have 
this  business  finished,  the  latter  court  ceased  to  exist  after  four  years  from  its  creation,  the 
county  and  Supreme  courts  taking  its  place.  Ihe  first  session  of  the  Supreme  Court  was 
held  at  Marlboro,  Windham  County,  F"eb.  6,  1783,  after  its  judges  had  finished  business 
pending  in  the  Superior  Court. 

In  name  no  judges  elected  before  October,  1782,  belong  in  the  list  of  Supreme  Court 
judges,  but  the  judges  of  the  Superior  Court  have  been  treated  as  though  they  properly  be- 
longed in  that  list  and  the  Supreme  Court  took  the  place  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  four  of 
the  Superior  Court  judges  of   1782   became  Supreme  Court  judges  that  same  year.     The 


SHEPARIISON. 


169 


Superior  Court  judges  will  be  here  treated  as  though  their  court  had  been  legally  called 
Supreme. 

It  was  not  till  i  786,  four  _vears  after  the  Supreme  Court  was  established,  that  it  had  a 
lawyer  on  its  bench,  and  the  Superior  Court  never  had  one.  Lawyers  were  scarce  for  one 
thing,  and  were  either  very  young  or  in  sympathy  with  the  claims  of  New  York.  Out  in 
Illinois  long  ago  a  sensible  business  man  was  nominated  for  judge,  and,  thinking  there  was 
no  possibility  of  election  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  decline.  To  his  surprise  he  was  elected 
and  thereupon  went  to  a  good  friend  who  was  a  lawyer  for  advice.  The  lawyer  said,  "ac- 
cept," and  when  the  judge-elect  protested  that  he  would  not  know  what  to  do,  told  him  : 
"Hear  each  case  and  decide  it  as  seems  to  you  right,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  your  de- 
cision will  be  right,  but  never  give  a  reason  for  your  decision  for  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
your  reason  will  be  wrong."  It  was  not  till  1793  that  any  book  of  reports  of  decisions  of 
our  Supreme  Court  was  published,  and  "N.  Chipman"  is  a  very  unpretentious  volume. 

Before  giving  account  of  the  judges  who  sat  in  the  highest  court  of  the  state  from  the 
October  session  of  1778,  a  final  word  may  be  said  of  that  first  superior  court  created  June 
17,  1778,  for  the  banishment  of  Tories,  etc.  A  quarter  of  a  century  ago  Charles  Reed  when 
working  with  Gov.  Hiland  Hall  in  preparing  for  publication  matter  going  into  the  collections 
of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society,  got  on  track  of  a  man,  real  or  mythical,  of  the  name  of 
Evan  Paul,  but  never  found  him.  And  Patterson  Piermont,  Esq.,  judge  of  the  brief  court  of 
banishment,  yet  stands  the  shadow  of  a  name. 

The  judges  of  the  Superior  Court  elected  in  ( )ctober,  1  7 78,  were  five  ;  Moses  Robinson, 
John  Shepardson,  John  Fasset,  Jr.,  Thomas  Chandler,  Jr.,  and  lohn  Throop. 


ROBINSON,  Moses.— Chief  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court,  1778  to  1781,  and  from 
June,  1782,  to  October,  1782  ;  chief  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  1782  to  1784,  and  from 
1785  to  1789.  [See  Mr.  Daxenport's  sketch 
in  "The  Fathers,"  ante  page  55.] 

SHHPARDSON,  JOHN.  — Major  John 
Shepardson,  of  Cuilford,  was  born  in  Attle- 
boro,  Mass.,  Feb.  16,  i  729,  and  died  Jan.  3, 
1802.  He  came  to  Cuilford  soon  after  its  first 
settlement  in  September,  1761,  by  iMicah 
Rice  and  family,  and  was  there  when  the  only 
road,  that  up  Broad  Brook,  was  impassable 
with  teams,  so  that  the  settlers  had  "  to  boil 
or  pound  their  corn,  or  go  fifteen  miles  to 
mill  with  a  grist  upon  their  backs."  The 
first  recorded  town  meeting  of  Cuilford  was 
held  May  ig,  1772,  and  John  Shepardson 
was  chosen  town  clerk.  When  the  new  state 
was  organized  he  and  Col.  Benjamin  Carpen- 
ter were  the  two  leaders  of  the  cause  of  Ver- 
mont against  the  New  Yorkers.  He  was 
twice,  in  1778  and  1779,  elected  "second 
judge "  of  the  Superior  Court — his  name 
standing  next  to  that  of  the  chief  judge.  He 
attended  the  court  at  Westminster,  May 
26,  1779,  when  S.  R.  Bradley  and  Noah 
Smith  were  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  does 
not  seem  to  have  attended  other  sessions  of 
the  court. 

This  session  of  May,  1779,  which  Shep- 
ardson attended  was,  taken  altogether,  an 
interesting  one.     Vermont  and    New   \'ork 


were  each  claiming  jurisdiction  over  Vermont 
territory.  In  February,  a  militia  law  had 
been  passed  by  Vermont  giving  the  com- 
mander of  a  militia  company  the  right  to 
draft  men  to  serve.  In  April,  U'illiam  Mc- 
Wain,  a  sergeant  in  Capt.  Daniel  Jewet's 
company,  was  drafting  men.  The  Yorkers 
refused  to  serve,  especially  Capt.  James  Clay 
and  Lieutenant  Benjamin  Wilson  of  Putney. 
McW'ain  told  them  they  would  be  fined,  and 
then  that  they  were  fined  ;  they  would  not 
pay  and  April  2 1  he  levied  on  two  cows,  one 
Clay's  and  the  other  Wilson's,  and  advertised 
to  sell  them  the  2Sth.  On  the  28th  the  cows 
were  forcibly  taken  from  Mc^Vain  by  a  num- 
ber of  men  of  Col.  Eleazer  Patterson's  New 
York  regiment.  May  18,  McWain  entered 
complaint  against  those  who  took  the  cows 
from  him  and,  on  papers  issued  by  Ira  Allen, 
thirty-six  Yorkers  were  arrested  and  confined 
in  \Vestminster  jail.  Governor  Chittenden, 
to  protect  the  \'ermont  sheriff,  ordered  Ethan 
Allen  to  collect  a  hundred  able  bodied  \olun- 
teers  in  the  county  of  Bennington  and  march 
them  mto  the  county  of  Cumberland  to  re- 
main during  the  sitting  of  the  court.  The 
county  committee  of  the  New  York  adherents 
met  at  Brattleboro,  May  25,  and  sent  an  ex- 
press to  Governor  Clinton  saying  that  if  aid 
were  not  rendered,  "  our  persons  and  prop- 
erty must  be  at  the  disposal  of  Ethan  .Allen, 
which  is  more  to  be  dreaded  than  death  with 
all  its  terrors."  Court  met  the  26th.  Noah 
Smith  was  appointed    state's   attorney,  f<ro 


lyo 


SHEPARDSON. 


SHEPARDSOX. 


tempore,  and  complained  of  the  prisoners  for 
assembling  at  Putney,  April  28,  in  a  riotous 
and  unlawful  manner  and  assaulting  McWain, 
a  lawful  officer  in  the  execution  of  a  lawful 
command,  and  taking  the  cows  which  Mc- 
Wain had  taken  by  legal  measures — charging 
that  this  "wicked  conduct"  was  a  violation 
of  the  common  law  and  contrary  to  the  stat- 
ute [passed  in  February  but  not  printed  and 
published  until  June],  to  prevent  riots,  dis- 
orders and  contempts  of  authority.  The 
preliminary  proceedings  used  up  the  day  and 
the  prisoners  were  sent  back  to  jail.  Micah 
Townsend  w-as  one  of  the  thirty-six  prisoners  ; 
at  his  suggestion,  twenty-eight  of  them  peti- 
tioned the  court  for  a  month's  delay  but  the 
only  effect  of  this  was  to  procure  the  new 
lawyer,  S.  R.  Bradley,  as  counsel  for  the  res- 
pondents. On  the  27th,  Smith  entered  a 
nolle  pivsei/iii  in  the  complaints  against  three 
of  the  thirty-six,  and  Mr.  Bradley  moved  to 
quash  three  other  complaints  on  account  of 
the  nonage  of  the  parties  respondent.  Brad- 
ley worked  this  racket  on  Smith  successfully. 
Benjamin  H.  Hall,  who  was  far  from  being 
an  admirer  of  Allen,  says  : 

"  The  motion  was  granted,  and  the  court 
was  about  to  proceed  with  the  trial  of  the 
remaining  prisoners,  when  an  unexpected 
interruption  took  place.  Ethan  Allen,  who, 
with  his  men,  had  been  engaged  at  West- 
minster in  assisting  the  sheriff  and  guarding 
the  prisoners,  had  watched  with  interest  and 
satisfaction  the  transactions  of  the  preced- 
ing day,  and  had  expressed  great  pleasure 
at  the  manner  in  which  the  goddess  of  jus- 
tice seemed  to  be  preparing  to  punish  the 
rebellious  Yorkers.  He  was  not  present  at 
the  commencement  of  the  second  day's 
session,  but  having  heard  that  some  of  the 
prisoners  were  obtaining  their  discharge,  he 
resolved  to  stop  such  flagitious  conduct,  and 
teach  the  court  their  duty.  Accoutred  in 
his  military  dress,  with  a  large  cocked  hat 
on  his  head  profusely  ornamented  with  gold 
lace,  and  a  sword  of  fabulous  dimensions 
swinging  at  his  side,  he  entered  the  court 
room  breathless  with  haste,  and  pressing 
through  the  crowd  which  filled  the  room, 
advanced  towards  the  bench  whereon  the 
judges  were  seated.  Bowing  to  Moses  Rob- 
inson who  occupied  the  chief  seat,  and  who 
was  his  intimate  friend,  he  commenced  a 
furious  harangue,  aimed  particularly  at  the 
state's  attorney,  and  the  attorney  for  the 
defendants. 

"  The  judge,  as  soon  as  he  could  recover 
from  his  astonishment,  informed  the  speaker 
that  the  court  would  gladly  listen  to  his 
remarks  as  a  private  citizen,  but  could  not 
allow  him  to  address  them  either  in  military 
attire  or  as  a  military  man.  To  this  infor- 
mation Allen  replied  by  a  nod,  and  taking 
off  his  chapeau  threw  it  on  the  table.     He 


then  proceeded  to  unbuckle  his  sword,  and 
as  he  laid  it  aside  with  a  flourish,  turned  to 
the  judge,  and  in  a  voice  like  that  of  a 
Stentor  exclaimed. 


He  then  turned  to  the  audience  and  having 
surveyed  them  for  a  moment,  again  addressed 
the  judge,  as  follows  :  '  Fifty  miles  I  have 
come  through  the  woods  with  my  brave  men, 
to  support  the  civil  with  the  military  arm  ; 
to  quell  any  disturbances  should  they  arise ; 
and  to  aid  the  sheriff  and  the  court  in  pros- 
ecuting these  Yorkers — the  enemies  of  our 
noble  state.  I  see,  however,  that  some  of 
them,  by  the  quirks  of  this  artful  lawyer, 
Bradley,  are  escaping  from  the  punishment 
they  so  richly  deserve,  and  I  find  also,  that 
that  this  little  Noah  Smith  is  far  from  under- 
standing his  business,  since  he  at  one  moment 
moves  for  a  prosecution  and  in  the  next 
wishes  to  withdraw  it.  Let  me  warn  your 
honor  to  be  on  your  guard,  lest  these  delin- 
quents should  slip  through  your  fingers,  and 
thus  escape  the  reward  so  justly  due  their 
crimes.'  Having  delivered  himself  in  these 
words,  he  with  great  dignity  replaced  his  hat, 
and,  having  buckled  on  his  sword,  left  the 
court  room  with  the  air  of  one  who  seemed 
to  feel  the  weight  of  kingdoms  on  his 
shoulders.  After  a  short  interval  of  silence, 
business  was  again  resumed." 

Thirty  respondents  were  before  the  court. 
Bradley  came  to  the  rescue  of  them  as  he 
had  of  the  three  "infants,"  and  the  thirty 
pleaded  in  bar  that  though  by  common  law 
they  might  be  held  to  answer  part  of  the  in- 
formation (Hall  calls  the  allegations  against 
them  at  one  time  complaint,  at  another  in- 
dictment, and  again  information),  yet  they 
could  not  be  held  to  answer  that  part  founded 
on  the  statute  since  it  was  not  in  their 
power  to  know  the  statute  when  the  crimes 
were  alleged  to  have  been  committed  as  it 
had  not  then  been  promulgated,  and  this 
they  were  ready  to  verify.  This  invention 
of  Bradley's  (if  Micah  Townsend  was  not  the 
originator)  succeeded  as  well  as  could  have 
been  expected  and  the  court  ordered  that 
part  of  the  information  brought  on  the 
statute  to  be  dismissed.  To  be  "  boiled  in 
oil"  was  not  a  part  of  the  statutory  penalty, 
but  whipping  on  the  naked  back  and  divers 
and  sundry  other  unpleasant  things  were,  so 
Bradley's  point  was  worth  making.  The 
prisoners  then  pleaded  not  guilty  and  gave 
evidence  that  they  were  subjects  of  New 
York  and  did  the  acts  alleged  against  them 
by  virtue  of  authority  given  them  by  that 
state.  What  Smith  was  doing  when  Bradley 
put  in  that  evidence  does  not  appear,  and 
one  can  but  think  of  Allen's  characterization 
of  the  two  men.  The  state  then  put  in  some 
e\itlence  and  the  court  considered  the  mat- 


SHEPARIlSclN. 


SHEPARliSON. 


171 


ter  and  adjudged  the  defendants  guilty  antl 
fined  them  from  two  pounds  to  forty  pounds 
lawful  money  each.  Townsend's  fine  was 
twenty  pounds.  The  court  also  sentenced 
the  delinquents  to  pay  in  equal  shares  the 
costs,  amounting  to  1,477  pounds  and  18 
shillings.  These  large  figures,  it  must  be 
remembered,  were  those  of  a  miserably  de- 
preciated currency  and  Mr.  Hewitt  even 
would  regard  a  coined  vacuum  with  much 
more  favor  than  the  paper  money  of  that 
time. 

All  these  doings  Shepardson  saw  and 
helped  Robinson  preside  at.  He  went  out 
of  judicial  office  in  i  780.  One  more  glimpse 
of  Allen  in  the  neighborhood  of  Shepard- 
son's  home  may  be  had.  In  1782  renewed 
trouble  with  the  Yorkers,  who  had  their  main 
strength  in  Cluilford,  induced  "one-eyed 
Tom,"  as  the  irreverent  dubbed  His  p]xce)- 
lency  Thomas  Chittenden,  to  again  call  out 
Allen  and  the  troops.  Chittenden,  by  the 
way,  was  not  the  only  Covernor  who  had  a 
nick-name,  for,  appalling  to  relate,  the,  to  us, 
venerable  Isaac  Tichenor,  who  was  elected 
Governor  in  i  797,  the  year  Chittenden  died, 
was  called  "  the  Jersey  Slick."  In  Septem- 
ber, 1782,  Allen  went  into  Windham  county 
and  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Vermont 
militia,  and  when  in  Marlboro  was  boldly 
faced  by  Timothy  Phelps,  who,  as  Allen  ap- 
proached, "  announced  himself  as  the  high 
sheriff  of  Cumberland  county,  bade  Allen  go 
about  his  business,  denounced  his  conduct 
and  that  of  his  men  as  riotous,  and  ordered 
the  military  to  disperse.  ^Vith  his  usual 
roughness,  Allen  knocked  the  hat  from  the 
head  of  the  doughty  sheriff,  ordered  his  at- 
tendants to  'take  the  d — d  rascal  off,'  and 
galloped  away  to  superintend  the  operations 
of  other  portions  of  his  forces."  It  was 
probably  the  same  day  that  .Allen  dispersed 
the  Cruilfordites  by  his  famous  proclamation. 
They  had  fired  on  his  troops,  and  he,  on 
reaching  Guilford,  made  proclamation  to  the 
people  in  these  words  :  "  I,  F.than  .Allen,  do 
declare  that  I  will  give  no  quarter  to  the  man, 
woman,  or  child  who  shall  oppose  me,  and 
unless  the  inhabitants  of  Cluilford  peacefully 
submit  to  the  authority  of  Vermont,  I  swear 
that  I  will  lay  it  as  desolate  as  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  by  C; — ."  The  terrified  Yorkers 
of  (kiilford  thereupon  fled.  Tradition  has  it 
that  .Allen's  answer  to  De  La  Place  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  when  asked  by  what  authority  he 
demanded  the  surrender,  had  the  same  two 
words  ending  as  his  Guilford  proclamation, 
though  not  so  quoted  in  the  books.  .A  Bos- 
ton newspaper  the  other  day,  commenting 
on  the  assertion  that  somebody  in  Brattle- 
boro  says  "Begad,"  remarks  that  is  not  the 
way  Vermonters  pronounce  it  when  excited. 
However  this  may  be,  the  power  to  hit  the 
mark  with  words,  and  hit   it  hard,  is  a  great 


gift,  and  that  gift  Allen  had  in  his  day,  as  the 
creator  of  Mulvaney,  Grtheris,  and  I  .earoyd, 
in  an  altogether  different  field,  has  it  in  this 
day. 

In  December,  1783,  the  Yorkers  attempted 
to  capture  Shepardson  and  Col.  Benjamin 
Carpenter,  but  did  not  succeed.  These  two 
men  seem  to  have  hunted  in  couples  some- 
what in  their  work  for  the  new  state.  Per- 
haps Shepardson  has  a  monument  with  par- 
ticulars about  him  that  would  go  well  here, 
for  the  judge  don't  seem  to  cut  quite  as 
much  of  a  figure  in  this  sketch  of  him  as  he 
ought  to,  but  without  monumental  inscrip- 
tion at  hand  to  give  light  on  him,  a  few  lines 
from  Carpenter's  monument  will  have  to  do 
to  show  the  kind  of  man  his  next  friend  was. 
The  tribute  to  Carpenter  on  his  monument 
after  stating  among  other  things  that  he  was 
a  field  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
a  founder  of  the  first  constitution  and  gov- 
ernment of  Vermont,  concludes  with  these 
words,  "lined"  by  the  monument-maker 
thus  : 

"  A  firm  professor  of  Christianity  in  tile 

Baptist  Church  50  years.     Left  this  worid 

and  146  persons  of  lineal  posterity, 

March  29,  1804. 

.^ged  78  years,  10  months  and  12  days, 

with  a  strong 

Mind  and  full  faith  of  a  more 

Glorious  state  hereafter. 

Stature  about  six  feet — weight  200. 

Death  had  no  terror." 

In  the  sth  volume  of  Hemenway's  Ver- 
mont Historical  Gazetteer  are  given  the 
records  of  the  town  of  Guilford  for  many 
years  of  Judge  Shepardson's  time.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  the  meeting  of  Feb.  20,  1777,  of 
which  Major  Shepardson  (he  wasn't  elected 
judge  till  the  next  year  and  query  whether 
the  military  title  even  then  gave  way  to  the 
judicial)  was  moderator,  are,  like  many  of 
the  other  records,  well  worth  reading.  The 
meeting  appointed  a  committee  of  nine  "  to 
state  the  Price  of  Labor,  Provisions,  Mer- 
cantable  Goods,  etc.,  and  to  make  [report] 
to  the  town  for  their  approbation."  Alarch 
6,  1777,  at  an  adjourned  meeting  the  com- 
mittee reported  among  other  things  that 
"  good  merchantable  wheat  shall  not  exceed 
60  cts.  per  bu.  *  *  Good  yallow  potaters 
shall  not  in  the  spring  exceed  20  cts.  per 
bushel.  *  *  Good  West  India  Rum 
and  New  England  Rum  and  Molasses  and 
Muscovado  Sugar  shall  be  sold  on  the  same 
as  they  are  stated  in  the  New  England 
states ;  Farming  laborers  in  the  summer 
season  shall  not  exceed  30  cts.  per  day  and 
so  in  usual  proportion  at  other  seasons  of 
the  year  and  the  labor  of  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  and  other  labor  to  be  computed 
according  to  the  wages  and  customs  that 
hath  been  practiced  among  us  computed 
with  farm  labor."  .Among  other  articles  on 
which  a  price  was  fixed  were  Rye,  Indian 
Corn,  Oats,  Peas,  and  Beans,  Flax  Seed,  Salt 


172 


Pork,  Good  Grass  Beef,  Raw  Hides,  Sole 
Leather,  Neat  Leather  Shoes,  Wool,  Tow 
Cloth,  Coarse  Linen,  Striped  Flannel,  Hay, 
Butter,  Tallow,  Hog's  Fat  and  Pine  Boards. 
It  was  voted  if  anybody  in  town  should  sell 
any  named  article  to  any  person  in  the 
neighboring  towns  at  a  higher  price  than 
stated  in  the  re])ort  he  should  forfeit  the 
value  of  the  article  to  the  town,  and  if  any 
person  directly  or  indirectly  took  a  greater 
price  than  stated  in  the  report  he  should 
forfeit  the  value  of  the  article  sold,  one- 
half  to  the  town  and  one-half  to  the 
complainant.  It  was  then  voted  that  the 
committee  of  nine  hear  and  determine  all 
cases  and  complaints  in  these  matters  and 
impose  costs  of  suit  if  they  should  find 
those  charged  guilty ;  "  By  a  unanimous 
vote  of  this  town  and  chose  Maj.  John  Shep- 
ardson  one  of  the  Committee  of  Inspection." 

All  this  was  in  the  "Republic  of  Guilford" 
and  there  was  no  Coxey  with  his  army  of 
the  Commonweal  to  march  to  its  capital. 
Political  economists  can  figure  the  matter 
out  to  suit  themselves.  But  this  wasn't  the 
Guilford  which  \'ermont  had  on  her  hands 
to  contend  with — that  Guilford  was  the 
"other  crowd,"  the  York  adherents. 

In  bidding  Judge  Shepardson  good-bye, 
we  bid  good-bye  to  comment  on  the  form 
and  pressure  of  his  time 

"  When  the  Hampshire  Grants  were  tracts  of  land 

Somewhat  in  disputation, 
Traclced  by  the  most  untractable 

Otall  the  Yankee  nation: 
When  Ethan  Allen  ruled  the  State 

With  steel  and  stolen  '  scriptur,' 
Declared  his  '  beech  seal '  war  against 

New  York,  and  look  and  whipt  her." 

Vermont's  poet,  Eastman  (born  in  Maine 
though)  makes  "My  Uncle  Jerry"  sum  it  up 
with  a  free  swing  of  words  that  matches 
Allen's  own  : 

"  There's  much,  he  says,  about  Vermont 

For  history  and  song; 
Much  to  be  written  yet,  and  much 

That  has  been  written  wrong. 
The  old  Thirteen   united,  fought 

The  Revolution  through ; 
While,  single  handed   old  Vermont 

Fought  them,  and  England,  too. 


She'd  Massachnsei 

tts  ar 

id  New 

■  York, 

And-so  thp  r.-,-, 

ird  o 

t;tnds  — 

New  Ham,,v , 

!■  li'jl 

HI.',  r, 

uilford,  : 

TheU.H.M,    .M 

Yet  still  he,     .:,J 

Her  hilLs  liiuj..p 

li  alt. 

^hiine 

And  when  the  smu 

.keo 

i  battle 

passed, 

.She'd  whipt  ther 

n  all, 

,  alone 

So  Modesty  survives  the  flight  of  time 
and  like  Charity,  vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not 
puffed  up,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly. 

FASSETT,  J(3HN,  JR.— Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court,  1778  to  1782  ;  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  1782  to  1786.  [See  sketch 
in  "The  Fathers,"  an^e  page  58.] 

CHANDLER,  THOMAS,  JR.— Judge 
of  the  Superior  Court,  1778  to  1779.  [See 
sketch  in  "The  Fathers,"  an/c  page  66.] 


THROOP,  John,  of  Pomfret,  was  born 
in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  Sept.  11,  1733,  and 
died  Jan.  25,  1802.  He  was  a  judge  of  the 
Superior  Court,  1778  to  1781,  and  February 
to  October,  1 782,  and  had  lived  in  Pomfret  at 
least  as  far  back  as  1773,  when  the  town  was 
organized.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  con- 
vention at  A\'indsor  June  4,  1777,  and  was 
also  a  delegate  to  the  convention  forming 
the  constitution  in  July  and  December  of 
that  year.  Judge  Throop  was  chosen  repre- 
sentative from  Pomfret  in  the  fall  of  1778 
and  was  a  member  of  the  council  from  1779 
to  1786.  In  i787-'S8  he  again  represented 
Pomfret,  and  was  judge  of  probate,  1783  to 
1792. 

SPOONER,  Paul.— Dr.  Paul  Spooner 
of  Hartland  (which  was  called  Hertford  till 
1772)  was  born  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  March 
20  (one  authority  says  March  30),  1746,  and 
died  at  Hartland  while  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  Sept.  4,  17S9.  He  was  the  youngest 
of  the  ten  children  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(Ruggles)  Spooner  and  his  father  moved 
to  Petersham,  Mass.,  when  Paul  was  about 
two  years  old.  There  Paul  grew  up,  studied 
medicine  and  from  there  came  to  Hertford 
in  176S.  His  father  Hved  to  the  great  age 
of   one    hundred  and  three  years,  dying   in 

1797- 

Dr.  Spooner  married  m  1769  Asenath, 
daughter*  of  Amasa  Wright,  and  by  her  had 
three  children,  one  of  whom,  Paul,  moved  to 
Hardwick  and  was  the  first  town  clerk  of 
that  town  in  1795  ^"^1  ''^  first  representative. 
His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  x\nn  (Cogswell) 
Post. 

Dr.  Spooner  was  first  elected  a  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court  in  October,  1779,  at  which 
session  that  court  was  constituted  a  court  of 
equity  in  matters  above  twenty  and  under 
four  thousand  pounds— the  Governor  and 
council  and  House  of  Representatives  being 
given  original  etpiity  jurisdiction  in  cases  in- 
volving over  four  thousand  pounds,  and  an 
appeal  lying  to  them  from  the  Superior 
Court  in  cases  where  the  latter  had  original 
jurisdiction.  This  provision  as  to  the  equity 
powers  of  the  Governor,  Council  and  House 
was,  as  has  been  before  stated,  repealed  in 
1786. 

Dr.  Spooner  was  a  delegate  from  Hertford 
to  the  Westminster  convention  of  Oct.  19, 
1 774,  called  to  condemn  the  tea  act,  the  Bos- 
ton Port  bill  and  like  measures  of  the  mother 
country.  He  was  a  delegate  to  a  convention 
of  Whigs  at  Westminster  Feb.  7,  17 75'  and 
to  the  "  Cumberland  County  Congress"  of 
June  6,  1775,  and  was  chosen  a  delegate  to 
represent  that  county  in  the  New  York  Prov- 
incial Congress  at  its  sessions  beginning  in 
May  and  November  of  that  year.  May  5, 
1777,  he  was  chosen  sheriff  of  Cumberland 


173 


county  under  New  York,  but  declined  the 
otitice  in  a  letter  dated  July  15,  1777,  having 
the  week  before  been  appointed  one  of  the 
\'ermont  Council  of  Safety.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  council  from  1778  to  1782  and 
l.ieutenant-Clovernor  from  1782  to  1787. 
In  1781  and  1782  he  was  judge  of  probate 
for  Windsor  county,  and  was  agent  of  Ver- 
mont to  Congress  in  1780  and  1782. 

ludge  Spooner  served  as  a  judge  of  the 
Superior  Court  from  1779  to  1782,  though 
in  1 781  he  was  left  off  at  the  election,  when 
Chief  Judge  Robinson  was  displaced  by 
Elisha  Payne  and  being  angry  declined  to 
serve  as  assistant.  When  Robinson  declined 
S]3ooner  was  elected  in  his  place.  In  17S2 
ludge  Spooner  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  served  as  such  till  his 
death.  From  1784  to  1785  he  was  chief 
judge. 

.•\  communication,  dated  Hartland,  Sept. 
8,  1789,  appeared  in  Spooner's  Vermont 
lournal  of  Sept.  16,  17S9,  from  which  the 
following  is  an  extract : 

"  Frid.iy  last,  departed  this  life  and  on  Sunday  was  decently 
interred,  the  Honorable  Paul  Si-oonek,  Esq.,  in  the  44th  year 
of  his  age.  His  character  as  a  skilful  and  careful  practitioner 
in  the  Medicinal  Art,  was  established  here  soon  after  his  ar- 
rival from  Petersham ;  even  without  the  advantages  of  a  liberal 
education.  The  sprightliness  of  his  genius,  his  candid  and 
generous  temper,  his  discreet  and  diligent  application  to  busi- 
ness, soon  attracted  the  eyes  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  was  a 
steady  friend  and  steady  assistant  to  his  country,  through  all 
the  late  unhappy  war  with  Greatbritain:  and  from  the  first 
rise  to  the  present  advancement  of  the  State  of  Vermont. 
•  *  *  He  died  while  the  other  Judges  were  on  the  circuit 
for  the  administration  of  justice.  *  *  *  The  honor  and 
benefit  accruing  to  the  town  by  his  dwelling  among  them  has 
been  largely  e.xperienced;  the  loss  whereof  may  be  long  felt 
and  regretted.  He  was  a  zealous  promoter  of  learning — a 
great  benefactor  to  the  rising  generation,  *  *  *  As  a  judge 
he  ever  aimed  to  administer  judgment  in  uprightness.    *    *    * 

He  left  a  sorrowful  widow  (his  second  wife)  and  three  chil. 
dren  (by  his  first  wife)  to  bemoan  their  loss  The  concourse 
to  the  funeral  fwith  only  two  days  for  the  tidings  to  spread) 
was  so  great,  that  one  could  scarce  see  so  many  sad  counte- 
nances, without  crying  out  in  the  heart.  Behold  hoiv  they 
loved  hint.  The  conjectures  of  people  varied  as  to  the  num. 
ber,  as  from  five  to  ten  hundred  A  pertinent  and  affecting 
sermon  (as  it  is  said)  was  delivered  by  the  Reverend  Aaron 
Hutchinson  of  Pomfret,  well  adapted  to  the  occasion,  from 
Psalm  cvlvi  3  4.—-  Put  not  your  trust  in  frii/ees,  nor  in  the 
Son  0/  wan,  in  lohom  there  is  no  help.  His  breath  goeth 
forth,  he  retnrneth  to  the  earth;  in  that  very  day  his 
thoughts  perish:  After  sermon  the  Fimeral  Thought  was 
sung,  which  added  not  a  little  to  the  solemnity  " 

MOSELEY,  'Increase.—  Dr.  increase 
Moseley  was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  May 
18,  1 7 12,  married  Deborah  Tracy  of  Wind- 
ham, Conn.,  May  7,  1735  ;  moved  to  An- 
cient Woodbury,  Conn.,  about  1740  and  to 
Clarendon  about  1779.  Dr.  Moseley  was 
one  of  the  leaders  in  .\ncient  Woodbury  and 
served  as  representative  in  the  Connecticut 
Legislature  from  1 75 1  almost  continuously 
till  his  removal  to  Vermont.  He  was  mod- 
erator of  Woodbury's  meeting  for  the  relief 
of  Boston,  Sept.  20,  1774,  and  a  member  of 
her  Revolutionary  committees. 

He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Superior 
Court  in  1780,  but  served  only  one  year, 
going  off  in  the  election  of  1781,  when 
everything  was  mixed  up  by  giving  the  New 
Hampshire  towns  representation  on  the 
bench.      In  1782  he  was  representative  from 


Clarendon   and  was    elected  speaker  of  the 
House. 

I  )r.  Moseley  was  chief  jtidge  of  Rutland 
county  from  1781  to  1787  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  first  council  of  censors — that  of 
1785 — a  body  of  which  Benjamin  Carpen- 
ter, Joseph  Marsh,  and  Micah  Townsend 
were  members,  and  whose  work  was  well 
done  and  .  whose  "proceedings" — really  an 
address  to  the  people  — constitute  a  state 
paper  of  remarkable  merit,  the  authorship  of 
which  probably  lay  largely  with  Townsend,  the 
secretary.    Judge  Moseley  died  May  2,  1795. 

PAYNE,  ELISHA.— Col.  Elisha  Payne  of 
Lebanon,  was  elected  chief  judge  of  the  su- 
perior court  in  October,  1781,  and  held  that 
place  till  he  ceased  to  be  a  citizen  of  Ver- 
mont, on  the  dissolution  of  the  union  with 
the  New  Hampshire  towns  in  February, 
I  782.  He  presided  at  a  session  of  the  court 
held  for  the  county  of  Washington  (an  ephe- 
meral county,  inade  up  of  New  Hampshire 
towns  while  the  Union  existed  and  that  went 
out  of  existence  with  the  Union)  at  Charles- 
town,  N.  H.,  December,  1781.  No  business 
was  done,  only  Judges  Payne  and  Spooner 
being  present.  [See  sketch  in  "The  Fathers," 
an/e  page  64.] 

OLCOTT,  Simeon.— At  the  October 
session,  1781,  Bezaleel  Woodward,  represen- 
tative from  Dresden,  and  a  professor  in 
Dartmouth  College,  was  chosen  a  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court.  Prof.  Woodward  de- 
clined the  office  and  Simeon  Olcott  of 
Charlestovvn  (a  New  Hampshire  town  then 
in  Union  with  Vermont  and  situate  in  the 
short-lived  county  above  referred  to)  was 
elected  in  his  place.  Judge  Olcott  was  the 
first  lawyer  to  be  elected  to  the  bench  by  the 
Vermont  Legislature,  but  he  never  held 
court,  so  that  Nathaniel  Chipman  stands  as 
the  first  Vermont  lawyer  elected  judge  who 
took  judicial  service  upon  himself.  Mr. 
Roberts  puts  Olcott  in  the  list  of  judges ; 
while  Judge  Taft  leaves  him  out  because  he 
didn't  'tend  court.  Whether  it  was  a  mere 
freak  that  kept  Olcott  away  from  sitting  with 
Payne  and  Spooner  when  they  were  at 
Charlestown  in  December,  or  whether  he 
had  some  constitutional  scruple  about  main.- 
taining  that  court  of  justice  in  Washington 
county,  is  not  known.  .At  any  rate  Olcott 
resigned  Jan.  28,  1782,  and  Feb.  13,  1782, 
the  .Assembly  elected  Gen.  Samuel  Fletcher 
of  Townsend,  who  declined,  and,  F"eb.  16, 
|ohn  Throop,  who  had  been  judge  till  left  ofif 
the  October  before,  was  elected,  and  served. 
Simeon  Olcott  was  born  in  Bolton,  Conn., 
Oct.  1,  1735,  graduated  at  Vale  in  1761, 
studied  law,  moved  to  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
in  1764,  was  admitted  as  an  attorney  in 
Cumberland  county,  Sej)!.  15,  1774,  and  was 


in  1 784  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  court 
of  common  pleas  in  New  Hampshire.  In 
1790  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Superior  Court  of  which  he  was 
made  chief  justice  in  1795.  On  the  resig- 
nation of  Samuel  Livermore  he  was  made  a 
United  States  Senator  from  New  Hampshire 
and  served  as  such  from  Dec.  7,  1801,  to 
March  3,  1805.  He  died  in  Charlestown, 
N.  H.,  Feb.  22,  1815.  He  married,  Octo- 
ber, 1783,  Tryphena  Terry  and  has  descend- 
ants now  living  in  Charlestown.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  lawyer  to  settle  in 
Western  New  Hampshire. 

FAY,  Jonas. — Dr.  Jonas  Fay,  of  Ben- 
nington, was  a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court 
the  last  year  of  its  existence  and  of  the 
Supreme  Court  its  first  year.  His  two  years 
of  service  were  from  1781  to  1783.  [See 
sketch  in  the  "  P'athers,"  ante  page  50.] 

OLCOTT,  PETER.— Col.  Peter  Olcott 
of  Norwich  was  the  first  person  elected  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  who  had  not 
already  served  as  a  judge  of  the  Superior 
Court.  The  Supreme  Court  was  established 
the  session  of  his  election  thereto,  October, 
1782.  The  Superior  Court  consisted  of  five 
judges  during  the  four  years  it  existed  ;  the 
Supreme  Court  had  five  to  begin  with,  the 
number  was  decreased  to  three  in  1787,  in- 
creased to  four  in  1S24,  to  five  in  1828  and 
to  six  in  1846.  In  1850  the  number  was 
decreased  to  three  and  so  continued  (during 
the  existence  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  four 
judges)  till  1857  when  the  number  was 
restored  to  six  at  which  it  remained  till  in- 
creased to  seven,  its  present  number,  in 
1870. 

Colonel  Olcott  served  three  years  as  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  his  service 
ending  in  1785.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  ;  he  married 
Sarah  Mills  and  moved  from  Bolton,  Conn., 
(where  judge  Simeon  Olcott  was  born)  to 
Norwich  about  176S.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Windsor  convention,  June,  1777,  and 
also  of  the  convention  of  July  and  1  )ecem- 
ber,  1777,  which  adopted  the  constitution. 
In  1777  he  commanded  a  regiment  in  Glou- 
,cester  county  and  was  summoned  to  march 
to  Bennington  too  late  to  reach  it  before  the 
battle,  but  was  employed  in  other  military 
service.  He  was  elected  to  the  council  in 
1779,  and  elected  again  in  1781  ;  he  served 
till  1790  as  a  councilor.  He  was  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor four  years — 1790  to  1794 — and 
in  the  latter  year  declined  to  be  longer  a 
candidate  for  that  office.  His  son  Roswell 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1789  and  his 
son  Mills  in  1790.  Rufus  Choate  married 
Helen,  a  daughter  of  Mills    Olcott.     Judge 


Olcott  died  at  Hanover,  where  his  son 
Mills  resided,  in  September,   iSoS. 

PORTER,  THOMAS.— Thomas  Porter 
was  born  in  Farmington,  Conn.,  in  1734, 
served  in  the  British  army  at  Lake  George 
in  1755,  held  local  offices  in  Farmington, 
married  Abigail  Howe,  moved  to  Cornwall, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  prominent  in  town  af- 
fairs and  from  that  town  he  went  into  the 
Revolutionary  army.  He  was  many  years  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature.  In 
1 7  79  he  moved  to  Tinniouth  from  which  town 
he  was  elected  as  representative  to  the  Assem- 
bly in  1780,  1 781  and  1782,  in  each  of  which 
years  he  was  elected  speaker  of  the  House. 
In  1782  he  was  also  elected  to  the  council 
and  resigned  as  speaker  to  take  the  new  po- 
sition. He  served  till  1795  as  a  councilor. 
Judge  Porter  was  a  farmer. 

He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Sujireme 
Court  in  1783  and  served  till  1786.  Judge 
Porter  died  in  Granville,  N.  Y.,  in  1833.  His 
son,  Ebenezer  Porter  (Dartmouth,  1792),  was 
a  famous  Doctor  of  Divinity  and  was  presi- 
dent of  Andover  Theological  Seminary. 

NILES,  Nathaniel.— Nathaniel  Niles,of 
Fairlee  (that  part  which  is  now  West  Fairlee), 
teacher,  student  of  law  and  medicine,  preach- 
er, inventor  and  poet,  was  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  from  1 784  to  1 7S8.  [See  sketch 
in  "Representatives,"  ante  page  127.] 

CHIPMAN,  Nathaniel.— Nathaniel 

Chipman  of  Tinmouth,  the  first  lawyer  to 
serve  as  a  Vermont  judge,  was  elected  an 
assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
1786,  and  served  one  year;  in  1789  he  was 
elected  chief  judge,  and  served  till  he  was 
appointed  U.  S.  District  Judge  for  Vermont 
in  1 79 1.  In  1796  he  was  again  elected  chief 
judge,  and  served  one  year,  and  in  1S13  and 
1 8 14  was  for  the  last  times  elected  chief 
judge,  serving  two  years  in  this,  his  third 
period  of  service  as  chief  judge.  Judge 
Chipman  was  the  first  to  report  decisions  of 
the  Supreme  Court.  Judge  Samuel  Prentiss 
said  that  the  various  traits  of  his  mind  and 
constitutional  temperament,  combined  with 
his  deep  and  extensive  learning,  entitled  him 
to  rank  among  the  first  judges  of  this  or  any 
other  country.  Judge  Prentiss  further  said  : 
"I  witnessed,  during  the  short  period  he  was 
last  on  the  bench,  exhibitions  of  the  great 
strength,  vigor,  comprehension,  and  clear- 
ness of  his  mind,  of  his  profound  and  accur- 
ate knowledge  of  Lgal  principles,  and  of  his 
remarkably  discriminating  and  well-balanced 
judgment."  Judge  Chipman  was  a  student 
of  the  law,  and  eminently  just-minded.  He 
was  a  Federalist,  and  thought  our  system  of 
electing  judges  a  bad  one — ad\ocating  an 
appointive   system  with  long  tenure.      The 


KNI.)\VLTl  )N. 


175 


proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  tiie  eating,  and 
if  in  any  state  as  small  as  ours  there  can  be 
found  a  court  that  has  maintained  a  higher 
standing  for  a  hundred  years  than  that  which 
we  have  had  under  our  system  then  we  had 
better  give  it  up — and  not  till  then.  [See 
Mr.  Davenport's  sketch  of  Judge  Chi]jman 
in  the  "Senators,"  ante  page  loS.] 

KNOWLTON,  LUKE.— Luke  Knowlton 
of  Newfane  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  in  1786  and  served  one  year, 
Ijeing  dropped  with  Nathaniel  Chipman  in 
1787  when  the  court  was  reduced  from  fixe 
to  three  members.  [See  sketch  in  the 
"Fathers,"  ante  page  59.] 

BRADLEY,  STEPHEN  R.— Stephen  Row 
Bradley  of  Westminster  was  elected  a  judge 
in  1 788  and  served  one  year.  [See  Mr.  Dav- 
enport's sketch  of  him  in  the  "Senators" 
and  of  his  still  more  brilliant  son,  William 
C.  Bradley  in  the  "Representatives."]  judge 
Bradley  was  three  times  married,  by  the  first 
and  second  of  which  marriages  he  had  chil- 
dren. His  first  wife  was  Merab  .Atwater  ; 
his  second.  Thankful  Taylor  :  and  his  third, 
Belinda  Willard.  Spooner's  Vermont  Jour- 
nal of  Jan.  19,  1802,  has  the  following 
notice  : 

"Died  at  ^^■estminster,  in  this  state,  on 
Sunday  the  loth  instant,  of  a  lingering  ill- 
ness, Mrs.  Thankfull  Bradley,  consort  of  the 
Hon.  Stephen  R.  Bradley,  in  the  thirty-fourth 
year  of  her  age.  To  those  who  have  ex- 
perienced her  tenderness  and  affection 
as  a  daughter,  sister,  wife  and  mother,  her 
loss  is  irreparable.  To  the  society  which 
she  adorned  as  a  friend  and  neighbor,  her 
virtues  will  long  be  remembered,  and  the 
loss  regretted  with  tears. 

"Her  funeral  was  attended  by  a  very  large 
and  respectable  assembly  on  the  Wednesday 
following,  when  a  very  pathetic  discourse 
was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barber  from 
the  words  of  the  Apostle  :  'For  we  know, 
that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle 
were  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God, 
an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in 
the  hea\ens.'  " 

This  excellent  step-mother  is  as  worthy  of 
remembrance  as  any  just  judge  on  the  face 
of  God's  earth,  for  her  love  wrought  a  per- 
fect work  and  that  is  all  justice  can  hope  to 
do.  Judge  Wheeler  in  his  paper  on  Will- 
iam (i'.  Bradley,  read  before  the  Vermont 
Bar  Association  in  1883,  said  : 

"  .\t  an  early  age  he  encountered  what  is 
perhaps  the  greatest  earthly  loss  of  a  boy, 
the  death  of  a  worthy  mother.  Her  place 
was  not  long  after  taken  by  a  step-mother, 
who  soon  became  his  fast  friend  and  whose 
kindness  and  care  he  dutifully  and  affection- 
ately repaid.     Full  of  both  physical  and  in- 


tellectual life  and  vigor,  he  needed  at  times 
to  break  forth  in  somewhat  wayward  [iranks. 
His  father  was  stern  and  imperious  with  him. 
She  with  kindness  and  good  judgment  miti- 
gated the  severity  of  the  law.  At  one  time 
when  he  was  going  from  home  alone  under 
his  father's  displeasure,  she  followed  him  a 
little  way  and  gave  him  a  little  case  of 
needles  and  thread,  called  a  housewife, 
which  she  had  made  for  him,  in  the  pocket 
of  which  was  a  guinea,  and  spoke  some  kind 
words  of  encouragement  to  him.  His  father 
soon  relented  and  got  him  back.  He  re- 
membered the  kindness  and  forgot  the 
strictness.  He  always  cherished  this  keep- 
sake and  would  never  ha\e  the  guinea  taken 
out.  In  his  last  sickness  he  had  it  brought 
to  him  and  held  so  he  could  see  that  the 
guinea  was  still  there,  and  it  was  handed 
down  under  his  will  to  a  favorite  grand- 
daughter." [See  sketches,  ante  pages  104 
and  136.] 

SMITH,  NOAH.— Noah  Smith  of  Benning- 
ton was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  from 
1789  to  1791,  and  again  from  1798  to  1801. 
He  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  in  1755, 
graduated  at  Vale  in  1778,  and  at  once  came 
to  Bennington,  where  he  that  summer  deliv- 
ered the  address  at  the  first  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  Bennington.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  May  26,  1779,  and  went  right  to 
work  as  may  be  seen  ante  in  sketch  of  John 
Shepardson.  He  was  for  some  years  state's 
attorney  and  county  clerk  of  Bennington 
county,  and  was  appointed  L".  S.  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue  in  1791.  In  1798  he 
was  elected  a  councilor,  but  resigned  to 
accept  the  judgeship.  He  moved  from  Ben- 
nington to  Milton  soon  after  1800.  He 
married  Chloe  Burrall ;  she  died  in  Burling- 
ton in  1 8 10,  where  he  was  then  confined  in 
jail  for  debt.  In  181 1  the  Legislature  passed 
an  act  for  his  relief  which  freed  him  from 
jail.     He  died  in  Milton,  Dec.  23,  18 12. 

His  son  Albert  became  a  doctor  of  divin- 
ity, as  did  his  son  Henry,  who  married  Abby, 
daughter  of  President  Joshua  Bates  of  Mid- 
dlebury  College.  Henry  became  president 
of  Marietta  College,  Ohio,  and  died  while  a 
professor  and  the  head  of  Lane  Theological 
Seminary,  Cincinnati.  Prof.  Henry  Preserved 
Smith  of  that  seminary  and  the  present  day, 
who  is  with  Dr.  Briggs  in  ecclesiastical  con- 
troversy with  certain  strict  constructionists 
in  theology,  by  name  and  locality  ought  to 
be  a  grandson  of  the  judge,  but  there  is  an- 
other family  of  Smiths  and  I  do  not  know 
the  professor's  pedigree. 

Judge  Smith  came  near  being  elected  sen- 
ator instead  of  Mr.  Bradley  in  January,  i  791, 
and  resigned  Jan.  24  of  that  year,  perhaps 
with  the  intent  to  contest  the  senatorial 
election  but  he  did  not  do  it. 


1 76  KNIGHT. 

KNIGHT,  Samuel.— Samuel  Knight  of 
Hrattleboro  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1789  and  chief  judge  in  1791  and 
served  until  1794,  making  five  years  service 
in  all.  He  was  born  about  1730  and  died 
at  his  home  on  his  farm  between  Brattleboro 
and  West  Brattleboro  in  1804.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1772  and  was  on  the 
York  side  in  the  Westminster  trouble  of 
March,  1775.  He  fled  across  the  river  and 
did  not  return  to  Brattleboro  for  a  year.  He 
finally  made  up  his  mind  that  the  York  cause 
was  hopeless  and  overcame  by  his  character 
the  prejudice  that  existed  against  him  be- 
cause of  his  early  adherence  to  the  authority 
of  New  York.  He  represented  Brattleboro 
in  1 781,  1783,  1784  and  1785,  and  was  chief 
judge  of  \\indham  county  court  in  1 786, 
1794,  1795  ^n*^!  1801. 

■  PAINE,  Elijah. — Elijah  Paine  of  Will- 
iamstown  was  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  Jan.  27,  1791,  (  in  place  of  Noah 
Smith,  resigned),  till  he  was  elected  United 
States  Senator  in  1794.  [See  sketch  in  the 
"Senators,"  ante  page  107.] 

TICHENOR,  ISAAC— Isaac  Tichenor 
was  judge  from  1791  to  1794  and  chief 
judge  from  1794  to  1796.  [See  sketch  in 
the  "  Governors,"  ante  page  72.] 

HALL,  LOT. — Lot  Hall,  of  Westminster, 
was  judge  from  1794  to  1801.  He  was  born 
on  Cape  Cod,  and  was  in  the  early  years  of 
the  Revolution  a  sailor.  Engaged  in  a  naval 
expedition  to  protect  South  Carolina,  he  was 
taken  prisoner  while  acting  as  lieutenant  in 
charge  of  a  prize  and  carried  to  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  where  he  was  released.  On  his 
way  home  he  was  again  captured,  but  Patrick 
Henry  procured  hi's  release.  His  marriage 
to  Mary  Homer,  of  Boston,  in  1786,  was  as 
romantic  as  his  experiences  in  war  ;  she  was 
but  fifteen.  Mary  was  not,  however,  the 
woman  to  whom  the  Chicago  Tribune  refers 
when  it  says  that  in  Boston  Sunday  schools 
each  class  recites  in  concert,  when  asked 
what  became  of  Lot's  wife,  "  She  was  trans- 
muted into  chloride  of  sodium." 

He  began  the  study  of  law  at  Barnstable 
in  1 782,  came  that  year  to  Bennington,  and 
the  next  year  settled  in  Westminster,  which 
he  represented  in  1788,  1791,  179-  and 
1808.  He  was  a  presidential  elector  in 
1792,  and  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Cen- 
sors in  1799. 

judge  Hall  was  taken  sick  while  attending 
the  Legislature  in  1808,  and  died  May  17, 
1S09. 

WOO  DB  RIDGE,  ENOCH.— Enoch 
\Voodbridge  of  Vergennes  was  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  1794  to  1798,  and  chief  judge 


I  798  to  1 80 1.  He  was  born  in  Stockbridge, 
Mass.,  December,  1 750,  and  graduated  at 
Yale  in  1774.  In  the  Revolution  he  was  in 
the  Continental  service  as  commissary  of 
issues,  and  was  at  Hubbardton,  Bennington, 
and  Burgoyne's  surrender.  He  studied  law, 
and  on  first  coming  to  Vermont  began  prac- 
tice in  Manchester,  from  which  place  he  went 
to  Vergennes,  of  which  city  he  was  in  i  794 
elected  the  first  mayor.  He  represented  Ver- 
gennes from  1 79 1  to  his  elevation  to  the 
bench,  and  again  in  1802.  In  1793  Mr. 
Woodbridge  was  a  member  of  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention.  He  died  in  May,  1805. 
Judge  Woodbridge  was  descended  from  Gov. 
Thomas  Dudley,  and  was  a  great-grandson 
of  Rev.  John  Eliot,  the  apostle  to  the  In- 
dians. He  married,  in  1774,  Nancy  Win- 
chell,  and  they  had  eight  children  ;  one  of 
whom,  Enoch  D.,  married  Cora  Strong,  a 
daughter  of  Gen.  Samuel  Strong,  and  was 
the  father  of  Frederick  E.  Woodbridge. 

SMITH,  Israel.— Israel  Smith  of  Rut- 
land was  elected  chief  judge  in  1897,  and 
served  one  year.  In  1801  he  was  again 
elected,  but  declined  to  serve.  [See  sketch 
in  "Governors,"  ante  page  73.] 

ROBINSON,  Jonathan.— Jonathan 
Robinson  of  Bennington  was  chief  judge 
from  1 80 1  to  I  So  7.  [See  sketch  in  the 
"Fathers,"  ante  page  57,  and  also  the  follow- 
ing notes  on  Judge  Tyler.] 

TYLER,  ROYALL.— Royall  Tyler,  was 
born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  July  18,  i757-  His 
father,  Royall  Tyler,  was  a  man  of  distinction 
and  died  in  i  7  7 1 .  B.  H.  Hall  says  that  the  son 
was  named  William  Clark  Tyler  and  that  on 
the  death  of  his  father  this  was  by  legislative 
enactment  changed  to  Royall.  He  gradua- 
ted at  Harvard  in  1776,  went  into  the  army 
and  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Lincoln  ; 
studied  law  with  Francis  Dana  at  Cambridge, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1779,  went  to 
Falmouth  (now  Portland),  Me.,  and  practiced 
there  two  years,  returned  to  Boston,  and  set- 
ded  in  Braintree,  Mass.,  intending  to  make  it 
his  home.  When  Shay's  Rebellion  came  he 
again  served  under  General  Lincoln,  and  was 
sent  by  Governor  Bowdoin  to  negotiate  with 
New  York  and  Vermont  concerning  the  sur- 
render of  the  rebels  who  had  fled. 

.About  this  time  he  wrote  the  "Contrast," 
the  first  .American  play  ever  staged.  This 
comedy  was  played  at  the  old  John  Street 
Theatre  in  New  York,  .\pril  16,  1786.  Wig- 
nell,  the  actor  for  whom  it  was  written,  pub- 
lished it  and  Dr.  Conland  of  l!rattleboro  can 
tell  what  year,  for  he  has  a  copy.  The  state- 
ment here  about  the  play  differs  from  what 
is  stated  in  Hemenway's  Gazetteer,  Vol.  5, 
from  the  pen  of  Thomas  Pickman  Tyler,  son 


1/7 


of  Royall,  who  gi\es  the  place  of  production 
as  the  old  Park  Theatre  and  the  spring  of 
I  7S9  as  the  time.  The  editor  of  the  Gazet- 
teer gave  only  extracts  from  T.  P.  Tyler's 
memoirs  of  Judge  Tyler  and  they  are  just 
enough  to  make  one  hungry  for  the  rest. 
Judge  Tyler  wrote  many  other  plays  and 
books. 


Judge  Tyler  moved  to  Guilford,  Vt.,  in 
January,  1791,  and  soon  had  a  good  law 
practice.  He  married  Mary  Palmer  and 
they  had  eleven  children.  In  1801  he  was 
elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  and 
in  1807  was  promoted  to  chief  judge.  He 
left  the  bench  in  1S12  after  eleven  years 
continuous  service.  Tyler's  reports  are  from 
his  pen.  From  1S15  to  182 1  he  was  register 
of  probate  for  Windham  county  and  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  law  to  about  1820. 
He  was  afflicted  with  cancer  in  his  later 
years  and  died  August  16,  1826. 

In  the  memoirs  above  referred  to  are 
many  letters  to  and  from  Judge  Tyler  that 
light  up  the  past.  Jonathan  Robinson,  long 
on  the  bench  with  him  and  then  a  Senator, 
writes  to  him  from  Washington,  Feb.  4, 
1810:  "When  we  come  to  be  judged  for 
our  judgments,  my  friend,  the  question  will 
not  be  whether  we  pursued  legal  forms  or 
technical  niceties,  but  have  you  heard  the 
cry  of  the  poor  and  relieved  them  from  their 
oppression.  But  I  hope  that  the  philan- 
thropy of  Bro.  Fay  and  yourself  will  prevent 
all  unpleasant  results  because  he  does  not 
carry  the  Hopkinsian  doctrine  to  that  lofty 


pinnacle  of  revelation  and  philosopliy  to 
which  you  so  ardently  and  rationally  aspire. 
In  one  thing  I  fear,  he  will  ne\er  be  able  to 
arrive  to  equal  resignation,  w^hich  you  once 
expressed,  even  willingness  to  see  Bro.  Rob- 
inson damned.  However,  good  men  of  all 
faiths  will,  I  hope,  be  accepted  if  their 
hearts  are  but  right."  Senator  Robinson's 
reference  may  be  better  understood  if  it  be 
stated  { Robinson  being  of  the  Calvinistic 
and  Hopkinsian  school)  that  he  and  Tyler 
had  debated  the  alleged  need,  as  evidence  of 
regeneration,  that  one  should  be  willing  to 
be  lost  eternally  if  it  were  for  the  glory  of 
God,  and  Tyler  on  being  detained  from 
court  on  one  occasion  wrote  Judge  Jacob 
and  requested  him  to  inform  the  chief  judge 
(then  Judge  Robinson)  "that  he  really  be- 
gan to  hope  that  he  had  made  some  little 
spiritual  progress,  for,  although  he  could  not 
honestly  say  that  he  was  willing  to  be  damned 
himself,  even  if  it  were  needful  for  the  glory 
of  the  Almighty,  yet  he  believed  that  by 
great  effort  he  had  nearly  or  quite  attained 
to  a  sincere  willingness  that  in  such  an  exi- 
gency Bro.  Robinson  should  be  damned." 

Robinson  writes  Tyler  from  Washington, 
June  17,  1812:  "All  is  anxiety.  It  is  four 
o'clock  and  the  Senate  has  not  yet  taken  the 
question  [on  a  war  measure].  I  want  a 
pipe,  and  I  want  my  dinner,  but  I  cannot 
start,  tack  or  sheet,  until  I  see,  as  Bro.  Her- 
rington  says, '  the  last  dog  hung.'  Recollect 
me  to  Mrs.  Tyler,  the  boys  and  girls  and  to 
Miss  Sophia.  Keep  this  letter  to  yourself. 
I  cannot  continue  while  Gorman  is  murder- 
ing language  in  an  endless  speech,  which 
sounds  more  discordant  to  my  ears  than  the 
thundering  cannon  did  thirty-seven  years 
ago  this  day,  when  I  heard  more  than  two 
hundred  of  them  in  my  cornfield  in  Benning- 
ton." The  thundering  cannon  w-ere  those  of 
Bunker  Hill. 

In  another  letter  from  ^\■ashington  Robin- 
son expresses  his  impatience  at  delays  in 
Congress,  and  on  the  outside  of  the  letter 
describes  his  idea  of  the  scene  of  its  recep- 
tion by  their  Honors,  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Vermont,  in  these  words  : 
"  Bro.  Tyler  filled  his  pipe  and  said,  '  Come, 
Brethren,  let  us  see  what  Bro.  Robinson  has 
to  say.'  Reads.  Bro.  Fay  spits  and  says, 
'  Bro.  Robinson  is  as  cross  as  the  devil.' 
'  Well,'  says  Bro.  Herrington,  '  I  feel  easy 
about  it,  it  is  a  pack  for  their  backs,  not 
mine.'  Bro.  Tyler  smiled,  and  filled  his 
second  pipe." 

Judge  Tyler  was  honored  and  loved  by  all. 
Judge  Royall  Tyler  of  Brattleboro,  now  in  his 
eighty-second  year,  is  his  son.  That  fact, 
though  neither  the  relationship  nor  the  name 
is  pat,  somehow  calls  to  mind  this  : 

"Jerry! 
I  s.iy,  my  boy.  you'll  go  it  yet 
You're  like  your  uncle,  very." 


178 


JACOB. 


JACOB,  Stephen.— Stephen  Jacob  of 
Windsor  was  born  in  Sheffield,  Mass.,  grad- 
uated at  Yale  in  1778,  came  to  Bennington, 
Vt.,  that  year,  and  read  a  poem  at  the  first 
celebration  of  the  Battle  of  Bennington, 
August  16,  1778;  married  Pamela  Farrand 
in  1779,  and  came  to  Windsor  in  1780.  He 
had,  before  admission  to  the  bar,  studied 
law  with  Theodore  Sedgwick  of  Massachu- 
setts. In  I  781  he  was  a  representative  from 
^Vindsor,  and  again  in  1788  and  1794,  and 
was  clerk  of  the  House  in  17S8  and  1780. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  able  council  of 
censors  of  1785,  delegate  in  the  constitu- 
tional convention  of  179,3,  chief  judge  of 
\\'indsor  county  court  1797  to  1801,  and  a 
councillor  from  1796  to  1802.  Mr.  Jacob 
was  brave  and  energetic  in  quelling  the 
Windsor  county  insurrection  in  1786,  and  in 
1789  was  a  commissioner  in  settling  the 
controversy  with  New  York. 

He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1801  and  served  two  years.  Judge 
Jacob  was  a  high-strung  Federalist,  aristo- 
cratic in  bearing  and  mode  of  life  and 
bought  several  slaves  and  brought  them  into 
Vermont,  where,  of  course,  they  could  serve 
him  or  not  as  they  chose.  He  bought  one 
Dinah,  a  negro  woman  of  thirty,  July  26, 
1783,  for  forty  pounds,  but  Dinah  emanci- 
pated herself,  fell  into  want,  and  the  select- 
men of  Windsor  sued  Judge  Jacob  for  her 
support.  His  views  on  the  slavery  question 
were  very  different  from  those  of  his  suc- 
cessor next  noticed  herein.  Judge  Jacob 
died  Jan.  27,  18 17. 

HERRINTON,  THEOPHILUS.  —  Theo- 
philus  Herrinton  of  Clarendon,  called  by 
others  in  his  own  day  Harrington,  Herring- 
ton,  or  Herrinton,  but  who  himself  wrote  his 
name  as  here  given,  was  born  in  Rhode 
Island,  married  Betsey  Buck,  came  to  Ver- 
mont in  1785  and  became  a  farmer  in  Clar- 
endon. Betsey  and  he  were  not  out,  and 
in  1 797  there  were  living  eleven  of  their 
twelve  children.  In  their  school  district 
that  year  were  eight  families  to  whom  had 
been  born  113  children,  99  of  whom  were 
then  living,  and  none  of  the  husbands  in 
these  families  had  a  second  wife. 

Judge  Harrington,  to  use  the  name  by 
which  he  is  known  in  history,  represented 
Clarendon  in  179S,  and  from  1798  to  1803 
inclusive,  being  speaker  the  last-named  year. 
He  was  chief  judge  of  Rutland  county  court, 
1800  to  1803,  and  in  1803  was  elected  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  where  he  served 
ten  years. 

He  was  no  observer  of  conventionalities, 
if  he  knew  them,  and  it  has  been  said  that 
he  sometimes  went  into  court  barefooted. 
His  business  was  that  of  a  farmer,  and  he 
was  not  admitted  to  the  bar  till  after  his 
election  as  a  Supreme  Court  judge.     Many 


stories  are  told  of  him — how  that  he  said  he 
didn't  know  as  the  court  knows  what  a 
demurrer  is,  but  it  knows  what  justice  is, 
and  the  plaintiff  shall  have  judgment ;  how, 
while  the  other  judges  doubted  whether  the 
horse  thief  who  stole  in  Canada  and  was 
guilty  of  asportation  in  this  state,  could  be 
here  convicted,  Harrington  insisted  that 
he  not  only  stole  it  in  Canada,  but  every 
step  of  the  way  he  took  with  it,  and  so  stole 
it  all  the  way  through  \'ermont  ;  and  how  he 
cut  the  knot  about  the  seal  by  his  "  hand 
me  a  wafer." 

His  strong  good  sense  and  just  mind  gave 
him  the  respect  of  the  people  and  of  his  as- 
sociates on  the  bench,  and  one  of  his  judg- 
ments ( remember  he  succeeded  Judge  Jacob, 
who  bought  slaves)  deservedly  made  him 
famous.  It  was  upon  application  for  a  war- 
rant to  be  given  the  claimant,  which  would 
give  him  power  to  remove  his  escaped  slave. 
The  claimant's  lawyer  had  a  bill  of  sale  of  the 
slave  and  back  of  that  a  bill  of  sale  of  the 
slave's  mother.  "  Is  that  all?  "  said  the  judge. 
The  claimant's  lawyer  thought  going  back  to 
the  two  bills  of  sale  was  enough,  but  Har- 
rington said,  "  you  do  not  go  back  to  the  orig- 
inal proprietor."  The  attorney  wanted  to 
know  what  would  be  sufficient  and  was  in- 
formed that  nothing  in  that  court  would  give 
title  to  a  human  being  but  "a  bill  of  sale 
from  .Almighty  God."^ 

Judge  Harrington  died  Nov.  27,  1813. 

GALUSHA,  Jonas.— Jonas  Galusha  of 
Shaftsbury  was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
two  years,  1S07  to  1809.  [See  sketch  in 
"Governors,"  ante  page  74.] 

FAY,  David.— David  Fay  of  Benning- 
ton, youngest  son  of  Stephen  and  brother  of 
Judge  Jonas  Fay,  was  born  in  Hardwick, 
Mass.,  Dec.  13,  1761.  When  sixteen  he 
was  a  filer  in  Capt.  Samuel  Robinson's  com- 
pany at  the  Battle  of  Bennington.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1794,  member  of  the 
council  of  censors  in  1799,  state's  attorney 
of  Bennington  county,  1797  to  1801,  and 
United  States  attorney  throughout  Jeffer- 
son's administration. 

He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1809  and  ser\ed  till  1813  when  the 
"  Vergennes  Slaughter  House"  proceedings 
of  1798  were  repeated  and  the  Federalists 
again  turned  the  Republicans  or  Democrats 
out  of  the  Supreme  Court — as  in  1801,  so  in 
18 1 5  the  other  side  had  its  innings.  He  was 
judge  of  probate  in  1819  and  1820,  and  a 
councilor  from  1S17  to  1S21. 

Judge  Fay  died  June  5,  1S27,  leaving  no 
descendants. 

FARRAND,  DANIEL.— Daniel  Farrand, 
son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Farrand,  was  born  in 
Canaan,  Conn.,  about  1760. 


179 


He  graduated  at  \ale,  came  to  Windsor 
•where  his  brother-in-law,  Stephen  Jacob, 
ii\ed,  began  the  practice  of  law  but  soon 
moved  to  Newburv  which  town  he  made  his 
residence  till  1800,  and  represented  in  1792, 
1793,  1796,  1797,  and  I  798,  being  speaker 
the  last  named  year.  He  was  twice  state's 
attorney  of  Orange  county.  May  i,  1794,  he 
married  Mary  Porter,  of  Haverhill,  N.  H., 
daughter  of  Asa  Porter,  and  sister  of  Mrs. 
Mills  Olcott,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.  Mr.  Far- 
rand  went  from  Newbury  to  Bellows  Falls, 
represented  Rockingham  in  1802,  and  was 
state's  attorney  of  \Vindham  county  in  1801, 
1S02  and  1803,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  de- 
feated for  Congress  by  James  Fliot.  In  181 3 
he  was  a  member  of  the  council  of  censors  and 
the  same  year  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  and  served  two  years.  \\'hen 
the  Republicans  or  Democrats  got  the  upper 
hand  in  181 5,  he  was  bounced,  as  he  was  a 
strong  Federalist,  and,  in  1S14,  had  presided 
at  a  con\ention  in  Williston  that  roundly  de- 
nounced the  administration.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  of  arrangements  at 
Burlington,  when  President  Monroe  was  re- 
cei\ed  there  on  his  tour,  July  24,  1817,  and 
did  some  very  good  speaking.  He  was  a  man 
of  vigorous  intellect,  a  good  lawyer  and  of 
extensive  learning.  He  died  Oct.  13,  1825, 
and  left  nine  daughters  surviving  him,  all 
brilliant  and  accomplished  women  says  Judge 
Taft. 

HUBBARD,  JONATHAN  Hatch.— J.  H. 

Hubbard,  of  Windsor,  was  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  from  18 13  to  1815.  [See 
sketch  in  "  Representatives,"  ante  page  135, 
where  1845  is  a  misprint  for  18 15 — he  was  a 
judge  but  two  years.] 

ALOIS,  Asa. — -Asa  Aldis,  was  born  in 
Franklin,  Mass.,  about  1 770.  His  father  was 
a  loyalist  and  moved  to  Boston,  where  he 
died  in  1775.  Asa's  mother  had  died  two 
years  before  and  he  was  brought  up  by  an 
aunt.  He  graduated  at  Brown  University  in 
1796,  studied  law  with  Judge  Howell  in 
Providence  and  began  practice  in  Che- 
pachet.  He  married  Mrs.  Oadcomb,  daugh- 
ter of  Lieut.-Gov.  Owen.  In  1802  he  moved 
to  St.  Albar,"  and  there  practiced  his  pro- 
fession. In  1S04  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Bates  Turner,  but  it  did  not  last  long. 
When  the  Republicans  drove  the  Federalists 
off  the  supreme  bench  in  18 15  he  was 
elected  chief  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
much  against  his  wish,  and  served  one  year. 

Judge  Aldis  was  strongly  urged  to  accept 
a  re-election,  but  he  absolutely  refused.  His 
ability  was  equal  to  the  requirements  of  the 
ofifice,  but  he  did  not  like  ofificial  position. 
He  practiced  many  years  after  leaving  the 
bench,  but  poor  health  kept  him  out  of  court 


for  a  long  time  before  his  death.  He  died 
at  St.  Albans,  Oct.  16,  1847,  in  his  seventy- 
eighth  year.  Daniel  Kellogg  was  his  son-in- 
law,  and  Asa  Owen  .\ldis  was  his  son. 

SKINNER,  Richard.— Richard  Skinner 
of  Manchester  was  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  181 5  to  181 7,  and  the  latter  year 
was  elected  chief  judge,  but  declined  the 
position.  Kiltx  his  service  as  Governor,  he 
was  in  1823  elected  chief  judge,  and  pre- 
sided as  such  till  1S29.  [See  sketch  in 
"Go\ernors"  ante  page  77.] 

FISK,  James. — James  Fisk  of  Barre  was 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  181 5  to 
181 7.  [See  sketch  in  "Senators,"  ante 
page  III.] 

PALMER,  William  Adams.— William 

A.  Palmer  of  Danville,  was  elected  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  in  18 16,  and  served  one 
year.  [See  sketch  in  "Go\ernors,"  ante 
page  82.] 

CHASE,  DUDLEY.- Dudley  Chase  of 
Randolph  was  chief  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  i8i7toiS2i.  He  presided  at 
the  trial  of  Stephen  and  Jesse  Bourne  for  the 
murder  of  Russell  Colvin — a  case  that  has 
become  famous  and  which  gave  Wilkie  Col- 
lins the  theme  for  "The  Dead  Secret."  [See 
sketch  of  Judge  Chase  in  "Senators,"  ante 
page  III.] 

DOOLITTLE,  JOEL.— loel  Doolittle 
was  born  about  i  773  in  Massachusetts,  grad- 
uated at  Yale  in  1799,  came  to  Middlebury 
in  the  fall  of  1800  as  the  first  tutor  in  Mid- 
dlebury College.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1801  and  was  a  successful  lawyer  till 
181 7  when  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  He  served  six  years  con- 
tinuously on  the  bench,  and  after  a  year  of 
practice  at  the  bar  was  again  elected  a  judge 
in  1824  and  served  the  following  year. 

judge  Doolittle  was  a  councillor  from 
18 15  to  1818,  represented  Middlebury  in 
1S24  and  was  a  member  and  president  of 
the  council  of  censors  in  1834. 

He  died,  March  9,  1S41,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight.  Mrs.  Doolittle  survived  him 
and  after  his  death  went  to^  Painesville, 
Ohio,  where  she  lived  with  her  children. 

BRAYTON,  William.— William  Bray- 
ton  of  Swanton  was  born  in  Lansingburgh,  N. 
Y.,  and  when  thirteen  was  a  student  in  Will- 
iams College,  but  never  graduated.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Franklin  county 
in  February,  1807,  and  began  jsractice  in 
Swanton.  He  married  Hortentia  Penniman, 
daughter  of  Jabez  and  Frances  Penniman. 
Frances  was  the  widow  of  Ethan  Allen.     He 


i8o 


was  made  chief  judge  of  Franklin  county 
court  in  1815,  represented  Swanton  in  181 7, 
and  that  year  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  served  as  such  five 
years.  While  on  the  Supreme  bench  he 
moved  to  St.  Albans,  and  after  living  there 
several  years,  and  after  ceasing  to  be  a  judge, 
he  removed  to  Burlington,  where  he  died  in 
1828.  His  son,  William,  died  young,  but  a 
daughter,  if  not  now,  was  very  lately  living 
in  Missouri.  He  published  the  reports 
known  as  Brayton's  Reports. 

VAN  NESS,  Cornelius  Peter.— Cor- 
nelius p.  Van  Ness,  of  Burlington,  was  chief 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  182 1  to 
1823.  [See  sketch  in  "  Governors ,"  aw/f 
page  78.] 

WILLIAMS,  Charles  Kilborn.— 

Charles  K.  Williams,  of  Rutland,  was  a  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  1822  to  1S24,  again 
from  1826  to  1833,  and  from  1833  to  1846 
was  chief  judge.  [See  sketch  in  "Gover- 
nors," ante  page  88.] 

AlKENS,  Asa.— Asa  Aikens,  of  Wind- 
sor, was  born  in  Barnard ;  entered  Mid- 
dlebury  College  in  1804;  studied  three 
years  there  ;  then  was  a  year  as  a  cadet  at 
\\'est  Point.  In  1808  he  returned  to  Mid- 
dlebury  and  studied  law  with  Joel  Doolittle. 
In  1812  he  settled  in  Windsor,  which  town 
he  represented  two  years  and  he  was  state's 
attorney  for  Windsor  county  two  years.  In 
18 1 2  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  served  on  the  bench  two  years. 
He  was  a  careful,  painstaking  lawyer  and 
judge,  and  the  two  volumes  of  reports  pub- 
lished under  his  name  form  the  first  product 
of  skilled  labor  in  this  state  in  that  line. 
"Aikens'  Forms"  is  thumbed  in  many  a  law 
office  in  the  state.  Later  in  life  he  pub- 
lished "Aikens'  Tables." 

In  1843  he  moved  to  Westport,  N.  ¥.,  and 
made  that  his  home  afterwards.  On  a  visit 
to  his  son-in-law  at  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  he 
died  of  nervous  prostration,  July  12,  1863. 
He  was  buried  in  Trinity  cemetery.  New 
York  City. 

PRENTISS,  Samuel.  — Samuel  Prentiss, 
of  Montpelier,  was  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  1825  to  1829,  and  in  1829  was 
elected  chief  judge,  and  held  that  position 
till  elected  senator  in  1830.  [See  sketch  in 
"  Senators,"  ante  page  114.] 

HUTCHINSON,  TiTUS.— Titus  Hutch- 
inson of  Woodstock,  son  of  Rev.  Aaron  and 
Margery  (Carter)  Hutchinson,  was  born  in 
Grafton,  Mass.,  April  29,  1771.  July  4, 
1776,  the  family  left  Hebron,  Conn.,  and 
moved  to  what  is  still  called  the  Hutchinson 


Farm,  in  Pomfret,  two  miles  from  Wood- 
stock. Titus  graduated  at  Princeton  College, 
studied  law  with  his  brother  Aaron  in  Leb- 
anon, N.  H.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Orange 
county  bar  June,  i  79S.  He  settled  in  Wood- 
stock, where  there  was  already  one  lawyer. 
In  1S13  he  was  appointed  L'.  S.  attorney  for 
the  district  of  Vermont,  and  held  the  office 
ten  years. 

In  1826  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  served  as  such  till  1S30,  when 
he  was  elected  chief  judge,  which  position  he 
occupied  three  years,  being  defeated  by 
Judge  Williams  in  the  election  of  1833  by  a 
vote  of  118  to  1 13. 

Judge  Hutchinson  married  Clarissa  Sage 
Feb.  16,  1800.  She  died  Jan.  18,  1844. 
Their  children  were  :  Edwin,  Oramel,  Hen- 
ry, Titus,  Clarissa  S.,  and  Alexander.  The 
judge  lived  in  comparative  retirement  the 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life.  He  died  Aug- 
ust 24,  1857.  A  full  sketch  of  him  may  be 
found  in  Henry  Swan  Dana's  History  of 
Woodstock,  as  good  a  town  history  as  was 
ever  written  in  this  world — perhaps  they  write 
town  history  better  on  the  planets  of  the 
Pleiades  or  those  of  the  golden  belt  of  Orion, 
but  not  here. 

ROYCE,  Stephen.— Stephen  Royce  of 
Berkshire  was  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  1825  to  1827,  again  from  1829  to 
1846,  and  was  chief  judge  from  1846  to 
1852.  [See  sketch  in  "Governors,"  ante 
page  9 I.J 

TURNER,  BATES.--Bates  Turner  of  St. 
Albans  entered  the  Revolutionary  army  at 
sixteen,  studied  law  under  Judges  Reeve 
and  Gould  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Connecticut.  He  settled  in  Fairfield  in  i  796, 
but  moved  to  St.  Albans  and  in  1804  there 
formed  a  partnership  with  Asa  Aldis.  It 
lasted  but  a  short  time  and  he  returned  to 
Fairfield  and  set  up  a  law  school.  He  had 
in  his  life  about  175  law  students.  In  181 2 
he  removed  to  Middlebury  thinking  his 
school  would  do  better  there,  but  soon  re- 
turned to  Fairfield  and  before  long  to  St. 
Albans  again. 

He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1827  and  continued  in  service  two 
years.  He  was  quite  old  when  elected  judge 
but  on  leaving  the  bench  returned  to  prac- 
tice. Judge  Turner,  carrying  his  bag  of  law 
papers,  called  on  a  lady  who  playfully  re- 
minded him  that  Judas  carried  a  bag. 
"Yes,"  said  the  judge,  "and  kept  better 
company  than  I  do." 

Judge  Turner  died  at  an  advanced  age, 
April  30,  1847. 

PADDOCK,  EPHRAIM.  — Ephraim  Pad- 
dock of  St.  Johnsbury  came  when  a  young 


man  from  Massachusetts  to  Vermont.  His 
opportunities  for  education  were  limited  to 
the  common  school,  but  he  made  such 
good  use  of  them  that  he  was  for  two  or  three 
years  employed  as  an  instructor  in  Peacham 
Academy.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  in 
St.  Johnsbury  and  by  diligence  became 
a  learned  lawyer.  He  represented  St. 
lohnsbury  from  1S21  to  1826,  inclusive; 
was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  conven- 
tion of  182S,  and  of  the  council  of  censors  in 
1.S41.  He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1828,  but  preferred  the  vi^ork  of  his 
profession  and  retired  from  the  bench  in 
1 83 1. 

Judge  Paddock  continued  in  acti\e  prac- 
tice till  1848,  when  he  gave  up  professional 
duties  and  lived  in  peace  and  quiet  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  He  died  July  27,  1859, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine. 

THOMPSON,  JOHN  C— John  C. 
Thompson,  of  Burhngton,  was  born  in 
Rhode  Island,  studied  law  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  was  there  admitted  to  the  bar 
about  181 3.  He  came  at  once  to  Windsor, 
where  he  staid  till  1818,  in  which  year  he  re- 
moved to  Hartland.  In  1822  he  left  Hart- 
land  and  settled  in  Burlington.  He  was  a 
good  lawyer  and  rose  rapidly  in  public  favor. 
In  1827  he  was  elected  a  councillor  and  held 
that  ofifice  till  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1830.  Before  his  first  year  of  serv- 
ice was  ended  he  was  taken  sick  on  his  way 
to  Montpelier  in  a  stage-coach  and  in  a  few 
days  died.  He  had  won  approval  as  a  judge 
although  so  short  a  time  on  the  bench. 

Judge  Thompson  married  Nancy  Patrick 
in  December,  18 16.  His  death  occurred 
June  27,  1 83 1.  He  left  surviving  him  a  son 
who  was  drowned  in  Lake  Champlain,  Sep- 
tember, 1846. 

BAYLIES,  Nicholas.— Nicholas  Bay- 
lies of  Montpelier,  son  of  Deacon  Nicholas 
Baylies,  of  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  was  born  in 
I'xbridge,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College 
in  1 794,  read  law  with  Charles  Marsh  of 
^^'oodstock,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
practiced  in  Woodstock  a  number  of  years. 
He  moved  from  Woodstock  to  Montpelier  in 
1809  and  was  "warned  out"  of  Mont- 
pelier the  15th  of  November  following — a 
fine  old  custom  for  booming  a  new  settle- 
ment !  He  was  a  scholarly  man  and  was 
the  author  of  a  three  volume  "  1  )igested 
Index  to  the  Modern  Reports,"  published  at 
Montpelier  in  1814,  which  received  the  ap- 
proval of  James  Kent  and  Judge  Parker. 
The  "  proprietors  "  of  this  book  were  Nicho- 
las Baylies,  Samuel  Prentiss,  Jr.,  and  James 
H.  Langdon.  Mr.  Baylies  also  published  a 
theological  work  on  free  agency.  He  was 
elected  state's  attorney  in   181 3,   1814  and 


1825,  and  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
1S31,  1832  and  1833.  y^ 

He  removed  to  Lyndon  about  iS35yAvnere 
he  lived  with  his  son-in-law,  George  C. 
Cahoon,  and  practiced  law  till  his  death, 
.August  17,  1847.  He  was  buried  in  Mont- 
pelier, August  22,  1847.  Mr.  Baylies  was 
probably  seventy-nine  years  of  age  at  his 
death,  though  some  authorities  make  him 
eighty-two  and  others  onl\'  seventy-five.  He 
argued  a  case  in  the  Supreme  Court  in  Mont- 
pelier but  a  few  months  before  his  death. 
He  married  Mary  Ripley,  daughter  of  Prof. 
Sylvanus  Ripley,  and  granddaughter  of  Pres- 
ident Eleazer  Wheelock.  She  was  a  sister  of 
Cen.  Eleazer  Wheelock  Ripley,  who  com- 
manded at  Lundy's  Lane  after  Scott  was 
wounded.  Mr.  Baylies'  only  daughter,  Mary 
Ripley  Baylies,  married  George  C.  Cahoon 
of  Lyndon,  Oct.  27,  1825.  His  son,  Hor- 
atio N.  Baylies,  was  long  a  merchant  in 
Montpelier,  and  died  in  Louisiana.  An- 
other son,  Nicholas  Baylies,  Jr.,  was  a  lawyer. 

PHELPS,  Samuel  Sheather.— s.  s. 

Phelps  of  Middlebury,  was  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  from  1831  to  1838.  [See 
sketch  under  "  Senators,"  ante  page  1 16.] 

COLLAMER,  JACOB.— Jacob  CoUamer 
of  Woodstock,  was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  1834  to  1842.  [See  sketch  under 
"Senators,"  t?;//^  page  121.] 

MATTOCKS,  JOHN.— John  Mattocks, 
of  Peacham,  one  of  the  brightest  men  that 
ever  lived,  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1834,  but  served  only  one  year,  ab- 
solutely declining  a  re-election.  The  opinions 
he  gave  are  not  only  good  law  but  so  put  that, 
as  Horace  (Ireeley  would  have  said,  they  "are 
mighty  interestin'  reading."  [.See  sketch  in 
"Governors,"  ante  page  85.] 

REDFIELD,  ISAAC  FLETCHER.— Isaac 
F.  Redfield,  son 
ofDr.Peleg  Red- 
field  and  Han- 
nah ( Parker ) 
Redfield,  was 
born  at  Weath- 
ersfield,  April  10, 
I S04  ;  went  to 
Coventry  when 
his  father  moved 
there  in  1S05  ; 
graduated  at 
Dar  t  m  o  u  t  h  in 
1825,  and  was  in 
I  S  2  7  admitted 
•■  to  the  bar  in  Or- 
leans county.  He 
began  practice  at  Derby,  and  so  good  a  law- 
yer was  he  that  he  was  continuously  state's 


l82 


attorney  from  1832,  till  elected  a  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  in  1835.  He  moved  to 
Montpelier,  and  about  1846  to  the  Judge 
Chase  house  at  Randolph  Center,  where  he 
lived  three  or  four  years,  and  then  moved  to 
Windsor,  where  he  lived  till  he  went  to  Bos- 
ton in  1861.  He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  1835,  and  so  served  till 
1S52,  when  he  was  elected  chief  judge, 
which  office  he  held  till  1800. 

He  conferred  honor  on  the  court,  and  it 
was  quoted  in  other  states  as  the  "  Redfield 
Court. "  After  he  declined  further  service 
on  the  bench  he  went  to  Boston.  He  wrote 
many  valuable  legal  works,  notably  treatises 
on  the  law  of  wills  and  railway  law.  Judge 
Redfield  died  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  March 
23,  1876,  of  pneumonia,  and  was  buried  at 
Windsor.  He  married  Mary  Ward  Smith 
of  Stanstead,  Sept.  28,  1836,  and  Catha- 
rine Blanchard  Clark  of  St.  Johnsbury,  May 
4,  1842.     No  children  survive. 

BENNETT,  MlLO  L.  — Milo  L. Bennett,  of 
Burlington,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  studied 
at  Williams  and  Vale  and  graduated  at  Vale 
in  181 1.  He  studied  law  at  the  Litchfield 
Law  School ;  came  to  .Bennington  and  soon 
went  to  Manchester,  where  he  remained  till 
1836,  when  he  went  to  Maine  and  spent  two 
years  in  the  business  of  lumbering  and  losing 
his  property. 

In  1838  he  moved  to  Burlington;  was  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  served  till  the  court  was 
reduced  to  three  judges  in  1850.  He  was  in 
1850  elected  one  of  the  four  judges  of  the 
newly  established  circuit  court  and  going  off 
the  circuit  bench  practiced  law  one  year, 
i85i-'52,  in  company  with  E.  E.  Kellogg. 
In  1852  he  was  elected  again  to  the  Supreme 
Court  and  served  this  time  till  1859,  se\en 
years. 

After  his  judicial  service  closed  he  was 
commissioner  to  revise  the  statutes  and  this 
revision,  when  enacted,  became  the  "Gener- 
al Statutes,"  published  in  1863.  "Bennett's 
Justice"  was  also  a  work  on  which  he  spent 
a  good  deal  of  time. 

Judge  Bennett  did  good  work  both  at  the 
bar  and  as  a  judge  and  good  legal  work  is 
kept  up  by  his  descendants  in  the  Boston 
Law  School.     He  died  July  7,  1868. 

HEBARD,  William.— William  Hebard 
of  Randolph  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  in  1842,  served  one  year,  was 
again  elected  in  1844  and  served  another 
year.  [See  sketch  in  "Representatives," 
ante  page  152.] 

KELLOGG,  Daniel.— Daniel  Kellogg 
of  Rockingham  was  born  at  Amherst,  Mass., 
Feb.  10,  1 791,  graduated   at    ^\'illiams  Col- 


lege in  iSio,  studied  law  with  Gen.  Martin 
Field  of  Newfane,  and  began  practice  at 
Rockingham  in  1814.  In  iSigand  1820  he 
was  judge  of  ])robate,  secretary  of  the  Gov- 
ernor and  council  1823  to  1828,  state's  at- 
torney 1 82  7,  and  member  of  the  council  of 
censors  the  same  year,  L'nited  States  attor- 
ney for  District  of  Vermont  1829  to  1841, 
member  and  president  of  the  constitutional 
convention  of  1843  and  presidential  elector 
in   1864. 

He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1843,  but  did  not  accept;  in 
1845  he  was  again  elected  and  served  six 
years.  He  was  a  scholarly,  orderly  man  of 
excellent  legal  learning  and  took  great  pains 
in  writing  his  opinions.  He  had  the  confi- 
dence of  both  the  bar  and  the  people.  His 
professional,  social,  political  and  business 
life  were  characterized  by  the  most  perfect 
integrity.  Judge  Barrett  said  of  him,  "  His 
lawyership  was  broad,  accurate,  practical 
and  sensible,  the  result  of  faithful  study, 
faithful  and  extensive  practice,  of  a  large  con- 
versancy  with  current  business  and  aflairs  in 
all  departments,  and  a  most  excellent  social 
culture  and  bearing."  He  was  president  of 
the  first  savings  bank  of  the  state. 

Judge  Kellogg  married,  first,  Jane  McAffee 
of  Rockingham  :  second,  Merab  Ann  Brad- 
ley, daughter  of  William  C.  Bradley ;  third, 
Miranda  M.  Aldis,  daughter  of  Asa  Aldis. 
His  children  were  :  Henry,  George  B.,  Sarah 
B.,  and  Daniel. 

Judge  Kellogg  moved  to  Brattleboro  in 
1854  and  died  there  May  10,  1875. 

HALL,  HILAND.— Hiland  Hall  of  Ben- 
nington was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  1846  to  1850.  [See  sketch  in  "Gov- 
ernors," ante  page  93.] 

DAVIS,  Charles.— Charles  Davis  of 
Danville  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  when 
he  was  a  boy  his  father  moved  to  Rocking- 
ham and  in  1806  to  Middlebury.  Charles 
graduated  at  Middlebury,  studied  law  with 
Daniel  Chipman  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1814.  He  edited  a  newspaper  at  one 
time.  He  stayed  two  years  in  Middlebury, 
then  went  to  Barton  and  afterwards  to 
Waterford,  but  in  1828  settled  in  Danville. 
He  was  that  year  elected  state's  attorney 
and  held  that  office  seven  years  and  again 
served  a  year  by  an  election  in  1838.  From 
1840  to  1845  he  was  L'nited  States  attorney 
for  the  district  of  Vermont  and  was  probate 
judge  for  a  time.  In  1846  he  was  elected  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  served  two 
years.  He  represented  Danville  after  he 
was  on  the  bench,  though  it  was  a  strongly 
Democratic  town  and  he  was  a  firm  Whig  ; 
in  his  legislative  service  he  was  chairman  of 
the  judiciary  committee.     He  spent  the  last 


1 83 


of  his  life  with  a  son  in  Illinois  and  died 
Nov.  2  1,  1863. 

POLAND,   LUKE    Potter.— Luke  P. 

Poland,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  was  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  1S48  to  1850:  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court,  1850  to  1857;  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  1857  to  i860,  and  its  chief  judge, 
i860  to  1865.  [See  sketch  in  "Senators," 
ante  page  124.] 

CIRCUIT  JUDGES.— Three  judges  sat 
on  the  bench  of  the  Circuit  Court,  which 
existed  from  1S50  to  1857,  who  never  re- 
ceived an  election  to  the  Supreme  bench. 
They  were  Robert  Pierpoint,  \\'illiam  C. 
Kittredge  and  Abel  Underwood. 

Robert  Pierpoint,  of  Rutland,  a  brother 
of  John  Pierpoint,  was  born  in  Litchfield, 
Conn.,  ^Lay  4,  1791  ;  came  when  a  child  to 
Manchester,  studied  law  with  Covernor 
Skinner,  and  settled  in  Rutland.  He  was 
circuit  judge  from  1850  to  1856,  and  died 
May  6,  186^5. 

William  C.  Kittredge,  of  Fair  Haven, 
was  born  in  Dalton,  Mass.,  Feb.  23,  1800; 
graduated  at  Williams  College  in  181 2  ; 
studied  law  in  Northampton,  Mass. ;  went 
to  Kentucky,  and  w'as  there  admitted  to  the 
bar ;  was  six  months  in  Ravenna,  Ohio ; 
caine  to  Vermont,  was  admitted  in  Rutland 
December,  1824,  and  settled  in  Fair  Haven. 
He  married  three  times,  and  had  eleven 
children.  For  eight  years  he  represented  his 
town  ;  was  county  senator  two  years  ;  was 
speaker  two  years  ;  was  state's  attorney  five 
years,  and  six  years  a  judge  of  the  county 
court.  He  was  Lieutenant-Clovernor  in  1852, 
and  in  1856  was  elected  a  circuit  judge,  and 
served  one  year.  He  died  at  Rutland,  June 
II,  1869,  while  on  his  way  to  Bennington  in 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  V .  S.  Assessor  of 
Internal  Revenue. 

Abel  LLnderwood,  of  Wells  River,  was 
born  in  Bradford,  April  8,  1799,  and  was  an 
uncle  of  Levi  L'nderwood.  He  fitted  for  col- 
lege at  Rovalton,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1824,  teaching  to  pay  his  way.  He  stud- 
ied law  with  Isaac  Fletcher,  of  Lyndon,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Caledonia  county 
in  1827.  July  12,  1827,  he  married  P'.mily 
Rix,  of  Royalton,  and  in  182S  began  jiractire 
in  Wells  Ri\er,  being  about  one  thousand 
dollars  in  debt  for  his  education.  He  ])ros- 
pered  in  life,  was  U.  S.  attorney  for  this  dis- 
trict, from  1849  to  1853,  and  was  a  circuit 
judge  from  1854  to  1857.  Judge  L'nderwood 
died  .\pril  22,  1879.  His  daughter  and  grand- 
daughter live  in  Montpelier. 

ISHAM,  Pierpoint.— Pierpoint  Isham, 
of  Bennington,  was  born  at  Manchester. 
He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Kzra  Isham  and  his 
mother  was  a  cousin  of  Judge  Phelps  and  of 
J\idge   Pierpoint.      After  attendance  at  the 


acaiiemy  he  studied  law  with  Covernor  Skin- 
ner ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  first  set- 
tled in  Pownal  but  soon  moved  to  Benning- 
ton. In  1 85 1  he  was  elected  a  Supreme 
Court  judge  and  served  six  years.  .-Xt  the 
end  of  that  time,  when  the  circuit  judge  sys- 
tem was  broken  up  and  the  Supreme  Court 
judges  again  made  to  undertake  the  task  of 
presiding  at  trials  in  county  court.  Judge 
Isham  absolutely  declined  a  re-election,  for 
his  impulsive  temperament  made  him  averse 
to  sitting  at  the  conduct  of  jury  trials.  He 
made  an  excellent  judge  in  the  work  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  which  was  all  that  a  Supreme 
Court  judge  had  to  do  during  the  term  of  his 
service.     Judge  Isham  died  May  8,   1872. 

ALDIS,  ASA  Owen.— .\sa  O.  Aldis,  of 
St.  Albans,  was  born  in  that  town  ;  graduated 
in  1829  at  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont,  studied 
law  and  became  law-partner  of  his  father. 
Judge  Asa  Aldis.  His  practice  was  large, 
and  in  1857  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  served  as  such  till  the 
summer  of  1865,  when  he  resigned,  moved 
to  this  step  by  the  loss  of  several  children 
and  the  impaired  health  of  other  members 
of  his  family.  He  was  L'nited  States  consul 
at  Nice  till  1870,  and  in  187 1  was  appointed 
president  of  the  Southern  Claims  Commis- 
sion, the  duties  of  which  important  position 
occupied  his  time  till  1880,  when  the  com- 
mission ended.  He  thereupon  served  till 
1884  on  the  French  and  .Alabama  Claims 
Commission,  and  from  1871  made  Washing- 
ton City  his  home.  He  had  the  grippe  in 
[890,  and  was  thenceforward  in  poor  health 
till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  Owen  Aldis,  his  son,  is  a  Chicago 
lawyer. 

PIERPOINT,  John.— John  Pierpoint, 
of  \'  e  rgennes, 
was  born  at 
Litchfield,  Ct., 
Sept.  TO,  1805, 
and  was  the  sev- 
enth and  young- 
est son  of  Dan- 
■»'  ^  iel     and'  Sarah 

^.  _  (  Phelps  )    Pier- 

▼  ,,     — '  point.     In  18 15 

he  came  to  Rut- 
land to  live  in 
the  family  of  his 
brother  Robert, 
who  had  mar- 
ried and  settled 
there,  and  years 
after  at  the  Hates  House  he  told  Judge  Ross 
that  he  had  felt  old  when  there  for  he  had 
hunted  that  ground  all  over  time  and  again 
and  shot  his  first  game  near  where  the  Gen- 
eral Baxter  residence  stands.  llis  first 
day's  hunting   was   so   successful    that    his 


1 84 


IIEARDSLFA'. 


brother  Robert  told  him  next  time  he  might 
take  his  new  gun.  John  was  as  good  a 
hunter  all  his  days  as  he  was  judge  and 
there  can  be  no  higher  praise  of  skill  than 
that.  Tudge  Peck  once  went  with  him  when 
he  was  hunting  and  told  of  his  shooting  a 
bird  on  the  wing,  "firing  as  much  as  a  min- 
ute after  it  had  gone  out  of  sight  behind 
some  cedar  trees."  At  his  brother's  he  did 
the  chores  and  went  to  school ;  at  eighteen 
began  studying  law,  probably  in  Manchester, 
and  to  continue  his  study  he  soon  went  to 
the  law  school  at  litchfield  and  boarded  in 
his  father's  family  two  miles  away.  Judge 
Ross  thinks  that  there  he  got  the  habit  of 
thinking  law  as  he  walked  and  all  through 
his  life  he  kept  the  habit  of  walking  in  study. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Rutland 
county  in  1827  and  began  practice  in  Pitts- 
ford,  where  he  wore  through  the  boards  of 
his  office  floor  by  walking  back  and  forth,  it 
is  said. 

He  mo\ed  to  Vergennes  in  May,  1832. 
Here  his  health  broke  down  and  he  spent 
the  winter  of  i835-'36  in  Fayette,  Miss. 
A\'ith  bettered  health  he  returned  to  Ver- 
mont, but  was  always  a  man  of  frail  health. 
He  represented  Vergennes  in  1841  and  was 
Register  of  Probate  from  1836  to  1857.  In 
185s,  1856  and  1857  he  was  in  the  state 
Senate  and  chairman  of  its  judiciary  com- 
mittee two  years. 

In  1857  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  his  service  on  the  bench 
was  thence  continuous  till  his  death  ;  he  was 
chief  judge  from  November,  1865  to  1882. 

In  1838  he  married  Sarah  M.  Lawrence  of 
Vergennes  and  they  had  seven  children.  He 
died  Jan.  7,  1882,  and  Mrs.  Pierpoint  died 
Jan.  20,  1884.  The  bar  of  Vermont  erected 
a  monument  over  his  gra\e. 

No  more  lovable  man  ever  was  a  judge,  no 
man  more  pure,  no  man  more  just,  no  man 
whose  work  was  better  done.  And  of  all 
things  in  him  that  made  him  beloved  did 
Charity  most  abound. 

BEARDSLEY,  HERMAN  R.~H.  R. 
Beardsley  of  St.  Albans,  son  of  Ephraim 
Beardsley,  was  born  in  Kent,  Conn.,  July 
21,  1800.  His  father  moved  to  Grand  Isle 
while  Herman  was  a  boy  and  sent  his  son  to 
school  to  Rev.  Asa  Lyon.  Herman  entered 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  18 ig,  but  be- 
cause of  failing  health  left  college  in  his 
junior  year  and  soon  after  began  the  study 
of  law  with  Bates  Turner  and  afterwards  read 
with  Asa  Aldis.  He  took  high  rank  at  the 
bar  and  on  the  resignation  of  Asa  Owen  Al- 
dis in  the  summer  of  1865  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Smith  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  His  service  was  short,  as  the  Legis- 
lature of  that  year  instead  of  electing  Mr. 
Beardsley  chose  William  C.  Wilson. 


Judge  Beardsley  married  .Abigail  S.  Webb, 
stepdaughter  of  Bates  Turner,  and  by  her 
had  three  daughters  and  one  son.  He  died 
in  St.  Albans,  March  9,  1S78. 

BARRETT,  J  AMES.— James  Barrett  of 
\\'oodstock,  and 
now  of  Rutland, 
son  of  IMartin 
and  Dorcas 
(Patterson)  Bar- 
rett, was  born 
in  Strafford, 
May  31,  1814. 
He  graduated  at 
1  )artmouth  Col- 
lege in  1838; 
read  law  with 
Charles  Crocker 
of  Buffalo,  N.  v., 
in  1838  and 
1S39,  and  with 
Charles  Marsh 
in  Woodstock  in  1839  and  1840;  was  ad- 
mitted and  began  practice  in  Woodstock  in 
1840;  moved  to  Boston  in  1848,  and  re- 
turned to  Woodstock  in  1849.  He  was  a 
state  senator  two  years,  and  state's  attorney 
two  years. 

In  1857  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  served  as  such  twenty- 
three  years,  his  last  service  on  the  bench 
being  in  1880.  No  man  of  more  profound 
knowledge  of  the  law  than  Judge  Barrett  was 
ever  on  the  Supreme  Court  bench  unless 
Asahel  Peck  was  that  man.  It  is  said  of 
Judge  Peck  that,  having  taken  his  position 
in  consultation  on  cases  in  which  he  differed 
from  his  brethren,  he  was  known  to  confess 
himself  wrong  and  his  brethren  right  in  but 
one  instance  in  all  his  service.  Judge  Poland 
told  me  that,  in  consultation,  when  he  and 
Judge  Peck  disagreed,  he  once  said  to  Judge 
Peck  :  "You  are  a  great  deal  the  better  law- 
yer, but  I  am  a  great  deal  the  better  judge." 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Supreme 
Court,  when  I.  F.  Redfield,  Poland  and  Bar- 
rett were  on  its  bench  together  and  after- 
wards when  Poland,  Barrett  and  Peck  were 
members,  was  a  court  that  was  supreme — 
one  that  united  stood  and  divided  didn't  fall 
a  great  ways.  How  many  times  Judge  Bar- 
rett gave  up  that  he  was  wrong  is  not  of 
record.  When  those  men  differed,  who 
would  novi^  dare  to  say  which  was  right  and 
which  wrong — unless  he  could  find  out 
what  John  Pierpoint  thought,  was,  taking 
everything  into  consideration,  the  right  way 
to  dispose  of  the  Case. 

Judge  Barrett's  many  opinions,  reported 
in  the  near  a  quarter  of  a  century  that  he 
served,  exhibit  a  strength  and  living  force 
that  will  always  in  legal  circles  give  good 
repute  to  Vermont  courts  and  to  the  state. 


'8s 


The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  conferred  on 
him  is  in  his  case  a  truthful  as  well  as 
honorable  title — given  in  accordance  with 
the  fact. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he 
moved  to  Rutland  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  and  where  he  suffered,  Feb.  15, 
1887,  the  great  loss  of  the  death  by  accident 
of  his  son  James  C.  Barrett  who  had  though 
yet  young  in  years  attained  position  in  the 
very  front  rank  of  lawyers. 

Judge  Barrett  married,  Sept.  24,  1S44, 
Maria  Lord,  daughter  of  Dr.  Simeon  Wood- 
worth  of  Coventry,  Conn.,  and  they  had 
nine  children.  He  lives  in  Rutland,  adding 
days  of  good  old  age  to  the  years  of  honor 
that  lie  behind  him,  and  still  dignifying  the 
profession  of  which  he  became  a  member 
more  than  half  a  century  ago,  by  doing  good 
work  in  it. 

KELLOGG,    LOYAL  CASE. —L.  C. 
Kellogg  of  Ben- 
son, son  of  John 
and    Harriot 
(Nash)  Kellogg, 
was  born  in  Ben- 
son   Feb.    13, 
1816.    He  grad- 
uated at  Amherst 
College  in  183O, 
read    law   with 
Phineas  Smith 
at   Rutland,  and 
with  his  father  in 
Benson,  and  was 
admitted  in  Rut- 
land   county, 
September  term, 
1S39.     He  settled  in  Benson,  which  town  he 
represented  in  1847,  1850,  185 1,  1859  and 
1 8 70.     He  was  a  member  of   the  constitu- 
tional conventions  of  1857   and    1870,  and 
president  of  that  of  1857. 

In  1859  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  served  eight  years  ;  he 
was  elected  for  a  further  term,  but  declined 
to  continue  in  office.  He  moved  to  Rutland 
while  judge,  but  returned  to  Benson  on  re- 
tiring from  the  bench.  Judge  Kellogg  was 
a  most  honorable  and  learned  judge.  His 
love  of  order  was  great,  and  I  well  remember 
how,  years  ago,  after  he  had  returned  to 
practice,  he  got  me  to  copy  one  live-long 
night  papers  that  were  to  be  presented  to 
the  court  the  next  day.  They  were  done  to 
his  satisfaction — and  that  was  cause  of  won- 
der when  I  learned  how  particular  he  was — 
except  that  he  had  well-defined  and  positive 
ideas  about  the  place  for  putting  the  filing 
which  were  new-  to  me,  but  for  which  he 
gave  reasons  at  large.  His  mode  I  after- 
wards followed  till  Judge  Rowell,  who  is  as 
orderly  minded  as  was  Judge  Kellogg,  insti- 


tuted the  present  method,  for  which  he  has 
reasons  as  cogent  as  Judge  Kellogg  had  for 
his  way  i  and  now  that  Judge  Rowell's 
method  has  been  embodied  in  a  rule,  I  try 
to  follow  that,  but  always  with  a  mental 
apology  to  the  memory  of  Judge  Kellogg. 
Both  ways  are  good  ways — mine  wasn't — 
and  it  is  entirely  probable  that  the  departed 
judge's  respect  for  a  rule  of  court  as  a  sacred 
thing  would  lead  him  to  comply  with  it 
should  he  return  to  practice,  and  if  he  didn't 
so  comply,  revisiting  the  glimpses  of  the 
court  room  would  be  unpleasant  for  him. 

Judge  Kellogg  never  married.  He  died 
at  Benson,  Nov.  26,  1872. 

PECK,  ASAHEL.— Asahel  Peck  of  Jeri- 
cho was  a  judge  of  the  circuit  court  from 
185 1  to  1857  and  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  1S60  to  1874.  [See  sketch  in  "  Gov- 
ernors," ante  page  100.] 

WILSON,  WILLIAM  C— W.  C.Wilson, 
of  Bakersfield, 
was  born  inCam- 
bridge,  July  2, 
181 2.  Hisfather, 
John,  was  a  farm- 
er, and  till  eight- 
e  e  n  William 
worked  on  the 
farm  and  attend- 
ed districtschool. 
The  boy  then 
went  to  school 
m  Jericho  and  by 
leaching  got 
money  enough 
^o  he  could  study 
i.iw,  which  he  did 
first  in  Cam- 
bridge, then  fur  two  years  in  Fairfax  and 
then  in  St.  Albans.  Mr.  Wilson  was  admitted 
to  the  Franklin  county  bar  September  term, 
1834,  settled  in  Bakersfield,  and  obtained 
a  large  practice.  He  maintained  a  school 
for  law  students  for  some  time  after  1850  and 
drilled  them  carefully  in  their  studies.  He 
was  state's  attorney  in  1844  and  1845,  assist- 
ant judge  of  the  county  court  in  1849,  1850, 
and  185  I,  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
ventions of  1843  s-nd  1850,  state  senator  in 
1848  and  1849,  and  representative  in  the 
Legislatures  of  1863,  1864,  and  1865.  In 
1865  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  served  five  years,  till  1870. 

He  married  Clarissa  A.  Pratt  of  Bakers- 
field and  by  her  had  three  children,  three  of 
whom  survived  him  :  \\'.  D.  Wilson,  Esq., 
of  St.  Albans  ;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Tyler  of  St. 
l^aul,  Minn.,  and  Mrs.  C.  M.  Start  of  Roches- 
ter, Minn.  Mrs.  Wilson -died  in  1869.  Soon 
after  leaving  the  bench  in  1870  Judge  Wil- 
son removed  to  Rochester,  Minn.,  where  his 


i86 


daughter,  Mrs.  Start,  was  then  H\ing.  In 
1873  he  married  a  second  time.  'I'he  Min- 
nesota climate  benefited  his  health  and  he 
began  writing  upon  a  law  work  for  publica- 
tion, but  the  sickness  and  death  of  his  wife 
and  then  his  own  failing  health  compelled 
him  to  abandon  the  undertaking. 

Judge  Wilson  died  April  16,  1882,  and 
in  accordance  with  his  expressed  wish  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Bakersfield. 

STEELE,  Benjamin  Hinman.— b.  h. 

Steele  of  Derby,  son  of  Sanford  and  Mary 
(Hinman)  Steele,  was  born  in  Stanstead,  P. 
n.,  Feb.  6,  1837.     Fond  of  books  his  progress 


in  study  was  so  rapid  that  when  but  fourteen 
he  taught  an  advanced  school  in  his  native 
town,  the  next  winter  he  taught  in  Troy, 
then  two  winters  in  Concord,  Mass.,  then 
again  in  Derby.  Governor  Dale  said  of 
him  :  "  He  had  early  selected  the  road  he 
was  to  take,  and  was  preparing  earnestly  for 
his  journey,  teaching,  studying,  reading ; 
now  the  most  ardent  devotee  at  the  Derby 
and  Stanstead  academies,  again  reciting 
Latin  and  French  to  the  kind  Catholic 
priest ;  then  busily  learning  French  five 
months  at  the  College  of  St.  Pierre  ;  rush- 
ing into  a  course  at  Norwich  University, 
quickly  hurrying  from  there  to  Dartmouth 
College  for  want  of  time  to  complete  a  course 
at  both  institutions  ;  prostrated  by  sickness, 
burdened  with  the  care  of  a  family  which 
sickness  and  death  threw  upon  his  capable 
and  willing  mind,  he  ran  towards  the  citv  of 


his  destiny  with  wonderful  courage.  Thus 
with  a  long  arm  and  a  strong  will,  he  hewed 
his  way  through  college,  over  the  threshold 
of  which  he  was  stepping  out  into  the  world 
as  the  acknowledged  leader  of  his  class, 
when  I  first  saw  him." 

Graduating  at  Dartmouth  with  honor  in 
1857  he  continued  studying  law,  first  in  Bar- 
ton (teaching  as  principal  of  Barton  Acad- 
emy at  the  same  time)  ;  typhoid  fever  com- 
pelled him  to  stop,  on  recovery  he  went  to 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  intending  to  pursue  his 
studies  at  the  law  school.  He  went  into  the 
Supreme  Court  as  a  spectator  and  was  ad- 
vised by  his  friends  to  apply  for  admission 
to  the  bar  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
did  so,  was  examined  by  Benjamin  F.  Butler, 
commended  by  Choate,  who  heard  part  of 
the  examination,  and  was  admitted.  He  pre- 
pared to  go  west,  but  his  old  friends  were 
loath  to  let  him  go  and  persuaded  him  to 
begin  at  Derby  Line.  This  he  did  and  at 
once  by  untiring  application,  zeal  and  elo- 
quence went  to  the  forefront  as  a  lawyer. 

When  Judge  Poland,  in  the  fall  of  1865, 
was  appointed  to  the  Senate  the  other  judges 
each  went  up  a  peg  and  the  place  thus  made 
vacant  was  filled  by  Governor  Dillingham's 
appointing  Steele  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  Only  twenty-eight  when  he  went  on 
the  bench  he  was  one  of  the  strongest  judges 
of  his  day  during  his  five  years'  service.  In 
1870  he  declined  a  re-election  to  the  bench, 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation, and  in  1S72  was  a  formidable  candi- 
date for  the  nomination  to  Congress  against 
Judge  Poland.  The  canvass  was  an  active 
one  and  Judge  Poland  was  barely  successful 
in  convention.  Judge  Steele  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  national  convention  in 
1872,  and  the  civil  service  and  tariff  planks 
of  the  platform  were  from  his  draft. 

Judge  Steele  had  an  enthusiastic  following 
among  the  younger  members  of  his  party 
and  his  genius  justified  their  admiration. 
Had  he  lived  he  would  have  taken  his 
proper  place  in  the  work  of  national  legisla- 
tion and  would  have  stood  second  in  national 
fame  to  no  other  of  Vermont's  representative 
men.  He  was  not  only  a  thorough  student 
and  profound  thinker  but  an  orator  by  na- 
ture and  cultivation.  His  early  death  was 
not  only  a  grievous  loss  to  his  family  and 
friends,  but  to  the  state  in  good  service  and 
in  the  honor  a  worthy  and  brilliant  son 
gives  her  when  he  becomes  on  a  broader 
field  a  statesman  and  leader  of  men. 

Judge  Steele  married,  Feb.  6,  i86t, 
Martha,  only  daughter  of  David  and  \\ealthy 
(Thomas)  Sumner.  Two  children  were  the 
issue  of  this  marriage  :  Mary  Hinman,  and 
David  Sumner.  The  last  years  of  Judge 
Steele  were  spent  at  Hartland,  where  his 
widow  yet  resides,  and  not  mnnv  miles  from 


i87 


the  home  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Samuel  K.   I'in- 
gree  in  Hartford. 

His  health  had  always  been  delicate,  and 
in  1873  he  went  to  Minnesota,  hoping  its 
climate  would  arrest  the  disease  that  has 
been  fatal  to  so  many  of  New  England's 
sons  and  daughters.  He  died  in  Faribault, 
Minn.,  July  13,  1873.  No  man  who  knew 
him  can  write  of  him,  even  after  the  lapse 
of  more  than  a  score  of  years,  without  quick- 
ening blood  as  he  remembers  the  man  of 
whom  at  the  commenorative  meeting  of  old 
neighbors  and  friends  at  Derby  Line,  1  lale 
long  ago  said  :  "A  pleasant,  happy  father, 
husband,  brother,  man.  From  his  couch  in 
that  far  off  Western  town  he  looked  back 
upon  no  wild  irregularity  of  his  youthful  or 
riper  years.  He  looked  back  with  conscious 
rectitude,  through  the  fact  that  he  had  done 
all  he  could,  and  with  regret  that  he  could 
no  longer  comfort  his  friends  ;  and  forward, 
across  the  river  lit  by  the  faith  of  that 
church,  the  forms  and  creed  of  which  had 
long  been  pleasant  to  his  mind  ;  then  quietly 
passed  beyond  our  view." 

PROUT,  JOHN.— John  Prout,  of  Rut- 
land, was  born  in  Salisbury,  Nov.  21,  1815. 
His  training  was  of  the  old-fashioned  kind, 
and  his  education  was  in  the  common 
schools  and  academy.  He  followed  the 
trade  of  a  printer  several  years  and  then 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  E.  N.  Briggs  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Addison  county 
in  1837  and  began  practice  with  Mr.  Piriggs. 
He  represented  Salisbury  in  1847,  1S48  and 
1 85 1  and  was  state's  attorney  of  .Addison 
county  from  184S  to  185 1. 

In  1S54  he  moved  to  Rutland  and  there 
pursued  his  profession  most  successfully  till 
he  retired  in  1886.  He  had  at  various  times 
as  partners,  Caleb  B.  Harrington,  Charles 
Linsley,  W.  C.  Dunton,  N.  P.  Simons  and 
Col.  .Mdace  F.  Walker.  He  represented 
Rutland  in  1865  and  1866  and  was  a  sena- 
tor for  Rutland  county  in  1867.  In  1867 
he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
and  served  two  years.  The  work  was  not  as 
congenial  to  him  as  that  of  his  profession 
and  he  declined  further  service.  He  was 
honest,  learned  and  wise  ;  and  was  a  sort  of 
counselor-general  not  only  to  his  clients  but 
to  the  community  and  his  brethren  of  the 
bar.  It  has  been  said  of  him  that  "  to  one 
who  knew  Judge  Prout  principally  in  his 
later  life,  its  most  striking  characteristic 
was  the  degree  in  which  his  name  and  his 
opinions  were  deferred  to  in  the  community 
wherein  he  lived." 

Judge  Prout  died  in  Rutland,  .August  28, 
1890. 

WHEHLER,  HOYT  H.— H.  H.  Wheeler 
of  Jamaica,  now  of  Brattleboro,  and  United 
States  district  judge  for  the  district  of  Ver- 


mont, was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  1869  to  his  resignation,  March  31, 
1877.    [See  sketch  in  Part  ll,/>os/  page  427.] 

ROYCE,  HOMER  ELIHU.— H.  E.  Royce 
of  St.  Albans  was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  1870  to  1890,  serving  as  chief 
j\idge  after  the  death  of  Chief  Judge  Pier- 
jioint  in  January,  1882.  [See  sketch  in 
"Representatives,"  atiU  page  155.] 

REDFIELD,  TIMOTHY  PARKER.— T.  P. 
R  e  d  fi  e  1  d  of 
Montpelier  was 
one  of  the  twelve 
children  of  Dr. 
Peleg  and  Han- 
^  nah    (Parker) 

t'^   'fSf^td  Redfield.       He 

%  \"^  was    born    at 

,        '2i^n  Coventry,   Nov. 

,  I   '  3,  1812,  andwas 

educated  at 
Dartmouth  i  n 
the  class  of  1836. 
He  read  law 
with  his  brother, 
Isaac  F.,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the 
Orleans  county  bar  in  the  year  1838,  and  be- 
gan practice  at  Irasburgh,  where  he  remain- 
ed ten  years.  In  1848  he  was  elected  sen- 
ator from  Orleans  county.  He  moved  to 
Montpelier  after  the  session  of  1848,  prac- 
ticed there  till  his  election  as  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  1870,  and  continued  on 
the  bench  till  the  fall  of  1884,  when  he  de- 
clined a  re-election.  He  married  Helen  W. 
Crannis  of  Stanstead,  Feb.  6,  1840,  and  she 
survives  him.  They  had  four  children,  one 
of  whom,  Alice,  the  wife  of  Andrew  J.  Phil- 
lips, is  living  in  Chicago.  .Alice  has  one 
child  living,  a  son  Timothy.  The  judge, 
after  many  years,  lies  with  his  three  other 
children  in  Green  Mount  cemetery,  that 
pleasant  place  of  rest  of  which  Eastman 
wrote  : 

"  This  fairest  spot  of  hill  .ind  gL^ile, 

Where  blooms  the  flower  and  waves  the  tree. 

."^nd  silver  streams  delight  the  shade, 
We  consecrate,  O  Death,  to  thee." 

Judge  Redfield  was  a  wise  and  genial  man, 
as  well  as  a  profound  lawyer  and  great  judge. 
No  man  at  the  bar  had  quite  so  much  the 
flavor  of  the  olden  time.  Some  way  he  re- 
membered the  wise  and  witty  things  that 
seemed  to  be  the  common  stock  of  the 
ancients  of  the  law,  and  it  was  an  education 
to  hear  him  discourse  of  the  old  lawyers  and 
the  old  practice.  .And  w-ithal  he  knew  more 
things  that  were  "going  on"  about  him  than 
nine-tenths  of  their  actors  ;  how  he  became 
possessed  of  his  information  was  aniystery — 
he  must  have  absorbed  knowledge  from  the 
air  as  he  went  along.     He  was  a  powerful 


advocate  while  at  the  bar  ;  logical,  adroit,with 
play  of  wit  and  humor,  he  was  a  dangerous 
antagonist.  And  after  he  was  on  the  bench 
his  power  and  mastery  of  the  art  of  putting 
things  used  to  make  the  lawyer  who  was 
getting  the  worst  of  the  charge  wince,  and 
make  the  one  whose  law  and  facts  the  judge 
thought  were  right  ashamed  of  himself  to 
see  how  a  real  artist  could  do  his  work. 
When  he  had  his  mind  made  up  he  took 
care  that  his  position  should  be  understood. 
When  he  made  decisions  as  a  chancellor  he 
would  often  file  reasons  with  or  as  a  part  of 
the  decretal  order  that,  when  the  case  went 
up,  were  a  tower  of  strength  in  defense  of 
the  order  he  had  made. 

It  is,  I  find,  the  general  sense  of  those 
who  knew  the  two  Judges  Redfield  that  Isaac 
F.  was  the  more  studious  in  habit,  and  Tim- 
othy P.  the  stronger  by  nature.  The  elder 
brother  cultivated  more  assiduously,  but  the 
younger  plowed  the  deeper,  and  he  seemed 
to  know  intuitively  legal  fields  and  what 
grains  and  fruits  they  bore.  I  have  been 
surprised,  after  examining  a  doubtful  point, 
and  going  over  all  the  authorities  attainable, 
to  hear  him,  the  moment  the  question  was 
sprung  in  the  court  room,  start  from  a  prin- 
ciple and  go  on  till  he  had  talked  all  the  law 
there  was  about  the  thing — give  a  better 
summary  of  the  law  off-hand  than  one  could 
find  in  the  books  of  those  who  had  taken 
their  time  for  thought  and  statement.  He 
was  solidly  grounded  in  the  principles  of  the 
law,  and  he  remembered  a  vast  deal  about 
practice.  He  was  to  the  younger  members 
of  the  bar  a  spring  of  pure  and  ever  flowing 
law,  and  I  believe  that  his  brethren  on  the 
bench  would  say  that  they  looked  to  him  as 
to  the  master  of  a  stronghold  of  the  law, 
with  all  its  weapons  available  to  his  hand. 

Judge  Redfield  died  in  Chicago,  May  27, 
1888,  and  was  buried  in  Green  Mount  cem- 
etery, Montpelier. 

ROSS,  Jonathan.— Jonathan  Ross,  of 
St.  Johnsbury,  now  chief  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  was  elected  a  judge  of  that 
court  in  1870,  and  has  been  chief  judge 
since  1890.  [See  sketch  in  Parti  I,  post 
page  342.] 

POWERS,  HORACE  HENRY.  — H.  H. 
Powers,  of  Morrisville,  was  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  from  1874  to  1890,  when  he 
was  elected  to  Congress.  [See  sketch  in 
"Representatives," /cijV  page  324.] 

DUNTON,    Walter    C  — Walter  C. 

Dunton,  of  Rutland,  was  born  in  Bristol, 
Nov.  29,  1830.  He  was  educated  at  Malone 
Academy,  N.  Y.,  and  Middlebury  College, 
graduating  at  the  latter  institution  in  1857. 
He  read  law  with  Dillingham  and  Durant  at 


Waterbury  and  with  Linsley  &  Prout  at  Rut- 
land and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Rutland 
county  in  1858. 

He  resided  in  Kansas  some  years  and  was 
a  member  of  its  last  territorial  Legislature  in 
1 861.  That  same  year  he  located  in  Rut- 
land. In  1862  he  went  into  the  army  and 
served  as  Captain  of  Co.  H,  14th  Vt.  Vols. 
He  was  Rutland's  member  of  the  constitu- 
tional convention  of  1870.  In  1865  he  was 
elected  judge  of  probate  for  the  district  of 
Rutland  and  served  till  April  14,  1877,  when 
he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  by  Governor  Fairbanks  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  promotions  consequent 
on  the  resignation  of  Judge  Wheeler.  Judge 
Dunton  served  on  the  Supreme  Court  bench 
terminated  in  the  fall  of  1879  by  his  resig- 
nation of  the  office. 

He  resumed  practice  and  died  in  Rutland 
April  23,  1890. 

VEAZEY,  Wheelock   Graves.— w. 

G.  Veazey  of  Rutland,  now  a  member  of  the 
Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  was  ap- 
pointed a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  Nov. 

I,  1S79,  upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Dun- 
ton, and  served  till  August,  1889,  when  he 
resigned.  [See  sketch  in  Part  \\,  post  page 
408.] 

TAFT,  Russell  F.— R.  S.  Taft  of  Bur- 
lington has  been  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
since  18S0,  and  since  1890  has  been  first 
assistant  judge.  [See  sketch  in  Part  \\,  post 
page  391.] 

ROWELL,  JOHN  W.— John  ^V.  Rowell, 
of  West  Randolph,  has  been  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  since  Jan.  11,  1882,  when  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Farnham  sixth 
assistant  after  the  death  of  Chief  Judge  Pier- 
point.  He  has  been,  since  1890,  second 
assistant  judge.  [See  sketch  in  Part  II,  post 
page  343-] 

WALKER,  William  H.— W.  H.  Walker, 
of  Ludlow,  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1884,  and  served  till  September, 
1887,  when  he  resigned.     [See  sketch  in  Part 

II,  post  page  41  7.] 

TYLER,  James  M.— James  M.  Tyler,  of 
Brattleboro,  has  been  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  since  September,  1887,  when  he  was 
appointed  by  (iovernor  Ormsbee  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  promotions  after  resigna- 
tion of  Judge  \\'alker.  He  is  now  third  as- 
sistant judge.  [See  sketch  in  Part  \\,  post 
page  405.] 

MUNSON,  LOVELAND.— Loveland  Mun- 
son,  of  Manchester,  has  been  a  judge  of  the 
Su])reme   Court   since    his  appointment    by 


THOMPSON. 


Governor  Dillingham  in  September,  1889,  to 
fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  promotions  fol- 
lowing Judge  Veazey's  resignation.  He  is 
now  fourth  assistant  judge.  [See  sketch  in 
Part  U,/>os^  page  283.] 

START,  HENRY  R.— Henry  R.  Start  of 
Bakersfield  has  been  fifth  assistant  judge  of 


the    Supreme    Court    since    his    election  in 
i8go.   [See  sketch  in  Part  \\,  post  page  373.] 

THOMPSON,  LafOREST  H.— L.  H. 
Thompson  of  Irasburg  has  been  sixth  assis- 
tant judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  since  his 
election  in  1890.  [See  sketch  in  Part  H, 
posip&ge:  397.] 


VERMONT    INVENTORS. 

B^    Lt£\  1    K.   FULLER. 

In  a  search  for  rare  and  curious  inventions,  there  has  been  revealed,  among  the  citizens 
of  this  state,  a  wealth  of  inventive  talent,  great  ingenuity  and  remarkable  achievements,  little 
known  and  long  forgotten.  It  is  a  pleasing  task  to  rescue  from  obscurity  and  to  bring  into 
more  prominent  light  the  efforts  of  our  citizens  in  this  direction.  Many  inventors  are 
found  to  have  been  too  early,  as  well  as  some  too  late,  in  the  race  ;  so  that  they  have  performed 
their  tasks  upon  a  line  so  slender,  in  its  relation  to  the  then  known  wants  or  needs  of  the 
community,  that  recognition  of  their  discoveries  and  the  importance  of  their  inventions,  by 
the  multitude,  was  not  possible  until  future  years  and  an  advanced  civilization  should  disclose 
their  true  value  in  industrial  affairs. 

In  many  respects  the  state  of  Vermont  has  been  as  fruitful  in  the  development  of  great 
inventions  as  it  has  been  unique  in  other  interesting  phases  of  .\merican  history.  A  few 
of  the  wonderful  deeds  of  Vermonters  are  here  recorded  and  their  rightful  place  in  the  pro- 
gress of  a  century  pointed  out. 

During  the  century  there  were  600,000  inventions  patented  in  the  United  States,  of 
which  nearly  4,000  have  been  granted  to  Vermonters,  upwards  of  1,000  of  these  being  the 
first  of  their  class.  Many  of  them  have  indeed  been  important  and  controlling,  even  revo- 
lutionizing, departments  of  industry  ;  but  in  many  instances  important  inventions  were 
never  patented. 

How  came  the  inventions  and  improvements  of  the  century  to  be  made?  They  were 
not  conceived  or  born  in  the  patent  office  at  Washington,  or  in  any  government  bureau, 
much  less  brought  forward  by  the  order  of  any  public  official.  They  were  of  an  impelling 
force,  far  different  in  its  nature,  strength  and  magnitude  ;  a  force  that  had  its  source  in  that 
spirit  born  of  freedom  of  thought,  unfettered  hands  and  unbounded  opportunities  :  a  force 
that  has  carved  a  nation  out  of  the  forest,  and  made  the  prairie  and  the  desert  to  blossom 
as  the  rose ;  that  has  preserved  to  us  freedom,  and  given  to  the  nation  prosperity — indi- 
vidual responsibility  and  opportunity — with  governmental  care  only  so  far  as  is  necessary  to 
secure  this  in  its  largest  and  noblest  sense. 

It  has  not  been  my  object  to  speak  of  inventions  merely  to  show  the  number  or  kind, 
but  to  point  out  some  of  those  in  which  citizens  of  Vermont  were  the  earliest  in  the  field. 

Thus  we  see,  up  among  the  fertile  valleys  of  our  little  state,  and  among  the  green  hills, 
where  live  a  hardy,  thrifty  and  self-reliant  people,  left  to  carve  out  their  own  fame  and 
fortune,  the  ordinary  citizen  has  grappled  with  the  most  important  inventions  of  the  age, 
has  solved  successfully  the  mechanical  and  industrial  problems  of  the  century,  reaping,  in 
many  instances,  a  fair  reward  with  unusual  distinction,  many  with  gratifying  honors. 

Patents  issued  to  Vermonters  in  the  last  century  : 

Richard  Rhobotham,  Floor  Composition,  two  patents,  April  12,  1794. 

William  Hodgson,  Threshing  Machine,  April  2S,  1794. 

Toshua  Hathaway,  Hydraulic  Machine,  Oct.  29,  1794. 

Samuel  Kellogg,  Wool  and  Cloth  Shearing  Machine,  Jan.  31,  1795. 

Lester  Fling,  Machine  for  Manufacturing  Nails,  Dec.  19,  1797. 

Charles  Holden,  Windmill,  Jan.  24,  1798. 

Eliakim  Spooner,  Cultivator,  Jan.  25,  1799. 


DAVENPORl. 


191 


AUAMS,  RUFUS,  Randolph,  invented  a 
steel  spring  pitchfork,  about  1827.  He 
kejU  the  secret  to  himself,  until  some  of  the 
men  whom  he  employed  discovered  it  and 
started  factories  in  Brookfield  and  Hart- 
ford, whence  it  spread  throughout  the 
United  States.  Before  his  invention  was 
used,  the  sticks  were  cut  in  the  woods  and 
heavy  forks  were  made  from  iron  by  the 
blacksmith. 

BRADLEY,  J.  DORR,  of  Brattleboro, 
invented  in  1852,  a  rotary  pump,  consisting 
of  a  piece  of  rubber  tubing  secured  to  the 
inside  of  a  circular  form,  through  which  the 
water  was  pressed  by  a  revolving  wheel 
driving  the  water  before  it,  as  it  was  made 
to  turn  either  by  hand  or  power.  Large 
numbers  of  these  were  made  and  found  at 
the  time  a  ready  market.  [.A  biographical 
sketch  and  portrait  of  J.  Dorr  Bradley  will 
be  found  in  Part  L  page  138.] 

DAVENPORT,  THOMAS,  Brandon.— 
.\mong  the  most  important  inventions  with 
which  mankind  has  to  do  at  the  present 
time,  is  the  use  of  electricity  in  its  various 
phases.  To  Vermont  belongs  the  credit  of 
having  given  to  the  world  the  earliest  suc- 
cessful harnessing  of  magnetism,  or  electro- 
magnetism  as  it  was  then  called,  or  elec- 
tricity, as  we  now  term  it,  through  the  inven- 
tions of  one  Thomas  Davenport,  a  native  of 
W'illiamstown.  This  ingenious  man  was  by 
trade  a  blacksmith,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
in  Pirandon  until  1832,  when  he  became  in- 
tensely interested  in  magnetism,  and  many 
years  lived,  dreamed  and  worked,  surrounded 
by  his  successful  demonstration  of  his  skill 
in  the  development  of  various  electrical  ap- 
paratus. 

In  1B34  he  made  an  electric  motor,  set- 
ting it  upon  the  top  of  an  earthen  drinking 
cuj),  which  contained  a  battery  which  oper- 
ated the  motor  at  the  top.  It  had  a  horizon- 
tal revolving  shaft,  with  the  balance  wheel  at 
one  end.  He  exhibited  this  model  in  New 
York  to  a  syndicate  of  gentlemen  who  pro- 
posed to  buy  it.  Among  those  whom  they 
brought  to  examine  it  for  the  purpose  of  get- 
ting an  opinion  was  Prof.  S.  F.  B.  Morse, 
who  carefully  examined  it  and  then  declined 
to  give  an  opinion  other  than  this  :  "It  is 
certainly  worthy  of  careful  consideration, 
and  the  subject  is  one  in  which  I  feel  a 
lively  interest." 

Davenport  also  invented  a  tvventy-four- 
wire  telegraph  for  the  sending  of  communi- 
cations over  long  distances.  This  he  had 
on  exhibition  in  the  city  of  New  \'ork,  and 
it  was  also  examined  by  Professor  Morse.  It 
consisted  of  an  apparatus  for  the  sending  of 
an  electric  current  over  each  wire  and  an- 
other set  of  apparatus  for  receiving  and  re- 


cording the  same  at  the  other  end.  This 
twenty-four-wire  telegraph  of  1  )a\enport's, 
which  had  a  wire  for  each  letter  of  the 
alphabet  and  which  was  examined  by  Pro- 
fessor Morse  furnished  the  basis  of  the  latter's 
invention. 

Morse  did  not  begin  to  think  of  a  single 
wire  until  1835.  He  had  gone  no  farther 
than  the  thought  of  the  use  of  magnetism 
with  the  wire,  but  when  he  saw  the  twenty- 
four-wire  invention  of  Davenport,  with  the 
mechanism  at  one  end  for  sending  the 
electric  current  and  the  apparatus  at  the 
other  for  registering  the  signal,  the  problem 
was  solved.  'What  Morse  did  was  to  invent 
an  alphabet  enabling  him  to  dispense  with 
twenty-three  of  Davenport's  wires  and  use 
the  remaining  one. 

Mr.  Da\enport  also  exhibited  his  invention 
in  1S35  at  Middlebury  College,  then  at  the 
institution  at  Troy,  presided  over  by  Miss 
W'illard,  then  at  Princeton  (,'ollege,  and  also 
in  New  ^'ork,  Springfield  and  Boston.  Prof. 
Joseph  Henry  gave  him  a  certificate  attest- 
ing the  originality  of  his  invention."  His 
first  patent  was  dated  Feb.  25,  1837,  and 
was  for  the  broad  use  of  magnetism  as  a  pro- 
pelling force  for  motive  power.  Mr.  Ells- 
worth, then  at  the  head  of  the  patent  office, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1838,  wrote  him  that  his 
was  the  first  patent  issued  to  anyone  for  such 
an  invention. 

In  1840  he  began  the  publication  of  a 
newspaper  in  the  city  of  New  \ork,  the  print- 
ing press  of  which  was  driven  by  one  of  his 
electric  motors,  and  in  one  of  the  editions  he 
prints  an  editorial  giving  an  estimate  com- 
parison between  the  cost  of  steam  when  gen- 
erated by  the  use  of  wood,  and  power  pro- 
duced from  electricity,  and  showing  by  his 
logic  a  large  balance  in  favor  of  electricity  ; 
and  then  he  adds,  "The  power  of  electricity 
is  far  superior  to  steam,  and  must  and  will 
triumphantly  succeed,"  a  prophecy  which 
fifty  years  later  is  being  fulfilled. 

Among  his  inventions  is  that  of  a  circular 
railway,  a  model  two  and  one-half  feet  in 
diameter  having  been  made  in  1837,  and 
sold  to  the  Troy  Seminary,  presided  over  by 
Miss  Willard,  and  it  remained  in  Troy  until 
two  years  ago,  when  it  was  procured  by 
Professor  Pope  and  presented  by  him  to  the 
Society  of  Electrical  Engineers  of  New  York. 
In  that  model,  there  is  a  stand  for  the  bat- 
tery, a  circular  track,  a  magnetic  field,  re- 
volving armature,  a  divided  commutator, 
the  connection  of  the  armature  by  means  of 
a  bevel  gear  with  the  track,  embodying  every 
essential  element  of  the  modern  electric 
road.  In  fact,  the  divided  commutator  is 
the  only  successful  means  that  has  been  de- 
vised of  controlling  the  electric  current. 

The  number  of  electrical  inventions  of 
this  wonderful  man  was  quite  large,  he  ex- 


192 


FAIRBANKS. 


perimented  in  the  making  of  motors  for 
driving  different  kinds  of  machines,  and  ex- 
perimented with  an  electric  piano,  since 
then  successfully  developed. 

Professor  Pope,  who  has  studied  the  work 
of  this  great  mind,  says  that,  at  the  average 
progress  which  attended  his  labors,  six  more 
months  of  work,  logically,  would  have  led  to 
the  production  of  the  phonograph. 

Mr.  Davenport  gave  ten  years  of  his  life 
to  this  subject,  but  when  Professor  Page  re- 
ported to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
that  the  cost  of  operating  by  electricity  was 
vastly  greater  than  that  of  steam,  Davenport 
became  discouraged,  the  want  of  public  ap- 
preciation disheartened  him,  and  he  returned 
to  Brandon  in  1S42,  and  resumed  his  toil  at 
the  forge  and  anvil.  He  was  simply  a  few 
years  in  advance  of  his  time. 

FAIRBANKS,  THADDEUS,  of  St.  Johns- 
bury.  The  invention  of  a  cast-iron  plough 
in  1825  was  the  beginning  of  an  inventive 
career  that  was  singularly  fertile,  for  the 
number  and  variety  of  inventions  as  well  as 
their  utility  and  influence  upon  trade  and 
commerce.  The  trade  in  domestic  hemp 
suggested  greater  convenience  for  weighing, 
a  simple  platform  scale  was  constructed 
which  proved  so  useful  and  accurate  that  its 
development  into  a  commercial  article  soon 
followed.  His  first  patent  for  this  invention 
was  taken  out  in  1831.  The  "knife  edge" 
bearings  which  supported  the  platform  and 
working  parts,  were  so  admirably  disposed 
and  the  entire  scale  so  carefully  worked  out, 
that  the  increasing  trade  caused  the  little 
mill  to  be  speedily  turned  into  a  scale 
factory,  and  it  in  turn  giving  way  to  larger 
and  more  pretentious  buildings,  until  the 
present  establishment  with  its  army  of  men, 
supporting  a  large  and  thriving  village,  is 
known  wherever  civilization  has  developed 
the  need  of  accurate  weighing  machines. 
More  than  thirty-three  patents  were  taken 
out  upon  the  scale  and  the  means  of  its  pro- 
duction, for  in  the  early  days  of  this  inven- 
tion exact  duplication  of  parts  was  unknown 
and  special  machines  for  their  rapid  and 
accurate  production  must  also  be  invented. 

His  fertile  mind  led  him  to  improve  the 
cooking  stove  and  the  ice  refrigerator  for  the 
housewife.  For  more  than  sixty  years  he 
led  this  life  of  enquiry,  and  developed  along 
many  lines  new  and  useful  improvements, 
and  at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety,  having  com- 
pleted an  improvement  in  hot  water  heaters, 
receiving  with  unusual  delight  his  last  patent, 
his  light  went  quietly  out.  [A  biographical 
sketch  and  portrait  of  Sir  Thaddeus  Fair- 
banks will  be  found  in  Part  H,  page  129.] 

FIELD,  ARTHUR,  Springfield.— About 
1830   invented    an    improvement    in    hoes. 


The  blade  of  his  hoe  was  made  of  two  layers 
of  metal.  On  the  inside,  or  top,  was  a  thin 
layer  of  tempered  steel,  while  the  bottom 
consisted  of  a  thin  soft  iron.  The  two  were 
welded  together.  The  soft  iron,  while  it  pro- 
tected the  steel  from  breaking,  was  more  ex- 
posed to  wear,  and  as  it  wore  away  on  the 
bottom  edge,  left  the  cutting  edge  thin  and 
so  acted  as  a  self-sharpener.  The  hoes 
made  by  Mr.  Field  were  lighter  and  had  an 
improved  socket  for  the  handle.  They  were 
made  by  him  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  were 
held  in  high  esteem  by  farmers  wherever 
they  were  used. 

FULLUM,  A.  J.,  Springfield.- Invented 
and  patented  about  1852,  an  improved  pro- 
cess of  manufacturing  dies,  for  stamping 
stencil  plates  and  similar  work,  by  grinding 
and  cutting  them  into  shape  with  burrs  in- 
stead of  filing  them  out  by  hand,  by  which 
the  process  of  manufacture  was  greatly 
cheapened,  and  the  form  and  utility  of  the 
implements  improved,  eliminating  the  wedge 
shape  which  the  hand  file  always  gave.  He 
invented  in  i860  a  new  method  of  stencil 
making,  and  in  1864  a  sheep  shearing 
device. 

FISK,  James,  Brattleboro.— About  1878 
invented  a  contrivance  by  which  a  horse 
could  be  released  from  the  wagon  and  a 
brake  applied  to  the  hub  of  the  wheel  for  the 
stopping  of  a  carriage. 

GORE,  John,  Brattleboro.— Was  the 
inventor  of  a  steam  wagon  or  carriage,  which 
he  constructed  and  operated  about  the  coun- 
try. It  was  driven  by  an  engine  of  several 
horse  power,  and  was  an  object  of  especial 
interest.  It  was  seen  during  a  period  of 
several  years  running  about  the  country,  but 
finally  was  dismantled  and  put  to  other  uses. 

GOULD,  William,  Brattleboro.— Was  a 
man  of  peculiar  fertility  of  mind  in  matters 
connected  with  waterworks  and  appliances. 
In  1856  he  invented  improvements  in  fire 
engines,  but  probably  his  greatest  invention 
was  in  a  machine  for  making  lead  pipe,  and 
lead  pipe  with  tin  lining.  This  occurred  be- 
tween 1840  and  1850.  The  machine  was 
finally  sold  for  old  iron  about  1880,  although 
some  of  the  minor  parts  of  it  are  now  at  the 
old  shop.  .As  both  of  these  inventions  in- 
volved large  interests  and  immense  sums  of 
money,  it  is  singular  that  they  never  came 
into  notoriety,  but  Dr.  Rockwell  says  that 
J.  Dorr  Bradley  took  two  strangers  there  to  see 
the  machine,  who  were  in  the  interests  of  one 
of  the  parties  of  the  lead  or  tin  pipe  litigation. 

HARRIS,  Silas,  Shaftsbury.— Was  the 
first  inventor  and  manufacturer  of  the  modern 


193 


carpenters'  square.  He  began  by  cutting 
the  plates  out  of  old  saws.  In  i8i  7  he  came 
to  Shaftsbury  and  engaged  Stephen  Whipple 
to  forge  them  from  bar  stock,  as  he  had  a 
trip  hammer.  This  business  had  been  con- 
tinued by  one  and  another,  developing  until 
there  were  four  such  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments in  Shaftsbury,  which  were  consoli- 
dated some  time  since  under  the  name  of 
the  Eagle  .Square  Manufacturing  Co.,  located 
at  South  Shaftsbury. 

FULLHR,  LEVI  K.,  Hrattleboro.— .At  the 
age  of  sixteen  Levi  K.  Fuller,  then  a  tele- 
graph operator  at  Bellows  Falls,  constructed 
a  steam  engine,  having  a  vahe  of  new  and 
novel  design.  It  was  exhibited  at  the  U'ind- 
ham  county  fair  and  received  a  premium. 
This  invention  attracted  much  attention  and 
introduced  young  Fuller  to  the  world  of  in- 
ventors and  mechanics. 

Many  of  the  most  \aluable  inventions  re- 
lating to,  and  improvements  in  the  con- 
struction and  operating  of  reed  organs,  are 
the  result  of  his  skill  and  thought,  and  for  a 
third  of  a  century  he  has  de\oted  his  efforts 
to  this  line  of  work  in  the  interests  of  the 
Estey  Organ  Co.  Not  alone  in  this  depart- 
ment have  his  eflbrts  been  crowned  with  suc- 
cess, but  in  telegraphy,  steam  engineering, 
car  construction,  and  artificial  ventilation, 
as  well,  he  has  originated  in  many  other 
branches  of  mechanics  and  science,  improve- 
ments and  methods  of  value. 

The  manner  of  drying  lumber  and  numer- 
ous other  articles  by  means  of  the  system 
widely  known  as  the  "Common-sense"  Dry- 
ing -Apparatus,  is  one  of  his  inventions. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  road  to  the 
patent  office  has  been  more  frequently  trod 
by  this  inventor  than  almost  any  other  in 
Vermont,  and  but  few  men  in  the  country 
have  a  larger  list  of  patented  inventions. 
Upwards  of  one  hundred  dififerent  patents 
attest  the  frequency  with  which  the  road  to 
the  patent  otifice  has  been  trodden  by  him. 

HEDGE,  L.,  Windsor,  was  an  inventor 
with  rare  traits  of  mental  activity  ;  his  mind 
grasped  the  delicate  details  of  machines  of 
precision  with  startling  accuracy.  His  first 
inventions  are  dated  as  early  as  181 5,  for  a 
spring  pen  ruler  ;  in  181  7,  a  revolving  ruler  ; 
in  1825,  a  machine  for  ruling  paper;  in 
1835,  a  carpenter's  rule  joint;  followed  by 
the  wonderful  machines  for  the  marking  of 
rules,  so  long  employed  by  E.  A.  Stearns  &: 
Co.,  at  Brattleboro,  and  later  consolidated 
with  the  Stanley  Rule  and  Level  Co.,  New 
Britain,  Conn.  The  machines  made  sixty 
years  ago  have  not  been  surpassed  in  accu- 
racy in  the  marking  of  carpenters'  measuring 
rules. 


J.ACKMAN,  ALONZO,  Northfield.— 
Very  soon  after  the  successful  inauguration 
of  the  electric  telegraph,  scientists  every- 
where attempted  to  grapple  with  the  prob- 
lem of  using  this  means  to  connect  conti- 
nents separated  by  water  and  thus  bring  the 
world  into  closer  communication.  Proba- 
bly the  honor  belongs  to  General  Jackman 
of  offering  the  first  successful  solution  of  this 
question. 

His  life  was  spent  in  the  quiet  retreat  of 
Norwich  L'niversity ;  he  was  a  mathema- 
tician of  rare  mental  endowments  and  with- 
out a  superior ;  whatever  he  did  in  this 
matter  was  the  legitimate  result  of  his  learn- 
ing, opportunity  and  scientific  investigation. 

In  1842  he  devised  the  scheme  and  dem- 
onstrated its  practicability  by  successful  ex- 
periments ;  in  1843,  while  lecturing  at  the 
Windsor  .Academy,  he  was  asked  the  ques- 
tion :  "How  is  telegraphic  communication 
carried  on  across  large  bodies  of  water?" 
He  immediately  answered  that  it  was  done 
by  encasing  the  wires  in  India  rubber.  In 
1846  Amos  Kendall  published  an  article 
calling  upon  scientists  to  investigate  the 
problem,  whereupon  Professor  Jackman  im- 
mediately wrote  him  revealing  his  plan  a-nd 
offered  the  same  for  publication  to  prominent 
newspapers,  who  declined  the  same  with 
thanks  as  being  visionary  and  foolish.  The 
Vermont  Mercury,  printed  at  Woodstock, 
however,  published  his  article  on  the  14th  of 
August,  1846  ;  in  this  he  proposed  the  use 
of  a  wire  or  wires  coated  with  rubber  and 
enclosed  within  a  lead  pipe  ;  in  order  to  give 
the  necessary  strength  he  proposed  to  wind 
his  cable  with  iron  rings  suitably  connected 
with  wires  passing  through  holes  in  the 
bands  and  then  he  proposed  to  wind  the 
whole  with  yarn  to  keep  the  strengthening 
material  in  place.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  at  this  time  the  use  of  gutta  percha  was 
not  known  to  the  arts. 

The  manner  of  laying  the  cable  was  as 
follows  :  "  Now  let  two  steamers  sufficiently 
large,  each  having  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  of  said  pipe  judiciously  coiled  in  the 
hold,  accompany  each  other  to  a  point  half 
way  between  Boston  and  Liverpool,  then  let 
an  artist  splice  the  two  halves  of  the  appar- 
atus together,  wire  to  wire,  rubber  to  rubber, 
and  pipe  to  pipe.  Next  let  one  ship  head 
toward  Liverpool  and  the  other  toward  Bos- 
ton, and  each  put  on  steam  and  pay  out  pipe 
according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  case." 

The  wide  circulation  of  this  article  through- 
out the  world  could  not  have  failed  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  many  readers,  for  it  is 
precisely  this  plan  that  was  adopted  in  1857, 
when  the  British  and  .American  men-of-war 
proceeded  to  mid-ocean,  and,  splicing  the 
cable,  the  Agamemnon  started  for  the  Irish 
coast  and  the  Niagara  for  Newfoundland,  and 


194 


the  dream  of  Jackman  had  been  successfully 
accomplished  by  the  commercial  enterprise 
of  Cyrus  \\'.  Field. 

HOLTON,  S.,  Middlebury.— Invented  a 
large  number  of  intricate  and  interesting 
things  entering  into  the  whole  question  of 
the  manufacture  of  cottons  and  woolens. 
He  was  also  a  jeweler  and  made  an  ivory 
watch,  which  is  running  to-day,  and  which 
is  a  great  curiosity  and  an  invention  of  re- 
markable ingenuity.  He  also  invented  a 
watch  with  the  chronometer  escapement. 
He  also  invented  new  devices  in  regard  to 
clocks,  and  made  the  Garfield  clock  that 
was  taken  about  the  country  for  exhibition. 

KEYES,  Asa,  Brattleboro.— Invented  in 
1850  the  steam  cutting  machine  for  cutting 
slate  used  at  the  slate  quarry  at  Guilford,  an 
invention  which  at  first  bid  fair  to  produce 
important  results,  but  with  the  closing  of  the 
quarry,  nothing  further  was  done  with  it,  al- 
though lately  it  is  being  revised  and  intro- 
duced in  Pennsylvania. 

MOREY,  Samuel,  Fairlee.— in  the  Life 
of  Robert  Fulton,  by  Knox,  it  is  related  that 
Samuel  Morey,  between  1790  and  1794, 
made  experiments  on  the  Connecticut  river 
by  propelling  boats  by  steam.  The  facts 
appear  to  be  these  :  Gen.  Israel  Morey,  of 
Hebron,  Conn.,  moved  to  Orford,  N.  H.,  in 
1765,  and  to  Fairlee,  Vt.,  in  1772.  He  soon 
after  obtained  a  charter  for  a  ferry  between 
the  towns  of  F'airlee,  Vt.,  and  Orford,  N.  H., 
across  the  Connecticut  river.  He  had  five 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  second  son, 
Capt.  Samuel  Morey,  is  without  doubt  en- 
titled to  the  credit  of  having  invented,  built 
and  operated  a  steamboat  at  his  father's 
ferry,  between  Orford  and  Fairlee,  in  1 790 
to  I  794,  or  more  than  fifteen  years  before 
Fulton  constructed  the  "Clermont"  on  the 
Hudson  river,  and  is  the  person  alluded  to 
in  the  biography  of  Robert  Fulton. 

Rev.  Cyrus  Mann,  of  Orford,  N.  H.,  states 
that  he  saw  a  steamboat  made  by  Morey  in 
successful  operation  on  the  Connecticut  river 
at  Fairlee,  before  1793.  He  also  states  that 
he  built  a  larger  boat  that  ran  from  Hartford 
to  the  city  of  New  York  in  i  794,  where  it  was 
seen  by  Chancellor  Edward  and  Judge  Li\- 
ingston,  and  many  others.  He  also  affirms 
that  Morey  exhibited  the  same  to  Fulton  and 
that  there  was  correspondence  between  him 
and  Fulton.  Morey  built  a  model  of  his 
steamboat  and  took  it  to  New  York  and  there 
exhibited  it,  as  he  claimed  to  Fulton,  Liv- 
ingston and  others,  the  model  of  which  is  now 
in  existence  and  in  the  possession  of  his 
heirs. 

The  original  engine  in  the  boat  which 
Morey  first  operated  across  the  ferry  at  Fair- 


lee, he  afterwards  placed  in  a  larger  boat 
which  he  constructed,  called  the  "Aunt  Sally," 
and  took  to  Fairlee  Pond  (now  Lake  Morey), 
and  plied  it  there  ;  but  being  unsuccessful  in 
introducing  it  into  commercial  life,  he  be- 
came discouraged  and  sunk  the  boat  in  Fair- 
lee Pond. 

Morey  died  in  1842  and  down  to  the  day 
of  his  death  he  claimed  that  he  gave  the  idea 
to  Fulton  :  that  at  one  time  there  was  a  bar- 
gain between  them,  and  that,  because  of  its 
non-fulfillment,  he  felt  that  he  was  greatly 
wronged,  as  well  as  having  his  invention 
misappropriated.  In  regard  to  this  charge 
of  ^Iorey's,  Prof.  R.  H.  Thurston,  in  his 
Life  of  Fulton  gives  full  credence  to  the 
claims  of  Morey  as  to  the  invention  of  1 790 
and  1 793  at  Fairlee,  accepting  the  story  of 
\Villiam  .\.  Morey,  as  published  in  the  Provi- 
dence Journal  in  1874. 

Much  of  the  correspondence  between 
Professor  Silliman  of  New  Haven  and  Morey, 
and  also  of  others,  successfully  established 
the  claims.  Some  of  this  correspondence  is 
in  existence  today.  Knox,  in  his  life  of  Ful- 
ton, accepts  the  statement  of  Morey's  bi- 
ographer that  he  probably  had  a  boat  on  the 
Connecticut  river  at  Fairlee  between  1790 
and  I  793,  but  in  regard  to  the  charge  that 
he  had  exhibited  the  same  to  Fulton,  it  is 
claimed  that  Fulton  was  in  France  at  the 
time  the  plans  of  the  Clermont  were  made, 
and  could  not  have  known  of  what  was  tran- 
spiring in  the  New  World  with  this  Ver- 
monter. 

Howe,  in  his  "Eminent  Mechanics,"  also 
accepts  the  statement  that  Morey  did  mature 
and  operate  a  stern-wheel  steamboat  at  Fair- 
lee, in  1793.  This  last  author  assigns  to 
Fulton  the  position,  not  of  having  been  the 
original  inventor  nor  the  perfecter,  but  as  a 
successful  person,  who  so  satisfied  the  law 
of  the  state  of  New  York  as  to  receive  its 
prize  ;  and  as  the  first  to  establish  a  regular 
line  of  steamboats  ;  and  by  his  genius  and 
perseverance  so  improved  them  as  to  lay  a 
solid  foundation  for  those  who  came  after 
him. 

This  places  the  success  of  Fulton  entirely 
upon  the  commercial  side  of  the  enterprise, 
and  takes  him  out  of  the  category  of  an  in- 
ventor, leaving  the  honor  to  others,  which  so 
far  as  i790-'93  is  concerned,  the  problem 
had  been  completely  solved  and  was  in  prac- 
tical operation  upon  the  waters  of  the  Con- 
necticut. 

Samuel  Morey,  who  invented  the  steam- 
boat at  Fairlee  and  Orford,  was  visited  by 
Chancellor  Livingston.  The  patent  for  this 
invention  was  issued  to  Morey  and  signed 
by  the  President,  George  Washington.  It  is 
singular  in  its  phraseology  ;  it  is  a  patent 
for  the  securing  of  power  by  means  of  steam. 
Morey,  thinking  if  he  could  propel  a  wheel 


by  steam  he  might  do  so  whenever  and  to 
whatever  it  could  be  apjjHed. 

NICHOLS,   George   W.,    Randolph. 

— In  182-,  while  driving  a  team  to  Boston, 
passing  through  Andover,  N.  H.,  had  the 
misfortune  to  break  one  of  the  runners  of 
his  sled.  The  next  day  was  stormy  and  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  cutting  off  the  other 
runner  to  the  same  length  as  the  broken 
one,  went  into  the  woods  and  cut  a  short 
sled-crook,  which  he  put  in  place  of  the 
broken  runner,  converted  his  sled  into  a 
traverse,  and  continued  his  journey  with  the 
other  teams  to  Boston.  He  found  on  the 
way  that  with  the  wooden  shoes  he  could 
get  over  the  ground  better  than  any  other 
team,  could  turn  shorter  by  this  means,  and 
could  start  his  load  when  others  failed,  turn- 
ing out  and  getting  back  into  the  road  with 
greater  ease,  and  the  next  winter  the  teams 
on  that  route  changed  their  sleds  to  the 
traverse  system,  setting  their  wagon  bodies 
on  them. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  inven- 
tions affecting  the  farming  industry,  truck- 
ing interests,  and  a  multitude  of  vehicles. 
It  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  native  inge- 
nuity, readiness  of  resource  so  characteristic 
of  a  large  class  of  our  people  who  possess 
the  ability  to  overcome  difficulties  in  an  un- 
usual degree. 

PALMER,  Frank  M.,  Brattleboro.— 
Among  the  remarkable  things  that  have  con- 
duced to  the  economical  conduct  of  busi- 
ness and  furtherance  of  social  intercourse, 
and  have  greatly  promoted  the  convenience 
of  mankind,  is  the  inxention  of  the  postage- 
stamp,  emanating  in  Brattleboro  about  1S45, 
by  the  postmaster  at  Brattleboro,  Mr.  Pal- 
mer, who  invented  and  caused  to  be  made 
the  first  stamp  for  the  prepayment  of  post- 
age in  the  general  conduct  of  postal  affairs. 

Thomas  Chubbuck,  then  of  this  place,  a 
most  skillful  engraver,  was  the  artist  em- 
ployed to  make  the  design,  and  engraved  the 
same  upon  a  block  of  wood.  So  valuable 
have  these  become  that  at  the  time  of  writ- 
ing this,  one  thousand  dollars  has  been 
known  to  have  been  paid  for  a  single  stamp. 

PIKE,  Samuel,  Brattleboro.— During  the 
summer  of  1861,  when  the  war  of  the  rebell- 
ion was  making  such  heavy  demands  upon 
our  army,  inxented  a  portable  cannon,  to  be 
transported  about  the  field  by  hand,  which 
could  also  be  used  upon  a  light  gun  carriage, 
or  upon  the  deck  of  a  ship.  In  its  best 
form  it  has  since  been  worked  out  in  the 
tripod  class  of  small  cannon,  and  in  the 
rapid-fire  form  of  construction  now  being 
introduced  in  the  navv. 


•95 


Mr.  I'ike  was  a  gunsmith  of  rare  talent. 
He  was  consulted  by  Samuel  Colt  in  regard 
to  the  making  for  him  of  his  revolver,  and 
offered,  for  the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars, 
to  construct  the  first  revoher,  agreeing  to 
make  it  in  good  style,  perfect  in  operation, 
and  first-class  in  workmanship,  one  that 
should  serve  as  a  model  to  be  copied  in  sub- 
sequent manufacture.  Mr.  Colt  thought  he 
could  get  it  done  cheaper,  but  afterwards  told 
Mr.  I'ike  of  his  error  in  judgment. 

PORTER,    Frederick,  Springfield.— 

In  1820  Mr.  Porter,  while  engaged  in  card- 
covering  by  hand,  invented  a  machine  that 
would  make  the  holes  in  the  leather,  bend 
the  wire  into  proper  shape,  cut  it  off  and  in- 
sert it  into  the  leather,  suitable  for  cards. 
Work  upon  this  in\'ention  was  carried  on 
under  lock  and  key  for  many  years,  with  the 
help  sworn  to  secrecy. 

SMITH,  D.  M.,  Springfield,  was  one  of 
the  brightest  inventors  that  this  state  has 
ever  had.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the  spring 
clothespin  in  common  use  wherever  w-ashing 
is  done. 

The  manufacture  of  hooks  and  eyes  was 
carried  on  at  Springfield  for  many  years  by 
the  D.  M.  Smith  Co.,  who  used  the  machine 
of  Mr.  Smith,  which  was  a  marvel  of  ingen- 
uity, taking  the  wire  from  the  reel,  bending 
it  into  both  a  hook  and  an  eye,  and  some  of 
the  machines  went  so  far  as  to  make  the 
swanbill  hook  and  eye,  which  contained  a 
fastener,  so  that  it  could  not  be  unhooked 
excepting  by  a  dexterous  hand.  The  same 
machine  counted  them,  put  them  upon 
cards,  and  boxed  them  ready  for  market, 
although  that  part  which  related  to  the 
putting  of  the  hooks  and  eyes  upon  the 
cards  was  done  by  one  of  the  workmen, 
named  .^Ivin  Mason.  A  single  machine  to 
do  this  cost  §20,000. 

It  is  believed  that  Mr.  Smith  was  the  first 
inventor  of  the  typewriter.  Parts  of  the 
original  machine  are  now  preserved  at 
Springfield. 

STEWART,  P.  P.,  Pawlet.-The  inven- 
tion of  the  modern  cooking  stove  by  P.  P. 
Stewart  is  an  illustration  of  the  fertility  of  re- 
sources of  men  bred  amid  our  hills  and  hav- 
ing to  contend  with  early  difficulties.  In 
1832,  while  visiting  a  friend,  he  obser\ed 
the  needs  of  a  stove  in  the  room  ;  he  imme- 
diately made  one,  and  it  served  so  well  that 
an  addition  of  an  oven  was  suggested  ;  this 
he  made  of  sheet  iron,  which  served  the 
family  well  for  many  years.  He  had  been  a 
sort  of  industrial  missionary  to  the  Choctaw 
tribe  of  Indians,  and  performed  this  work 
after  he  left  Pawlet  and  prior  to  his  founding 
of  Oberlin  College.      He  returned  to  Pawlet 


196 


WHEELER. 


in  1S36.  Having  adopted  a  vegetable  diet, 
on  account  of  ill-health,  the  cooking  did  not 
suit  him,  being  burned  on  one  side  and  half 
done  on  the  other. 

This  is  the  way  he  soliloquized  in  regard  to 
it — twenty-eight  years  ago  I  had  this  story 
from  his  own  lips,  it  has  been  confirmed  in 
courts  of  law,  and  reproduced  by  his  biogra- 
pher, and  shows  the  operations  of  a  logical 
mind  while  working  out  a  problem.  He  was 
then  struggling  for  a  new  start  in  life.  He 
said  his  stove  must  be  adapted  to  the  wants 
of  a  poor  man,  in  order  to  cook  his  food  well 
and  thoroughly  and  bake  his  bread  on  all 
sides ;  a  single  stick  of  wood  as  large  as  a 
man's  arm  was  to  furnish  the  fire.  He  split 
it  into  three  small  sticks,  laid  them  side  by 
side,  but  spread  out  they  would  not  burn  ;  he 
held  in  his  hand  a  paper  and  philosophized 
thus  :  "  If  I  turn  up  the  sides  of  the  sheet 
bringing  the  wood  so  near  together  that  they 
touch,  then  they  will  burn,  and  the  sides  will 
throw  off  heat  enough  to  heat  the  oven,  back 
and  front,"  so  he  cried  Eureka  and  told  his 
wife  of  his  invention.  He  made  a  sheet  iron 
box  for  an  oven,  and  into  this  he  suspended 
his  firebox.  No  such  thing  had  ever  before 
been  heard  of  and  with  the  three  sticks  of 
wood  he  performed  the  work  necessary  for 
himself  and  wife,  and  upon  the  bed  of  coals 
already  made,  a  single  stick  sufficed  for 
ironing. 

Thus  simply,  yet  under  great  distress  was 
the  modern  cooking  stove  e\olved. 

STRONG,  Frank  M.,  Vergennes.  — a 
workman  in  the  Sampson  scale  works  of  that 
city,  made  a  special  study  of  weighing  ma- 
chines with  a  view  of  overcoming  the  wear 
upon  the  pivots  and  bearings.  It  has  been 
stated  that  while  engaged  in  this  study, 
holding  a  grapeshot  in  his  hand,  it  slipped 
and  rolled  upon  the  floor,  striking  the  wall  and 
rebounding ;  this  suggested  the  novel  idea 
which  he  afterward  incorporated  in  the  scale. 
He  said,  "  If  I  could  put  the  platform  of  a 
scale  upon  balls  like  that,  whenever  any 
weight  struck  it  rudely,  I  could  arrange  the 
platform  so  as  to  have  the  surrounding  frame 
receive  the  shock,  and  thereby  increase  the 
life  of  the  scale."  By  allowing  the  platform 
to  move  readily  and  quickly,  all  the  \ital 
parts  of  the  scale  are  thoroughly  protected. 

WARDWELL,  GEORGE  J.,  Rutland.— 
The  marble  quarries  of  Vermont  were  orig- 
inally worked  entirely  by  hand,  the  blocks 
being  cut  much  as  they  now  are,  except  that 
they  were  of  less  thickness,  a  large  force  of 
men  being  employed  for  that  purpose  at 
West  Rutland,  where  the  main  quarries  were 
developed. 


To  Mr.  William  ¥.  Barnes  of  West  Rut- 
land is  attributed  the  discovery  and  working 
of  these  quarries,  which  was  done  for  many 
years  in  a  small  way,  even  before  the  intro- 
duction of  railroads,  the  marble  being  then 
hauled  by  teams  to  Lake  Champlain  to  be 
shipped  to  more  distant  markets  by  water. 
The  great  expense  of  cutting  by  hand,  with 
other  troubles  which  frequently  occurred, 
induced  the  owners  of  the  quarries,  and 
more  especially  Mr.  George  J.  \\'ardwell,  to 
invent  a  machine  to  do  the  work  of  channel- 
ling, which  machine  is  still  extant  and  in  use, 
and  which  has  proved  very  valuable  in  in- 
creasing the  output  of  marble  as  well  as  in 
reducing  the  cost  of  its  production,  one  ma- 
chine doing  the  work  of  many  men. 

In  these  machines  the  drills  are  combined 
in  gangs  consisting  of  several  drills  operated 
by  machinery,  cutting  channels  to  a  greater 
depth  and  much  faster  than  was  possible  by 
the  old  process.  The  same  power  that  op- 
erates the  drills  also  propels  the  machine 
along  the  channels  as  they  are  cut. 

These  machines  have,  since  their  introduc- 
tion and  use  at  West  Rutland  in  the  quarries 
there,  been  extensively  used  in  other  marble 
quarries  of  the  state,  and  are  now  in  use  in 
many  sections  of  the  country  in  quarrying 
other  varieties  of  stone.  [A  biographical 
sketch  and  portrait  of  Mr.  Wardwell  will  be 
found  in  Part  II,  page  419.] 

WHEELER,  Franklin,  Brattleboro.— 
Mr.  ^Vheeler  came  to  Brattleboro  about 
1820  to  work  for  Hezekiah  Salisbury,  mak- 
ing window  springs.  One  Sunday  while 
wandering  in  the  woods  of  West  Brattleboro 
he  stumbled  and  fell,  hurting  his  crippled 
leg  so  that  he  thought  best  to  rest  before  get- 
ting up.  \N'hile  lying  on  the  ground,  he 
noticed  some  of  the  stones  under  him 
covered  with  moss  ;  by  his  stumbling  and 
fall  he  had  knocked  off  some  of  this  moss, 
and  he  noticed  shining  yellow  spots  upon 
the  stones  ;  he  dug  out  a  quantity  of  the 
shining  metal  with  his  knife,  resolving  to  try 
it  in  a  crucible  to  see  what  it  was.  He  shut 
himself  up  in  the  shop,  melted  the  ore  in  a 
crucible,  and  it  came  out  pure,  shining,  yel- 
low metal.  ^Vith  some  of  it  he  plated  the 
heads  of  the  window  springs  and  showed 
them  to  his  uncle  Salisbury,  who  said  it  was 
gold  ;  it  was  sent  to  Boston  and  there  pro- 
nounced gold.  It  is  not  known  of  any 
earlier  gold  plating  having  been  done  in 
Vermont. 

While  Wheeler  was  making  window  springs 
at  Brattleboro  he  invented  a  breech-loading, 
six-shooting,  revolving  pistol,  in  1S21,  which 
was  perfect  in  all  its  parts  and  for  many 
years  was  in  constant  use.  This  antedates 
Colt  by  about  fourteen  years. 


QUEER  CHARACTERS. 

BV  HIRAM  A.  HUSE. 

There  is  hardly  a  town  in  N'ermont  that  has  not  its  tradition  of  one  or  more  queer 
specimens  of  hmnanity  who  left  a  name  of  curious  fame  among  those  who  dwelt  near  his 
local  habitation.  These  people — odd  in  different  ways  and  in  all  degrees — whose  name  is 
legion  cannot  be  individually  described  unless  one  should  take  up  the  writing  of  many 
books  of  which  there  is  no  end. 

Moreover,  they  run  all  the  way  from  the  class  whose  eccentricities  are  tacked  to  strong 
and  forceful  natures  and  form  but  little  part  of  the  real  man,  to  the  one  that  includes  those 
whose  oddities  are  about  all  there  is  to  them. 

Within  these  wide  limits  we  find  many  nationalities  represented  and  more  than  one 
race.  Joe  and  Molly — the  Indians  w-hose  memory  is  perpetuated  by  the  ponds  that  bear 
their  name — perhaps  would  rightly  head  the  list — not  in  degree  of  strange  conduct  but  in 
order  of  time ;  and  many  a  man  whose  name  rightfully  appears  in  far  other  kinds  of  record 
would  in  certain  phases  belong  in  the  long  list. 

The  strong  man  it  is  said  sooner  or  later  always  finds  a  stronger  man  than  he,  and  the 
one  who  has  killed  his  sixty-eight  bears  can  if  he  seeks  find  another  who  has  killed  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three.  And  no  doubt  a  large  contingent  of  the  noble  army  of  native  odd 
men  could  be  recruited  from  the  hunters  and  fishermen  who  ha\e  lived  as  well  as  from  those 
who  now  live  in  the  state. 

Each  profession  has  its  contribution  ;  business,  the  trades,  the  farms — all  give  numbers 
to  the  ranks  of  those  who  are  called  "odd." 

One  who  is  interested  in  this  phase  of  human  life  will  find  his  taste  gratified  by  many 
true  "brief  mentions"  in  Hemenway's  Gazetteer,  and,  as  Blackstone  has  it,  not  to  speak 
ridiculously,  even  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Vermont  Bar  Association,  where  are  recorded 
divers  and  sundry  doings  and  sayings  of  odd  sticks  in  the  profession,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
wise  and  learned. 

But,  after  all,  the  best  written  history  in  this  line  is  not  dressed  up  as  history  at  all,  but 
comes  to  us  in  the  guise  of  fiction.  The  "  Yankee  "  is  pretty  much  alike  in  the  six  states  of 
his  nativity  and  with  more  or  less  degree  of  fidelity  has  been  painted  in  many  a  novel  and 
story.  Of  the  authors  who  have  done  this  work,  D.  P.  Thompson  was  a  pioneer,  and  his 
Yankee  was  the  Vermont  Yankee.  Thompson  did  not  go  into  analysis  of  mode  of  thought 
or  attempt  photographic  accuracy  in  giving  the  dialect,  but  his  Vermont  Yankees  will  never 
be  turned  out  of  doors  by  one  who  knows  the  genuine  article.  At  this  day  Rowland  Rob- 
inson is  introducing  to  a  wide  reading  public  types  of  the  queer  folks  in  Vermont — up  to 
date.  Nothing  better — closer  to  the  fact — has  e\er  been  done  in  book-making  than  his 
Vermont  Yankee  and  French  Canadian  in  "  Uncle  '  Lisha's  '  Shop,"  and  in  "  Sam  Lovell's 
Camps" — from  the  opening  chorus  of  the  former,  the  deestric'  school  meetin'  to  the  end  of 
the  books.  ^Vhen  Thomas  W.  Wood  paints  a  Yankee,  the  real  Yankee  looks  at  you  from  the 
canvas — you  have  seen  him,  you  know  him  ;  when  Robinson  paints  in  words  what  \\'ood 
does  in  colors,  you  see  and  hear  Uncle  'Lisha  and  Sam  and  all  the  others  who  have  lived 
and  moved  and  had  their  being  under  other  names  right  here  in  Vermont.  So  that  one 
who  wants  to  know  Vermont  types  can  do  no  better  than  read  Thompson  for  the  old  and 
Robinson  for  the  later — if  a  man  has  read  them  once  he  will  read  them  again  and  if  any 
Vermonter  hasn't  read  both  of  them  it  is  high  time  that  he  did.     The  odd  characters  have 


their  fair  representation  in  these  books — their  types  there  given  are  well  worth  study  and 
life  is  too  short  for  writer  or  reader  to  deal  with  the  host  of  oddities  who  have  made  \er- 
niont  their  home. 

If  one  were  to  begin,  say  with  Heman  W.  \\".  Miller,  where  would  he  end?  Miller,  who 
was  a  quondam  t/i/asi  lawyer,  school  teacher,  orator,  what  not,  with  a  big  voice  and  flow  of 
words  to  keep  it  going — early  abolitionist,  with  genuine  belief  in  the  cause  and  zeal,  he  it 
was  who,  after  the  killing  of  Lovejoy  by  the  pro-slavery  mob  in  Alton,  said  in  an  anti- 
slavery  speech  up  in  Orleans  county  :  "Fellow-citizens,  future  ages  will  erect  to  him  a 
monument  which  shall  have  for  its  base  eternal  space,  and  from  whose  top  you  can  behold 
the  throne  of  Almighty  God." 

There  is,  however,  a  quartette  of  natives  of  this  slate  that  ought  to  be  mentioned  bv 
name  and  have  some  brief  account  of  them  here  given.  Had  they  spent  their  lives  in  \'er- 
mont  those  of  us  who  remain  within  her  borders  would  be  modestly  reticent  about  them, 
but  it  would  be  hardly  just  to  the  Sons  of  Vermont  not  to  lift  the  bushel  for  a  moment  and 
give  a  glimpse  of  these  four  shining  lights. 


JOSEPH  Smith.— When  Dr.  Denison  of 
Royalton  was  called  one  winter  night  near 
ninety  years  ago  to  attend  Mrs.  Joseph 
Smith,  it  never  entered  his  head  that  he 
was  to  aid  in  the  advent  of  a  prophet,  and 
it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  the  good  doctor 
would  have  admitted,  had  he  lived  to  this 
day,  the  prophetic  character  of  the  child 
born  that  night  of  his  patient.  But  thous- 
ands in  other  lands  as  well  as  this  have  done 
so,  and  the  Mormon  Church  and  communi- 
ties bear  witness  to  the  power  exerted  by  the 
strange  man,  who  came  to  be  known  as  the 
Mormon  Prophet.  And  however  much  this 
man  Smith's  "revelation"  as  to  spiritual 
wives  may  have  paved  the  way,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  polygamy  was  established 
under  the  domination  of  Brigham  Young, 
whose  authority  and  doctrine  were  disputed 
by  the  surviving  members  of  Smith's  family. 

Joseph  Smith,  son  of  Joseph  and  Lucy 
(Mack)  Smith  was  born  in  Sharon,  Dec.  23, 
1805.  The  family  was  poor,  but  it  is  said 
that  the  mother,  Lucy,  was  a  woman  of 
some  peculiarities,  and  had  herself  a  sort  of 
"prophetic  soul"  as  to  some  great  things  her 
sons  were  to  do  in  the  world.  When  Joseph 
was  ten  his  parents  moved  to  Palmyra,  N. 
v.,  and  four  years  later  to  Manchester,  N. 
v.,  near  Palmyra.  In  1820,  a  year  when 
four  of  his  father's  family  joined  the  Presby- 
terian church,  Joseph  took  to  the  woods  to 
pray  and  claimed  to  have  there  had  a  vision, 
the  telling  of  which  excited  only  ridicule. 

Smith  obtained  the  plates  soon  after  at- 
taining his  majority,  and  told  his  later 
visions,  which  were  treated  with  the  same 
ridicule  that  greeted  the  story  of  his  vision 
in  the  woods.  He  thereupon  went  to  where 
the  family  of  his  wife  lived  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  began  copying  the  characters  that  were 
on  the  plates.  These  characters,  bv  the 
way,  are  said  to  have  been  a  "  composite  " 


made  from  several  alphabetical  forms.  Smith 
claimed  that  he  was  enabled  to  understand 
them  by  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  magic  spec- 
tacles, to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "  L'rim 
and  Thummim."  He  dictated  his  transla- 
tion from  behind  a  curtain,  the  first  of  it  to 
one  Martin  Harris,  and  the  rest  to  one  Mar- 
tin Cowdery.  May  15,  1829,  Smith  again 
went  into  the  woods,  this  time  taking  Cow- 
dery with  him,  and  there  they  professed  to 
have  been  in  receipt  of  an  address  from 
John  the  Baptist,  and  that  he  conferred  the 
priesthood  of  Aaron  and  the  spirit  of  pro- 
phecy upon  Smith. 

He  claimed  to  have  had  another  \ision 
Sept.  23,  1S23,  and  that  at  this  time  the 
angel  Maroni  or  Moroni  (the  orthography 
of  the  family  name  of  this  angel  is  a  little 
uncertain)  visited  him  and  told  him  of  a 
book  written  on  golden  plates  that  contained 
the  history  of  former  inhabitants  and  "the 
fulness  of  the  everlasting  gospel."  The  an- 
gel also  told  him  where  these  plates  were  de- 
posited, and  Joseph  went  to  the  place  de- 
scribed and  saw  the  plates,  but  was  not  able 
to  take  them  away,  afterward  learning  from 
the  angel  that  his  inability  to  remo\e  them 
arose  from  the  fact  that  he  prized  the  plates 
more  than  what  was  inscribed  thereon,  and 
that  he  could  not  hope  to  get  into  possession 
of  them  until  he  was  willing  to  devote  him- 
self to  their  translation. 

In  1S30  the  Book  of  Mormon  (the  trans- 
lation, by  aid  of  the  magic  spectacles,  of  the 
matter  on  the  plates  of  gold)  was  published 
at  Palmyra  by  Egbert  B.  Grandin.  It  is 
said  that  its  basis  was  a  story  written  by  one 
Solomon  Spaulding,  entitled  "The  Manu- 
script Found."  On  the  6th  of  .^pril,  1830, 
the  Mormon  Church  was  organized  by 
"saints  "at  the  house  of  Peter  Whitmer  in 
Fayette,  N.  Y.,  and  on  the  next  Sunday  at 
U'hitmer's  house  Oliver  Cowdery  preached 


199 


the  first  sermon  and  several  were  baptized. 
In  June,  t<S3o,  the  church  held  its  first  con- 
ference, and  had  a  membership  of  about 
thirty  persons.  Smith  at  this  gathering 
claimed  supernatural  power,  and  his  first 
"  miracle "  was  casting  the  devil  out  of 
Newell  Knight  of  Colesville,  N.  V.  The 
"  Prophet "  at  this  time,  with  his  Book  of 
Mormon  promulgated,  and,  church  started, 
was  only  twenty-four  years  old  and  soon  did 
a  good  business,  for  a  young  fellow  with  his 
opportunities,  in  drawing  people  to  his  new 
doctrines. 

The  "  Holy  Rollers,"  who  infested  Hard- 
wick  and  vicinity  more  than  half  a  century 
ago,  and  were  preached  against  by  Rev. 
Chester  Wright,  were  not  more  zealous  in 
season  and  out  of  season  than  Smith  and  his 
lieutenants,  and  had  none  of  the  executive 
ability  and  constructive  skill  of  the  latter. 
His  following  increased,  and  he  announced 
that  Kirkland,  Ohio,  was  the  promised  land, 
and  early  in  1831  the  new  "church"  settled 
there  and  at  once  sent  out  missionaries. 
That  summer  Missouri  also  was  announced 
as  promised  land,  and  Smith  located  a  Z  ion, 
as  lie  called  it,  out  there,  afterwards  return- 
ing to  Kirkland,  and  getting  tarred  and 
feathered  at  Hiram,  Ohio.  His  partner  in 
this  affliction  was  Sidney  Rigdon,  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian  a  dozen  or  more  years  older  than 
Smith,  who  tried  to  succeed  Smith  after  the 
Litter's  death,  but  was  outgeneraled  by  Brig- 
ham  Young,  and  who,  notwithstanding,  ad- 
hered to  the  Mormon  faith  till  his  death  in 
Friendship,  N.  Y.,  in  1876. 

The  Mormons  adopted  May  3,  1834,  the 
name  of  "The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter Day  Saints,"  in  February,  1835,  organ- 
ized their  twelve  Apostles,  and  dedicated 
the  first  Mormon  temple  March  27,  1836,  at 
Kirkland.  A  couple  of  years  later  there 
were  disagreements  and  the  prophet  was 
accused  of  having  stirred  up  some  of  his  fol- 
lowers to  take  the  life  of  Grandison  Newell, 
who  opposed  him  ;  on  this  charge  he  was  ar- 
rested but  was  discharged.  In  1838  he  got 
away  from  Kirkland  and  went  to  F"ar  West, 
Mo.,  where  for  a  year  conflicts  raged  between 
his  followers  and  hostile  missionaries.  The 
militia  were  called  out.  Smith  lodged  in  jail 
and  indicted  for  all  manner  of  crimes.  He 
escaped  from  jail  and  in  .April,  1839,  with 
most  of  his  fleeing  brethren,  settled  in  Illi- 
nois and  founded  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  In 
1840  he  obtained  a  charter  for  this  city  of 
Saints — soon  organized  the  Nauvoo  Legion, 
a  military  body  of  1,500  men,  erected  and 
dedicated  a  new  temple  and  extended  his 
missionary  work  by  sending  preachers  across 
the  ocean. 

In  1842,  he  was  at  the  height  of  his  power, 
but  the  next  year  his  "revelation"  to  take 
spiritual  wives  made  a  break  in  the  church. 


and  was  the  cause  of  his  death.  All  through 
his  career  his  enemies  had  made  life  mis- 
erable for  him,  if  being  arrested  forty  or 
fifty  times  was  enough  to  do  it ;  and  now 
two  Mormons,  Foster  and  Law,  angered  by 
his  new  revelation  and  its  effect  on  their 
domestic  affairs,  founded  a  newspaper  to  at- 
tack him.  'I'he  first  number  of  their  paper 
had  the  affidavits  of  a  number  of  women 
who  charged  Smith  and  Rigdon  with  im- 
moral conduct.  The  prophet  appears  to 
have  been  a  prohibitionist  in  his  way,  for  he 
had  the  council  adjudge  the  pajier  a  nui- 
sance and  order  it  abated,  and  his  friends 
attacked  the  office,  smashed  the  press  and 
burned  the  paper  and  furniture. 

Foster  and  Law  escaped  to  Carthage,  made 
complaint  on  which  warrants  were  issued 
for  the  arrest  of  Smith  and  a  score  of  his 
followers  ;  the  officer  who  went  to  serve  the 
warrants  was  driven  out  of  Nauvoo  by  the 
city  marshal.  The  militia  were  called  out 
and  the  Mormons  ga\'e  up  the  arms  they 
held  belonging  to  the  state. 

Joseph  and  his  brother  Hyrum  were  ar- 
rested for  treason  and  taken  to  Carthage 
where  the  Governor  of  Illinois  visited  them 
in  jail  and  promised  to  protect  them  from 
the  mob.  He  did  place  a  guard  at  the  jail, 
but  June  27,  1844,  a  mob  consisting  of  more 
than  a  hundred  disguised  men  attacked  it, 
rushed  in,  and  at  their  first  volley  killed 
Hyrum.  Joseph  next  fell  dead,  pierced  by 
four  bullets.  So  closed,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
eight,  the  life  of  this  remarkable  specimen  of 
human  kind.  Whether  he  was  an  enthusiast 
partially  self-deceived  or  whether  he  was 
a  conscious  fraud  each  can  determine  for 
himself. 

His  wife  refused  to  acknowledge  the  lead- 
ership of  Brigham  Young  as  her  husband's 
successor  and  remained  at  Nauvoo  when  the 
exodus  of  the  Mormons  under  Young  took 
them  to  Utah.  His  son,  Joseph,  who  was 
born  at  Kirkland  Nov.  6,  1832,  remained 
with  his  mother  and  after  attaining  manhood 
formed  the  "re-organized"  Mormon  Church, 
which  professedly  in  accordance  with  the 
teaching  of  "the  prophet"  and  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  antagonistic  to  polygamy. 

Brigham  Young.— The  man  who  suc- 
ceeded Smith  as  prophet  and  leader  was  also 
a  native  of  Yermont.  Brigham  Young  was 
born  in  Whitingham,  June  1,  1801,  and  when 
he  was  three  years  old  his  folks  mo\ed  to 
Sherburne,  N.  Y.,  and  there  Brigham  re- 
mained till  sixteen,  his  educational  advan- 
tages consisting  in  attendance  on  school  to 
average  one  day  a  year.  He  then  went  to 
work  in  Mendon,  N.  Y.,  and  was  there  a 
carpenter  and  joiner,  painter  and  glazier. 

Young  came  to  know  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon the  year  of  its  publication,  and  in  183 1 


he  was  converted  to  its  doctrines  under  the 
preaching  of  Samuel  H.  Smith,  one  of  the 
modern  Joseph's  brethren.  April  14,  1832, 
he  was  baptized,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
went  to  Kirkland,  where  he  became  a  fast 
friend  of  Smith,  was  soon  ordained  an  elder, 
and,  Feb.  14,  1835,  was  chosen  one  of  the 
twelve  Mormon  Apostles.  Till  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Kirkland  temple  in  1836  Young 
occupied  himself  in  its  building,  for  which 
his  trade  fitted  him,  and  in  the  study  of 
Hebrew.  The  year  after  the  dedication, 
when  David  Whitmer  tried  to  supplant  Smith, 
Young  was  very  active  and  successful  in 
keeping  the  Mormons  faithful  to  Smith. 

He  went  to  Far  West,  Mo.,  in  1837,  but 
got  into  trouble  with  Governor  Boggs  of  that 
state,  who  ordered  him  to  leave,  upon  which 
Young  went  into  Illinois.  In  1839  Young 
and  Kimball  went  to  England  to  spread  the 
new  faith  and  remained  there  two  years.  On 
his  return  he  was-  one  of  the  founders  of 
Nauvoo. 

When  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  were  shot 
in  1844  Young  was  in  New  Hampshire,  but 
at  once  set  out  for  Nauvoo,  and  in  .\ugust 
defeated  Rigdon  for  the  leadership  of  the 
church.  The  body  of  believers  in  the  fall 
were  eager  to  leave  Nauvoo,  and  Illinois 
soon  took  its  charter  away  and  the  Mormons 
were  assailed  with  great  enmity.  Many  were 
plundered  and  had  their  houses  burned  ; 
some  were  whipped  and  some  killed. 

Young  proclaimed  his  intention  to  have 
them  find  a  home  in  the  wilderness  and  to 
start  to  seek  it  in  1846.  In  February  and 
March,  1846,  they  started,  and  their  proces- 
sion of  several  hundred  wagons  went  west- 
ward. In  June  they  were  called  on  to  fur- 
nish 500  men  for  the  Mexican  war,  and 
Young  had  the  Mormon  battalion  filled  in 
three  days.  From  July  to  April,  1847,  they 
remained  with  the  Pottawattamie  Indians 
who  gave  them  kind  treatment.  April  7, 
Young  and  142  followers  went  as  an  advance 
guard  to  select  a  suitable  place  for  the  new 
city  of  the  Saints,  and  July  24,  1847,  he  en- 
tered Salt  Lake  valley,  choosing  this  as  the 
place  for  their  future  home ;  he  returned  in 
the  fall  to  the  main  body.  He  had  been 
chosen  to  succeed  Smith  as  prophet,  and 
was  now, selected  as  president  by  the  twelve 
apostles. 

May  26,  1848,  Young  with  his  family  and 
two  thousand  Mormons  started  across  the 
plains  and  reached  Salt  Lake  City,  Sept.  20, 
1848.  A  provisional  government  for  the  new 
state  of  Deseret  was  organized  and  Young 
elected  its  Governor  in  1849.  The  territory 
of  LJtah  was  established  by  the  national  gov- 
ernment. Young  was  appointed  by  the 
President  its  Governor  and  took  the  oath  of 
office  Feb.  3,  185 1.  Thus  these  strange 
people  found   a  place   to  grow  undisturbed, 


and  the  government  machinery  was  in  the 
hands  of  their  ablest  man.  . 

August  29,  1852,  Young  openly  announced  t 
polygamy  as  to  be  a  part  of  the  doctrine  and  ' 
practice  of  the  church.  Isolated  as  his  peo- 
ple were  and  powerful  as  they  were  be- 
coming, he  threw  away  all  disguise  in  this 
matter,  and  claimed  that  his  action  was  based 
on  a  revelation  to  Smith  before  his  tragic 
death.  But  in  Smith's  behalf  it  may  be  urged 
that  the  Book  of  Mormon  forbids  polygamy 
and  Smith's  wife  and  his  four  children  stren- 
uously denied  ever  having  heard  of  any  such 
revelation. 

The  extraordinary  character  of  these  events 
has  not  escaped  the  notice  of  writers  of 
drama  and  fiction,  as  well  as  moralists  and 
legislators.  Bayard  Taylor  felt  moved  to 
dramatize  some  of  their  features,  and  A. 
Conan  Doyle  has  Young  as  one  of  his  charac- 
ters in  "A  Study  in  Scarlet."  Doyle  puts  a 
sentence  into  the  mouth  of  one  of  his  Mor- 
mons that  shows  well  the  blind  faith  in 
which  they  obeyed  this  unique  and  powerful 
personality  :  "  Brigham  Young  has  said  it, 
and  he  has  spoken  with  the  voice  of  Joseph 
Smith,  which  is  the  voice  of  God." 

The  doings  of  the  Danites,  or  Avengers  of 
Blood,  the  troubles  that  led  to  the  military 
expedition  of  thirty  odd  years  ago,  the  efforts 
of  Young  to  strengthen  and  of  moralists  to 
weaken  his  pet  twin  relic — all  these  belong 
to  history  rather  than  to  a  brief  biographical 
notice.  At  any  rate,  Vermonters  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it  is  "  the  Ed- 
munds law  "  that  of  late  has  done  much  to 
do  away  with  the  evils  of  polygamy. 

Brigham  Young  died  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
August  29,  1877.  He  had  seventeen  wives 
and  left  forty-four  children  living. 

Heber  Chase  Kimball.— This  man  was 

in  1847,  when  Young  was  elected  president 
by  the  twelve  apostles,  chosen  as  one  of  the 
two  counsellors  to  act  with  Young.  Kimball 
was  born  in  Sheldon,  June  14,  1801.  Some 
ha\e  said  that  Kimball  was  from  the  vicinity 
of  Strafford  as  well  as  that  Smith's  people  at 
one  time  lived  in  Tunbridge,  but  the  ac- 
cepted authorities  relieve  Orange  county 
from  responsibility  for  these  two  men. 
Heber  had  a  common  school  education  and 
as  he  grew  up  worked  in  his  father's  black- 
smith shop  in  West  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.  He 
then  learned  the  potter's  trade  and  worked 
ten  years  in  Mendon,  N.  Y.  April  15,  1832, 
he  was  baptized  and  thenceforward  was  a 
zealous  Mormon,  becoming  one  of  the  twelve 
apostles  in  1835. 

He  was  in  1838  taken  prisoner  by  the 
militia  and  released.  The  next  year  he  went 
with  Young  on  a  missionary  tour  to  Eng- 
land, where  they  spent  two  years.  Kimball 
was  of  those  who  left  Nauvoo   in   February, 


1846,  and  one  of  the  pioneers   wlio  first  en-  establishment     of     tlie     widely     celebrated 

camped  at  Salt  Lake  City  in  July,  1847.   He  Oneida  Community.     For  some    years    the 

died  tiiere,  June  22,  iSOS.  community  was  apparently  successful    with 

its  "Unity  House"  and  farming  and  manu- 

JOHN    Humphrey   NOYES.— Altogether  facturing  enterprises  that  represented  half  a 

a  different  type  of  man  from  any  of  the  trio  million  dollars  in  value, 

noteil  above,  |ohn  H.  Noyes    established  a  'J'he    public   would    not    have   concerned 

community  thai  was  for  a  time  a  close  second  itself   about  his  affairs  as  long  as  they  exem- 

to  the  Mormons  in  notoriety.     He  was  born  plified  a  community  of  property  only,  but 

in   Hrattleboro,  Sept.  6,   181 1,  graduated  at  the    complex  marriage  system    savored  too 

Dartmouth  College  in   1830,  studied  law  for  '""'^h   of  a  community  of  person  and  the 

a  time,  then  pursued  a  theological  course  at  Oneida  concern  had  to  abandon  its  complex 

.\ndo\er     and    Vale     seminaries    and    was  marriage  business,  and  thereupon   it    soon 

licensed    to    preached  in    1833.     The    next  '^^"^  out  of  business   generally   and   taded 

year  he  experienced  a  new  conversion  and  fom  the  knowledge  of  men.     It  had  in  ,874 

;           ,              ,               r  -ii,       II    u   J  two  hundred  and  thirty-nve  members  and  a 

began  to  ijreach  a  new  laith.     He  had  some  1  •    1      1      1     ^     ,  ,,.  ,i-     <•     ,     ^.             ,     , 

,  "           '         ,     ,  ,     ,          ,             ,  kindred    plant  at  VVallinsford,    Conn.,    hafl 

theory   ot    a    dual  body  and  complex  mar-  f^^^^,  members 

riage,  and  ran  a  small  community  for  some  ^oyes    died'  at    Niagara   Falls,    Canada, 

years  before    making   what    was    his    most  April  13,  i860.     The  public  condemned  his 

famous  \  enture.     The  thing  by  which  he  be-  institution  and  its  results,  but   allowed  him 

came  known  all  over   the  country  was    the  credit  for  good  motives. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written  a  new  theory  as  to  the  origin  of  Mormonism  has  been 
told  me.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Gen.  John  W.  Phelps  was  not  only  a  radical  anti- 
slavery  man,  but  a  zealous  anti-Mason.  Years  before  he  got  into  trouble  with  Secretary 
Stanton,  because  of  his  haste  to  kill  slavery  during  the  rebellion,  he  had  been  stationed  at 
Salt  Lake  City.  A  Brattleboro  neighbor,  talking  about  his  experience  there,  asked  him  what 
he  thought  of  Mormonism,  and  the  general  replied  :  "The  whole  miseraijle  thing  had  its 
rise  in  Masonry."  They  used  to  lay  many  things  to  Van  Buren — in  respect  of  which  Parson 
Tilton  Eastman  once  said,  when  asked  whether  he  was  going  to  plant  his  potatoes  in  the 
new,  full,  or  old  moon,  "  I  think  FU  plant  'em  when  I  get  ready,  and  if  I  don't  get  a  good 
crop  I'll  lay  it  to  Van  Buren." 

Van  Buren  is  gone,  and  "  The  Total  Depravity  of  Inanimate  Things"  cannot  explain 
everything,  and  a  table  of  errata  is  an  abomination.  I  acknowledge  the  irrepressible  tend- 
ency of  the  comma  to  insert  itself  where  it  never  was  written,  and  contemplate  with 
ecjuanimity  its  unexpected  appearance  in  all  sorts  of  places,  as  where,  on  page  197,  already 
printed  and  beyond  recall,  it  implies  that  Blackstone  said  something  about  the  Vermont  Bar 
Association  or  some  of  its  proceedings,  or  wherever  it  does  a/ta  enormia.  But  when  in  the 
account  of  Joseph  Smith,  on  page  198,  the  fourth  paragraph  is  made  to  precede  the  third, 
I  do  wish  the  reader,  kind  or  otherwise,  may  discover  the  transposition  or  lay  the  present 
arrangement  of  the  plates  to  Van  Buren  or  some  other  deceased  person — or  even  to  the 
Masons,  which  will  let  me  out  of  all  but  a  proportionate  share  of  blame. 

L'ntil  "hostile  missionaries"  appeared  suddenly,  as  from  ambush,  on  page  199,  the 
interconvertibility  of  Missourians  and  missionaries  was  wholly  unsuspected. 

It  would  take  more  than  all  this  to  worry  any  of  the  queer  characters,  but  what  may  be 
permitted  in  a  lively  theme  may  not  in  one  severe.  So  any  one  whose  eye  this  may  catch 
is  asked  to  note  that  the  sketch  of  Judge  Beardsley  on  page  184  should  follow  that  of  Judge 
Peck  on  page  185,  and  that  the  names  of  the  first  and  sixth  assistant  judges  on  pages  188 
and  189  should  be  Russell  S.  Taft  and  Laforrest  H.  Thompson. 

Judge  Beardsley's  name  is  left  out  of  the  list  of  Judges  at  the  head  of  the  article  on 
them,  as  is  that  of  Senator  Proctor  from  the  list  of  Senators  heading  sketches  of  them. 
'I'hat  is  all  well  enough,  as  far  as  it  goes,  for  it  would  have  been  ridiculous  to  attempt  to  put 
up  the  Senator  in  nonpariel — and  in  fact  nonpareil  and  the  users  of  it  ought  to  be  abated  as 
nuisances  anyway. 

Outside  of  matters  that  go  to  the  form  only  and  not  to  the  substance  there  must  be  in 
any  book  purporting  to  give  facts  about  many  persons,  errors  of  substance  unless  there  be 
revision  upon  revision  and  verification  upon  verification.  Take,  to  illustrate,  the  case  of 
I'^than  Allen — there  are,  considering  time  and  place,  four  differing  statements  as  to  his 
birth.  i\Ir.  Da\en])ort  gives  the  date  as  Jan.  10,  1737.  Were  I  giving  it  I  would  follow 
Allen's  statement  in  his  own  hand-wTiting  in  a  presentation  copy  to  his  second  wife  of  his 
Oracles  of  Reason,  which  is  that  he  was  born  Jan.  21,  1739.  The  difference  as  to  the  day 
of  the  month  is  because  of  the  use  in  one  case  of  old  style  and  in  the  other  of  new  style. 
But  style  cannot  explain  the  two  years'  difference  ;  and  I  am  not  sure  Mr.  I  )avenport's 
statement  is  wrong  or  that  mine  would  be  right. 


PART  II. 


I 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  VERMONTERS. 


A.  D.   1892-93. 


ADAMS,  Bailey  F.,  of  Randolph,  son 
of  Luther  and  Lydia  (Reed)  Adams,  was  born 
in  Brookfield,  April  11,  1825. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Brookfield  and  W'illiamstovvn  and 
at  Newbury  Academy. 

His  grandfather,  Samuel  Adams,  was  a  rela- 
ti\e  and  namesake  of  the  famous  Massachu- 
setts patriot  and  served  seven  years  in  the 
Continental  army.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Jonathan  Reed,  was  also  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier and  carried  on  his  breast  a  scar  from  a 
British  bayonet. 


jttM^^ 


BAILEY    F.   ADAMS. 


Mr.  .-Vdams  remained  on  his  father's  farm 
at  Brookfield  and  Williamstown  until  1851, 
when  he  moved  to  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides,  devoting  his  attention  to  dairy  pro- 
ducts and  horse  breeding,  and  owning  a  fine 
herd  of  Jerseys. 

Mr.  Adams  is  a  Republican  in  politics  ; 
was  selectman  for  five  consecutive  years  from 


1862,  and  with  his  associates  during  that 
period  paid  out  of  the  town  treasury  over 
S6o,ooo  to  the  soldiers,  together  with  the 
money  compensation  offered  by  the  govern- 
ment to  selectmen  for  recruiting  services. 
Mr.  Adams  has  been  town  auditor  for  seven- 
teen consecutive  years  ;  lister,  fourteen  years  ; 
has  represented  his  town  repeatedly  at  county 
and  state  conventions  ;  was  member  for  Ran- 
dolph in  the  Legislature  of  1874;  elected 
assistant  judge  of  Orange  county  court 
i888-'90  ;  has  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Normal  School  at  Randolph  since  its  estab- 
lishment and  also  the  trustee  of' its  endow- 
ment fund. 

He  was  married  May  i,  1855,  to  Lucinda 
S.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Andes  T.  and  Lydia 
(  Lincoln)  Bullard.  Of  this  union  four  chil- 
dren were  born  :  Jairus  B.,  Clinton  A.,  Al- 
bert C.  (deceased),  and  Julius  L.  (deceased). 

ADAMS,   Edward  Payson,  of  Swan- 

ton,  son  of  Lemuel  and  Sally  (Smalley). Adams, 
was  born  in  Sheldon,  March  16,  1843. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  at  the 
district  school  and  a  course  of  study  at  Barre 
.Academy. 

Till  he  arri\ed  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine, 
Mr.  .Adams  remained  upon  the  farm  in  Shel- 
don which  had  been  in  the  possession  of  both 
his  father  and  grandfather.  In  1881  he 
changed  his  place  of  residence  and  removed 
to  Swanton,  where  he  became  a  heavy  dealer 
in  butter.  For  the  last  twenty-five  years  he 
has  been  engaged  in  this  occupation. 

\\'hen  the  Swanton  Suspender  Co.  was  or- 
ganized in  1885,  he  was  chosen  its  president, 
discharging  the  duties  of  that  office  with  gen- 
eral acceptability.  During  his  business  ca- 
reer he  has  traveled  extensively  in  the  United 
States. 

Mr.  .Adams  espoused,  Sept.  7,  1868,  Helen 
.A.,  daughter  of  Noah  and  Abigail  (Yale) 
Best  of  Highgate.  Four  children  are  the 
issue  of  this  marriage  :  Mary  A.,  Helen  B., 
Lemuel  P.,  and  John. 

While  residing  in  Sheldon,  Mr.  .Adams 
took  a  leading  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
town,  and  was  the  incumbent  of  many  local 
offices. 


He  was  elected  county  commissioner  four 
successi\e  terms  and  was  appointed  railroad 
commissioner  during  the  administration  of 
Governor  Peck.  Upon  the  incorporation  of 
Swanton  Milage  in  1882  he  was  elected  its 
president,  continuing  in  ofifice  two  vears. 
He  has  been  vice-president  of  the  Swanton 


he  worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  and  at 
the  trade  of  boot  and  shoe-making  during 
his  minority,  enjoying  only  such  opportuni- 
ties for  an  education  as  were  supplied  by  the 
imperfect  public  school  of  that  time  and 
place. 

Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  he  mar- 
ried and  setded  in  Fair  Haven,  where  he 
established  and  carried  on  for  nearly  twenty 
years  a  large  manufactory  of  ladies'  shoes  for 
the  wholesale  trade.  His  goods  had  a  wide 
reputation,  and  were  much  sought  for  over  a 
large  extent  of  the  countrv. 

He  sold  out  in  1843  'in^l  remoxed  to  Ra- 
cine, ^^'is.,  but  returning  to  Fair  Haven,  he 
began,  in  the  spring  of  1845,  in  conjunction 
with  Alonson  Allen  and  William  C.  Kittredge, 
the  building  of  a  mill  and  the  sawing  of  Rut- 
land marble,  in  Fair  Haven.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  had  the  principal  charge  and 
management  of  the  business  and  continued 
his  connection  with  it  more  or  less  acti\  ely 
during  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  is  jiroperly 
considered  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  great 
marble  industry  of  the  state. 

He  was  always  public-spirited  and  enter- 
prising, leading  in  works  of  public  impro\e- 


National  Bank,  and  in  1890  was  honored  by 
an  election  to  the  upper  branch  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  which  he  served  with  great  efficiency. 

He  united  with  the  Congregational  church 
in  1864,  and  for  sixteen  years  performed  the 
duties  of  Sunday-school  superintendent.  He 
has  long  been  a  Free  Mason  and  w^hen  Mis- 
sisquoi  Lodge  Xo.  38,  L  O.  O.  F.  was  organ- 
ized he  was  unanimously  elected  its  first 
Noble  Grand.  In  this  organization  he  at 
present  holds  the  position  of  grand  treas- 
urer of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Vermont. 

Mr.  .Adams,  from  his  genial  disposition 
and  unaffected  manner,  is  very  popular  in  his 
section  of  the  state,  while  his  wide  experience 
of  men  and  affairs  renders  him  both  an  enter- 
taining companion  and  sage  counselor. 

AD.-\MS,  Joseph,  late  of  Fair  Haven, 
the  youngest  of  the  seven  children  of  John 
and  Mary  Ann  (Morrison)  Adams,  was  born 
in  Londonderry  (now  Derry),  N.  H.,  Feb.  i, 
1802.  Of  pure  Scotch  parentage,  he  re- 
tained in  a  marked  degree  the  characteristics 
of  his  nationality. 

Having  removed  with  his  parents  in  the 
autumn  of  i8c6  to  East  Whitehall,  N.  Y., 


ment  and  pnilanthropy.  He  was^  a  trial 
justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years ;  was 
president  of  the  Washingtonian  Temperance 
Society  organized  in  Fair  Haven  in  1841  : 
was  chairman  of  the  Park  Association  in  1 855- 
'56,  and  contributed  largely  to  the  establish- 


nient  of  the  park.  He  was  one  of  the  huilding 
committee  of  the  original  school  and  town 
house.  He  assisted  in  raising  the  bounties 
for  soldiers  during  the  war.  He  frequently 
advocated  the  introduction  of  public  water 
works.  He  was  the  original  mover  in  the 
establishment  of  the  First  National  IJank  ; 
was  one  of  the  first  and  largest  stockholders, 
one  of  the  first  board  of  directors,  and  be- 
came its  presitlent  in  1873,  holding  the  office 
until  his  death. 

He  represented  the  town  in  the  Legisla- 
tures of  i854-'5S,  and  was  an  active  member. 

He  was  fearless  and  indejsendent  in  poli- 
tics and  religion.  He  early  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  slave,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
subscribers  and  readers  of  the  National  Kra, 
an  anti-sla\ery  journal  edited  by  John  G. 
^Vhittier  at  Washington  in  i846-'48,  when 
slaves  were  bought  and  sold  at  public  auc- 
tion in  the  capital  of  the  nation.  Though 
lacking  early  educational  advantages,  he  was 
not  an  uneducated  man.  With  an  active 
mind,  and  a  genius  for  philosophy  and  me- 
chanics, he  made  himself  acquainted  with 
letters  and  knew  what  was  in  many  of  the 
best  books  ;  was  well  informed  in  history,  in 
constitutional  and  international  law,  in  poli- 
tics, theology,  mechanics  and  science.  Of 
his  own  thought  he  reached  conclusions  sus- 
tained by  later  scholarship  and  criticism. 

He  was  a  lover  and  judge  of  music  and  no 
unapt  performer  on  the  violin. 

Writing  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Feb.  26, 
1878,  a  friend  said  of  him  :  "For  more  than 
half  a  century  he  has  been  closely  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  Fair  Haven 
and  has  been  one  of  its  most  respected  citi- 
zens. In  all  the  relations  of  life  he  was  re- 
garded as  a  strictly  honest  man.  In  business 
he  was  remarkable  for  his  energy  and  tenac- 
itv  of  puri-wse,  working  out  success  where 
most  men  would  have  given  up  in  despair. 
In  religion  he  was  liberal,  in  politics  a 
Republican,  and  he  was  always  a  warm 
friend  of  temperance  in  all  things.  Although 
economical  in  his  style  of  living,  he  was  ever 
a  friend  of  the  poor — generous  and  kind- 
hearted.  The  people  of  Fair  Haven  will 
long  have  occasion  to  cherish  the  memory 
of  Mr.  Adams  as  a  citizen  thoroughly  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  the  town  and  vil- 
lage, warmly  favoring  all  practical  public 
improvements,  advocating  good  schools  and 
all  moral  reforms." 

Mr.  Adams  was  married  Nov.  6,  1823,  to 
Stella  Miller,  daughter  of  Capt.  William  Mil- 
ler of  Hampton,  N.  Y.,  and  sister  of  Rev. 
William  Miller.  Of  this  union  were  eight 
children,  only  two  of  whom  lived  to  mature 
age  :  Andrew  N.  (see  below),  and  Helen  M., 
who  married  Dadd  B.  Colton  in  1852. 


AUAMS,  ANDRKW  N.,  of  Fair  Haven, 
son  of  Josejih  and  Stella  (Miller)  .\dams,  was 
born  in  I'"air  Haven,  Jan.  6,  1830. 

His  great-great-grandfather,  James  .\dams, 
came  from  Ulster,  north  of  Ireland,  to  .Amer- 
ica in  1 72 1, and  settled  in  Londonderry,  N.H. 

Mr.  Adams  •  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Oreen  Mountain  Institute,  South  Woodstock, 
in  iS47-'48;  spent  two  years  in  the  Mead- 
\  ille  Theological  School,  Meadville,  Pa.  ;  en- 
tered the  divinity  school  department  of  Har- 
\ard  Uni\ersity,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  1852, 
and  graduating  in  1S55  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  and  settled  as  pastor  of  the  First 
Parish  Church,  Needham,  Mass. ;  resigned 
and  removed  to  Franklin,  Mass.,  in  the  fall  of 
1857,  serving  as  pastor  of  the  newly  organ- 


ANOREW   N. 


ized  First  L'niversalist  Church  in  that  place 
till  the  summer  of  i860,  when  he  resigned 
and  returned  to  Vermont. 

Retiring  from  the  ministry  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  in  Fair  Haven  in  the 
spring  of  1861,  and  has  retained  his  connec- 
tion with  the  same,  in  association  with  others 
since  1S69,  till  the  present  time. 

In  company  with  his  father  Mr.  .Adams 
engaged  in  manufacturing  marble  for  the 
wholesale  trade  in  1869,  and,  with  some 
changes,  continues  to  hold  connection  with 
the  business  at  Belden  Falls. 

He  has  a  large  farm  near  the  village  to 
which  he  gives  personal  supervision  ;  is  a  di- 
rector in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Fair  Ha- 
ven ;  has  been  justice  of  the  jseace  ;  treasurer 


ALEXANDER. 


of  the  town  and  \  illage  ;  was  instrumental  in 
establisliing  and  organizing  the  graded  school 
of  Fair  Haven  in  1874  ;  has  been  many  years 
a  member  of  the  school  board  ;  principal  di- 
rector and  manager  in  the  organization  and 
conduct  of  the  Fair  Ha^•en  Public  Library  ;  a 
contributing  member  and  officer  of  the  Rut- 
land County  Historical  Society  from  the  be- 
ginning ;  trustee  of  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Castleton  since  1869,  and  president  of  the 
board  since  1882  ;  was  chairman  of  the  Rut- 
land County  Board  of  Education  during  its 
existence  in  i889-'9o,  arranging  the  contracts 
for  the  purchase  and  sale  of  text  books 
through  the  county.  Mr.  Adams  prepared 
and  published  the  history  of  the  town  of  Fair 
Haven  in  1870,  is  the  author  of  numerous 
essays  and  addresses  which  have  been  pub- 
lished, and  has  now  in  course  of  preparation 
an  extensive  genealogy  of  the  Adams  family. 

He  has  been  active  in  politics  as  Aboli- 
tionist, Free  Soiler  and  Republican,  repre- 
senting F'air  Haven  in  the  Legislature  of  1S84, 
and  his  county  as  senator  in   1888. 

Mr.  .'\dams  married  in  Orwell,  Aug.  i, 
1855,  Angle,  daughter  of  Erastusand  Marga- 
ret(Hibbard)  Phelps,  of  Orwell,  and  has  four 
daughters:  Alice  A.  (Mrs.  Horace  B.  Ellis 
of  Castleton),  Ada  M.  (Mrs.  John  T.  Powell 
of  Fair  Haven,  died  ^Lay  21,  1893 ),  Annie  E. 
(Mrs.  George  B.  Jermyn  of  Scranton,  Pa.), 
and  Stella  Miller. 

ALBEE,  JOHN  Mead,  of  (Jallups  Mills, 
son  of  John  0.  and  Sarah  S.  (Blake)  Albee, 
was  born  Jan.  14,  1S54,  in  Derby. 


He  was  eilucated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Holland  and  Island  Pond,  and  engaged  in 
business  as  a  lumber  manufacturer  at  the 
latter  place  and  at  Whitefield,  N.  H.,  tmtil 
1882,  when  he  moved  to  Granby,  and  was 
employed  by  the  firm  of  Buck  &  ^^"ilcox. 
His  business  capacity  soon  brought  him  pro- 
motion, and  for  several  years  past  he  has 
filled  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  exten- 
sive works  of  C.  H.  Stevens  and  the  North- 
ern Lumber  Co. 

Mr.  .Mbee  is  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Politically  he 
has  been  a  worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  has  been  selectman  and 
represented  the  town  of  Granby  in  the  Leg- 
islature of  1888. 

Mr.  Albee  was  married  Oct.  31,  1876,  to 
Alivia,  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Web- 
ster. Their  children  are  ;  .\ustin  G.,  Bertha 
M.,  and  Myra  G. 

ALEXANDER,  JOHN  P.,  of  Saxtons 
River,  son  of  Willard  H.  and  Eunice  (Scott) 
Alexander,  was  born  Feb.  21,  1838,  in  Ches- 
terfield, N.  H. 


W. 


JOHN    MEAD    ALBEE. 


JOHN   F.  ALEXANDER. 

After  jiassing  the  common  schools  of  his 
nati\e  town,  he  entered  the  high  school  at 
Brattleboro. 

In  1853,  as  an  apprentice,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Gates  &  White,  cabinet  makers, 
Brattleboro,  and  remained  with  the  firm  three 
years.  Removing  to  Bellows  Falls  in  1856 
he  served  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  Gray  & 


Perrv.  l-"iiuling  the  business  congenial  lie 
bought  Mr.  I'erry's  interest  in  it,  conducted 
suicessfiilly  his  department,  and  at  the  end  of 
two  years  sold  his  share  in  the  store  to  engage 
with  S.  I'erry  &  Co.  in  the  manufacture  of 
woolen  goods  at  Cambridgeport,  residing  at 
.Saxtons  River.  In  1866  Mr.  Alexander  sold 
iiis  interest  in  the  firm  of  S.  Perry  &  Co., 
buving  out  that  of  Theophilus  Hoit  in  the 
Farnsworth  &  Hoit  woolen  mills  at  Saxtons 
Ri\er.  Mr.  Farnsworth  lately  selling  his  in- 
terest, the  firm  is  now  known  as  Alexander, 
.Smith  &  Co. 

I'olitically  Mr.  Alexander  is  a  Reiniblican, 
and  in  1886  he  represented  the  town  of  Rock- 
ingham in  the  Legislature. 

Mr.  Alexander  is  a  prominent  and  widely 
known  member  in  the  order  of  F.  &  A.  M., 
a  member  of  King  Solomon  Lodge  and 
Abenaqui  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  Bellows  Falls, 
and  of  the  council  and  encampment  at 
\\'indsor. 

Mr.  Alexander  was  married  Oct.  31,  i860, 
to  Mary  S.,  daughter  of  George  and  Hannah 
(Chandler)  Perry,  of  Saxtons  River.  Of  this 
union  were  four  children :  John  F.,  Jr., 
Charlotte  M.,(wife  of  Dr.  H.  G.  Anderson, 
of  New  York),  Anna  E.,  and  George  P. 


ALLEN,  Charles  Edwin,  of  Burling- 
ton, son  of  Joseph  Dana  and  Eliza  R.  (John- 


CHARLES   EDWIN   ALLEN. 


son)  Allen,  was  born  in  Burlington,  Nov.  28, 
JS38. 


He  was  educated  in  the  Burlington  pub- 
lic and  high  schools,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Vermont,  August, 
1859.  During  the  year  1861  he  studied  law 
with  Hon.  Isaac  F.  Redfield  at  Windsor, 
and  in  i862-'63  with  Hon.  Milo  L.  Bennett 
in  Burlington.  He  entered  the  Albany  Law 
School  (Lfnion  College)  in  September,  1S63, 
and  was  graduated  in  June,  1864.  After 
practicing  his  profession  in  the  New  York 
courts  for  three  years,  Mr.  .Allen  returned 
to  Burlington  in  the  spring  of  1867,  and 
there  opened  an  office,  making  a  specialty 
of  patent  law. 

Mr.  Allen  was  elected  assistant  secretary 
of  the  Senate  in  i862-'63.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can. In  I S 78  he  was  elected  alderrnan  from 
ward  I  for  two  years,  and  re-elected  for  a 
like  term  in  1880.  In  1882  he  was  elected 
city  assessor  ;  in  1883  school  commissioner, 
re-elected  in  1884,  and  successively  chosen 
for  terms  of  two  years.  During  this  period, 
with  the  exception  of  one  vear,  he  has 
served  as  clerk  of  the  school  board,  and  his 
annual  reports  of  the  census  and  condition 
of  the  city  schools  are  highly  esteemed  for 
their  accuracy  and  completeness.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1886,  he  was  elected  city  clerk,  and 
has  been  unanimously  re-elected  each  year 
since.  In  1870  he  was  chosen  secretary  of 
the  Alumni  Association  of  the  LIniversity  of 
Vermont,  and  has  held  the  office  since  that 
time.  During  the  years  i867-'68  Mr.  Allen 
was  local  editor  of  the  EJurlington  Free 
Press,  and  reported  for  New  York  pa|)ers. 

Mr.  Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  now,  and 
has  been  for  several  years,  a  vestryman  and 
its  Sunday-school  superintendent,  and  a  fre- 
quent delegate  to  its  diocesan  conventions. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Algonquin  Club 
of  the  Vermont  Press  Association,  and  has 
published,  in  pamphlet  form,  statistics  of  the 
town  and  city  of  Burlington  from  1763,  in- 
cluding complete  meteorological  observa- 
tions since  1840,  besides  several  historical 
papers  connected  with  his  native  town. 

Mr.  .\llen  was  married  Oct.  31,  1S67,  to 
l'',llen  C,  daughter  of  Elias  and  Cornelia 
(Hall)  Lyman.  Of  this  union  are  three 
children  :  Joseph  Dana,  Lyman,  and  Flor- 
ence L. 

ALLEN,  Ira  R.,  of  Fair  Haven,  son  of 
Ira  C.  and  Mary  E.  (Richardson)  .\llen,  was 
born  in  Fair  Haven,  March  29,  1859. 

Ira  C.  Allen  was  a  man  of  ability  and 
was  well  known  in  the  state,  ser\ing  five 
terms  in  the  state  Legislature. 

Ira  R.  Allen  obtained  his  early  education 
in  the  schools  of  Fair  Haven  and  in  1877 
studieil  at  Colgate  .-Xcademv.     He  graduated 


from  ISroun  Lniversity  in  1882.  His  busi- 
ness experience  has  been  varied  and  exten- 
si\e  and  he  has  traveled  in  the  States  and 
upon  the  other  side  of  the  AUantic.  From 
1882  to  1884  he  resided  in  the  city  of  New 
Vork  and  was  engaged  in  the  produce  com- 
mission business.  In  1886  he  became  inter- 
ested in  mining  operations  in  Virginia,  and 
in  1887  returned  to  Fair  Haven  where  he 
has  been  interested  in  banking,  slate  indus- 
tries and  railroads.  His  family  has  the  prac- 
tical control  of  the  Rutland  I'v:  Whitehall  R.  R. 
and  he  is  vice-president  of  the  Allen  National 
Bank.  Mr.  .^Uen  is  the  fortunate  possessor 
of  one  of  the  best  private  mineralogical  cab- 
inets in  the  state.  While  in  Virginia  he  was 
enabled  to  obtain  many  fine  specimens  of 
garnets,  some  of  which  were  loaned  by  him 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibition  at  the  World's 
Fair  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Allen  is  a  Republican  and  one  of  the 
most  public  spirited  men  of  his  town.  He 
has  served  as  selectman  and  was  considered 
as  an  available  candidate  to  place  in  the  field 
for  town  representative  in  a  community  where 
Democratic  opinions  had  hitherto  prevailed. 
This  position  he  easily  won  and  served  in 
the  Legislature  at  the  session  of  1892.     An 


ardent  anil  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  he  has  attained  the  32d 
degree  and  represented  Mt.  Sinai  Temple  at 
Cincinnati  in  1893.  In  religious  views  a 
Baptist,  and  though  not  a  member  of  the 
church  has  always  been  a  liberal  supporter 
of  all  Christian  enterprises. 


AMSDEN,  Charles,  of  Amsden,  son 
of  .America  and  Nancy  (Child)  .\msden,  was 
born  in  ^\■est  Windsor,  ^lay  6,  1S32. 

His  grandfather,  Abel  Amsden,  was  a  pio- 
neer of  the  town  of  Reading,  a  soldier  during 
the  Revolution,  and  a  prominent  man  of  his 
lime.     His  mother,  Nancy  Child,  was  born 


£P9 


CHARLES    AMSDEN. 

in  Westminster,  Mass.,  July  20,  1790,  and 
li\  ed  one  and  one-half  years  after  the  cele- 
bration of  her  centennial,  retaining  her  men- 
tal vigor  to  the  last. 

Charles  Amsden  was  educated  at  the  com- 
mon schools  and  passed  his  early  boyhood 
on  his  father's  farm.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, with  a  capital  of  Sioo,  he  went  to  what 
is  now  called  .Amsden  and  engaged  in  trade, 
opening  the  following  year  a  lime  kiln,  which 
he  still  works,  producing  about  10,000  bar- 
rels annually,  and  carries  on  an  extensive 
business  in  general  merchandise. 

Mr.  -Amsden  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  represented  the  town  of  AVethersfield  in 
the  Legislatures  of  1870  and  1890,  and  was 
elected  a  senator  for  Windsor  county  in 
1892.  He  has  been  town  treasurer  since 
1876,  and  postmaster  since  1875,  except 
when  holding  state  office.  Beyond  his  own 
town  his  business  ability  has  been  and  is  still 
appreciated.  During  the  years  i886-'87  he 
was  a  director  of  the  Rutland  R.  R.  and  he 
is  at  the  present  time  a  director  of  the  Na- 
tional Black  River  Bank  of  Proctorsville,  and 
of  the  Howe  Scale  Co. 

January  20,  1S50,  Mr.  .Amsden  married 
-Abbie  E.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Ann 


ANDROSS. 


(C'arev)  Craigue.  Of  this  union  is  one 
child  :  Mary  Alelvina  (Mrs.  Charles  1',.  Wootl- 
ruff,  of  \\oodslock.)  His  second  marriage 
was  with  Miss  ]^Iary  L.  Stockin. 

ANDREWS,  John  ATWOOD,  of  John- 
son, son  of  Asa'and  Jane ( Hogg)  Andrews,  was 
born  at  New  Boston,  X.  H. 

When  John  was  three  years  of  age,  his 
father,  who  was  a  farmer,  hoping  to  better 
his  condition  moved  to  Johnson.  The  son 
received  such  education  as  could  be  obtained 
in  the  common  schools  of  that  period,  and 
afterward  pursued  his  studies  at  the  Lamoille 
county  grammar  school. 

.\t  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  purchased  a 
farm  situated  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the 
town,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  and 
here  his  father  and  mother  found  a  home 
until  their  death.  His  estate  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  acres  is  one  of  the  best 
adapted  for  cultivation  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  is  pleasantly  located  on  the  Lamoille 
river,  commanding  a  broad  view  of  moun- 
tains, hills  and  stream. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party. 
In  1882  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature, 
where  he  served  on  the  educational  com- 
mittee, and  he  has  just  completed  his  fourth 
year  as  assistant  judge  of  Lamoille  c^ounty 
court.  Judge  Andrews  was  a  member  of  the 
L  O.  G.T. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  March  28, 
1844,  to  Angeline,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Lydia  Scott  (Eaton)  Davinson  of  Craftsbury. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Sum- 
ner .\.,  Lydia  (Mrs.  Lyndley  Fullington  , 
Abner  (died  in  infancy),  and  Wallace  Gale 
of  Montpelier. 

ANDREWS,  Sumner  A.,  of  \'ergennes, 
son  of  J.  Atwood  and  Angeline  (Davinson) 
Andrews,  was  born  in  Johnson,  Dec.  28,  1844. 

Mr.  Andrews  received  his  education  at  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  the 
Lamoille  county  grammar  school. 

He  remained  with  his  father  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  age 
of  seventeen.  He  was  a  member  of  Co. 
E.  13th  \'t.  Vols,  and  was  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg. 

.■\fter  the  war  he  worked  six  years  in  a  store  ; 
and  in  1875  went  to  the  State  Primary  School, 
Monson,  Mass.,  as  supervisor,  remaining 
there  eight  years.  In  1883  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Andrews  Brothers, 
dealers  in  general  merchandise,  in  his  native 
town  where  he  remained  until  1889  when  he 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Ver- 
mont Reform  School. 

Mr.  Andrews  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  represented  Johnson  in  the  Legislature 
of  1884,  serving  on  the  committee  of  educa- 


tion.   In  1888  he  was  elected  assistant  judge 
of  Lamoille  county  court. 

His  church  connection  is  with  the  Bap- 
tists, and  for  several  years  he  served  his 
denomination  as  deacon  in  Johnson. 


^^^  -• 


SUMNER    A.    ANDREWS. 

Mr.  .Andrews  was  married  Sejit.  28,  1868, 
to  Mary  \.,  daughter  of  Ozias  and  Charlotte 
Story.  ' 

AN  DROSS,    Dudley    Kimball,  of 

Bradford,  son  of  Broadstreet  Spafford  and 
Mary  ( Kimball)  Andross,  was  born  in  Brad- 
ford, Sept.  12,  1823.  He  comes  of  old 
\'ermont  stock,  one  of  his  grandfathers.  Dr. 
Bildad  Andross,  having  been  an  early  settler 
in  the  town  of  Bradford,  and  a  member  of 
the  first  convention  which  met  to  organize 
the  Commonwealth  of  Vermont ;  and  another, 
Capt.  Broadstreet  Spafford,  having  been  the 
first  settler  in  Fairfa.x  in  1783.  His  great- 
uncle,  Obadiah  Kimball,  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Bennington. 

In  early  life  Mr.  .-Xndross  worked  as  a  lum- 
berman, then  as  a  railroad  builder,  and  as 
such  he  helped  to  lay  the  first  rail  of  the 
Rutland  &  Burlington  R.  R  ;  later  he  was  a 
successful  gold-miner  in  California.  During 
his  whole  life  his  love  of  sport  has  led  him  to 
make  hunting  something  more  than  a  pas- 
time. 

When  the  ci\  il  war  broke  out  he  was  in 
business  as  a  miller  and  was  lieutenant  of  the 
Bradford  company  of  militia.  In  its  reor- 
ganization for  service,  uj)on  the  first  call  for 


ARCH  HULL). 


troojjs  in  April,  1861,  Lieutenant  Andross 
was  elected  captain  and  served  as  such  with 
the  I  St  \'t.  Regt.  throughout  its  term.  At 
the  battle  of  Big  Bethel,  when  the  three  com- 
panies of  the  1st  regiment  attacked  the 
rebel  earthworks,  Captain  Andross  was  the 
first  man  upon  the  embankment.  .At  the 
close  of  the  three  months'  service  he  returned 
to  the  army  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  9th 
Vt.  Regt.,  his  commission  dating  May  26, 
1862.  .\t  Harper's  Ferry  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner, the  9th  regiment  having  been  sur- 
rendered under  Cleneral  Miles.  The  pri.soner 
was  speedily  released  and  at  once  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  colonel,  which  position  he  held 
until  ill  health  compelled  him  to  tender  his 


Dudley  k   andross. 


resignation  June  23,  1S63.  Since  the  war 
Colonel  -Andross  has  led  a  quiet  life,  farming 
and  hunting. 

Colonel  .Andross  was  married  March  17, 
1878,  to  Mrs.  Marcella  Wasson,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Horatio  Harris.  Their  three  children 
are  :  Mary  Kimball,  Walter  Carpenter,  and 
Alice  Caroline. 

Colonel  .Andross  is  believed  to  be  (ex- 
cept Stephen  Thomas,  always  known  as  (Gen- 
eral ) ,  the  senior  surviving  colonel  of  Vermont 
troo]  IS. 

ARCHIBALD,  S.  HENRY,  of  Walling- 
ford,  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  T.  H.  and  Susan 
(Tuck)  .Archibald,  was  born  in  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  Nov.  10,  1848. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  at 
the  New  Hampton   Institution,  Fairfax,  and 


later  graduated  from  Colgate  University,  in 
the  class  of  1873. 

Having  completed  his  college  course  and 
after  further  study  he  ministered  to  a  con- 
gregation at  West  Pawlet,  and  during  this 
pastorate  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of 
the  Baptist  church.  Being  settled  by  the 
church  at  Wallingford  in  1876,  he  has  since 
that  time  remained  in  that  parish,  and  is  at 
])resent  the  senior  clergyman  of  his  denomi- 
nation in  the  state,  with  regard  to  the  num- 
ber of  years  of  service  in  one  church. 

His  father  was  a  clergyman  of  high  repu- 
tation, and  was  formerly  settled  over  parishes 
in  .Addison,  Bennington  and  Rutland  coun- 
ties, but  has  now  retired  to  private  life, 
making  his  residence  at  Middlebury.  .Mr. 
.Archibald  occupies  a  prominent  position 
in  the  Baptist  church,  and  is  well  known 
and  popular  throughout  the  state,  and  has 
for  twelve  years  served  as  the  secretary  of 
the  board  of  managers  of  the  state  conven- 
tion of  that  denomination. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  West  Paw- 
let,  Feb.  13,  1877,  to  Esther  .A.,  daughter  of 
Daniel  D.  and  Mary  E.  (Townsend)  Nel- 
son. Four  children  have  blessed  their 
union:  Nelson  Henry,  Eva  E.  (deceased), 
Walter,  and  Mary  Townsend. 

In  his  political  creed  Mr.  .Archibald  is  a 
loyal  Republican,  but  his  energies  and  time 
have  been  mainly  devoted  to  his  profes- 
sional studies  and  duties,  yet  he  has  sers-ed 
as  superintendent  of  schools  in  ^\'allingford 
for  seven  different  years,  and  is  now  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  directors. 

ARNOLD,  FeNELON,  of  Westminster, 
son  of  .Ambrose  T.  and  Priscilla  ( Farnum ) 
.Arnold,  was  born  in  Westminster,  Jan.  25, 
1817. 

He  obtained  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  began  farm- 
ing at  an  earlv  age,  first  with  an  uncle  until 
the  latter's  death  in  1840,  and  then  at  the 
age  of  se\enteen,  with  a  brother,  he  took  a 
farm,  wiped  out  a  debt  contracted  in  the  pur- 
chase and  acquired  an  unincumbered  home. 

In  1855  he  began  the  business  of  silver 
and  brass  plating,  continuing  it  until  i860 
under  the  firm  name  of  Arnold  &  Cook. 

Mr.  .Arnold's  political  preferences  are  Re- 
publican. He  has  served  as  selectman  thir- 
teen years,  several  as  chairman  of  the  board. 
\Mth  the  exception  of  clerk  and  treasurer  he 
has  filled  every  office  in  the  gift  of  the  town, 
serving  in  the  Legislatures  of  18S0  and  1884, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  elec- 
tions, banks  and  banking.  .As  custodian  for 
ten  years  of  the  Campbell  Trust  Funds  he 
showed  excellent  ability,  making  safe  and 
profitable  investments  in  the  interest  of  the 
peojjle.  Finding  himself  physically  disquali- 
fied for  service  in  the  field  durins:  the  war 


Mr.   Arnold   took  an  active   part   in   raising 
troops  for  the  nation's  defence. 

He  was  married  Nov.  4,  1840,  to  Amanda, 
daughter  of  Luther  and  Mary  Richards.  Of 
this  union   were   two   children  :   Charles    F., 


ICast,  filling    the    master's    chair   of  ^\'hite 
River  Lodge,  Xo.  90. 

He  was  wedded  Oct.  17,  1882,  to  Martha 
I'.,  daughter  of  Amos  and  Nancv  White  of 


FENELON    ARNOLD. 


and  George  R.  Mrs.  Arnold  dying  Dec.  24, 
1867,  he  married,  March  13,  1872,  Emily  A., 
daughter  of  Edmund  A.  and  Isabella  (Hos- 
mer)  Marsh.  Of  this  union  is  one  child  : 
Seth  F. 

ARNOLD,  Fred,  of  Bethel,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Jane  ^L  (Wellington)  Arnold, 
was  born  in  Randolph,  Dec.  7,  1856. 

.After  receiving  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  Randolph  State  Normal 
School,  he  adopted  the  profession  of  the 
law,  and  since  1S80  has  pursued  that  voca- 
tion in  Bethel,  combining  his  practice  with 
the  occupation  of  an  insurance  agent.  In 
both  of  these  pursuits  he  has  met  with  grati- 
fying success.  His  business  ability  and  un- 
doubted integrity  have  called  him  to  many 
positions  of  honor  and  usefulness  in  the 
town,  which  he  represented  in  the  General 
Assembly  in  1892.  In  this  body  he  was  an 
able  and  earnest  advocate  of  the  town  sys- 
tem of  schools,  and  was  largely  instrumental 
in  the  establishment  of  that  important 
measure  throughout  the  state. 

Mr.  .Arnold  has  knelt  at  the  altars  of  Free 
Masonry,  having  received  the  degrees  of  the 
blue  lodge  at  Bethel,  the  chapter  in  West 
Randolph  and  commandery  in  Mont]ielier. 
In  the  first  named   he   has   i)resi<le(l    in   the 


FRED    ARNOLD 

Providence,  R.  I.  Six  children  have  been 
the  issue  of  the  union  ;  five  boys  and  one 
girl. 

ATKINS,  Hiram,  late  of  Montpelier,  son 
of  John  S.  and  Margaret  (Smith)  Atkins, 
was  born  Dec.  22,  1831,  in  Esopus,  N.  Y., 
and  died  at  Montpelier,  Oct.  i,  1892. 

When  he  was  about  three  years  of  age  his 
father  moved  to  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where 
for  the  next  ten  years  Hiram  lived  the  usual 
life  of  a  farmer's  bov.  -At  the  age  01  four- 
teen he  entered  the  office  of  the  Poughkeep- 
sie I^agle  as  an  apprentice,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  was  employed  on  the  Journal, 
Kingston,  N.  Y.,  having  charge  of  the  paper 
during  the  editor's  absence.  In  1853  he 
came  to  \'ermont  and  started  a  small  paper 
called  the  Battle  Ground,  at  North  Ben- 
nington. He  had  one  dollar  in  cash  when 
he  arrived  in  Bellows  Falls  a  few  weeks  later 
to  take  charge  of  a  local  ])a])er,  the  .\rgus. 
In  February,  1S63,  Mr.  .Atkins  went  to 
Montpelier,  bought  the  Patriot,  and  estab- 
lished the  .Argus  and  Patriot,  of  which  from 
that  time  until  his  death  he  was  publisher 
and  editor. 

During  his  residence  in  Bellows  Falls  Mr. 
.Vtkins  was  for  a  time  deputy  postmaster  in 
President   Pierce's  and  postmaster  in  Presi- 


(lent  BiK'hanan's  administration,  and  during 
I'resident  Cleveland's  first  term  he  was  super- 
intendent of  construction  of  the  government 
building  at  Montpelier.  He  was  at  his  de- 
cease one  of  the  four  World's  Fair  commis- 
sioners from  N'ermont,  and  also  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature  one  of  the  Columbian  com- 
missioners of  Vermont.  He  attended  every 
Democratic  national  convention  but  one 
after  attaining  his  majority,  and  in  i8S8  was 
the  member  from  Aermont  of  the  Demo- 
cratic national  convention.  From  1863  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  state  com- 
mittee, and  its  chairman  since  the  early 
seventies. 


Mr.  .Atlcins  was  a  communicant  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  :  tor  many  years 
a  vestryman  of  Christ  Church  at  Montpelier, 
and  often  a  delegate  to  the  diocesan  con- 
vention. 

In  1854  he  married  ISIaria  .Abeel,  daughter 
of  John'L.  DeWitt,  of  Windham,  N.  Y."  She 
died  Dec.  5,  1S59,  leaving  three  children, 
two  of  whom,  Catherine  Abeel,  and  Eliza- 
beth DeV\'itt,  wife  of  Major  Osman  D.  Clark 
of  Montpelier,  survive  their  father ;  the 
third,  Margaret  Smith,  died  about  six  months 
after  her  mother's  decease.  Mr.  Atkins, 
June  27,  1864,  married  Julia  M.,  daughter 
of  Ezra  F.  Kimball,  Bellows  Falls. 

Mr.  .\tkins  was  a  man  of  strong  individ- 
uality ;  honest,  rugged,  and  at  times  out- 
wardly harsh  and  rough,  made  to  contend 
in  stormy  times  for  principle,  but  kind  at 


heart,  and  winning  the  respect  and  friend- 
ship of  men  who  opposed  him,  and  whom 
he  opposed  in  many  things. 

ATWOOD,  Frank  C,  of  Salisbury, 
son  of  Hiram  and  Phcebe  (Frank)  Atwood, 
was  born  in  Starksboro,  Dec.  14,  1828. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
and  at  the  Bristol  Academy.  In  1851  he 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Salisbury,  where  he  is 
widely  known  as  a  catde  buyer  and  stock- 
man, ha^■ing  had  a  large  exjierience  in  the 
industries  he  represents. 

Mr.  .Atwood  is  prominent  in  Masonic  cir- 
cles and  has  been  a  member  of  Union  Lodge 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Middlebury,  for  nearly  forty 
years. 

I."  His  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  represented  the  town 
of  Salisbury  in  the  Legislature  of  18S2,  serv- 
ing on  agricultural  and  other  committees. 
Over  the  county  and  district  conventions  of 
his  party  he  has  presided  for  many  years  past. 

Mr.  Atwood  was  married  April  2,  1851,  to 
Sarah  i\L,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sarah 
Thomas  of  Salisbury.  They  have  two  sons,: 
Henry  S.  (now  deputy  county  treasurer  of 
LaBette  County,  Kan.),  and  Julius  W.,  who 
has  been  rector  of  St.  James  Church  at  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.,  since  1887. 

AUSTIN,  ORLO  Henry,  late  of  Bar- 
ton Landing,  son  of  Asa  and  Nancy  (Gregg) 
Austin,  was  born  in  Eden,  August  13,  1838, 
and  died  at  Barton  Landing,  Sept.  15,  1893. 

Mr.  Austin  acquired  his  education  first  in 
the  jjublic  schools  of  Eden.  On  removing 
to  Craftsbury  in  1848,  he  attended  the  L^lssex 
Classical  Institute.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
class  of  '63  in  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont  and 
was  a  teacher  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
civil  war,  when,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  F,  nth  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  was 
chosen  2d  lieutenant  and  successively  pro- 
moted to  I  St  lieutenant  and  captain  of  Co. 
.A.,  Sept.  2,  1864,  while  in  active  service 
under  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  Vallev. 
He  was  in  e\ery  action  engaging  his  regi- 
ment except  the  assault  at  Petersburg.  Cap- 
tain .Austin  came  of  patriot  stock,  his  father 
having  joined  the  Vermont  Volunteers  in 
1 814,  was  in  the  batde  of  Plattsburg. 

.At  the  close  of  the  war,  Captain  Austin 
built  a  store  in  Barton  Landing  and  became 
a  dealer  in  general  merchandise.  He  entered 
into  partnership  November,  1869,  with  C.  E. 
Joslyn  and  together  they  built  up  a  large  trade. 
J.  C.  Parker  and  I.  D.  R.  Collins  joined  the 
firm  in  the  fall  of  1873,  adding  to  its  business 
an  extensive  lumber  trade.  Decline  in  prices, 
losses  by  fire,  increased  through  defective 
insurance,  caused  a  suspension  of  the  firm  in 
the  spring  of  1877.  Captain  Austin  suffered 
a  second   time  by  fire,  and   then  built   the 


present  large  business  l)lork,  which  is  an 
ornament  to  the  village,  entered  into  ])art- 
nership  with  A.  C.  Parker,  studied  law^  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  iSPo.  In  Novem- 
ber of  the  following  year  he  was  appointed 
judge  of  probate  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  death  of  Hon.  I.  N.  Cushman  and  hel<l 
that  office  till  his  death. 

In   ]iolitics  he   was  a  Republican  and  held 
imi>ortant  town  otifices. 


He  was  an  active  member  and  su|)porter 
of  the  Congregational  church  and  served  it 
many  years  as  Sunday-school  superintend- 
ent. 

Captain  Austin  was  married  Oct.  15,  1S68, 
to  Sophia  M.,  daughter  of  Captain  Timothy 
J.  and  Melona  (Wilder)  Joslyn  of  Hrowning- 
ton.  The  children  of  this  union  are  :  Fred 
().  (deceased),  Clara  M.,  Kmma  S.,  Helen  A., 
.Arthur  O.,  and  (irace  F. 


BAILEY,  ALDEN  Lee,  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
was  born  in  Compton,  P.  ().,  May  31,  1845, 
the  only  child  of  Lewis  and  Nancy  Bailey. 

He  was  early  bereft  of  both  parents,  his 
father  dying   iiefore  he  reached  his  fourth 


England.  Two  well  equipped  warerooms, 
one  in  St.  Johnsbury,  the  other  in  Burling- 
ton, with  twenty  traveling  salesmen,  attest 
the  fact.  He  has  been  a  director  in  Citi- 
zens Bank  from  its  organization,  his  business 
tact  and  good  judgment  doing  much  toward 
giving  it  its  present  good  reputation. 

These  qualities  have  also  done  much 
toward  removing  the  debt  and  placing  on  a 
good  financial  basis  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian .Association,  of  which  for  several  years 
he  has  been  a  director.  In  early  life  he 
connected  himself  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  which  he  has  always  been 
a  generous  supporter,  and  to  it  he  has  given 
his  best  service  as  one  of  its  stewards,  and 
also  for  many  years  as  its  successful  Sunday- 
school  superintendent.  He  is  possessed  in 
an  eminent  degree  of  the  quality  rudely 
termed  "push,"  giving  an  enthusiasm  to  what- 
ever he  undertakes,  which  insures  success. 

He  is  a  sunny  man  with  a  cheerful  word 
for  all,  and  ever  ready  to  dispense  sub- 
stantial aid  as  well  as  wise  counsel  when- 
ever and  wherever  needed. 


ALDEN    LEE    BAILEY. 

year,  and  his  mother  when  he  was  only  ten 
years  of  age.  Alone  in  the  world,  he  was 
"bound  out"  during  the  remaining  years  of 
his  minority  to  his  uncle,  a  farmer,  whom  he 
faithfully  served  until  he  reached  his  major- 
ity. Greater  opportunities,  with  less  of  hope 
and  resolution  might  have  disheartened 
him.  He  had  nothing  to  lose,  but  every- 
thing to  win,  and  he  was  determined  to  suc- 
ceed. This  spirit  found  him  ready  employ- 
ment, and  also  opened  the  way  for  him  to 
enter  into  the  business  in  which  his  success 
has  proved  his  fitness.  From  very  small 
beginnings  he  has  built  up  the  largest  trade 
in  musical  merchandise    in   Northern    New 


BAILEY,  Horace  Ward,  of  New- 
bury, son  of  ^Villiam  and  .Abigail  (Eaton) 
Bailey,  was  born  in  Newbury,  Jan.  t6,  1852. 
His  father's  family  was  of  English  descent, 
coming  to  Newbury  in  1780.  His  mother 
came  of  Scotch  parentage  and  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Jesse  F^aton  of  Wentworth, 
N.  H. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
town  and  at  Newbury  Seminary,  Mr.  liailey 
first  entered  the  employment  of  John  Lind- 
sey  at  the  Fabyan  Hou.se  in  the  White 
Mountains,  at  C)kl  Orchard  Beach  and  in 
p:astman.  In  1882  he  opened  a  grocery 
store  in  Newbury  Village,  where  he  built  up 
a  large  and  profitable  business,  but  finally 
sold  out  in  1890.  Since  retiring  from  the 
mercantile  profession  he  has  been  chiefly  en- 
gaged in  the  settlement  of  estates  in  North- 
ern Vermont  and  New  Hampshire.  In  1886 
he  was  elected  town  clerk,  which  office  he 
still  holds.  He  was  superintendent  of  schools 
in  iS85-'86-'87  ;  for   two   years  chairman   of 


board  of  listers  ;  member  of  county  board  of 
education  in  1889,  and  chairman  of  board  of 
school  directors  in  1893;  also  several  years 
a  trustee  of  the  Bradford  Savings  Bank. 

His  political  creed  is  Republican  and  in 
religion  he  is  a  liberal.  -Mr.  Bailey  is  a  man 
of  strong  literary  tastes,  possessing  an  excel- 


olutionary  war,  while  his  son,  John  Bailey, 
Sr.,  was  a  hardy  pioneer  and  farmer. 

Descended  from  such  stock,  John  early 
showed  his  lineage,  and  from  earliest  youth 
lent  a  helping  hand  upon  the  farm,  on  which 
he  resided  for  nearly  fifty  years.  Though 
his  educational  advantages  were  limited, 
being  restricted  mostly  to  the  district  school, 
he  has  borne  a  very  prominent  part  in  the 
public  affairs  of  the  town  and  state.  Though 
he  has  filled  many  imiMrtant  town  offices, 
he  is  perhaps  best  known  as  sheriff  and  dep- 
uty sheriff  of  Orange  county,  and  is  consid- 
ered as  one  of  the  best  executive  officers  that 
has  ever  served  the  county  and  the  state. 
Among  his  best  known  exploits  the  pursuit 
and  capture  of  the  notorious  Barre  bank  rob- 
bers may  be  regarded  as  singularly  proving 
his  shrewdness,  intelligence  and  daring,  show- 
ing that  he  fully  inherited  the  courage  of  his 
ancestors.  Mr.  Bailey  was  appointed  post- 
master in  1889  and  still  holds  that  ])Osition. 
He  was  representative  in  1 869-' 70,  '84,  and 
elected  senator  in  1886. 

He  married,  Oct.  21,  1847,  Isabel,  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Margaret  (CJardner)  Nel- 
son. They  have  six  children  :  Ellen  M.(Mrs. 
Newton  N.  Field),  Albert  H.,  Margaret  J. 
( Mrs.  Eugene  D.  Carpenter),  Lizzie  (Mrs. 
Oscar  Warden  of  Mclndoes  Falls),  Nelson 
H.,  and  Clara  (Mrs.  Simeon  Clark). 


HORACE  WARD  BAILEY. 

lent  miscellaneous  library,  selected  with  great 
care  and  which  is  not  surpassed  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state. 

A  man  of  most  benevolent  impulses,  he  is 
always  a  staunch  su])porter  of  all  good  works 
and  charitable  enterjirises  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. 

BAILEY,  John,  of  Wells  River,  born  at 
Newbury,  Jan.  30,  1822,  was  the  son  of  John 
and  Martha,  granddaughter  of  Rev.  Peter 
Powers,  the  first  settled  minister  in  New- 
bury. The  latter  lived  with  John  until  he 
died  in  his  eighty-ninth  year. 

(ien.  Jacob  Bailey,  the  great-grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  an  officer 
in  the  old  French  and  Indian  war  and  was 
captured  at  Fort  \\  illiam  Henrv,  where  his 
courage  and  promptness  of  action  alone  saved 
him  from  destruction  in  the  treacherous  and 
bloodv  massacre  which  followed  the  surren- 
der of  this  important  post.  He  lived  to  be- 
come ijrominent  among  the  Cireen  Mountain 
boys,  who  took  such  an  active  part  in  the 
dispute  concerning  the  New  Hampshire 
grants,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Council 
of  Safety.  Col.  Joshua  Bailey,  son  of  Gen. 
Jacob  Bailey,  was  a  daring  scout  in  the  Rev- 


BAILEY,  Myron  W.,  of  St.  Albans, 
son  of  Richard  and  Sally  (Barrows)  Bailey, 
was  l)orn  at  Waterville,  Feb.  9,  1837. 

Commencing  his  education  at  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  Bakersfield  .Academy  he 
afterwards  attended  the  People's  .\cademy 
at  Morrisville,  where  he  prepared  for  college, 
but  ill  health  obliged  him  to  resign  his  hope 
of  a  liberal  education.  In  the  spring  of  1S57 
he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  Homer  E.  Royce,  and  continued  the 
same  under  ^Valdo  Brigham  until  the  summer 
of  1858,  when  he  entered  the  law  de])artment 
of  the  L'niversity  of  .-Mbany,  where  he 
graduated  in  May,  1859,  and  was  admitted 
as  an  attorney  and  counselor  at  law  in  the 
supreme  court  at  .Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the 
.■\pril  term  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Frank- 
lin county.  He  then  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  his  ])rofession  at  Bridport  and  con- 
tinued until  June,  1861. 

When  the  war  began  he  determined  to 
serve  his  country,  and  enlisted  in  Co.  H, 
3d  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  was  mustered  into 
service  July  16,  1861,  and  soon  after  went 
to  the  front  with  his  regiment,  which  was 
stationed  near  the  Chain  Bridge.  He  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Lewinsville,  Va., 
Sept.  II,  1 86 1,  but  in  the  last  of  the  month 
while  on  picket  duty  he  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  back,  the  result  of 


13 


which  was  a   jjaralysis  of  the   lower    Hmbs, 
and  he  was  discharged  Feb.  5,  1862. 

He  has  held  many  town  offices  and  has 
been  judge  of  probate  for  Franklin  county 
and  district  from  Dec.  i,  1867,  \\p  to  the 
present  time,  and  was  railroad  commissioner 
from  1872  to  1878. 


MYRON  W.   BAILEY. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
and  is  a  past  olificer  of  Missis(|uoi  Lodge, 
No.  9. 

Judge  Bailey  married  ISIary  L.,  daughter 
of  Sherman  W.  and  Catharine  Sears.  Their 
children  are :  Carrie  M.  (wife  of  E.  W. 
Thompson),  and  Katharine  S.  (wife  of  Kben 
E.  McLeod). 

BAKER,  Austin  S.,  of  Danby,  son  of 
Stephen  and  Susanna  (Matthewson)  Baker, 
was  born  in  Mount  Holly,  March  16,   1824. 

Receiving  a  thorough  and  practical  educa- 
tion in  the  public  and  private  schools  of 
Danby,  he  entered  the  battle  of  life  fully 
equipped  for  an  energetic  struggle.  Pos- 
sessing a  strong  and  well  developed  phys- 
ique and  highly  trained  reasoning  powers,  he 
adopted  the  profession  of  teaching  for  some 
years.  Setding  on  the  homestead  in  Danby 
he  has  devoted  himself  to  farming  for  twenty- 
eight  years,  giving  much  attention  to  dairy- 
ing and  horse  breeding. 

As  an  ardent  Republican,  Mr.  Baker  has 
been  honored  by  his  fellow-townsmen  with 
an  election  to  nearly  every  office  in  their 
power  to  bestow.      He  has  performed   the 


duties  of  selectman,  superintendent  of  schools 
and  justice  of  the  ])eace,  serving  with  equal 
credit  in  each  capacity.  He  has  been  assist- 
ant judge  of  Rutland  county  court  for  six 
years  and  has  already  established  an  enviable 
reputation  in  the  ministration  of  this  office. 
During  the  war  Judge  Baker  was  greatlv  in- 
strumental in  raising  men. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, taking  an  active  share  in  the  work  of 
Marble  Lodge,  No.  76,  of  Danby. 

Judge  Baker  was  united  in  wedlock  |an. 
27,  i<'^48,  to  Betsy  M.,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Orange  and  Maria  (Jones)  Green.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Helen  M. 
(Mrs.  L.  P.  Howe  of  Mount  Tabor),  and 
Charles  S.  Baker  of  Trov,  N.  Y. 


AUSTIN   S.    L 

BAktfR,  Joel  Clarke,  of  Rutland,  son 
of  Edia  and  Seleucia  A.  (Davenport)  Baker, 
was  born  in  Danby,  .April  16,  1838. 

Mr.  Baker  seems  to  have  inherited  a  goodly 
share  of  the  sterling  character  and  sturdy  in- 
dependence of  his  Scotch  progenitors. 

Educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Danby, 
\\'allingford,  and  at  Poultney  Academy,  in 
1858  he  began  the  study  of  Latin  and  Creek 
with  Philip  H.  Emerson.  In  1859  he  com-' 
menced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Spencer  Green  of  Danby,  then  changed  to  the 
office  of  David  E.  Nicholson  of  \\allingford, 
where  he  remained  until  1862,  when  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Rutland  county  court. 

In  1862  he  enlisted  as  private  in  Co.  B, 
9th  Regt.,  Vt.  Vols.,  was  mustered  into  the 
service  as  sergeant,  and  before  his  discharge 


■was  successively  promoted  to  the  grades  of 
ist  sergeant,  2d  and  ist  lieutenant,  and  finally 
captain.  At  the  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry 
he  was  sent  as  a  paroled  prisoner  to  Camp 
Douglas  at  Chicago,  where  he  remained  until 
his  exchange,  Jan.  9,  1863,  afterwards  serving 
as  guard  over  five  or  six  thousand  rebel  pris- 
oners. He  then  returned  to  the  front,  par- 
ticipating in  many  battles  and  skirmishes, 
and  with  the  Army  of  the  James,  was  present 
at  the  engagements  of  Chapin's  Farm,  Fair 
Oaks  and  the  capture  of  Richmond.  He 
was  among  the  first  to  enter  the  city,  reach- 
ing the  residence  of  Jeff  Davis  where  the 
Confederate  flag  was  still  flying,  which  he 
pulled  down  and  took  away  with  his  own 
hands.  While  he  was  in  North  Carolina, 
Congress  organized  provost  courts  in  which 
Captain  Baker  had  a  good  deal  of  practice. 
After  his  return  from  the  army  he  pursued 
his  profession  in  Wallingford,  but  in  t868 
removed  to  Rutland,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  has  attained  a  very  high  reputation  as  a 
lawyer,  in  both  civil  and  criminal  practice, 
and  has  conducted  several  cases  of  notable 
importance  in  Rutland  and  Bennington 
■counties  as  well  as  in  the  4th  district  in 
New  York,  and  also  before  the  United  States 
circuit  and  supreme  courts. 

Mr.  Baker  has  important  real  estate  in- 
terests in  Rutland  ;  is  director  in  the  Clem- 
ent National  Bank,  Howe  Scale  Co.,  the  P. 
E.  Chase  Manufacturing  Corporation,  the 
Rutland  Herald  and  Globe  Association, 
having  been  the  editor  of  that  paper  from 
i86g  to  1873. 

He  has  discharged  the  duties  of  superin- 
tendent of  schools  and  grand  juror  in  the 
towns  of  Wallingford  and  Rutland,  and  has 
been  register  of  probate  and  deputy  county 
clerk.  He  is  a  Republican  and  was  elected 
state  senator  in  1886,  serving  on  the  com- 
mittees on  the  judiciary,  railways,  and  the 
insane.  He  was  for  two  years  county  audi- 
tor, and  is  now  city  attorney. 

Mr.  Baker  has  also  joined  the  ranks  of 
Masonry,  affiliating  with  Chipman  Lodge, 
No.  52,  of  which  he  has  been  junior  and 
senior  warden,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Cen- 
ter Lodge,  No.  34.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Rutland  Royal  Arcanum,  and  is  interested 
in  the  V.  M.  C.  A.  of  that  city.  He  is  a 
companion  of  the  M.  ().  of  L.  L.,  and  a 
■comrade  of  the  C.  A.  R.  In  his  religious 
preference  he  is  an  Ei)iscopalian. 

He  married,  Oct.  8,  1866,  Ada  O.,  daugh- 
ter of  Luther  P.  and  Mary  .\.  (Rounds), 
Howe  of  Mount  Tabor.  One  daughter, 
Mabel,  is  the  issue  of  the  marriage. 

BALCH,  William  EVERARD,  of  Lun- 
enburg, son  of  Sherman  and  Eliza  (Clines) 
Balch,  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Feb.  3,  1854. 


.■\fter    pursuing    the     usual     educational 
Lourse    in    the    public    schools    and   at   St. 


WILLIAM   EVERARD  BALCH. 

Johnsbury  Academy,  he  entered  his  father's 
carriage  shop  to  learn  that  trade,  and 
after  a  two  years'  sojourn  in  the  West,  in 
1S76,  he  returned  to  his  native  place  and 
again  entered  the  employ  of  his  father. 
From  his  early  boyhood,  Mr.  Balch  had  de- 
voted all  of  his  spare  time  to  the  study  of 
natural  history  and  the  collection  of  speci- 
mens illustrating  that  science.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Vermont  he  learned  taxidermy,  and 
employed  his  leisure  in  forming  a  collection 
of  the  birds  and  mammals  of  the  state,  with 
such  success  that  in  eight  years  he  had  gath- 
ered specimens  of  all  the  representative 
birds  and  mammals  of  Vermont.  This  col- 
lection was  sent  to  the  World's  Fair  at  New 
Orleans  as  the  state  collection,  and  about 
this  time  he  was  offered  the  position  of  state 
taxidermist,  which  he  still  holds.  The  high 
scientific  standard  of  his  work  is  amply  at- 
tested by  the  specimens  of  his  skill  exhibited 
at  the  Fairbanks  Museum  at  St.  Johnsbury. 

Mr.  Balch  represented  the  town  in  the 
Legislature  of  1892. 

He  wedded,  Sept.  27,  1876,  Ella,  daughter 
of  Jordan  and  Lois  A.  Mutt.  They  have 
two  children  :  Florence  May,  and  \Valter. 

BALDWIN,  Charles,  of  Dorset,  son 
of  Thomas  and  Polly  (Lanfear)  Baldwin,  was 
born  in  Dorset,  Oct.  30, 181 6. 


JoUj    €*.  fb  CLJt^j.^\ 


i6 


His  education  was  obtained  in  the  ])u\)\\f 
and  select  schools  of  Dorset.  In  18.55  he 
went  to  work  for  his  brother  and  learned  the 
trade  of  a  cooper  and  after  four  years  of  this 
employment  he  removed  to  Rutland,  where 
he  entered  the  em])loy  of  (iersham  Cheney. 
He  then  returned  to  his  brother,  and  finally 
purchased  the  business  in  if-'4i,  and  till  ii^'gi 
continued  to  follow  his  vocation  in  that 
locality. 

Mr.  Baldwin  was  married  Feb.  4,  1848,  to 
Susan,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  and  Susanna 
(Cram)  Jackson  of  Dorset,  who  died  in 
November,  1878.  His  second  wife  was  Mary 
E.  Willard  of  Castleton,  whom  he  married 
June  4,  1879.  She  died  in  July,  1889.  He 
"married,  Dec.  30,  1 889,  a  third  wife,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  .-Vdah  (Eells)  Bangs 
of  Lenox,  Mass. 

He  has  been  a  strong  Republican  since 
the  formation  of  the  party  and  has  held  most 
of  the  town  offices,  serving  as  county  com- 
missioner since  i8fc2.  Mr.  Baldwin  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Factory  Point  National 
Bank  and  the  Battenkill  Industrial  Society 
as  well  as  a  large  owner  of  real  estate. 

William  J.  Fuller,  while  living  with  Mr. 
Baldwin,  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  ist  Vt.  Cavalry 
and  died  in  Andersonville  in  August,  1864, 
and  in  honor  of  his  memory  W.  J.  Fuller 
Post,  No.  52,  C.  A.  R.,  in  Dorset  is  named. 

In  his  religious  views  Mr.  Baldwin  is  a 
Congregationalist  and  has  always  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Sunday- 
school  and  all  other  means  for  the  advance- 
ment of  religion  in  the  church  and  society. 

BALDWIN,  A.  T.,  of  Wells  River,  son 
of  E^rastus  and  Lucinda  (Richardson)  Bald- 
win, was  born  at  Topsham,  Aug.  31,  1841. 

Erastus  Baldwin,  his  father,  located  at 
Wells  River  early  in  the  present  century, 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  that  town  and  later 
engaged  extensively  in  the  trade  of  a  har- 
ness manufacturer,  which  vocation  he  pur- 
sued until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred July  16,  1889. 

Mr.  A.  T.  Baldwin  received  his  education 
at  the  common  schools  of  the  town  and  at 
St.  Johnsbury  Academy  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Mr.  E.  Baldwin.  The  firm  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  business  and 
for  twenty  years  did  a  larger  business  than 
any  other  concern  in  the  state.  In  1879 
Mr.  A.  T.  Baldwin  was  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Henry,  Jay  &  Baldwin,"  which  operated  at 
Fabyan's,  and  continued  for  three  years. 
Then,  in  connection  with  Erastus,  Jr.,  he 
purchased  a  mill  and  timber  lands  at  Groton 
Pond,  where  the  brothers  conducted  an  ex- 
tensive and  profitable  lumber  business  till 
shortly  before  the  death  of  Mr.  A.  T.  Bald- 
win.    Soon  after  his  brother's  death  Mr.  E. 


P.aldwin  entered  into  copartnership  with 
Mr.  L.  D.  Hazen  of  St.  Johnsbury,  which 
continued  for  three  years. 

Mr.  A.  T.  Baldwin  was  one  of  the  bright- 
est business  men  ever  reared  in  the  village 
of  Wells  River,  and  left  one  son,  who  died 
three    weeks    after    his    father,  making    his 


uncle  sole  heir  to  the  bulk  of  his  property, 
and  the  latter,  desirous  to  keep  the  family 
name  in  honorable  remembrance,  has  erected 
a  structure  for  the  village  library  association 
as  a  memorial,  which  is  styled  the  Baldwin 
Library  Building. 

Mr.  Erastus  Baldwin  takes  a  lively  inter- 
est in  agricultural  pursuits  and  is  perhaps 
best  known  as  the  proprietor  of  the  Baldwin 
Valley  Farm,  which  covers  a  large  area  and 
is  one  of  the  leading  stock  farms  in  New 
England.  This  he  has  now  sold  to  his  son, 
H.  T.  Baldwin. 

Mr.  Erastus  Baldwin  is  president  of  the 
Wells  River  Savings  Bank  which  position 
itself  confirms  his  character  for  unstained 
integrity  and  business  sagacity. 

He  acts  with  the  Republican  party,  but, 
though  interested  and  well  informed  in 
national  and  state  affairs,  he  has  chosen  to 
remain  a  private  citizen  in  spite  of  many 
urgent  calls  to  accept  important  and  re- 
sponsible positions  of  trust. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  6,  1S63, 
to  Ellen,  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Mary 
A.  (Chamberlain)  Abbott.  One  son  has 
been  born  to  them  :  Hammon  T. 


BALDWIN,  Frederick  W.,  of  I'.anon, 

was  born  at  Lowell,  Sejit.  29,  1848,  the  son 
of  Asa  and  Rosalinda  (Shedd)  Baldwin.  He 
is  of  English  descent,  this  branch  of  the  Bald- 
win family  being  derived  from  John  Baldwin 
who  appears  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  as  early  as 
1655  and  who  came  from  Hertfordshire,  Eng- 
land, about  1640. 

Frederick  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm  and  enjoyed  only  such  advantages  for 
education  as  the  average  ^'ermont  farmer 
gives  his  children.  He  attended  the  district 
school  in  his  native  town  until  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age  and  afterward  the  ^Vestfield 
grammar  school,  the  normal  school  at  John- 
son and  the  Vermont  Conference  Seminary 
at  Montpelier. 


FREDERICK   W.    BALDWIN. 

fT'At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  Powers  &  deed  at  Morrisville 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Lamoille 
county  at  the  December  term,  1872,  and 
soon  afterward  formed  a  copartnership  with 
Gen.  William  \\'.  Clrout  which  continued  till 
1875.  Since  then  Mr.  Baldwin  has  been  in 
the  successful  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Barton. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  an  ardent 
Republican.  In  1872  he  was  elected  assist- 
ant secretary  of  the  state  Senate  and  secre- 
tary of  the  same  in  i874,-'76,-'7S  and  state's 
attorney  of  Orleans  county  in  1880.  He  has 
been  successively  elected  the  Orleans  county 
member  of  the  Republican  state  committee 
since  1884.  His  ability  as  a  member  of  that 
committee  has  been  fullv  demonstrated  bv 


his  having  been  elected  the  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  committee  in  1886  and  in 
1888  its  chairman,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  ']"his  year,  as  a  recognition  of  his 
zealous  work  for  the  party  he  was  elected  a 
l)residential  elector  at  large  for  Vermont,  and 
was  the  messenger  to  carry  the  vote  of  Ver- 
mont to  Washington.  Mr.  Baldwin  has 
always  been  deeply  interested  in  biography 
and  history,  especially  that  of  Vermont,  and 
his  library  of  Vermont  books  is  one  of  the 
choicest  in  the  state.  In  1886  he  published 
the  "  Biography  of  the  Bar "  of  Orleans 
county,  containing  a  sketch  of  every  lawyer 
admitted  or  who  had  practiced  in  that  county 
since  its  organization.  Mr.  Baldwin  has 
given  liberally  of  his  time  and  money  for  the 
development  of  business  in  Barton  Village,  at 
present  being  a  stockholder  and  secretary  of 
two  corporations  for  that  purpose,  the  Bar- 
ton Manufacturing  Co.  and  Barton  Hotel  Co. 

Mr.  Baldwin  belongs  to  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  has  labored  earnestly  in 
its  behalL 

He  married  Miss  Susan  M.  Grout,  Sept. 
24,  1873,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Edward 
(Irout  Baldwin.  Mrs.  Baldwin  died  in  1876. 
Mr.  Baldwin  was  united  in  a  second  marriage 
Oct.  28,  1878,  to  Miss  Susan  M.  Hibbard  of 
I!rooklyn,  N.  V. 

BALL,  Franklin  P.,  of  Rockingham,  son 
of  Abraham  and  Hannah  (Edwards)  Ball,  was 
born  in  Athens,  May  2,  1828. 

His  education  was  derived  from  the  cus- 
tomary course  at  the  common  schools  of  the 
times. 

His  early  life  being  spent  at  the  home  of 
his  parents,  he  removed  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  to  Springfield  where  he  resided  and 
was  engaged  in  manufacturing  for  thirty 
years,  during  this  time  occupying  many 
responsible  positions  and  representing  that 
town  in  the  General  Assembly  of  i867-'68. 
In  1883  Mr.  Ball  removed  his  manufacturing 
business  to  Bellows  Falls  in  the  town  of 
Rockingham,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
successfully  conducted  his  business  from  this 
point. 

Politically  Mr.  Ball  has  always  afifiliated 
with  the  Republican  party  and  at  its  hands 
he  has  been  honored  with  positions  of  trust, 
representing  the  town  in  the  Legislature  of 
i88S-'90,  serving  on  the  committee  on  rail- 
roads, and  also  as  a  senator  from  Windham 
county  in  1892. 

Mr.  Ball  offered  his  sen-ices  to  his  country 
when  the  call  was  made,  but  owing  to  his 
constitution  was  not  accepted. 

Mr.  Ball  first  married  Margaret  Wilson  in 
May,  1852.  She  died  in  January,  1855,  with- 
out issue.  He  contracted  a  second  alliance 
with  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Asa  and  Margaret 
^[eacham,  in  July,  1857.   This  union  has  been 


1 8 


blessed  with   four   children  :    Margaret    E., 
C.eorge  F.,  Everett  M.,  and  Winifred  E. 

Mr.  Rail's  religious  preference  is  that  of 
the   Methodist    Episcopal   faith,  and  he  has 


admitted   to   practice   in  the  I'nited  States 
district  and  circuit  courts. 

Mr.  Ballard  has  obtained  a  well-earned 
distinction  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  while  he  has  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  best  criminal  lawyers  in  the  state,  he 
has  also  been  equally  successful  in  the  trial 
of  civil  cases.  He  is  emphatically  a  trial 
lawver  and  as  a  jury  advocate  he  stands 
among  the  best.  His  practice  has  not  been 
confined  to  his  own  locality  but  has  extended 
into  many  counties  in  the  state.  .Among  the 
notable  cases  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
are  the  celebrated  crim.  co?!.  case  of  Shackett 
against  Hammond  in  Addison  county;  the 
National  Bank  of  Brandon  against  John  A. 
Conant  et  als,  a  suit  to  recover  §125,000  lost 
by  reason  of  alleged  forgeries  ;  the  Rutland 
Railroad  Co.  against  e.\-Governor  John  B. 
Page,  noted  as  the  longest  jury  trial  ever  had 
in  New  England,  lasting  nine  weeks  ;  the 
cases  that  arose  out  of  the  Hartford  bridge 
accident  against  the  Central  \'ermont  Rail- 
road Co. ;  the  slander  case  of  Lizzie  J.  Cur- 
rier against  J.  B,  Richardson  in  Windsor 
county  ;  State  against  Edwin  C.  Hayden  for 
the  murder  of  his  wife  at  Derby  Line  ;  and 
State  against  Smith  for  the  murder  of  his 
wife  by    poison    at    Vergennes.     He    is   an 


FRANKLIN  P.  BALL. 

been  closely  connected  with  the  societies  of 
both  Springfield  and  Bellows  Falls,  always 
contributing  liberally  to  their  support. 

BALLARD,  HENRY,  son  of  Jeffrey  B. 
and  Amelia  (Thompson)  Ballard,  was  born 
in  Tinmouth,  April  20,  1839. 
;:  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  Tin- 
mouth  and  at  Castleton  Seminary,  and  im- 
mediately after  his  preparatory  studies  he 
entered  the  LTniversity  of  Vermont,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  high  honors  in  the 
class  of  1861,  having  been  selected  to  de- 
liver the  master's  oration  at  the  college  com- 
mencement three  years  later. 

In  September,  1S62,  he  became  a  student 
in  the  Albany  (N.  Y.)  Law  School  and  he 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  May,  1863, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  graduation  the  Hon. 
Amos  Dean,  the  founder  and  dean  of  the 
school,  said  of  him  that  he  was  one  of  the 
best  students  that  ever  was  graduated  from 
that  institution.  He  at  that  time  gave  prom- 
ise of  what  he  has  since  been  noted  for — a 
popular  and  successful  advocate. 

After  his  graduation,  in  1S63,  he  at  once 
entered  the  office  of  Daniel  Roberts,  Esq., 
of  Burlington,  and  there  remained  until  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  September,  1863, 
when  he  opened  an  office  in  that  city,  where 
he  has  resided  ever  since.     In  1864  he  was 


4 


HENRY   BALLARD. 


effective  speaker  on  political  subjects,  and 
since  1868  his  services  on  the  stump  have 
always  been  in  demand  during  political  cam- 
paigns, not  only  in  Vermont,  but  in  New 
York,  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts. 
He   has   sometimes  made  as  many  as  one 


liundred  speeches  in  a  single  campaign. 
He  is  a  ready  sjjeaker  upon  all  occasions 
and  he  has  frequently  appeared  upon  the 
lecture  platform. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  civil 
war  in  the  summer  of  1861,  and  immediately 
after  his  graduation  from  college,  Mr.  ISal- 
lard  enlisted  as  a  private  and  was  mustered 
into  service  as  2d  lieutenant  of  Co.  I,  5th 
Vt.  Vols.,  and  served  with  this  regiment 
through  the  Peninsula  campaign,  being  pres- 
ent at  the  battles  of  Lee's  Mills,  \\"illiams- 
burg  and  the  seven  days'  fight  before  Rich- 
mond, but  he  was  obliged  to  resign  in  July, 
1862,  on  account  of  ill  health. 

Mr.  Ballard  belongs  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  was  elected  to  the  state  Senate 
from  Chittenden  county  in  i878-'79,  serv- 
ing on  the  committees  of  judiciary,  state 
prison,  and  federal  relations.  In  i888-'89, 
he  represented  the  city  of  Burlington  in  the 
lower  branch  of  the  Legislature  and  did 
•effective  service  on  the  judiciary  and  general 
committees,  of  which  last  body  he  was  the 
chairman.  He  has  been  city  attorney  of 
Burlington  for  two  years.  In  1884  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Republican  national  conven- 
tion at  Chicago,  where  he  was  chairman  of 
the  important  committee  on  credentials. 
There  were  forty-five  cases  of  contested  del- 
egates' seats  before  the  committee  and  much 
•credit  was  given  to  him  for  the  manner  in 
which  he  acquitted  himself  in  that  responsi- 
ble and  difficult  position.  He  was  one  of 
the  reading  clerks  at  the  Republican  national 
convention  in  18S8. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Stannard  Post,  G. 
A.  R.,  and  was  a  delegate  from  that  body  to 
the  national  encampment  in  San  Francisco, 
in  1 886,  and  has  been  judge  advocate  for 
that  order  in  Vermont.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Webster  Histori- 
cal Society  of  Boston,  and  of  the  Home 
Market  Club  of  Boston,  also  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Civics,  New  York  City.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  A'ermont  Command- 
ery  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  .\lgonquin  Club,  Burlington,  and  of 
the  Lake  Champlain  Yacht  Club,  and  of 
the  Vermont  Fish  and  Game  League. 

In  religious  belief  he  is  an  Episcopalian, 
and  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Dec.  15,  1863, 
to  Annie  J.,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Huldah 
(Bailey)  Scott  of  Burlington,  and  he  has 
four  children:  Kate  (Mrs.  James  B.  Hen- 
derson of  Burlington),  Frank  Scott,  Mary  E., 
and  Maude. 

BALLOU,  HOSEA  BeRTHIER,  of  Whit- 
ingham,  son  of  Hosea  Faxon  and  Mary 
(Ballou)  Ballou,  was  born  Jan.  8,  1826,  in 
Monroe,  Mass.     His  father   was   a  L'^nixer- 


salist  minister,  and  he  is  a  grandson  of  the 
Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  father  and  founder  of 
Universalism  in  .America. 

Mr.  Ballou's  education  was  obtained  in 
the  district  schools  and  at  the  old  Whiting- 
ham  Academy.  Early  in  life  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  and  became  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  which  occupation  has  employed  him 
more  or  less  during  his  life. 

Mr.  Ballou  has  held  every  town  office  of 
importance,  has  been  town  clerk  continuously 
since  1857,  and  was  assistant  clerk  for  fourteen 
years  previous  to  that  time  ;  this  is  a  record 
of  service  unsurpassed  by  any  in  the  state. 
He  was  deputy  sheriff  for  some  fifteen  years, 
and  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  long 
period.  In  1876  he  was  made  an  assistant 
judge  of  the  county  court,  and  held  that 
office  six  years. 

In  his  political  views  Judge  Ballou  is  a 
Republican.  In  the  time  of  the  war  he  was 
enrolling  officer  for  his  district,  and  was 
active  in  filling  the  required  quotas,  and 
urging  men  to  enlist.  He  has  never  belonged 
to  any  secret  societies,  and  is  a  ilniversalist 
in  his  religious  preferences. 

Perhaps  no  man  in  his  vicinity  has  oltener 
been  called  upon  as  an  arbitrator ;  and  for 
forty-five  years  he  has  been  conspicuously 
engaged  in  probate  matters. 

Judge  Ballou  was  married  June  22,  1856, 
to  Adelia  A.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mercy 
(Bowen)  Murdock.  Of  this  union  there  is 
one  daughter  :  Flora  A.  (Mrs.  F.  D.  Stafford 
of  North  .Adams,  Mass.) 

BARNEY,  Herbert  R.,  of  Chester,  son 
of  Allen  and  Mary  L.  (Willet)  Barney,  was 
born  in  Shrewsbury,  .August  27,  1S56. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  Shrewsbury. 
Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went 
to  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  remaining  there  one 
year  as  clerk  and  telegraph  operator.  Re- 
turning to  Shrewsbury  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, he  assumed  the  responsible  position  of 
train  dispatcher,  the  duties  of  which  he  dis- 
charged for  two  years.  In  1877  he  settled 
at  Chester,  and  has  acted  in  the  capacity  of 
station  agent  there  till  the  present  time. 

He  was  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the 
Legislature  of  1888,  and  was  an  efficient 
member  of  the  committee  on  corporations. 
He  has  been  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  holding  several  eminent  po- 
sitions, as  well  as  Past  Grand  of  Chelsea 
Lodge,  No.  39,  of  I.  O.  O.  F. 

He  married,  June  7,1880,  F.mma  F.,  daugh- 
ter of  Alden  and  Mary  (Stuart)  Howe  of  Lud- 
low.    They  have  one  child  :  Florence  M. 

BARRETT,  BYRON  SIMEON,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Solomon  and  .Apphia  (Mil- 


ler)  liarrett,  was  born  in  Madrid,  N.  V.,  Dec 
II,  1 83 1. 

His  father,  Solomon  Barrett,  was  well 
known  as  the  anthor  of  a  series  of  gram- 
mars of  the  English,  Latin,  Greek,  German 
and  French  languages,  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  also  the  author  of  a  work  on 
English  grammar,  having  been  educated  at 
the  Utica  (N.  Y.)  Academy  and  the  Roches- 
ter Collegiate  Institute. 

He  married,  June  6,  1855,  Ellen  P.,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Rispah  (Burlingame)  Jones 
of  Madrid,  X.  V.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  all  now  living  :  William  Wal- 
lace, Nellie  (Mrs.  E  C.  Browne),  John  Fran- 
cis, and  Franklin  Clark. 


BYRON  SIMEON   BARRETT. 

From  i860  to  1869  Mr.  Barrett  was  asso 
ciated  in  business  with  the  firm  of  John  F. 
Henry  &  Co.,  druggists,  and  had  the  man- 
agement of  the  Montreal  branch  of  their 
business.  He  then  removed  to  New  York 
where  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Henry  in 
the  New  York  house.  He  then  engaged  in 
printing  and  literary  work  and  contributed 
for  several  years  to  Puck  and  other  metro- 
politan journals. 

He  visited  Pairope  and  spent  two  years 
in  traveling  through  the  states  and  territo- 
ries west  of  the  Missouri  ,and  from  the  mate- 
rial gathered  during  the  course  of  his  trav- 
els there  he  has  prepared  a  lecture  entitled 
"Out  West,"  which  he  is  now  delivering. 

In  1889  he  located  at  Burlington  and  es- 
tablished the  newspaper  The  Earth,  and  in 


1893  his  firm,  Barrett  cS;  Johnsons,  bought 
the  Vermont  Farmers'  Advocate  and  since 
then  he  has  had  editorial'  charge  of  both 
papers. 

Mr.  Barrett  has  never  been  an  office- 
seeker,  but  did  some  campaign  work  for 
.Abraham  Lincoln  in  1859,  and  during  his 
residence  of  nearly  twenty  years  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  he  was  active  in  Republican  pol- 
itics and  was  for  several  years  connected 
with  the  Sons  of  Temperance  and  Good 
Templars,  and  was  at  one  time  an  officer  in 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  S.  of  T.  in  the 
Province  of  (Quebec.  He  is  also  an  ama- 
teur musician  of  some  note,  having  com- 
posed over  sixty  vocal  and  instrumental 
pieces  that  have  been  published  by  1  )itson 
and  other  publishers. 

Mr.  Barrett  is  not  a  native  Vermonter,  but 
has  cast  his  lines  with  us  and  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  people  of  this 
state,  whose  interests  he  conserves  in  both  his 
papers  with  all  the  ability  he  can  command. 

BARSTOW,  JOHN  L.,  of  Shelburne, 
son  of  Heman  and  Lorain  (Lyon)  Barstow, 
was  born  in  Shelburne,  Feb.  21,  1832.  His 
parents  were  of  English  descent,  and  several 
of  his  ancestors  served  in  the  colonial  and 
Revolutionary  wars. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  began  to  teach  in  the 
district  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  He 
went  West  at  an  early  age  and  was  engaged 
in  active  business  in  Detroit,  but  in  1857 
returned  to  Shelburne  and  began  farming, 
assuming  the  charge  of  his  aged  parents.  In 
the  fall  of  1 86 1,  while  serving  as  assistant 
clerk  in  the  House  of  Representatives  at 
Montpelier,  he  was  appointed  on  the  non- 
commissioned staff  of  the  8th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols., 
and  was  afterwards  successively  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  adjutant,  captain,  and  major, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  e.xpira- 
tion  of  his  term  of  service  June  22,  1864. 
He  entered  the  service  with  robust  health 
and  vigorous  constitution,  but  nearly  three 
years  of  arduous  service  in  the  swamps  and 
miasmatic  climate  of  Louisiana  shattered 
both,  and  for  many  years  malarial  diseases 
deterred  him  from  entering  upon  any  active 
business  pursuit.  W'hen  he  was  made  major, 
the  rank  and  file  of  his  old  company  pre- 
sented him  with  a  beautiful  sword,  and  when 
he  left  the  regiment,  the  men  who  were  mus- 
tered out  with  him  presented  him  with 
another  still  more  elegant.  These  two 
memorial  gifts  are  justly  preserved  with  great 
pride  as  evincing  the  regard  of  the  enlisted 
men  after  thev  had  served  with  him  in  the 
field. 

The  historian  of  his  regiment  says  :  "When, 
after  the  bloody  fight  of  June   14,  1863,  in 


'^^^^^^, 


'^^i/?/ 


front  of  I'ort  Hudson,  (ieneral  Banks  called 
for  volunteers  to  head  a  storming  column 
for  a  final  attack,  Captain  Barstovv  was  one 
of  the  brave  men  who  stepped  forward  to 
form  the  forlorn  hope."  He  was  acting 
adjutant  general  under  Generals  Thomas 
and  W'eitzel ;  participated  in  all  the  engage- 
ments in  which  his  regiment  took  part;  was 
complimented  for  eminent  service  in  the 
field,  for  gallantry  in  the  assault  on  Port 
Hudson,  and  honorably  mentioned  for  his 
personal  services.  He  had  hardly  reached 
home  after  leaving  the  army  before  he  was 
called  into  state  service  by  the  offer  of  a 
responsible  position  in  the  recruiting  service 
by  Adjutant  General  Washburn,  which  office 
he  was  obliged  to  decline  on  account  of 
shattered  health.  In  September,  1864,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature, 
and  it  was  during  this  session  that  the  St. 
Albans  raid  occurred.  At  the  request  of 
General  Washburn,  Major  Barstow  immedi- 
ately repaired  to  the  scene  of  action  and  was 
sent  into  Canada  on  a  special  mission,  sub- 
sequently was  made  commander  of  one  of 
the  brigades  of  militia  raised  by  the  state  in 
consequence  of  that  daring  raid.  He  was 
jjlaced  in  command  of  the  forces  on  the 
northwestern  frontier  of  the  state,  and  re- 
mained on  duty  until  relieved  by  General 
Stannard  in  January,  1865.  In  September 
of  that  same  year  he  was  again  elected  to  the 
Legislature  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  his 
town,  and  in  the  years  1866  and  1867  he 
was  elected  senator  from  Chittenden  county. 
In  1870  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Grant  to  the  office  of  U.  S.  pension  agent  at 
Burlington  which  he  held  for  nearly  eight 
years.  He  at  once  set  about  reforms  that 
were  of  great  benefit  to  the  needy  pensioner, 
and  so  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  as 
to  call  from  Hon.  Carl  Schurz,  then  secre- 
tary of  the  interior,  an  autograph  letter  of 
thanks.  In  1879  Governor  Proctor  appointed 
him  state  commissioner  for  the  centennial 
celebration  of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at 
Vorktown,  and  he  rendered  effective  service 
in  securing  government  aid  for  the  under- 
taking, and  for  the  monument,  and  in  the 
arrangements  for  the  celebration. 

In  1880  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Ciov- 
ernor  for  the  biennial  term,  and  in  18S2  was 
elected  (lovernor,  the  nominations  to  each 
office  having  been  made  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  respective  conventions.  He  was 
the  first  Governor  of  Vermont  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  law-making  power  to  the 
alleged  discriminating  and  excessive  rates 
of  freight  by  transportation  companies,  and 
urged  the  creation  of  an  effective  railroad 
commission. 

Colonel  Carpenter,  in  his  history  of  the 
8th  regiment,  says  :  "The  Ely  riots  occurred 
during  Governor  Barstow's   term    of   ofifice. 


and  his  course  in  requiring  that  justice 
should  precede  force,  and  that  the  riotous 
miners  be  paid  their  honest  dues,  attracted 
much  favorable  comment  throughout  the 
country." 

The  resolution  of  the  Legislature  of  1884, 
requesting  the  Vermont  delegation  in  Con- 
gress to  use  their  best  efforts  to  secure  the 
passage  of  the  interstate  commerce  law,  was 
passed  in  pursuance  of  Governor  Barstow's 
recommendation.  At  the  close  of  his  ad- 
ministration the  Rutland  Herald  gave  utter- 
ance to  the  general  opinion  of  his  constit- 
uents when  it  declared  that  "he  had  been  as 
careful,  independent,  able  and  efficient  a 
ruler  as  Vermont  had  enjoyed  for  twenty 
years." 

The  above  sketch  might  be  largely  ex- 
tended, as  he  has  held  many  other  appoint- 
ments of  trust  and  honor,  such  as  president 
of  the  Officers'  Reunion  Society  ;  trustee  of 
the  University  of  Vermont  and  State  Agri- 
cultural College  :  trustee  of  the  Burlington 
Savings  Bank  ;  commissioner  to  fix  and  pur- 
chase a  site  for  the  Bennington  battle  monu- 
ment, etc.,  etc.  In  1891  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Harrison  to  serve  on  a  com- 
mission with  Gen.  A.  McD.  McCook,  U.  S. 
A.,  to  treat  with  the  Navajoe  Indians,  and 
the  work  was  brought  to  a  successful  and  sat- 
isfactory conclusion.  He  was  also  disbursing 
officer  of  the  commission,  and  to  the  aston- 
ishment of  the  treasury  officers,  returned 
nearly  one-half  of  the  appropriation  for 
expenses.  In  1893  at  the  request  of  Gov- 
ernor Fuller  he  has  acted  with  the  executive 
committee  of  the  national  anti-trust  society. 
In  regard  to  these  elective  offices  it  can  l)e 
stated,  as  was  said  by  Ashael  Peck  when  he 
was  elected  Governor,  "Neither  solicitation 
nor  hint  of  ambition  for  this  dignity  ever 
emanated  from  him."  Governor  Barstow 
never  directly  nor  indirectly  solicited  the  vote 
or  influence  of  any  man  for  any  elective  office. 

He  is,  in  religious  preference,  an  Episco- 
palian, and  has  been  a  Mason  since  1853  ;  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  and 
Loyal  Legion. 

He  was  married  Oct.  28,  1S5S,  to  Laura 
Maeck,  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Frederick 
Maeck,  the  first  physician  settled  in  Shel- 
burne.  Mrs.  Barstow  died  March  11,  1885, 
leaving  two  sons  :  Frederick  M.,  born  March 
3,  i860,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  in  1880,  and  is  now  a 
civil  engineer;  and  Charles  L.,  born  May  23,. 
1867,  who  was  graduated  from  Union  Col- 
lege in  1889,  and  is  now  in  New  York  City. 

BARRON,  Lyman  P.,  of  Washington, 
was  born  in  Washington,  Nov.  27,  1820. 

His  grandfather,  Isaac  Barron  of  Brook- 
field,  Mass.,  held  the  commission  of  lieuten- 
ant in  the  Revolutionary  army  signed  by  John 


Hancock,  president  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, was  captured  by  the  British  and  held 
a  prisoner  in  an  E  nglish  man-o'-\var  for 
several  years.  His  family  supposed  him 
dead.  Recaptured  after  a  daring  attempt 
to  escape,  during  which  he  suffered  incredi- 
ble peril  and  hardship,  he  was  at  length 
exchanged,  and,  with  a  bullet  in  his  thigh,  the 
unfortunate  result  of  his  effort  to  free  himself 
from  prison,  he  was  restored  to  his  family 
and  was  soon  afterward  drowned  in  the  Con- 
necticut river.  His  son  Eleziah,  when  a  boy 
often,  in  the  company  of  Thaddeus  White, 
went  from  Hanover  to  \Vashington,  then  a 
wilderness,  over  a  route  marked  by  blazed 
trees  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  whence  the 
boy  returned  alone.  Soon  the  family  re- 
moved to  W'ashington.  In  due  time  Eleziah 
married  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  youngest  of  ten  children.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Albea  Dickenson. 

Mr.  Eyman  Barron  has  lived  upon  his 
farm  for  fifty-two  years,  an  active  and  influ- 
ential man  in  business  and  public  affairs, 
represented  Washington  for  six  years  in  the 
Legislature,  has  served  as  sheriff  or  deputy 
sheriff  a  nearly  continuous  term  since  1S50, 
a  position  for  which  he  is  well  adapted  from 
his  shrewd  perception  and  fearless  action. 

He  married,  March  22,  1852,  Emily  A., 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Betsey  (Little)  (God- 
frey. They  have  one  daughter  :  Ada  Louise 
(Barron)  Dwinell  of  Taunton,  Mass. 

BATES,  Edward  L.,  of  Bennington,  son 
of  William  and  Melissa  (Scribner)  Bates,  was 
born  in  Bennington,  June  24,  1869. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  graded 
schools  of  Bennington,  supplemented  by  a 
course  of  instruction  at  the  Kimball  Union 
Academy,  Meriden,  N.  H.  Choosing  the 
legal  profession  as  a  business  of  life,  in  1875 
he  entered  the  office  of  Gardner  &  Harman, 
of  Bennington,  where  he  remained  until 
1S82,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
James  K.  Batchelder,  Esq.,  which  continues 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Bates  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
bar  of  the  Bennington  county  court  June 
12,  T882,  and  more  recently  to  that  of  the 
United  States  district  and  circuit  courts. 
He  has  also  been  appointed  United  States 
commissioner  for  Vermont. 

Though  a  general  practitioner  he  gives 
especial  attention  to  criminal  and  office 
practice.  Outside  of  his  profession  he  deals 
largely  in  real  estate  in  Bennington,  Peters- 
burg and  Cambridge,  N.  Y. 

He  is  a  firm  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  through  their  votes  has  been  ap- 
pointed to  many  positions  of  trust  and  honor. 
For  several  years  he  discharged  the  duties 
of  auditor  and  village  clerk  in  Bennington, 
was  state's  attorney,  and  was  commissioned 


by  Governors  Page  and  l'"uller  as  special 
prosecutor  of  criminal  offences.  He  has 
acted  as  corporation  counsel  for  the  village 
of  Bennington,  and  was  secretary  of  the 
citizens'  committee  of  fifty  at  the  dedication 
of  the  Bennington  battle  monument.  In 
1892  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
Governor  Fuller,  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 
He  is  very  active  in  town  and  ])olitical  affairs 
and  is  an  eloquent  and  powerful  orator  in 
political  campaigns. 

Colonel  Bates  was  united  in  wedlock  in 
May,  1882,  to  Jennie  M.,  daughter  of  Buel 
and  Mary  (Fames)  Rockwood,  who  died  in 
1884.  He  contracted  a  second  alliance  May 
17,  1887,  with  Estella,  daughter  of  Perry  W. 
and  Lucy  (Green)  FJbred,  of  Hoosick,  N.  Y. 
Of  this  latter  marriage  there  are  issue  Beulah 
Bell  and  William  Leroy  Bates. 

Colonel  Bates  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  of  the  Masonic  order,  having 
held  several  offices  in  the  local  lodge  as  well 
as  that  of  Grand  Orator  of  the  Lodge  of  Per- 
fection. He  belongs  to  the  Bennington 
Council  and  the  Oriental  Temple  of  Nobles 
of  the  .Mystic  Shrine,  and  he  has  also  affili- 
ated with  Tucker  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

BAXTER,  Edward  K.,  of  Sharon,  was 
born  in  Barton,  Feb.  3,  1840,  the  youngest 


EDWARD  K.   BAXTER. 

in  a  family  of  seven  children  of  Harry  and 
Deborah  (Steele)  Baxter. 

.\fter  the  death  of  his  father  he  removed 
to  Sharon  and  lived  with  an  uncle,  and  this 
town  has  since  been  his  home. 


24 


His  education  was  received  at  the  com- 
mon schools  and  Kimball  Union  Academy, 
Meriden,  N.  H.  He  studied  medicine  with 
Drs.  Dixi  and  A.  B.  C'rosby  of  Hanover,  X. 
H.,  attended  three  courses  of  lectures  at 
Dartmouth  Medical  College,  and  one  course 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
New  York,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  Med- 
ical College  in  1S64.  Has  been  assistant 
phvsician  at  the  Hartford,  Conn.,  Insane 
Retreat,  and  at  Sanford  Hall,  a  private  asylum 
at  Flushing,  L.  I.,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American 
Medical  Association. 

Dr.  Baxter  is  a  Republican,  and  has  always 
been  active  and  prominent  in  the  politics  of 
the  town,  having  for  several  years  served  as 
chairman  of  the  town  committee,  superin- 
tendent of  schools  and  represented  the  town 
in  the  General  .Assembly  of  1886. 

Not  being  dependent  on  the  practice  of 
his  profession  he  has  had  time  and  oppor- 
tunity to  indulge  a  natural  fondness  for  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  the  study  of  the  natural 
sciences,  especially  botany,  mineralogy,  orni- 
thology and  microscopy. 

He  was  one  of  the  principal  organizers  and 
promoters  of  the  Sharon  Co-operative  Cream- 
ery Association,  and  has  served  as  its  presi- 
dent and  treasurer. 

Owing  to  impaired  health  and  the  pressure 
of  business  cares.  Dr.  Baxter  has  recently 
withdrawn  from  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  will  henceforth  devote  himself  to 
the  care  of  his  own  business  and  the  execu- 
tion of  certain  large  and  important  trusts 
now  devolving  upon  him. 

Religiously  Dr.  Baxter  is  a  Congregation- 
alist,  and  for  many  years  has  been  clerk  and 
treasurer  of  the  church  and  society  in 
Sharon,  and  its  most  liberal  friend  and  sup- 
porter. Humane,  philanthropic  and  educa- 
tional work  have  claimed  his  interest  and 
support  to  a  considerable  degree,  as  a  recent 
gift  of  five  thousand  dollars  to  Kimball  Union 
Academy  in  her  hour  of  need  can  testify. 

Dr.  Baxter  was  married,  Sept.  5,  1880,  to 
Sarah  S.,  daughter  of  Col.  Gardner  and  Susan 
(Steele;  Burbank. 

BEAN,  Cromwell  Phelps,  of  West 

Glover,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Glover, 
.April  4,  1846,  was  the  son  of  .Amos  Phelps 
and  Phila  E.  (Sartwell)  Bean. 

Since  his  education  at  the  public  schools 
and  Orleans  Liberal  Institute  he  has  devoted 
himself  to  the  cultivation  of  the  old  home- 
stead. He  has  also  extensively  dealt  in  farm 
products  and  is  an  extensive  breeder  of 
Morgan  and  George  Wilkes  horses. 

.A  strong  Democrat  in  politics  he  has  held 
about  every  town  office  that  could  be  con- 
ferred upon  him,  and  in  18S2.  by  the  help 
of  the  Republicans,  was  elected  to  the  Leg- 


islature, being  the  first  Democrat  who  had 
been  sent  there  since  his  father  in  1859. 

He  is  a  member  of  Orleans  Lodge,  F.  & 
.A.  iM.,  and  his  religious  preferences  are  those 
of  Universalism. 


CROMWELL  PHELPS   BEAN. 

He  married,  Dec.  22,  1S67,  .Alpa  M., 
daughter  of  Ira  and  Lavina  (Camp)  Emery 
of  Burke,  by  whom  he  has  had  two  chil- 
dren :    Carl  W.,  and  Ida  L. 

BECKETT,  George,  of  Williamstown, 
son  of  William  S.  and  Polly  (Pool)  Beckett, 
was  born  in  Williamstown,  May  14,  1833. 
The  father  was  a  prominent  and  highly  re- 
spected citizen  of  that  town,  filling  several 
offices  of  trust  and  usefulness  :  thirty  years 
justice  of  the  peace,  town  clerk  thirty-five 
years,  and  captain  of  the  local  militia  com- 
pany, besides  being  four  times  representative 
from  the  town.  The  son  received  a  common 
school  education  only,  which  he  has  sup])le- 
mented  by  extensive  reading  and  intelligent 
self-culture.  He  has  been  successful  in  bus- 
iness, amassing  a  modest  competence,  a  part 
of  which  he  has  invested  in  real  estate  in  his 
native  town.  He  has  been  influential  in  found- 
ing several  stock  companies,  especially  the 
Williamstow-n  Granite  Co.,  giving  a  great  im- 
petus to  the  business  of  that  place.  As 
librarian  he  has  been  an  untiring  worker  for 
the  \^'illiamstown  Social  Library,  which  was 
started  in  1801  with  only  thirty-five  volumes. 

Mr.  Beckett  is  a  Democrat,  is  town  clerk 
and  treasurer,  having  held  these  positions  for 


more  than  ten  years.  He  was  an  incorpora- 
tor of  the  Barre  Savings  Bank  &  'I'rust  Co., 
and  now  holds  the  position  of  treasurer,  anil 
is  a  deacon  in  the  Congregational  church. 

He  married,  June  21,  i<S55,  Belle  R.,  daugh- 
ter of  Calvin  and  Dolly  (  Delano)  Flint.  I'hey 
have  one  son,  Charles  Henry,  who  graduated 
with  distinguished  honors  at  Dartmouth  and 
afterwards  at  Columbia  Law  School.  He  is 
the  author  of  "Who  Is  John  Noman?"  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  eminent  law  firm  of 
Booraem,  Hamilton,  lieckett  tv  Ransom,  of 
New  York  City. 

BEDELL,  Henry  EdSON,  of  Newport, 
son  of  James  G.  and  Amanda  (Smith) 
Bedell,  was  born  in  Troy,  July  26,  1836. 

He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of 
AVestfield  and  before  the  war  was  a  farmer, 
while  his  present  occupation  is  that  of  an 


HENRY   EDSON   BEDELL. 

auctioneer.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  D,  nth  Regt.  In  this  organization  he 
was  successively  promoted  from  private 
through  the  grades  of  corporal  and  ser- 
geant to  that  of  2d  lieutenant.  The  regi- 
ment was  first  stationed  in  the  defenses  of 
Washington,  but  was  afterwards  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor, 
and  on  the  \\elden  R.  R. ;  returned  to 
\Vashington,  and  driving  back  the  rebels 
at  Berryville,  then  up  the  Shenandoah  Val- 
ley, again  returned  to  Washington  and  was 
afterwards  detached  to  Harper's  Ferry  and 
after  many  forced  marches  and  skirmishes 
around  that  place  finally  met  the  enemy  at 


UKNEDICT.  25 

( )pe(iuan,  where  Lieutenant  Bedell,  acting 
as  captain  of  the  second  company  was 
struck  by  a  shell  which  carried  off  his  left 
leg  and  injured  him  severely  in  the  right 
hand.  He  was  conveyed  to  the  temporary 
hospital  on  the  field  and  suffered  the  ampu- 
tation of  his  leg.  A  few  days  later  the  sick 
and  wounded  were  ordered  to  be  transferred 
to  Harper's  Ferry  .As  Lieutenant  iiedell 
was  so  much  exhausted  it  was  impossible  to 
move  him  and  he  was  left  in  the  hands  of 
the  rebels,  and  would  have  perished  had  it 
not  been  for  the  kindness  of  a  rebel  lady  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  battlefield,  who 
removed  him  to  her  own  house  and  though 
her  means  could  but  barely  furnish  the 
necessities  of  life  she  nursed  him  with  such 
care  and  attention  that  he  was  finally  able 
to  be  transported  within  the  Union  lines. 

Lieutenant  Bedell  married,  March  3,  1856, 
Kmeline,  daughter  of  .Aaron  and  JAicinda 
(Hitchcock)  Burba  of  Westfield.  Si.K  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them  :  De  Etta  L 
(died  March  9,  1879),  Lucena  A. (Mrs.  Nol- 
ton  McClaflin  of  Montgomery),  Alden  N. 
(died  Nov.  3,  1892),  Herman  A.,  Betty 
Nanny,  and  James  .A. 

Mr.  Bedell  is  a  Republican  and  while  in 
Westfield  acted  as  the  constable  of  the  town 
.■\fter  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  for  twenty 
years  an  employe  of  the  LTnited  States  as 
custom  house  officer.  For  five  years  of  this 
period  he  was  stationed  at  Richford  and 
Berkshire  and  for  fifteen  years  discharged 
the  duties  of  inspector  and  deputy  collector 
at  Newport. 

He  is  a  Methodist  in  his  religious  creed  ; 
was  one  of  the  charter  members  and  found- 
ers of  Baxter  Post,  No.  5  i,  (i.  -A.  R.,  and  has 
been  its  junior  commander. 

BENEDICT,  George  Granville,  son 

of  Ceorge  Wyllys  and  F,liza(  1  )ewey)  Bene- 
dict, was  born  in  Burlington,  Dec.  26,  1826. 

Mr.  G.  G.  Benedict  prepared  for  matricu- 
lation at  college  in  the  academy  at  Burling- 
ton, entered  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont  and 
graduated  with  honors  in  1847,  receiving 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  in  1S50.  In 
1865  he  was  elected  member  of  the  corpo- 
ration of  the  university  and  was  also  ap- 
pointed its  secretary. 

Subsequent  to  his  graduation  Mr.  Bene- 
dict taught  in  the  city  of  New  York  for  about 
twelve  months,  and  for  the  three  following 
years  was  employed  in  building  the  lines  of 
the  Vermont  &  Boston  Telegraph  Co.  In 
1853  he  acquired  a  proprietary  interest  in 
the  daily  and  weekly  Burlington  Free  Press, 
became  associate  editor,  and  is  now  editor- 
in-chief  of  the  same  paper.  He  was  also 
postmaster  of  Burlington  and  president  of 
the  Vermont  &  Boston  Telegraph  Co.  from 
i860  to  1864. 


26 


In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Co.  C,  1 2th  Regiment,  Vermont  Vohmteer 
Militia.  In  January,  1S63,  he  was  promoted 
to  a  lieutenant,  and  later  was  appointed  aid- 
de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  George  J.  Stan- 
nard,  commanding  the  2d  brigade  of  ^■t 
Vols.  At  the  expiration  of  Lieutenant  Hen- 
edict's  term  of  service  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged on  the  14th  of  July,  1863.  In  1865 
he  held  the  office  of  assistant  inspector  gen- 
eral with  the  rank  of  major. 

In  1866  he  was  appointed  aid-de-camp 
on  the  staff  of  CJov.  Paul  Dillingham,  with  the 
rank  of  colonel.  In  1869  he  was  elected  to 
the  state  Senate  from  Chittenden  county, 
and  served  in  the  committees  on  education 
and  military  affairs.  Re-elected  to  the  same 
body  in  the  following  year,  he  served  therein 
as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  education 
and  in  the  committee  on  military  affairs. 

In  civil  life  Colonel  Benedict  also  served 
as  director  of  the  old  Farmers'  and  Me- 
chanics' Bank.  Very  appropriately,  too,  in 
view  of  his  antecedents,  he  has  been  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  \'ermont  His- 
torical Society  for  a  long  series  of  years.  In 
1879  Colonel  Benedict  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Proctor  state  military  historian  to 
prepare  a  history  of  the  part  taken  by  Ver- 
mont in  the  war  for  the  Union,  which  work 
he  did  with  painstaking  care  and  great  liter- 
ary ability. 

He  was  married  on  the  27th  of  October, 
1853,  to  Mary  Anne,  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Abigail  Frances  (Warner)  Kellogg  of 
Canaan,  N.  Y.  One  daughter  was  the  issue 
of  this  union.  Mrs.  Benedict  died  on  the 
9th  of  November,  1857.  Mr.  Benedict  mar- 
ried as  his  second  wife  on  the  2 2d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1864,  Catherine  Almira,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Alvin  Pease,  D.  D.,  and  Martha 
(Howes)  Pease  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  A  daugh- 
ter, who  died  in  infancy,  and  one  son  were 
the  fruits  of  his  second  marriage. 

BENTON,  JOSIAH  H.,  of  Maidstone  son 
of  Samuel  S.  Benton,  was  born  in  Waterford, 
Aug.  8,  1816. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Waterford  and  St.  Johnsbury  and 
at  Lyndon  .\cademy,  concluding  his  studies 
at  Burr  Seminary,  Manchester.  He  left  his 
paternal  home  at  the  age  of  seventeen  to 
pursue  his  education,  relying  on  his  own 
unaided  efforts  to  effect  this  praiseworthy 
endeavor.  After  teaching  several  successive 
terms  at  Belchertown,  Mass.,  and  Montpelier, 
and  in  the  meanwhile  pursuing  his  theolog- 
ical studies,  he  was  ordained  as  minister  of 
the  Congregational  church  and  settled  in 
West  .\ddison,  but  soon  went  to  Northfield, 
and  afterwards  to  Michigan  as  a  conventional 
delegate  and  settled  at  Clinton,  Mich.  Then 
he  received  a  call  to  Port  Huron,  but  in  a 


year  returned  to  Clinton.  Malaria  compelled 
him  to  return  East.  He  now  resides  upon 
his  farm  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
on  the  Connecticut  river.  "  *    ^ 

An  outspoken  advocate  of  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Benton  has  filled  several  impor- 
tant town  offices  and  was  a  member  of  the 
constitutional  convention  in  1870. 

He  married  at  Putney,  August  12,  1841, 
Martha  E.,  daughter  of  David  and  Hulda 
Danforth.  From  this  marriage  there  were 
four  children  :  Josiah  H.,  Jr.,  Martha  E., 
Mary,  and  Robert.  At  Newbury,  Oct.  9, 
1856,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Harriet 
B.,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Silence  Niles. 
From  this  union  there  were  eight  children  : 
Samuel  S.,  Harriet  Maria,  Ben  Butler,  Joseph, 
Caroline  E.,  Hugh  Henry,  John  Edwin,  and 
Mary  Edith. 

BENNETT,  Edward  Dewey,  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  Daniel  J.  and  Martha 
(Dewey)  Bennett,  was  born  in  Middlebury, 
Dec  6,  1843.  Descended  from  Daniel  Ben- 
nett, a  soldier  of  the  war  of  18 12. 

His  early  education  was  derived  from  an 
attendance  in  the  schools  of  Middlebury, 
where  he  fitted  for  college,  and  taught  school 


EDWARD   DEVv-Er    BENNETT. 


in  Upton  and  Middlebury.  In  1863  he  was 
employed  as  foreman  of  a  construction  gang 
by  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.  (Gain- 
ing a  knowledge  of  the  art  from  this  expe- 
rience, he  removed  to  Lansingburg,  N.  Y., 
where  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  office, 
and  was  also  employed  by  the  Bennington 


27 


&  Rutland  R.  R.  in  a  similar  capacity  at  the 
former  city.  Here  he  remained  until  1885, 
when  he  was  made  superintendent  of  that 
railway,  a  position  which  he  still  retains. 
In  addition  he  has  acted  in  the  capacity  of 
train  dispatcher  and  auditor  of  passenger 
and  freight  accounts  of  the  Harlem  exten- 
sion and  superintendent  of  the  Lebanon 
Springs  and  Bennington  &  Glastonbury  R.  R. 

Mr.  Bennett  is  affiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  his  business  has  left  him  no 
time  to  hold  or  seek  office  ;  nevertheless  he 
is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  member  of 
the  Bennington  graded  school  board,  and 
in  1892  was  made  president  of  that  bod\'. 
He  has  joined  the  Bennington  Historical 
Society,  and  was  one  of  the  committee  of 
fifty  who  served  at  the  dedication  of  the 
Bennington  monument.  In  1888  he  re- 
ceived an  appointment  on  the  staff  of  Gov- 
ernor Dillingham,  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

Colonel  Bennett  was  wedded  Sept.  15, 
1870,  to  lillizabeth,  daughter  of  John  and 
Sophronia  (Hurd)  Cushman.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children;  Edward 
Cushman,  Charles  Henry,  and  Bessie  Dewe\ 
Bennett. 

Colonel  Bennett  is  a  Congregationalist 
in  his  religious  belief,  and  has  occupied  the 
positions  of  deacon  and  superintendent  of 
the  Sabbath  school.  He  is  much  interested 
in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  has  been  a  member 
for  three  years  of  their  state  executive  board 
as  well  as  charter  member  of  the  local  or- 
ganization. He  is  allied  to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, and  has  presided  in  the  East  in  Mt. 
Anthony  Lodge,  No.  1 3. 

BILLINGS,  Frederick,  son  of  ()ei  and 

Sophia  (Wetherbe)  Billings,  was  born  in  Roy- 
alton,  Sept.  27,  1823. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  at 
Kimball  L'nion  Academy  and  graduated  at 
the  L'niversity  of  Vermont  in  1844.  He 
then  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Oliver  P. 
Chandler  of  \\'oodstock  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1848.  In  the  spring  of  1849  Mr. 
Billings  began  the  practice  of  law  in  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  and  for  thirteen  years  con- 
tinued it  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Halleck, 
Peachy  &  Billings.  Three  years  later  he 
made  a  trip  to  Oregon  and  Washington  to 
restore  his  health,  after  which  he  returned 
to  the  East  and  settled  in  Woodstock,  pur- 
chasing, about  1870,  the  property  known  as 
the  Marsh  estate.  There  he  made  the  most 
beautiful  home  in  Vermont. 

Mr.  Billings  not  only  took  first  rank  as  a 
lawyer  but  was  equally  prominent  among  the 
men  of  great  business  ability  who  spanned 
the  continent  with  railways.  His  energies 
were  specially  devoted  to  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific R.  R.  in  which   he  was  long  a  director, 


tor  many  years  the  manager  of  its  land  de- 
partment and  for  two  years  its  president. 

He  did  signal  service  in  saving  California 
to  the  LTnion  during  the  rebellion,  and  when 
President  Lincoln  was  considering  the  recon- 
struction of  his  cabinet  for  his  second  term 
he  assured  the  California  delegation  of  his 
intention  to  appoint  Mr.  Billings  a  member 
to  represent  that  state.  After  the  death  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  the  Legislature  of  California 
passed  a  resolution  requesting  his  successor 
to  give  Mr.  Billings  a  cabinet  position  as  the 
representative  of  the  Pacific  coast. 


FREDERICK   BILLINGS. 

He  was  married  in  New  York,  March  31, 
1862,  to  Julia  Parmly,  daughter  of  Dr.  Elea- 
zer  and  "Annie  M.  (Smith)  Parmly.  Their 
children  were  seven:  Parmly  (died,  1888), 
Laura,  Frederick,  Mary  Montagu,  Elizabeth, 
Ehrick(died,  1889),  and  Richard. 

Mr.  Billings  died  in  Woodstock,  Sept.  30, 
1S90. 

His  was  a  manhood  not  absorbed  in  great 
professional  and  business  successes  ;  it  went 
out  to  his  fellow-men  in  benefactions  large 
and  innumerable. 

Rev.  L.  G.  Ware,  himself  since  deceased, 
wrote  of  him  in  November,  1890,  the  follow- 
ing words  of  one  Christian  gentleman  of  an- 
other :  "  The  trustees  of  the  Vermont  State 
Library  desire  to  place  on  their  record,  and 
to  express  in  their  report  to  the  General 
Assembly,  their  regret  in  the  lamented  death 
of  their' fellow-trustee,  the  Hon.  Frederick 


28 


Billings.  CJccurring  within  the  first  of  his 
membership  of  the  board,  it  leaves  them  to 
miss  the  friendly  presence  and  genial  com- 
panionship which  they  promised  themselves, 
and  deprived  of  the  sympathy  and  aid  they 
were  looking  forward  to  from  the  wise  inter- 
est he  was  known  to  have  in  library  affairs  : 
an  interest  in  the  collection  of  valuable 
books  and  their  proper  bestowal,  which  he 
specially  manifested  in  the  gift  he  made  to 
the  University  of  the  State  of  the  scholarly 
library  of  the  late  Hon.  George  P.  Marsh, 
and  in  the  erection  of  the  beautiful  library 
building  which  bears  his  name  and  has  be- 
come his  fit  and  noble  monument.  But 
regret  in  Mr.  Billings'  decease,  the  trustees 
are  well  aware,  is  to  be  had  on  larger  grounds 
than  those  personal  to  themselves  in  the  in- 
timacy and  conduct  of  their  board.  They 
have  to  lament  in  his  departure  the  loss  of  a 
true  lover  of  Vermont,  who  had  a  quick  eye 
for  the  beauty  of  its  hills  and  a  heart  quick 
for  the  tradition  of  patriotism  and  integrity 
among  its  people.  He  was  the  large-minded 
citizen,  to  whom  all  the  interests  of  his  native 
state  were  dear,  but  dearest  its  highest  con- 
cerns of  education  and  all  intellectual  advan- 
tage of  moral  worth  and  religious  conviction." 

BISBEE,  Edward  W.,  of  Barre,  son 
of  Elijah  W.  and  Lydia  (Brown)  Bisbee, 
was  born  in  Waitsfield,  Feb.  27,  1856. 


He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  later 
at  Barre  .Academy,  from  which  he  was  grad- 


uated in  1875.  He  studied  law  in  Mont- 
pelier  and  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
Washington  county  bar  at  the  September 
term  of  court,  1879.  He  located  at  Barre 
in  the  following  Xovemlier  and  has  since 
practiced  his  profession  there 

Mr.  Bisbee  has  been  an  enterprising  and 
successful  young  man,  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, and  has  assisted  in  supplying  the  needs 
of  the  town,  being  popular  with  all  classes 
of  the  community  as  a  gentleman  of  good 
judgment  and  sterling  integrity  In  1886  he 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  and  organizers 
of  the  liarre  Water  Co.,  which  furnishes  the 
village  and  its  inhabitants  with  an  abundant 
supply  of  water  for  public  and  domestic 
uses,  and  since  its  organization  he  has  been 
a  director  and  its  secretary.  He  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  electric  light  company, 
which  furnishes  lights  for  the  towns  of  Mont- 
pelier  and  Barre.  In  1892  he  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  and  commissioners  to  ef- 
fect the  organization  of  the  Barre  Savings 
Bank  &  Trust  Co.,  and  is  one  of  its  stock- 
holders. 

He  was  state's  attorney  for  Washington 
county  four  years,  i886-'90.  He  is  a  Mason 
and  an  Odd  Fellow.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican ;  religious  preference  Universalist. 

Mr.  Bisbee  was  married  in  Montpelier, 
Jan.  20,  1886,  to  Julia  B.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Maria  (Wilson)  Snow. 

Bingham,  William  Henry  Harrison, 

of  .Stowe,  was  the  son  of  Elias  and  Martha 
(Robinson)  Bingham.  His  birthplace  was 
Fletcher,  and  he  was  born  .\pril  15,  1813. 

His  father,  Elias  Bingham,  in  early  life 
came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  in 
Fletcher,  which  he  represented  in  the  Legis- 
lature, dying  in  1839. 

William  H.  H.  Bingham  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  place  and 
at  the  St.  .\lbans  Academy.  When  of  age 
he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
O.W.  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Stowe  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  of  Washington  county  in  1836. 
He  first  opened  an  office  in  Stowe,  entering 
at  once  upon  an  active  professional  practice 
and  continued  there  until  1874.  He  has 
deservedly  obtained  a  very  high  local  repu- 
tation as  a  business  lawyer  and  collector, 
which  specialty  has  brought  him  into  inti- 
mate relations  with  nearly  all  the  merchants 
and  business  men  of  his  vicinity.  These 
circumstances  combined  with  his  great  per- 
sonal popularity  gave  him  a  most  extensive 
practice  for  a  rural  community.  Relying  on 
his  good  judgment  and  jirofessional  skill 
very  many  cases  were  referred  to  him  by 
the  county  and  supreme  court  in  his  capac- 
ity of  auditor,  referee,  commissioner  and 
master  in  chancery.  He  has  served  four 
terms  as  state's  attorney  for  Lamoille  county. 


r /:^^^=^"52^-^^-/^ 


30  I'.ixiJV. 

Mr.  Bingham  has  always  been  and  blill  is 
identified  "with  the  national  Democratic 
party.  In  1S53  he  represented  Stowe  in  the 
Legislature,  the  same  year  was  elected  county 
commissioner  and  in  1S62  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Censors  and  was  its  clerk.  From 
1853  to  1857  he  was  pension  agent  for  the 
eastern  department  of  Vermont.  A  member 
of  the  last  constitutional  convention  in  1870, 
he  was  appointed  in  1878  one  of  the  direc- 
tors of  the  state's  prison  and  house  of  correc- 
tion and  for  fourteen  years  served  in  that 
capacity.  On  three  occasions  Mr.  Bingham 
-was  Democratic  candidate  for  the  chief 
magistracy  of  Vermont  and  has  received  the 
largest  number  of  votes  ever  cast  for  a  mem- 
ber of  that  party.  Twice  he  has  been  selected 
as  congressional  candidate  from  his  district. 

He  was  for  many  years  director  of  the 
Vermont  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of  Mont- 
pelier,  and  for  ten  years  its  president.  He 
has  also  been  a  director  of  many  banks,  in- 
surance and  railroad  companies  and  is  now 
a  director  of  the  Central  Vermont  R.  R., 
and  director  of  the  National  Life  Insurance 
Co.,  and  Waterbury  National  Bank.  He 
also  organized  a  company,  of  which  he  be- 
came a  president,  to  erect  a  magnificent  ho- 
tel in  the  village  of  Stowe  near  the  base  of 
Mt.  Mansfield,  and  under  his  careful  super- 
vision this  enterprise  was  successfully  accom- 
plished, as  well  as  the  building  of  a  smaller 
house  upon  the  summit  with  a  carriage  road 
leading  from  the  valley  to  its  door,  thus 
attracting  multitudes  of  strangers  and  tour- 
ists. He  is  always  known  as  Ciovernor  Bing- 
ham, and  now  that  he  counts  more  than  four- 
score years  is  yet  young  in  mind  and  is  always 
gladly  greeted  by  the  younger  men  of  his 
profession  for  that,  like  all  who  know  him, 
they  respect  and  love  him. 

Mr.  Bingham  married,  July  31,  1S38,  Or- 
pha  R.,  daughter  of  Riverius  Camp,  Esq.,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Stowe.  She  died  with- 
out issue  in  November,  1891,  mourned  by 
all  who  knew  her. 

BLXBY,  ARMENTUS  BOYDEN,  of  Poult- 
ney,  son  of  William  Armentus  and  Hannah 
(Stoddard)  Bixby,  was  born  in  Mount  Holly, 
June  26,  1834. 

He  is  of  English  descent  on  both  sides 
and  is  of  the  seventh  generation  from  Joseph 
Bixby,  who  emigrated  from  the  mother 
country  in  1637  and  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts. The  English  branch  of  the  Bixby 
family  are  of  Danish  origin.  On  the  Stod- 
dard side  he  is  of  the  sixth  generation  from 
Anthony  Stoddard  who  came  from  London 
to  Boston  in  1639.  Anthony  Stoddard  was 
a  descendant  of  William  Stoddard,  a  knight 
who  came  from  Normandy  to  England, 
A.  D.  1066,  with  William  the  Conqueror,  who 
was  his  cousin. 


While  he  was  still  an  infant  his  parents 
moved  to  Shellersville,  ().,  where  both  of 
them  died,  leaving  him  an  orphan  at  the 
age  of  seven  years.  He  returned  to  Ver- 
mont and  obtained  his  support  by  labor 
upon  the  farm  during  the  summer,  while  de- 
voting his  winters  to  attendance  at  the  district 
schools.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  decided  to 
educate  himself  as  a  physician.  Commencing 
his  preparatory  studies  at  Black  River  .\cad- 
emy,  Ludlow,  and  Kimball  L^nion  Academy, 
of  Meriden,  N.  H.,  he  entered  Castleton 
Medical  College  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1858,  completing  his  course  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York. 
He  began  his  professional  labors  at  London- 
derry in  i860,  and  built  up  a  large  and  ex- 
tensive practice  in  that  and  the  adjoining 
towns.  Obeying  the  call  of  duty,  he  offered 
his  services  to  the  government  and  was  made 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  4th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols., 
continuing  in  the  army  from  Oct.  6,  1S62,  to 
Sept.  30,  1864,  when  he  returned  to  his 
former  labors.  In  1882  he  was  compelled 
to  abandon  his  practice  on  account  of  ill 
health  and  removed  to  Poultney,  where  he 
now  resides. 

In  his  religious  belief  Dr.  Bixby  is  a  liberal 
Baptist.  He  has  always  been  an  active 
worker  in  the  church,  but  his  labors  have 
never  been  characterized  by  narrow  secta- 
rianism. For  some  years  he  was  a  licensed 
preacher  in  the  IMethodist  church  and 
labored  as  a  revivalist  with  marked  success. 

During  the  agitation  of  the  slavery  ques- 
tion he  was  a  strong  opponent  of  that  insti- 
tution and  has  ever  acted  with  the  Republican 
party  till  18S4,  when  he  withdrew  and  became 
an  active  Prohibitionist.  He  was  a  member 
of  their  state  committee  for  a  number  of 
years  and  chairman  of  the  state  convention 
of  1888.  He  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the 
national  convention  which  nominated  Clin- 
ton B.  Fisk  for  the  presidential  chair.  His 
eminent  qualifications  for  official  position 
were  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
the  choice  of  his  constituents  for  the  posi- 
tion of  state  treasurer  in  1888  and  his  popu- 
larity was  evinced  by  his  running  ahead  of 
his  ticket.  He  also  received  the  nomination 
for  the  position  of  judge  of  probate  for 
Rutland  county  in  1892.  In  the  presidential 
campaign  in  188S  he  took  the  platform  and 
advocated  the  principles  of  his  party  in 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  state,  speaking  elo- 
quently and  effectively. 

Dr.  Bixby  was  united  in  marriage  March 
17,  1857,  to  Annie,  daughter  of  Luther  and 
Polly  (Hemmenway)  French  of  Mt.  Holly, 
who  died  June  10,  i860,  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Lola  Ann.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife,  Oct.  9,  1862,  Elnora  E.,  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Mary  (.\iken)  Howard  of  London- 


32  BISHOP. 

derry.     One  daughter  has  blessed  the  union  : 
Salome  Eliza. 

Dr.  Bixby  is  pre-eminently  a  self-made 
man,  who,  left  an  orphan  in  early  childhood, 
yet  struggled  successfully  to  educate  himself 
and  by  unaided  efforts  attained  an  honored 
position  in  the  community.  Independent  in 
idea  and  action  he  is  respected  by  all  who 
know  him  for  the  probity  of  his  life  and 
character  and  has  always  proved  himself  a 
firm  friend  to  those  in  adversity  and  a  kind 
and  considerate  neighbor  ;  of  him  it  can  be 
truly  said  in  the  words  of  Sir  Henry  Walton, 
"  his  armor  is  his  honest  thought,  and  simple 
truth  his  highest  skill." 

BISHOP,  William  H.,  of  island  Pond, 
son  of  John  R.  and  Harriet  (Kemp) Bishop 
was  born  at  Margate,  Kent  county,  Eng- 
land, .August  24,  185  I. 

He  obtained  his  education  in  the  English 
schools  of  Margate,  came  to  this  country  in 
June,  1868,  and  ten  years  after  settled  at 
Island  Pond.  Soon  after  his  arrival,  he  pur- 
chased the  Essex  County  Herald  and  has 
conducted  this  paper  ever  since.  Mr.  Bishop 
has  established  a  lively  local  correspondence 
in  every  quarter  of  the  county  and  made 
his  paper  in  fact  as  well  as  name  the  Herald 
of  Essex  County. 

Mr.  Piishop  is  a  Republican  from  convic- 
tion and  though  born  a  foreigner  is  instinct- 
ively American.  He  has  been  a  delegate 
to  state  and  county  conventions,  a  member 
of  the  Republican  county  committee  for 
several  years  and  has  acted  more  than  once 
as  its  chairman. 

He  has  been  for  ten  years  one  of  the 
wardens  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church, 
secretary  of  Island  Pond  Lodge  No.  44,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  he  is  prominent  in  the  lodge 
and  encampment  of  the  I.  ().  O.  F. 

He  was  married  Sept.  22,  1875,  to  Clara 
M.,  daughter  ofjames  and  Matilda(  Hay  ward) 
Wyatt.  They  have  had  five  children  :  .'Al- 
fred Ernest,  William  Henry,  Roy  A.,  Hubert 
Stanley,  and  Arthur  William  (deceased). 

BISSELL,  Edgar  N.,  of  East  Shore- 
ham,  son  of  Solomon  L.  and  Martha  M. 
(Atwood)  Bissell,  was  born  Sept.  4,  1840,  at 
Shoreham. 

He  obtained  his  early  education  at  home 
and  later  on  at  Newton  .•\cademy.  Engaged 
in  the  occupation  of  farming  and  cultivating 
a  large  portion  of  the  land  upon  which  his 
grandfather  settled  in  1777,  Mr  Bissell  has 
been  principally  known  as  a  breeder  and  ex- 
porter of  Merino  sheep  and  is  considered  as 
one  of  the  best  authorities  of  the  state  in 
this  matter.  He  is  a  frequent  and  valued 
contributor  to  various  agricultural  journals. 
He  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature 
of    1882  ;    was   state    cattle  commissioner 


under  Governor  Ormsbee  :  president  of  the- 
Vermont  Merino  Sheep  Breeders'  Associa- 
tion, i88o-'8i  ;  also  president  of  the  Ver- 
mont Sheep  Shearers'  Association  from  1S86 
to  1 89 1  and  occupied  the  chief  executive 
office  of  .\ddison  County  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety from  1886  to  1892.  He  is  now  serving 
on  the  committee  of  the  Natural  \Vool 
Growers'  .Association,  and  for  three  years 
has  been  chairman  of  that  committee.  .Ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  State  PSoard  of 
.Agriculture  by  Governor  Dillingham  he  re- 
signed the  office  to  give  his  attention  to 
other  matters. 

Mr.  Bissell  has  received  the  Masonic  de- 
gree, conferred  in  the  lodge,  chapter  and 
commandery. 

He  married,  first,  Sophia  N.,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Nancy  Needham  of  Whiting,  on 
March  4,  1863,  at  Shoreham.  From  this 
union  five  children  were  born  :  Henry  E., 
Edward  S.,  Helen  N.,  .Annie  J  ,  and  Maude 
S.  His  first  wife  died  in  .August,  1888.  On 
Dec.  28,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Franc  F., 
daughter  of  Jerry  and  Susan  Parker  of  Shore- 
ham. 

Having  a  large  acquaintance,  not  only  in 
but  beyond  his  native  town,  he  is  universally 
esteemed  and  no  one  is  considered  to  have 
acquired  a  greater  skill  in  his  specialties  than 
himself. 

BISSELL,  William  Henry  Augustus, 

late  of  Burlington,  son  of  Dr.  Ezekiel  and 
Elizabeth  (Washburn)  Bissell,  was  born  in 
Randolph,  Nov.  10,  18 14. 

He  received  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  Randolph  public  schools  and  academy, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  classical  course 
of  the  V.  V.  M.  in  1838.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  Bishop 
Hopkins'  School  for  Boys,  at  the  same  time 
studying  for  the  ministry.  Later,  in  part- 
nership with  G.  B.  Eastman,  he  established 
a  private  school  in  Detroit.  In  1838  he  was 
a  candidate  for  Holy  Orders  in  the  diocese 
of  New  York,  in  which  state,  for  a  brief 
space,  he  was  instructor  in  the  institution  at 
Troy.  In  1839  he  was  ordained  deacon  by 
Bishop  Onderdonk  of  Cavalry  Church,  New 
York  City.  Soon  after  his  ordination  he 
was  established  as  rector  at  West  Troy,  and 
was  afterwards  called  to  Lyons,  where  he 
remained  till  1848,  then  changed  his  pas- 
torate to  Genesee,  N.  Y.  In  1868  he  was 
elected  bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Vermont, 
with  his  residence  at  Burlington. 

Bishop  Bissell  was  an  Independent  in  his 
political  views,  always  voting  for  the  man 
fitted  for  office,  irrespective  of  party.  He 
was  much  interested  in  missionary  work, 
being  connected  with  all  societies  working 
under  the  authority  of  the  Episcopal  church. 


33 


He  was  united  in  marriage  August  29,  1838, 
to  Martha,  daugliter  of  Phineas  and  Maria 
(Cotton)  Moulton  of  West  Randolph.  Five 
children  blessed  this  union  ;  Martha  E.(Mrs. 
Willard  S.  Pope  of  Detroit),  Laura  A. 
(widow  of  Surgeon  Charles  S.  Oray,  U.  S. 
Navy),  Mary  A.  (Mrs.  G.  Shaw  of  Burling- 
ton), John  H.,  and  William  A. 

BIXBY,  HIRA  L.,  of  Chelsea,  son  of  Icha- 
bod  and  Susanna  (Lewis)  Bixby,  was  born 
in  Chelsea,  Sept.  13,  1833. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
the  academy  at  Chelsea,  he  remained  upon 
his  father's  farm  until  he  was  thirty-one  years 
of  age,  when  after  studying  the  art  of  pho- 
tography he  pursued  that  occupation  in 
Burlington  for  eight  years  and  then  returned 
to  his  native  place,  occupying  himself  chiefly 
with  farming  and  photography. 

In  188 1  he  originated  a  plan  for  signaling 
the  weather  forecasts  by  means  of  steam 
whistles,  which  was  received  with  favor  by 
the  weather  bureau,  and  after  the  latter  was 
transferred  from  the  war  to  the  agricultural 
department,  it  was  adopted  and  is  now  in 
successful  operation. 

In  politics  a  Republican.  Mr.  Bixby  has 
held  most  of  the  town  offices  and  is  esteemed 
a  prudent  and  public-spirited  citizen  by  his 
fellow-townsmen.  He  represented  Chelsea  in 
the  Legislature  of  1886,  where  he  introduced 
a  proposal  for  the  first  secret  ballot  system 
ever  brought  before  that  body,  and  though 
it  failed  at  the  time  its  principles  were  to  a 
great  extent  embodied  in  the  law  of  1890. 

BLAISDELL,EDS0N  G.,  of  Bridport,son 
of  Josiah  and  Cleora  (Munsill)  Blaisdell,  was 
born  in  Richford,  Dec.  13,  1846.  His 
grandfather  was  one  of  the  original  settlers 
of  the  place  and  his  father,  for  several  years, 
represented  the  town  in  the  state  Legislature. 

He  received  his  early  training  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Richford  and  at  the  high  school 
of  Fairfax.  Graduating  from  the  Commer- 
cial College  at  Burlington  in  1S64,  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  at  the  Dartmouth  Medical 
School,  and  finally  graduated,  in  1871,  from 
the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Vermont,  as  the  valedictorian  of  his  class. 
Clerk  at  quartermaster's  department  at  City 
Point  during  the  civil  war,  he  afterward 
went  to  Texas,  but  in  187 1  established  him- 
self as  a  physician  at  Bridport,  where  he  has 
built  up  a  lucrative  practice. 

A  Republican  in  politics  he  has  held  sev- 
eral town  offices,  notably  that  of  superin- 
tendent of  schools  ;  is  a  member  of  the  Ad- 
dison County  Medical  Society  and  of  the 
Masonic  order.  For  the  past  twelve  years 
he  has  been  the  clerk  of  the  Congregational 
Society  of  Bridport.  Somewhat  reserved 
and  an  opponent  of  all  display  in  his  man- 


ner of  living  he  jiossesses  the  affection  of  all 
who  come  into  intimate  relation  with  him. 
He  was  married  in  Uridport,  June  1 7, 
1874,  to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Oliver  and 
Sarah  Eldredge.  From  this  union  two  chil- 
dren are  living  :  Cleora  G.,  and  Harry  K. 

BLISS,  JOSHUA  ISHAM,  of  Burlington, 
son  of  Moses  and  Sophia  (Isham)  Bliss,  was 
born  in  Burlington,  Nov.  19,  1830. 

His  ancestors  originally  came  from  the 
county  of  Devonshire,  in  England,  emi- 
grating to  Boston  in  1635.  ^^^-  Kliss,  after 
a  preparatory  course  in  the  academies  at 
Shelburne  and  Burlington,  entered  the  L'ni- 
versity  of  Vermont,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated with  high  honors  in  1852.  He  then 
took  a  position  in  a  private  school  in  North 


*5I^  <^ 


-^fe^    ^ 


JOSHUA    ISHAM    BLISS. 

Carolina,  but  on  account  of  his  delicate 
health  was  obliged  to  resign,  and  in  order 
to  recuperate  he  spent  some  time  in  travel- 
ing in  Europe  and  the  East.  In  1857  he 
again  resumed  the  profession  of  teaching  in 
Parkersburg,  Xa.  Soon  after  he  was  ordered 
deacon  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church 
at  Burlington,  and  two  years  later  was  or- 
dained priest  at  Jericho. 

In  1863  he  was  called  as  assistant  rector 
to  St.  Luke's  parish  in  St.  .Albans,  and  after- 
wards assumed  the  sole  rectorship,  till  1S69, 
when  he  again  visited  Europe.  On  his  re- 
turn, after  a  year  of  missionary  service,  he 
assumed  the  rectorship  of  St.  Peter's  Church 
Bennington.     In  1877  he  was  complimented 


34 


by  an  apijointment  to  the  chair  of  professor 
of  rhetoric  and  English  literature  in  the  U. 
V.  M.,  where  he  remained  for  eight  years, 
when  he  was  invited  to  assume  the  charge 
of  St.  Paul's  Church  in  Burlington,  which 
arduous  position  he  has  ably  filled  to  the 
present  time.  In  1885  his  alma  mater  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  D.  D.,  having 
previously  bestowed  those  of  A.  M.  and  A. 
B.  He  is  president  of  the  standing  com- 
mittee of  the  diocese  of  Vermont,  and  has 
been  elected  several  times  deputy  from  that 
diocese  to  the  general  convention. 

He  was  married  Sept.  10,  i860,  to  Anne 
E.,  daughter  of  Carlos  and  Caroline  (Dem- 
ing)  Baxter,  of  Burlington. 

BLACK,  Henry  Fayette,  of  East  Cov- 
entry, son  of  Timothy  and  Almira  (Baldwin) 
Black,  was  born  in  Co\entry,  June  28,  1842. 

Educated  at  the  common  schools  and 
academy  of  Coventry.  He  has  from  early 
age  been  a  large  and  successful  farmer,  mak- 
ing dairying  a  specialty.  He  has  been  prom- 
inent in  town  affairs,  and  held  different  town 
offices  almost  continually.  He  was  town 
representative  in  i88o-'82,  serving  on  the 
committee  on  the  Grand  List,  which  origi- 
nated the  present  system  of  sworn  inventories 
which  makes  personal  property  bear  nearer 
its  share  of  taxation.  Has  also  been  almost 
continually  acting  under  the  authority  of  the 
probate  court,  in  the  settlement  of  estates 
and  the  management  of  trust  funds. 

In  his  political  preferences  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  and  though  a  Baptist  in 
his  religious  belief,  he  attends  and  supports 
the  Congregational  church. 

He  married, Oct.  19, 1 865, Melvina,  daugh- 
ter of  Childs  and  Ann  (Chesney)  Brooks. 
Their  children  are:  iVIyra  (Mrs.  John  H. 
Howard,  Albion,  N.  Y.),  Orrin  H.,  Mabel, 
Carrie,  Freddie,  and  Harry  A. 

BOGUE,  Homer  A.,  of  Bristol,  son  of 
Virgil  P.  and  Florentine  (Larkin)  Bogue, 
was  born  in  Enosburgh,  June  4,  1861. 

His  grandfather  was  the  first  settler  of 
Enosburgh,  and  on  his  mother's  side  he 
traces  his  lineage  to  the  Winslow  family  of 
the  Mayflower. 

He  attended  school  both  in  Enosburgh 
and  Irasburg  and  then  continued  his  studies 
at  the  academy  at  Newport.  Since  he  came 
of  a  family  noted  for  its  physicians,  he  re- 
solved to  study  medicine,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  commenced  under  the  tuition  of 
Dr.  Templeton,  of  Irasburg,  and  later  vifas 
instructed  by  Dr.  C.  B  Bogue,  of  Chicago. 
He  then  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  LIniversity  of  Vermont  and  later  that  of 
the  LIniversity  of  New  York.  Visiting  Chicago 
for  private  instruction  and  hospital  practice, 
he  finally  graduated  at  the  U.  V.  M.  in  1886. 


He  first  pursued  his  profession  at  Monkton, 
but  soon  removed  to  Bristol,  where  he  has 
met  with  much  success. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  is  justice 
of  the  peace  and  health  officer.  He  is  a 
Mason,  belonging  to  both  lodge  and  chapter. 

Dr.  Bogue  was  married  in  Irasburg  Dec. 
6,  1882,  to  Ida  M.,  daughter  of  .Abner  and 
Clorinda  (Stock)  Miles.  Their  three  children 
are  :   Ruth  S.,  George  H.,  and  Helen  M. 

BOND,  George  Herbert,  of  Brattie- 

boro,  son  of  Luke  T.  and  Elsie  (Stoddard) 
Bond,  was  born  in  Dummerston,  Ian.  31, 
1846. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools,  at  the 
age    of  sixteen   he  enlisted  in   Co.  I,   i6th 


GEORGE    HERBERT    BOND. 

Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  He  served  for  a  period  of 
nine  months  when  he  received  his  discharge. 
Returning,  he  lived  five  years  at  home,  after- 
wards in  Orange,  Lowell  and  Boston. 

In  1864,  at  the  time  of  the  St.  Albans 
raid,  he  enlisted  in  the  National  Guard  as  a 
private,  and  since  then  has  passed  through 
all  grades  until  he  has  reached  that  of 
lieutenant-colonel,  which  position  he  now 
holds. 

In  January,  1870,  he  married  iVIiss  .Addie, 
daughter  of  George  and  Elishaba  (  Maynard) 
Carpenter,  of  Orange,  Mass.  Two  daughters 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Lizzie  C,  and  Nel- 
lie G.,the  latter  Mrs.  W.  F.  Root  of  Brattle- 
boro. 

In  1872  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Brat- 
tleboro,  where  for  fourteen  years  he  was  in 


the  employ  of  the  Kstey  Organ  Co.,  but 
since  1887  has  been  engaged  in  the  coal 
business. 

He  is  a  prominent  Odd  Fellow  and  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  Wantastiquet  Lodge,  No. 
5,  I.  O.  O.  F.  ;  Brattleboro  Lodge,  No.  102, 
F.  cS;  A.  M.  ;  Fort  Dummer  Royal  Arch  Chap- 
ter, No.  12,  and  IJeauseant  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  No.  71. 

BOLTON,  PlYNN,  of  Peacham,  son  of 
Luther  C.  and  Julia  (Hooker)  Bolton,  was 
born  in  Barnet,  Sept.  16,  1S24. 

Obtaining  such  educational  advantages  as 
lay  in  his  power  in  the  public  schools  of 
Danville  and  Newbury,  in  the  intervals  of 
labor  upon  a  farm,  when  he  had  attained 
his  majority  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
found  employment.  Returning  to  Danville 
in  the  spring  of  1859,  he  purchased  a  farm 
and  cultivated  it  for  five  years.  He  then 
again  went  to  Boston  where  he  continued  a 
year  and  then  removed  to  Peacham,  follow- 
ing the  life  of  a  farmer  till  1869.  He  then 
commenced  the  business  of  a  dealer  in  pro- 
duce, and  purchased  horses  for  parties  in 
Massachusetts.  In  1873  he  changed  the 
scenes  of  his  labors  to  Peacham  Corner, 
w-here  he  operates  a  small  farm,  making  a 
specialty  of  the  products  of  the  dairy. 

His  religious  preferences  are  Congrega- 
tional, and  he  has  always  voted  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  For  four  years  he  was  called 
upon  to  discharge  the  duties  of  trustee, 
lister  and  selectman,  and  has  held  many 
minor  offices.  He  was  elected  to  the  state 
Legislature  as  representative  for  Peacham  in 
1882,  and  served  on  the  general  and  dis- 
tributing committees. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  April  8,  1858, 
to  Phebe  B.,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Phebe 
(Brock)  Wesson,  who  died  Sept.  13,  1862, 
leaving  one  son,  George  Bolton,  ^L  D.,  of 
West  Burke.  Mr.  Plynn  Bolton  contracted 
a  second  alliance  May  1 1,  1S65,  with  Martha 
J.,  daughter  of  Ira  and  Recta  (Wheelock) 
McLoud.  By  his  second  wife  he  had  issue  : 
Helen  Phebe  (deceased).  May  Evelyn,  and 
Recta  Gertrude  (deceased). 

BOOTH,  ISAAC  Phillips,  of  North- 
field,  son  of  Isaac  Billings  and  Lydia  Olney 
(Phillips)  Booth,  was  born  in  Union,  Conn., 
Sept.  10,  1843. 

He  early  evinced  a  love  for  books,  and  the 
height  of  his  youthful  ambition  was  to  obtain 
an  education  ;  but  the  circumstances  of  his 
parents  were  such  as  to  give  him  but  little 
encouragement,  yet  he  availed  himself  of  his 
slender  opportunities  to  the  utmost,  and  by 
private  reading  and  study,  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining a  fair  preparation  for  college.  Feel- 
ing himself  too  poor  to  pursue  a  collegiate 
course,  he  concluded  to    settle   down  to  a 


l',(lnlH.  35 

business  life,  but  his  first  venture  proving 
unsuccessful,  he  resolved  to  return  to  the 
vocation  of  a  teacher,  some  experience  of 
which  he  had  had  in  his  earlier  days.  He 
first  opened  a  private  school  in  White's  Cor- 
ners, N.  Y.,  but  was  soon  called  to  take 
charge  of  a  new  graded  and  high  school  in 
that  place  ;  and  after  remaining  there  two 
years  was  elected  principal  of  the  Kent,  O., 
grammar  school.  Having  spent  his  vaca- 
tions and  other  leisure  in  reading  law,  in 
1870  he  was  admitted  to  the  Portage  county 
bar,  and  shortly  after  entered  the  office  of 
M.  S.  Castle,  of  Cleveland  ;  but  this  profes- 
sion he  also  found  uncongenial  to  him,  and 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  church.     Ac- 


cordingly, he  entered  St.  Lawrence  Univer- 
sity, from  which  he  graduated  with  honor  in 
1874,  taking  both  the  theological  and  uni- 
versity course,  and  immediately  entered  upon 
his  pastoral  duties  at  Huntington,  L.  I., 
where  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
changed  the  scene  of  his  labors  to  Morris- 
ville,  and  subsequently  to  Northfield,  in 
which  place  he  soon  was  elected  to  the  pro- 
fessorship of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Norwich 
University,  receiving  from  this  institution  in 
due  course,  the  degrees  of  A.  M.  and  D.  D. 
In  1S85  Dr.  Booth  resigned  his  position 
in  the  university  and  became  principal  of 
the  graded  and  high  school  in  Northfield, 
where  he  remained  till  his  appointment  to 
the  office  of  county  supervisor  of  schools. 
In    iSSo    he    represented    Morrisville,    and 


36  P.OO'IH. 

sened  as  chaplain  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  six  years  after  was  elected  a 
member  of  that  body  from  Northfield,  serv- 
ing on  the  committee  on  education,  and 
earnestly  advocating  the  present  school  law. 
In  1891' he  again  took  charge  of  the  graded 
and  high  school,  but  has  now  accepted  a  call 
from  his  old  parish  at  Morrisville. 

Dr.  Booth  has  always  taken  a  deep  inter- 
est in  educational  matters  and  has  discharged 
the  duties  of  town  superintendent  in  nearly 
every  place  of  his  residence. 

He  was  married.  May  1,  1S66,  to  Julia  E., 
daughter  of  Laurens  Crawford,  t^sq.,  of  Staf- 
ford, Conn.  Fourteen  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :  Lydia  J.  (deceased),  Earnest 
V.  (deceased),  Laurens  C.  (deceased),  Al- 
fred P.,  Clarence  H.,  Louis  P.,  Edwin,  Frank 
L.,  Maud  G.,  .i^nnie  M.  (deceased),  Ralph 
A.,  Mabel  E.,  Julia  B.  (deceased),  and  Paul  C. 

Mr.  Booth  is  past  master  of  the  local  Ma- 
sonic lodge,  a  member  of  the  L  O.  O.  P., 
and  chief  templar  of  the  lodge  of  that  order 
in  that  town,  and  a  trustee  of  Norwich 
University. 

BOOTH,  William  W.,  of  Waltham, 
son  of  Ezra  and  Sophia  (Whalley)  Booth, 
was  born  in  Ferrisburg,  May  26,  1841. 

Educated  at  the  district  school  and  at 
Vergennes  Academy,  at  the  wish  of  his  par- 
ents he  remained  with  them  on  the  old 
homestead  till  he  became  of  age.  In  1875 
he  sold  his  estate  in  Ferrisburg  and  removed 
to  Waltham.  He  represented  that  tow-n  in 
the  Legislature  of  18S0,  and  has  served  as 
selectman,  as  well  as  in  other  town  offices. 

He  was  married  March  26,  1872,  toThirza, 
daughter  of  Aaron  and  Lottie  Field,  of  Fer- 
risburg. They  have  two  children  :  Agnes 
P.,  born  Tune  26,  1874,  and  .Arthur  E.,  born 
April  28,"  1878. 

BOSWORTH,    David,  of  Bristol,  son 

of  Hezekiah  and  Myra  (Miller)  Bosworth, 
was  born  in  Hampton,  N.  V.,  June  9,  1814. 
His  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Boston. 

Commencing  his  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Hampton,  he  entered  the 
Castleton  .Academy  and  afterwards  the  Troy 
Conference  Academy.  Leaving  school  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  returned  to  assist  his 
father  in  the  management  of  his  farm,  and 
while  here  taught  school  for  several  seasons. 
Buying  an  estate  adjoining  that  of  his  father 
he  carried  on  both  for  about  fifteen  years. 
During  this  time  he  first  felt  the  inclination 
to  preach,  and  this  he  did  with  much  success 
at  the  .\d\  ent  church  in  Hampton.  Subse- 
quenilv  he  removed  to  Bristol  where  he 
labored  for  five  years.  The  next  four  years 
he  was  in  Waterbury,  engaging  in  business 
in  conjunction  with  his  labors  for  a  strug- 


BOSWORTH. 

gling  church.  Later,  Mr.  Bosworth  lived  in 
Fair  Haven  and  Cuttingsville,  giving  all  the 
aid  in  his  power  to  the  .Advent  churches  near 
those  places.  In  186S  he  returned  to  Bris- 
tol and  became  permanently  identified  with 
the  Bristol  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  which  he 
became  one  of  the  largest  stockholders  as 
well  as  its  secretary  and  treasurer,  which 
position  he  has  held  since.  A  large  share  of 
its  success  is  owing  to  his  business  ability 
and  enterprise. 

Never  taking  any  especial  interest  in  poli- 
tics, Mr.  Bosworth  was  first  a  Democrat  and 
later  on  a  member  of  the  Free  Soil  party. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  a  consistent 
Republican.  He  has  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  schools  wherever  he  has 
resided. 


DAVID    BOSWORTH 


One  of  the  best-known  members  of  the 
Evangelical  .Advent  church  in  the  state  he  is 
at  present  president  of  the  Society  of  .Advent- 
ists  of  Vermont  and  the  Province  of  Quebec. 

Rev.  Mr.  Bosworth  was  married,  Nov.  15, 
1842,  to  Melina,  daughter  of  William  Hotch- 
kiss,  of  Hampton  ;  her  death  occurred  Feb. 
13,  1864.  Of  this  union  were  born  five 
children  :  Alice  E  ,  Amanda  M.,  Evangeline 
A.,  Ida  M  ,  and  William  H.  His  second 
marriage  was  contracted  with  Carrie  M., 
daughter  of  Harvey  and  Samantha  (Bump) 
Boardman,  March  14,  1865.  By  her  he  has 
had  five  children  :  B.  Boardman,  M.  Helen, 
Myra  M.,  Grace  M.,  and  David  R. 


BOYCE,  OSMC^RE  Baker,  son  of  Rich- 
ard 'r.  and  Joanna  (Banfield)  I'.oyce,  was 
born  in  Newbtiry,  Nov.  24,  1841. 

Born  and  brought  up  on  a  farm  he  received 
only  such  education  as  was  afforded  by  the 
district  schools.  .After  becoming  of  age  he 
turned  his  attention  to  accjuiring  an  educa 
tion,  following  anv  employment  which  offered 
the  best  inducements,  spending  as  much  of 
his  time   at    liarre  .Academy  as    his  means 


37 


organization  :  also  serving  as  grand  director, 
anil  represented  that  body  in  the  supreme 
lodge  for  four  annual  sessions.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  I.  ().().  F. 

He  was  married  in  June,  1871,  to  .\melia 
.\.  French,  of  Northumberland,  N.  H.,  who 
died  September,  1S77,  leaving  one  child: 
F.dith  .A.  In  January,  1S81,  he  married 
Louisa  I,.,  daughter  of  Oraneel  B.  Dodge,  of 
liarre. 


JSMORE    BAKER    BOYCE. 


would  permit,  and  following  teaching  suc- 
cessfully. .Acquiring  a  taste  for  professional 
life,  he  decided  on  the  law  and  read  for  a 
time  in  the  office  of  his  brother,  W.  .A.  Boyce, 
and  then  took  a  course  at  the  .Albany  (N.  Y.) 
1  .aw  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1871. 

Mr.  Boyce  first  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  (luildhall  where  he  also  edited 
for  a  year  the  Kssex  County  Herald.  In  1S74 
he  removed  to  Barre  and  formed  a  law  ]5art- 
nership  with  his  brother,  W.  .A.  Boyce,  which 
has  successfully  continued  to  the  present 
time,  the  firm  enjoying  a  large  practice  in 
Orange  and  Washington  counties. 

Politically  Mr.  Boyce  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Republican  i>arty,  and  has  been  honored 
with  many  positions  of  trust,  viz. :  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  justice  of  the  peace,  vil- 
lage trustee,  and  state's  attorney  for  F^sse.x 
county  in  1872,  and  a  senator  from  \Vash- 
ington  county  in  1S92,  serving  on  the 
judiciary  committee. 

Mr.  Boyce  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  and  has  held  various  offices  in  that 


BOYCE,  William  A.,  of  Barre,  son  of 
Richard  T.  and  J.  (Banfield)  Boyce,  was 
born  in  Newbury,  Dec.  3,  1839. 

He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  Barre  .Acade- 
my, taught  several  years  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  state  with  marked  success,  two  of 
these  as  principal  of  the  Cabot  high  school. 

Having  decided  to  enter  the  profession 
of  the  law  for  his  life  work,  he  studied  three 
years  in  the  office  of  the  late  1..  C.  Wheelock 
and  of  the  late  E.  E.  French,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Washington  county  bar  at  the 
March  term  in  i86g,  and  soon  after  opened 
an  office  in  Barre  and  engaged  in  the  active 
jiractice  of  his  profession.      In  1875  he  took 


WILLIAM    A. 


into  partnership  his  brother,  ().  B.  Boyce, 
and  since  that  time  the  firm  have  enjoyed  a 
large  and  successful  general  practice.  He 
has  also  been  extensively  and  successfully 
engaged  in  real  estate  transactions.  .At  the 
organization  of  the  Barre  Savings  Bank  & 
Trust  Co.  he  was  elected  one  of  its  directors 


38  BOVDEN. 

Mr.  Boyce  has  repeatedly  held  the  office  of 
town  treasurer,  superintendent  of  schools, 
and  lister,  and  he  has  also  represented  Barre 
in  the  Legislatures  of  i872-'73.  He  is  a 
member  of  Hiawatha  Lodge,  Xo.  20,  L  O. 
O.  I". 

BOYDEN,  Nelson  L.,  of  Randolph 
Center,  son  of  Luther  and  Hannah  (Gofif) 
Boyden,  was  born  in  Barnard,  July  19, 1836. 

His  educational  advantages  were  derived 
from  the  district  schools,  the  Royalton 
Academy  and  Orange  county  grammar 
school.  Left  an  urphan  in  his  earliest  boy- 
hood, he  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  after- 
wards read  law  with  Hon.  Philander  Perrin, 
being    admitted  to  the  Orange  county    bar 


NELSON    L.    BOYDEN 


in  1S65.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Randolph  Center  where  he  has 
always  remained  and  enjoyed  a  large  and 
fairly  successful  business.  In  addition  he  is 
the  owner  of  a  large  farm  and  one  of  the 
finest  herds  of  Jerseys  in  the  state,  and  pays 
much  attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine  horses. 
Mr.  Boyden  is  a  Republican  and  has  filled 
many  offices  of  trust.  He  has  been  super- 
intendent of  schools  in  Barnard  and  Ran- 
dol]jh,  and  town  clerk  in  the  latter  place  for 
twenty-five  years.  He  was  chosen  senator 
from  Orange  county  in  18S2,  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  education  and  re- 
form school,  besides  serving  on  the  judiciary 
committee.  In  i8S8-'8g  he  represented  the 
town  of  Randolph  in  the  Legislature,  being 
chairman  of  the  committees  on  railroads  and 


Grand  Isle  bridge  and  also  a  member  of  the 
judiciary  committee.  He  was  state's  attor- 
ney for  Orange  county  in  i87o-'72-'74-'76, 
and  has  been  both  member  and  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  Randolph  State  Nor- 
mal School.  For  the  interest  of  this  institu- 
tion Mr.  Boyden  has  labored  assiduously, 
and  when  their  building  was  burned  in  the 
summer  of  1893  he  was  unanimously  chosen 
chairman  of  the  committee  to  erect  a  new 
edifice,  and  to  this  end  he  has  given  his  clos- 
est attention  with  flattering  prospects  of 
success. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  the  I.  O.  O.  F,,  has  filled  the  chairs  in 
the  four  local  bodies  of  the  former  society 
at  West  Randolph,  and  is  a  member  of  Mt. 
Zion  Commandery  Knights  Templar  at 
Montpelier. 

Mr.  Boyden  was  united  in  marriage  to  E. 
Angene,  daughter  of  Oeorge  and  Arminda 
(Miner)  Carpenter.  They  have  had  five 
children,  two  of  whom  survive  :  Charles  I., 
and  Florence  L. 

BOYNTON,  THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  of 
Montpelier,  the  son  of  David  F.  and  Lydia 
(Roberts)  Boynton,  was  born  in  \Vestfield> 
Dec.  30,  1856. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  \Vest- 
fieldand  the  State  Normal  School  at  Johnson, 
where  he  graduated,  he  taught  several  terms 
in  common  and  graded  schools.  In  1878  he 
began  to  read  law,  but  ill  health  compelled 
a  cessation  of  study.  In  1S79  he  resumed 
his  legal  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  the  April  term  of  Lamoille  county  court 
and  afterward  received  the  same  privilege 
in  Suffolk  county,  Mass.,  on  Nov.  16,  1889. 
He  practiced  law  m  Johnson  till  July  15, 
1875,  when  he  was  appointed  P.  O.  Inspec- 
tor in  charge  of  the  New  England  division, 
which  position  he  resigned  June  25,  1889, 
when  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion and  located  in  Montpelier,  continuing 
until  November,  1S93,  when  he  again  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  P.  O.  Inspector 
with  headquarters  in  Boston,  where  he  now 
resides. 

A  Democrat  in  his  political  faith,  Mr. 
Boynton  has  filled  the  usual  town  offices, 
and  he  represented  Montpelier  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1892,  being  the  leader  of 
his  party  during  that  session  and  intluential 
in  the  work  of  the  House.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  1  )emocratic  state  committee  from 
1882  to  1886  and  is  now  its  chairman. 

He  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  on  the  roll  of  Waterman  Lodge,  No. 
83,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  Boynton  married,  Dec.  27,  1879,  Miss 
Hattie  L.,  daughter  of  Elizah  O.  and  Judith 
Story,  of  Johnson.  They  have  one  child  i 
Marion  J. 


39 


BOYNTON,  William  Seward,  of  St. 

Johnsbury,  son  of  David  and  Harriet  (Cham- 
berlain) Boynton,vvas  born  in  St.  Johnsliviry, 
.\pril  2,  1853. 

His  earlv  education  was  received  at  the 
public  schools  of  that  town.  He  afterwards 
attended  the  St.  Johnsbury  Academy,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1873.  He  entered  Cornell 
University  with  the  class  of  1S77,  where  he 
pursued  a  scientific  and  literary  course  of 
studies.  In  1877  he  became  treasurer  and 
a  trustee  of  the  Passumpsic  Savings  Bank, 
which  position  he  has  since  held.  He  has 
also  served  as  treasurer  of  the  village,  county 
and  union  school  district. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  an  hon- 
orary member  of  the  National  Cuard  of 
Vermont,  having  served  as  ist  lieutenant  of 
Co.  n,  ist  regiment. 

.A  member  of  Passumpsic  Lodge,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  he  also  for  fifteen  years  has  been  junior 
warden  of  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church 
of  St.  Johnsbury. 

September  8,  18S1,  Mr.  Boynton  was 
married  to  Ida  P.  Bancroft,  formerly  of 
Chelsea,  Mass.,  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and 
Statira  (Haskell)  Bancroft.  Their  three 
children  are  :  Helen  Agnes,  Alice  Harriet, 
and  William  Henry. 

BRADY,  Charles  N.,  of  Newport,  son 
of  Patrick  and  Hannah  (O'Connor)  Brady, 
was  born  in   Haverhill,  N.  H.,  Feb.  9,  1855. 

His  education  was  obtained  at  the  public 
schools  and  the  Methodist  Seminary  at 
Newbury. 

He  began  business  life  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen by  mastering  the  art  of  telegraphy, 
which  he  practiced  in  summer  until  1877, 
when  he  entered  the  general  offices  of  the 
Passumpsic  R.  R.  at  Lyndonville,  filling 
various  minor  positions  until  he  was  made 
night  train  dispatcher  in  1879,  which  occu- 
pation he  relinquished  after  one  year's 
service  on  account  of  ill  health.  Two  years 
afterwards  he  entered  the  train  service  in  the 
passenger  department.  In  1886  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Newport,  and  until  the  early 
part  of  t8S8  devoted  his  time  entirely  to  the 
real  estate  business.  In  February  of  that 
year,  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Sherman  &  Brady,  successors  to  Sherman  & 
West,  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  flour, 
feed,  etc.,  taking  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the 
concern  and  doubling  its  general  business 
and  storage  capacity  the  first  two  years,  also 
adding  to  its  facilities  a  steam  grist  mill 
with  elevator,  etc. ;  and  at  the  present  time, 
is  conducting  one  of  the  most  important  in- 
dustries in  Northern  Vermont. 

Mr.  lirady  was  one  of  the  incorporators, 
and  at  present  is  a  director  of  the  Newport 
Board  of  Trade,  and  vice-president  and  treas- 
urer of  the    Memphremagog    Driving    Park 


.\ssociation.  Mr.  l!ra<ly  is  one  of  the  prime 
movers  and  ablest  supporters  of  all  the  im- 
provements that  Newport  at  present  enjoys  ; 
to  him  is  due  in  a  great  measure  the  estab- 
lishment of  both  the  water  and  sewer  system 
in  the  town,  also  the  electric  lights  and  con- 
crete sidewalks.  He  is  vice-president  of  the 
Moir  Granite  Co.,  which  has  recently  located 
the  United  States  branch  of  their  works  at 
Newport,  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Brady.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  New- 
port Loan  and  Building  Club,  and  an  ener- 


CHARLES  N.  BRADY. 


getic  citizen  who  never  allows  any  opportu- 
nity to  escape  him  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock  Dec.  20,  18S6, 
to  May,  daughter  of  Solomon  M.  and  Louisa 
(Sias)  Field. 

Mr.  Brady  is  an  ardent  Democrat  who  has 
never  sought  jiolitical  preferment. 

BRADFORD,  PHILANDER  D.,  late  of 
Northfield,  was  born  in  Randolph,  .April  9, 
iSii,and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Lucy 
(Brooks)  Bradford.  His  father  was  a  lineal 
descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  from 
Governor  William  Bradford,  who  came  over 
in  the  Mayflower.  An  orphan  at  the  age 
of  seven  years,  he  found  a  home  with  the 
relatives  of  his  mother  at  Alstead,  N.  H., 
but  returned  to  Randolph  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  and  entered  the  Orange  county 
grammar  school.  Five  years  later  he  com- 
menced  the    study   of    medicine   with   his 


40 


brother,  Dr.  Austin  Bradford,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three  graduated  from  the  Wood- 
stock Medical  School,  then  a  branch  of  Mid- 
dlebury  College.  He  practiced  medicine  in 
Braintree,  Randolph  and  Bethel  In  1850 
he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the 
University  of  \'ermont.  In  1S54  he  perma- 
nently settled  in  the  town  of  Northfield.  In 
1857  he  became  professor  of  physiology  in 
the  medical  college  of  Castleton,  and  held 
that  position  until  December,  iS62,when  he 
resigned.  An  antiquarian  by  nature,  he 
made  a  large  collection  of  objects  of  inter- 
est and  historical  value,  as  well  as  a  fine  col- 
lection of  minerals,  which  he  donated  to 
Norwich  L'niversity,  where  they  are  known 
as  the  Bradford  collection. 

Dr.  Bradford  belonged  to  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
from  Randolph  in  iS53-'54.  In  the  latter 
year  he  was  made  commissioner  of  the  in- 
sane and  served  the  state  in  this  capacity 
for  two  years.  In  1862 -'63  he  was  elected 
senator  from  Washington  county,  and  in  the 
last  year  president  of  the  ^'ermont  Medical 
Society.  .\  strenuous  advocate  of  the  cause 
of  human  rights,  of  temperance  and  all 
moral  reforms  he  was  elected  a  trustee  of 
Norwich  University.  In  December,  1S62, 
he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  5  th 
Regt.  \'t.  \'ols.,  but  from  ill  health  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  the  ensuing  April. 

In  i860  he  was  made  G.  M.  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  was  also  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  grand  division  of  the  Sons 
of  Temperance.  In  1875  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Right  Worthy  (Irand  Lodge  U.  S.  I.  ( ). 
O.  F.,  and  in  1879  of  Right  Worthy  Grand 
Lodge  I.  O.  G.  T. 

He  was  a  liberal  supporter  of,  and  a  con- 
stant attendant  at  the  services  of  the  Pro- 
testant P^piscopal  church,  and  was  senior 
warden  of  the  same  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

Dr.  Bradford  married  first  Susan  H.  Edson 
of  Randolph  in  1835,  who  died  in  October, 
1865,  leaving  one  child,  Mrs.  George  W. 
Soper,  who  died  in  1889.  In  May,  1867, 
Dr.  Bradford  married  Mrs.  Olive  Moore, 
widow  of  Hiram  Moore,  Esq.  The  second 
Mrs.  Bradford  died  .August  5,  1890.  Dr. 
Bradford  died  at  Northfield,  July   16,  1892. 

BRAGG,  AZRO  D.,  of  Fayston,  born 
in  Warren,  Nov.  25,  1834,  was  the  son  of 
William  and  Chloe  (Buck)  Bragg. 

His  father  being  crippled  from  rheuma- 
tism when  .Azro  was  a  young  lad,  he  took 
charge  of  the  farm,  manifesting  even  at  that 
age  the  energy,  self-reliance  and  persever- 
ance that  has  made  him  a  successful  man. 
He  has  passed  most  of  his  life  in  the  town  of 
Fayston.  Here  he  occupies  himself  with 
dairying  and  stock  raising.      From    a    fine 


sugar  orchard  of  two  thousand  trees  he  sends 
to  the  West  large  quantities  of  maple  syrup 
each  season. 

Mr.  Bragg  is  an  active  Republican  and 
has  attended  as  delegate  every  county  con- 
vention but  two  for  the  last  thirty  years ; 
represented  Fayston  in  the  Legislature  in 
i870-'7i,  besides  holding  many  town  offices. 

He  was  four  years  Master  of  Waitsfield 
Grange,  P.  of  H.,  is  a  member  of  I.  ().  G. 
T.,  and  was  for  six  years  superintendent  of 
the  M.  E.  Sabbath  school  of  Waitsfield  and 
Favston. 


AZRO   D.   BRAGG. 

He  was  married,  Jan.  9,  1855,  to  Anna 
B.,  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Lydia  (Bixby) 
(iriggs.  Thev  have  had  five  children : 
Francis  A.,  Emily  L.  (died,  1881),  Hattie 
E.  (Mrs.  Ci.  F.  .Ainsworth  of  Minneapolis), 
William  ( '.,  and  an  infant  son,  who  died  in 
1862. 

BRANCH,    Charles    Franklin,    of 

Newport,  son  of  (Jrson  and  Rodilla  (Felton) 
Branch,  was  born  in  Orwell,  Dec.  9,  1845. 

His  preliminary  education  was  received 
in  the  village  schools,  and  he  was  fitting  for 
college  when  the  civil  war  destroyed  all 
taste  for  study.  Eager  to  participate  in  the 
stirring  events  of  the  times,  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  C,  9th  Vt.  Vols.,  and  was  successively 
promoted  from  pri\ate,  through  the  grades 
of  corporal,  sergeant,  lieutenant  and  cap- 
tain, which  last  position  was  assigned  him 
for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  the 
field  before  Richmond  ;  later  he  was  breveted 


41 


major  for  conspicuous  conduct  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Richmond,  Ai)ril,  1S65.  He  was  an 
active  participant  in  all  the  varied  experi- 
ences of  his  regiment,  including  their  unfor- 
tunate capture  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  was 
among  the  first  to  enter  the  rebel  capital. 
He  was  twice  wounded  .  in  battle,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  from  the  service  in 
December.  i.S6^. 


centennial.  He  is  medical  examiner  for 
nine  prominent  life  insurance  companies, 
and  surgeon  for  the  southern  division  of  the 
C.  P.  r"  R. 

He  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters,  and  for  many  years  was  su- 
perintendent of  schools  in  Coventry.  He  is 
esteemed  one  of  the  best  speakers  on  the 
subject  of  the  war  in  the  state,  and  is  in  de- 
mand as  a  Memorial  Day  orator.  He  has 
no  disposition  to  seek  office  ;  is  a  Congrega- 
tionalist  in  his  religious  belief,  earnest  and 
conscientious  in  his  every-day  life,  and  ever 
ready  to  strive  for  the  public  weal. 

Dr.  Branch  was  united  in  marriage  at 
Orwell,  March,  1S6S,  to  Emma,  daughter  of 
James  and  Lucretia  (Calkins)  Cook  by 
whom  he  had  issue  :  James  ().,  May  E.,  and 
Alliene  E.  Mrs.  Branch  deceased,  Septem- 
ber, I S76.  In  Coventry  he  was  again  united  in 
marriage  to  Ida  H.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Sam- 
uel Burbank.  From  this  union  was  born 
one  daughter,  Helen  L.  His  second  wife 
died  in  February,  1888,  and  he  contracted  a 
third  alliance,  at  Derby,  with  Martha  J., 
daughter  of  Hon.  Emera  and  Julia  (Dag- 
gett) Stewart,  in  October,  1.S91. 

BREWSTER,  GEORGE  BENJAMIN,  of 
Irasburgh,  son  of  Phineas  and  l.ydia  (Isham) 
ESrewster,  was  born  in  St.  (leorge,  August 
4,  1823. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
of  St.  deorge,  Shelburne,  and  at  Hinesburgh 
Academv.      In     18^1    he    rtmo\ed    to    Iras- 


CHARLES    FRANKLIN    BRANCH. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  returning  home, 
he  was  anxious  to  continue  his  studies,  but 
his  parents  desired  that  he  should  remain  on 
the  farm,  which  he  did  until  1875,  when  he 
decided  to  adopt  the  profession  of  his  choice. 
Graduating  with  honors,  and  pursuing  fur- 
ther instruction  in  hospital  work,  he  settled 
in  Coventry,  and  in  1887  moved  to  Kewpoit, 
and  has  become  one  of  the  leading  physi- 
cians of  his  section.  He  has  been  United 
States  pension  examiner  for  several  years, 
also  professor  of  state  medicine  and  hy- 
giene in  the  State  University.  He  is  an 
active  member  in  the  Orleans  County  Medi- 
cal Society,  the  Vermont  State  Medical 
Society,  and  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. For  several  years  was  surgeon  to  the 
ist  Regt.,  V.  N.  G.,  and  was  surgeon-gen- 
eral of  Vermont  in  i886-'88.  He  is  an 
ardent  G.  A.  R.  man  and  member  of  the 
Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is 
a  member  of  Central  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M., 
Cleveland  Chapter  and  Malta  Commandery 
K.  T.  ;  of  this  last  body  he  was  chief  mar- 
shal at   the   celebration  of  the  ]!eunin<;ton 


3eORGe    BENjAMIf 


42 


burgh,  where  he  now  owns  n  farm  of  four 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  In  addition  to  his 
farming  interests,  he  has  for  more  than 
twenty  years  been  an  extensive  dealer  in 
butter  and  agricultural  implements.  He  has 
always  been  ambitious  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  the  farmer  and  was  the  first  to  organ- 
ize a  farmers'  league  in  the  state. 

Always  a  Republican,  he  served  in  the 
state  Legislature  in  1 869-' 70.  He  is  in 
religious  belief  a  Universalist,  and  for  many 
years  was  instrumental  in  maintaining  Uni- 
versalist preaching  in  his  town. 

He  married,  first,  June  16,  1852,  Emily 
Holbrook,  daughter  of  Peletiah  Holbrook, 
and  second,  Sept.  26,  1855,  Mary  A.  Leon- 
ard, daughter  of  \\illard  and  Amy  (Lary) 
Leonard  of  Glover.  He  has  two  sons  and  a 
daughter:  ^\'.  F.Brewster  (living  in  Iras- 
burgh),  Leonard  K.  Brewster  (of  Boston), 
and  Emily  F.  Brewster  (wife  of  Dr.  E.  M. 
Shaw  of  Spokane,  Wash.) 

His  high  moral  principles  and  progressive 
nature  demonstrated  in  his  every-day  busi- 
ness life,  together  with  his  cheerful,  indus- 
trious comiianion,  has  given  to  him  a 
beautiful  countrv  home,  where  he  now  lives 
a  comfortable  retired  life,  and  a  respected 
citizen. 

BRIDGMAN,  DORMAN,  JR.,  of  Hard- 
wick,  son  of  Dorman  and  Achsah  (Mitchell) 
Bridgman,  was  born  in  Hardwick,  Feb.  7, 
1837.  His  grandfather,  Capt.  John  Bridg- 
man, was  the  first  settler  (1795)  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  town,  where  he  cleared 
the  farm  on  which  his  son  was  born,  and 
which  has  always  remained  in  the  family. 
The  son  was  the  first  postmaster  of  Hard- 
wick and  the  first  and  most  prominent  mer- 
chant of  the  place.  Both  Capt.  John  and 
Dorman,  Sr.,  were  prominently  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  the  town.  The 
former  was  a  volunteer  at  Plattsburg  in  the 
war  of  18 1 2,  and  in  addition  to  his  agricul- 
tural pursuits  was  an  inn-keeper,  furnishing 
good  entertainment  for  man  and  beast  at  the 
homestead  farm  under  the  sign  of  the  "Half 
Moon  and  Dove,"  A.  ]).  1800. 

Dorman  Bridgman,  Jr.,  received  the  cus- 
tomary education  at  the  public  schools,  then 
attended  the  Hardwick  and  afterwards  the 
Peo])le's  .-\cademy  at  Morrisville.  After 
teaching  several  terms  in  various  towns, 
the  California  gold  fever  seized  him  in  1858, 
and  he  started  for  Pike's  Peak.  In  i860  he 
returned  to  Hardwick  and  employed  himself 
as  proprietor  of  the  hotel  in  that  place  till 
1862,  when  his  father  took  the  house,  the  son 
retiring  to  the  paternal  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained for  five  years,  then  purchased  an 
estate  in  \\'oodbury.  In  1879  he  engaged 
with  M.  V,.  Tucker  in  the  lumber  business 
and    erected  a  mill  in  Mack\ille,  where  he 


remained  till  1886,  when  he  returned  to 
Hardwick  village.  Since  his  return  he  has 
occupied  himself  principally  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  material  interests  and  prosperity 
of  the  village,  the  rapid  growth  of  which  is 
largely  attributed  to  him.  During  this  time 
he  has  been  chosen  to  different  town  and 
village  offices,  and  is  at  the  present  time 
(1893)  chairman  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
and  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  town.  He 
was  largely  interested  in  securing  the  incor- 
poration of  the  village  in  1890,  and  was 
elected  its  first  president :  and  again  in  1892- 


■'^*^ 


/-^ 


DORMAN   BRIDGI.Al.,   jr. 

'93.  He  has  been  at  various  times  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  town  representative, 
polling  very  much  more  than  the  party  vote. 
Mr.  Bridgman  early  interested  himself  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Hardwick  Savings  Bank 
&  Trust  Co.,  organized  in  July,  1893,  and  is 
at  present  a  director  and  one  of  its  largest 
stockholders. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  November, 
i860,  to  lennie  R.,  daughter  of  (ieorge  and 
Eliza  (Renfrew)  W'hitcher  of  Albanv. 

BRIGHAM,  Charles  Orson,  of  Rut- 
land, son  of  Leander  D.  and  Eliza  ( Bates) 
Brigham,  was  born  in  Ogdensburg.  N.  V., 
Dec.  23,  1847. 

His  early  childhood  was  passed  in  Oshawa, 
Ont.,  until  the  death  of  his  parents,  when 
with  his  brothers  and  sisters  he  came  to  re- 
side with  his  grandmother  at  Westford.  As 
she  was  a  woman  who  held  fast  to  the  Puri- 
tanical faith  of  her  ancestors  and  was  well 


versed  in  nil  business  operations,  her  iiitlu- 
ence  strongly  impressed  the  boy  who  devoted 
his  attention  to  study  during  his  evenings, 
after  the  steady  daily  toil  upon  a  rocky  hill- 
farm,  the  care  of  which  he  manfully  took 
upon  his  young  shoulders.  Ha\ing  availed 
himself  of  the  best  possible  advantages 
afforded  him  by  the  district  and  "select 
school "  of  the  village,  Mr.  Brigham  com- 
menced a  course  of  study  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  in  the  Essex  Academy,  which  was 
unhajiiiilv  interrupted  before  it^  coiniiletion 


r.KIUHAM.  43 

his  town,  and  was  e\er  liberal  in  helping 
other  societies  besides  his  own. 

He  was  married,  on  April  25,  1876,  to 
Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Samuel  G.  and  Phebe 
{Dimicki  Bishop,  who  has  liorne  him  one 
son  :    Lynn  B. 

In  1880,  while  making  improvements  on 
the  farm  of  his  father-in-law  in  Westford, 
urgent  calls  for  nursing  in  that  vicinity 
seemed  to  develoj)  a  special  aptitude  and 
interest  in  this  occupation,  and  eyesight  and 
health  appearing  established  now  on  a  firm 
basis,  he  commenced  a  study  of  medical 
works,  which  resulted  in  his  entering  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of 
\'ermont  in  the  spring  of  1883.  Dr.  Brigham 
received  his  diploma  in  1886,  after  having 
taken  a  full  course  of  surgery  and  medicine, 
and  has  practiced  with  marked  success  ever 
since  in  Pittsford  and  the  adjoining  towns. 
He  is  thoroughly  in  earnest  in  his  work,  and 
his  reputation  has  made  him  an  acti\e  mem- 
ber of  the  Rutland  County  Medical  and 
Surgical  Society,  which  has  a\ailed  itself  of 
his  services  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  Soci- 
ety. In  1893  he  removed  from  Pittsford  to 
Rutland,  where  he  now  resides. 

BRIGHAM,    Frederick    Lucian,  of 

Pittsfield,  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Mary  L. 
Brigham,  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  July  7, 
1862. 


CHARLES   ORSON    BRIGHAM. 

by  the  destruction  of  the  school  buildings  by 
fire,  and  the  bursting  of  a  blood  vessel  in  one 
of  his  eyes.  Overwork  and  hard  study  had 
been  a  double  draft  on  wearv  nature,  and 
partial  blindness  seemed  about  to  blot  out 
his  prospect  of  a  professional  career,  doing 
with  one  of  his  fellow-students  to  his  home 
at  Pittsford,  he  labored  as  he  was  able  for  a 
short  period,  little  thinking  that  in  the  future 
he  would  return  here  in  a  professional  capac- 
ity, after  an  interval  of  fifteen  years  of  weary 
waiting  and  uncongenial  occupations.  I'his 
time  he  spent  mostly  in  Westford  as  clerk  in 
the  store  of  a  general  merchant,  or  teaching 
school  in  the  long  winters  and  employing  the 
summer  season  in  agricultural  pursuits  and 
in  fire-insurance  agencies,  when  his  health 
and  eyesight  would  permit. 

He  was  e\er  an  active  worker  in  church, 
Sunday-school  and  choir.  Uniting  with  the 
Congregationalists  in  early  manhood,  he  was 
always  prompt  to  engage  in  any  enterprise 
which  would  promote  the  public  welfare  in 


FREDERICK   LUCIAN   BRIGHAM. 


His 


early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
State  Normal  School  at    Randolph,  and  the 


44 


Vermont  Methodist  Seminary  in  Montpe- 
lier,  and  he  graduated  from  the  medical  col- 
lege at  Dartmouth  in  1887,  receiving  the 
diploma  of  M.  D.  He  immediately  settled 
in  his  native  town  where  he  has  remained, 
enjoying  a  very  successful  practice  as  a 
regular  physician.  In  1892  he  was  appoint- 
ed health  officer  of  Pittsfield,  and  in  the 
same  year  was  elected  town   representative. 

I  )r.  Brigham  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  in  which  he  took  the  Blue  Lodge 
degrees  at  Rochester  in  1885. 

He  was  united,  Feb.  9,  1887,  to  Keta  L., 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Eldora  A.  Davis. 


Ills  discharge  May  i-j,  1865.  He  then  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  clerk  in  the 
Treasury  Department  at  Washington,  which 
position  he  resigned  in  September,  1866. 

Returning  to  Vermont  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  farming,  and  has  pursued  this  voca- 
tion with  success. 

Captain  Brookins  was  elected  by  the  Re- 
publicans of  the  town  to  the  Legislature  of 
1 8 76-' 78,  and  has  creditably  served  on 
several  committees.  He  also  served  his 
town  as  constalile  from  i872-'8o,  when  he 
resigned,  and  has  held  other  town  offices. 


BROCK,  WiLLIA.M  Wallace,  of  New- 
bury, son  of  William  and  .\nna  (Wallace) 
Brock,  n-as  born  in  Newbury,  June  7,  1819. 

His  father,  a  prominent  citizen  of  New- 
bury, had  him  educated  at  the  public  schools 
and  seminary  of  that  place.  He  lived  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  until  1858, 
when  he  removed  to  the  old  Brock  home- 
stead, where  he  now  resides.  .\  daughter, 
making  the  fourth  generation  of  Brocks,  still 
resides  with  her  parents.  This  farm,  from 
the  neatness  of  its  surroundings,  its  appear- 
ance of  thrift  and  comfort,  presents  the 
picture  of  a  typical  New  England  home. 

Mr.  Brock  has  also  the  care  of  several 
estates  in  the  town,  whose  owners  are  resi- 
dents, showing  how  much  he  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence of  those  who  know  him.  A  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  belief,  he  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  for  forty  years,  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  in  i865-'66,  and 
has  held  numerous  other  offices  of  trust  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

He  married  Sophia  Lovewell  TapHn.  Five 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Benjamin 
F.,  Kugene,  Clarence  T.,  ^\■illiam  \\'allace, 
Jr.,  and  Clara  Belle,  the  first  three  prosper- 
ing in  the  state  of  Washington,  and  the  last 
two  still  residing  in  Newbury. 

BROOKINS,  Harvey  S.,  of  Shoreham, 
was  born  Jan.  25,  1835,  in  Shoreham.  He 
was  the  son  of  Philip  C.  and  Lucina  (Forbes) 
Brookins. 

Receiving  his  early  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town,  he  after- 
wards graduated  at  Bakersfield  .Academy. 
In  1856  he  went  to  Minnesota  where  he 
found  employment  as  a  surveyor,  and  was 
there  elected  sheriff  of  Wright  county. 

He  enlisted  in  the  Sth  Minnesota  Regt. 
in  August,  1862,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain  May  i,  1863.  As  the  trouble 
with  the  Sioux  Indians  came  about  this  time, 
he  served  as  a  scout  in  Minnesota  till  1S64. 
He  then  marched  across  the  plains,  and  on 
returning  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Mur- 
freesboro,  Tenn.,  where  Captain  Brookins 
received  a  severe  wound,  which  necessitated 


HARVEY  S.   BROOKINS. 

He  belongs  to  Simonds  Lodge  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  is  its  Senior  Warden, 
and  to  John  .\.  Logan  Post,  No.  88,  G.  -A.  R. 

He  married  in  Shoreham  Sept.  3,  1S66, 
Emma  L.,  daughter  of  Myron  W.  C.  and 
Tryphosia  Wright.  Three  children  are  born 
from  this  marriage  :  Lura  E.,  F^dna  E.,  and 
Arthur  H.  Captain  Brookins  is  looked  upon 
as  a  man  of  marked  ability  in  his  town  and 
section  of  the  county. 

BROWN,  ADNA,  of  Springfield,  son  of 
Isaac  and  .Sarah  (Flagg)  Brown,  was  born  in 
Antrim,  N.  H.,  Dec.  ii,  1828. 

.A  pupil  of  the  common  schools  of  his 
birthplace,  he' left  home  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
to  battle  with  the  world.  First  entering  a 
woolen  mill  to  learn  the  trade,  he  gave  this 
up  and  served  his  apprenticeship  as  a 
machinist.  Rising  rapidly,  he  successively 
became  foreman,  then  superintendent,  and 


finally  master  in  the  Parks  \-  Woolson 
Machine  Co.,  of  which  he  is  now  the 
president  and  general  manager.  In  this 
position  Mr.  Brown  has  furnished  many 
improvements  in  cloth-finishing  machinery, 
and  is  the  holder  of  many  valuable  jjatents 
covering  the  same.  He  is  also  president  and 
managing  director  of  the  Jones  &  Lam- 
son  Machine  Co.,  especially  prominent  as 
the  builder  of  the  Hartness  flat-turret  lathe. 
He  organized  the  Springfield  Klectric  Light 


-^^  ^' 


ADNA  BROWN. 

Co.,  and  is  president  of  the  Brown  Hotel 
Co.,  chartered  under  the  laws  of  the  state 
in  1892,  which  has  erected  a  handsome  brick 
hotel,  named  in  his  honor,  "  The  Adna- 
brown."  He  is  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
local  board  of  trade  and  of  the  Black  River 
Railroad  Co. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  staunch  and  active  Repub- 
lican, and  though  never  seeking  office,  has 
filled  many  positions  of  trust  both  in  town 
and  county.  In  1882  he  was  sent  to  the 
Legislature,  and  in  1890  was  a  state  senator. 
Mr.  Brown  was  one  of  \'ermont's  delegates 
to  the  national  Republican  convention  in 
Minneapolis  in  1892,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  committee  which  drafted  the  platform  for 
the  party  in  the  campaign  of  that  year.  In 
1893  he  received  the  appointment  of  state 
World's  Fair  commissioner  from  Coxernor 
Fuller. 

A  Congregationalist  in  belief,  he  does  not 
confine  his  religion  to  the  church,  but  carries 


UKUWN.  ^c 

his  Christianity  beyond  its  doors  and  is  well 
known  for  his  active  benevolence  and  inter- 
est in  all  worthy  enterprises. 

BROWN,  ALBERT  L.,  of  Lunenburg, 
born  in  Lunenburg,  |an.  12,  1828,  was  the 
son  of  Isaac  and  Lucretia  (Wood)  Brown, 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Lunen- 
burg. Remaining  with  his  father  till  the 
age  of  eighteen,  he  went  to  Boston  and 
worked  as  a  cabinet  maker,  then  took  u[) 
his  abode  in  Portland,  Me  ,  where  for  eight 
years  he  kept  a  hotel.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  sought  his  fortune  in  the  West,  and 
for  a  long  period  was  employed  as  an  agent 
by  the  Chicago  Scale  Co.,  after  which  he 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  Satis- 
fied with  the  competence,  which  was  the 
result  of  his  industry  and  business  ability, 
Mr.  Brown  returned  to  his  native  town  and 
purchased  the  beautiful  and  picturesque 
estate,  which  was  the  early  home  of  his  first 
wife. 

A  lifelong  and  stalwart  Republican,  he  has 
been  elected  to  almost  all  the  offices  in'  the 
gift  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  including  a  seat 
in  the  Legislature  in  i888.  In  creed  he  is  a 
Congregationalist. 


September  17,  1849,  he  married  Lucretia 
S.,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Almira  Powers. 
To  them  a  son  was  born,  George  Albert,  who 
died  Aug.  18,  1864.  He  married  at  Chicago, 
June  13,  1878,  Julia  F.,  daughter  of  James 
and  Susan  Trow.  From  this  latter  union 
there  is  one  daughter  :     Mabel  E. 


46 


RROWNELL. 


BROWN,  Curtis,  of  Behidere,  son  of 
I.ylieout  and  ISetsey  W.  (Ward)  Brown,  was 
born  in  Co\entry,  Oct.  i6,  1825. 

His  father  was  the  first  Republican  repre- 
sentative in  the  Legislature  of  the  state,  to 
which  both  his  son  and  grandson  have  been 
elected. 

Mr.  Brown  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Coventry  and  afterwards  at  Wa- 
terbury,  N.  Y.,  residing  with  his  parents  till 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  .4t  that  time  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Behidere,  and  in  order  to 
]3ay  for  it  went  to  Massachusetts,  where  he 
worked  industriously  in  a  mill  for  several 
years  until  he  had  accomplished  his  object. 
For  a  time  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
butter  tubs  and  lumbering,  but  has  given  this 
up  and  now  resides  upon  his  farm. 

Mr.  Brown  is  said  to  be  the  champion  bear 
hunter  of  the  state,  having  shot  or  captured 
sixty-eight  of  these  animals,  once  performing 
the  feat  attributed  to  General  Putnam  of 
Revolutionary  times  by  entering  a  cave  and 
crawling  a  distance  of  forty  feet  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  when  with  unerring  aim  by  the 
light  of  a  torch  he  brought  down  the  object 
of  his  pursuit. 

He  is  one  of  the  best  representatives  of 
the  old  class  of  sturdy  woodsmen,  who  have 
given  such  lasting  fame  to  the  hunters  of  the 
Cireen  Mountains,  so  few  of  whom  remain  to 
narrate  the  deeds  of  their  early  days. 

He  married,  March  13,  1852,  Helen  M., 
daughter  of  Edmund  L.  and  I,ucy  (Hodg- 
kins)  Crozier  of  Calais,  by  whom  he  has  had 
five  children  :  Reuben  J.,  Edmund  L.,  Alex- 
ander (deceased),  Francis  B.,  and  Nora. 

BROWN,  William  A.,  of  Jacksonville, 
son  of  Amos  A.  and  Mary  (Temple)  Brown, 
was  born  in  Whitingham,  April  15,  1856. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  common 
schools  of  his  natixe  town,  and  after  its  com- 
pletion devoted  his  time  to  teaching,  dealing 
in  real  estate  and  lumbering,  continuing  until 
1884.  He  then  opened  a  store  for  general 
merchandise  in  Jacksonville,  and  meeting 
with  success,  formed  a  partnership  with  H. 
A.  Wheeler,  purchasing  the  stock  of  goods 
owned  by  N.  L.  Stetson.  After  a  year  he 
bought  out  his  partner  and  continued  the 
business  alone,  selling  out  to  C.  H.  Shepard- 
son,  and  formed  a  stock  company  which 
bought  out  the  Cooking  Mill,  Stetson  Bros., 
and  the  E.  E.  Putnam  estate,  for  the  purpose 
of  manufacturing  butter  tubs  and  boxes.  At 
present  he  is  president  and  manager  of  the 
com])any. 

Brought  up  a  Republican,  on  reaching  his 
majority  he  concluded  that  Vermont  was  run 
by  a  ring  for  their  personal  interests  and  not 
in  the  interest  of  the  people,  he  cast  his  first 
Yole  for  a  Democrat.  At  that  time  he,  with 
several  other  young  men  who  had  formerly 


been  Republicans,  began  a  fight  against  the 
ring.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in 
1890  and  re-elected  in  1892,  serving  on  the 
committee  on  insane  and  on  the  Grand  List. 
He  thoroughly  advocated  the  Australian  sys- 
tem of  ballot,  weekly  payments,  and  the  town 
system  of  schools. 


He  was  married  Oct.  3,  1S89,  to  Ada  M., 
daughter  of  Mervin  M.  and  Almeda  (Fowler) 
pjrown,  of  Whitingham.  Two  children  have 
been  the  fruit  of  this  union  :  Greely  A.,  and 
William  Russell. 

BROWNELL,  ChaUNCEY  WELLS,  born 
in  \Villiston,  Sept.  13,  181 1,  was  the  son  of 
Samuel  and  Zeruah  (  Forbes)  Brownell.  His 
paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers  were 
both  Revolutionary  soldiers  ;  the  latter,  John 
Forbes,  distinguished  for  his  ready  wit  and 
quick  power  of  repartee,  came  to  Williston 
in  very  early  times.  Samuel  A..,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch,  came 
with  his  parents  from  Connecticut  to  \\'illis- 
ton  and  purchased  land  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  original  town  of  Burlington, 
now  Williston,  embracing  a  large  portion  of 
the  grant  to  Governor  Benning  Wentworth 
of  New  Hampshire  in  this  township. 

In  this  new  country  which  his  hands 
helped  to  clear,  C.  W.  Brownell  grew  to 
manhood,  his  early  days  being  devoted  to 
hard  labor,  and  his  evenings  to  study  by  the 
light  of  the  huge  logs  burning  in  the  old- 
fashioned  fire-place,  or  the  occasional  aid  of 
the  glimmer  of  a  pine  knot.     Here,  with  a 


board  and  piece  of  i-harcoal,  he  solved 
many  a  problem  in  mathematics  that  after- 
ward served  him  in  good  stead  when  he 
taught  the  district  school. 

In  1840  he  purchased  a  large  farm  in  the 
southwestern  corner  of  Williston,  on  which 
he  continued  to  reside  during  life.  It  was 
his  ambition  to  build  up  and  improve  and 
leave  to  those  who  should  come  after  him 


CHAUNCEY    WELLS    BROWNEL 


more  comforts  and  sources  of  income  than 
he  had  been  wont  to  enjoy.  He  set  out 
large  orchards  and  grew  all  varieties  of  fruit 
that  the  climate  would  permit.  He  sought 
to  beautify  the  roadways,  and  planted  large 
numbers  of  maple,  elm,  butternut,  walnut 
and  other  domestic  trees,  which  today  ex- 
tend along  the  street  for  more  than  a  mile, 
making  a  shady  and  attractive  drive.  He 
added  to  his  real  estate  from  time  to  time, 
seldom  parting  with  any  he  had  bought,  and 
it  was  owing  to  this  peculiar  phase  of  char- 
acter that  at  his  death,  notwithstanding  con- 
veyances to  his  children,  he  was  the  pos- 
sessor of  more  than  one  thousand  acres.  He 
gave  much  time  and  thought  to  the  improve- 
ment of  stock,  and  bred  and  owned  some 
of  the  best  horses,  cattle  and  sheep  in  the 
state. 

Strongly  attached  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  Mr.  Brownell  was  a  useful 
public-spirited  citizen,  and  was  called  to 
nearly  all  the  duties  entrusted  to  town 
ofificials.  An  uncompromising  believer  in 
protection  for  American   industries,   he  was 


(]uiikly  out  of  patience  with  those  who  ad- 
vocated a  free  trade  |)oiicy.  He  repre- 
sented Williston  in  the  Legislature  of  1860- 
'61,  and  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  state 
Senate  from  Chittenden  county  for  the  first 
biennial  term  in  1870.  In  his  business  rela- 
tions, upright,  of  genial  temperament  and  of 
untiring  energy  as  his  last  words  strongly 
indicate,  "My  work  is  but  half  accom- 
plished" he  has  rarely  been  surpassed  as  a 
good  citizen  and  useful  friend. 

On  March  4,  1841,  he  married  Miss 
I. aura  C,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Laura 
(Chapin)  Higbee,  from  whom  the  following 
children  were  born  :  Samuel  A.,  of  Essex  ; 
/eruah  F.,  wife  of  William  F.  Whitney,  of 
Williston  ;  Chauncey  W.,  lawyer,  of  Burling- 
ton ;  Laura  H.,  wife  of  John  A.  Collier  of 
Brooklyn.  One,  Eliza,  died  in  1S62.  Mrs. 
Brownell  dying  in  November,  1852,  in  May, 
1S54,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss 
Martha  M.,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Van 
Sicklen  of  South  Burlington.  Hi's  children 
by  the  second  marriage  are  Sarah  V.,  Mary 
A.,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Thorp  of  Middlebury,  and 
Crove  L.,  of  Essex  ;  one,  John  Lester,  died 
in  1885.  Mrs.  Brownell's  death  occurred 
Jan.  5,  1891.  Mr.  Brownell  died  Tune  4, 
1892. 

BROWNELL,  Chauncey  Wells,  son 

of  C.  ^V.  and  Laura  (Higbee)  Brownell,  was 
born  in  WiUiston,  Oct.  7,  1847. 

Receiving  a  preparatory  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  academies  at 
Williston  and  Alburgh  Springs,  he  was  grad- 
uated from  the  University  of  Vermont  in  the 
class  of  1870,  and  afterwards  pursued  his 
studies  at  the  Albany  (N.  V.)  Law  School. 
After  graduation  he  established  himself  at 
Burlington  and  commenced  to  practice  his 
profession.  He  was  four  years  city  grand 
juror  and  prosecuting  attorney.  Belonging 
to  the  Republican  party,  Mr.  Brownelf  has 
been  called  to  many  public  offices.  For  two 
years  he  was  state's  attorney  for  Chittenden 
county  and  assistant  secretary  of  the  Senate 
from  1874  to  1880,  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  secretary,  a  position  he  held 
from  that  time  until  1890  by  successive  re- 
elections.  He  was  elected  Secretary  of  State 
in  1890  and  in  1892  was  re-elected.  He  was 
secretary  for  a  number  of  years  and  is  now 
president  of  the  Champlain  \'alley  .Associa- 
tion for  the  Promotion  of  .Agriculture  and 
the  Mechanic  Arts,  and  is  a  director  of  the 
electric  street  railway  company. 

He  has  the  management  and  personal  su- 
pervision of  the  large  estate  of  his  late  father, 
C.  W.  Brownell. 

In  1873  Mr.  Brownell  received  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  from  his  alma  mater.  He  is  a  Con- 
gregationalist  in  his  religious  preferences. 


48  liRUCE. 

Mr.  Brownell  married,  Oct.  12,  1875,  Elva 
M.,  daughter  of  the  late  Baxter  and  Laura 
(Chase)  Brighani  of  W'estford.  Four  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them  :  Carl  Brig- 
ham,  Elva  Mabel,  Chauncey  .Sherman,  and 
Henry  Chase. 

BRUCE,  George  Asa,  of  South  shafts- 

hury,  son  of  Charles  M.  and  Phebe  (Smith) 
Bruce,  was  born  in  Danby,  June  17,  1857. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
district  schools  and  at  the  hands  of  a  private 
tutor,  followed  by  a  course  at  Burr  and  Bur- 
ton Seminary,  and  graduated  from  Williams 
College  with  the  class  of  '79. 

Following  his  graduation  Mr.  Bruce  for 
a  time  was  a  bookkeeper,  and  in  1881  he 
located  at  Sioux  City,  la.,  where  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cottrell,  Bruce  & 
Co.,  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  farm 
implements,  when  he  returned  East  and  con- 
nected himself  with  the  Waterbury  Clock 
Co.,  of  Waterbury,  Conn.,  in  the  capacity  of 
bookkeeper    and    cashier,    remaining    with 


of  North  Bennington,  and  Temple  Chapter 
and  Taft  Conimandery  No.  8,  of  Bennington. 
Mr.  Bruce  married  at  South  ShaftslDury, 
May  27,  1880,  May  V.,  daughter  of  William 
P.  and  Sarah  C.  Mattison.  Of  this  union  is 
one  son  :  Kenneth  Mattison.  -^j 

BUGBEE,  Herman,  of  North  Pomfret, 
was  born  Nov.  21,  1S34,  in  Pomfret,  the  son 
of  Rufus  and  Elizabeth  (Hunter)  Bugbee. 
His  father  was   a  captain   of  militia,  justice 


^  '9f**%, 


GEORGE   ASA   BRUCE. 

them  until  1S87,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  W.  P.  Mattison  & 
Son,  of  South  Shaftsbury. 

Mr.  Bruce  has  affiliated  with  the  RepubU- 
can  party,  and  by  that  body  has  been 
honored  with  many  positions  of  trust,  being 
at  the  present  postmaster  and  chairman  of 
the  Republican  town  committee. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Betta  Kappa, 
and  also  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Tucker  No.  48, 


of  the  peace,  and  a  highly  respected  citizen 
of  the  town.  Mr.  Bugbee  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Pomfret,  and  has 
spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  life  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm  settled  by  his  grand- 
father, Abial  Bugbee,  in  1788,  except  from 
March,  1862,  till  June,  1874,  he  was  in  Bos- 
ton with  Sampson,  Davenport  &  Co.  In  this 
occupation  he  traveled  extensively  in  New 
York  and  New  England. 

Mr.  Bugbee  possesses  fine  musical  ability, 
and  is  a  well  known  instructor  in  the  art  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Pomfret ;  this  in  addi- 
tion to  his  labor  as  a  progressive  farmer  and 
dairyman. 

Republican  in  politics,  he  has  filled  many 
positions  of  trust.  In  i8go  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  he  served  on  the  Grand  List 
committee. 

In  1867  he  married  Eunice  E.,  daughter 
of  Stephen  S.  and  Deborah  Stinson,  of  Tops- 
ham,  Me.  His  wife  died  July  26,  1887,  and 
their  only  child,  Earle  Rufus,  in  infancy. 


I!ULI.oc;k. 


49 


BUCKHAM,  Mathew  Henry,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Rev.  James  Buckham,  was 
born  July  4,  1832,  at  Hinckley,  Leicester- 
shire, England. 

He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  in  the 
academy  at  Ellington,  Conn.,  and  also  at  a 
private  school  in  Canada.  Entering  the 
University  of  Vermont  in  September,  1847, 
he  graduated  from  it  in  August,  1851. 

He  was  principal  of  the  Lenox  Academy 
at  Lenox,  Mass.,  from  1851  to  1853.  In 
Se|)tember  of  the  latter  year  he  became  tutor 
of  languages  in  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont. 
In  August,  1854,  he  sailed  for  Europe,  spent 
there  two  years  in  travel  and  stud}',  and 
returned  in  1856  to  enter  upon  a  professor- 
ship in  the  L'niversity  of  Vermont.  He 
occupied  the  chair  of  Greek  in  that  institu- 
tion from  1856  to  187 1,  and  also  performed 
the  duties  of  professor  of  English  literature 
from  1865  to  187 1.  In  August  of  the  latter 
year  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the 
University,  and  was  duly  inaugurated  as  the 
successor  of  Dr.  James  B.  Angell.  President 
Buckham  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from 
Dartmouth  College  in  1877,  and  also  in  the 
same  year  from  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y. 
With  all  the  educational  interests  of  \'ermont 
he  was  intimately  identified  as  a  member  of 
the  State  Board  of  Education  from  1867  to 
1874.  His  published  writings  have  princi- 
pally taken  the  form  of  articles  in  reviews 
and  educational  pubUcations  ;  of  addresses, 
sermons,  etc. 

He  married  on  the  3d  of  December,  1857, 
Elizabeth  Wright  of  Shoreham. 

BULKLEY,  George,  of  Moretown, 
son  of  Roger  G.  and  Sally  (Taylor)  Bulkley, 
was  born  in  Berlin,  Sept.  11,  181 5. 

Roger  G.  Bulkley  was  a  native  of  Colches- 
ter, Conn.  He  graduated  from  Vale  College 
and  afterward  studied  law  at  Montpelier.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Orleans  county  bar  in 
1809  and  practiced  law  in  \Mlliamstown  until 
the  war  of  181 2,  when  he  enlisted  and  served 
throughout  the  struggle.  He  purchased  a 
farm  in  1818  but  still  continued  in  the 
practice  of  law. 

The  early  education  of  George  Bulkley 
was  limited  to  the  common  schools  of  Dux- 
bury.  He  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
sashes  and  blinds,  and  afterward,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  brother-in-law,  purchased  the 
old  cloth  dressing  mill  at  Aloretown  and 
put  in  a  plant  for  a  saw  mill  and  also  for 
making  doors,  sashes,  and  blinds.  He  pur- 
chased the  entire  interest  of  the  business  in 
1861,  but  sold  it  in  1879.  During  much  of 
this  period  he  had  owned  and  carried  on  a 
small  farm,  and  since  1883  has  resided  with 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Haylett  of  Moretown. 

Mr.  Bulkley  cast  his  first  electoral  vote  for 
Martin  Van  Buren  and  was  an  adherent  of 


the  Democratic  ]iarty  until  1864,  when  he 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature  as  a  war  Dem- 
ocrat, since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
Re])ublican.  He  has  passed  through  the 
usual  routine  of  town  and  (■onnt\-  offices. 


'.P^' 


GEORGE    BULKLEY. 

In  1848  he  was  united  to  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Hubbard  and  Lucy  (Redway)  Guernsey 
of  Montpelier,  and  of  this  marriage  three 
children  ha\e  been  born  :  Clara  (wife  of  Dr. 
James  Haylett,  died  in  1877),  George  W., 
and  Lilla  (second  wife  of  Dr.  James  Haylett). 

An  extensive  reader,  he  still  manifests  a 
lively  interest  in  local  and  public  affairs, 
enjoying  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
community. 

BULLOCK,  Elmer  J.,  of  Readsboro, 
son  of  James  and  Cynthia  (Baker)  Bullock, 
was  born  in  Whitingham,  July  21,  1S49. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Readsboro.  After  leaving  school  he 
served  as  clerk  in  several  stores  in  \'ermont 
and  Massachusetts.  In  1870  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  father  in  a  general 
store  in  Readsboro.  In  18S2  he  sold  out 
and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business  in  North  Adams,  Mass.  In  1885 
he  returned  to  Readsboro,  and  in  1886 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  mother,  under 
the  name  of  E.  J.  Bullock  &  Co.  It  was 
through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Bullock  that  the 
telephone  line  from  North  Adams  to  Jack- 
sonville was  built,  and  he  was  president  of 
the  company  until  the  line  was  sold  to  the 
New  England  Svstem.     He  had  also  much 


5° 


BUNKER. 


to  do  with  the  organization  of  the  Readsboro 
Chair  Manufacturing  Co.,  and  has  been 
its  secretary  and  treasurer  ever  since.  Mr. 
liullock  worked  ^unceasingly  until  Reads- 
boro had  a  good  water  system  and  ample 
protection  against  fire.  In  1891  the  firm 
built  the  Bullock  block  at  a  cost  of  Si 0,000, 
in  whi(  h  they  at  present  do  business. 


fession.  He  was  a  member  of  the  I'si  Upsi- 
lon  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  societies.  In  1867 
he  received  from  his  alma  mater  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  In  1869  he  was  elected  town 
superintendent  of  Peacham,  which  office  he 
held  sixteen  years,  and  was  always  a  strong 
advocate  of  the  town  system  of  schools.  In 
1883  he  was  elected  president  of  the  ^'er- 
mont  State  Teachers'  Association. 

.\n  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
has  held  the  minor  town  offices,  and  in  1886 
was  chosen  state  senator  from  Caledonia 
county,  and  served  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  education,  and  was  a  member  of 
that  on  federal  relations.  Re-elected  in 
1888,  he  again  acted  as  chairman  of  the 
educational  committee,  also  served  on  the 
special  committee  on  temperance  legislation. 
The  ne.\t  year  he  was  made  a  member  of  the 
Caledonia  County  Board  of  Education. 

Mr.  Bunker  was  married  May  20,  1869,  to 
Nellie,  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Jeremiah  and 
.\deline( Carroll)  Blake. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  all  his  life  has  labored  in  the 
Sabbath  school.     He  exerted  great  influence 


r~> 


ELMER    J.    BULLOCK 


<R;  tsfe. 


I 


Mr.  Bullock  has  never  cared  to  enter  into 
political  life,  though  frequently  urged  to  do 
.so. 


BUNKER,  Charles  Albert,  of 

Peacham,  son  of  Alfred  and  Mary  Emerson 
(Hodgdon)  Bunker,  was  born  at  Barnstead, 
N.  H.^  July  21,  1840. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Barn- 
stead,  and  then  was  a  pupil  of  the  Pittsfield 
Academy  for  three  years,  afterwards  pursuing 
his  studies  at  Phillips  and  Pembroke  Acade- 
mies. He  entered  Dartmouth  College  in 
the  fall  of  1S60,  teaching  during  the  winters 
throughout  his  college  course  in  the  home 
district  in  Barnstead,  and  Pennacook,  N.  H., 
Waitsfield,  Vt.,  and  Barnstable,  Mass.  Soon 
after  his  graduation  in  1864,  he  was  made 
the  principal  of  Mclndoes  Falls  .Academy, 
Barnet,  and  two  years  after  was  called  to 
Peacham  as  principal  of  Caledonia  county 
grammar  school,  an  institution  which  was 
chartered  in  1795,  opened  in  1797,  and  is 
now  styled  the  Peacham  Academy. 

While  at  Dartmouth  Mr.  Bunker  ranked 
high  as  a  student,  as  he  has  since  in  his  pro- 


CHARLES    ALBERT   BU 


in  the  Senate,  availed  himself  of  every  op- 
portunity to  benefit  the  cause  of  education, 
and  was  specially  interested  in  passing  the 
law  requiring  scientific  temperance  instruc- 
tion in  the  public  schools.  He  has  written 
much  which  has  been  printed  in  different 
periodicals  and  lectured  upon  various  educa- 
tional, social  and  political  topics. 


BURIjHTT,  Jesse,  of  Rutland,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Rebecca  (Talbot)  lUirdett,  was 
born  in  ISrookline,  Jan.  19,  1826. 

\\hen  quite  young  his  family  removed  to 
Newfane,  where  having  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  and 
followed  this  employment  for  eleven  years. 
After  a  short  interval,  during  which  he 
worked  at  his  vocation  in  Bratdeboro,  he 
removed  to  Arlington,  where  he  has  since 
resided  and  where  he  was  appointed  station 
agent.  In  1852  he  became  conductor  on 
the  passenger  train  running  from  Rutland  to 
Troy  on  the  Western  Vt.  R.  R.,  now  the 
Bennington  &  Rutland.  In  i860  he  was 
employed  in  a  similar  position  on  the  Hud- 
son River  road,  between  Albany  and  New 
York,  and  afterwards  acted  as  trainmaster  in 
the  employ  of  the  same  corporation.  In 
187 1  he  was  appointed  superintendent  ol 
the  Rutland  division  of  the  Central  \'t.  R. 
R.,  which  position  he  now  holds,  making  his 
headquarters  at  Rutland. 

Mr.  Burdett  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
creed,  and  though  he  has  never  occupied 
himself  in  office-seeking,  he  has  held  manv 
minor  offices  in  Arlington  and  represented 
that  town  in  the  Legislature  in  1857,  but  of 
late  years  he  has  been  obliged  by  his  profes- 
sional duties  to  be  so  frequently  away  from 
his  home,  that  he  has  not  been  eligible  for 
the  discharge  of  the  responsibilities  of  any 
position  of  public  trust. 

He  is  a  member  of  St.  James'  Episcopal 
Church  in  Arlington,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
vestryman  for  more  than  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Burdett  married,  Oct.  21,  1851, 
Cornelia  C,  daughter  of  John  C.  and 
Amanda  (Hill)  Lathrop,  by  whom  he  has 
one  son  :  John  L. 

BURNHLL,  MlLO  S.,  of  Wolcott,  son 
of  Chester  A.  and  Amanda  A.  (Skeels)  Bur- 
nell,  was  born  in  Swanton,  Aug.  18,  1846. 

From  the  age  of  thirteen  he  supported 
himself,  working  whenever  he  found  an 
opportunity  to  gain  his  livelihood,  and  in 
1868  he  began  to  read  law  in  the  office  of 
the  Hon.  Richard  F.  Parker  of  Wolcott.  In 
1 87 1,  at  the  advent  of  the  P.  &  O.  R.  R.,  he 
was  appointed  depot  master  at  Wolcott,  and 
has  continued  in  this  employment  ever  since, 
though  to  some  extent  occupying  himself 
with  the  bark  and  lumber  trade. 

He  has  served  both  as  deputy  sheriff  and, 
sheriff  of  his  county  and  has  been  elected  to 
both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  where  he 
has  been  chairman  and  member  of  several 
important  committees,  as  well  as  filling  the 
principal  town  offices. 

As  a  Mason,  Mr.  Burnell  has  been  Wor- 
shipful Master  of  Mineral  Lodge,  No.  93  F. 


BUTI.F.R.  51 

I.V  A.  y\.,  district  deputy  of  13th  district,  and 
member  of  Tucker  Chapter  of  Morrisville. 

He  married,  July  4,  1871,  Abbie  A., 
daughter  of  Hon.  Richard  F.  and  Sophronia 
(Andrews)  Parker.  One  child  was  born  to 
them  :  Harry  Parker. 

BUTLER,  Fred  Mason,  of  Rutland, 
son  of  Aaron  and  F-meline  (Muzzey)  Butler, 
was  born  in  Jamaica,  May  28,  1854.  His 
great-grandfather,  Aaron  Butler,  settled  in 
Jamaica  about  the  time  of  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  grandfather,  Aaron, 
with  the  assistance  of  his  brothers  (their 
father  having  died  while  he  was  an  infant), 
made  a  clearing  in  the  forest  and  erected  a 


RED    MASON    BUTLEN 


frame  house  in  place  of  the  log  cabin. 
.■\aron  Mason  Butler,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  the  present  sketch,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer,  and  held  at  different  times  nearly  all 
of  the  most  important  town  offices. 

Fred  Mason  Butler  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Jamaica  and  at  Leland  and 
Gray  Seminary.  Before  leaving  school  he 
had  resolved  upon  a  professional  career,  and 
began  the  study  of  law  with  Jonathan  G 
Kddy,  Esq.,  of  Jamaica,  and  afterward  spent 
a  year  and  a  half  in  the  office  of  Hon.  E.  L. 
Waterman  and  Hon.  H.  H.  Wheeler. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  Windham  county 
bar  at  the  March  term  of  court,  1877,  and 
iluring  the  same  summer  entered  into  a  co- 
]iartnership  with  Hon.  Joel  C.  Baker  of  Rut- 
land, which  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  a 


52  BUITERFIELD. 

year.  He  then  practiced  alone  for  a  time, 
but  early  in  1879  he  formed  a  copartner- 
ship with  Hon.  1,.  ^^■.  Redington,  which 
arrangement  continued  si.\  years.  In  1884 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Thomas 
\\.  Moloney,  which  copartnership  continues 
at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Buder  was  attorney  for  the  defence  in 
State  vs.  O'Neil ;  was  counsel  for  respondent 
in  the  notes  cases  entitled  in  re  Bridget 
Kennedy,  James  Kennedy  and  Patrick 
Ready,  'reported  in  Vol.  55,  p.  i,  of  the 
Vermont  Reports  ;  was  the  leading  attorney 
in  the  cases  endtied  Vaughan  vs.  Congdon 
and  Riley  \s.  Mclnlear,  Est.  ;  coimsel  for 
munici])a'lity  in  Bates  vs.  Village  of  Rutland, 
Bates  vs.  Horner  et  al,  also  fully  reported, 
and  in  many  other  important  cases  which  an 
examination  of  the  Vermont  Report  will  dis- 
close. 

He  is  a  Republican,  has  been  town  grand 
juror  and  city  attorney.  He  held  the  posi- 
tion of  city  attorney  until  he  was  appointed 
judge  of  the  municipal  court ;  and  was  suc- 
cessively re-a])pointed  to  that  office  by  Gov- 
ernors i)illingham.  Page  and  Fuller.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  city  go\ernment,  he 
was  appointed  judge  of  city  court,  which 
office  he  now  holds. 

He  has  been  a  director  of  the  New 
England  Fire  Insurance  Co.  since  its 
organization,  and  obtained  the  charter  of 
the  corporation  from  the  Legislature.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  Rutland  Bar  Asso- 
ciation when  he  established  himself  in  Rut- 
land ;  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  \'ermont 
Bar  Association,  having  served  on  sexeral  of 
its  important  committees. 

On  Nov.  25,  1875,  he  married  IJUian, 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Octavia  (Knight) 
Holton  of  r)ummerston,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren :    .Anza,  Helen,  and  Florence. 

BUTTERFIELD,  ALFRED  HARVEY,  of 
North  Troy,  son  of  Nathan  S.  and  Mary 
(Hatch)  Butterfield,  was  born  in  Lowell, 
Sept.  5,  1857. 

Mr.  Butterfield  is  of  the  eighth  in  lineal 
descent  from  Benjamin  Butterfield  of  Eng- 
land, who  was  the  first  one  of  the  name  to 
settle  in  .\merica.  His  grandfather,  Joseph 
Butterfield,  was  the  ninth  settler  who  estab- 
lished his  household  in  the  town  of  Lowell, 
Vt.,  removing  thence  from  Dunstable,  Mass., 
in  iSio.  He  comes  of  Revolutionary  ances- 
try on  both  sides ;  his  great-grandfather, 
John  Hatch,  was  a  commissioned  officer  in 
the  war  of  18 12. 

Mr.  Butterfield  received  a  common  school 
education,  which  he  afterwards  supple- 
mented at  the  village  academy  at  Water- 
bury.  He  was  a  resident  of  Burlington  for 
several  years  till  1878,  when  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  North  Troy,  where  he  made  him- 


BU'lTERFIELD. 

self  master  of  the  printer's  trade.  Three 
years  sufficed  to  give  him  a  practical  expe- 
rience of  that  vocation,  and  he  purchased 
from  his  uncle  the  North  Troy  Palladium  in 
conjunction  with  C.  R.  Jamason.  This  con- 
nection lasted  for  six  months,  when  Mr.  But- 
terfield bought  out  the  interest  of  his  partner 
and  since  that  time  has  been  sole  proprietor 
of  the  paper. 

He  espoused,  Tune  22,  1880,  Gertrude  E., 
daughter  of  Mitchell  and  Henrietta  (Porter) 
Hunt.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
four  children  :  Alfred  Mitchell,  Hugh  Har- 
vey, Ross  Hunt,  and  Mary  Ruth. 


ALFRED    HARVEY    BUTTERFIELD. 

Mr.  Butterfield  is  affiliated  with  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  church,  and  for  three  years 
he  has  been  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
local  society,  the  Church  of  St.  Augustine. 

He  is  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party,  has  served  as 
town  clerk  and  as  chairman  of  the  Republi- 
can town  committee,  chairman  of  that  on 
text  books,  and  several  minor  positions. 
Since  1890  he  has  been  clerk  of  the  North 
Troy  Corporation,  and  the  previous  year 
was  appointed  a  deputy  collector  of  customs 
at  Newport,  where  he  remained  till  1890, 
when  he  returned  to  North  Troy  as  deputy 
in  charge.  This  position  he  voluntarily  re- 
linquished, Nov.  I,  1S93,  and  resumed  the 
active  management  of  the  Palladium. 

BUTTERFIELD,  EZRA  TURNER,  late 
of  Jacksonville,  son  of  Deacon  Zenas  and 
Sally  (Turner)  Butterfield,  was  born  in  Dum- 


BUTl'ERKIELD. 


DiriTK.RFIEI.I). 


53 


merston,  April  14,  1815,  and  died  ^[ay  i, 
1887.  His  education  was  obtained  at  the 
little  red  schoolhouse  on  the  hill,  "the  glory 
of  Puritan  New  England,"  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  he  removed  to  Wilmington,  where  he 
became  one  of  the  most  progressive  farmers. 
For  a  short  time  he  was  engaged  in  trade, 
but  agriculture  was  the  chief  occu])ation  of 
his  life.  For  forty  years  justice  of  the  ]>eace, 
he  was  also  assistant  judge  of  the  county 
court  several  years.     In  1886  he  recei\ed  an 


EZRA    TURNER    BUTTERFIELD. 

appointment  from  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture at  Washington,  which  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  decline  ;  was  representa- 
tive from  Wilmington  in  the  Legislature  in 
iS57- 

In  the  old  "June  Training"  days  Judge 
Butterfield  was  captain  of  the  first  company 
27th  Regt.  Vt.  Militia.  In  his  early  youth  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Free  Will  IJajJtist 
church  in  Dummerston  and  was  church  clerk 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  later  in  Whit- 
ingham,  and  was  the  last  clerk  of  the  \\'hit- 
ingham  society,  but  after  this  denomination 
had  quitted  their  field  of  labor  in  the  \icin- 
ity  he  attended  the  M.  E.  Church,  lilierally 
contributing  to  its  support  and  laboring  for 
many  years  in  the  Bible  class.  He  was  a 
man  of  pleasant  address  and  much  given  to 
anecdote. 

Judge  Butterfield  was  wedded,  Jan.  i, 
1835,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  Abner  and 
Chloe  (Bucklin)  Leonard  and  by  her  had: 
Mary  Angelia,  Sarah  Amelia,  Oscar  K.,  A. 
Augustine,  and  Lucius  Alonzo. 


BUTTERFIELD,  A.  AUGUSTINE,  of 
Jacksonville,  son  of  Kzra  Turner  and  Mary 
(  Leonard)  Butterfield,  was  born  in  Wilming- 
ton, June  25,  1844. 

Educated  in  the  common  and  high  school 
of  \\'ilmington  and  by  private  tutors,  he  read 
law  with  the  late  Charles  N.  Davenport  and 
Hon.  Abisha  Stoddard,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  .April  30,  1867.  In  1868  he  removed 
to  the  village  of  Jacksonville,  where  he  has 
since  resided  and  practiced  law,  excepting 
one  year  in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Butterfield 
has  always  taken  a  dee])  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  and  has  held  all  the  district, 
town  and  county  ofiices  connected  with  this 
department.  He  has  also  devoted  much 
attention  to  insurance  and  for  some  years 
has  been  a  director  in  the  Union  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Co.  of  Montpelier,  has  been  a 
master  in  chancery  twenty-two  years,  and 
twenty  years  justice  of  the  peace. 

As  a  Republican,  he  represented  the  town 
in  i88o-'82  and  was  the  originator  of  the  bill 
taxing  telephone  and  telegraph  companies, 
which  was  the  father  of  the  ])resent  corpora- 
tion tax  law  of  Vermont.  He  was  also  state's 
attorney  i882-'84  and  senator  iSSS-'go. 


A.    AUGUSTINE    BUTTERFIELD 

Made  a  Mason  at  the  age  of  twenty-two, 
he  has  been  several  times  Master  of  his  lodge, 
was  twice  district  deputv  (i.  M.,  and  is  now 
chairman  of  an  important  committee  in  the 
( Irand  Lodge  of  \'ermont.  He  is  deeply 
interested  in  genealogy  and  is  preparing  a 
historv  of  the  Butterfield  familv. 


54 


BUITERFIELD. 


BUTTERFIELD. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Bajnist  church, 
and  one  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
Vermont  Baptist  State  Convention. 

October  2,  1869,  he  married  ]\Iarcia 
Sojjhia,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Elizabeth 
(Winn)  Kdvvards  Brown,  by  whom  he  has 
had  two  sons  and  six  daughters,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased. 

BUTTERFIELD,  FREDERICK  DAVID, 
of  Derby  Line,  son  of  David  and  Elmira 
Ward  (Randall)  Butterfield,  was  born  in 
Rockingham,  May  14,  1838. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
and  the  Saxlnti's  l\i\er  Arndemv.     Choosing 


FREDERICK    DAVID    BUTTERFIELD. 

a  practical  business  edtication  rather  than  a 
college  course,  he,  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen 
entered  the  hardware  house  of  A.  &  [.  H. 
AN'entworth  of  Bellows  Falls.  In  1859  he  re- 
moved to  Derby  Line  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  house  of  Foster  &  Cobb. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he 
gave  up  his  business  prospects  and  entered 
the  LTnion  army,  enlisting  as  a  private  in 
Co.  B,  8th  \'t.  X'ols.,  and  was  successivelv 
promoted  to  2d  lieutenant,  ist  lieutenant 
and  captain.  'Lhe  original  term  of  service 
for  the  regiment  expired  June  r,  1864  ;  Col. 
Butterfield  however  remained  in  service  some 
time  thereafter,  but  after  his  campaigns  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  he  became  so  utterly 
broken  in  health  that  an  immediate  return  to 
the  North  was  the  only  means  of  saving  his 
life.  He  accordingly  resigned  his  commis- 
sion August  6,  1864.     Flarly  in  1862  he  was 


detached  from  his  regiment  and  appointed  to- 
a  position  in  the  signal  corps,  where  he  re- 
mained during  the  balance  of  his  military 
service.  In  the  capacity  of  a  signal  officer 
he  was  attached  to  the  personal  staff  of  Gen- 
eral Godfrey  Weitzel,  General  Butler,  Gen- 
era! Franklin  and  General  Dana.  At  the 
battle  of  Labadieville,  La.,  while  carrying  an 
order  under  a  terrific  fire  he  had  his  horse 
shot  from  under  him  by  a  shell  from  the 
enemy,  narrowly  escaping  instant  death. 
For  his  gallantry  on  this  occasion  he  was 
complimented  in  general  orders.  His  ser- 
vices were  highly  appreciated  in  the  signal 
corps. 

In  1888  he  was  appointed  an  aid-de-camp 
with  the  rank  of  colonel  on  the  staff  of  Gov. 
William  P.  Dillingham.  On  his  return  from 
the  army  he  engaged  in  business  at  Derby 
Line  until  1866,  when  he  was  appointed 
deputy  collector  of  customs  for  that  port, 
which  office  he  retained  until  1872,  when  he 
resigned  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  Reece  sewing  machine.  On  account  of 
the  panic  of  1 873-' 75  this  business  failed  of 
success,  and  in  1879  he  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  taps  and  dies.  Beginning 
with  a  small  force  of  men,  by  careful  and 
painstaking  efforts,  he  gradually  built  up  a 
large  and  important  industry.  The  works- 
are  located  at  Derby  Line,  with  a  second 
complete  plant  at  Rock  Island,  P.  Q.  The 
firm  is  known  as  Butterfield  &:  Co.,  and  they 
man\ifacture  taps  and  dies  and  tools  for  en- 
gineers' and  steam  fitters'  use.  In  1888  his 
younger  brother.  Gen.  F.  (1.  Butterfield, 
became  associated  with  him  in  business. 

Colonel  Butterfield  is  a  member  of  (lolden 
Rule  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Stanstead, 
Canada,  a  member  of  Golden  Rule  R.  A.  C. 
at  Sherbrooke,  a  member  of  Sussex  Precep- 
tory  Knights  Templar  of  Stanstead,  of  which 
he  has  been  Eminent  Commander.  Is  a 
member  of  Baxter  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  New- 
port, a  charter  member  of  the  Vermont 
Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  V.  S.  ;  a  member  of  the  Ver- 
mont Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution  and  numerous  other  military  and 
social  organizations. 

At  Sta'nstead,  P.  Q.,  Oct.  S,  1868,  he 
married  Ellen  Jeannette  Morrill,  daughter  of 
Ozro  and  Charlotte  Juliette  (\Vay)  Morrill, 
who  died  July  5,  1874,  leaving  two  daugh- 
ters :    Charlotte,  and  Ellen. 

BUTTERFIELD,  FRANKLIN  GEORGE, 
of  Derby  Line,  son  of  Da\id  and  Elmira 
\\'ard  (Randall)  Butterfield,  was  born  in 
Rockingham,  May  11,  1842. 

He  attended  the  common  schools  and 
Saxtons  River  Academy,  and  entered  Mid- 
dlebury  College  in  1859.  Entering  the  army 
in  the  fall  of  his  junior  year  he  did  not  grad- 


S6 


BUITERFIF.LD. 


uate  with  his  class.  After  the  war  of  the 
rebelhon,  however,  Middlebury  College  con- 
ferred on  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 
October  4,  1861,  he  enlisted  at  Middlebury 
as  a  private  in  Co.  A,  6th  Vt.  Vols.  He  was 
promoted  successively  to  2d  lieutenant,  ist 
lieutenant,  captain,  and,  on  October  21, 
1864,  to  lieutenant-colonel,  commanding  the 
regiment,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years. 
Having  been  seriously  wounded,  he  was 
obliged  to  relinquish  his  command  and 
tendered  his  resignation.  He  served  with 
his  regiment,  which  was  a  part  of  the  "  Old 
Vermont  Brigade,"  in  the  6th  Army  Corps 
through  its  campaigns  in  Virginia  with  the 
army  of  the  Potomac,  participating  in  all  its 
battles  up  to  1865.  He  was  first  in  batde 
at  Lees  Mills,  April  16,  1862,  where  he  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  carrying  off  the  field 
Capt.  E.  F.  Reynolds  of  Rudand,  who  had 
been  mortally  wounded.  Later  in  the 
Peninsular  campaign,  he  was  mentioned  in 
general  orders  for  conspicuous  gallantry  at 
the  battle  of  (iolding's  Farm  and  also  two 
days  later  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  both  engage- 
ments being  a  part  of  the  seven  days'  fight. 
During  the  year  1863,  including  the  Chan- 
cellorsville,  Gettysburg  and  Mine  Run  cam- 
paigns, he  served  as  an  aid-de-camp  on  the 
staff  of  Maj.-Gen.  Lewis  A.  Grant,  command- 
ing the  Vermont  Brigade.  In  May  of  that 
year  at  Banks  Ford  he  again  attracted  notice 
by  his  bearing  under  fire.  'I'he  following 
year,  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  though 
his  command  was  literally  cut  to  pieces,  he 
l)rought  off  his  surviving  troops  in  good 
order,  and  was  promptly  engaged  with  the 
enemy  in  the  advance  at  daylight  in  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  Throughout  his  service 
his  conduct  was  such  as  to  win  the  com- 
mendation of  his  superiors,  and  he  was 
awarded  a  medal  of  honor  from  Congress 
"for  gallantry  at  Salem  Heights."  The  gen- 
eral commanding  the  army,  in  making  the 
recommendation,  said  :  "  The  record  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Butterfield  is  an  exceed- 
ingly brilliant  one,  his  conduct  on  several 
separate  occasions  well  merited  a  medal  of 
honor,  but  the  affair  of  May  4, 1863,  is  prob- 
ably the  one  most  worthy  of  such  special 
recognition,  since  Colonel  Butterfield  not 
only  displayed  there  his  accustomed  bravery, 
but  also  soldierly  qualities  of  a  high  order." 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  the  Legislature 
of  Vermont  in  joint  assembly  unanimously 
elected  him  judge  advocate  general  of  the 
state,  with  the  rank  of  brigaclier-general,  as 
a  recognition  of  his  faithful  service  with  his 
command  and  his  gallant  conduct  in  the 
field. 

From  1865  to  1877  he  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  at  Saxtons  River.  In 
August,  1877,  he  commanded  a  brigade  of 
veterans    at   the    celebration   of    the    looth 


BUTTERFIF.LD. 

anniversary  of  the  batde  of  Bennington.  In 
that  year  he  returned  to  his  original  inten- 
tion, broken  up  by  his  army  service,  the 
study  of  law.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Hayes  supervisor  of  census,  and 
had  charge  of  the  state  of  ^'ermont  in  the 
taking  of  the  tenth  census.  On  completion 
of  this  work  he  was  selected  by  the  Presi- 
dent, the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  Gen. 
Francis  A.  Walker,  superintendent  of  the 
tenth  census,  to  take  charge  of  the  investiga- 
tion of  the  alleged  census  frauds  in  the  state 
of  South  Carolina.  Leaving  Vermont  early 
in  November  he  remained  in  South  Caro- 
lina till  Feb.  I,  1 88 1,  when  he  returned  to 
Washington  and  made  his  report.  A  pre\i- 
ous  investigation  had  been  made  which 
had  proved  unsatisfactory.  General  Butter- 
field's  report  settled  this  vexed  question  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  parties.  He  was 
urged  by  tieneral  \\'alker  to  remain  in  \\'ash- 
ington  to  assist  in  completing  the  work  of 
the  tenth  census,  and  consented.  In  1882 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Bureau  of  Pensions, 
where  he  served  through  all  the  various 
grades  and  became  a  principal  examiner  in 
July,  18S4.  In  1890  he  was  made  chief  of 
the  special  examination  division  and  during 
that  year  had  three  hundred  and  fifty  special 
agents  in  the  field  and  an  office  force  of 
upwards  of  one  hundred.  Finding  the  work 
much  in  arrears,  he  brought  it  up  to  date 
and  in  a  period  of  three  years  had  reduced 
the  expenditure  of  that  division  in  the  hand- 
some sum  of  $426,000.  In  1888  he  formed 
business  connections  in  Vermont  and  in  July, 
1 89 2,  after  great  reluctance  on  the  part  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  Commis- 
sioner of  Pensions,  his  resignation  was  ac- 
cepted, and  he  returned  to  Vermont  to  devote 
his  entire  time  to  private  business.  He  is 
associated  with  his  brother.  Col.  F.  D.  But- 
terfield, under  the  firm  name  of  Butterfield 
&  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  of  taps  and  dies 
and  other  thread  cutting  tools  at  Derby  Line. 
General  Butterfield  is  a  charter  member  of 
Lodge  of  Temple,  No.  94,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Bel- 
lows Falls  ;  a  charter  member  of  Abenaqui  R. 
A.  Chapter  No.  19  of  same  place,  of  which 
he  has  been  High  Priest ;  member  of  Hugh 
de  Payn's  Commandery  Knights  Templar  of 
Keene,  N.  }l. ;  member  of  E.  H.  Stoughton 
Post  G.  .'\.  R.  of  Bellows  Falls ;  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Department  and  National 
staff ;  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Vermont 
Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States,  having 
previously  been  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  Commandery  of  U'ash- 
ington,  D.  C.  ;  member  of  the  District  of 
Columbia  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,  having  served  as  vice- 
president  of  the  same,  and  for  several  years 
one   of  the   board  of  managers  and  was  a 


57 


member  of  the  National  Congress  of  the 
order  :  was  vice-president  of  the  Society  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  1893,  and  is 
also  connected  with  various  other  social  and 
military  societies. 

On  June  i,  1S66,  he  married  Maria  Smith 


Frost,  only  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Phebe 
Ann  (Smith)  Frost.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren: P,enjamin  Frost  (U.  S.  Consular 
Agent  at  Stanstead,  P.  Q.,  born  ."Xpril  25, 
1867),  and  Esther  I'^lmira  (born  August  4, 
1871). 


CAMP,  ERASTUS  C,  of  Orange,  was 
born  in  Orange,  March  8,  1823.  He  was 
the  son  of  Ceorge  and  Lydia  (Paine)  Camjj. 
Erastus  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  one  daughter. 


ERASTUS    C.   CAMP. 


Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Or- 
ange, and  Newbury  Academy,  he  remained 
with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  when  he  married  and  mo\ed  to 
one  of  the  finest  upland  farms  in  Orange 
county,  where  he,  still  active  and  energetic, 
now  resides,  and  carries  his  years  lightly. 

.A  stalwart  Republican,  he  has  held  most 
of  the  town  otfices  during  the  past  twenty 
years.  He  represented  Orange  in  i864-'65 
and  again  in  1888,  and  was  senator  from 
Orange  county  in  1890.  A  plain,  practical 
man  of  sterling  common  sense,  he  was 
elected  by  the  town  of  Orange  during  the 
war  as  a  special  agent  for  the  enlistment  of 
recruits. 

He  married,  April  14,  1846,  Caroline  E., 
daughter   of    David    and    Eleanor    ( Fuller) 


Piatt.  Three  children  were  born  to  them  : 
Homer  D.,  Clayton  F.,  and  Oscar  F. 
(deceased). 

CAMP,  LVMAN  L.,  of  Elmore,  son  of 
Abel  and  Charlotte  ('I'ajjlin)  Camp,  was  born 
in  Elmore,  June  10,  1838.  Of  English 
descent,  his  grandfather  served  under  Israel 
Putnam.  His  father,  Abel  Camp,  a  life-long 
citizen  of  Elmore,  three  times  represented 
his  native  town  in  the  Legislature. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Elmore  and  at  Barre  Academy  and  then 
worked  for  a  time  on  farms  in  Wolcott  and 
Barre.  After  his  return  from  the  war  he 
bought  a  farm  near  that  of  his  father,  and 
in  1S89  came  into  possession  of  the  old 
homestead. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  repeat- 
edly held  many  important  town  ofTfices,  and 
represented  Elmore  in  the  Legislature.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  advisory  council 
on  farm  culture  and  cereal  industry  at  the 
World's  Exposition  at  Chicago. 

In  June,  1861,  Mr.  Camp  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Co.  E,  3d  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  He 
was  with  his  company  in  the  skirmish  at 
Warwick  Creek  near  the  old  historic  field  at 
\'orktown.  He  afterwards  jjarticipated  in 
the  battles  at  \\'illiamsburg,  the  seven  days' 
fight,  battle  of  Savage  Station,  second  and 
third  battles  of  Fredericksburg  Heights, 
Salem  Church,  Funkestown,  Brandy  Station, 
Antietam,  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  North 
and  South  Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  and  Peters- 
burg. He  was  twice  hit,  but  not  wounded, 
luckily  escaping  unharmed  in  all  these  con- 
tests. He  was  discharged  July  27,  1864.  Mr. 
Camp  is  a  member  of  the  J.  M.  Warren 
Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  R.  of  Morrisville. 

He  married,  March  19,  1868,  Hattie  E., 
daughter  of  Thaddeus  and  Miranda  White 
of  Wolcott.  Four  children  were  born  to 
them:  Elmer,  Mary  (Gertrude  (Mrs.  Henry 
Puffer  of  Richford),  Abel  Newton, and  Lucy 
( deceased ) . 

CAMPBELL,  ALFRED  H.,  of  Johnson, 
son  of  Smith  and  Sophia  (Hills)  Cami)bell, 
was  born  in  Litchfield,  N.  H.,  Sept.  2<S, 
1850. 

Bred  on  a  farm,  Mr.  Campbell  received 
his  earlv    education     in    the     Nashua    high 


58 


CAMPBELL. 


school,  New  London  Academy,  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Bridgevvater,  Mass.,  and  Ait. 
\'ernon  Academy.  He  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  College  with  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
in  1877,  recei\ing  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in 
1880,  and,  having  completed  the  post 
graduate  course,  that  of  Ph.  D.,  from  the 
University  of  Vermont  in  1888. 

After  teaching  in  the  public  schools  and 
serving  as  principal  of  Kingston,  N.  H., 
Academy  three  years,  and  associate  princi- 
pal of  Gushing  Academy,  Ashburnham, 
Mass.,  five  years,  he  was  elected  and  has 
been  for  ten  years  principal  of  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Johnson.  An  extensi\e 
traveler  in  this  country,  he  has  twice  visited 


Europe  and  devoted  much  time  to  the  study 
of  the  school  systems  of  different  nations. 
He  has  been  \ery  successful  in  his  adminis- 
tration of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Johnson. 
A  member  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
has  never  devoted  much  time  to  politics, 
confining  his  energies  to  the  educational 
field.  An  officer  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Instruction,  and  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Educational  Association,  he  is  now 
(1893)  president  of  the  New  England  Nor- 
mal Council,  and  also  president  of  the  Ver- 
mont State  Teachers'  Association.  He  was 
appointed  by  Go\ernor  Page  county  exam- 
iner of  Lamoille  county  in  1 891,  and  was  for 
years  secretary,  and  now  holds  the  office  of 
president  of  the  Lamoille  County  Sunday 
School  Association  and  chairman  of  its 
executive  committee. 


Dr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  Waterman 
Lodge,  No.  83,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  serves  the 
lodge  as  chaplain.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Johnson  and  one 
of  its  deacons.  He  has  been  licensed  as  a 
minister,  and  occasionally  supplies  the  pulpit 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home. 

He  married,  Nov.  29,  1877,  Hattie  E., 
daughter  of  N.  W.  Winchester,  who  died 
Feb.  II,  1888.  Of  this  marriage  were  born 
four  children ;  Arthur  W.,  Hattie  Louise, 
Carrol  .Alfred,  and  Alice  Gary.  In  a  second 
union.  Dr.  Campbell  was  married  to  Carrie 
L.  Kingsley  of  Rutland,  March  27,  1890. 
(She  died.  May  16,  1891.)  On  July  20, 
1S93,  he  married  Marian  E.,  daughter  of  A. 
P.  Blake  of  Boston. 

CAMPBELL,  Wallace  H.,  of  Roches- 
ter, son  of  George  M.  and  Philette  (  Pear- 
sons) Campbell,  was  born  July  18,  1S54,  in 
Brockton,  Mass. 

George  M.  Campbell  was  a  nati\e  of  \er- 
mont,  to  which  state  he  returned  before  his 
son  was  a  year  old.  The  latter  was  educated 
at  the  common  schools  of  Rochester  and  at 
Springfield  Academy.  Bereft  of  paternal 
guidance  by  the  death  of  his  father,  he  car- 
ried on  the  old  homestead  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  He  then  emigrated  to  California 
and  remained  there  three  years  as  foreman  in 
an  establishment  for  reducing  gold  ore.  In 
1879  he  returned  to  Rochester,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  for  ten 
years  with  great  success. 

Mr.  Campbell  married,  Sept.  10,  1882,  Eva, 
daughter  of  Orlando  and  Helen  (Sterling) 
Kenedy  of  Clranville.  The  fruits  of  this 
marriage  are  :  Leon,  Adolph  (died  in  in- 
fancy), Helen  Catherine,  and  Jessie. 

A  member  of  the  Republican  party,  Mr. 
Campbell  has  been  six  years  member  of  the 
town  committee  and  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  was  the  town  representative  in  i892-'93, 
a  school  director,  and  sugar  inspector  of 
Rochester.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  belonging  to  Rural  Lodge  of  Roches- 
ter, to  Whitney  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  and  the 
Montpelier  Commandery  of  K.  T. 

CANFIELD,  Thomas  Hawley,  son  of 

Samuel  and  Mary  A.  (Hawley)  Canfield,  was 
born  in  Arlington,  March  29,  1822.  He  de- 
scended on  the  father's  side  from  Thomas 
Canfield,  descendant  of  James  de  Philo,  a 
French  Huguenot,  who  came  from  Yorkshire, 
Eng.,  to  Milford,  Conn.,  in  1646,  while  his 
maternal  ancestor  was  Joseph  Hawley,  who 
was  born  in  Derbyshire,  Eng.,  in  the  earliest 
years  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  emi- 
grated to  Stratford,  Conn.,  where  he  died  in 
i6go.  Nathan  Canfield,  the  great-grandson 
of  Thomas  Canfield,  removed  to  .\rlington 
in  1768,  and  was  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 


6o 


During  the  early  trouble  arising  from  the 
disputes  concerning  the  New  Hampshire 
grants,  the  Canfields,  Hawleys,  Hards, 
Aliens  and  Bakers  were  the  most  prominent 
leaders  in  the  struggle. 

Thomas  Havvley  Canfield  was  brought  up 
on  a  farm  and  his  early  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  common  schools  of  the  place 
of  his  nativity.  Evincing  a  strong  desire  for 
a  more  extended  course  of  study  than  these 
institutions  could  afford  he  was  placed  by 
his  father  at  Burr  Seminary  in  Manchester, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  fitted  for 
college  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  Not  desiring 
to  commence  his  undergraduate  course  at 
this  early  age,  he  returned  home  and  for  two 
years  worked  on  the  farm,  then  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Troy  Episcopal  Institute,  with 
reference  to  a  scientific  course  of  study,  but 
while  there  was  persuaded  by  Bishop  Alonzo 
Potter,  then  acting  president  of  Union  Col- 
lege, Schenectady,  to  abandon  his  idea  of 
becoming  an  engineer,  and  he  entered  the 
junior  class  in  the  last  named  institution  in 
the  fall  of  1839. 

Before  the  completion  of  his  collegiate 
course,  however,  he  was  summoned  to  Xer- 
mont  by  the  sudden  death  of  his  father,  and 
as  he  considered  the  duty  he  owed  to  his 
mother  and  only  sister  ])aramount  to  his  own 
wishes,  he  again  took  up  the  burden  of  farm 
life,  l)ut  finding  agricultural  labor  too  severe 
for  his  slender  constitution,  he  removed  in 
1844  to  Williston,  where  he  became  a  mer- 
chant. 

Mr.  Canfield  was  married  in  1S44  to  Eliz- 
abeth A.,  only  daughter  of  Eli  Chittenden,  a 
grandson  of  the  first  Governor  of  \"ermont. 
She  died  in  1848,  and  he  was  subsequently 
united  to  Caroline  A.,  daughter  of  the  Right 
Reverend  John  Henry  Hopkins,  D.  D.,"L- 
L.  D.,  first  Bishop  of  \'ermont,  by  whom  he 
had  two  sons  and  three  daughters  :  Emilv, 
John  Henry  Hopkins,  Marian,  Flora,  and 
Thomas  H.,  Jr. 

In  1S47  Mr-  Canfield  remo\ed  to  Burling- 
ton, where  he  still  resides,  and  here  becanie 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bradley  &  Canfield, 
who  carried  on  large  wholesale  stores  and 
warehouses  on  the  wharf  at  Burlington  :  also 
ran  lines  of  boats  to  New  York  and  Mont- 
real. About  this  time,  Professor  Morse  hav- 
ing brought  his  telegraph  into  operation, 
Mr.  Canfield  visited  Vergennes,  Orwell,  Mid- 
dlebury,  Rutland,  and  many  other  towns 
along  the  line,  securing  stock  and  organizing 
the  company  connecting  these  places  with 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  Montreal  in  February, 
1848.  The  following  year  the  firm  of 
Bradley  &  Canfield,  with  two  or  three 
other  parties,  were  concerned  in  building 
a  railroad  from  Bellows  Falls  to  Burling- 
ton by  way  of  Rutland,  which  was  com- 
pleted Dec.   19    of    that    year.      He    also, 


in  conjunction  with  others,  was  engaged 
in  con.structing  the  Rutland  &  Washington, 
the  Ogdensburg,  as  well  as  many  other  rail- 
ways in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  From 
the  great  knowledge  he  had  already  acquired 
of  trans])ortation,  the  services  of  Mr.  Can- 
field  were  eagerly  sought  as  superintendent 
and  afterwards  president  of  the  Rutland  & 
Washington  R.  R.,  of  which  he  subsequently 
took  a  lease,  operating  it  on  his  own  account. 
This,  it  is  believed,  was  the  first  railroad  in 
the  United  States  leased  to  an  individual. 
He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  struggle  of 
connecting  Boston  and  Burlington  by  rail- 
wav,  when  two  routes  were  proposed,  one 
\ia  Montpelier  and  Concord,  and  the  other 
by  Rutland  and  Fitchburg,  he  being  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  latter,  the  result  of  which 
controversey  was  that  both  lines  were  con- 
structed. In  the  final  disposition  of  affairs, 
the  Rutland  &  Burlington  R.  R.  was  left  at 
lUirlington  without  any  through  direct  con- 
nection by  rail  with  Ogdensburg  or  Montreal, 
and  to  meet  this  defect,  as  the  Rutland  road 
had  not  the  right  by  its  charter  to  build  and 
operate  boats,  Bradley  &  Canfield,  within 
ninety  days,  constructed  a  steamer  and  four 
barges  with  a  capacity  of  three  thousand 
barrels  of  flour  each  and  towed  them  be- 
tween Burlington  and  Rouse's  Point,  thus 
enabling  the  Rutland  line  to  compete  suc- 
cessfully with  the  Vermont  Central.  His 
next  enterprise  was  the  establishment  of  a 
line  of  propellers  from  the  upper  lakes  to 
Ogdensburg  to  connect  with  the  railroad  to 
Boston  and  New  England,  which  opened  up 
for  the  first  time  a  route  for  the  products  of 
the  West  by  the  lakes  and  St.  Lawrence 
ri\er  which  had  heretofore  found  their  out- 
let only  by  the  Erie  Canal  and  roads  from 
Albany.  While  thus  engaged  he  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Edwin  F.  Johnson, 
one  of  the  most  experienced  engineers  in 
America,  and  from  information  received 
from  him  relative  to  the  belt  of  country 
between  the  great  lakes  and  the  Pacific 
ocean,  he  became  thoroughly  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific 
I'oast  by  the  Northern  route,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  devote  his  life  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  that  object.  As  the  first  active  step 
toward  the  enterprise,  in  1852,  before  even 
there  was  any  railroad  into  Chicago  from 
the  East,  he  contracted  with  others  to  build 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  R.  R.,  from  Chicago  to  St. 
Paul,  Minn.,  and  Fond  du  Lac,  ^^'is.  Mr. 
Edwin  F.  Johnson  was  made  chief  engineer 
of  this  railroad.  The  Hon.  Robert  J. 
^^'alker,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the 
V.  S.,  and  other  prominent  men  were  direc- 
tors. While  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
this  railroad  Mr.  Canfield  and  Mr.  Johnson 
discussed  very  fully  the  subject  of  an  over- 


CANFIEI.D. 


6i 


land  railroad,  and  Mr.  Johnson  i5re]:>ared  an 
exhaustive  treatise  embracing  their  views 
upon  Pacific  railroads,  coming  to  the  con- 
clusion that  one  by  the  Northern  route  was 
not  only  the  most  feasible,  but  important  in 
a  military  and  commercial  point  of  view, 
being  so  near  to  the  British  line. 

Mr.  Walker  learning  of  this,  desired  a  loan 
of  the  manuscript  to  lay  before  his  associ- 
ate in  the  cabinet  of  President  Pierce,  the 
Hon.  Jefferson  Davis,  Secretary  of  War,  who 
was  at  that  time  very  desirous  to  extend  the 
territory  of  the  South  and  its  "peculiar  insti- 
tution." Mr.  Davis,  knowing  Mr.  Johnson 
to  be  an  engineer  of  extensive  knowledge  and 
whatever  he  had  written  was  important  and 
reliable,  saw  upon  examining  the  pa])er  that 
it  came  in  conflict  with  his  cherished  |jlans, 
and  he  came  on  to  New  York  and  hatl  a  per- 
sonal interview  with  Mr.  Johnson  and  en- 
deavored to  convince  him  that  he  was  in 
error  and  did  not  realize  the  difficulties  of 
the  Northern  route  nor  appreciate  the  great 
advantages  of  a  Southern  one.  Mr.  John- 
son listened  attentively  to  what  Mr.  Davis 
had  to  say  and  replied  "that  he  had  given 
the  subject  much  thought  and  patient  inves- 
tigation, but  his  conclusions  were  strictly 
logical  from  the  facts  and  that  he  had  no 
doubt  of  the  full  verification  of  his  estimates 
by  actual  measurements  hereafter  to  be 
made,"  which  have  been  confirmed  since 
by  the  actual  surveys  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
R.  R. 

Mr.  Davis  finding  that  he  could  not 
change  the  conclusions  of  Mr.  Johnson  and 
Mr.  Canfield,  and  that  the  manuscript  could 
not  be  suppressed,  but  would  be  published 
by  them,  he,  on  March  3,  1S53,  procured 
the  passage  of  a  resolution  by  Congress 
authorizing  him,  the  Secretary  of  \\'ar,  to 
make  such  explorations  as  he  might  deem 
advisable  to  ascertain  the  most  practical 
route  for  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific  coast,  hop- 
ing thereby  to  discredit  the  arguments  in 
favor  of  the  Northern  route,  which  resulted 
in  sending  out  the  three  great  Pacific  rail- 
road expeditions  and  in  later  years  the  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  over  each  of  the  three 
routes,  the  Southern  being  the  last  to  be 
built. 

During  the  civil  struggle,  when  Colonel 
Thomas  A.  Scott  of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
was  made  Assistant  Secretary  of  War  and 
general  manager  of  trans])ortation  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States  he  sent  for  Mr. 
Canfield  and  entrusted  to  him  the  charge  of 
the  railroads  about  Washington  as  assistant 
manager.  This  was  a  very  trying  position, 
since  every  avenue  of  communication  by 
land  and  water  with  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia was  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  except 
the  single  iron  track  between  Baltimore  and 
Washington,  over  which  the  three  hundred 


thousand  soldiers  for  the  .Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac were  to  be  transported  for  the  defense 
of  the  Capital,  as  well  as  all  proxisions  for 
man  and  beast  about  the  city.  Never  before 
or  since  has  so  much  business  been  done  on 
a  single  track  and  that,  too,  without  any  ac- 
cident or  the  loss  of  a  single  life.  How 
promptly,  ably  and  successfully  this  duty  was 
discharged  by  Mr.  Canfield  the  page  of  his- 
tory tells.  In  connection  with  these  labors 
in  behalf  of  his  country,  Mr.  Canfield,  with 
the  assistance  of  Hon.  Solomon  P'oote,  re- 
ceived permission  from  the  go\ernment  to 
raise  a  cavalry  regiment  in  \'erniont  and 
the  result  of  their  efforts  was  that  Col.  L.  B. 
Piatt,  with  the  ist  Regt.  Vt.  Cav.,  mounted, 
armed,  and  equipped,  reported  for  duty 
within  sixty  days  at  \Vashington,  rendering 
service  during  the  war  second  to  no  other 
regiment  in  the  army. 

After  the  close  of  the  struggle,  for  several 
years  Mr.  Canfield  was  superintendent  of  the 
steamers  on  Lake  Champlain,  but  his  mind 
and  thoughts  were  still  absorbed  more  or 
less  with  his  favorite  project  until  he  con- 
ceived and  organized  the  syndicate  to  con- 
struct the  Northern  Pacific  R.  R.,  in 
connection  with  which  magnificent  enter- 
prise he  has  gained  his  chief  renown.  The 
space  of  this  article  will  hardly  pennit  a 
bare  mention,  much  less  a  detailed  account 
of  his  indefatigable  labors  for  many  years  in 
its  behalf.  One  incident,  howe\er,  out  of 
very  many,  may  be  mentioned,  which  will 
give  a  slight  idea  of  the  persistence  and 
energy  required  to  carry  this  enterprise  for- 
ward. Ailer  several  years  of  preliminary 
work  and  advances  made  by  the  syndicate, 
as  the  contract  with  Messrs.  Jay  Cooke  & 
Co.  was  under  consideration  for  negotiating 
the  bonds  of  the  company,  Mr.  Cooke  re- 
quired that  his  own  engineers  and  men 
should  first  examine  the  country  through 
which  the  road  was  to  be  built  before  he 
would  sign  the  contract,  and  if  their  report 
was  favorable  he  would  execute  it.  Mr.  Can- 
field  was  selected  by  the  directors  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Co.  to  conduct 
Mr.  Cooke's  party  from  the  Pacific  coast 
east  and  to  show  them  a  practicable  route 
for  a  railroad.  He  met  them  at  Salt  Lake 
City  June  9,  1869,  took  them  to  Sacramento 
by  rail,  thence  by  stage  nine  hundred  miles 
to  Olympia,  Washington  Ter.  .After  ex- 
ploring the  bays  and  harbors  of  Puget  Sound 
he  returned  to  Portland,  ascended  the  Col- 
umbia river  to  \\'alla  Walla,  then  the  end  of 
settlements.  Here  he  fitted  out  a  pack  train 
of  fourteen  horses  for  a  trip  across  the 
mountains  to  Helena,  Mont.,  fixe  hundred 
miles  on  horseback,  haxing  to  carry  on  the 
backs  of  the  horses  all  the  provisions  for  the 
whole  trip  from  Walla  Walla  through  the  In- 
dian Territorv,  where  there  were  no  roads  or 


62 


settlers,  his  party  lying  on  the  ground  at 
night  without  a  tent  or  other  covering  except 
a  blanket.  From  Helena  he  came  on  to  the 
Yellowstone  river,  where  Livingstone  now  is, 
one  thousand  miles  east  from  Puget  Sound, 
which  was  about  as  far  as  Sitting  Bull,  then 
in  command  of  that  country,  would  allow 
him  to  come. 

In  this  trip  he  had  to  cross  the  two  main 
ranges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  several  times 
back  and  forth  to  examine  different  passes 
in  order  to  satisfy  Mr.  Cooke's  engineers 
that  a  line  across  them  was  feasible.  Once 
he  encountered  an  Indian  outbreak,  having 
nearly  all  his  horses  stolen  by  the  Indians, 
and  had  this  occurred  at  an  earlier  stage  of 
the  journey  the  party  might  all  have  per- 
ished for  want  of  food  and  transportation. 
After  being  gone  four  months  and  traveling 
about  eight  thousand  miles,  Mr.  Canfield 
was  able  to  show  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  the  engineers  a  practicable  route,  and, 
their  report  to  Mr.  Cooke  being  favorable, 
he  executed  the  contract  for  negotiating 
§100,000,000  of  the  bonds  of  the  company, 
and  the  work  of  construction  at  last 
commenced. 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  the  route 
shown  by  Mr.  Canfield  was  after  subsequent 
instrumental  surveys  adopted  by  the  com- 
pany, and  from  the  cars  now  on  their  course 
from  Livingstone  to  the  coast  can  be  seen 
more  or  less  of  the  way  the  identical  trail  of 
Mr.  Canfield  and  his  party,  and  it  is  difificult 
now  to  believe  that  such  a  trip  could  have 
been  made  by  him  under  such  circum- 
stances, most  of  the  way  on  horseback, 
requiring  about  sixty  days,  which  is  now 
made  in  luxurious  sleeping  and  dining  cars 
in  less  than  sixty  hours. 

Notwithstanding  the  apparently  insur- 
mountable obstacles  which  presented  them- 
selves in  the  course  of  the  long  and  bitter 
struggle  to  effect  this  object,  the  fact  that  it 
twice  almost  lost  its  charter,  which  was 
mainly  saved  by  the  active  vigilance  of  Mr. 
Canfield,  the  discouraging  opposition  of  the 
rival  lines,  and  the  physical  obstructions  of 
the  country  through  which  the  railroad  was 
built,  triumphant  success  finally  crowned  his 
efforts  and  those  of  his  fellow- workers  and 
the  road  was  completed. 

How  much  this  enterprise  has  accom- 
plished for  the  rapid  and  extensive  develop- 
ment of  the  whole  country  through  which  it 
passes,  an  empire  in  itself,  and  which  is  to 
become  an  important  factor  in  the  govern- 
ment, is  a  matter  of  history,  and  the  personal 
adventures  of  Mr.  Canfield  on  the  frontier, 
through  Indian  Territory  with  its  savage  in- 
habitants, and  the  exciting  scenes  of  which 
he  was  a  witness  during  the  construction  of 
the  line  would  alone  fill  a  large  and  \ery 
interesting  volume. 


Notwithstanding  all  the  discouragements 
of  the  early  days  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
and  the  hostility  of  Congress  to  its  applica- 
tions for  aid,  amid  all  the  financial  panics 
and  storms,  Mr.  Canfield  has  always  main- 
tained the  same  abiding  faith  in  this  mag- 
nificent undertaking,  and  he  still  believes 
that  being  the  only  company  which  has  a 
charter  from  Congress  for  a  continuous  line 
from  water  to  water  it  will  become  the  great 
transcontinental  route  across  the  continent 
to  Europe,  not  only  for  the  products  of 
farm,  forest,  and  mines  along  its  border,  but 
for  the  trade  of  Japan,  China  and  the  Indies. 
In  fact,  it  will  become  the  world's  highway, 
over  which  will  pass  the  travel  and  business 
of  the  most  enlightened  and  civilized  por- 
tions of  the  globe. 

In  view  of  the  great  diversity  of  produc- 
tions of  this  country  and  those  of  the  Cen- 
tral American  states  and  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  the  commercial  relations  between 
them  and  the  United  States  must  be  con- 
stantly growing  stronger  and  stronger  until 
their  interests  shall  be  separated  by  no 
transatlantic  influence.  Mr.  Canfield  be- 
lieves that  within  a  half  century  there  will 
be  but  one  English-speaking  nation  in  North 
America,  and  that  under  a  republican  form 
of  government,  extending  from  the  .Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific  and  from  the  (lulf  of  Mexico 
to  the  Arctic  ocean  :  a  nation  over  which 
will  float  but  one  flag,  that  of  the  stars  and 
stripes  of  the  United  States  ;  one  republic, 
whose  free  and  enlightened  institutions  will 
confer  upon  hundreds  of  millions  of  people 
all  the  benefits  of  the  highest  and  most 
enlightened  civilization  and  be  the  control- 
ling power  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Since  his  retirement  from  the  company  he 
has  devoted  more  or  less  time  to  the  super- 
vision of  his  large  farm  at  Lake  Park,  Minn. 
He  has  now  been  engaged  in  active  business 
for  fifty-three  years,  during  which  period  he 
has  never  taken  a  day  specially  for  recrea- 
tion or  pleasure,  but  has  found  his  enjoyment 
in  the  work  in  which  he  has  been  engaged, 
believing  thereby  he  has  been  the  source  of 
some  good  to  his  fellow-men  and  to  his 
country. 

.Although  of  a  slender  frame  and  fragile 
constitution,  he  is  yet  apparently  as  active 
and  moves  with  the  same  elastic  step  as 
twenty  years  ago.  He  is  a  good  judge  of 
human  nature,  enabling  him  to  be  an  excel- 
lent organizer  and  manager  of  men,  quick 
in  observation,  clear  in  judgment,  and  rapid 
in  execution.  Modest  in  his  pretensions,  he 
is  ever  ready  to  give  to  others  the  credit  of 
any  good  work,  although  he  may  have  been 
mainly  instrumental  in  bringing  it  about. 
Having  been  engaged  most  of  his  life  in 
work  of  a  public  character  and  connected 
with  many  great  enterprises,  he  has  an  ex- 


tendeil  knowledge  of  the  whole  conntiv, 
broad  and  comprehensive  ideas  as  to  its 
capacity  and  resources,  and  entertains  the 
most  sanguine  views  as  to  its  future  great- 
ness and  power.  When  once  enlisted  in  any 
scheme  which  commands  his  approbation 
he  is  very  persistent  and  persevering  until  it 
is  accomplished,  no  matter  how  difficult  it 
may  be  or  how  serious  the  obstacles  to  be 
overcome.  The  idea  of  defeat  never  enters 
into  his  calculations.  He  is  generous  almost 
to  a  fault,  a  true  and  firm  friend  to  those 
who  gain  his  confidence,  and  many  are  the 
men  in  prominent  positions  in  different  parts 
of  the  country  who  are  indebted  for  them  to 
his  early  aid  and  assistance. 

At  different  times  he  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  political  matters,  but  always 
refusing  to  accept  office  of  any  kind.  .Ar- 
riving at  his  majority  when  the  old  Whig 
party  was  prominent,  his  first  vote  was  cast 
for  its  nominees,  and  he  continued  identi- 
fied with  it  until  it  was  succeeded  by  the 
Republican  party,  to  which  he  has  since 
belonged.  He  understands  thoroughly  all 
the  great  political  issues,  as  well  as  the  great 
commercial,  which  involve  the  business  and 
prosperity  of  these  United  States.  Few  men 
have  had  a  more  extensive  acquaintance  and 
knowledge  in  the  last  two  generations  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  nation,  whether  in 
politics  or  business. 

Mr.  Canfield  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church,  having  been 
born  in  the  house  occupied  by  his  grand- 
father, Nathan  Canfield,  in  Arlington,  and 
who  was  the  first  lay  delegate  to  the  first 
convention  of  the  diocese  of  Vermont, 
organized  at  Arlington,  i  ygo.  His  great- 
grandfather on  his  mother's  side,  Capt. 
Jehiel  Hawley,  officiated  as  lay  reader  and 
maintained  the  service  of  the  church  from 
1764,  which  was  the  first  service  of  the 
Episcopal  church  in  Vermont,  being  before 
there  was  any  clergyman  there.  These  two 
men  built  the  first  church  in  Vermont  and 
in  that  church  Thomas  H.  Canfield  was  bap- 
tized by  old  "Priest"  Bronson  seventy  years 
ago.  He  has  attended  every  convention  of 
the  diocese  of  Vermont  for  forty-one 
years,  during  thirty-one  of  which  he  has 
been  the  secretary  of  the  organization.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  and 
trustees  of  the  Vermont  Episcopal  Institute 
at  ?!urlington,  chartered  in  1S54,  and  for 
twenty-eight  years  has  had  charge  of  the 
funds  of  the  establishment.  He  was  mainly 
instrumental  in  the  erection  of  Bishop  Hop- 
kins Hall  for  the  purpose  of  a  church  school 
for  young  ladies,  and  he  has  so  ably  man- 
aged the  finances  of  this  corporation  that 
the  diocese  of  Vermont  now  possesses  this 
beautiful  property  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  on    the   banks    of    Lake   Champlain, 


u[)on  which  is  an  {•'.jiiscopal  residence,  a  large 
gothic  stone  building  for  the  theological 
department  and  boys'  school,  with  another 
of  equal  dimensions  and  materials  for  the 
use  o(  the  young  ladies,  both  in  successful 
operation  and  not  a  dollar  of  debt  outstand- 
ing nor  any  lien  of  any  kind  on  the  ])roj)ertv. 

Mr.  Canfield  was  a  potential  factor  in 
raising  the  funds  for  building  Trinity  Chapel, 
Winooski,  and  the  Episcojial  church  at 
Brainerd,  Minn.,  and  he  also  furnished  the 
site  for  churches  at  Moorhead,  and  Lake 
Park,  Minn.  ;  Bismark,  N.  1 ).,  and  Kalama, 
W'ash.  He  has  represented  the  diocese  of 
Vermont  in  the  general  conventions  of  the 
church  in  the  ignited  States,  held  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1856,  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  1859; 
in  New  Vork  in  1874,  in  Boston  in  1877, 
and  in  Chicago  in  1886. 

Few  men  have  had  a  more  busy  life, 
which  from  present  indications  is  likely  to 
continue  in  the  same  way  to  the  end,  and  he 
probably  will,  as  he  says  he  expects  to  do, 
"die  in  the  harness."  In  conclusion  it  may 
be  truly  said  what  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Wick- 
ham  of  Manchester  so  beautifully  expressed  : 
"If  Burlington  can  boast  of  her  Edmunds, 
the  leader  of  the  L'nited  States  Senate,  and 
of  Phelps,  the  eminent  jurist  and  distin- 
guished representative  at  the  Court  of  St. 
James,  she  has  not  another  citizen  that  has 
honored  her  more  than  Thomas  H. 
Canfield." 

CARLETON,  HiRAM,  of  Montpelier, 
son  of  David  and  Mary  (Wheeler)  Carleton, 
was  born  in  Barre,  August  28,  1838. 

His  father,  David  Carleton,  was  twenty- 
fifth  in  descent  from  Baldwin  de  Carleton, 
and  seventh  in  descent  from  Edward  Carle- 
ton, who  emigrated  from  the  mother  country 
in  1639  and  settled  in  Old  Rowley,  Mass. 
Baldwin  de  Carleton,  of  Carleton  Hall, 
Cumberland,  Eng.,  was  a  remote  ancestor. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Barre,  and  pursued  his 
preparatory  studies  for  college  at  the  acad- 
emy of  that  place.  He  then  entered  the 
LIniversity  of  Vermont,  graduating  in  i860, 
after  which  he  was  principal  of  the  Hines- 
burgh  Academy.  He  then  removed  to  Keese- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  employed  as  in- 
structor in  natural  science,  mathematics  and 
Greek,  in  the  Keeseville  Academy,  of  which 
he  was  afterwards  made  the  principal.     In 

1865  he  completed  the  study  of  the  law 
with  Ephraim  E.  French,  Esq.,  of  Barre,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Washington 
county  court  at  the  September  term.      In 

1 866  he  located  in  Waitsfield  where  he 
began,  and  contined  for  ten  years,  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  He  then  changed 
his  residence  to  Montpelier  in  order  to  be- 
come a  member  of  the   firm   of   Heath    & 


64  CARNEY. 

C'arleton,  which  continued  till  1883,  when  he 
was  appointed  judge  of  probate  by  Governor 
Barstow.  He  has  since  held  this  office  by 
successive  elections. 

In  T,S6g  Judge  Carleton  was  the  represen- 
tative of  the  town  of  Waitsfield  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  the   following  year  was 


^ 


/ 


HIRAM    CARLETON 


re-elected  by  a  unanimous  vote.  In  that 
body  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  education,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  the  passage  of  the  act  permitting 
the  establishment  of  the  town,  system  of 
schools.  In  1870  he  was  the  delegate  from 
Waitsfield  to  the  state  constitutional  conven- 
tion, and  was  chosen  state's  attorney  for 
Washington  county  for  two  years. 

|udge  Carleton  has  been  recently  elected 
president  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society, 
and  has  acted  as  treasurer  of  the  Vermont 
Bar  Association  since  18S3.  For  fifteen 
years  he  has  most  creditably  served  as  both 
trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Washington 
county  grammar  school.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  uniting 
with  Aurora  Lodge,  No.  112,  of  Montpelier. 

ludge  Carleton  was  married  in  Chester- 
field, N  v.,  Oct.  26,  1865,  to  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Lathrop  and  Mary  (Ball) 
Pope.  Of  this  union  are  issue  :  Frederick, 
and  Mary  Ball  Pope. 

CARNEY,  JOHN  VOSE,  of  Bennington, 
son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Wheeler)  Carney, 
was  born  in   Newcastle,  Me.,  Nov.  6,  1835. 


His  maternal  grandfather  was  a  member 
of  the  patriotic  band  who  spilled  the  tea 
in  Boston  harbor. 

Mr.  Carney  passed  through  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  instead  of 
devoting  his  nights  to  relaxation  or  amuse- 
ment, employed  them  in  careful  and  unre- 
mitting study. 

In  185  I  he  went  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist,  but  after 
three  years  removed  to  Bennington.  During 
the  war,  he  acted  as  inspector  of  arms  at 
Watervliet  Arsenal.  He  then  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  knit  goods  at  Bennington, 
but  meeting  with  reverses,  sold  his  plant  and 
engaged  in  business  for  the  Mutual  Life  In- 
surance Co.  He  is  now  a  half  owner  of  the 
Crawford  &  Carney  shoddy  mills  in  Ben- 
nington. 

Republican  in  his  political  preferences. 
Judge  Carney  has  been  given  many  civic 
honors.  Besides  being  elected  as  assistant 
judge  of  the  Bennington  county  court,  he 
was  sent  to  the  Senate  in  1884  ;  also  ap- 
appointed  to  serve  on  the  citizens'  Benning- 
ton battle  monument  committee,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  banquet  committee  at  the 
dedication  of  the  monument. 

Mr.  Carney  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
church,  and  for  about  twenty-one  years  was 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 

March  23,  1854,  he  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony at  Worcester,  Mass.,  to  Susan  A., 
daughter  of  Asa  and  Sally  Morse  Abbott. 
One  daughter  was  the  fruit  of  this  union  : 
Allura  Jeannette  (Mrs.  C.  N.  Hodgkins  of 
Bennington.  She  passed  awav,  April  7, 
1880). 

CANNON,  M.  W.,  of  West  Rutland, 
was  born  in  that  town,  April  9,  1867. 

Of  Irish  parentage,  he  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools,  and  after  completing 
his  course  of  study,  labored  upon  a  farm 
belonging  to  his  parents,  which  occupation 
he  followed  until  1887,  when  he  entered  a 
political  life. 

In  1888  he  was  the  candidate  for  justice 
of  the  peace  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and 
received  the  largest  vote  ever  given  to  an 
aspirant  for  the  office  in  the  town.  Two 
years  later  he  was  elected  selectman,  which 
position  he  now  holds,  being  chairman  of 
the  board.  In  1890  he  was  the  nominee  of 
his  party  for  town  representative,  and,  re- 
ceiving a  handsome  majority,  entered  the 
Legislature  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  the 
youngest  member  of  the  body.  He  imme- 
diately took  an  active  part  in  the  debate  on 
reform  measures,  and  distinguished  himself 
by  an  able  and  eloquent  speech  on  the 
weekly  payment  bill.  He  was  re-elected  in 
1892,  and  served  creditably  on  the  com- 
mittee on  rules  and  elections.     Mr.  Cannon 


CARPENTER. 

has  taken  a  leading  part  in  town  affairs,  antl 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  all 
measures  of  reform.  In  October,  1S93,  he 
was  offered  the  choice  of  the  office  of  post- 
master in  West  Rutland  or  a  position  in 
Washington,  by  the  Cleveland  administration. 
The  latter  position  he  accepted. 


In  social  life,  he  is  affable  and  agreeable, 
is  unmarried,  and  in  religious  belief  is  a 
Roman  Catholic. 

CARPENTER,  AMOS  BuGBEE,  of 
Waterford,  son  of  Isaiah  and  Caroline 
(Bugbee)  Carpenter,  was  born  in  Waterford, 
May  25,  181S. 

The  first  of  the  family  who  emigrated  to 
America  was  M'illiam  Carpenter,  who  came 
from  Wherwell,  England,  in  i6_^8,  and  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Weymouth 
and  Rehoboth,  Mass.  Jonah  Carpenter,  the 
grandfather  of  Amos  B.  Carpenter,  was  a 
minute  man  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  Isaiah,  his  son,  came  to  Waterford  in 
iSoS,  where  he  cleared  a  farm,  which  has 
since  been  the  family  home. 

Mr.  Amos  B.  Carpenter  attended  the 
common  schools  of  Waterford,  and  after- 
wards pursued  short  courses  of  study  at  the 
Lyndon  Academy  and  Peacham  grammar 
school.  When  eighteen  years  of  age,  and 
each  season  after  that  time  until  married,  he 
taught  school  during  the  winter  and  attended 
to  his  farm  duties  during  the  summer ;  but 
though  his  educational  opportunities  were 
limited,  he    has    supplemented    them   by  a 


CARPENTER.  65 

lifelong  habit  of  reading,  and  a  large  expe- 
rience of  men  and  affairs.  He  has  made 
general  farming  the  vocation  of  his  life, 
paying  considerable  attention  to  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  dairy. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  24,  1S47, 
to  Cosbi  B.,  daughter  of  Ezra"  and  Hannah 
(Burleigh)  Parker,  of  Littleton,  \.  H.  'Ihey 
have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  still 
live:  Martha  W.  (Mrs.  Stillman  E.  Cut- 
ting of  Concord),  .'\lthea  C.  (Mrs.  Stephen 
J.  Hastings  of  Waterford),  Philander  Isaiah 
(died  in  infancy ),  Caroline  Bugbee  (Mrs.  L. 
J.  Cummings,  deceased),  .Amos  Herbert, 
Cosbi  May  (Mrs.  L.  J.  Cummings  of  Clinton, 
Iowa),  Ezra  Parker,  and  Miner  Bugbee. 

Mr.  Carpenter  is  a  consistent  Republican, 
and  for  thirty-eight  years  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  postmaster  at  West  Waterford.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  state  Legislature  from 
\\'aterford  in  1888.  Nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury ago  he  was  elected  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Society  at  Boston,  and  is  about  to  pul)lish  a 


AMOS    BUGBEE   CARPENTER. 

record  of  the  Carpenter  family,  on  which 
he  has  persistently  labored  for  many  years. 
He  has  received  the  three  degrees  of  Blue 
Lodge  Masonry,  and  is  a  member  of  Moose 
River  Lodge  of  West  Concord.  He  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  the  Green 
Mountain  Grange,  P.  of  H.,  which  was  the 
first  subordinate  body  formed  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  later  was  selected  ti)  fulfil  the 
duties  of  Master  of  Waterford  Grange. 


66  CASSIE. 

CASSIE,  George,  of  Barre,  son  of 
James  and  Margaret  (Ronald)  Cassie,  was 
born  in  Auchmaliddie,  Aberdeenshire,  Scot- 
land, May  29,  1857. 

His  education  was  limited  to  the  public 
schools  in  his  native  town,  and  he  served  his 
apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of  a  stone  cutter. 
When  the  regular  term  of  five  years  had  ex- 
pired, he  served  as  journeyman  two  years, 
and  in  1880  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Barre  in  1882.  Commencing 
with  a  small  capital,  he  has  gradually  in- 
creased his  business,  until  it  has  proved 
most  lucrative  and  successful.  Two  years 
ago  Mr.  Cassie  conceived  the  idea  of  import- 
ing pure-bred  Shetland  ponies  for  breeding 
purposes.  This  venture  has  also  proved 
successful. 

Mr.  Cassie  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  an  ex- 
cellent representative  of  the  Scotch-Ameri- 
can, combining  American  enterprise  with 
the  native  thrift  and  shrewdness  of  the 
Scotch. 

He  married,  May  16,  1889,  Laura  E., 
daughter  of  Charles  L.  and  Celinda 
(Dickey)  Currier  of  Barre.  Their  first 
child,  Jessie,  died  in  infancy  ;  their  second, 
Raymond  J.,  was  born  in  October,  1891. 

CAVERLY,  Charles  Solomon,  of 

Rutland,  son  of  Dr.  Abiel  Moore  and  Sarah 
L.  (Goddard)  Caverly,  was  born  in  Troy,  N. 
H.,  Sept.  30,  1856. 

He  received  the  usual  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Pittsford,  to  which  town 
his  father  removed  in  1862,  and  he  also 
attended  those  of  Brandon.  In  the  summer 
of  1873  he  entered  Kimball  Union  .Academy 
at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  graduating  there  in  1874, 
and  then  entered  the  classical  department 
of  Dartmouth  College,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  187S.  He  was  valedictorian  of  his 
class,  and  received  two  prizes  at  his  grad- 
uation. He  received  his  degree  of  M.  1). 
from  the  medical  department  of  the  U.  V. 
M.  in  1881.  During  the  time  of  his  educa- 
tional career  he  employed  himself  in  teach- 
ing at  West  Haven,  Proctor  and  Pittsford. 
After  his  graduation  he  visited  New  York 
City,  where  he  spent  nearly  two  years  of 
studv  in  hospitals,  and  also  availed  himself 
of  the  advantages  of  private  instruction.  In 
1883,  Dr.  Caverly  returned  to  Rutland  and 
began  to  practice  his  profession,  at  first  in 
connection  with  Dr.  Middleton  Goldsmith, 
but  after  a  year  he  opened  an  office  inde- 
pendent of  him,  and  since  then  he  has  been 
alone.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  diseases 
of  the  nose,  throat  and  chest,  often  visiting 
New  York  for  a  few  weeks  for  the  purpose  of 
more  particular  study  and  research.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  State  Medical  -Society, 
and  has  held  most  of  the  offices  in  this 
society,  being   president  in   i89i-'92.     He 


has  belonged  to  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  a  member  of  the  Rutland 
Medical  Club, and  in  i89i-'92  was  president 
of  the  Rutland  County  Medical  .Society.  Dr. 
Caverly  is  a  member  of  the  Rutland  Repub- 
lican Club,  of  the  Rutland  Board  of  Trade, 
and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Rutland 
Hospital  Association. 

He  married,  Nov.  5,  1885,  Mabel  A., 
daughter  of  Harley  C.  and  Mary  ( Root) 
Tuttle  of  Rutland,  by  whom  he  has  one  son  : 
Harley  Tuttle. 

From  1887  to  1889,  Dr.  Caverly  dis- 
charged the  functions  of  health  officer  of 
Rutland,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  State  Board  of  Health  in  1S90  by  Gov- 
ernor Dillingham  to  fill  an  unexpired  term, 
being  reappointed  by  Governor  Page  for  a 
term  of  six  years.  He  has  been  president 
of  that  body  since  1891. 

Dr.  Caverly  has  entered  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, affiliating  with  Rutland  Lodge,  No. 
79,  Davenport  Chapter,  No.  17,  and  Killing- 
ton  Commandery,  No.  6,  Knights  Templar. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  interested  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of 
Rutland. 

CELLEY,  WiLLIA.M  E.  S.,  of  Bradford, 
was  born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Jan.  7,  1838. 
His  father's  name  was  Benjamin,  and  his 
mother's  Jane  M.  Sawyer. 

When  he  was  three  years  of  age  his 
father's  family  removed  to  Bradford,  and  the 
following  year  to  the  town  of  Fairlee,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  and  at  Bradford  Academy. 
\\'illiam  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  of  his 
father,  a  highly  respected  citizen,  who  twice 
represented  the  town  in  the  state  Legisla- 
ture, and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  nine- 
ty-three. He  has  always  resided  on  this 
and  on  the  adjoining  estate,  and  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  general  farming,  though  at 
present  is  especially  engaged  in  the  produc- 
tions of  the  dairy. 

Mr.  Celley  is  a  man  of  independent  con- 
victions, an  earnest  supporter  of  temper- 
ance principles,  and  an  ardent  advocate  of 
the  law  of  prohibition.  He  was  district 
clerk  thirty-four  consecutive  years,  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  school  directors, 
and  one  of  the  trustees  of  Bradford  Acad- 
emy. He  has  held  various  offices  in  the 
town,  and  in  1876  was  elected  to  the  state 
Legislature  by  the  votes  of  the  Republican 
party. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  of 
Bradford,  and  has  lately  presented  a  fine 
bell  to  the  L^nion  Church  of  Fairlee  as  a 
memorial  token  in  honor  of  his  father.  He 
has  for  many  years  been  a  steward  in  the 
church  to  which  he  belongs,  and  has  been 
in  various  ways  connected  with  other  organi- 


zations  of  a  religious  and  reformatory  char- 
acter. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  June  13,  i86^, 
at  Bradford,  to  Jane  C,  daughter  of  Jasper 
and  Ceiinda  (Heath)  Moore"  of  West"  Fair- 


V 


E.    S.   CELLEY, 


lee.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Emma  J.  (deceased),  and  George  E.,  who 
resides  with  his  parents.  They  have  also 
an  adopted  child,  H.  Evelyn. 

CHAFEY,  Martin  Beard,  of  Albany, 

son  of  Hiram  and  .Asenath  (Kendall) 
Chafey,  was  born  in  Albany,  May   11,  1842. 

He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of 
Albany,  where  he  also  became  a  pupil  of  the 
academy,  and  afterwards  attended  the  Peo- 
ple's Academy  at  Morrisville. 

He  commenced  his  business  career  with  a 
clerkship  at  Derby  Line,  and  then  enlarged 
his  experience  by  serving  for  one  year  in  a 
wholesale  store  in  Boston.  In  1866  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Hiram  W.,  but  since  1882  he  has  continued 
the  business  by  himself,  carrying  a  large 
stock  of  general  merchandise.  Since  1879 
he  has  been  agent  for  the  collection  of  rents 
for  Middlebury  College.  Was  postmaster  at 
Albany  from  1866  to  1886. 
t  Mr.  Caffey  was  married  to  Jennie  Wilson, 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Margaret  (Cal- 
derwood)  Mitchell  of  Craftsbury.  Their 
children  are  :  Don  M.  (died  in  childhood), 
Agnes  ( ).,  Roland  E.,  and  Maggie  E. 

.\   life-long  Republican,   Mr.  Chafey    has 
been  town  clerk  since  1876,  and  in  1893  was 


cha.mi!i;ki.i\.  (,■, 

appointed  deputy  collector  of  internal  rev- 
enue for  .Albany  and  vicinity.  He  enlisted 
in  the  army,  but  being  a  minor  his  parents 
refused  their  consent.  Before  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  had  enlisted  once  and  was 
drafted  twice. 

He  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  1890.  Attending  the  session  of  that 
year,  also  the  extra  session  of  1891.  His 
son  Roland,  accompanying  him  as  page  in 
the  House  in  1890  and  in  1S91,  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  secretary  of  the  House  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  being  the 
youngest  person  ever  appointed  to  that  posi- 
tion in  the  state,  and  now  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  is  assistant  cashier  in  the 
First  National  Bank,  Ithica,  Mich. 

In  religious  preference  a  Baptist,  he  nev- 
ertheless attends  and  supports  the  Metho- 
dist F;piscopal  church.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  Central  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  of 
Irasburg. 

CHAMBERLIN,  PresTON  S.,  of  Brad- 
ford, son  of  Abner  and  Mary  ( Haseltine) 
Chamberlin,   was  born    in    Newbury,    Nov. 

•>><    I s-,-> 
-5,  1^32. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
Newbury  Seminary,  he  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
when  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Bradford, 
where  he  has  since  resided. 

He  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  elected 
to  fill  several  town  offices  and  in  1890  rep- 
resented his  town  in  the  Legislature.  A 
trustee  of  Bradford  Academy  for  fifteen 
years,  he  is  strongly  interested  in  the  cause 
of  education. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  service  in  May,  1861,  under  the  first 
call  of  President  Lincoln,  being  a  member 
of  the  Bradford  Guards.  For  the  first  two 
months  of  the  war  he  served  as  sergeant  in 
Co.  D,  ist  Vt.  Vols.  Upon  the  call  for  nine 
months'  men  in  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  12th 
Regt.  and  went  out  as  captain  of  Co.  H, 
(Bradford  Guards)  and  was  mustered  out 
with  the  regiment.  Captain  Chamberlin 
was  a  charter  member  of  Washburn  Post, 
G.  \.  R  ,  No.  I  7,  and  for  several  years  its 
Commander. 

He  married  Hannah  S.,  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Rebecca  (Mussey)  Corliss 
of  Bradford,  Jan.  17,  1856.  They  have 
three  daughters :  Annie  (wife  of  C.  E. 
Spalding),  Mary  H.  (wife  of  George  R. 
Grant),  and  Fldith  Julia. 

CHANDLER,  Frank,  of  Brandon,  son 
of  Rufus  and  Mary  (King)  Chandler,  was 
born  in  Coleraine,  Mass.,  June  13,  1838. 

His  education  was  chiefly  obtained  at  the 
West  Brattleboro  high  school,  and  he  com- 
menced a    mercantile    career    in    his   early 


68 


boyhood.  For  some  twelve  xears  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  different  situations, 
the  last  six  being  in  a  wholesale  clothing 
store  in  Montreal.  Since  that  time  he  has 
devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
in  connection  with  these  has  conducted  a 
summer  resort  at  Silver  Lake,  Leicester, 
where  for  the  past  fourteen  years  he  has  held 
semi-annual  camp  meetings,  to  which  socie- 
ties of  every  denomination  have  been  hear- 
tily welcomed. 

Mr.  Chandler  was  wedded  in  Leicester  in 
iiS64  to  Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Sarah  Alden.  To  them  eight  children  have 
been  born  :   Sarah  Klla  (deceased),  John  B., 


Frank  E.,  Mary  A.,  Rufus  A.  (deceased), 
Grace  A.,  Gertrude  L.,  and  Ernest  D.  (de- 
ceased). He  has  held  many  responsible 
offices  in  the  town  of  Leicester,  which  he 
represented  in  Montpelier  in  1878.  He  has 
been  prominent  in  the  organizations  of  the 
Good  Templars  and  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
and  for  more  than  thirty  years  has  been  an 
active  member  of  St.  Paul's  Lodge,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  No.  25,  of  Urandon. 

CHAPIN,  William,  of  Middlesex,  son 
of  Joseph  and  Catherine  ( Holden)  Chapin, 
was  born  Dec.  7,  1831. 

Mr.  Chapin  comes  from  a  line  rich  in  his- 
toric associations.  On  his  mother's  side  he 
is  fourth  in  descent  from  William  Holden, 
who  was  with  the  Colonial  troops  at  the 
capture  of  Louisburg  in   1  745,  and  served 


under  the  immortal  U'olfe  upon  the  heights 
of  Abraham  in  1759.  A  soldier  of  the 
patriot  army  of  the  Revolution,  he  was  pres- 
ent at  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  and  witnessed 
the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  the  present 
sketch  came  to  Middlesex  as  one  of  its  ear- 
liest settlers  shortly  after  the  Revolutionary 
war,  in  which  he  had  fought  under  Washing- 
ton. Together  with  his  oldest  son,  Joseph, 
he  marched  to  Plattsburg  and  again  encoun- 
tered the  dangers  of  the  battlefield  in  behalf 
of  his  native  land. 

Receiving  only  the  instruction  of  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town,  the 
early  training  of  Mr.  ^Villiam  Chapin  was 
eminently  practical.  After  an  early  experi- 
ence in  district  school  teaching  during  the 
winter  at  Middlesex  and  Waterbury,  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Swamp- 
scott,  Mass.,  and  later  in  i858-'59  in  the 
Union  store  at  Montpelier.  With  these  ex- 
ceptions, he  has  alwavs  lived  upon  the  farm 
where  he  was  born. 

He  is  a  very  successful  operator  in  real 
estate,  besides  being  a  large  holder  of  the 
same.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  breeder  of 
Jersey  cattle  and  Shropshire  sheep,  owning 
one  of  the  best  flocks  in  the  county. 

After  holding  many  town  offices,  he  was 
sent  to  the  Legislature  in  1880  and  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Equalizing  Board  in 
18S2.  In  1SS4  he  was  honored  by  an  elec- 
tion to  the  Senate  and  re-elected  in  1888. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Agriculture  from  1887  to  1892. 

Hon.  William  Chapin  is  a  unique  and 
original  character,  possessing  a  fund  of 
quaint  and  genial  humor  with  an  inimitable 
gift  of  drollery  in  story  telling.  When  he  is 
convinced  of  the  righteousness  of  his  cause 
"he  knowing,  dares  maintain,"  and  in  brief 
is  an  excellent  specimen  of  a  good  old- 
fashioned  Green  Mountain  farmer. 

He  was  married  at  Worcester,  May  15, 
i860,  to  Catherine,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Jonas  and  Minerva  E.  (Vail)  Abbott.  Of 
this  union  there  were  five  children  :  Harry 
Lee,  Joseph  Abbott,  William  Allen,  Hinck- 
ley B.,  and  Edgar  L.  (deceased). 

CHASE,  Charles  Sumner,  of  whit- 

ingham,  son  of  Abraham  and  Catherine 
(Read)  Chase,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Whitingham,  May  13,  1855. 

After  having  attended  the  common  schools 
of  the  town  he  studied  law  and  stenography, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Windham  county 
bar  in  September,  18S0,  and  has  since  prac- 
ticed law  at  Whitingham.  He  has  served  as- 
the  official  stenographer  of  the  Bennington, 
Rutland  and  Windham  county  courts  for  the 
past  seventeen  years.  He  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  organization  of  the  Moses  New- 


ton  Shoe  Co.,  of  which  he  has  liad  the  man- 
agement, and  was  also  connected  with  the 
construction  of  the  Deerfield  Valley  R.  R., 
and  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  &  Wilmington  Rail- 
road Co.,  and  is  a  director  of  and  attorney 
for  the  same. 

He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  town 
treasurer,  justice  of  the  peace  and  held 
some  minor  offices.  Mr.  Chase  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Unity  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Jack- 
sonville. 

He  married,  Jan.  19,  1881,  Carrie  Rmily, 
daughter  of  John  Addison  and  Emily  C. 
Brigham  of  Boston,  Mass.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Robert  Martin, 
born  Feb.  22,  i.SS^,  and  Harry  ]!righam, 
born  Aug.  9,  1SS9. 

CHASE,  Charles  M.,  son  of  l-lpaphras 
Bull  and  Louisa  (Baldwin)  Chase,  was  born 
in  Lyndon,  Nov.  6,  1829. 


^^.  ^l^^-h 


y 


CHARLES    M.    CHASE. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  in 
the  academies  of  Lyndon,  St.  Johnsbury, 
and  Meriden,  N.  H.,  and  was  afterwards 
gradtiated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  the 
class  of  1853.  He  then  pursued  his  profes- 
sional studies  with  President  Allen  of  Farm- 
er's College,  Cincinnati,  and  in  1S57  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Sycamore,  111.,  where 
he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, at  the  same  time  editing  the  DeKalb 
County  Sentinel  and  teaching  music,  thus 
continuing  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
civil  war.  In  i863-'64  he  was  in  Kansas,  a 
portion  of  the  time  employed  as  city  editor 
of  the  Leavenworth  I)ail\' Times,  and  having 


CH.ASK.  69 

charge  of  the  musical  association  of  that 
city.  For  some  time  he  traveled  in  the 
state  as  correspondent  of  the  Sycamore  Re- 
publican, describing  the  bloody  struggles 
that  took  place  during  the  episodes  of  1856. 
In  1865  he  commenced  the  publication  of 
the  Vermont  Union  at  Lyndon,  which  he 
still  continues.  In  connection  with  this 
enter|)rise  he  has  made  numerous  trips  in 
Florida,  California,  the  western  and  the 
southern  states  as  correspondent  of  his  own 
paper,  one  of  these  trips  being  published 
in  book  form  under  the  title  of  "Editor's 
Run  in  New  Mexico  and  Colorado."  The 
book  received  numerous  compliments  from 
the  press  and  had  quite  an  extensive  sale. 

During  the  first  years  after  leaving  col- 
lege, Mr.  Chase  divided  his  time  between 
studying  law  and  teaching  in  Cincinnati,  (J., 
having  charge  for  three  years  of  the  vocal 
music  department  in  Ohio  Female  College 
and  Farmer's  College,  conducting  conven- 
tions, giving  concerts,  etc.  During  this 
period  he  composed  different  church  tunes, 
which  were  published  in  the  books  of  that 
date  and  later. 

Mr.  Chase  enlisted  in  1861,  and  had 
charge  of  the  brigade  band  of  the  13th  111. 
Vols,  till  their  discharge  at  the  end  of  three 
months  service  in  Southwestern  Missouri. 

He  was  married  June  15,  1865,  at  Syca- 
more, 111.,  to  Mary  M,  daughter  of  Timothy 
and  Mary  (Waterman)  Wells.  Their  five 
children  are  :  Everett  B.,  John  B.,  George  A., 
Jennie  H.,  and  Nellie  L. 

Mr.  Chase  is  Democratic  in  his  political 
adherence,  and  for  several  years  held  the 
office  of  police  magistrate  in  Sycamore. 
For  twenty  years  he  has  been  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Lyndon.  He  was  the  prime  mover 
in  securing  the  charter  for  the  Lyndon 
Academy  and  Craded  School,  being  for  a 
long  time  president  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. In  i866-'68  he  was  the  Democratic 
candidate  for  Congress  in  the  First  Vermont 
District,  and  was  appointed  delegate  to  the 
national  convention  of  that  party  in  St. 
Louis  in  1876.  His  ability  as  a  financier 
has  called  him  to  the  duties  of  director  in 
the  Lyndon  National  Bank  and  the  Savings 
Bank  &  Trust  Co.  of  St.  Johnsbury,  of 
which  he  has  been  president  since   1891. 

He  has  taken  the  vows  of  Free  Masonry, 
and  is  actively  connected  with  the  lodge  at 
Lyndon  and  Haswell  Chapter  in  St.  Johns- 
bury. 

CHASE,  Edgar  MeRRITT,  of  jay,  son 
of  Merrill  and  Electa  (Stickney)  Chase,  was 
born  in  Jay,  .April  18,  1857.  Having  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  public  schools  of 
Jay,  he  now  owns  and  occupies  a  small  farm 
at  the  village  and  for  several  years  has  been 
foreman  in  IS.  F.  Faine's  lumber  mill. 


7° 


He  has  held  many  town  offices  and  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1892,  where  he 
served  on  general  and  several  special  com- 
mittees. He  has  always  been  a  strong 
Republican  in  his  political  faith,  and  is  a 
member  of  Masonic  Union  Lodge,  No.  16,  of 
Troy.  In  religious  belief  he  is  Methodist 
Episcopal. 


years  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  also  served 
in  most  of  the  other  town  offices,  and  was 
representative  in  the  Legislature  of  1878.  J 
He  is  a  public-spirited  man  of  strong 
convictions  and  benevolent  impulses.  Has 
always  been  a  temperance  man  in  principle 
and  practice,  and  a  prominent  member  of 
the  L  O.  G.  T.  In  the  long  and  eventful 
existence  of  the  West  Concord  L'niversalist 
Church,  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, Mr.  Chase  has  been  a  constant  atten- 
dant and  active  worker  ;  about  thirty  years 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school,  and 
many  years  chairman  of  the  parish  com- 
mittee. He  is  also  president  of  the  Northern 
.Association  and  treasurer  of  LTniversalist 
Convention  of  Vermont  and  Province  of 
Q)uebec,  which  office  he  has  helil  the  past 
fourteen  vears. 


EDGAR    MERRITT    CHASE. 

August  17,  1 88 1,  Mr.  Chase  married  Myra 
Bartlett.  who  died  Nov.  17,  1891,  leaving 
two  children  :  Charles  Bartlett,  and  Maud 
Electa. 

CHASE,  WiLLARD,  of  West  Concord, 
son  of  Ceorge  and  luinice  (.Abbott)  Chase. 
was  born  in  Landgrove,  March  10,  1840. 
Coming  to  Concord  with  his  parents  two 
years  later,  he  was  brought  up  on  the  same 
farm  where  he  has  since  resided.  His  father 
was  a  frugal,  industrious  farmer,  skilled  also 
in  many  handicrafts,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  naturally  received  much  training  in 
these  directions. 

Being  an  ambitious,  self-reliant  boy,  he 
acquired  a  thorough  common  school  educa- 
tion. As  a  farmer,  he  evinces  the  same 
energy  and  thoroughness,  making  specialties  " 
of  creamery  butter  and  maple  sugar.  In 
i8go  he  made  10,100  pounds  of  sugar. 

Mr.  Chase  is  an  earnest  Republican.  He 
was  school  district  clerk  and  treasurer  for 
twenty-one  years.  Called  to  the  position  of 
selectman  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  he  has 

ed  that   position  ten   terms  ;   he   was   five 


January  i,  1868,  he  married  .Ann  Maria 
W.,  daughter  of  the  late  David  W.  and  Sally 
(Stiles)  Lee  of  St.  Johnsbury. 

CHASE,  ZiNA  GOLDTHWAIT,  late  of 
Cambridge,  son  of  .Alden  and  .Abigail 
(Chase)  Chase,  was  born  in  Cambridge,. 
•August  9,  1830. 

His  educational  advantages  were  derived 
from  the  common  schools  and  he  steadily 
followed  farming  as  an  occupation,  at  the 
same  time  dealing  largely  in  cattle.  Mr. 
Chase  twice  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  his 
country's  defenders  and  in  his  first  attempt 
was  advanced  to  the  grade  of  orderly  ser- 


geaiu  (if  Co.  H,  2d  Regt.  \'t.  N'ols.,  but 
unfortunatelv  he  was  mustered  out  for  disa- 
bility. 

After  holding  many  minor  positions  of 
trust  in  the  town,  he  was  elected  by  a  strong 
Republican  majority  to  the  state  Legisla- 
ture in  the  fall  of  i>S.S6,  which  position   he 


and  in  1890  was  elected  senator  of  Addison 
county,  also  the  youngest  man  ever  sent 
from  the  county  in  that  capacity.  In  both 
of  the  legislative  bodies  he  served  on  im- 
portant committees  and  being  well  versed  in 
parliamentary  law,  he  was  often  called  upon 
to  preside. 

Mr  Child  belongs  to  many  political  and 
agricultural  societies  and,  though  not  a 
member,  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  the 
( 'hristian  church. 


filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction 
to  his  constituents.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  was  united  in  marriage, 
August  2,  1S56,  to  Jane  H.,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Hannah  Montague.  One  child, 
Hollis  M.  Chase,  has  blessed  their  union. 

CHILD,  George  Edward,  of  Wey- 

bridge,  was  born  Feb.  22,  185  i,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Mahala  (Briggs)  Child. 

Receiving  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  Weybridge,  he  continued  to  pur- 
sue his  studies  at  the  Stanstead  (P.  ().) 
Academy  and  Fort  Edward  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute. At  first  intending  to  enter  a  profes- 
sional life,  he  concluded  that  farming  and 
speculation  were  his  true  vocations.  Mr. 
Child  has  given  a  large  share  of  his  atten- 
tion to  the  breeding  of  Merino  sheep  and 
of  late  years  his  specialty  has  been  the  rais- 
ing of  cattle  and  beeves.  His  farm,  on 
which  Gov.  Silas  Wright  was  born,  is  histor- 
ically interesting. 

In  political  creed  a  Republican,  after 
having  held  many  town  offices  he  was  sent 
to  the  Legislature  in  1884,  being  the 
youngest  member  ever  sent  from  \\'eybridge. 


GEORGE    EDWARD   CHILD 

He  was  married  in  Weybridge  on  Jan.  25, 
1S77,  to  Susan,  daughter  of  Edwin  and 
Sarah  Wright.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  daughters  :  Cecile  Maude,  and 
\'erna  Wright. 

CLARK,    Ezra    Warren,  of    Derby, 

son  of  Alvah  \\'arren  and  Mary  C.  (King) 
Clark,  was  born  at  Glover,  Oct.  12,  1842. 
His  father,  .Alvah,  was  one  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, eleven  of  whom  lived  to  maturity. 

Mr.  Clark's  educational  training  was 
acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Glover,  the 
( )rleans  Liberal  Institute,  and  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Seminary  of  Newbury.  For 
several  terms  he  taught  in  the  public  schools, 
and  was  principal  of  the  Orleans  Liberal 
Institute.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  R.R.  Skinner 
of  Barton,  and  soon  after  entered  the  medi- 
cal department  at  Dartmouth  College,  and 
in  1S69  pursued  a  course  of  study  at  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia, 
where  he  graduated  in  1S70. 


72 


Dr.  Clark  commenced  to  practice  his  pro- 
fession in  Charleston,  but  in  1873  removed 
to  Derb)',  where  by  jjatient  industry,  assidu- 
ity, and  his  liberal  methods  he  built  up  a 
large  and  valuable  business.  At  the  same 
time  he  has  given  some  attention  to  practical 
farming. 

He  has  been  health  officer  for  several 
years,  and  has  been  town  superintendent  of 
schools  in  Charleston,  Glover  and  Derby, 
and  selectman  from  1889  to  1893. 

Always  deeply  interested  in  the  cause  of 
temperance  and  education,  Dr.  Clark  has 
been  an  active  worker  in  their  behalf.  He 
has  been  for  a  long  time  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee  of  Derby  Academy,  to 
the  endowment  fund  of  which  he  has  been  a 
liberal  contributor. 

He  is  a  member  and  officer  of  several 
medical  societies.  He  is  Republican  in  his 
political  creed,  and  in  his  religious  prefer- 
ences Methodist  Episcopal.  He  has  always 
been  energetic  in  church  matters,  and  for 
fifteen  years  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school. 

Dr.  Clark  was  uniteci  in  marriage  .April 
30,  1871,  to  Isadore  M.,  daughter  of  Noble 
and  Emily  E.  (Rice)  Aldrich  of  Glover. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  six  chil- 
dren :  Albert  W.,  Marion  E.,  Helen  M., 
Royce  \\'.,  Genevieve  M.,  and  Dora  Mae. 

CLARK,  John  Calvin,  of  St.  Johns- 
bury,  son  of  John  S.  and  Ann  E.  (Robinson) 
Clark,  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  June  3, 1852. 

His  educational  advantages  were  received 
in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  he  commenced  his  business 
career  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  First  National 
Bank  at  St.  Johnsbury.  In  1873  he  accepted 
the  position  of  cashier  in  the  First  National 
liank  of  Chelsea ;  but  after  ten  years 
returned  to  St.  Johnsbury  as  assistant  cashier 
in  the  institution  in  which  he  was  first  em- 
ployed. In  1886  he  was  promoted  to  the 
post  of  cashier,  which  he  retained  until 
1893,  when  he  resigned  to  become  the 
treasurer  of  the  E.  &  T.  Fairbanks  Co.  i\Ir. 
Clark  is  also  treasurer  of  the  St.  Johnsbury 
Electric  Light  Co.,  The  Mystic  Club,  and 
Home  for  Aged  Women,  and  is  a  director  of 
the  First  National  IJank. 

He  is  a  staunch  and  straightforward  Re- 
publican but  has  never  held  any  political 
office  excelling  that  of  clerk  of  the  village 
corporation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons 
of  Veterans,  and  of  Passumpsic  Lodge,  No. 
27,  of  St.  Johnsbury. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  .April  14,  1881, 
to  Lida  E.,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  M.  and 
Anna  Haselton  Puffer.  Three  children  are 
the  issue  of  the  marriage  :  Robert  P.,  Mar- 
geret  R.,  and  .Arthur  Dana. 


CLARK,  RiPLEV,  of  Windsor,  son  of  Eli 
and  Sarah  (Warner)  Clark,  was  born  in 
Strafford,  July  23,  181 7.  His  father,  Eli, 
was  from  Boscawen,  N.  H.,  and  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812. 

Mr.  Clark  received  his  elementary  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  Stratford,  at 
Thetford  .Academy,  and  the  New  England 
Seminary  at  \\'indsor.  He  studied  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Phelps  of  Windsor,  and  gradu- 
ated from  the  meclical  school  of  Dartmouth 
College  in  1846.  Commencing  in  Reading, 
Dr.  Clark  subsequently  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Illinois,  and  later  at  AMiite  River 
Junction.  In  1861  he  settled  at  Windsor, 
where  he  built  up  a  large  practice.  Develop- 
ing bronchial  troubles  from  the  severity  of 
our  winters,  he  was  obliged  to  seek  a  change 
of  climate,  and  for  the  last  dozen  years  has 
resided  in  Florida  during  the  winter. 

He  is  a  Republican  and  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  William  H.,  and  his  last  for 
Benjamin  Harrison.  .Averse  to  public  office, 
he  has  confined  himself  to  the  duties  of  his 
profession,  but  in  1880  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  from  Windsor.  For  twenty  years 
he  was  the  medical  director  of  the  state's 
prison. 

He  married,  .August  9,  1S48,  Mary  .Ann, 
daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Abigal  (Topliff)  Ray- 
mond of  Bridgewater.  Of  this  marriage  is 
one  son  ;  Isaiah  Raymond. 

CLEMENT,  PeRCIVAL  W.,  of  Rut- 
land, belongs  to  a  family  which  has  long 
been  prominent  in  Rutland  county,  and  his 
work  has  from  the  first  been  in  the  larger 
business  interests  of  the  section.  His  be- 
ginning was  in  the  marble  business,  in  con- 
nection with  the  quarrying  and  manufactur- 
ing enterprise  established  by  his  father,  and 
in  later  years  he  has  been  prominent  in 
railroad  and  other  affairs. 

Mr.  Clement  is  the  son  of  Charles  and 
Elizabeth  (Wood)  Clement.  He  was  born 
in  Rutland,  July  7,  1846,  and  his  home  has 
always  been  in  that  town. 

He  was  educated  at  the  Rutland  high 
school,  St.  Paul's  School,  Concord,  N.  H., 
and  Trinity  College,  Hartford.  He  began 
business  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  Rutland  office 
of  the  marble  firm  above  referred  to,  Cle- 
ment &  Sons,  in  the  same  year  and  became 
a  partner  in  1871.  This  firm  sold  out  to  the 
Rutland  Marble  Co.  in  1876  for  a  price 
which  made  the  transaction  the  largest  then 
known  in  the  marble  business  of  this  coun- 
try. The  members  of  the  firm  then  organ- 
ized the  State  Trust  Co.,  and  afterwards  the 
Clement  National  Bank,  both  in  Rutland, 
and  both  corporations  have  since  remained 
under  their  control. 

Mr.  Clement  was  engaged  in  the  banking 
business  until  1882,  when  he  began  buying 


74 


CLEVELAND. 


largely  of  the  stocks  of  the  Rutland  Railroad 
Co.  He  became  the  active  manager  of  the 
affairs  of  this  corporation  in  1883.  The 
finances  of  the  company  were  demoralized 
and  its  securities  greatly  depressed,  and  for 
four  years  Mr.  Clement  gave  his  attention  to 
the  property,  finally  acquiring  absolute  con- 
trol of  it.  The  stock  and  bonds  of  the  cor- 
poration advanced  in  price  enormously  and 
its  credit  was  restored,  and  in  1887  Mr. 
Clement  sold  out  to  the  Delaware  &  Hud- 
son Canal  Co.  He  remained  with  the  rail- 
road company,  however,  as  its  jsresident  and 
in  1 89 1  negotiated  a  lease  of  the  property  to 
the  Central  Vermont  R.  R.  Besides  his 
connection  with  the  Rutland  banks  named, 
Mr.  Clement  is  a  director  in  the  Howe  Scale 
Works  and  the  chief  owner  of  the  Rutland 
Herald,  and  concerned  in  many  other  local 
enterprises. 

Mr.  Clement  has  been  little  before  the 
public  except  as  a  business  man.  He  has 
always  been  a  Republican,  but  has  ne\er 
sought  political  office  and  has  held  none 
except  that  of  Rutland  town  representative, 
to  which  he  was  elected  in  1892.  His 
special  work  in  this  position  was  in  getting 
the  Rutland  city  charter.  He  was  the  active 
spirit  in  organizing  the  Rutland  Board  of 
Trade  in  1889  and  its  president  three  years. 
He  has  been  led  by  his  affairs  to  spend  con- 
siderable time  in  the  cities  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Union  League  Club  of  New  York, 
the  Algonciuin  Club  of  Boston,  and  of  some 
other  similar  organizations. 

Mr.  Clement  married  Maria  H.,  daughter 
of  Henry  W.  and  Caroline  (Hinman)  Ciood- 
win  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  186S,  and  has 
had  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  living  : 
Elizabeth  Wood,  Caroline  Hinman,  Ethel 
Scovil,  Margaret  Coodwin,  Anna  Elizabeth, 
and  Robert. 

CLARKE,  RaNSLURE  WELD.of  Brattle- 
boro,  son  of  Elam  and  Cynthia  (Lewis) 
Clarke,  was  born  in  Williamstown,  fan.  27, 
1S16. 

His  studies,  besides  those  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  were  pursued  at  Black 
River  Academy,  Ludlow,  and  at  the  Orange 
county  grammar  school  at  Randolph  Cen- 
tre. He  entered  Dartmouth  College  in 
1838,  and  graduated  in  1842.  Immediately 
upon  his  graduation,  he  became  principal  of 
Black  River  Academy  which  position  he 
filled  for  three  years,  devoting  his  spare 
time  to  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Gov. 
P.  T.  Washburn.  On  his  resignation  from 
the  principalship,  he  lent  his  entire  energy 
to  his  professional  studies  in  the  office  of  the 
late  Hon.  L  Dorr  Bradley,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Windham  county  at  the  Sep- 
tember term  of  court  in  1S46. 


On  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  at  once 
began  the  practice  of  law  in  Brattleboro. 
In  185 1  he  received  recognition  from  the 
Republican  party,  and  was  elected  state's 
attorney  for  Windham  county,  and  re-elected 
for  the  years  of  i853-'54.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1S57, 
and  one  of  the  presidential  electors  in  1S68. 
In  the  campaign  of  1S58  he  was  elected 
state  senator  from  Windham  county,  and  re- 
elected in  1859.  Mr.  Clarke  was  register  of 
probate  for  the  district  of  Marlboro  in  1861- 
'62,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position 
of  assistant  quartermaster  of  United  States 
Volunteers. 

Judge  Clarke  was  married  in  May,  1849, 
to  Lucy  C,  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  John 
and  Polly  (Wilson)  Wilder.  She  died  in 
1864,  and  in  1868  he  married  Susan  O. 
Wilder,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  Of  the 
first  union  there  was  one  daughter,  Mary 
AV.,  now  the  wife  of  Hon.  Milo  M.  Acker  of 
Hornellsville,  N.  V.,  and  of  the  latter  union 
one  son,  Francis  E. 

Captain  Clarke  received  the  appointment 
of  postmaster  of  Brattleboro  in  187 1,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  his  four  years'  term  was 
reappointed,  and  served  until  Jan.  i,  1879. 

In  local  affairs,  Judge  Clarke  has  taken  a 
prominent  part,  and  among  other  positions 
of  trust  which  he  has  held,  is  that  of  presi- 
dent of  the  Brattleboro  Savings  Bank.  For 
more  than  thirty  years  he  has  been  I'nited 
States  commissioner  and  master  in  chan- 
cery, and  in  1S82  he  was  elected  assistant 
judge  of  the  AVindham  county  court,  which 
position  he  held  until  December,  1892. 

CLEVELAND,  James  P.,  JR.,  son  of 
James  P.  and  Anna  P.  ( Huntington)  Cleve- 
land, was  born  in  Bethel,  Sept.  21,  1828. 

His  father,  James  P.  Cleveland,  Sr.,  is  still 
living,  at  the  age  of  ninety.  Very  many 
years  ago  he  joined  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
of  which  he  is  believed  to  be  the  oldest  liv- 
ing representative  in  the  state  of  Vermont. 
James  P.,  Jr.,  removed  to  Braintree  in  1845, 
and  until  1880  followed  farming.  At  that 
time  he  removed  to  West  Randolph  and  has 
devoted  himself  to  life,  fire  and  accident  in- 
surance. He  has  also  engaged  in  settling 
several  estates,  and  frequently  acted  as  guar- 
dian. 

.■\  member  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
has  been  appointed  both  deputy  and  sheriff 
of  his  county.  He  was  enrolling  officer  in 
1863,  and  assistant  judge  in  i878-'79,  and 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
i876-'77.  Enlisting  as  a  private  in  Co.  F, 
I  2th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  he  was  elected  ist  lieu- 
tenant, and  served  nine  months  for  the  regi- 
ment. He  was  a  charter  member  of  V.  S. 
Cirant  Post,  No.  96,  of  West  Randolph,  and 
has   Ijelonged   to  the   Masonic   order   more 


75 
than  thirty  years,  and  held  the   position  of     man  of  the  committee  on  pubhc  buildings. 


Worshipful  Master  four  years,  and  treasurer 
twenty-five  years.  He  is  also  a  charter 
member  of  Randolph  Lodge,  No.  48,  I.  O. 
O.  F. 


and  was  an  efficient  member  of  that  on 
highways,  bridges,  and  ferries.  He  was 
largely  influential  in  jirocuring  the  enact- 
ment of  the  new  highway  law,  which  has 
given  such  general  satisfaction  to  the  state 
and  met  such  hearty  approval  in  other  states. 
Mr.  Clifford  was  united  in  marriage,  Dec. 
,V,  1871,  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  .Vmos  C. 


JAMES    P.    CLEVELAND,   JR. 

Mr.  Cleveland  married,  .\ugust  3,  1850, 
Martha,  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Patience 
(Neff)  Flint,  who  died  Jan.  4,  1893.  They 
have  had  three  children:  Frank  H.,  Jennie 
A.,  and  Harry  L. 

CLIFFORD,    Newell    E.,    of    shei- 

burne,  son  of  Cleorge  B.  and  Sarah  ( Rem- 
ington) Clifford,  was  born  in  Starksboro, 
May  21,  1850. 

Availing  himself  of  the  usual  educational 
facilities  of  his  native  town,  upon  reaching 
the  age  to  choose  an  occupation  he  adopted 
that  of  his  father,  that  of  a  carpenter  and 
builder. 

In  18S0  he  moved  to  Shelburne,  where  in 
1887  he  engaged  with  Dr.  W.  Seward  Webb 
of  New  York  City,  owner  of  Shelburne 
Farms,  and  has  since  been  at  the  head  and 
superintended  the  erection  of  the  beautiful 
buildings  on  that  magnificent  estate. 

Since  his  majority,  Mr.  Clifford  has  taken 
nmch  interest  in  public  matters,  especially 
in  the  schools  of  his  town,  and  he  has  been 
entrusted  by  his  townsmen  with  many 
responsible  positions,  being  at  present  se- 
lectman, school  director,  and  a  member  of 
the  state  Legislature.  In  this  last  posi- 
tion   he    served    most    creditably    as   chair- 


NEWELL    E.    CLIFFORD. 


and  Lucy  A.  Cole,  of  Starksboro.  As  the 
result  of  this  union,  there  are  three  children  : 
Maud  E.  (deceased),  Edith  F.,and  Cicero  G. 

COBB,  Nathan  Bryant,  of  Strafford, 

son  of  Daniel  and  Marinda  (Bryant)  Cobb, 
was  born  at  Strafford,  Oct.  14,  1827,  and  is 
descended  from  old  Puritan  stock. 

His  maternal  great-grandfather  and  grand- 
father were  among  the  minute  men  who 
fired  on  the  green  at  Lexington,  opposing 
the  forces  of  British  tyranny,  and  his  paternal 
grandfather,  Nathan  Cobb,  was  also  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution.  Daniel  Cobb,  his 
father,  struggling  under  adverse  circum- 
stances, acquired  a  good  education  and  be- 
came a  successful  lawyer  at  Strafford.  Sena- 
tor y  S.  Morrill  says  concerning  him,  "Judge 
Cobb  for  nearly  half  a  century  was  the 
chief  legal  counsel  in  town,  an  earnest  advo- 
cate and  safe  adviser."  Though  a  cripple  he 
saw  service  at  the  battle  of  Plattsburg. 

Mr.  Nathan  B.  Cobb,  though  an  invalid 
much  of  his  life,  has  done  good  service  in 
manv  of  the  town  offices,  has   been  an  ex- 


76 


COBURN. 


tensive  reader,  and  is  considered  an  expe- 
rienced, trustworthy  and  well-informed  man. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Strafford,  and  entered  Norwich  University, 
but  an  illness  which  proved  nearly  fatal  pre- 
vented the  completion  of  his  collegiate 
career. 


AN    BRYANT   COBB. 


A  Republican  in  his  political  faith,  he  was 
elected  town  clerk  in  March,  1863,  and  has 
filled  that  office  ever  since.  He  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  twenty-seven  years,  and 
for  nine  years  superintendent  of  schools. 
He  was  elected  town  representative  in  1870 
and  1S80,  and  assistant  judge  of  Orange 
county  court  in  1874. 

Norwich  University  conferred  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  upon  Judge  Cobb  in  1874.  He  is 
a  deacon  of  the  Congregational  church,  and 
for  many  years  was  prominently  connected 
with  the  Harris  Library  as  its  librarian. 

He  married,  Nov.  i,  1861,  Emily  C, 
daughter  of  Hyde  and  Mary  (Wiggin)  Cabot 
of  Chelsea,  who  died  .April  14,  1872.  Decem- 
ber 19,  1873,  he  was  united  to  Mary  Jennie, 
daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Mary  (Cabot) 
Gardner  of  Thetford,  by  whom  he  had  one 
child  :  Gardner  N.  His  second  wife  died 
March  17,  1879. 

COBURN,    James    Allen,    of    East 

Montpelier,  son  of  Earned  and  Lovisia 
(Allen)  Coburn,  was  born  in  Montpelier, 
April  6,  1828. 

Educated  at  the  district  school,  he  re- 
mained with  his  father,  who  was  a  lifelong 


resident  and  prominent  citizen  of  the  town 
of  Montpelier,  several  years  after  attaining 
his  majority  and  assisted  him  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  farm  and  mills.  Gifted  with  a 
strong  talent  for  mathematics,  he  taught 
school  successfully  for  six  winters.  In  1850 
he  married  and  moved  to  the  farm  of  his 
father-in-law,  which  he  has  since  purchased, 
and  here  he  has  always  remained. 

judge  Coburn  has  always  been  active  and 
prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  Repul)lican 
party  in  his  section.  A  representative  in  the 
Legislature  in  1 869-' 70,  he  was  elected 
assistant  judge  in  1S78  and  1880.  During 
the  war  he  was  an-  active  member  of  the 
I'nion  League  of  East  Montpelier. 


He  married,  Dec.  4,  1850,  .Abbie  Daggett 
of  l'2ast  Montpelier,  daughter  of  ^Arthur,  Jr., 
and  Nancy  (Farwell)  Daggett.  From  their 
union  have  sprung  five  children  :  learned, 
Arthur  D.,  Flora  H.  (Mrs.  Henry  Kelton), 
James  Lee,  and  Dwight  H.  (died  in  infancy). 

COFFEY,  Robert  John,  of  Benning- 
ton, was  born  in  the  city  of  St.  Johns,  N.  B., 
Dec.  r^,  1842. 

In  1853  he  moved  to  Montpelier  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Montpelier  and  Morristown,  living  in  that 
town  from  1855  to  1859.  In  the  spring  of 
1S60  he  attended  the  academy  at  Hyde 
Park  one  term. 

.At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the 
rebellion  he  was  living  in  Montpelier  and 
was   one  of  the   first  volunteers   from   that 


77 


town.  He  first  enlisted  in  Co.  !•',  2(1  \'t. 
Regt.,  but  receiving  a  chance  to  enlist  in 
Co.  F,  New  England  Guards  of  NorthfieUl 
he  enlisted  May  3,  1861,  for  three  months 
and  participated  in  the  first  important  battle 
of  the  war  at  Big  Bethel,  June  10,  1861.  In 
a  few  days  after  his  return  from  the  three 
months'  service  on  .Sept.  10  he  enlisted  for 


ROBERT    JOH 


three  years  in  Co.  K,  4th  Regt.,  and  at  the 
organization  of  the  company  he  was  made 
3d  sergeant  and  was  always  on  duty  until 
disabled  by  a  wound  Oct.  16,  1863,  during 
which  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
Lee's  Mills,  several  day  battles  in  front  of 
Richmond  under  General  McClellan,  South 
Mountain,  .\ntietam,  Fredericksburg,  Banks 
Ford,  Gettysburg,  Funkstown  and  many 
skirmishes,  .^t  Banks  Ford,  he  captured 
during  the  battle  two  confederate  officers 
and  five  soldiers  for  which  gallant  exploit  he 
has  been  awarded  a  medal  of  honor  by  Con- 
gress. While  on  picket  duty  near  Center- 
ville,  he  was  badly  wounded  and  disabled 
for  further  service  and  was  mustered  out  at 
Brattleboro  in  1S64  with  the  remnant  of 
the  men  that  left  the  town  three  years  be- 
fore over  one  thousand  strong. 

In  1867  he  was  married  to  Demis  Hattie 
Burnham  ;  by  this  union  they  have  had  one 
child. 

Soon  after  the  war  he  became  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business ;  first  at  Waitsfield,  Vt., 
and  then  for  several  years  in  Montpelier, 
Richmond  and  Windsor. 


He  is  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics. 
When  the  \'ermont  Soldiers'  Home  was 
established  in  Bennington  in  1887  he  was 
the  unanimous  choice  of  the  trustees  for 
superintendent  which  position  he  has  filled 
with  satisfaction  and  credit.  In  1873  he 
joined  the  G.  A.  R.  and  has  been  an  active 
and  prominent  member  of  the  order  since, 
holding  many  offices  in  post  and  depart- 
ment. He  is  at  present  major  and  brigade 
jirovost  marshal  on  the  staff  of  (len.  Julius 
J.  Estey  and  has  seen  nearly  fifteen  years 
serv^ice  in  the  National  (Uiard  of  \'ermont. 

He  is  a  member  of  Aurora  Lodge,  No.  22, 
F.  &  A.  M.  of  Montpelier  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Mohegan  Tribe,  No.  6,  of  Bennington. 

COLBURN,  ROBERT  M.,  of  Springfield, 
son  of  Joseph  ^^'.  and  Emily  (Edgerton) 
Colburn,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Dec.  6, 
1844.  His  grandfather  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  and  fought  at  Bunker  Hill  and 


Long  Island.  His  father  was  a  wealthy  and 
prominent  resident  of  Springfield,  was  sena- 
tor from  Windsor  county,  and  served  four 
years  as  assistant  judge. 

The  subject  of  the  present  sketch  was 
educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Spring- 
field and  the  academies  of  Meriden,  \.  H., 
Manchester,  and  .\ndover,  Mass.  Reared 
upon  his  father's  farm,  and  accustomed  to 
act  as  his  father's  foreman  and  assistant  in 
business,  Mr.  Colburn  is  still  largely  inter- 
ested in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  is  also  a 


78  COLTON. 

good  financial  and  business  man,  and  there- 
fore has  been  called  upon  to  fill  several  im- 
portant positions  and  among  these  are  dis- 
trict and  town  offices. 

Belonging  to  the  Republican  party,  he 
was  elected  to  represent  the  town  in  1880. 
Mr.  Colburn  is  a  member  of  the  Vermont 
Historical  Society,  and  also  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

He  married,  Dec.  23,  18S4,  Sarah  E., 
daughter  of  Luther  and  liunice  (Preston) 
Wheatley  of  Brookfield.  They  have  two 
children  :  Frank  W.,  and  .Alice  -Ada. 

COLTON,  EBEN  POMEROY,  of  Iras- 
burgh,  son  of  John  and  Phoebe  (Morey) 
Colton,  was  born  in  West  Fairlee,  Feb.  11, 
182S. 


lution,  of  the  Free  Masons,  and  of  other 
societies. 

He  married  at  Barton,  Vt.,  March  2,  1S54, 
Almira  .A.,  daughter  of  Levi  and  .Achsah 
(Ainsworth)  Bailey.  From  this  union  there 
were  born  four  children  :  Mary  J.,  born 
July  4,  1859  ;  Jennie  G.,  born  April  10,  1862  ; 
Jessie  O.,  born  July  14,  1867,  and  Eben  P., 
born  July  7,  1875. 

Governor  Colton's  legislative  career  was 
one  honorable  to  himself,  his  town  and  his 
county,  and  received  merited  recognition  in 
his  election  to  the  lieutenant-governorship. 
He  never  made  politics  a  business,  and  is 
one  of  the  men  who  always  has  enough  to 
do,  other  than  office-holding.  He  has  taste 
for  books  and  historical  matters  to  fill  any 
leisure  that  he  ever  gets. 


EBEN    POMEROY    COLTON. 

He  came  to  Irasburgh  March,  1841,  with 
his  father's  family,  and  has  resided  in  that 
town  almost  continually  since.  He  has  been 
a  builder,  manufacturer  of  lumber  and  a 
farmer. 

He  was  a  whig  prior  to  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  since  1S54  has 
been  a  Republican.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  from  Irasburgh 
in  1S59,  1S60  and  1876.  In  1S70  and  1S72 
he  was  elected  a  state  senator  from  Orleans 
county.  In  1878  he  was  elected  Lieutenant- 
Governor. 

Governor  Colton  was  for  some  years  mas- 
ter of  the  State  Grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, and  is  a  member  of  the  Vermont 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 


CONANT,  Edward,  of  West  Ran- 
dolph, son  of  Seth  and  Melvina  (Perkins) 
Conant,  was  born  May  10,  1829,  in  Pomfret. 

Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he 
worked  as  a  machinist  in  East  Bridgewater, 
Mass.,  till  he  was  twenty-one.  After  two 
vears    of     preparatory    study     at     Thetford 


Academy,  he  entered  Dartmouth  College  in 
1852,  and  left  at  the  close  of  the  fall  term  of 
1854.  In  November  of  that  year  he  be- 
came principal  of  Woodstock  (Conn.)  Acad- 
emy, and  afterwards  was  principal  at  the 
Royalton  Academy  and  Burlington  high 
school.  In  February,  1861,  he  became  prin- 
cipal of  the  Orange  county  grammar  school 
at    Randolph   where  he   remained   fourteen 


years.  During  his  administration  tiiis  insti- 
tution became  a  State  Normal  School.  He 
was  principal  of  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Johnson  for  three  years  (1881  to  1S84)  when 
he  returned  to  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Randolph,  of  which  institution  he  is  still  the 
principal. 

Mr.  Conantwasa  member  of  the  National 
Council  of  the  Congregational  Churches, 
which  met  in  Boston,  1S65,  and  in  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  in  1874  and  in  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  in  1892.  He  has  occujaied  the  posi- 
tions of  president  of  the  Vermont  Teachers' 
Association,  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation and  of  the  Vermont  Constitutional 
Convention  in  1870.  He  was  State  Super- 
intendent of  Education  from  1874  to  1880. 

He  married.  May  10,  1858,  Cynthia  H., 
daughter  of  John  and  Betsey  (.'\very)  Tag- 
gart  of  Stockbridge,  by  whom  he  has  four 
children  living :  Frank  Herbert,  Seth  Ed- 
ward, Nell  Florence,  and  Grace  Lucia. 

Mr.  Conant's  interest  in  his  profession 
has  resulted  in  the  authorship  of  several 
educational  works,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned :  "  A  Few  Roots  of  English 
^Vords  "  and  "A  Drill  Book  in  the  Elements 
of  the  English  Language"  and  "Conant's 
Vermont." 

In  1866  he  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  M.  A.  from  Middlebury  College  and  from 
the  LTniversity  of  Vermont  in  1S67. 

The  respect  and  love  his  pupils  give  him 
from  the  first — and  their  gratitude  to  this 
wise  man — grow  as  the  years  roll  by. 

CONWAY,  John,  of  Norton  Mills,  son 
of  John  and  Catharine  (Sullivan)  Conway, 
was  born  at  St.  Catharine,  P.  Q.,  Nov.  29, 
1 84 1,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  that  place.  John  Conway,  Sr., 
was  a  farmer  and  teacher,  and  John  re- 
mained with  him  until  he  was  twentv-three 
years  old,  when  he  married  and  moved  to 
Quebec.  In  187 1  he  took  up  his  abode  at 
Norton  Mills,  then  a  little  hamlet  on  the  line 
of  the  G.  T.  R.  R.,  and  was  employed  by 
the  Norton  Mills  Co.  in  the  lumber  business. 

Soon  his  faithfulness  and  efficiency  secured 
him  the  position  of  foreman,  both  in  the 
mill  and  in  the  woods.  In  187 8  he  became 
the  general  foreman  for  A.  M.  Stetson  and 
for  twelve  years  served  him  in  this  verv 
responsible  position.  About  eight  million 
feet  of  lumber  per  year  were  handled,  and 
as  Mr.  Stetson  was  absent  much  of  the  time 
Mr.  Conway  had  the  entire  charge  and  super- 
vision of  this  large  business,  which  em])loyed 
in  the  winter  one  hundred  and  fifty  hands. 

Mr.  Conway  is  an  independent  Democrat 
and  as  such  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in 
i888-'90-'92.  He  received  the  appointment 
of  customs  officer  in  1892.  He  also  served 
on  the  county  board  of  education  in   1889 


COOK.  79 

and  has  been  for  several  years  a  member  and 
chairman  of  the  board  of  school  directors,  a 
striking  proof  that  he  has  won  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  the  community. 


»^*>'t?>^ 


He  was  married,  July  25,  1865,  at  St. 
Catharine,  to  Judith,  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Lannin)  Griffin  of  that  place. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  eight 
children  :  Katharine  E.  (wife  of  Dr.  Elie  of 
Island  Pond),  John  F.,  Elizabeth  G.,  Mary 
.Ann,  NelHe,  Henry  J.,  and  .Alice  (the  two 
latter  deceased),  and  Rose  Lottie. 

COOK,  JOHN  Bray,  of  (ireensboro, 
son  of  Charles,  Jr.,  and  Caroline  (Hunting- 
ton) Cook,  was  born  at  Greensboro,  July  3, 
1836. 

Mr.  Cook's  grandfather  removed  to 
Greensboro  in  1801,  settling  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides.  His  educational 
training  was  received  at  the  Greensboro 
public  schools  and  in  two  terms  each  at  the 
academies  of  St.  johnsbury  and  Barre.  Till 
the  age  of  twenty-two  he  remained  and 
labored  upon  the  i;irm,  and  removed  to  Iowa 
in  the  spring  of  1S61. 

In  October  of  that  year,  he  enlisted  for 
three  years  in  Company  A.,  14th  la.  Infan- 
try, and  expected  to  be  sent  immediately  to 
the  front,  but  the  trouble  with  the  Siou.x  In- 
dians occurring  at  this  time,  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Fort  Randall  in  South 
1  )akota.  Here  Mr.  Cook  remained  for  two 
years,  sharing  in  many  of  the  exciting  events 


<So 


of  the  campaign  under  General  Sully.  After 
the  Minnesota  massacre,  he  was  detailed 
with  a  party  of  twenty-five  to  pursue  the 
Sioux  Indians,  and  after  a  successful  skir- 
mish captured  six,  who  were  carried  to  the 
fort,  but  who  subsequently  escaped.  By  the 
command  of  General  Sully,  Mr.  Cook  was 
assigned  to  the  quartermaster's  department, 
in  which  he  remained  until  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service.  His  company  built  the 
first  building  at  Fort  Sully.  And  as  wagon 
master,  under  a  strong  Indian  guard,  he 
drew  the  logs  for  the  first  warehouse  erected 
at  Fort  Rice. 

He  has  been  elected  to  several  town 
ofiices,  and  appointed  justice  of  the  peace. 
In  his  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Cook  is  affiliated  with  Caledonia 
Grange,  No.  9,  of  Hardwick,  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  and  a  teacher 
in  the  Sabbath  school. 

Mr.  Cook  married,  Nov.  14,  1S65,  Katha- 
rine, daughter  of  Capt.  Charles  and  Han- 
nah (Lewis)  Kallamyer.  Captain  Kallamyer 
left  the  service  of  the  German  Emperor  for 
political  reasons,  and  afterwards  entered  the 
regular  army  of  the  United  States. 

COOLIDGE,  JOHN  C,  of  Plymouth, 
son  of  Calvin  G.  and  Sarah  A.  (Brewer) 
Coolidge,  was  born  in  Plvmouth,  March  ^t, 
i84S- 


His  great-grandfather,  Capt.  John  Cool- 
idge, a  Revolutionary  soldier,  came  from 
Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  Plymouth  in 


1 781.  His  father  was  a  prominent  farmer 
of  that  place. 

John  C.  Coolidge  was  educated  at  the 
common  schools  and  at  Black  River  Acad- 
emy. -Although  a  farmer,  he  is  well  known 
as  a  merchant  and  business  man,  having 
been  engaged  successfully  in  trade  from  the 
age  of  twenty-three. 

He  was  captain  of  Co.  K,  loth  Regt.  \'t. 
.State  Militia,  and  has  held  the  usuat  town 
offices  ;  has  been  deputy  sheriff  and  consta- 
ble almost  continually  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  is  a  director  of  the  Ludlow  Sav- 
ings Bank  &  Trust  Co. 

As  a  Republican,  he  represented  Plymouth 
in  the  biennial  sessions  of  i872-'74-'76, 
serving  on  the  committees  on  claims  and 
reform  school. 

On  May  6,  186S,  he  was  married  to  \'ic- 
toria  J.,  daughter  of  Hiram  D.  and  .Abigail 
(Franklin)  Moor  of  Plymouth.  One  son,  J. 
Calvin,  was  born  to  them,  and  one  daughter, 
.■\bbie  G.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 
Mr.  Coolidge's  wife  died  in  1884,  and  in 
1 89 1  he  was  united  to  Carrie  A.,  daughter  of 
George  and  Marcella  L.  (Moore)  Brown,  a 
descendant  of  Lieut.  Bowman  Brown,  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

COOPER,   Alanson  Lawrence,  of 

Newport,  son  of  Silas  and  Rosalinda  (Hub- 
bard) Cooper  was  born  March  14,  1824,  in 
Rochester  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the 
seventh  generation  of  John  Cooper,  who 
came  from  P'.ngland  previous  to  1636,  and 
settled  at  Cambridge,  Mass. 

His  elementary  training  was  received  in 
the  common  and  select  schools  of  Roches- 
ter, and  he  also  studied  for  a  short  time  at 
Newbury  Seminary.  He  taught  several 
terms  in  Pomfret  and  Rochester,  also  in 
Cayuga  and  Wayne  counties,  N.  V. 

Entering  the  Vermont  Conference  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  in  1846,  Mr.  Cooper  was 
stationed  in  several  towns  in  Vermont,  but 
in  1856  was  obliged  from  ill  health  to  retire 
from  the  work.  In  1857  he  entered  Garrett 
Biblical  Institution,  Evanston,  111.,  where  he 
graduated  in  1859,  after  devoting  himself 
especially  to  theological  and  biblical 
branches  of  study.  Previous  to  his  gradua- 
tion he  joined  the  Wisconsin  Conference, 
but  later  he  was  transferred  to  that  of  Ver- 
mont and  was  stationed  at  Woodstock, 
where  he  continued  lor  two  years.  Since 
that  time  he  has  filled  many  of  the  first 
positions  in  the  conference  as  pastor  and 
I^residing  elder,  and  by  his  conscientious 
ministry  has  won  the  approval  of  all  asso- 
ciated with  him. 

Mr.  Cooper  is  an  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  a  strong  Prohibitionist.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  superintendent  of 
schools  in  Cabot  and  Springfield,  and  has 


been  trustee  of  the  Vermont  Methodist 
Seminary  for  many  years.  He  was  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  the  State  S.  S.  Asso- 
ciation, and  was  president  of  the  association 
in  iSys-'yf). 

He  married,  ^^ay  17,  1S53,  l.ucinda  M., 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Serepta  (  Hincher ) 
Atkins.  Their  children  were  :  iSIary  !■;. 
(married  Rev.  C.  M.  Ward),  Kmma  Louise 
(married  Rev.  Carlos  L.  .Adams),  .\lice 
Etta,  who  died  Feb.  12,  1872,  and  Rosa 
May. 


lutionary  army  from  Connecticut,  serving 
five  years  under  Washington's  immediate 
command,  while  his  grandmother  first  saw 
light  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  as  she  was  born 
during  the  passage  of  her  family  from  Hol- 
land. 

The  only  educational  advantages  received 
by  Mr.  Cotton  were  those  of  the  district 
schools  of  Weybridge  and  Shoreham,  and 
for  sixty  years  he  has  lived  upon  the  farm  he 
now  occupies. 

IHected  justice  of  the  peace  and  clerk 
and  treasurer  of  his  school  district  for  many 
years,  he  was  chosen  to  represent  Weybridge 
in  the  Legislature  of  i,S<S2,  and  has  often 
filled  the  position  of  juryman  in  many  cases, 
notably  at  the  trial  of  Chaquette  for  murder. 

Mr.  Cotton  has  of  late  been  much  em- 
ployed in  the  settlement  of  estates,  and  has 
not  been  able  to  accept  all  trusts  of  this  nat- 
ure offered  to  him.  He  is  a  constant  reader 
and  has  devoted  much  attention  to  the  law, 
of  which  he  has  acquired  considerable 
knowledge.  He  is  a  cultured  gentleman  of 
strict  integrity,  and  much  respected  by  his 
fellow-citizens. 


LAWRtNCE    COOPER, 


In  i863-'64  he  was  stationed  at  Mont- 
pelier,  and  while  there  Mr.  Cooper  was 
elected  chaplain  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives. During  the  civil  war,  he  was  busily 
engaged  in  charitable  efforts  to  improve  the 
condition  of  our  gallant  soldiers  in  the  field, 
and  in  the  hospital  at  Montpelier. 

He  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Divinity  in  1880,  and,  nine  years  later,  that 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  from  the  Garrett  Bibli- 
cal Institute,  and  has  been  occasional  con- 
tributor to  the  Vermont  Christian  Messen- 
ger, and  Zion's  Herald.  He  is  also  endowed 
with  some  talent  for  poetical  composition. 

He  represented  the  Vermont  Conference 
as  a  delegate  to  the  general  conference  of 
his  church  in  Chicago  in  1868. 

COTTON,  Joshua  Franklin,  of  Mid- 

dlebury,  son  of  William  and  Dorcas  (Finch) 
Cotton,  was  born  at  Weybridge,  Jan.  27, 
1820. 

His  parents  were  of  Knglish  and  Dutch 
stock  ;  his  grandfather  enlisting  in  the  Revo- 


JOSHUA    FRANKLIN    COTTON. 

He  married,  Dec.  20,  1844,  Abby  C, 
daughter  of  Olive  Lathrop  of  Weybridge. 
Mrs.  Cotton  died  in  February,  1888. 

COWLES,  ASAHEL  Read,  of  New- 
port, son  of  Leonard  and  Emeline  (Clray) 
Cowles,  was  born  in  Craftsburv,  Mav  26, 
1845. 

Having  removed  to  Coventry  in  1851,  he 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools, 


82 


COWaES. 


the  lirownington  Academy,  and  the  high 
school  at  Coventry.  He  studied  vocal  music 
with  James  and  Albert  ^\■hitney  of  Boston. 

For  twenty  years  of  his  life  he  has  devoted 
himself  to  teaching  vocal  music,  four  years 
in  New  York.  He  is  extensively  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  musical  instruments  and  sewing 
machines.  He  has  stores  for  the  sale  of 
these  articles  in  Newport  and  Morrisville. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
a  Master  Mason  and  member  of  Memphre- 
magog  Lodge,  No.  64,  Newport ;  belongs  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Newport, 
and  is  now  leader  of  its  choir. 


ASAHEL    READ   COV 


He  married,  Dec.  30,  187 1,  Hattie  E., 
daughter  of  William  P.  and  Lydia  ( Andrus ) 
Titus  of  Craftsbury,  and  by  her  had  two 
sons  :   Harry  E.,  and  Percy  W. 

COWLES,  Elmer  Eugene,  of  Wey- 

bridge,  son  of  S.  B.  M.  and  Lucy  M.  (Weth- 
erbee)  Cowles,  was  born  in  New  Haven, 
August  21,  1 86 1. 

He  graduated  first  from  Beeman  Acad- 
emy, New  Haven,  1877,  and  at  Middlebury 
College  in  the  class  of  1884  with  high  hon- 
ors. Devoting  his  life  to  teaching,  for  two 
years  he  was  compelled  to  resign  this  calling 
by  the  failure  of  his  eyesight  and  since  that 
time  has  been  occupied  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, making  a  specialty  of  breeding  valuable 
stock — notably  Merino  sheep.  Mr.  Cowles 
has  held  several  minor  appointments,  but 
has  never  sought  office.  He  has  been  town 
superintendent  and  secretary  of  the  county 


board  of  education,  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  selectmen.  He  holds  to  the  gen- 
eral principles  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
in  politics  is  conservative.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Delta  L^psilon. 


ELMER    EUGENE  COWLES. 

Mr.  Cowles  married  in  Weybridge,  Sept. 
25,  1887,  Sarah,  daughter  of  L.  I.  and 
.NIargaret  Wright. 

CRAMTON,  JOHN  WILLEY,  son  of 
P^lihu  and  Lois  Cramton,  was  born  in  Tin- 
mouth,  Nov.  10,  1826. 

Receiving  the  customary  education  of  that 
time  in  the  schools  of  Tinmouth,  Mr.  Cram- 
ton,  after  working  the  home  farm  for  several 
years,  changed  the  scene  of  his  labors  to 
Templeton,  Mass.,  where  for  more  than 
three  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  business 
of  peddling. 

In  January,  1S53,  he  came  to  Rutland, 
where  he  began  the  manufacture  of  tin 
ware  ;  a  business  which  he  still  continues. 
But  in  addition,  in  i860,  he  became  the 
proprietor  of  the  Central  House,  at  that 
time  a  hotel  well  known  in  Rutland  county. 
In  1S64  he  purchased  the  Bardwell  House, 
where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Cramton  is 
most  widely  and  creditably  known  through- 
out the  state.  A  description  of  the  various 
positions  he  has  filled,  both  in  a  private  and 
public  capacity,  would  far  exceed  the 
allotted  space  of  this  sketch.  In  1886  he 
became  a  trustee  of  the  Howe  Scale  Co., 
then  in  financial  straits  ;  and  upon  its  re- 
organization, he  was  chosen  vice-president, 


^t^^^^-(^-^^<^^-^-/^ 


which  position  he  holds  today.  For  more 
than  ten  years  he  was  director  of  the  state's 
prison,  being  appointed  by  Governor  Bar- 
stow  to  that  post.  He  is  president  of  the 
Baxter  National  Bank,  the  True  Blue  Marble 
Co.,  the  Steam  Stone  Cutter  Co.,  and  the 
Rutland  Street  Railway  ;  and  has  acted  as 
chief  executive  officer  of  the  village  corpor- 
ation of  Rutland  for  several  terms.  Nor 
does  Mr.  Cramton  confine  his  efforts  to 
financial  trusts.  He  is  also  an  extensive  ag- 
riculturalist of  the  progressive  type,  owning 
large  estates  in  Rutland  and  Clarendon,  one 
of  which  is  devoted  to  the  produce  of  the 
dairy  ;  and  all  are  noted  for  the  breeding  of 
fine  horses  and  blooded  stock.  During  the 
war  Mr.  Cramton  was  largely  engaged  in 
buying  horses  for  the  army  ;  and  he  is  now 
director  of  the  Vermont  Horse  Breeders' 
Association.  For  more  than  twenty  years 
his  voice  has  been  potent  as  a  director  of 
the  State  Fair  Association,  and  he  has  also 
held  many  offices  in  the  Fair  .Association  of 
Rutland  county. 

Strongly  attached  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  he  has  never  paid  much 
attention  to  political  office-seeking,  but  has 
held  it  sufficient  to  confine  himself  to  the 
duties  of  a  good  citizen  and  kind-hearted 
neighbor  ;  in  appreciation  of  which  he  was 
chosen  senator  of  Rutland  county  in  1888. 

He  was  married  Oct.  3,  1S82,  to  Florence 
Belle,  only  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
Bucklin  Gates. 

Mr.  Cramton  has  not  confined  his  pecu- 
niary transactions  to  A'ermont,  but  has 
varied  and  extensive  interests  in  many  other 
states. 

His  religious  creed  is  that  of  the  Protes- 
tant Fpiscopal  church,  and  he  has  entered 
the  ranks  of  Free  Masonry,  being  a  Knight 
Templar  attached  to  Killington  Command- 
ery.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Plymouth  Rock  .'Association. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Cramton  has  led 
a  most  busy  life.  It  is  much  to  his  credit 
that  he  has  filled  so  successfully  the  many 
and  varied  responsibilities  that  his  active 
and  honorable  career  has  thrust  into  his 
hands. 

COYNE,  Peter  M.,  of  Maidstone,  son 
of  Michael  and  Sabrina  (Connor)  Coyne, 
was  born  at   Spiddle,    Ireland,    March    14, 

1847- 

Mr.  Coyne  came  to  this  country  a  father- 
less boy  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  .\fter  re- 
maining about  two  years  at  Island  Pond,  he 
went  to  Lancaster,  N.  H.,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
town.  Having  his  own  way  to  make  in  the 
world  under  adverse  circumstances,  he  re- 
mained in  Lancaster  until  1876,  laboring  on 
farm  and  railroad,  until  by  patient   industry 


and  thrift,  he  acquired  an  ample  property. 
He  then  went  to  Maidstone  where  he  pur- 
chased a  large  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides. He  has  also  given  considerable  at- 
tention to  lumbering  on  the  Connecticut 
river. 

.\ffiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  from 
his  ability  and  faithfulness  he  has  been 
elected  by  his  townsmen  to  many  positions 
of  trust,  and  was  a  useful  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  188S. 

Mr.  Coyne  enlisted  in  the  14th  New 
Hampshire  Regiment,  but  being  a  minor 
could  not  gain  the  consent  of  his  guardian, 
and  was  not  received  into  the  service. 

He  was  married  in  March,  1878,  to  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  Malone, 
and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with  five 
children:  Eddie  M.,  James,  Mary,  Theresa, 
and  Peter. 

CRANE,  JOSEPH  ADOLPHUS,  of 
Greensboro,  son  of  Romanus  and  .Asenath 
(Goodrich), Crane,  was  born  at  Greensboro 
August  26,  1 84  2. 

.Attending  the  public  schools  of  Greens- 
boro, he  completed  his  course  of  study  in 
the  academies  at  South  Hardwick  and  Barre, 
and  then  taught  school  for  several  winters, 
working  for  his  father  in  the  summer.  .At 
his  father's  death  in  1S79  he  succeeded  to 
the  estate,  which  he  sold  in  1881,  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  the  village.  He  has 
made  a  specialty  of  dairy  produce  and  grade 
Jerseys.  Mr.  Crane  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  L.  F.  Babbitt  in  18S7  and  the  firm 
did  a  general  mercantile  business.  Later  he 
bought  out  his  partner  and  continued  the 
business  in  connection  with  E.  O.  Randall. 

Republican  in  his  political  faith,  he  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  town  committee, 
as  a  justice  for  several  terms,  and  as  super- 
intendent of  the  public  schools.  He  is  an 
Odd  Fellow  and  belongs  to  Lamoille  Lodge, 
No.  26,  at  East  Hardwick. 

A  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
for  twenty-five  years,  he  for  a  long  time  per- 
formed the  duties  of  parish  clerk  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Irene  S., 
daughter  of  Elihu  and  Ruth  (Bean)  A\"right, 
Jan.  25,  1871.  Of  this  union  there  was  one 
child  ;  Jennie  .Asenath. 

CROFT,  LEONARD  P.,  of  North  Clar- 
endon, son  of  William  and  Ruth  (Palmer) 
Croft,  was  born  in  Wallingford,  May  25, 
1851. 

After  receiving  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  at  Piurr  and  Burton 
Seminary  at  Manchester  and  Kimball  L^nion 
.Academy  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  he  entered  St. 
Lawrence  University  at  Canton,  N.  ¥.,  where- 


LTIiWdKlll. 


85 


he  remained  a  year.  He  then  entered 
I'nion  College  of  Schenectady,  N.  V.,  where 
he  graduated  with  high  honors  in  the  de- 
partment of  civil  engineering  in  the  class  of 
1S73.  After  completing  his  education,  he 
engaged  in  railroad  and  mining  engineering 
in  Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia,  and  for 
about  three  years  was  the  mining  engineer 
in  charge  of  the  Penn  Gas  Coal  Co.  near 
Pittsburg.  Returning  to  his  native  state  in 
1878,  he  purchased  a  large  farm  in  Clar- 
endon, on  which  he  has  since  resided.  He 
has  been  successful  in  this  agricultural  en- 
terprise and  found  it  remunerative,  still  he 
has  given  some  attention  to  engineering, 
especially  in  cases  which  have  come  before 


the  courts.  He  is  an  extensive  dairy  farmer 
and  breeder  of  Holstein  cattle,  and  has  also 
been  successful  in  breeding  fine  road  horses. 

He  has  filled  nearly  all  the  offices  of  trust 
in  his  adopted  town,  and  represented  Clar- 
encion  in  the  Legislature  of  1890. 

Mr,  Croft,  from  his  natural  abilities  and 
superior  educational  advantages,  is  naturally 
an  influential  man  in  his  town  and  section 
of  the  county. 

CROSSETT,  Janus,  of  Waterbury,  was 
born  in  Duxbury,  Nov.  12,  1823.  His  par- 
ents were  Edward  and  Hannah  (Carter) 
Crossett. 

Edward  Crossett  was  a  prominent  citizen 
and  farmer  of  the  town  of  Duxbury.  His 
father   <iving   when    janus   was    twentv-one 


years  old,  from  that  time  the  entire  care  and 
su])])ort  of  the  family  devolved  upon  Janus. 
Mr.  Crossett  commencing  as  a  farmer,  soon 
devoted  his  attention  to  the  lumber  business, 
which  he  has  since  carried  on  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  He  is  a  practical  man,  with  a 
bent  for  statistics,  and  during  the  last  forty- 
four  years  he  has  kept  a  careful  record  of 
business  matters,  which  has  been  of  much 
use  as  the  basis  of  various  settlements. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  held  one 
or  more  town  offices  constantly  for  the  last 
forty  years.  He  represented  Ouxbury  in  the 
Legislature  in  i855-'56-'57,  and  was  elected 
assistant  judge  in  1871.  A  devoted  advo- 
cate of  temperance,  he  has  never  used  liquor 
or  tobacco,  and  carries  his  three  score  and 
ten  years  as  actively  as  most  men  do  fifty. 

For  forty  years  he  has  been  n  member  of 
the  Winooski  Lodge,  No.  49,  V.  iN:  A.  M.,  of 
Waterbury. 

He  married,  Nov.  27,  1844,  Eureta  R., 
daughter  of  Amos  and  Fanny  (U'heeler) 
Crosby.  They  have  two  children  :  Menta 
F.  (Mrs.  E.  \V.  Huntley),  and  James  E. 

CUDWORTH,  ADDISON  EDWARD,  of 
South  Londonderry,  son  of  Abijah  Whiton 
and  Sarah  I\L  (Simmonds)  Cudworth,  was 
born  in  Savoy,  Mass.,  July  3,  1852. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  at  the 
common  schools,  and  he  was  fitted  for  col- 
lege at  Green  Mountain  Perkins  Academy, 
South  Woodstock.  Entering  Dartmouth 
College  in  the  class  of  1877,  at  the  end  of 
the  sophomore  year  he  left  school  on 
account  of  failure  of  eyesight.  His  parents 
successively  removed  to  Winhall,  Weston, 
and  finally,  in  1869,  to  South  Londonderry, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  the  fall  of 
1876  Mr.  Cudworth  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Hon.  J.  L.  Martin  ;  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  September,  1879,  and 
entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Martin, 
which  connection  continued  till  the  removal 
of  the  latter  to  Brattleboro,  since  which 
period  Mr.  Cudworth  has  continued  the 
business  by  himself.  In  1880  he  was  elected 
state's  attorney  for  his  county,  and  four  years 
later  he  represented  the  town  in  the  ( leneral 
.Assembly.  Mr.  1.  udworth  is  a  direct  de- 
scendant in  the  ninth  generation  of  Gen. 
James  Cudworth  of  Scituate,  ^L'^ss.,  who 
came  to  the  country  in  1632. 

He  was  married  .April  15,  1880,  to  Mary 
Esther,  daughter  of  James  Martin  and 
Louisa  (McWhorter)  Rogers  of  Hebron,  N. 
\'.  .-\  son  and  daughter  liave  been  issue  of 
this  alliance  :  Clyde  E.,  and  Ina  S.,  both 
of  whom  died  in  December,  1892. 

CUMMINGS,    Harlan    P.,    of  North 

Thetford,  son  of  Eben  and   Betsey  J.  Cum- 
mings,  was  born  Jan.  19,  1837,  in  Thetford. 


86 


Eben  C'ummings  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  town.  He  ser\ed  in  the  war  of 
1S12  and  assisted  in  proving  land  war- 
rants for  the  soldiers,  who  took  part  in  the 
struggle,  and  their  widows.  He  occupied 
the  farm  where  Harlan  P.  now  resides,  and 
was  one  of  the  most  trusted  and  influential 
citizens  of  the  town. 

Obtaining  his  educational  training  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Thetford  .Academy, 
he  has  devoted  his  whole  life  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  has  made  raising  Merino  sheep 
a  specialty.  He  has  always  been  an  enter- 
prising and  public-spirited  man  and  was  in- 
strumental in  introducing  the  creamery 
which  has  contributed  so  much  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  town.  He  contributed  largely 
toward  the  building  of  the  church  and  Lyme 
bridge,  and  has  been  clerk  of  these  corpora- 
tions nearly  forty  years. 

Mr.  Cummings  is  much  interested  in  the 
cause  of  education  and  is  a  trustee  of  Thet- 
ford -Academy.  He  has  a  large  amount  of 
probate  business,  holding  in  trust  a  great 
amount  of  property,  a  fact  which  shows  he 
enjoys  to  a  high  degree  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  community. 

He  has  for  a  long  time  been  chairman  of 
the  Republican  town  committee  and  presi- 
dent of  the  political  club  of  the  town. 
Twenty-five  years  since  he  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  holding  this  office  contin- 
uously, and  in  1876  was  chosen  to  the  Gen- 
eral .Assembly  by  a  large  majority,  and  was 
postmaster  at  North  Thetford  from  1866  to 
1876. 

Mr.  Cummings  enlisted  in  Co.  .A,  15th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  continued  with  it  e\  erv 
day  during  its  entire  term  of  service.  .Aftt  r 
the  close  of  the  war  he  became  an  active 
member  of  the  E.  B.  Frost  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

CURRIER,  JOHN  WINNICK,  of  North 
Troy,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Elkins)  Cur- 
rier, was  born  in  that  town,  April  5,  1835. 

Mr.  Currier  is  a  fine  representative  of 
American  self-made  men.  A\'hen  only  nine 
years  old  he  graduated  from  the  "little  red 
schoolhouse"  and  went  with  his  father  into 
the  cotton  mills  at  Palmer,  Mass.,  and  from 
this  date  he  has  only  himself  to  thank  for 
his  success  in  life's  struggle  and  for  the  lib- 
eral education  which  he  has  derived  from 
keen  observation,  undaunted  energy  and 
honorable  ambition.  .After  leaving  the  cot- 
ton mills  he  removed  to  Holyoke,  where  he 
learned  the  jeweler's  trade,  and  in  1854  went 
to  Boston  to  take  charge  of  a  wholesale  jew- 
elry store. 

In  1854  he  enlisted  in  the  Springfield  City 
Guards  under  Col.  Henry  S.  Briggs,  and 
when  the  civil  war  began  he  hastened  from 
Pennsyhania  to  join  his  company,  which 
had  volunteered  its  services  in  response  to 


President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops. 
-After  doing  duty  for  a  time  at  the  L'.  S. 
.Arsenal  in  Springfield,  he  was  enrolled  for 
three  years.  May  31,  1861,  and  mustered  in 
as  sergeant  in  Co.  F,  loth  Mass.  Infantry, 
serving  with  his  regiment  at  the  Washington 
Navy  Vard  and  -Arsenal  till  .August  9,  1862, 
when  he  was  sent  to  Massachusetts  to  assist 
in  recruiting  a  regiment.  January  6,  1862, 
he  was  discharged  for  promotion.  Made 
adjutant  of  the  ist  Va.  Vols.,  Nov.  26,  1862, 
he  was  appointed  additional  paymaster  L^  S. 
Vols.  Jan.  14,  1S63,  which  post  he  declined 
in  order  to  accept  from  the  provost  marshal 
of  the  .Army  of  the  Potomac  a  position  for 
furnishing  military  clothing  and  equipments, 
being  stationed  at  Citv  Point,  \'a. 


^^ 


WINNICK   CURRIER. 


In  1 87 1  he  returned  to  North  Troy,, 
bought  the  old  homestead  and  erected  an 
elegant  residence  thereon,  and  has  created  a 
model  farm  from  the  estate.  His  winters 
are  mostly  spent  in  Bo.ston  or  on  his  South- 
ern plantation. 

-Mr.  Currier  is  a  very  public-spirited  man 
and  has  done  much  for  the  benefit  of  his 
native  village.  He  planned  and  was  chiefly 
instrumental  in  constructing  the  present  fine 
system  of  waterworks. 

He  is  a  member  of  Post  Bailey,  No.  67, 
G.  -A.  R.,  one  of  the  largest  posts  in  the 
county,  and  gave  Camp  j.  W.  Currier,  S.  of 
v..  No.  81,  a  fine  flag.  He  is  also  president 
of  the  Orleans  County  Veterans'  .Associa- 
tion, and  an  honorary  member  of  the  State 
National  Guard. 


87 


In  politics  a  strong  adherent  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  he  has  been  entrusted  with 
nearly  all  the  town  offices,  was  made  town 
representative  in  1S78  and  again  in  i8<S2. 
He  has  been  Democratic  candidate  for 
member  of  Congress  and  Lieutenant-(;ov- 
ernor,  and  has  attended  every  national  con- 
vention since  1S72,  nearly  always  as  delegate 
or  alternate,  and  was  U.  S.  Deputy  Marshal 
for  four  years  under  President  Cleveland's 
first  administration. 

In  religious  profession  he  is  an  Episco- 
palian. 

Since  187 1  Mr.  Currier  has  extensively 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and 
has  erected  at  North  Troy  a  flouring  mill 
with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  barrels  per 
day.  He  was  interested  in  building  the 
Clyde  River  R.  R.,  now  a  part  of  the  C.  P. 
R.  R.  system,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
constructors  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe.  He  has  given  much  attention  to 
the  formation  of  companies  for  handling 
patent  rights  and  developing  mines.  He  is 
naturally  very  social  in  his  tastes  and  is  a 
Free  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Scotch 
Charitable  Society  in  Boston,  the  oldest 
organization  of  the  kind  in  America. 

November  9,  1866,  he  married  Eveline, 
daughter  of  John  E.  and  Laura  (Willard) 
Chamberlain  of  Newbury.  Of  this  union 
were  two  sons:  John  (deceased),  and 
Charles  Elliot.  An  adopted  daughter  is  the 
wife  of  T.  L.  Wadleigh,  of  Meredith,  N.  H. 

CURTIS,  JOHN,  of  North  Dorset,  son 
of  Daniel  and  Betsey  (Bowen)  Curtis,  was 
born  in  that  town,  Dec.  24,  1819. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  fitted  for  college  at  the 
Burr  Seminary  of  Manchester  and  the  Cas- 
tleton  .Academy,  and  after  this  preliminary 
instruction  graduated  from  the  U.  V.  M.  in 
1847.  During  his  school-boy  days,  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  he  made  many  ex- 
periments in  electricity,  proposing  to  com- 
municate instantaneously  from  one  place  to 
another  by  this  means  through  a  wire  prop- 
erly arranged.  While  he  was  pursuing  his 
collegiate  course,  he  was  greatly  dismayed 
to  learn  that  Professor  Morse  had  invented 
the  magnetic  telegraph,  which  he  had  put  in 
operation,  and  thus  anticipated  all  efforts  of 
Mr.  Curtis  in  that  direction.  .After  his 
graduation  he  still  continued  to  devote  him- 
self to  mechanics,  and  thus  became  a  scien- 
tific and  mechanical  engineer.  He  was 
soon  employed  by  the  state  of  New  York  to 
look  after  the  engines  and  other  mechanical 
appliances  used  in  the  state's  prison  at  Dan- 
neniora.  Being  convinced  of  the  impor- 
tance of  using  steam  expansively,  he  soon 
constructed  a  valve  which  he  attached  to  the 
engine  in  the  machine  shop,  whereby  it  was 


forced  to  use  steam  in  this  manner,  and  the 
experiments  proved  remarkably  successful. 
.At  this  time  the  U.  \\  M.  honored  him  with 
the  degree  of  A.  M. 

Soon  after  he  left  Dannemora  and 
returned  to  his  native  place,  where  he  was 
interested  in  the  construction  of  the  Ben- 
nington &  Rutland  R.  R.  Mr.  Curtis  has 
made  various  improvements  in  engines,  on 
three  of  which  he  has  obtained  patents.  It 
is  in  ho  small  measure  owing  to  his  efforts  in 
this  direction  that  he  has  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  engine  of  today  doing  its  work 
with  less  than  one-fourth  part  of  the  fuel 
formerly  required. 


JOHN    CURTIS. 

Mr.  Curtis  was  married  in  1851  to  the 
widow  of  the  late  Dr.  Cochran  of  Dorset. 
The  6th  day  of  July,  1865,  he  was  again 
united  to  Nancy  Mosher,  daughter  of  .Alba 
and  Rebecca  (Mosher)  Marshall  of  Troy, 
N.  V.  Two  children  have  been  born  to 
them  :     Marion  .Ada,  and  John  Daniel. 

He  has  always  been  a  strong  Republican, 
but  without  any  disposition  for  office  seek- 
ing. .Always  interested  in  education  he  has, 
however,  been  superintendent  of  the  schools 
continuously  for  about  twenty  years.  In  18S4 
he  consented  to  the  nomination  of  state 
senator  for  Bennington  county,  and  was 
elected  to  that  important  position. 

GUSHING,  Daniel  L.,  of  Quechee, 
son  of  Theophilus,  who  was  an  early  settler 
of  Hartford,  and  Lucinda  (Richardson) 
Lushing,  was  born  in  that  town,  .August 
4,  1834-' 


Commencing  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  graduating  at  Newbury 
Seminary  in  1851.  Having  fitted  himself 
for  a  civil  engineer  he  entered  the  city 
engineer's  office  of  Hartford,  Conn.  While 
there  he  laid  out  the  grounds  and  buildings 
of  the  Colt  manufactory  of  fire-arms,  since 
destroved  bv  fire.     In  1S54   he  entered  the 


service  of  the  state  of  New  York  where  he 
had  the  practical  oversight  of  that  portion  of 
the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  extend- 
ing from  Rochester  to  Lyons.  Afterward, 
removing  to  the  West,  Mr.  Gushing  built 
thirty  miles  of  railroad  under  most  dis- 
couraging circumstances  and  his  success  in 
this  undertaking  proved  his  unusual  energy 
and  executive  ability.  When  the  civil  war 
broke  out  Mr.  Cushing  manifested  great 
zeal  in  recruiting  volunteers  and  raised  two 
companies  for  the  service  of  his  country. 

Returning  to  Hartford,  for  family  reasons, 
he  concluded  to  remain  and  invested  in  real 
estate  and  mercantile  interests.  In  1886,  he 
with  others,  helped  organize  and  construct 
the  Hartford  Woolen  "Mills.  Mr.  Cushing 
has  settled  many  difficult  estates  and  held 
many  public  offices  in  his  native  place  and 
has  ably  represented  it  in  both  branches  of 
the  Legislature 

Mr.  Cushing  is  a  Free  Mason  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Hartford  Lodge  of  Hartford. 

In  September,  1867,  he  married  Ellen  F., 
daughter  of  William  and  Eveline  (Porter) 
Clark,  of  which  union   have  been  born  six 


children  :  Henry  Clark,  Mary  Porter,  Edwin 
L.,  Annie  L.,  Daniel  T.,  and  Frederic  G. 

CUSHING,   Havnes  Porter,  son  of 

Matthew  and  Resia  (Woodruff)  Cushing, 
was  born  in  Burke,  June  10,  18 16. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Burke,  at  Lyndon  Academy  and 
Newbury  Seminary.  Emphatically  a  self- 
made  man,  he  often  related  with  pride  the 
fact  that  when  he  started  for  the  last  named 
institution  he  left  home  with  his  parents' 
blessing  and  just  fifty  cents  in  money. 

Commencing  his  life's  career  as  an  educa- 
tor, he  was  successful  in  his  vocation  in  many 
towns  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont, 
and  especially  so  at  Newbury  Seminary. 

In  1844  he  joined  the  ^'ermont  Metho- 
dist conference  in  full  connection,  and  filled 
some  of  the  most  important  appointments 
in  the  gift  of  that  body.  When  he  had 
been  preaching  only  nine  years,  six  of  the 
best  parishes  in  ^'ermont  sought  his  minis- 
tration, for  he  had  always  proved  a  most 
successful  pastor,  alike  popular  with  old 
and  young.  Faithful,  devoted,  earnest,  fear- 
less in  espousing  his  convictions,  gifted  with 


HAYNES    PORTER    CUSHING. 

great  persuasive  power  and  deep  piety,  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  at  his  death, 
Oct.  21,  1890,  an  utterly  irreligious  man 
should  pay  this  tribute  to  his  memory  :  "He 
was  a  true  minister  and  was  a  friend  to 
sinners." 

Mr.    Cushing   was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Nancy  Maria,  daughter  of  Alanson  S. 


■and  (rratia  (Fletcher)  Shaw,  who  died  Dec. 
31,  1877.  To  them  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: Klla  C.  (Mrs.  .A.  L.  Finney  of  Lyn- 
donville),  Charles  E.,  and  another  who  died 
in  infancy.  February  26,  1879,  ^^  con- 
tracted a  second  alliance  with  Miss  Delia 
Cirace,  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy 
(Calef  )  Huntington  of  Washington,  Vt. 

Interested  in  educational  affiiirs,  Mr. 
Gushing  held  the  office  of  superintendent  of 
schools  for  many  years  in  the  different 
scenes  of  his  professional  labors.  A  strong 
Republican  in  principle  and  vote,  he  repre- 
sented Barton  in  the  Legislature  during  the 
war,  and  upon  him  devolved  the  duties  ot^ 
chaplain  of  the  House  in  1857  and  1878. 

During  the  civil  war  he  was  twice  offered 
the  post  of  military  chaplain,  but  was  obliged 
to  decline  on  account  of  feeble  health. 

Kver  active  in  the  cause  of  temperance, 
he  joined  the  society  of  Good  Templars  in 
1865,  holding  many  of  the  highest  offices 
and  being  their  delegate  to  the  R.  W.  G.  L. 
when  the  latter  held  their  sessions  in  Bos- 
ton, rietroit,  Richmond  and  ?51oomington, 
111.  He  served  as  Grand  Lecturer,  and  in 
this  post  worked  most  zealously  and  effect- 
ively to  promote  the  interests  of  the  order. 
His  life  in  general  was  consecrated  to  good 
works,  and  he  was  a  good  and  faithful  serv- 
ant in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  and 
responsibility. 

CUSHMAN,  2ND,  HENRY  T.,  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  J.  Halsey  and  Martha  Louise 
(Thayer)  Cushman,  was  born  in  Benning- 
ton, May  6,  1866. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  graded 
schools  of  the  village,  and  he  commenced 
his  active  business  life  in  the  capacity  of 
grocer's  clerk ;  but,  before  a  year  had 
elapsed,  in  1880,  he  became  an  operator  in 
the  Bennington  Telephone  Exchange  and 
was  soon  promoted  to  be  superintendent. 
He  then,  for  a  short  period,  entered  the 
employ  of  the  New  Haven  (Conn.)  Clock 
Co.,  but  returned  to  Bennington,  in  1885, 
and  engaged  in  his  former  occupation  until 
the  exchange  was  closed,  when  for  a  few 
months,  he  worked  in  the  office  of  the 
Bennington  Banner,  with  the  intention  of 
learning  the  trade  of  a  printer.  Abandon- 
ing this  attempt,  in  1887,  he  commenced  to 
read  law  in  the  office  of  NVilliam  B.  Sheldon, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  after  three 
years  study.  The  Hon.  Mr.  Cushman  was 
admitted  to  practice  at  the  general  term  of 
the  supreme  court,  in  i8go,  and  was  ap- 
pointed master  in  chancery  two  years 
later.  He  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
former  instructor,  and  they  now  enjoy  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  Mr.  Cush- 
man was  of  counsel  for  the  defence  in  the 
case  of  State  vs.  Bent  and  Roberts  (64  ^"t.), 


CUTLER.  89 

and  associate  counsel,  for  the  defence,  in 
State  vs.  Bradley,  an  important  criminal 
case,  that  attracted  much  attention. 

He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs,  and,  as  a  Republican  speaker,  did 
much  effective  service  in  the  presidential 
campaign  of  1892,  in  Bennington  county. 

He  has  been  chosen  clerk  of  the  Ben- 
nington graded  school  district,  and  is  at 
present  president  of  the  Bennington  Village 
Corporation.  In  1882  he  was  appointed 
assistant  state  librarian,  and  in  1891  offici- 
ated as  one  of  the  committee  of  fifty  of  the 
battle  monument  and  state  centennial  cele- 
brations, especially  devoting  his  efforts  to 
the  entertainment  of  the  guests,  serving  as 
chairman  of  that  committee.  He  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  and  organizers  ot 
the  State  Fireman's  .Association,  of  which 
institution,  in  1892,  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent, and  re-elected  in  1893. 

Mr.  Cushman  is  an  enthusiastic  and 
worthy  member  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men,  and  is  the  Chief  of  Records  of 
the  local  tribe.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  interested  in 
brotherhood  work,  following  in  this  respect 
his  honored  father,  who  was  widely  known 
as  a  Free  Mason.  He  is  a  Congregation- 
alist  in  his  religious  faith. 

CUTLER,  Henry  Ralph,  is  a  native  of 
Glo\er,  his  ]xirents  were  Henrvand  Cordelia 


(Skinner)  Cutler,  and  he  was  born    Dec.  i, 
i860. 


9° 


In  early  life  he  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Glover  and  Barton,  and  afterwards  was  a 
pupil  of  the  St.  Johnsbury  Academy.  \\'ith 
this  preparatory  education  he  commenced 
his  business  life  as  clerk  for  J.  W.  Hall  of 
Barton,  but  afterwards  entered  the  employ 
of  D.  L.  Dwinell  of  Glo\er,  with  whom  he 
remained  five  years.  Since  1S83  he  has 
represented  the  large  clothing  house  of 
Gushing,  Olmstead  c&  Snow  of  Boston,  Mass. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  pro- 
fession, and  was  appointed  a  colonel  on  Gov- 
ernor Page's  staff. 

Colonel  Cutler  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No. 
55,  Free  and  .Accepted  Masons,  of  Barton, 
and  of  the  Commercial  Travellers'  Union  of 
Boston.  Though  liberal  in  his  religious 
belief,  he  attends  and  contributes  to  the 
Congregational  church  at  Barton. 

June  I,  1889,  he  married  Alice  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  J.  E.  Dwinell  of  Glover. 

CUTTING,  Hiram  Adolphus,  son  of 

Stephen  C.  and  Eliza  (Darling)  Cutting, 
was  born  in  Concord,  Dec.  23,  1S32,  and 
died  .April  18,  1892. 

Though  of  distinguished  ancestors,  both 
on  father's  and  mother's  side,  he  derived  no 
adventitious  aid  from  ancestry  or  wealth. 
Receiving  his  earliest  instructions  in  the  dis- 
trict school,  he  diligently  availed  himself  of 
whatever  advantages  it  had  to  offer.  From 
his  sixteenth  year  until  he  attained  his  major- 
ity he  taught  school  from  three  to  fi\e 
months  annually.  He  also  attended  school 
at  the  St.  Johnsbury  .Academy  in  the  spring 
and  fall — sometimes  both — and  served 
therein  as  assistant  teacher. 

Desiring  to  enter  the  medical  profession, 
from  the  age  of  fifteen  he  studied  its  theorv 
and  practice,  under  the  tuition  of  Dr. 
George  C.  \\'heeler  of  St.  Johnsbury,  but 
his  health  gave  way  and  for  a  time  he  be- 
came a  land  surveyor.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  became  assistant  to  D.  H.  Hull,  one 
of  the  first  proprietors  of  an  itinerant 
daguerreotype-car  in  Vermont.  He  contin- 
ued in  this  employment  until  he  entertained 
a  proposition  from  his  uncle,  John  G.  Dar- 
ling, a  successful  merchant  of  Concord,  who 
proposed  that  he  and  Cutting  should  open  a 
store  at  Lunenburg.  The  proposal  was  ac- 
cepted and  the  new  firm  began  business  on 
the  ist  of  January,  1855.  The  connection 
thus  established  lasted  successfully  for  twenty- 
five  years,  when  Mr.  Cutting  purchased  the 
entire  stock  and  business.  After  that  he 
conducted  the  enterprise  alone.  In  July, 
1870,  a  fire  consumed  the  store,  together 
with  most  of  its  contents.  His  loss  was 
heavy,  and  was  aggravated  by  the  destruction 
of  a  very  extensive  geological  collection  and 
of  more  than  a  thousand   volumes — mainlv 


scientific  works — that  had  been  pjlaced  in 
the  second  story  of  the  building. 

In  1870  he  recommenced  his  medical 
studies  privately,  under  the  tuition  of  Prof. 
E.  E.  Phelps  of  Dartmouth  College,  and 
soon  after  received  a  diploma  from  this 
institution. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  took  out  a 
license  as  claim-agent,  and  prosecuted  hun- 
dreds of  claims  to  a  successful  issue.  _,  In 
June,  1873,  he  was  appointed  examining 
surgeon.  In  addition  to  this  office,  he  held 
those  of  special  notary  public  and  master  in 
chancery. 


ADOLPHUS   CUTTING. 


Dr.  Cutting  was  appointed  state  curator  of 
the  cabinet  by  Gov.  John  \V.  Stewart  in 
1870,  and  in  the  same  year  he  received  the 
further  appointment  of  state  geologist,  was 
reappointed  by  Gov.  J.  Converse,  and  was 
subsequently  confirmed  in  the  office  until 
change  should  be  necessary.  In  1880  he 
was  appointed  by  Gov.  Roswell  Farnham  to 
a  position  in  the  board  of  agriculture,  and 
was  elected  its  secretary.  As  chairman  of 
the  Fish  Commission  of  Vermont,  in  w^hich 
position  he  was  placed  by  Governor  Farn- 
ham, Dr.  Cutting  was  no  le.ss  useful  than  in 
other  relations.  In  1868,  Norwich  I'niver- 
sity  conferred  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  that 
of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  upon  him  the  fol- 
lowing year.  In  consequence  of  his  scien- 
tific attainments  he  was  made  a  member, 
active,  corresponding,  or  honorary,  of  no  less 
than    seventy-nine    scientific,    literary,    and 


medical  societies  scattered  throughout  Amer- 
ica and  Europe.  As  geologist,  metallurgist, 
mining  expert,  practical  and  consulting 
scientist,  he  was  perhaps  not  excelled  in  New 
England,  if  indeed  in  the  United  States. 
Dr.  Cutting  was  the  possessor  of  a  library  of 
twenty  thousand  volumes  and  a  cabinet  of 
minerals  and  curios  containing  thirty  thous- 
and specimens. 

He  was  married  on  the  3d  of  February, 
1856,  to  Marinda  E.  Haskell  of  Lennox- 
ville,  Canada  F^ast. 

CUTTING,  Oliver  B.,  of  West  Con- 
cord, son  of  Franklin  and  Prudence  (Isham) 
Cutting,  was  born  in  Concord,  Sept.  12,  1837. 

Mr.  Cutting  was  brought  up  a  farmer,  re- 
ceiving his  education  at  the  common  and 
high  schools  in  Concord  and  \\'aterford.  At 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  teach- 
ing in  the  winter  and  working  in  the  summer 
on  the  farm.  In  1868  he  began  business  as 
a  druggist  and  book  dealer,  to  which  occu- 
pation he  still  devotes  himself.  He  has  been 
appointed  local  agent  for  the\'ermont  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Co. 

A  member  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  in  1877,  and  held 
that  office  eight  years. 

Enlisting  as  a  pri\ate  in  the  Union  army, 
August  20,  1864,  he  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  Oct.  ig  of  the  same 
year,  and  discharged  from  the  hospital  in 
May,  1865. 

He  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army. 

He  was  first  married  Feb.  23,  1S65,  to 
Lavina,  daughter  of  Russell  and  Louisa 
Powers.  One  child,  Ursula  M.,  was  born  to 
them,  and  his  wife  died  May  3,  1868.  He 
contracted  a  second  marriage  with  Lois  K., 
daughter  of  Austin  and  Abigail  Robinson, 
Feb.  7,  1872.  They  have  two  children  : 
Clarence  F.,  and  Susie  L. 

CUTTING,  William  B.,  of  Westmin- 
ster, son  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  ( Brackett ) 
Cutting,  was  born  in  (Ireen  River,  No\. 
20,  1827.  Receiving  a  common  school 
education,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  Mr.  Cut- 
ting commenced  his  business  life  as  a  clerk, 
and  afterwards  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  paper  in  connection  with  other  mercan- 
tile pursuits. 

In  1853  he  remo\edto  Boston  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Old  Colony  R.  R.,  and 
also  started  in  the  grocery  trade.  In  1854 
he  commenced  to  work  for  the  Indianapolis 


91 


and  Cincinnati  Railroad  Co.,  continuing 
until  April,  1861,  when  ill  health  comjielled 
his  removal  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  where  he 
formed  a  partnershi]^  to  carry  on  the  grocery 
and  produce  business,  also  the  manufacture 
of  lumber  and  barrel  staves.  He  was  again 
forced  by  sickness  to  return  to  the  East, 
where  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  afterwards  in  Brattleboro,  and 
finally,  in  187 1,  settled  on  a  farm  in  \Vest- 
minster  West,  where  he  now  resides. 


A  Free  Soiler  prior  to  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party,  Mr.  Cutting  took  an  active 
part  in  the  Fremont  and  Lincoln  political 
campaigns  and  continued  for  some  time  to 
act  with  that  party,  but  differs  from  it  on  the 
tariff  question,  and  is  now  an  Independent. 
Elected  to  the  state  Senate  in  1882,  he  has 
held  most  of  the  town  offices,  and  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty  years.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  several  organizations 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Master  of  Maple 
Grove  Grange  of  Westminster  West.  .Mr. 
Cutting  is  a  L^nitarian  in  his  religious  views. 

He  married,  August  12,  1851,  Mary  .■\., 
daughter  of  Grant  \\.  and  Matilda  (Camp- 
bell) Rannev.  By  her  he  had  six  children  : 
William  L.,  Mary' R.,  Charles  C,  Frank  H., 
Stella  M.,  and  Nelly  G. 


92 


DALh,  George  N.,  of  island  Fond, 
son  of  James  and  Jane  (Needham)  ]  )ale, 
was  born  in  Fairfax,  Feb.  19,  1S34. 

After  attending  the  common  schools  in 
Waitsfield,  he  studied  two  or  three  years  at 
Thetford  Academy.  Resolving  to  become 
a  lawyer,  Mr.  Dale   commenced  his  studies 


in  the  office  of  Dillingham  &  Durant  at 
\Vaterl)ury  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
the  March  term  of  the  Washington  county 
court  in  1856.  He  then  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Hon.  \V.  H.  Hartshorn  at 
Cluildhall,  where  he  continued  to  ])ractice 
till  1 86 1.  At  that  time  he  removed  to 
Island  Pond  and  for  several  years  pursued 
his  profession,  both  by  himself  and  with  the 
firms  of  Dale  &  Robinson  at  Derby  and  Bar- 
ton, and  with  I  )ale  &:  Carpenter  in  Charles- 
ton, but  since  1882  he  has  confined  his 
office  work  to  Island  Pond. 

(Governor  Dale  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  a  member  of  the  following 
organizations  :  Island  Pond  Lodge  No.  44, 
Haswell  Chapter,  St.  Johnsbury,  and  North 
Star  Coramandery  Knights  Templar,  of 
Lancaster,  N.  H. 

He  married,  Oct.  6,  1865,  Helen  M., 
daughter  of  Porter  and  Mary  P.  (Wilder) 
Hinman,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children  :  Porter  H.,  Helen  Inez, 
and  Mary  Lettie. 

Go\-ernor  Dale  has  been  honored  with 
many  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  people.     He 


was  state's  attorney  for  Essex  county  tor  four 
years  from  December,  1857,  and  was  chosen 
to  the  Legislature  from  Guildhall  in  i860. 
Soon  after  he  received  the  appointment  of 
Deputy  Collector  of  Customs  and  was  put 
in  charge  of  the  port  of  Island  Pond.  This 
office  he  resigned  in  1866  but  was  reap- 
pointed in  1 87 1  and  discharged  its  duties 
till  1882.  He  was  a  member  of  the  state 
Senate  for  four  consecutive  terms  from  1866 
and  in  1870  was  elected  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor of  the  state.  In  the  Legislature  of  1892 
he  represented  the  town  of  Brighton. 

Governor  Dale  was  president  of  the  Ver- 
mont Bar  Association  in  1S86.  As  an  advo- 
cate and  orator  he  commands  the  admira- 
tion, and,  as  a  man,  wins  the  love  of  those 
who  know  him. 

DAMON,  Charles,  of  victory,  son  of 
I'.enjamin  and  Fanny  (Jaseph)  Damon,  was 
born  in  Kirbv,  Ian.  q,  1S24. 


His  educational  advantages  were  derived 
from  the  common  schools,  and  he  adopted 
the  trade  of  a  tanner  and  currier,  which 
in  connection  with  the  boot  and  shoe  busi- 
ness he  pursued  for  eighteen  years  in  the 
Dominion  of  Canada.  In  1852,  Mr.  Damon, 
allured  by  the  golden  promises  of  California, 
emigrated  to  that  state,  and  for  five  years 
was  alternately  employed  in  mining  and  the 
milk  business.  Returning  to  Coaticook,  P. 
(^.,  he  purchased  a  farm  and  gave  much  at- 


tcntion  to  breeding  Morgan  horses,  in  which 
he  met  with  great  success,  raising  some  very 
valuable  stock.  In  1873  he  removed  to 
Victory,  where  he  still  devotes  himself  to 
stock  raising  and  agriculture. 

He  was  married  at  West  Concord,  Dec. 
20,  1874,  to  Elizabeth  A.,  daughter  of 
Richard  T.  and  Joanna  ( Bandfield )  Boyce, 
and  by  her  he  has  had  one  daughter : 
Lilian  A. 

Mr.  Damon  held  the  office  of  school  com- 
missioner and  councilor,  at  different  times, 
while  a  resident  of  Coaticook,  and  while  in 
Victory  he  has  been  selectman,  town  treasu- 
rer and  agent,  as  well  as  lister.  For  two 
terms  he  has  been  the  choice  of  a  Repub- 
lican majority  to  represent  them  in  the 
lower  branch  of  the  state  Legislature. 

DANA,  Charles  S.,  of  New  Haven,  son 
of  Hon.  Edward  S.  and  Mary  (Squier)  Dana, 
was  born  in  New  Ha\en,  Sept.  t :;,  1862. 


His  father,  Hon.  E.  S.  Dana,  w-as  for 
many  years  assistant  clerk  of  the  National 
House  of  Representati\es  at  Washington,  one 
of  the  leading  ?'ree  Masons  of  the  state,  and 
served  in  both  branches  of  the  state  Legis- 
lature. 

Charles  S.  Dana  follows  the  \ocation  of  a 
farmer,  and  in  connection  with  his  mother 
is  possessor  of  one  of  the  finest  estates  in 
Vermont.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  the 
largest  private  library  in  Addison  comity. 
He  has  acted  as  newspaper  correspondent 
for  many  daily  and  weekly  newspapers  for  a 


DAN.A.  93 

number  of  years,  and  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  politics  since  attaining  his  ma- 
jority. 

For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican town  committee,  has  served  as  a 
tlelegate  in  state,  district  and  county  con- 
ventions, and  enjoys  the  distinction  of  hav- 
ing been  the  youngest  man  e\er  elected  in 
New  Haven  to  be  moderator  of  the  annual 
town  meeting.  He  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee of  three  to  raise  money  to  build  the 
present  Congregational  church  of  that  place. 
He  was  census  enumerator  in  1890. 

In  1S80  Mr.  Dana  was  assistant  door- 
keeper of  the  Vermont  state  Senate,  and 
assistant  secretary  of  that  body  in  1890. 
He  now  holds  the  position  of  secretary  of 
the  .\ddison  County  Agricultural  Society, 
and  in  1S93  was  appointed  as  a  member  of 
Co.  19,  Columbian  Guards,  at  the  \\orld's 
Fair.  Mr.  Dana  is  a  member  of  I'nion 
Lodge,  No.  2,  F.  cV-  A.  M.,  and  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  tiie 
agricultural,  political  and  , moral  welfare  of 
\'ermont. 

DANA,  Marvin  Hill,  of  Stillwater,  n. 

v.,  son  of  Edward  Summers  and  Marv  Howe 
Squier  Dana,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  March 
2,  1867. 

Having  obtained  his  earlier  education  at 
lieeman  Academy,  he  afterwards  graduated 


at  Middlebury  College,  the  Sauveur  School 
of  Languages,  the  law  department  of  L'nion 
L"ni\ersitv,   and    the     C.eneral    Theological 


94 


Seminary  in  New  York  City.  He  also  tooic 
a  post-graduate  course  at  tlie  University  of 
New  York.  He  received  the  degrees  of 
A.  B.  and  A.  M.  from  Middlebury  College 
and  L.  L.  B.  from  Union  University.  After 
studying  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Lyman 
E.  Knapp,  Mr.  Dana  practiced  his  profession 
in  Missouri  and  Malone,  N.  Y.,  but  was  sub- 
sequently ordained  in  All  Saints'  Cathedral, 
Albany,  by  Bishop  Doane,  June  ii,  1893, 
and  is  now  pastor  of  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church,  at  Stillwater,  N.  Y." 

As  an  author  he  has  contributed  to  various 
periodicals,  both  in  prose  and  verse,  and 
has  published  a  volume  of  poems  entided  : 
"Mater  Christi  and  Other  Poems,"  which 
has  met  with  a  ready  and  flattering  sale.  A 
volume  of  prose  tales  and  sketches  is  soon  to 
be  issued.  He  has  frequently  been  selected 
as  class  poet  at  the  institutions  where  he  has 
been  a  student,  and  he  was  chosen  by  the 
alumni  of  Middlebury  College  to  deliver  the 
annual  poem  at  the  commencement  of  1894. 

Mr.  Dana  possesses  eminent  musical  abil- 
ity and  a  marvellous  memory,  being  able  to 
repeat  any  list  after  once  hearing  or  reading, 
and  is  distinguished  as  a  linguist — reading, 
writing,  and  speaking  English,  German, 
French,  Italian,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Arabic, 
I-atin,  and  Greek,  and  reading  Hebrew, 
Syreac,  and  Romaic. 

He  is  the  present  head  of  the  Society  of 
St.  Paul  in  America.  In  1892  he  was  nomi- 
nated councilor  of  the  "American  Institute 
of  Civics,"  and  in  1893,  Fellow  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  of  Great  Britain. 

DARLING,  JOSEPH  Kimball,  of  Chel- 
sea, son  of  Jesse  and  Rebecca  (Whitaker) 
Darling,  was  born  March  8,  1833,  at 
Corinth. 

He  received  his  educational  training  at 
Corinth  Academy  and  at  the  hands  of  a 
private  tutor.  Being  desirous  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  world  beyond  the  boundaries  of 
his  native  state,  in  1853  Mr.  Darling  went 
to  California,  where  he  was  employed  in 
surveying  and  mining  till  1861.  Returning 
to  ('orinth  he  purchased  a  farm,  upon  which 
he  labored  for  two  years.  Feeling  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  give  his  services  to  his 
country  in  the  civil  war,  he  enlisted,  August 
16,  1862,  as  a  private  in  Co.  H,  12th  Vt. 
Regt.,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Brattleboro, 
July  14,  1863. 

He  then  for  some  years  pursued  a  mer- 
cantile life  and  was  also  the  postmaster  at 
East  Corinth  from  1864  to  187 1.  At  this 
time  he  formed  a  resolution,  somewhat  late, 
perhaps,  to  study  law  and  commenced  read- 
ing with  Hon.  Roswell  Farnham.  Having 
been  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S74  he  prac- 
ticed at   East  Corinth   for  ten  years,  when 


he  removed  to  the  town  of  Chelsea,  where 
he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Darling  has  affiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  ;  was  for  several  years  the  chair- 
man of  the  Orange  county  Republican  com- 
mittee ;  was  chosen  state's  attorney  in  1882 
and  is  now  the  deputy  clerk  of  the  Orange 
county  courts.  He  was  elected  from  Chelsea 
to  represent  the  town  in  i890-'94  and  while 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  served  upon  the 
temperance,  judiciary  and  election  com- 
mittees, of  which  last  body  he  was  the  chair- 
man. During  his  latter  term  of  office  he 
was  member  of  the  judiciary,  ways  and 
means  committees  and  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  military  affairs. 


ALL    DARLING. 


He  is  attached  to  Ransom  Post,  No.  74, 
G.  A.  R.,  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Chelsea  and  has  been  for  twenty 
years  superintendent  and  teacher  of  a  Sab- 
bath school. 

He  was  married  Oct.  6,  1S59,  at  Corinth 
to  Mary  Alice,  daughter  of  Deacon  Joseph 
and  Mary  (Robie)  Knight.  She  died  Octo- 
ber, 1873,  leaving  four  children  :  Charles  K., 
Emma  L.,  Hale  Knight,  and  Eben,  the  last 
dying  in  infancy.  Mr.  Darling's  second 
marriage  was  in  Chelsea  to  Emma,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Harvey  and  Laura  Webster.  She 
died  April  5,  1885. 

DARLING,  J.  R.,  of  Groton,  son  of 
John  and  Jennette  (Brock)  Darling,  was 
born  in  tlroton,  Nov.  16,  1823. 


DAVENPORT. 


95 


Recei\ing  his  education  at  the  Peachani 
and  Danville  Academies,  Mr.  Darling  re- 
solved to  follow  a  business  career,  and 
through  a  long  and  honorable  life  has 
strictly  devoted  himself  to  mercantile  and 
agricultural  pursuits.  From  1847  to  1S57 
he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wek^h, 
Darling  &  Clark  in  the  town  of  Groton. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  gen- 
eral trade,  lumbering  and  farming,  and  in 
1883  he  entered  into  a  copartnership  with 
his  sons  under  the  firm  name  of  Jonathan 
R.  Darling  &  Sons.  Their  business  has 
been  carried  on  in  Peacham  and  Groton,  in 
which  latter  place  Mr.  Darling  owns  and  runs 
a  large  saw  mill. 


J.   R.   DARLING. 

An  old-time  whig  till  1856,  Mr.  Darling 
joined  the  Republican  party  at  the  period  of 
its  formation  and  is  an  ardent  advocate  of 
the  protection  of  American  labor  and  indus- 
tries. He  has  held  many  ofifices  of  trust  and 
responsibility ;  has  been  town  clerk  for 
thirty-three  years ;  was  representative  to 
the  Legislature  in  i857-'58,  and  state  sena- 
tor in  i88o-'8i.  He  was  chosen  assistant 
judge  of  Caledonia  county  in  1869,  which 
position  he  held  for  three  successive  years. 

Judge  Darling  was  united  in  marriage, 
July  I,  1849,  to  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Phebe  (Heath)  Taisey  of  Groton. 
Eight  children  have  been  born  to  them,  of 
whom  si.x  are  still  living ;  Cyrus  T.,  Eva- 
lona,  John  T.,  Robards  N.,  Elmer  E.,  and 
\\'alter  P>rock. 


Judge  Darling  has  never  been  a  member 
of  any  secret  or  social  society. 

DAVENPORT,  CHARLES  NEWTON, 
son  of  Calvin  N.  and  Lucy  VV.  Davenport, 
was  born  at  Leyden,  Mass.,  Oct.  20,  1830. 

He  re(-eived  a  common  school  education 
in  his  nati\-e  town,  which  he  afterwards  sup- 
plemented by  study  at  the  Shelburne  Falls 
Academy,  and  the  Melrose  .Academy  in 
West  Brattleboro.  Electing  to  follow  the 
profession  of  the  law,  he  jirepared  to  do  so 
by  entering  the  office  of  Oscar  L.  Shafter  of 
Wilmington,  Vt.,  where  he  continued  for 
three  years.  At  the  .April  term  of  1854  he 
was  admitted  as  an  attorney  to  the  \Vindham 
county  bar,  and  immediately  entered  into  a 
copartnership  with  his  preceptor,  but  this 
association  was  soon  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Shafter  removed  to  California.  Mr.  Daven- 
port purchased  his  law  library  and  practice 
and  succeeded  to  his  position  among  the 
legal  fraternity.  In  1856  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  the  Vermont  Supreme  Court. 
He  was  studious,  careful,  earnest  and  am- 
bitious to  attain  professional  distinction, 
and  i|uickly  took  position  as  a  leader  of  the 
bar  in  Windham  and  Bennington  counties, 
which  he  vigorously  maintained  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  .April,  1851, 
Mr.  Davenport  received  his  former  law  pupil, 
Kittredge  Haskins,  into  partnership,  and  this 
connection  continued  for  ten  years.  In 
March,  1S68,  he  transferred  his  residence 
and  practice  from  Wilmington  to  Brattle- 
boro, which  town  he  thenceforward  made 
his  home.  In  June,  1875,  he  received  his 
friend,  Jonathan  G.  Eddy,  into  copartner- 
ship. In  the  Federal  courts  of  the  Ver- 
mont district  he  gained  great  distinction  and 
frequently  appeareil  before  the  Supreme 
Court  at  Washington,  where  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  1876. 

Mr.  Davenport  was  a  Democrat,  but 
always  erratic,  and  in  his  later  years  usually 
styled  himself  an  Independent.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  i860,  the  distinction  between  the 
Douglas  and  Breckenridge  faction  was  most 
clearly  marked  and  bitterly  fought  among 
the  Vermont  Democrats.  Mr.  Davenport 
rapidly  rose  to  the  leadership  of  the  Douglas 
wing  until  it  gained  the  control  of  the  party 
in  the  state.  Several  times  he  was  the  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  of  his  district  for  election 
to  Congress.  In  1865,  and  again  in  186S, 
he  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  Gov- 
ernor. Painful  and  deep-seated  disease 
brought  him  to  his  deathbed,  .April  12, 
1882.  His  funeral  from  the  Baptist  church 
of  Brattleboro  was  largely  attended  by  the 
citizens  and  by  members  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  to  which  he  had  long  belonged. 

He  was  married  on  the  12th  of  December, 
1854,  to   Louisa  Haynes   of  Lowell,  Mass., 


96 


who  bore  him  six  children,  of  whom  lour 
died  young.  Two  still  survive  ;  Charles  H., 
and  Herbert  J.  Mrs  Davenport  died  Sept. 
30,  1870,  and  he  contracted  a  second  alliance 
on  the  6lhof  November,  1871,  with  Roxanna 
].,  widow  of  Henrv  Dunklee  of  Brattleboro. 
She  died  May  22,  '1881. 

DAVISON,  AmoRY,  of  Craftsbury,  son 
of  Amory  and  Nancy  (Mills)  Davison,  was 
born  in  Craftsbury,  June  29,  1830. 


AMORY    DAVISON. 

He  came  of  an  old  Revolutionarv  faniilv, 
and  his  grandfather  served  in  the  Conti- 
nental army. 

Mr.  Davison  was  educated  at  the  schools 
of  Craftsbury  and  at  Bakersfield  and  Crafts- 
bury Academies.  He  commenced  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  farmer  in  1854,  and  followed 
that  occupation  for  twelve  years,  but  at  the 
end  of  that  period,  turned  his  attention  to 
buying  and  selling  neat  stock,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  still  continues  to  engage,  though  he 
has  never  lost  his  interests  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  In  1868  he  was  elected  director 
of  the  Irasburg  National  Bank,  and  con- 
tinued to  act  in  that  capacity  until  the  affairs 
of  that  institution  were  wound  up  in  1875. 
When  the  Barton  National  Bank  was  organ- 
ized in  1875,  he  was  chosen  to  fill  succes- 
sively the  offices  of  director,  vice-president 
and  president,  which  last  position  he  still 
retains. 

A  whig  of  the  Horace  Greeley  school,  he 
joined  the  Republican  party  at  its  inception 


in  1854,  anil  no  less  ardently  adheres  to 
their  principles  now  as  thirty-nine  years 
since,  or  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 

He  has  been  selected  to  fill  about  all  of 
the  town  offices,  and  has  served  as  select- 
man fourteen  years  :  was  sent  to  the  Legis- 
lature in  i860,  and  was  a  state  senator  from 
Orleans  county  in  1892.  Appointed  railroad 
commissioner  by  Governor  Page,  he  was 
again  assigned  to  this  post  by  Governor 
Fuller  in  1892. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  26,  1855, 
to  A.  Augusta,  daughter  of  Merrill  and 
Lauretta  (West)  Williams  of  Greensboro. 
Three  children  have  been  the  fruit  of  their 
marriage  :  Portus  ^^".,  Amanda,  and  Julius  E. 

DAVIDSON,  MlLON,  of  Newfane,  son 
of  Alvan  and  Ann  (Howe)  Davidson,  was 
born  in  Unity,  N.  H.,  Nov.  28,  1834.  In 
his  early  childhood  his  parents  removed  to 
Acworth,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  brought  up  to 


MILON    DAVIDSON. 


his  father's  occupation,  that  of  a  farmer. 
From  the  age  of  fourteen  to  seventeen  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  Capt.  Samuel  Mc- 
Clure,  a  neighboring  farmer. 

His  early  school  advantages  were  limited, 
for  he  had  only  one  term  a  year,  from  the 
age  of  ten  to  twenty-one,  but  his  evenings 
were  devoted  to  his  books,  and  he  generally 
rose  three  or  four  hours  before  sunrise  to 
study  by  the  light  of  the  fire  or  a  tallow  can- 
dle. He  fitted  for  college  at  Meriden  and 
at  New  London,  N.  H.,  and,  continuing'  his 


97 


studies  uniler  grent  iirivations  and  discour- 
agements, graduated  at  1  )artmouth  ill  1862. 
He  then  taught  as  principal — mostly  in 
academies — twelve  years,  reading  law,  as 
opportunity  offered,  with  Mr.  Soule  of  f'air- 
fax  and  Hon.  A.  Stoddard  of  Townshend, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  In 
1874,  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  he 
w-as  chosen  treasurer  of  the  Windham  County 
Savings  Bank,  and  still  holds  that  office.  The 
business  of  the  bank  increasing,  he  has,  in 
recent  years,  necessarily  dexoted  more  of 
his  time  to  that,  and  less  to  the  practice  of 
law. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee, trustee  and  treasurer  of  Leland  and  Gray 
Seminary,  treasurer  of  the  \\"indham  County 
Creamery  Association  and  a  director  in  the 
Union  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.  of  Mont- 
pelier.  He  has  been  director  in  the  Brat- 
tleboro  &  Whitehall  Railroad  Co.,  superin- 
tendent of  schools  and  president  of  the 
Christian  Aid  Association. 

Formerly  as  a  Democrat  and  more  recently 
as  a  Prohibitionist,  he  has  received  the  votes 
of  his  party  for  town  representative  and 
state's  attorney.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
national  convention  of  the  Prohibition 
party  in  1888;  a  candidate  on  their  ticket 
for  presidential  elector  the  same  year,  and 
for  state  treasurer  in  1892. 

He  married  Gratia  E.,  daughter  of  Samuel 
A.  and  Rachel  (Woodworth)  Andrews,  of 
Richmond,  Nov.  28,  1864.  They  have  one 
child  :   Lula  Estella. 

At  the  centennial  celebration  of  Acworth, 
N.  H.,  Mr.  I)a\idson  read  an  original  poem, 
which  is  published  in  the  history  of  that 
town,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  B.  &  W. 
R.  R.  he  wrote  a  lengthy  metrical  composi- 
tion— commemorating  that  event — which  at- 
tracted much  attention. 

Mr.  I)a\idson  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  but  has  liberally  aided  other  denomi- 
nations. He  has  a  reputation  for  strict  hon- 
esty and  high  moral  character ;  yet  he  is 
best  appreciated  by  those  who  know  him 
most  intimately. 

DAVIS,  DennISON,  of  Putney,  son  of 
Alanson  and  Experience  (Orvis)  Davis,  was 
born  in  Putney,  May  3,  18 19. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  at  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  a 
select  school  in  Dummerston. 

Mr.  Davis  spent  most  of  his  life  on  the 
home  farm,  branching  out  into  the  horse 
and  cattle  business  as  a  side  issue.  For 
many  years  past  he  has  devoted  a  large 
share  of  his  time  to  the  importation  of  Can- 
adian horses  and  the  shipment  of  cattle  to 
the  markets  at  Brighton. 

Mr.  Davis  has  in  turn  held  every  im- 
portant town  office  except  town  clerk  and 


treasurer,  since  he  attained  his  majority, 
and  represented  his  town  in  the  (General 
.Assembly  of  1880. 

Mr.  Davis  was  married  in  1840  to  Cather- 
ine M.,  daughter  of  Zora  and  .Abigail  (Orvis) 
Scott.  Mrs.  Davis  died  in  187S.  There 
was  one  son  from  this  union,  who  died  in 
1876,  leaving  two  children,  a  daughter  and 
son  :   Hattie  E.,  and  Dennison  P. 


DENNISON    DAVIS. 

He  has  been  chosen  administrator  of 
many  estates  and  always  performed  the  ser- 
vice with  honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction 
to  all  concerned. 

Mr.  Davis  was  again  married  in  18S6  to 
Abbie  Jane  (Joslin)  Evans,  and  now  lives 
on  the  Lorenzo  Davis  farm  one  mile  north 
of  Putney  Village. 

DAVIS,  Frank  E.,  of  Davis  Bridge, 
son  of  Freeborn  (J.  and  Sara  (Brown) 
Davis,  was  born  in  Whitingham,  May  22, 
1847. 

His  family  were  among  the  earliest  settlers 
of  the  town.  His  progenitors  for  three 
generations  have  successively  lived  on  the 
farm  where  Mr.  Davis  now  resides. 

His  education  commenced  at  the  Leland 
and  Gray  Seminary,  Towrjshend,  but  later  he 
studied  at  .Arms  .Academy,  Shelburne  Falls, 
Mass.,  and  was  graduated  from  Kurnham's 
Business  College,  Springfield,  Mass. 

.After  his  graduation  Mr.  Davis  was  first 
em])loyed  as  a  traveling  agent,  but  in  1868 
he  engaged  his  .services  as  a  clerk  at   Reads- 


98  DAVIS. 

boro  and  later  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Stearns  &  Davis.  After  three  years' 
connection  with  this  concern,  he  moved  to 
Turners  Falls,  at  which  place  he  engaged  in 
business  for  a  year.  He  then  returned  to 
A\'hitingham,  and  though  possessing  a  farm, 
he  has  worked  much  of  the  time  for  E.  J. 
Bullock  &  Co.  of  Readsboro  as  salesman. 
In  1887,  on  account  of  the  failing  health  of 
his  parents,  he  moved  to  the  homestead 
where  he  now  resides.  During  the  summer 
season  Mr.  Davis  is  the  manager  of  the 
Spring  Hotel  at  Sadawga,  and  is  now  the 
station  agent  at  Whitingham  for  the  H.  T. 
&  W.  R.''R. 

In  politics  he  has  been  a  Republican  and 
was  the  nominee  of  that  party  for  repre- 
sentadve  in  1870.  He  has  been  chairman 
of  the  board  of  selectmen  for  two  years,  re- 
cei\ing  the  unanimous  vote  of  his  towns- 
men, and  has  also  discharged  the  duties  of  a 
lister  for  many  terms.  In  1892  he  was  made 
a  justice  of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Davis  affiliates  with  the  Deerfield  \'al- 
ley  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  Readsboro,  and  is 
the  V.  (j.  of  the  same.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  Church  at  \\'ilmington.  He  was 
married  in  Whitingham,  August  21,  1873,  to 
Ida  j\I.,  daughter  of  |.  and  Olive  (Sweet) 
Bullard.  They  have  three  children ;  F. 
Rockwell,  Sara,  and  F.  FUiot. 

DAVIS,  Frank  William,  of  Bakersfield, 

son  of  Joel  C.  and  Martha  (Montgomery) 
Davis,  was  born  in  Honeoye  Falls,  N.  V'., 
July  31,  1850. 

He  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation. At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  com- 
menced his  business  career  at  East  Fairfield, 
but  in  1878  removed  to  Belvidere,  where  he 
has  ever  since  made  his  home,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  when  he  was  engaged 
in  trade  at  Bakersfield. 

Mr.  Davis  was  married  at  Bakersfield  to 
Emeroy  F.,  daughter  of  Ira  F.  and  Mahala 
A.  Dean,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  chil- 
dren. 

From  1889  to  1893  he  has  been  in  part- 
nership with  several  others  in  the  manu- 
facture of  butter  tubs  at  Belvidere  Centre, 
and  the  enterprise  has  proved  remunerative 
and  been  of  much  benefit  to  that  com- 
munity. 

Mr.  Davis  has  filled  all  the  town  offices, 
and  for  five  years  has  been  an  active  member 
of  the  Lamoille  county  Republican  com- 
mittee. He  represented  the  town  in  1888, 
and  served  on  the  firand  List  committee,  and 
was  its  secretary. 

He  belongs  to  both  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity and  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a 
member  of  Mount  Norris  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Tucker  Chapter  R.  A.  M.  at  Morrisville, 


and  of  Burlington  Council,  and  he  is  in  good 
standing  with  Sterling  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at 
Hyde  Park. 

DAVIS,  George,  of  East  Montpelier, 
son  of  Timothy  and  Pauline  (Stevens) 
Davis,  was  born  in  East  Montpelier  (then  a 
part  of  Montpelier),  March  13,  1S35.  Clark 
Stevens,  his  maternal  grandfather,  was  the 
well-known  pioneer  and  (,)uaker  preacher  of 
the  town  of  Montpelier,  and  Mr.  Davis  was 
brought  up  in  the  peaceful  tenets  of  that  per- 
suasion. 

The  public  schools  of  Montpelier  fur- 
nished him  his  early  educational  training, 
and  his  life  has  been  passed  upon  the  fine 
old  farm  where  he  was  born.  From  this  last 
statement  it  is  needless  to  name  his  calling. 


GEORGE    DAVIS. 


but  Mr.  Davis  is  a  specialist  in  his  profes- 
sion, and  is  known  far  and  wide  for  his  herd 
of  Devon  catde.  Specimens  of  these  have 
brought  him  many  a  premium  at  the  state 
and  New  England  fairs,  while  as  a  breeder  of 
Light  Brahma  fowls  he  is  unrivalled.  Mr. 
Davis  is  also  interested  in  the  breeding  of 
colts,  and  for  a  long  time  was  accustomed  to 
serve  as  the  starting  judge  at  horse  races,  in 
which  position  he  always  manifested  the 
needed  qualities  of  firmness  and  decision. 
He  is  a  most  excellent  judge  of  all  farm  ani- 
mals, and  consequently  is  much  demanded 
as  a  member  of  the  awarding  committees  at 
county  fairs  and  all  gatherings  of  a  like 
nature  :  for  this  office  his  conscientious  im- 
partiality especially  fits  him.     He  has  been 


many  years  a  director  and  vice-president  of 
the  State  Agricultural  Society. 

Mr.  Davis  received  tiie  Rei)ublican  \ote 
and  the  election  for  member  of  the  (leneral 
Assembly  in  1S84,  and  served  on  the  com- 
mittee on  highways  and  bridges. 

DAVIS,  Gilbert  A.,  of  Windsor,  son 
of  Asa  and  Mary  (Hosmer)  Davis,  was  born 
Dec.  iS,  1835,  at  Chester. 

Receiving  an  education  limited  to  the 
district  school  and  Chester  Academy,  he 
commenced  to  teach  when  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age.  In  1S52,  he  removed  to  New 
Jersey,  where  he  pursued  the  same  profes- 
sion for  four  years,  giving  instruction  at 
Belvidere  and  other  places  in  Warren  and 
Hunterdon    counties.      Here    he    betjan    to 


^gsSSSv* 


i 


read  law  with  Hon.  J.  G.  Shipman  of  Belvi- 
dere. Returning  to  Vermont,  he  continued 
the  study  of  his  profession  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  William  Rounds  of  Chester  and  later 
with  Messrs.  Washburn  ( P.  T. )  lS:  Marsh 
(Charles  P.)  of  Woodstock. 

Mr.  Davis  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
May  term  of  the  Windsor  county  court  in 
1859.  He  remained  with  his  last  instruct- 
ors about  a  year  and  then  removed  to 
Felchville  in  Reading.  Here  he  remained 
for  nearly  twenty  years,  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  a  large  and  successful  practice,  and 
still  keeps  an  office  in  Felchville  since  his 
removal  to  \Mndsor  in  1879. 

He  has  always  been  identified  with  public 
improvements,  is  a  director  in  the  Windsor 


1>AVIS.  gy 

i;iectric  Light  Co.,  has  been  a  trustee  of  the 
village,  and  when  the  water  works  were  con- 
structed he  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
for  that  purpose,  and  is  the  president  and 
treasurer  of  the  Windsor  Machine  Co. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the  Rei)ublican 
party  and  has  held  many  important  town 
offices.  In  1858  and  1861  he  was  assistant 
clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and 
to  him  was  intrusted  the  task  of  making  out 
the  grand  list.  He  served  as  Register  of 
Probate  for  Windsor  county  for  five  years, 
and  represented  Reading  in  1872  and  1874, 
serving  both  years  on  the  committee  on 
education,  of  which  he  was  chairman  at  the 
session  of  1874.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Senate  in  1876,  where  he  was  a  member  of 
both  educational  and  judiciary  committees. 
He  was  state's  attorney  for  Windsor  county 
for  the  term  of  two  years,  iS78-'8o.  In  1874 
he  was  selected  by  Covernor  Peck  to  com- 
pile the  school  laws  of  Vermont  and  he  has 
also  published  a  history  of  Reading.  At  the 
celebration  of  the  centenary  of  that  town, 
he  delivered  the  address,  and  was  also  the 
orator  at  the  centennial  celebration  of  the 
adoption  of  the  constitution  and  name  of 
the  state,  held  at  Windsor,  August  9,  1877. 

Mr.  Davis  has  been  for  many  years  an 
official  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society;  a 
member  of  the  Vermont  Commandery  of 
Knights  Templar,  the  clerk  of  the  Congre- 
L;ational  Society  of  Windsor  and  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Sabbath  school. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 
national  convention  at  Chicago  in  1888, 
and  a  member  of  the  Triennial  Council  of 
Congregational  Churches  at  Worcester  in 
i88g  and  Minneapolis  in  1892. 

In  .April,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Delia 
I.  Holies,  at  Turner,  111.,  and  their  union  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living :  Marv  I.,  and  Gil- 
bert F. 

DAVIS,  Samuel  RA^',  of  Troy,  son  of 
Ray  and  Hannah  (Firown)  l)a\is,  was  born 
in  Troy,  April  19,  1837. 

His  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
the  town,  having  mo\ed  there  in  1833  from 
Lexington,  Mass. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  town,  and  at 
P.akersfield  Academy.  At  an  early  age  he 
acquired  a  taste  for  general  reading,  which 
hc.s  increased  with  increasing  years,  and  his 
well-stocked  library  of  carefully  selected 
books  bears  witness  that  his  taste  has  been 
well  cultivated.  Mr.  Davis  has  always  re- 
sided in  his  native  town.  He  is  known  as  a 
]irogressi\e  farmer  whose  success  may  be 
largely  attributed  to  his  untiring  energy, 
together  with  good  judgment  and  sound 
sense. 


In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican  ; 
though  of  an  unassuming  nature  he  has  been 
often  honored  by  the  confidence  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  He  has  held  the  various 
town  offices,  from  juryman  to  selectman,  and 
represented  Troy  in  the  state  Legislature  in 
1867  and  '68.  He  was  one  of  the  county 
road  commissioners  in  i886-'87,  and  assist- 
ant judge  for  two  terms  from  1888. 


SAMUEL    RAY    DAVIS. 

He  is  a  close  observer,  and  his  extensive 
reading  combined  with  a  retentive  memory 
serve  to  keep  him  abreast  with  the  leading 
topics  of  the  day. 

An  evolutionist  in  his  belief,  his  religious 
preferences  are  liberal,  though  he  supports 
and  attends  the  Congregational  church. 

Judge  Davis  was  married  in  1.858  to 
Orcelia  Kennay  of  Fairfield,  by  whom  he 
has  had  four  children. 

DEAVITT,  John  Ja.WES,  of  St.  .Albans, 
son  of  John  and  .Anna  (Manley)  Dea\itt, 
was  born  in  Brunswick,  N.  Y.,  May  3,  1808. 

During  the  winter  of  1819,  he  was  a 
student  of  the  Lancastrian  School  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  and  'seven  years  subsequently  entered 
the  St.  -Albans  .Academy  after  which,  having 
made  choice  of  his  profession,  he  read  law 
in  the  offices  of  Royce  &  Hunt  and  Hon. 
David  Read.  Mr.  Deavitt  was  a  cadet  at 
the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  in 
1828,  and  stood  high  in  his  class. 

In  1 83 1  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
Judge  Cushman  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and   soon 


after  became  a  partner  of  Henry  Wilson, 
Esq.,  city  attorney.  He  then  removed,  first 
to  St.  .Albans,  and  afterwards  to  Johnson, 
where  he  was  assistant  of  Cornelius  Lynde, 
the  postmaster.  .After  an  interval  of  district 
school  teaching,  in  1833  he  located  in  St. 
.Albans  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Hon.  Orlando  Stephens,  at  the  e.xpiration  of 
which  he  was  appointed  deputy  collector  and 
inspector  of  I'.  S.  Customs  for  Franklin, 
where  he  became  a  resident  and  practiced 
his  profession  for  sixteen  years  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  duties  as  a  L^nited  States 
official.  In  1853  he  returned  to  St.  Albans, 
ha\ing  an  office  in  connection  with  Judge 
\\illiam  liridges  till  1870. 

Air.  nea\itt  has  been  a  staunch  and  lifelong 
Democrat,  yet  he  was  elected  from  Franklin 
in  November,  1842,  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  held  in  Montpelier 
during  the  following  year.  He  was  ap])ointed 
postmaster  of  St.  .Albans  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  President  Buchanan,  and  held  the 
office  under  President  Lincoln  till  1862.  He 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  United  States 
I  listrict  Court  at  Windsor  in  May,  184.S,  and 
se\enteen  years  after  he  received  a  similar 


JOHN    JAMES    DE 


pri\ilege  at  Washington  with  respect  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Ignited  States.  In 
April,  1874,  he  was  elected  municipal  judge 
by  a  large  majority,  three-fourths  of  the 
voters  being  Republicans,  and  unanimously 
chosen  at  a  second  election,  after  which  he 
declined  to  serve.     He  was  a  delegate  to  the 


DEMINC. 


natiiJiKil  Democratic  convention  iicid  in 
New  York  in  1868.  He  has  acted  as  chair- 
man of  jail  commissioners  of  Franklin 
cotmty. 

Judge  Deaxitt  was  united  in  wedlock 
Nov.  25,  1830,  at  St.  Albans,  to  Patience, 
daughter  of  Willard  and  Sarah  (  |ewell) 
Wing. 

This  venerable  old  man  was  present  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  present 
college  edifice  at  Burlington  in  July,  1825, 
and  distinctly  remembers  witnessing  the 
reception  of  LaFayette  and  his  son  Oeorge, 
as  they  were  escorted  into  Burlington  by 
Governor  Van  Ness. 

Judge  Deavitt  has  given  largely  to  chari- 
table objects,  and  he  has  ever  been  liberally 
munificent  to  friends  and  relatives.  He  is  a 
firm  believer  in  the  Christian  religion,  and 
has  been  both  director  and  president  of  the 
First  Congregational  Society  of  St.  .Albans. 
He  still  takes  a  great  interest  in  courts  and 
judicial  proceedings,  and  is  an  indefatigable 
reader  of  history,  keeping  himself  well  in- 
formed with  regard  to  all  subjects  of  current 
interest.  Judge  Deavitt  is  reputed  to  be  an 
able  lawyer,  and  an  eloquent  and  persuasive 
jury  advocate. 

DEMING,   Franklin,  of  Wells  River, 

son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  P'-unice  (Clark) 
Deming,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Dan\ille, 
Sept.  II,  1828. 

His  early  educational  training  was  received 
in  the  public  schools  of  Danville  and  at 
Derby  Academy  and  the  Phillips  Academy 
in  his  native  town.  His  father  was  an  old 
resident  of  the  place,  for  a  long  time  judge 
of  probate  and  county  clerk,  and  afterwards 
a  member  of  Congress. 

Mr.  Deming  was  six  years  of  age  when  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father,  and 
after  completing  his  education  he  worked  as 
clerk  in  a  store  for  seven  years.  When  he 
became  of  age  he  removed  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  remained  a  year,  and  then  settled 
in  St.  Johnsbury,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
clothing  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Boles  &  Deming.  In  1857  he  moved  to 
\\'ells  River,  and  has  resided  there  ever 
since,  engaged  in  general  trade.  He  was 
first  chosen  a  director  of  the  National  Bank 
of  Newbury  in  1874,  and  then  president,  a 
position  he  still  holds.  He  also  is  president 
and  half  owner  of  the  Adams  Paper  Co.  of 
Wells  River. 

He  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
was  a  useful  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
1888,  serving  on  the  committee  on  banks. 
For  twenty-five  years  he  was  jw.stmaster. 

He  has  taken  the  degree  of  Royal  .\rch 
Mason  in  Haswell  Chapter  of  St.  Johnsbury. 

Mr.  Deming  married,  October,  1854, 
Catherine,  daughter  of   Francis  Bingham,  of 


St.  Johnsl)ury.  Two  children  ha\e been  born 
of  this  uniori :  Katie  B.  (.Mrs.  Dr.  H.  H.  Fee 
of  Wells  River),  and  Alice  K. 


Mr.  Deming  commenced  his  business 
career  with  a  very  modest  capital,  but,  with 
judgment  and  foresight,  he  has  managed  his 
affairs  most  advantageously,  and  is  regarded 
as  a  sound  and  conscientious  financier. 

DEWEY,  Charles,  of  Montpelier, 
oldest  son  of  Dr.  Julius  Vemans  and  Mary 
(Perrin)  Dewey,  was  born  in  Montpelier, 
March  27,  1826.  He  was  fitted  for  college 
at  the  Washington  county  grammar  school, 
and  graduated  at  the  University  of  Vermont 
in  1845. 

In  September,  1845,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  secretary  of  the  Vermont  Mutual 
Hre  Insurance  Co.  ;  was  elected  secretary 
of  that  company,  January,  1850,  and  held 
that  office  until  Nov.  i,  1871.  He  was  a 
director  of  that  comjiany  for  thirty  years. 

He  was  appointed  a  director  of  the 
National  Life  Insurance  Co.  in  January, 
1 85 1,  vice-president  in  1871,  and  has  been 
jiresident  of  that  comjiany  since  1877,  when 
his  father,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  com- 
jiany  and  its  president,  died.  In  1865  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  first  board  of 
directors  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Montpelier;  in  1878  was  elected  vice-presi- 
dent, and  in  January,  1891,  president. 

P"or  several  years  he  was  director  and  vice- 
]  (resident,  and  was  elected  ]iresident  of  the 


Lane   Manutactiiriiig    Co.  of  Montpelier  in 
1891. 

He  has  served  as  trustee  of  the  Washing- 
ton county  grammar  school  since  1864  and 
as  president  of  the  board  since  1879:  also 
trustee  of  several  boards  appointed  by  the 
Episcopal  diocesan  conxention  of  Vermont. 
He   was  for    man\-    vears    a    delet;ate    from 


ARLES    DEWEY. 


Christ  Church,  Montpelier,  to  the  diocesan 
convention,  and  in  1886  a  lay  delegate  from 
the  diocese  to  the  general  convention  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  held  that  year  in  Phila- 
delphia. He  has  been  for  over  forty  years  a 
vestryman  and  for  more  than  nineteen  years 
a  warden  of  Christ  Church,  Montpelier. 

He  was  three  times  elected  a  state  sena- 
tor, serving  as  such  in  i867-'6S-'69.  He  was 
appointed  state  inspector  of  finance  by  Ciov- 
ernor  Barstow  in  1882  and  served  two  years, 
but  declined  a  reappointment  by  Go\ernor 
Pingree. 

May  3,  1848,  he  was  married  to  Betsey 
Tarbox,  daughter  of  Lund  and  Susan  ( Edson ) 
Tarbox,  of  Randolph.  Three  sons  and  six 
daughters  blessed  their  union.  All  save  one 
daughter,  Ella  L.  ( Mrs.  Carroll  P.  Pitkin), 
survive  :  Frances  L  (  Mrs.  Henry  E.  Filield), 
William  T.,  Jennie  D.  (Mrs.  Edward  D. 
Blackwell),  Mary  G.,  George  P.,  Gertrude 
M.,  Kate  D.,  and  Charles  Robert. 

DEWEY,  Charles  Edward,  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  Jedediah  and  Hannah  Eldred 
Dewey,  was  born  in  Bennington,  Nov.  29, 
1826. 


His  education  was  received  in  the  commorr 
schools,  and  in  early  life  he  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  ochre  trade,  but  he  has 
always  made  farming  his  principal  occu])a- 
tion.  He  was  born  in  the  old  Dewev  house, 
built  in  1774,  around  which  cluster  many 
interesting  historic  associations.  It  is  one 
of  the  oldest  houses  in  Vermont,  and  under 
its  shelter  some  of  the  hardy  rangers  reposed 
before  the  battle  of  Bennington.  In  this 
house  Mr.  Dewey  and  his  father  first  saw 
the  light. 

Here  the  worthy  son  of  worthy  sires  has 
received  many  distinguished  guests  desirous 
of  visiting  a  spot  hallowed  by  so  many  strik- 
ing memories  of  the  past.  The  surrounding 
farm  has  been  somewhat  dismembered  by 
cutting  off  portions  for  building  lots,  but 
much  of  it  yet  remains,  which  however,  must 
soon  be  absorbed  for  the  same  purpose,  as 
it  lies  in  the  residential  portion  of  the  village. 

Mr.  Dewey  is  an  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  a  Congregationalist  in  re- 
ligious faith.  He  has  been  incumbent  of 
several  town  offices,  notably  that  of  select- 
man, w^hile  he  has  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  schools  of  Bennington  as 
trustee,  and  one  of  the  building  committee 


CHARLES    EDWARD    DEWEY. 

of  the  graded  high  school.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society, 
and  the  Bennington  Battle  Monument  As- 
sociation. He  was  actively  associated  with 
the  committee    in    the   construction  of  the. 


I03 


monument   and   the   celeliration   at   its  com- 
pletion. 

Mr.  Dewey  was  married  Feb.  5,  1856,  to 
Martha,  daughter  of  Samuel  I.  Hamlen  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  Seven  children  ha\e  been 
born  to  them  :  Mary  (Mrs.  Charles  Merrill  of 
Bennington),  Arthur  J.,  Sarah  (Mrs.  B.  C. 
lennev  of  Bennington),  George  H.,  Charles 
H.,  Kdwnrd  K.,  and  l-ldith  M. 

DEWEY,  HlRAM  KlNNE,  of  Barton,  son 
of  Lyman  F.  and  Laura  (Kinne)  Dewey, 
was  born  in  Waterford,  July  22,  1832. 


In  ])olitics  Mr.  Dewey  has  always  been  a 
Republican  and  has  several  times  been 
ihosen  to  office  in  the  towns  in  which  he  has 
resided.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  clerk 
in  the  House  of  Representatives.  In  1892 
he  represented  the  town  of  Barton  in  the 
Legislature  and  was  a  useful  member  of  the 
committee  on  banks  and  the  library.  His 
religious  preference  is  Congregational. 

Mr.  Dewey  was  married  March  i,  1866, 
to  Susan  Augusta,  daughter  of  Calvin  and 
.Ann  (Fifield)  C.errish  of  Concord,  N.  H., 
and  they  have  had  three  children :  Fred, 
Kdie,  and  Lena.  The  first  named  died  in 
infancv. 


IIRAM    KINNE    DEWEY. 


He  obtained  his  education  at  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  the  acade- 
mies of  Peacham,  Mclndoes  Falls  and  St. 
Johnsbury.  For  five  years  after  leaving 
school  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  \'er- 
mont  and  New  Hampshire.  In  1861  he 
was  made  chief  clerk,  and  had  charge  of 
the  U.  S.  Pension  .Agency  at  Concord,  N. 
H.,  until  1865.  In  1868  he  held  the  posi- 
tion of  engrossing  clerk  in  the  N.  H.  Legis- 
lature. In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  moved  to 
Lyndonville  and  was  in  trade  and  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Connecticut  &  Passumpsic  R.  R. 
for  three  years.  In  1869  he  received  the 
appointment  of  postmaster  at  Lyndonville 
which  ofifice  he  resigned  in  1871  to  accept 
the  position  of  cashier  of  the  Irasburgh 
National  Bank  of  Orleans,  where  he  re- 
mained till  1875,  when  he  was  elected 
cashier  of  the  Barton  National  Bank  at  Bar- 
ton which  position  he  still  holds. 


DEXTER,  Avery  J.,  late  of  Wardsboro, 
was  the  son  of  Charles  and  Lucinda  (Bas- 
comb)  Dexter,  and  was  born  in  \\'ardsboro, 
.April  27,  r8i8,  and  died  April  19,  1893. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
in  the  town,  and  worked  on  the  home  farm. 
In  1848  he  began  the  manufacture  of  chairs 
and  furniture,  which  business  he  carried  on 
for  two  years.  In  1850  he  established  a 
general  merchandise  store  in  Wardsboro, 
which  he  continued  until  1880,  carrying  on 
a  farm  at  the  same  time. 


VERY  J.   DEXTER. 


-Mr.  Dexter  is  a  man  of  character  and  abil- 
ity, and  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  which  will  be  readily  gathered 
from  the  following  facts. 

He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  ovfer 
forty  years,  and  has  held  the  office  of  first 


104 


selectman  for  twenty-three  years,  also  town 
clerk  since  1864.  In  1858  and  1859  he  was 
elected  to  the  (General  Assembly,  and  ser\ed 
creditably  in  the  first  session  held  in  the  new- 
State  House,  when  Senator  Edmunds  was 
speaker.  He  was  re-elected  in  1864  and 
T865,  during  the  St.  Albans  raid,  and  voted 
for  the  confirmation  of  Lincoln's  emancipa- 
tion of  slavery.  He  was  again  elected  in 
1878  and  1879,  and  also  in  1886. 

Mr.  Dexter  was  married  March  12,  1841, 
to  Miss  Mary  Durant,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  (i)urant)  White  of  Gloucester, 
Mass.  Of  this  union  were  nine  children,  six 
of  whom  are  still  living  :  Charles  D.,  Ger- 
trude I.  (Mrs.  Marshall  O.  Howe),  Frederic 
H.,  Mary  A.  (Mrs.  Brownson  Matteson), 
Luna  J.  (wife  of  D.  L.  Smith),  and  Efifie  E. 

Mr.  Dexter  was  fairly  successful  in  his  pri- 
vate business.  He  was  generous,  according 
to  his  means  :  to  accumulate  a  large  property 
was  never  the  aim  of  his  life.  He  has 
left  what  is  "better  than  riches — a  good 
name."  His  unselfish  and  kindly  interest  in 
others,  the  sympathy  and  counsel  that  he  has 
freely  extended  to  those  who  have  sought  his 
advice,  will  long  be  held  in  grateful  remem- 
brance by  many  whom  he  has  thus  befriended. 

DEXTER,  Charles  D.,  of  Wardsboro, 

son   of    Avery   J.   and    Mary    D.    (White) 


"^. 


CHARLES    D.    DEXTER. 


Dexter,  was  born   in  Wardsboro,  Nov.  2->, 
1843. 

He  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 


native  town,  and  then  pursued  a  course  of 
study  at  the  Leland  and  Gray  Seminary  in 
Townshend. 

For  some  time  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
interests  of  education  as  a  teacher,  and  then 
removed  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  a  considerable  period. 
In  1864  he  returned  to  Wardsboro,  and  after 
some  years  began  the  manufacture  of  sieve 
hoops,  which  business  he  has  carried  on  up 
to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Dexter  has  also 
been  engaged  in  farming  to  some  extent. 

In  his  political  preference  he  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  and  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature in  1890. 

He  was  married  Dec.  25,  1S70,  to  Rosa 
L.,  daughter  of  Jason  S.  and  Carrie  ('l'hom]j- 
son)  Knowlton  of  Wardsboro.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children  :  Carrie 
M.,  James  A.,  and  Charles  K. 

Mr.  Dexter  has  held  many  and  \aried 
positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  his  town,  and 
has  a  strong  hold  upon  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow-townsmen  as  an  able  and  conscien- 
tious citizen,  a  kind  friend  and  good 
neighbor. 

DEXTER,  EleazeR,  of  Reading,  was 
born  in  Hardwick,  Mass.,  July  7,  1813,  and 
was  the  son  of  Eleazer  and  Charity  (Will- 
iams) Dexter.  His  father  followed  the 
business  of  farming  in  Hardwick,  and  fell 
fighting  bravely  in  the  service  of  his  country 
at  the  battle  of  Plattsburg  in  18 14.  Eleazer, 
Jr.,  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  fifteen 
children  and  received  such  an  education  as 
could  be  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
of  those  days.  Manifesting  a  great  taste  for 
music,  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen  he  began 
to  travel  with  his  brother,  whom  he  assisted 
in  giving  entertainments,  of  which  music 
formed  the  principal  part.  Soon  his  ambi- 
tion led  him  to  higher  aspirations  and  he 
became  a  facile  composer  of  music  of  a  light 
character,  many  of  his  efforts  being  received 
with  great  approbation.  In  1S43  Mr.  Dex- 
ter located  at  Reading  to  give  instruction  in 
band  music. 

He  has  never  entered  political  life,  but  in 
1880  was  elected  representative  from  Read- 
ing. Receiving  excellent  instruction  in  his  art 
from  eminent  musicians  in  Boston,  he  be- 
came an  eminent  teacher  of  both  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  and  has  had  for  his 
])upils  many  who  have  since  found  both 
profit  and  fame  in  their  profession,  notably 
the  Stratton  Brothers,  George  M.  Clark, 
Hank  White,  O.  .\.  Whitmore  and  Theodore 
J.  .-Vllen,  both  well  known  solo  performers  on 
the  clarinet  and  cornet,  all  of  whom  were 
originally  citizens  of  Reading. 

During  the  war  of  the  rebellion  Mr.  Dex- 
ter travelled  extensively  through  New  Eng- 
land,   New  ^'ork  and    Canada  exhibiting  a 


panorama  of  the  principal  events  of  that  war, 
accompanying  the  entertainment  with  Iwtii 
vocal  and  instrumental  music.  He  com- 
posed at  the  time  many  patriotic  songs 
which  proved  to  be  very  popular. 

Notwithstanding  his  four  score  years,  Mr. 
Dexter  lives  peacefully  in  the  enjoyment  of 
a  good  old  age,  cheered  by  memories  of  the 
past  and  in  confident  hope  for  the  future. 

DICKEY,  .ASA  M.,  of  Bradford,  son  of 
-■Xdam  and  .Anna  (Merrill)  Dickey,  was  born 
at  East  Orange,  March  lo,  182 1. 

His  grandfather  .\dam  with  his  two  broth- 
ers served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which 
struggle  the  two  latter  lost  their  lives. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools   and    the    Methodist    Seminarv    at 


Newbury.  During  his  struggle  for  an  edu- 
cation, he  defrayed  a  part  of  its  cost  by 
teaching  school  and  at  the  time  seriously 
thought  of  making  this  profession  his  life- 
long occupation,  but  the  law  proved  a 
stronger  attraction  to  his  active  mind  and 
he  commenced  to  read  with  Hon.  John 
Colby  of  Washington,  completing  his  studies 
with  Hon.  Levi  B.  ^'ilas  of  Chelsea.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  June  term  in 
1845.  Soon  after  Mr.  Dickey  met  with  a 
lifelong  misfortune  in  an  impairment  of 
vision,  but  he  nevertheless  persevered  in  his 
chosen  profession,  and  opened  an  offic:e  at 
West  Topsham,  where  his  success  was 
marked    and    immediate.     He  was    elected 


state's  attorney  of  Orange  county  in  1850 
and  was  re-elected  the  succeeding  year. 
Mr.  Dickey  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
Hon.  C.  B.  Leslie  of  Wells  River  and  re- 
mained there  till  1S56,  when  he  opened  an 
office  at  Bradford,  where  he  did  a  large  and 
increasing  business.  In  1870  he  moved  to 
St  Johnsbury  and  entered  into  partnership 
with  Walter  F.  Smith.  .-\t  this  time  he  was 
again  troubled  with  his  eyes,  but  he  soon 
attained  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  in 
Caledonia,  Orleans,  Washington  and  Esse.x 
counties,  .\fter  a  serious  illness,  he  re- 
turned to  Bradford  and  although  seeking  no 
business,  he  has  been  retained  in  many  im- 
portant cases. 

In  1853  he  was  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic state  committee  and  was  appointed 
chief  of  staff  with  the  rank  of  colonel  by 
Ciovernor  Robinson.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  national  convention  of  1864  and  in  1869 
represented  Bradford  in  the  Legislature, 
was  candidate  for  speaker  and  a  member  of 
the  judiciary  committee.  For  two  suc- 
cessive years  he  was  Democratic  candidate 
for  Congress  and  one  year  his  party's  candi- 
date for  U.  S.  senator.  He  was  also  ap- 
pointed by  President  Cleveland  postmaster 
at  Bradford. 

Colonel  Dickey  was  largely  instrumental  in 
the  organization  of  the  Merchants  National 
Bank  of  St.  Johnsbury,  and  is  president  of 
the  village  corporation  of  Bradford. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  July  9,  1846, 
to  Harriet  M.,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucy 
AVood  Chubb  of  Corinth.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  two  daughters — 
who  died  in  early  life — and  one  son,  Ceorge 
\.,  a  well-known  young  lawyer  of  Bradford. 

Colonel  Dickey  is  a  iirominent  member  of 
the  M.  E.  Church  and  was  appointed  by  the 
bishop  lay  delegate  to  an  ecumenical  coun- 
cil in  London.  Professionally  he  is  best 
appreciated  in  his  jury  practice.  His  in- 
timate knowledge  of  human  nature  and  cor- 
rect judgment  of  motives  have  made  him  a 
master  of  the  art  of  cross-e.xamination.  His 
strength  as  an  advocate  lies  in  the  clear  ex- 
[losition  of  his  case,  his  logical  deduction 
from  the  evidence,  and  his  earnest  sincerity. 

DICKINSON,  ALBERT  JOYCE,  of  Ben- 
son, son  of  Isaac  and  Cornelia  (Coleman) 
Dickinson,  was  born  in  Benson,  .\pril  5, 
1841. 

His  education  was  that  of  the  common 
schools  of  the  time,  and  after  he  had  grad- 
uateii  from  them  he  continued  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge  at  the  Castleton  Seminary.  Born 
and  reared  upon  a  farm,  he  has  naturally  fol- 
lowed that  occupation,  and  has  always  lived 
in  the  place  of  his  birth,  except  an  interval 
of  lour  years,  extending  from  1873  to  1877, 
when  he  removed  to  the  town  of  West  Ha\en. 


io6 


DILLINGHAM. 


At  duty's  call  he  enrolled  himself  in  Co.  D, 
14th  Yt.  \'ols.,  and  with  this  organization  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  receiving 
an  honorable  discharge  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  enlistment. 

In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  so  far  merited  the  confidence  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  that  they  chose  him  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
1886,  and  elected  him  as  senator  from  Rut- 
land county  in  1890. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, having  associated  himself  with  Acacia 
Lodge,  No.  91,  in  which  he  has  been  called 
to  fiU  the  Master's  chair.  He  also  belongs 
to  John  A.  Logan  Post,  No.  88,  G.  A.  R., 
and  is  enrolled  among  the  Sons  of  the  .Ameri- 
can Revolution. 

Mr.  Dickinson  was  married  at  Benson, 
Oct.  7,  1867,  to  Helen  tloodrich,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  and  LIrsula  (Goodrich)  Bascom, 
of  which  marriage  have  been  born  :  Florence 
Bascom,  Fannie  Coleman,  John  Quincy,  Ben- 
jamin Horace,  Charles  .Albert,  and  Colleen 
.Amelia. 

DILLINGHAM,  WILLIAM  PAUL,  third 
son  of  Paul  and  Julia  (Carpenter)  Dilling- 
ham, was  born  in  Waterbury,  Dec.  12, 1843. 
His  great-grandfather,  John  Dillingham,  was 


LLIAM    PAUL    DILLINGHAM. 


killed  at  Quebec  while  serving  under  Wolfe, 
and  his  grandfather,  Paul  Dillingham,  served 
three  years  in  the  Revolution,  and  settled  in 
Waterbury  in  1S05. 

William,    after    attending    the     common 


schools,  went  to  Newbury  Seminary  and  to 
Kimball  Union  .Academy  at  Meriden,  N.  H. 
He  read  law  with  his  brother-in-law.  Matt 
H.  Carpenter,  in  Milwaukee  from  1864  to 
tS66,  and  then  with  his  father.  Gov.  Paul 
Dillingham,  at  Waterbury,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  the  September  term,  1867,  of 
Washington  county  court. 

He  was,  in  1866,  appointed  secretary  of 
civil  and  military  affairs  to  fill  a  vacancy 
occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Charles  M. 
Gay,  Esq.,  and  was  again  secretary  of  civil 
and  military  affairs  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Gov.  .Asahel  Peck,  1S74  to  1876. 

Mr.  Dillingham  was  elected  state's  attor- 
ney for  Washington  county  in  1872,  and  re- 
elected in  1874.  The  trial  of  Magoon  for 
the  murder  of  Streeter,  and  that  of  Miles 
for  the  Barre  bank  robbery,  both  of  which 
resulted  in  conviction,  were  events  in  his 
time  as  prosecuting  officer  that  attracted 
much  public  attention,  but  they  represented 
but  a  small  part  of  his  labors,  for  the  docket 
was  then  crowded  with  criminal  causes. 

He  represented  Waterbury  in  the  House 
in  1876  and  again  in  1884,  and  was  a  sena- 
tor from  Washington  county  in  1878  and 
1880.  In  1882  he  was  appointed  commis- 
sioner of  state  ta.xes  under  the  new  ta.x  law 
of  that  year,  and  held  the  office  of  commis- 
sioner for  si.x  years.  In  1S88,  as  the  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Governor,  he  did  effect- 
ive work  as  a  campaign  speaker  for  Harri- 
son and  Morton,  and  was  elected  Governor 
by  the  largest  majority  ever  given  in  the 
state  to  a  candidate  fur  that  jjosition. 

He  has  practiced  law  since  his  admission 
to  the  bar,  and  was,  till  his  father  retired,  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  P.  Dillingham  &  Son, 
and  thereafter  for  some  years  was  in  prac- 
tice alone.  L'pon  the  e.xpiration  of  his  term 
as  Governor  in  October,  1890,  the  partner- 
ship of  Dillingham  &  Huse  was  formed.  In 
1892  Fred  A.  Howland  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  which  is  now  Dillingham,  Huse 
iS:  Howland. 

Mr.  Dillingham  married,  Dec.  24,  1874, 
Mary  E.  Shipman,  daughter  of  Rev.  Isaiah 
H.  and  Charlotte  R.  Shipman  of  Lisbon,  N. 
H.  They  have  one  son,  Paul  Shipman,  born 
Oct.  27,  1878. 

Governor  Dillingham  is  a  Methodist,  and 
was  a  lay  delegate  from  Vermont  to  the 
( '.eneral  Conference  of  the  AL  E.  Church  at 
Omaha  in  1893.  He  is  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Vermont  Methodist 
Seminary. 

DILLON,  JOHN  W.,  of  Putnamsville, 
son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Megaw)  Dillon, 
was  born  in  East  Montpelier,  July  17,  1850. 

He  received  the  usual  privileges  of  a 
farmer's  son,  attending  the  district  schools 
of    his    native    town    and    the    Washington 


I07 


county  grammar  school.  Soon  after  he  went 
into  a  railroad  office  and  learned  the  art  of 
telegraphy.  Subsequently  he  acted  as  book- 
keeper for  John  C.  Dow  &  Co.,  of  Lawrence, 
Mass.,  and  afterwards  entered  into  an  en- 
gagement with  C.  C.  Putnam  &  Son  of  Put- 
namsville  to  perform  the  duties  of  clerk, 
bookkeeper  and  overseer  of  their  extensive 
business,  and  with  them  he  remained  foiir- 
teen  years. 

Mr.  Dillon  is  now  interested  in  the 
granite  and  insurance  business  at  Barre,  and 
he  has  also  become  the  owner  of  some  valu- 
able granite  properties  near  Hardwick. 

He  was  appointed  postmaster  by  the  Re- 
publican administration  of  1881,  and  held 
that  position  till  his  resignation  in  July,  1892. 
He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  during 
nearly  his  entire  residence  in  Middlesex, 
which  town  elected  him  representative  in 
1892  and  he  served  on  the  general  com- 
mittee. He  has  always  been  interested  in 
public  affairs  and  when  called  to  office  has 
conscientiously  discharged  his  duties  and 
responsibilities  to  the  general  satisfaction  of 
those  who  have  entrusted  him  with  the 
various  positions  he  has  assumed. 

Mr.  Dillon  was  married  Dec.  15,  1S80,  to 
Belle  M.,  daughter  of  G.  M.  and  Mary  S. 
(Putnam)  Whitney  of  Middlesex.  They 
have  one  child  living :  Grace  E.  A  son, 
Paul,  died  Feb.  13,  1890. 

DIMICK,  George  Washington,  of 

Windham,  son  of  Nathan  and  Tabitha 
(Fairbanks)  Dimick,  was  born  in  Sherburne, 
Nov.  7,  1837. 

Mr  Dimick  received  his  early  education 
at  the  common  schools  of  Bridgewater  ;  also 
at  \Vindsor  high  school  and  Black  River 
Academy.  During  the  winters  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  teacher  in  the  district 
schools,  and  in  the  summer  labored  on  the 
farm.  In  Oc'ober,  i860,  he  removed  to 
Windham,  where  he  purchased  a  property, 
and  on  this  he  has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Dimick  has  served  as  selectman  sev- 
eral terms  and  also  represented  the  town  in 
the  state  Legislature  in  1872  and  1882.  He 
has  discharged  the  duties  of  superintendent 
of  schools,  town  agent,  and  trustee  of  public 
money,  while  as  a  business  pursuit  he  has 
followed  the  shipping  of  produce  for  twenty- 
five  years. 

Mr.  Dimick  was  married,  March  28,  i860, 
to  Belle  P.,  daughter  of  Alvah  and  Cherry 
(Davis)  Peck. 

DIX,  Samuel  NEVINS,  of  Montgomery 
Center,  son  of  Samuel  and  Maria  B.  (Church ) 
Dix,  was  born  in  Troy,  May  4,  1S39. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Mr.  Dix  were 
spent  in  the  useful  occupations  of  a  farmer's 
life,  and  he  gleaned  somewhat  scanty  instruc- 


tion at  the  district  schools  of  Troy,  Derby, 
Coventry  and  .\lbany  ;  attending  the  Albany 
Academy  for  a  brief  period. 

After  attaining  his  majority,  he  was  em- 
])loyed  in  agricultural  labor  until  the  civil 
war,  when  in  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Co.  I,  15th  Regt.,  Vt.  Vols.,  and  was  dis- 
charged after  his  term  of  nine  months' 
service. 

When  Mr.  Dix  returned  from  the  scene  of 
action  and  resumed  the  occupations  of  civil 
life  he  pursued  his  former  vocation  for  some 
time,  and  then  entered  the  employ  of  Dun- 
can Harvey,  of  Peacham.  In  1870  he  trans- 
ferred his  services  to  Columbus  Green,  of 
Montgomery.  In  1875  Hon.  ^V.  H.  Stiles 
purchased  the  business,  and  Mr.  I>i\  faith- 


SAMUEL    NEVINS    DIX. 


fully  served  him  till  1S78,  when  he  was  taken 
into  partnership,  and  the  arrangement  lasted 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Stiles  in  1891. 

He  is  of  Republican  political  faith,  has 
been  entrusted  with  the  positions  of  select- 
man, justice  of  the  peace,  and  town  grand 
juror,  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
1880  and  again  in  1882,  was  for  a  time 
assistant  postmaster,  and  has  been  entrusted 
with  the  settlement  of  many  estates. 

Mr.  Dix  was  married,  Oct.  28,  1S75,  to 
.Annette  L.,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  H. 
and  B.  M.  Stiles.  One  child  has  been  born 
to  them  :    Alfa  May. 

He  is  a  charter  member  and  Past  Com- 
mander of  Charles  Haile  Post,  No.  95,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  Montgomery.  Mr.  I  )ix  is  a  man  of 
affable  address  and  a  successful  financier. 


loS 


DODGE,  ANDREW  JACKSON,  of  Low- 
ell, son  of  Andrew  and  Artimissa  (Kelton) 
Dodge,  was  born  in  Montpelier,  Jan.  ii, 
1S25,  and  in  April,  1S48,  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Lowell. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  Montpelier, 
when  he  arrived  at  man's  estate  he  began  to 
teach  in  Montpelier,  Middlesex,  Lowell, 
VVestfield,  and  Eden.  In  early  life  he  pur- 
chased his  present  valuable  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Besides  his  regu- 
lar farm  work  he  has  paid  considerable  at- 
tention to  lumbering  and  has  dealt  exten- 
sively in  Barre  plows.  For  forty  years  Mr. 
Dodge  has  been  an  agent  for  the  sale  of 
unoccupied  real  estate,  and  since  1S55  has 


JACKSON    DODGE. 


been  the  business  manager  in  Lowell  of  the 
\'ermont  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of 
which  he  was  a  director. 

Mr.  Dodge  has  been  a  strong  Republican 
ever  since  the  formation  of  that  party  and 
his  fellow-citizens  have  bestowed  upon  him 
many  of  the  town  offices,  selectman,  lister, 
first  constable  ;  fifteen  years  he  Was  town 
superintendent  of  schools,  and  justice  of  the 
peace  most  of  the  time  for  the  last  forty 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  state  Leg- 
islature at  the  regular  sessions  of  i<S5g-'6o 
and  the  special  session  of  '61.  He  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Orleans  county  in  1872 
and  held  the  office  two  years, 

September  9,  1855,  he  was  married  to 
Sarah  C,  daughter  of  E.  S.  and  Irene  Snow 
of  Montpelier.  By  her  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  now  living  :    Clar- 


ence, and  Clara  ( Mrs.  J.  K.  Little  of  Boston ) . 
He  was  again  united,  to  Lucinda  C,  daugh- 
ter of  E.  S.  and  Irene  Snow,  Oct.  14,  1864, 
and  from  this  marriage  there  were  three 
children  :  Sarah,  .\lton,  and  .Andrew  Jack- 
son (all  deceased). 

Mr.  Dodge  has  always  been  liberal  in  his 
religious  beliefs  and  a  public-spirited  man, 
ready  to  help  in  all  worthy  enterprises. 

DODGE,  Harvey,  of  Post  Mills,  son  of 
Eliphalet  S.  and  Mary  (Cox)  Dodge,  was 
born  at  Thetford,  August  26,  182 1. 

Eliphalet  S.  came  to  Thetford  in  1802  and 
purchased  one-half  of  the  original  Post  farm, 
on  which  most  of  the  thriving  village  of 
Post  Mills  is  located,  and  pursued  the  occu- 
pations of  a  farmer  and  lumberman.  Eliph- 
alet S.  was  uncle  of  the  well-known  George 
Peabody,  the  millionaire  banker  and  philan- 
thropist of  London,  who,  while  he  was  a 
poor  boy,  resided  nearly  two  years  with 
Mr.  Dodge  upon  his  farm  and  received 
from  him  much  kindness  and  encourage- 
ment. 

Mr.  Harvey  Dodge  was  brought  up  upon 
the  farm  and  has  always  resided  there  ex- 
cept four  years  which  he  spent  in  Norwich. 
He  successfully  devotes  himself  to  farming 
and  stock  raising. 

"  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou 
shall  find  it  after  many  days."  Mr.  Peabody 
in  remembrance  of  his  early  associations 
has  endowed  the  village  of  Post  Mills  with  a 
public  library,  his  own  name  has  been  given 
to  the  institution  and  his  cousin  Harvey  who 
gave  the  site  holds  the  position  of  librarian. 
By  the  terms  of  the  bequest,  three  members 
of  the  Dodge  family,  while  such  members 
survive,  are  made  permanent  trustees  and 
with  them  are  associated  other  elective 
members  and  the  resident  minister  or  minis- 
ters of  the  parish.  This  library  contains 
nearly  six  thousand  well  selected  volumes. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  united  in  marriage  .April  9, 
1S46,  to  Sarah  Jane,  daughter  of  Halsey  and 
.Mercy  (Burton)  Riley.  They  have  had  four 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living  :  Burton  R., 
and  Henry  M.  In  a  second  union  he  was 
married  to  Martha  E.,  daughter  of  Frederic 
and  .Anna  (Chandler)  Ladd. 

Mr.  Dodge  has  held  many  positions  of 
trust  and  honor.  He  has  always  been  Re- 
jjublican  and  as  such  has  been  deputy 
sheriff  fourteen  years  and  justice  of  the 
peace  for  sixteen  consecutive  terms.  He 
was  elected  to  represent  Thetford  by  a  large 
majority  in  1S70,  and  was  made  assistant 
judge  of  Orange  county  court  in  1876.  For 
twenty  years  he  has  belonged  to  Crystal 
Lake  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  The  standing  of 
Judge  Dodge  in  town  and  county  is  attested 
by  the  many  important  positions  to  which 
he  has  been  chosen. 


I09 


DODGE,  JOHN  LOCKE,  of  ISarton 
Landing,  son  of  William  P.  and  Nancy  L. 
(Locke)  Dodsje,  was  born  in  Irasburg,  (X-t. 
21,  T833. 

His  educational  advantages  were  limited 
to  the  common  schools  and  the  academies 
of  Derby  and  Brownington. 

\\'hen  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  com- 
menced his  active  career  as  a  teacher,  but 
three  years  later  was  seized  with  the  western 
fever  and  went  West,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business,  but  returned  to  his  native 


DODGE,  Prentiss  Cutler,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Robert  and  Alma  C. 
(\\'heeler)  Dodge,  was  born  in  l'",ast  ^[ont- 
pelier,  Feb.  13,  1849. 

Obliged  to  abandon  school  at  the  early  age 
of  eleven  years,  Mr.  Dodge  was  apprenticed 
to  the  late  Hiram  .Atkins.  He  remained 
with  him,  serving  his  time,  and  then  worked 
as  a  journeyman  printer  in  Piurlington, 
Springfield,  Boston  and  New  York.  In  1872 
he  made  an  extensive  tour  through  the 
southern  states,  and  upon  his  return  followed 
the  calling  of  commercial  tra\eler  in  various 
lines  of  business. 

In  18S9  Mr.  Dodge  entered  into  an 
engagement  as  Burlington  correspondent  of 
the  Rutland  Herald,  and  in  the  following 
year  purchased  the  Burlington  Independent, 
which  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the 
only  Democratic  paper  in  Northern  Ver- 
mont.    In  1S90  he  put  in  a  job  office,  which 


JOHN    LOCKE    DODGE. 

state  in  i860,  and  has  been  since  that  year  a 
Vermont  farmer. 

Since  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party,  he  has  given  it  his  steady  adherence, 
and  for  his  loyalty  and  ability  has  been  en- 
trusted with  many  official  responsibilities 
both  by  the  town  and  county.  For  twenty- 
fi\e  years  he  has  most  creditably  discharged 
the  duties  of  these,  and  in  1892  was  chosen 
to  represent  Irasburg  in  the  Legislature. 

Mr.  LJodge  is  an  earnest  supporter  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Irasburg,  and  has 
contributed  by  his  influence  and  energy  to 
its  success. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Oct.  15, 
1861,  to  Sarah  Jane,  daughter  of  Hiram  and 
Ruth  (Cogswell)  Merrill,  by  whom  he  has 
one  son  :    Carlos  A. 

Mr.  Dodge  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellows  and  can  boast  of  a  useful  life,  the 
honor  and  probity  of  which  have  been  duly 
appreciated  by  his  friends  and  neighbors. 


PRENTISS  CUTLER   DODGE. 

now  requires  three  presses  to  turn  out  his 
commercial  work,  and  his  business  is  in- 
creasing rapidly. 

Mr.  Dodge  married,  Dec.  8,  1874,  in  Buf- 
falo, N   v.,  Nelia  M.  Kent  of  Rome,  N.  V. 

He  has  never  held  political  office,  nor 
does  he  belong  to  any  secret  societies,  ex- 
cejit  that  he  is  a  member  and  Fast  Chancel- 
lor Commander  of  Champlain  Lodge,  No.  7, 
Knights  of  Pythias  of  Burlington.  Though 
without  school  advantages  since  the  age  of 
eleven,  he  has  come  to  the  editorial  chair  by 
an    excellent  and    well    proved    route — the 


Greeley  route  ;  a  hard  climb  that  once  made 
gives  strength  for  and  good  assurance  of 
permanent  success. 

September  i,  1S93,  Mr.  Dodge  received 
the  appointment  of  immigrant  inspector,  suc- 
ceeding Gen.  \V.  \V.  Henry  of  Burlington. 

DONNELLY,  JOHN  H.,  of  Vergennes, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (McDonald) 
Donnelly  was  born  in  Keesville,  N.  V.,  Feb. 
19,  1855. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
Vergennes  graded  school  and  afterward 
from  a  course  of  instruction  at  the  college 
at  Ottawa,  Canada.  He  commenced  the 
active  career  of  his  life  by  entering  the 
employ  of  the  Vermont  Seat  &  Roller  Co. 
as  a  clerk  and  in  this  continued  for  about 
five  years;  and  in  iSyShe  commenced  the 
occupation  of  merchant  tailoring,  and  has 
established  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
extensive  retail  trades  in  the  state. 

Mr.  Donnelly  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has 
been  alderman  of  the  city  of  Vergennes  for 
three  years.  He  has  also  served  on  the 
board  of  council  and  as  a  Democrat  has 
been  highly  honored  by  his  party,  of  which 
he  is  one  of  the  chief  leaders  in  the  state. 
In  the  last  two  Democratic  conventions  at 
St.  Louis  and  Chicago  he  has  been  appointed 
delegate,  and  has  also  been  nominated  for 
various  town  and  county  offices.  He  is 
prominent  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all 
the  firemen's  organizations  of  the  state.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Vergennes  Volunteers 
and  is  one  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Fireman's  .Association  of  Vermont. 

DOTY,  George  W.,  of  Morrisville,  was 
born  in  Montpelier,  Feb.  16,  1838.  .At  the 
age  of  two  years  he  was  adopted  by  O.  L. 
Metcalf,  a  farmer  of  Morristown. 

Mr.  Doty  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  the  People's  .Academy, 
paying  his  expenses  by  his  labor  and  the 
care  of  the  building.  .At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, under  the  auspices  of  the  Emigrant  .Aid 
Societv,  he  went  to  the  then  Territory  of 
Kansas,  where  he  joined  a  jiarty  of  forty 
young  men  from  \'ermont,  who,  under  the 
leadership  of  N\'illiam  B.  Hutchinson,  estab- 
lished themselves  at  a  point  on  the  Osage 
river,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  Missouri 
line.   This  settlement  they  named  Mapleton. 

During  the  next  three  years  and  a  half, 
young  Doty  was  both  a  witness  of  and  an 
actor  in  the  most  exciting  scenes  of  that 
remarkable  period.  .As  soon  as  the  town- 
ship of  Mapleton  was  organized,  he  was 
elected  first  constable,  and  joined  the  Free 
Soil  forces  of  Captain  Bain  and  Colonel 
Montgomery.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
force  under  Col.  Jim  Lane  that  dispossessed 


the  bogus  Lecompton  Legislature.  Later,  as  a 
Free  State  man,  he  was  dri\-en  out  of  Colum- 
bus, Mo.,  at  midnight,  barely  escaping  with 
his  life. 

In  the  late  fall  of  i860  Mr.  Doty  returned 
to  his  native  state,  and  was  the  first  man  in 
Lamoille  county  to  enlist  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  civil  war.  In  conjunction  with  V.  A. 
Woodbury  he  recruited  sixty  men,  who  after- 
ward became  members  of  Co.  E,  3d  A"t.  \'ols. 
He  himself  was  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service  as  a  private  in  Co.  F,  2d  Vt. 
\'ols.,  and  followed  the  fortunes  of  that  com- 
mand throughout  most  of  the  bloody  battle- 
fields. He  was  present  at  the  first  struggle 
at  Bull  Run,  and  was  with  the  command 
during  the  seven  days'  fight  on  the  peninsula, 


2d  Bull  Run,  and  in  the  Maryland  cam- 
paign, 1S62.  A  member  of  the  2d  AT.  Color 
Guard,  he  was  not  absent  from  duty  a  single 
day  till  he  was  wounded  at  Fredericksburgh 
by  a  minie  ball,  which  he  carries  in  his 
right  knee.  Being  thus  disabled,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  A' eteran  Corps,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  several 
times  promoted,  being  a  sergeant  when 
wounded,  and  would  have  been  commis- 
sioned in  a  short  time. 

Mr.  Doty  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and 
soon  after  his  return  from  the  army,  was 
appointed  deputv  sheriff,  and  later  was 
elected  sheriff,  holding  this  position  three 
years.  For  fourteen  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  prudential  committee  of  the 


People's  Academy  and  Morrisville  jiraded 
school. 

For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  Free 
Mason,  a  member  of  Mt.  Vernon  Lodge, 
and  has  held  every  position  in  that  body,  as 
well  as  in  the  chapter.  .\  charter  member 
of  J.  M.  Warner  Post,  d.  A.  R.,  he  served  as 
its  commander  for  eight  consecutive  years. 
Mr.  Doty  also  acted  as  the  aid  of  Com- 
manders-in-Chief Farnshaw  and  Alger,  G.  A. 
R.,  and  in  1891  was  unanimously  elected 
Senior  \'ice-Commander,  Dept.  Vt.,  antl  in 
1893  received  a  like  compliment  when  pro- 
moted to  be  Commander  of  the  department. 

He  married,  April  30,  1863,  at  Prattle- 
boro.  Flora  A.,  daughter  of  Loren  and 
Fedelia  (Paine)  Bundy.  Of  their  children 
one  son  died  in  infancy,  and  two  daughters 
survive:  .Anna  G.  (Mrs.  L.  M.  Jones,  of 
Johnson,  Vt.),  and  .-Mice  C. 

For  twelve  \ears  Mr.  Doty  was  station  and 
express  agent  and  telegraph  operator  on  St. 
J.  &  L.  C.  R.  R.,  at  Morrisville.  For  the 
last  ten  years  Mr.  Doty  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  Morrisville  as  a  furniture  dealer 
and  undertaker. 

Mr.  Doty  requited  the  kindness  of  his  fos- 
ter parents  by  providing  them  a  home  in 
their  old  age. 

DOWLEY,  George  S.,  son  of  Darius 
L.  and  Austis  (Baldwin)  Dowley,  was  born 
in  Wardsboro,  August  16,  1843. 


GEORGE  S.    DOWLEY. 


His  parents  removed  to  Brattleboro  when 
he  was  of  early  age,  and  he   received   his 


education  in  the  public  schools  there,  grad- 
uating from  the  high  school,  after  which  he 
studied  for  two  years  under  a  former  princi- 
pal of  the  West  Brattleboro  .\cademy. 

Upon  the  close  of  his  studies  he  entered 
the  local  ofSce  of  the  Vermont  &  Massachu- 
setts Railroad  Co.,  where  he  remained  for 
several  months,  when  the  position  of  teller 
in  the  old  Bank  of  Brattleboro — now  the 
Vermont  National  Bank — was  offered  him, 
which  he  accepted.  Four  years  afterwards 
he  became  cashier,  and  continued  as  such 
until  his  election  in  1889  as  president.  In 
addition  to  his  official  duties  in  the  Vermont 
National  Bank,  he  has  enjoyed  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  in  his  town  and  county,  the 
duties  of  which  he  has  always  met  with 
characteristic  ability  and  sterling  honesty. 

Mr.  Dowley  has  served  many  years  as 
treasurer  of  his  town  and  the  village  school 
district  and  is  also  county  treasurer  as  well 
as  a  director  in  the  Vermont  \'alley  Railroad 
Co.,  and  various  other  organizations,  and  has 
several  times  been  prominently  mentioned 
as  the  Republican  candidate  for  State  Treas- 
urer of  Vermont. 

He  married,  May  17,  1870,  Miss  .Ada  E.,- 
daughter  of  William  H.  and  Adeline  S. 
(Thayer)  Estabrook,  of  Brattleboro. 

DRAPER,  Joseph,  late  of  Brattleboro, 
was  born  in  Warwick,  Mass.,  Feb.  16,  1834. 
He  was  of  New  England  ancestry,  both 
father  and  mother  being  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools  and  in  the  academies  at 
ISrattleboro,  and  Deerfield,  Mass.  .After  he 
entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  he  at- 
tended lectures  at  one  of  the  medical 
schools  in  New  York  and  also  at  the  Jeffer- 
son Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  where  he 
graduated  in  1858.  .After  a  considerable 
period  in  general  practice  he  became  an 
assistant  of  Dr.  Rockwell  in  the  Vermont 
.Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Brattleboro,  where 
he  remained  until  January,  1SC5.  He  left 
this  position  for  that  of  an  assistant  surgeon 
in  the  United  States  General  Hospital  at 
Brattleboro,  in  which  he  remained  a  few 
months,  and  in  May,  '1865,  became  an 
assistant  in  the  state  asylum  at  Worcester, 
.Mass.  He  was  also  acting  superintendent 
of  that  institution  for  one  year.  In  1870  he 
became  an  assistant  to  Dr.  Buttolph  in  the 
state  asylum  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  where  he 
remained  until  February,  1873,  when  he 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Ver- 
mont .Asylum,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death. 

Dr.  Draper  was  in  closest  touch  and  sym- 
pathy with  everything  that  concerned  psy- 
chiatry and  psychology,  and  was  very 
jealous  of  the  reputation  of  our  hospitals 


and  asylums.  His  sympathies  were  quick 
and  large  and  went  out  to  all  who  came  in 
his  way  needing  them,  so  that  during  his 
long  residence  in  Vermont  his  name  became 
a  household  word  and  familiar  to  a  large 
portion  of  people,  by  whom  he  was  held  in 
the  highest  esteem. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  J. 
Putnam,  who  survives  him. 

Ur.  Draper  was  a  diligent  student  and 
yearly  prepared  papers  which  he  read  before 
medical  societies.  He  is  also  the  author  of 
a  history  of  the  Vermont  Asylum,  covering 
its  first  fifty  years.  .'\t  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  president  of  the  New  England  Psy- 
chological Society.  He  had  been  president 
of  the  Vermont  Medical  Society. 

DREW,  LUMAN  AUGUSTUS,  of  Burling- 
ton, son  of  John  Y.  and  Almira  (Atwater) 
Drew,  was  born  in  Burlington,  Oct.  27,  1832. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Burlington  and  for  a  year  pursued  his  studies 
at  Bakersfield  Academy 

When  he  became  of  age  he  was  associated 
with  his  father  in  a  wholesale  and  retail 
market  in  the  town,  which  business  is  still 
continued  under  the  firm  name  of  L.  A.  & 
A.  A.  Drew.  He  then  took  a  contract  in 
the  construction  of  the  Burlington  &  La- 
moille R.  R.  In  connection  with  his  brother 
he  is  much  engaged  in  breeding  horses, 
chiefly  of  the  Ethan  Allen  stock,  having  sent 
forth  many  "  flyers "  from  their  establish- 
ment, who  have  made  a  record  in  the  2  :30 
class.  Mr.  Drew  was  a  promoter  of  and  a 
large  stockholder  in  the  Vermont  Horse 
Co.  and  later  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
Vermont  Horse  Breeders  Association  and 
was  chief  marshal  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
latter  body.  He  was  appointed  by  the 
commissioners  superintendent  of  the  Ver- 
mont state  building  at  the  World's  Fair  at 
Chicago,  1893,  and  performed  the  duties  of 
that  responsible  position  with  much  credit 
to  himself  and  to  the  general  satisfaction  of 
the  whole  state,  as  the  many  handsome 
newspaper  notices  testify. 

Before  the  city  of  Burlington  was  chartered 
he  was  chosen  constable  :  was  elected  to 
the  position  of  chief  of  police  ;  then  sheriff 
of  Chittenden  county,  which  he  held  thir- 
teen years,  when  he  resigned  both  offices. 
In  1887,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Ormsbee  one  of  the  board  of  cattle  com- 
missioners and  three  years  after  acted  as 
doorkeeper  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 

In  1890  he  became  associated  with  H. 
N.  Parkhurst  of  Barre  in  the  granite  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  name  of  Drew,  Park- 
hurst &  Co. 

Mr.  Drew  has  always  taken  a  lively  in- 
terest in  fireman's  organizations,  and  in 
early  boyhood  was  an  active  member  of  the 


Boxer  Engine  Co.,  of  Burlington.  Now 
honorary  member  of  the  Ethan  .-Mien  Co. 
He  was  largely  instrumental  in  sending  and 
going  with  the  Ijarnes  Hose  Co.  to  Chicago 
in  1877  to  participate  in  the  national  fire- 
man's tournament  in  which  they  won  the 
first  prize  of  S500  in  gold,  and  also  brought 
back  a  silver  trophy  belt  which  was  pre- 
sented to  the  city  of  Burlington,  the  com- 
pany reserving  the  right  to  display  it  at  any 
time  upon  parade  by  depositing  S200  with 
the  city  treasurer  for  its  safe  return. 

Mr.  Drew  espoused,  April  iS,  i860, 
Matilda  R.,  daughter  of  Phineas  and  Persis 
(Nichols)  Parkhurst  of  Barre,  by  whom  he 
has  issue  one  daughter  :  Carrie  L. 

He  has  held  many  official  positions  in  the 
Creen  Mountain  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  is  a 
Mason  of  the  32d  degree  and  Knight 
Templar.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
first  council  A.  A.  S.  R.  established  in  Ver- 
mont. He  belongs  to  the  Burlington  Re- 
publican Club  and  in  his  religious  belief  is  a 
Methodist. 

At  the  time  of  the  St.  Albans  raid  he  was 
quartermaster  in  the  military  regiment  of 
the  state  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  pur- 
suit of  the  raiders. 

Dubois,  William    Henry,  of  West 

Randolph,  son  of  Earl  C.  and  Anna  (Lam- 


AKI    HENRY    DuBOIS. 


son)   DuBois,  was  born  in  Randolph,  March 
24,  1S35. 

He  received  an  academic  education  in  his 


native  town,  and  while  engaged  in  his  studies 
at  the  West  Randolph  Academy,  worked  more 
or  less  in  his  brother's  store  in  the  village, 
and  there  acquired  a  taste  for  mercantile  life. 

Being  ambitious  for  a  broader  field  of 
labor,  he  procured  a  situation  at  Randolph, 
Mass.,  and  from  there,  when  but  eighteen 
years  of  age,  he  went  to  Boston  and  entered 
the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  store  of  his 
uncle,  Wales  Tucker,  taking  the  position  of 
bookkeeper.  In  1856  he  was  admitted  as  a 
partner  in  the  firm  of  James  Tucker  &  Co., 
wholesale  dealers  in  boots  and  shoes  in  Bos- 
ton, where  he  continued  until  1864,  with 
successful  results,  but  with  impaired  health. 

During  the  next  two  years  Mr.  DuBois 
sought  rest  and  strength  in  the  healthful 
climate  of  his  native  state,  and  finding  his 
health  restored,  he  went  to  New  ^'ork  in 
December,  18O7,  and  became  a  partner  in 
the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  jobbing  house 
of  DuBois,  Magovern  &  Co.  In  the  autumn 
of  1S72,  he  retired  permanently  from  active 
mercantile  life,  and  occupied  himself  the 
next  two  years  in  building  a  home  in  his  na- 
tive village.  There  he  has  ever  since  resided, 
and  actively  interested  himself  in  local  im- 
provements and  educational  matters.  He 
was  largely  instrumental  in  establishing  there 
the  West  Randolph  graded  school,  which  is 
at  this  time  one  of  the  best  schools  in  the 
state.  He  has  also  been  treasurer  of  the 
village  of  West  Randolph  since  it  was  incor- 
porated in  1876.  Up  to  that  time  the  town 
of  Randolph  had  never  had  any  organized 
banking  institution,  and  seeing  the  great 
need  of  banking  facilities,  Mr.  DuBois  pro- 
cured a  charter  and  organized  the  Randolph 
National  Bank  of  West  Randolph.  Mr.  Du- 
Bois was  chosen  president  at  its  commence- 
ment, and  still  retains  the  position.  He  is 
chairman  of  the  board  of  water  commis- 
sioners of  the  village  of  West  Randolph,  and 
of  the  board  of  auditors  of  the  town  of 
Randolph. 

In  politics  Mr.  DuBois  has  always  been  a 
firm  Republican.  In  1876  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  General  Assembly  from  Ran- 
dolph, by  the  largest  majority  ever  given  a  rep- 
resentative in  that  town.  In  that  Legislature 
he  served  on  the  committee  on  banks  and 
education.  The  same  year  he  was  appointed 
inspector  of  finance  by  Gov.  Horace  Fair- 
banks, and  reappointed  by  Governor  Proctor 
in  1878,  and  again  by  C;o\ernor  Farnham  in 
1880,  holding  the  office  for  six  years,  when 
he  was  elected  State  Treasurer  in  1882, 
which  office  he  held  for  eight  years. 

Mr.  DuBois  was  the  first  state  officer  to  re- 
commend to  the  Legislature  a  direct  tax  upon 
corporations  in  Vermont.  Governor  Proc- 
tor in  his  message  to  the  same  Legislature 
commended  the  suggestion  of  the  inspector 
on  this  subject,  and  such  a  law  was  passed. 


DU.NI.VP.  113 

In  1892  Mr.  DuBois  was  elected  senator 
from  ( )range  county,  serving  with  ability  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  finance  and 
on  the  joint  standing  committee  on  state 
and  court  expenses,  and  a  member  of  the 
railroad  committee,  and  of  several  special 
committees. 

Recognizing  Mr.  DuBois'  familiarity  with 
the  finances  and  financial  affairs  of  the  state, 
Governor  Fuller  appointed  him  inspector  of 
finance  in  l)ecember,  1S92,  which  position 
he  now  holds. 

.Mr.  DuBois  was  married  Jan.  i,  1862,  to 
.-\nne  Eliza,  daughter  of  Myron  |.  Gilbert 
of  Brandon.  -She  died  May  31,  1887  ;  they 
had  nine  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  five  are  now  living  :  Mary  Susan, 
Charles  Gilbert,  Clara  .\delaide,  .-Xnne  Lam- 
son,  and  John  Henry.  Mr.  DuBois  was 
again  married  June  5,  1888,  to  Miss  Ada- 
line  L.,  daughter  of  Horace  and  Lucy  Smith 
Moulton  of  West  Randolph. 

DUNLAP,  Tho.mas  Hiram,  of  South 
Shaftsbury,  son  of  Marshall  and  Thalia 
(.Mattison)  Dunlap,  was  born  in  .Arlington, 
August  13,  1853. 


Commencing  with  the  public  schools  of 
Arlington  and  Shaftsbury,  he  concluded  his 
educational  career  at  Burr  and  Burton  Sem- 
inary, and  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  Col- 
lege at  Manchester,  N.  H.  After  a  brief 
experience  as  teacher  and  farmer,  he  ob- 
tained a  position  as  clerk  in  \\'hite  Creek, 


114 


N.  v.,  remaining  until  the  spring  of  187S, 
when  he  returned  to  Shaftsbury  and  again 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  fall 
of  1 88 2  he  entered  the  employ  of  W.  P. 
Mattison  &  Co.  as  clerk,  remaining  there 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Dunlap  was  census  enumerator  in 
1890  and  two  years  after  represented  Shafts- 
bury  in  the  Legislature,  in  which  he  was 
assigned  to  the  committee  of  highways, 
bridges  and  ferries. 

In  sectarian  views  he  is  a  Baptist,  and  has 
taken  the  obligations  of  Free  Masonry, 
being  actively  connected  with  Tucker  Lodge, 
No.  48,  of  North  Bennington. 

Mr.  Dunlap  married,  June  10,  1S91, 
Addie,  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Harriet 
(Cole)  Mattison  of  South  Shaftsbury. 

DUNNETT,  ALEXANDER,  of  St.  Johns- 
bury,  son  of  Andrew  and  Christiana  (Gal- 
braith )  Dunnett,  was  born  in  Feacham,  Nov. 
29,  1S52. 


XANDER    DUNNETT. 


Having  received  a  preparatory  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Beacham,  Newbury 
and  Ryegate,  he  was  graduated  from  the 
Randolph  Normal  School  in  the  class  of 
1874.  Resolving  to  study  law,  he  entered 
the  office  of  Nelson  L.  Boyden  of  Randolph, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1875  he  pursued  his 
professional  studies  at  Boston  University, 
until  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar 
of  Orange  county  at  the  June  term,  1877. 
\Vhile  at  school  he  employed  the  winters  in 


teaching  at  Munroe,  N.  H.,  Topsham,  Ran- 
dolph and  Rochester.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  South  Ryegate 
and  two  years  later  was  appointed  master  in 
chancery  in  Caledonia  county.  In  1S83  he 
removed  to  St.  Johnsbury  where  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  A.  F.  Nichols,  Esq., 
which  connection  continued  three  years. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  alone.  In  1866 
he  was  elected  state's  attorney  for  Cale- 
donia county  and  held  that  office  for  four 
years. 

Mr.  Dunnett  is  one  of  four  partners  who 
are  the  proprietors  of  the  Ryegate  Granite 
Co.,  which  is  the  largest  granite  manufactory 
in  Caledonia  county. 

He  belongs  to  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  appointed  town  superintendent  of 
schools  in  Ryegate  and  for  several  years  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  moderator  in  that 
town  and  since  in  St.  Johnsbury. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  April  2,  1879, 
to  Ella  J.,  daughter  of  James  and  .Anne  C. 
\Miite,  who  died  March  23,  1881.  Decem- 
bers 23,  1884,  he  married  Sarah  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Silas  M.  and  Harriett  Towne  of  Barre, 
who  passed  away  .August  8,  1888.  He  con- 
tracted a  third  alliance  with  Mrs.  Ella 
Chalmers,  widow  of  Rev.  John  R.  Chalmers 
of  St.  Johnsbury,  .April  29,  1890. 

In  his  religious  belief  Mr.  Dunnett  leans 
toward  the  L'nitarian  church.  He  has  been 
an  active  and  influential  Free  Mason,  having 
served  as  Master  of  the  Blue  Lodge  and 
High  Priest  of  the  St.  Johnsbury  Royal 
.Arch  Chapter  :  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Knights  Templar. 

DUNTON,  Charles  H.,  of  Poultney, 

son  of  Elijah  and  Mary  .Ann  (French)  Dun- 
ton,  was  born  in  L'^nderhill,  Jan.  24,  1844. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  at 
the  New  Hampton  Institute,  at  Fairfax,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  L^niversity  of  Ver- 
mont in  the  class  of  1870.  He  then  for  a 
year  supplied  the  Methodist  church  at  John- 
son, and  in  iS7i-'72  took  a  post-graduate 
course  at  the  Boston  L'niversity.  Having 
been  admitted  to  the  Troy  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  for  two  years 
he  discharged  the  duties  of  pastor  at  Man- 
chester and  East  Dorset.  In  1874  he  was 
elected  a  teacher  of  natural  science  in  the 
Troy  Conference  Academy,  at  Poultney,  an 
institution  which,  after  some  years  of  sus- 
pension, was  at  that  time  reopened.  .After 
serving  three  years  in  this  subordinate 
capacity,  he  was  elected  principal  of  the 
institution  in  1877.  This  position  he  has 
occupied  ever  since,  spending  most  of  his 
summer  vacations  in  travelling  abroad,  and 
among  the  states. 

-As  a  social  leader  and  popular  educator, 
Dr.  Dunton  is  too  well  known  for  comment. 


He  has  jilaced  the  Troy  Conference  Acad- 
emy in  the  first  ranks  of  the  schools  of  the 
state. 

In  his  political  views  he  is  Republican, 
but  his  lifevvork  and  energies  have  been 
more  especially  devoted  to  his  professional 
duties.     In    18S3   he  was    one  of  the  state 


m 


IIUINKI.I..  iir 

UWINEI-L,  Frank  a.,  of  .\Iontpelier, 
son  of  Albert  and  Irene  D.  (Rich)  Dwinell, 
was  born  at  East  Calais,  May  23,  1848. 

He  received  his  education  from  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  place  and  gradu- 
ated from  Barre  Academy  in  the  class  of 
1 868;  began  business  in  active  life  in  his 
father's  store  at  East  Calais,  remaining  until 
1 8 74,  when  he  removed  to  I'lainfield  and 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  which 
he  successfully  carried  on  for  a  number  of 
years. 

In  18S5  the  Farmers'  Trust  Co.  was  or- 
ganized. Mr.  Dwinell  was  elected  presi- 
dent, at  once  taking  an  active  interest  in  the 
management,  which  position  he  has  retained 
up  to  this  time.  Under  the  conservative 
policy  and  prudent  management  inaugur- 
ated, and  which  has  always  been  maintained, 
a  strong  financial  corporation  has  been 
built  up.  In  consequence  of  his  connection 
with  this  company,  he  moved  to  Montpelier 
in  the  spring  of  1890. 


representatives  to  the  interstate  convention 
held  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  which  originated  the 
Blair  bill.  Three  years  after  this  time  he 
received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Syracuse 
University,  and  for  a  long  period  has,  by 
successive  appointments,  been  state  exam- 
iner of  normal  schools. 

Dr.  Dunton  was  married  at  Johnson,  June 
26,  1872,  to  Nettie  W.,  the  accomplished 
daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  and  Flavilla  (Wat- 
erman) Belding. 

In  his  denomination.  Dr.  Dunton  is  with- 
out question  the  foremost  man  in  the  state, 
and  his  own  reputation  and  that  of  his 
school  are  of  such  a  character  that  words  of 
commendation  are  superfluous.  His  untir- 
ing energy  and  great  educational  ability 
have  met  with  well-merited  success  in  the 
chosen  walk  of  life  to  which  he  has  de\oted 
so  much  intelligent  and  industrious  effort. 

In  1892  he  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

In  the  civil  war  he  proved  his  patriotism 
by  enlisting  in  Co.  F,  13th  Vt.  Regt.,  and 
after  six  months  of  creditable  service,  was 
honorably  discharged  on  account  of  physical 
disability. 


Mr.  Dwinell  has  identified  himself  with 
several  local  institutions,  being  a  director  of 
the  Wetmore  &  Morse  Granite  Co.,  a  direc- 
tor and  vice  president  of  the  Montpelier 
Building  &  Construction  Co.,  also  a  direc- 
tor in  the  First  National  Bank. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dwinell  is  a  Republican, 
takes  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs 
and  has  held  various  public  offices  ;  was  for 
a  number  of  years  town  clerk  and  treasurer 
of  Plainfield.     He  was  elected  to  the  Gen- 


ii6 


eral  Assembly  of  1878,  and  in  1890  was 
elected  senator  from  \\ashington  county  and 
was  elected  president  pfo  tempore  of  the 
Senate,  also  served  on  several  important 
committees. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  East  Mont- 
pelier,  Dec.  15,  1870,  to  Hattie  A.,  daughter 
of  Lawson  and  Asenath  (Clark)  Hammett. 
Two  children  are  the  issue  of  this  mar- 
riage :  Elbert  Hammett,  and  .Melvin  Ray- 
mond. 

DWINELL,  JOSEPH  Elmer,  of  Glover, 
son  of  Joseph  Hammond  and  Almira  (Hol- 
brook)'Dwinell,  was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H., 
.April    30,    1830.     His   ancestry,  of  French 


^f':- 


JOSEPH     ELMER    DWINELL. 

origin  upon  the  father's  side,  can  be  traced 
back  to  an  early  date  in  the  settlement  of 
the  New  World.  His  grandfather  of  si.x 
generations  back  settled  in  Topsfield,  Mass., 
in  1672,  where  he  became  the  possessor  of 
an  extensive  property,  owning  all  the  land 
from  Middleton  to  Wenham.  His  mother's 
ancestor,  Thomas  Holbrook,  was  English 
and  came  from  the  mother  county  in  1624, 
becoming  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.,  where  he  died  at  an  advanced 
age,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  man. 

The  subject  of  the  present  sketch  pos- 
sesses in  a  marked  degree  the  suavity  and 
ideality  of  a  Frenchman,  combined  with  the 


pride  and  energy  of  an  fc^nglishman.  When 
he  was  about  two  years  of  age,  his  father 
moved  to  Glover,  which  has  since  been  his 
home,  except  for  a  short  time,  when  he  was 
at  St.  Johnsbury,  White  River  Junction,  and 
Island  Pond.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  common  and  high  schools  of  the  town, 
his  school  days  coming  before  the  founding 
of  the  Orleans  Liberal  Institute,  of  which 
institution  he  has  long  been  a  trustee,  treas- 
urer, and  much  of  the  time  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee. 

In  1853  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  his 
father's  business  of  furniture  dealer,  manu- 
facturer, and  undertaker.  His  brother 
Charles  soon  assumed  his  father's  place  in 
the  firm,  and  under  the  nanne  of  J.  E.  &  C. 
H.  1  )winell,  they  carried  on  the  largest  and 
most  flourishing  furniture  trade  at  that  time 
in  Orleans  county,  keeping  warerooms  at  Bar- 
ton, Barton  Landing,  and  Greensboro.  He 
still  has  an  interest  in  the  business,  though 
not  as  actively  engaged  in  it  as  formerly. 

He  has  filled  many  offices  of  trust  in  town 
and  county  with  ability,  acting  for  several 
years  as  constable,  collector  and  deputy 
sheriff.  He  has  employed  much  of  his  time 
in  the  settlement  of  estates,  for  which  work 
he  seems  eminently  adapted.  He  has  been 
for  the  last  ten  years,  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  Barton  National  Bank.  During  the 
years  i873-'74  he  was  a  partner  with  his 
brother,  the  late  I).  Lyman  Dwinell,  as  a  dry 
goods  merchant  in  Glover.  He  has  at  times 
been  quite  extensively  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber trade. 

He  is  at  present  chairman  of  the  town 
school  board,  ever  working  for  the  best  in- 
terests of  education  in  his  beloved  state. 
Mr.  Dwinell  is  passionately  fond  of  music, 
and  was  one  of  the  original  founders  of  the 
Orleans  Musical  Association.  He  has  had 
great  influence  in  bringing  that  organization 
to  its  present  enviable  position,  having 
served  as  one  of  its  officers  from  the  lowest 
to  the  highest  grade.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  choir  in  Glover  for  fifty-three 
years,  and  chorister  of  the  Congregational 
church  for  twenty  years. 

He  is  a  staunch  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
a  firm  Universalist  in  religious  preference, 
though  he  ever  advocates  that  a  spirit  of 
brotherly  love  should  unite  all  sects.  He 
was  for  many  years  superintendent  of  the 
Universalist  Sunday  school. 

He  married,  Oct.  9,  1856,  Eliza  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  .Amos  Phelps  and  Phila  (Sart- 
well)  Bean,  of  Glover.  Eight  children  have 
been  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  lived  to 
maturity  :  Fred  P]lmer,  Harley  Joseph,  .Alice 
Eliza  (Mrs.  Henry  Ralph  Cutler),  and  Edith 
May  (Mrs.  Arthur  Charles  McDowell). 


EATON,  FREDLauRINE,  of  Montpelier, 
son  of  Arthur  G.  and  Ellen  M.  (Chase) 
Eaton,  was  born  in  Calais,  July  lo,  1859. 

At  an  early  age  he  removed  with  his 
mother  to  Montpelier  and  obtained  his  edu- 
cation at  the  Union  and  Washington  rounty 
grammar  school.     After  this  he  was  for  a  few 


FRED    LAURINE    EATON. 

years  employed  as  a  clerk,  and  was  made,  in 
1877,  teller  in  the  First  National  Bank,  where 
he  remained  till  1881,  when  he  was  engaged 
as  the  cashier  of  the  National  Bank  of  Barre. 
After  four  years  of  this  employment  he  ex- 
changed to  the  First  National  Bank  of  Mont- 
pelier, which  he  has  served  as  cashier  to  the 
present  time.  He  has  been  for  years  both 
town  and  village  treasurer,  and  has  acted  as 
the  treasurer  of  the  ^^'etmore  &  Morse  Granite 
Co.,  of  the  R.  C.  Bowers  Granite  Co.,  and 
of  the  \'ermont  Quarry  Co.  Of  the  last  two 
corporations  he  is  also  a  director. 

Mr.  Eaton  married,  Oct.  15,  1884,  at 
Barre,  Lillian,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Lu- 
cinda  (Pettingill)  Gale.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  them  :  Stanley,  and  Dorothy. 

He  was  a  charter  member  of  Gen.  Stephen 
Thomas  Camp,  S.  of  V.,  receiving  the  com- 
pliment of  being  elected  their  first  captain, 
and  in  1888  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  of 
the  Vermont  division  of  that  organization. 

Mr.  Eaton  belongs  to  the  various  ^Lasonic 
bodies  and  is  now  serving  as  the  F^minent 
Commander  of  the  Mt.  Z  ion  Commandery 
of  Knights  Templar. 


EAYRES.  117 

EAYRES,  George  Nelson,  of  Rut- 
land, son  of  James  and  .-Vnna  (Bingman) 
Eayres,  was  born  in  Rutland,  Dec.  12,  1824. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  at  Castleton  Seminary  and  by  experi- 
ence as  a  teacher  in  various  educational  in- 
stitutions in  the  towns  of  Rutland  and  Pitts- 
ford. 

Bred  upon  a  farm,  .Mr.  Eayres  continued 
with  his  father  till  1855,  when  he  removed 
to  I'ittsford,  and  purchased  the  estate 
known  as  the  "  Hitchcock  "  farm,  where  he 
remained  for  more  than  twenty  years,  when 
he  again  changed  his  residence  and  located 
at  Rutland,  leaving  his  property  in  the  care 
of  his  oldest  son.  .After  a  prolonged  visit  to 
the  West,  chiefly  in  \Visconsin  where  he  had 
important  business  interests,  he  returned  to 
Rutland  and  in  1S79  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  superintendent  of  the  Vermont 
House  of  Correction,  the  duties  of  which 
office  he  continued  to  discharge  to  ^[ay  i, 
1S93. 


In  the  early  part  of  his  life  a  whig,  Mr. 
Eayres  has  acted  with  the  Republican  party 
since  the  time  of  its  organization  and  has 
held  many  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  people, 
representing  Pittsford  in  the  Legislature  of 
1876. 

He  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Almira  A., 
daughter  of  Eliphalet  and  .-Mmira  (Thomas) 
.\llen,  Sept.  19,  1849.  Six  children  have 
been  the  fruit  of  this  union,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living  ami  have  families — two  sons 
in  Pittsford  and  two  daughters  in  Rutland. 


ii8 


EDSON,  Ezra,  of  Mendon,  son  of 
Cyrus  and  Hannah  (Hudson)  Edson,  was 
born  in  Turner,  Me.,  Jan.  12,  1813,  one  of 
seven  children,  himself  and  one  brother 
being  the  only  survivors. 

His  parents,  descended  from.  Puritan  an- 
cestry, removed  from  Bridgewater,  Mass., 
first  to  Maine,  and  afterwards  to  Shrewsbury, 
in  1 81 7,  but  finally  took  up  their  abode  in 
South  Mendon.  Here  the  son  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  West  Rutland 
Academy,  never  losing  an  opportunity  to 
improve  his  mind  by  private  study  and  read- 
ing. Though  having  a  strong  predilection 
for  the  legal  profession,  the  force  of  circum- 
stances caused  him  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 


blacksmith,  and  in  this  capacitv  he  was  for 
some  time  in  the  employment  of  the  Ames 
Co.  at  Bridgewater.  He  then  returned  to 
Mendon,  purchased  a  farm,  but  after  some 
years  removed  to  the  village,  tievoting  him- 
self to  the  labors  of  the  forge  and  dealing  to 
a  considerable  extent  in  real  estate. 

Socially  and  politically  he  is  eminent  in 
his  section,  has  held  every  important  otRcial 
position  in  the  town,  which  he  ably  repre- 
sented in  six  sessions  of  the  Legislature, 
serving  on  several  important  committees. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  he  has  honor- 
ably and  I  conscientiously  discharged  the 
duties  of  a  justice  of  the  peace.  In  early 
life  he  became  a  member  of  the  Rutland 
Baptist  Church,  which  yet  in  his  later  years 
he  regularly  attends. 


Mr.  Edson  married  in  Bridgewater,  July 
I,  1837,  Angelina,  daughter  of  Zenas  and 
Lydia  (Whitman)  Washburn.  Four  chil- 
dren are  the  fruit  of  this  union  :  Lucien, 
Lucien  Otis,  Hannah  Whitman  (Mrs.  Mar- 
quis E.  Tenney),  and  Mary  Jane.  The  two 
sons  and  last  daughter  died  young.  His 
wife  died  in  1S82,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Tennev,  her  husband  and  two  granddaugh- 
ters are  living  with  him  where  he  has  lived 
for  forty- two  years. 

EDMUNDS,  George   Franklin,   of 

Burlington,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Naomi 
(Briggs)  Edmunds,  was  born  in  Richmond, 
Feb.  I,  1S28. 

His  preliminary  education  was  had  in  the 
public  schools  and  under  a  private  tutor. 
When  but  eighteen  he  began  the  study  of 
law  in  Burlington,  and  continued  it  at  Rich- 
mond in  the  office  of  his  brother-in-law,  A. 
B.  Maynard,  in  i846-'47.  In  the  two  fol- 
lowing years  he  was  a  student  in  the  office 
of  Smalley  &  Phelps  in  Burlington.  In 
March,  1849,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
(  hittenden  county,  and  to  partnership  with 
Mr.  Maynard  at  Richmond.  The  new  firm 
was  very  successful.  In  November,  185 1, 
he  removed  to  Burlington,  which  thencefor- 
ward became  his  home.  At  the  time  of  Mr. 
I'Aimunds'  removal  to  Burlington  the  legal 
fraternity  of  the  state  was  exceptionally 
strong.  Ex-Governor  Underwood,  D.  A. 
Smalley,  E.  J.  Phelps,  L.  E.  Chittenden,  and 
others  were  formidable  competitors,  but  he 
soon  worked  his  way  to  the  front.  In  1866, 
when  he  was  first  appointed  to  the  National 
Senate,  he  had  secured  the  largest  and  most 
lucrative  practice  in  that  section  of  Vermont. 

The  services  of  George  F.  Edmunds  fill 
-'ime  of  the  cleanest,  brightest  pages  in  the 
legislative  history  of  the  state  and  nation. 
In  1854  he  made  his  first  appearance  in  the 
field  of  local  politics  as  the  moderator  of  the 
Burlington  March  meeting,  and  he  was  soon 
afterward  elected  representative  of  the  town 
to  the  Legislature.  A  member  of  the  House 
in  the  years  i8s4-'55-'56-'s7-'58-'59,  he 
was  also  speaker  during  the  last  three  ses- 
sions. In  1864  he  served  in  the  joint  com- 
mittee on  the  state  library,  and  also  in  the 
committee  on  the  judiciary.  In  1855  he 
was  made  chairman  of  the  latter  body. 

In  1 86 1  Mr.  Edmunds  was  returned, 
against  his  protest,  to  the  state  Senate  from 
Chittenden  county,  and  was  chairman  of  its 
judiciary  committee.  Re-elected  in  1862, 
he  served  on  the  same  committee.  In  each 
of  these  years  he  was  also  president  J>ro 
tempore  of  the  Senate.  In  1866,  United 
States  Senator  Solomon  Foote  died  and  Mr. 
Edmunds  was  appointed  his  successor  by 
Gov.  Paul  Dillingham.  April  5,  1866,  he 
liegan  that  long  senatorial  career  which   so 


^;^jL^JnA^^^^^—^ 


honored  himself,  his  state,  and  his  country. 
He  was  afterwards  elected  by  the  Legisla- 
ture for  the  remainder  of  the  term  ending 
March 4,  iS69,and  in  1868,  1874,  1880,  and 
1886  received  elections  for  the  full  senatorial 
term.  In  1891,  after  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century's  ser\'ice,  he  resigned.  His  impress 
on  national  legislation  was  greater  than  that 
of  any  other  man  of  his  time,  and  he  had 
for  years  been  the  foremost  senator.  No 
one  thinks  of  his  pro  tempore  presidency  of 
the  Senate,  so  overshadowed  is  it  by  his  real 
leadership. 

In  the  winter  of  1876  came  a  crisis  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States,  the  great  dan- 
ger of  which  is  year  by  year  realized.  The 
nation  was  threatened  with  all  the  evils  of 
disputed  succession  to  the  chief  magistracy. 
Senator  Edmunds  comprehended  the  situa- 
tion, and  led  from  danger  to  lawful  safety. 
He  first  submitted  the  draft  of  a  constitu- 
tional amendment,  which  remitted  the  duty 
of  counting  the  electoral  votes  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States.  But  this 
was  rejected  by  a  vote  of  14  to  3  1.  On  the 
1 6th  of  December  he  called  u])  the  message 
from  the  House  of  Representatives,  an- 
nouncing the  appointment  of  a  committee  of 
seven  to  act  in  conjunction  with  a  commit- 
tee of  the  Senate  in  advising  some  method 
of  counting  the  electoral  vote  ;  and  sub- 
mitted a  resolution  referring  the  message  of 
the  House  to  a  select  committee  of  seven 
senators,  having  power  to  prepare  and  re- 
port, without  unnecessary  delay,  such  a 
measure  as  would  secure  the  lawful  count 
of  the  electoral  vote,  and  the  best  disposi- 
tion of  the  questions  connected  therewith, 
and  that  this  committee  have  power  to 
confer  with  the  committee  of  the  House 
of  Representatives.  The  resolution  was 
adopted,  the  committee  appointed  and 
Senator  Edmunds  was  made  its  chairman. 
In  the  discussions  which  followed  he  devised 
the  electoral  commission  bill. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1877,  Mr.  Ed- 
munds reported  the  proposed  measure, 
which  provided  for  the  appointment  of  an 
electoral  commission,  and  which  defined  the 
duties  of  its  members.  The  bill  passed  into 
law.  .Senator  F^dmunds  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  electoral  commission  on  the 
part  of  the  Senate,  and  contributed  effi- 
ciently to  the  lawful  solution  of  the  problem 
in  which  so  many  dangers  lurked. 

The  anti-polygamy  law  now  in  force  is 
rightly  known  as  the  Edmunds  law.  But  a 
list  of  good  measures  passed  and  bad  meas- 
ures defeated  by  his  efforts  and  under  his 
leadership  would  be  interminable. 

Unsought  by  him,  in  1S80  and  1884  manv 
of  his  party,  who  wanted  it  to  make  its  first 
statesman  its  leader,  earnestly  worked  for 
his  nomination  for   the    presidency   in   the 


Republican  national  conventions  of  those 
years.  In  1891  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  has  since  devoted 
his  time  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

ELDREDGE,  LOYAL  D.,  of  Middle- 
bury,  son  of  Julius  and  Polly  (Cowles) 
Eldredge,  was  born  at  Stockholm,  N.  V., 
Feb.  5,  1831. 

At  the  completion  of  his  preparatory 
studies  he  graduated  at  Middlebury  College 
in  1857  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859. 

Mr.  Eldredge  practiced  his  profession  at 
Alburgh  Springs  for  three  years  and  was 
elected  state's  attorney  for  Grand  Isle  county 
in  1 86 1  and  '62.  In  the  latter  year  he  re- 
moved to  Middlebury,  and  has  resided  there 
ever  since,  devoting  himself  to  the  practice 
of  law  and  other  avocations. 

From  1S64  to  1870  he  held  the  office  of 
assistant  assessor  of  internal  revenue,  and 
deputy  collector,  and  in  1870  was  appointed 
first  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue  of 
the  1  )istrict  of  Vermont.  He  was  elected  to 
the  state  Senate  in  1876,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  lower  House  in  1888.  Six  years 
previous  to  this  period  he  was  made  a  trus- 
tee of  Middlebury  College  and  in  1884 
treasurer  of  that  institution.  Both  of  these 
offices  he  holds  at  the  present  time. 

Hon.  L.  D.  Eldredge  married,  July  29, 
1858,  Wealthy  A.,  daughter  of  Ralph  and 
.Martha  (Kneeland)  Parker  of  \\aterbury. 
( )ne  daughter  was  the  fruit  of  this  union  : 
Julia  .A.  (Mrs.  C.  O.  Leavenworth  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio). 

ELDRIDGE,  LOVELL  JaCKSON,  of  St. 
Johnsbury,  son  of  Lewis  J.  and  Rosa  J. 
(Tracy)  Eldridge,  was  born  Nov.  19,  1S63, 
at  Montgomery. 

^Vhen  eight  years  old,  he  was  left  an 
orphan,  without  friends  or  property.  By 
dint  of  persistent  work  on  the  farm,  he  paid 
his  own  way  in  district  schools  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  Meanwhile  he  saved 
money  enough  to  provide  for  himself  a  sup- 
plementary course  of  one  year's  study  at  the 
State  Normal  School,  Johnson,  and  three 
years  at  People's  .Academy,  Morrisville.  At 
both  schools  he  took  a  select  course  of  study 
and  thorough  drill,  preparatory  for  business. 
Oreat  credit  must  be  given  him  for  availing 
himself  to  the  fullest  extent  of  his  oppor- 
tunities, and  for  his  honorable  struggle, 
when  a  youth,  to  obtain  the  best  education 
afforded  by  his  narrow  circumstances.  On 
leaving  school  and  facing,  for  the  first  time, 
the  business  world,  Mr.  Eldridge  was  handi- 
capped by  no  cash  debts,  nor  burdened 
with  the  consciousness  of  having  had 
material  favors  from  relatives  or  friends.  His 
first  venture  was  to  canvass  eleven  of  the 
western    and    central    states,  in   the    stencil 


and  stamp  business,  with  headquarters  at 
Madison,  Wis.,  manufacturing,  largely,  his 
own  goods.  Returning  to  Vermont  to  re- 
gain his  health,  for  three  years  he  taught 
school  in  Enosburgh  and  Hyde  Park.  From 
1 88 7  to  1890,  he  was  travelling  salesman 
and  collector  in  the  New  England  states  for 
a  large  pottery  firm  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  He 
was  then  appointed  local  agent  at  Morris- 
ville  for  the  Connecticut  (leneral  Life  In- 
surance Co.,  remaining  there  two  years, 
when  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  general 


LOVELL  JACKSON    ELDRIDGE. 

agency  of  the  same  company,  with  head- 
quarters at  St.  Johnsbury,  where  he  now  has 
a  large  and  prosperous  iDusiness. 

He  married,  Oct.  19,  1892,  at  Platts- 
burgh,  Clinton  county,  AIo.,  Katie  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  Charles  W.  (banker  of  that  city) 
and  Mary  E.  (Funkhouser)  Porter. 

Mr.  Eldridge  has  been  a  member  of  the  I. 
O.  O.  F.  since  1891,  and  also  of  the  Sons  of 
Veterans,  Camp  No.  50,  at  Morrisville.  He 
has  never  taken  any  part  in  politics  nor  held 
political  office. 

He  became  an  active  member  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Danville,  in  1890, 
and  later  of  the  Young  Men's  Chri-stian 
Association  of  St.  Johnsbury. 

Mr.  Eldridge  has  been  president  of  the 
Morrisville  Lyceum  Bureau,  and,  in  1S90, 
joined  the  Vermont  Life  L^nderwriters  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
vice-presidents  in  1S91. 


ELLIOT,  LESTER  HALL,  of  Waterbury, 
son  of  Ezra  and  Eliza  (Hall)  Elliot,  was 
born  in  Croyden,  N.  H.,  August  i,  1835. 

Commencing  his  primary  education  in  the 
district  schools,  he  entered  the  University  of 
Vermont,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1861, 
completing  his  scholastic  career  in  the 
LInion  Theological  Seminary  of  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1864. 

Being  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Brooklyn 
(N.  \'.)  Congregational  Association,  he 
commenced  by  supplying  the  pulpits  of  the 
Congregational  churches  of  Colchester  and 
Winooski  and  on  May  21,  1866,  he  was 
ordained  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
church  in  the  latter  place.  This  position  he 
occupied  for  six  years  and  then  removed  to 
Bradford,  where  he  continued  his  ministra- 
tions till  1880,  when,  after  temporary  en- 
gagements, in  several  parishes  in  this  state 
and  Keeseville,  N.  Y.,  he  finally  became  sec- 
retary and  agent  of  the  \'ermont  Bible 
Society  in  1884,  in  which  occupation  he 
has  continued  till  the  present  time,  with  res- 
idence at  Waterbury.  Mr.  Elliot  was  dele- 
gate to  the  National  Council  of  Congrega- 
tional Churches,  held  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in 
November,  1871.  While  residing  in  Wi- 
nooski he  was  made  superintendent  of  public 
schools,  and  he  represented  the  town  of 
Waterbury  in  the  Legislature  of  1892. 
During  that  session  he  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  education  and  chairman  of 
that  on  the  insane. 

He  was  wedded,  Oct.  21,  1866,  at  Greens- 
boro, to  Lois  Maria,  daughter  of  Enoch 
and  Abigail  (Cook)  Tolman,  who  died  in 
Winooski,  Jan.  6,  1871.  Their  children 
were :  Anna  M.,  and  Henry  T.,  both  of 
whom  died  in  infancy. 

He  was  again  married,  Nov.  30,  1875,  at 
Campton,  N.  H.,  to  Phebe  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Ezekiel  H.  and  .^Imira  (Dole) 
Hodgdon.  They  have  one  son :  Henry 
Hodgdon. 

ELLIS,   Edward  Dyer,  of  Pouitney, 

son  of  Zenas  C.  and  Sarah  ( Dyer)  Ellis,  was 
born  in  Fair  Haven,  .^lugust  31,  1850.  His 
father.  Judge  Ellis,  was  well  known  and 
prominent  in  the  county  and  state. 

Mr.  Edward  Ellis,  having  obtained  a  thor- 
ough preparatory  training  in  the  schools  of 
Fair  Haven,  later  attended  Kimball  L'nion 
.\cademy  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  which  he  left  in 
1869  to  enter  Middlebury  College  and  from 
this  institution  he  graduated  in  1874.  He 
then  devoted  himself  to  a  course  of  profes- 
sional study  in  the  medical  department  of 
Harvard  University  from  which  he  received 
a  diploma  in  1877.  In  1S7S  he  settled  in 
Pouitney  as  a  practicing  physician  in  which 
capacity  he  has  since  remained,  meeting 
with  success  and  establishing  in  connection 


ELLSWORIH. 


ELLSWORTH. 


with  his  professional  labors  a  druggist's  busi- 
ness. 

He  is  an  adherent  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  has  devoted  the  major 
part  of  his  time  to  his  professional  pursuits, 
never  seeking  official  preferment,  though  he 
is  at  present  chairman  of  the  Republican 
town  committee. 


EDWARD    DYER    EL 


Dr.  Ellis  is  vestryman  and  treasurer  of 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church,  was  formerly 
the  president  and  secretary  of  the  Rutland 
County  Surgical  and  Medical  Society. 

He  was  married  at  Hampton,  N.  Y.,  Oct. 
2  1,  18(85,  t°  Isabella,  daughter  of  R.  T.  and 
Lydia  (Stowe)  Ray.  Of  this  alliance  four 
children  are  issue :  Sarah  Blanche,  Lydia 
Stowe,  Hannah  Dyer,  and  Rodney  Ray. 

Dr.  Ellis  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  ac- 
quaintances for  the  firmness  of  his  character 
and  general  ability.  He  is  conservative  in 
his  ideas  and  has  met  with  well-merited  suc- 
cess both  in  public  and  private  life. 

ELLSWORTH,  JOHN  CLARK,  late  of 
Greensboro,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  ( Strong ) 
Ellsworth,  was  born  in  Chatham,  C^onn., 
Feb.  22,  1793.  His  great-grandfather, 
Capt.  John  Ellsworth  of  East  Windsor, 
Conn.,  married  Anna,  daughter  of  Timothy 
Edwards,  and  sister  of  the  celebrated  Jona- 
than Edwards.  John  C.  Ellsworth,  the 
fourth  of  his  name,  and  his  father  were  the 
first  of  the  family  to  emigrate  to  \'ermont, 
arriving  in  1798,  and  the  father  was  the  first 
judge  of  probate  in  Orleans  county.     I'hey 


settled  on  a  farm  in  Greensboro  and  here 
John  Clark  eagerly  availed  himself  of  the 
limited  educational  privileges  open  to  him, 
attending  the  yiublic  schools  and  Peacham 
Academy,  then  under  charge  of  his  uncle, 
P^zra  Carter,  who  was  the  first  principal  of 
that  institution.  He  also  was  instructed  to 
some  extent  by  his  father,  who  was  a  man  of 
much  literary  ability  for  that  time. 

At  the  outset  of  his  acti\e  life  he  served 
as  a  clerk  in  the  employment  of  his  uncle. 
Deacon  Strong,  at  Hardwick,  but  in  the  fall 
of  1 82 1  he  accepted  a  call  to  missionary 
work  among  the  Cherokee  Indians  and  in 
the  company  of  Rev.  Austin  Worcester  and 
others  he  proceeded  to  Brainerd,  Ga.,  con- 
tinuing his  labors  among  the  savages  until 
1836,  when  he  returned  to  Greensboro  on 
account  of  the  ill  health  of  his  wife  and  the 
removal  of  the  Cherokees  from  Georgia  by 
Gen.  Andrew  Jackson.  Mr.  Ellsworth  pur- 
chased a  farm  adjoining  that  of  his  father ; 
pre\ious  to  his  death  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  the  village,  and  in  the  cultivation  of 
this  property  employed  himself  till  the  time 


ELLSWORTH 


of  his  death,  July  11,  186 1.  In  his  experi- 
ence as  Indian  missionary  he  encountered 
many  hardships  and  obstacles,  but  these  he 
cheerfully  and  laboriously  overcame,  being 
assisted  in  his  unselfish  work  by  his  noble 
wife,  who  was  the  matron  of  the  Indian 
school,  of  which  he  was  the  superintendent. 
Those  interested  in  Indian  mission  work 
will  obtain  valuable  information  by  a  perusal 
of  the  letters  of  Mr.  Ellsworth  in  the  Mis- 


123 


sionary  Herald  from  182 1  to  11S36.  He 
early  became  attached  to  the  cause  of  aboli- 
tion and  while  in  Georgia,  with  his  compan- 
ion, Mr.  Worcester,  suffered  much  persecu- 
tion for  righteousness'  sake,  being  arrested 
and  narrowly  escaping  imprisonment  on 
account  of  their  active  sympathy  with  the 
downtrodden  Indian,  and  their  labors  in  the 
cause  of  Christianity  and  the  welfare  of  the 
aboriginal  race  received  little  or  no  encour- 
agement from  the  white  portion  of  the  sur- 
rounding community.  'I'he  greater  part  of 
his  long  and  peaceful  life  was  devoted  to 
study  and  literary  pursuits,  and  "far  from  the 
busy  hum  of  men"  he  tranquilly  enjoyed  the 
pleasures  afforded  him  by  the  perusal  of  his 
books. 

He  was  the  representati\e  of  (Ireensboro 
to  the  Legislature  at  an  early  ])eriod,  but 
though  much  interested  in  politics  as  a 
staunch  Republican  he  never  took  an  active 
part  in  public  life. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  first  married  Eliza,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Tolman,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, later  a  Congregational  minister,  who 
died  April  iS,  1856.  His  second  wife, 
whom  he  wedded  March  17,  1857,  was  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Charles  B.  Bailey  and  Abi- 
gail (Cobb)  Field  of  Greensboro,  but  for- 
merly residents  of  Peacham. 

EMERY,  Curtis  Stanton,  of  Chelsea, 

son  of  Amos  and  Sarah  M.  (Hibbard) 
Emerv,  was  born  Nov.  6,  : 861,  in  Brook- 
field.  ■ 

He  removed,  with  his  parents,  to  Chelsea 
in  the  spring  of  1869. 

.After  receiving  his  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  Chelsea  Academy,  he 
read  law  with  the  late  Hon.  C.  W.  Clarke 
and  A.  S.  .Austin  at  Chelsea.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Orange  county  in  1S83 
and  to  that  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Mont- 
pelier  in  1886. 

Mr.  Emery  commenced  practice  at  Chel- 
sea at  the  time  of  his  admission  to  the 
courts,  and  continued  for  three  years,  when 
he  was  appointed  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Chelsea,  which  position 
he  resigned  in  February,  1893.  He  then 
resumed  his  profession,  doing  also  a  general 
insurance,  loan  and  collection  business. 
Since  1888  he  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Union  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of  Mont- 
pelier. 

Mr.  Emery  has  held  many  town  offices 
and  was  elected  commissioner  for  Orange 
county  in  1885,  a  position  which  he  holds  to 
the  present  time.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  of  1888,  being  the  youngest 
member  of  the  House,  and  serving  on  the 
committee  on  elections.  By  a  curious  coin- 
cidence, his  father  sat  in  the  House  at  the 
same  time,  being  a  member  from  the  town  o( 


Sharon.  He  is  now  county  auditor  for 
Orange  county. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  May  12,  1887, 
to  Hattie  J.,  daughter  of  Franklin  and 
Maria  R.  Ordway  of 'i'unbridge.  They  have 
two  children  :  .Sallie  Helena,  and  Donald. 

Mr.  Emery  has  held  nearly  all  the  offices 
in  George  Washington  Lodge,  No.  51,  F.  & 
A.  M.  of  Chelsea  and  at  present  occupies 
the  Master's  chair. 

ENRIGHT,   Joseph   Cornelius,  ot 

Windsor,  son  of  Rev.  Joseph  and  Catharine 
(Wier)  Enright,  was  born  in  Morgan,  Dec. 
2,  1852. 

He  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in 
the  class  of  1878,  and  commenced  to  study 
law  in  the  same  year.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Windsor  county  bar  in  1881,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Windsor,  being  also  largely 
interested  in  insurance  and  real  estate. 


In  1879  Mr.  Enright  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  schools  in  Hartland,and  subse- 
quently served  in  the  same  capacity  in  the 
town  of  Windsor,  where  he  has  been  first 
selectman  since  1S91.  In  1890  was  elected 
to  represent  Windsor  in  the  General  .Assem- 
bly, and  served  as  chairman  of  the  state's 
prison  committee.  He  was  again  called  to 
the  same  body  in  1892,  and  in  that  session 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  claims. 
In  1893  he  was  chosen  school  director  for 
three  vears. 


124 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  in 
which  he  has  taken  every  degree  from  the 
ist  to  the  32d,  inchisive  ;  he  has  served  as 
secretary  and  warden  of  Vermont  Lodge 
No.  1 8,  recorder  of  Vermont  C'ommandery 
No.  4,  and  secretary  of  Vermont  Lodge  of 
Perfection. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  July  23,  1882, 
at  Brompton,  V.  Q.,  to  Clara  J-,  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Matilda  (Alger)  Varney.  One 
daughter  has  been  born  to  them  :  Daisey 
Maud. 

ENRIGHT,     John    J.,    of     Burlington, 

was  born  in  South  Burlington,  .\pril  6,  1S62. 

In  187S  he  was  graduated  from  the   Bur- 


Burlington   and   was   only   beaten    by    one 
vote.     In    1892  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 

office  of  Secretary  of  State. 

Mr.  Enright  has  unusual  business  ability 
and  has  been  long  identified  with  several 
business  enterprises  in  his  city.  He  is  one 
of  the  owners  of  Mirror  Lake  Hotel  at  Lake 
Placid  in  the  Adirondacks  and  is  interested 
in  the  Hotel  Burlington.  He  is  also  some- 
what interested  in  real  estate  in  Burlington. 
Mr.  Enright  takes  great  pleasure  in  owning 
and  driving  fine  horses  and  he  enjoys  the 
reputation  of  possessing  the  finest  driving 
horses  at  all  times.  He  is  well  known 
among  horsemen  and  has  sold  several  valu- 
able horses  at  a  large  figure.  He  has  risen 
to  a  prominent  position  as  a  lawyer  in  this 
county  and  has  a  lucrative  legal  business, 
ranking  as  one  of  the  best  commercial  at- 
torneys in  the  state. 


lington  high  school  and  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Hamilton  S.  Peck 
and  later  with  Hon.  Henry  Ballard.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  one  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Chittenden  county,  and  had  charge 
of  Mr.  Ballard's  office  for  a  year  while  that 
gentleman  was  absent  in  the  West,  doing 
quite  a  large  business  at  that  time.  He 
then  opened  the  office  which  he  now  occu- 
pies. These  quarters  are  nicely  furnished 
and  equipped,  covering  the  whole  ground 
floor,  and  his  clientage  is  steadily  on  the  in- 
crease, he  having  been  obliged  to  employ  a 
stenographer  the  past  three  years  to  assist 
him. 

In  politics  Mr.  Enright  has  always  been  a 
strong  Democrat  and  has  a  large  following 
in  the  Democratic  ranks.  In  1882  he  was  a 
candidate   for   the    Legislature   from    South 


fiSTEY,  Jacob,  late  of  Bratdeboro,  son 
of  Isaac  and  Patty  ( Forbes)  Estey,  was 
born  in  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  Sept.  30,  1814. 

Isaac  Estey,  his  grandfather,  was  a  farmer 
and  resided  in  Sutton,  Mass.  The  eldest 
son,  Isaac  (father  of  Jacob),  and  his  brother 
Israel  settled  in  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  where  they 
built  a  sawmill  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber.  The  enterprise,  how- 
ever, proved  far  from  prosperous,  and  as  the 
statute  law  then  permitted  imprisonment  for 
debt,  under  its  provisions  Isaac  Estey  was 
arrested  and  thrown  into  the  county  jail  as  a 
debtor,  llpon  his  release  he  resorted  to 
agriculture  for  the  support  of  himself  and 
family,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  that  pursuit. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  adopted 
when  four  years  old  by  a  wealthy  family  in 
Hinsdale.  .After  spending  nine  years  under 
their  roof,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  left  his 
foster  parents  and  walked  to  Worcester, 
Mass.,  where  one  of  his  elder  brothers 
resided.  The  following  four  years  he  labored 
upon  farms  in  the  towns  of  Rutland,  Mill- 
bury  and  vicinity.  \Vhen  seventeen  years 
old  he  apprenticed  himself  to  T.  &  J.  Sutton 
of  Worcester,  in  order  to  acquire  a  mastery 
of  the  plumber's  trade,  and  of  the  manufact- 
ure of  lead  pipe. 

Before  the  attainment  of  his  majority  he 
resolved  to  establish  himself  in  business, 
and  for  this  purpose  removed  to  Brattleboro, 
where  he  was  successful  from  the  beginning, 
and  established  the  reputation  for  ability  and 
probity  which  he  always  retained. 

In  1848,  he  erected  a  large  building  and 
rented  the  upper  part  of  it  to  the  proprie- 
tors of  a  small  melodeon  factory,  but  as  they 
were  unable  to  pay  the  stipulated  rent,  Mr. 
Estey  accepted,  in  1S50,  an  interest  in  their 
business  in  liquidation  of  his  claims,  and  a 
few  years  afterwards  purchased  the   entire 


establishment.  To  this  new  industry  he 
gave  close  attention,  striving  for  its  enlarge- 
ment and  the  development  of  its  promising 
possibilities,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years, 
he  deemed  it  expedient  to  dispose  of  his 
plumbing  business,  and  to  devote  himself 
exclusively  to  the  making  of  organs.  With 
this  determination  he  erected  a  second  and 
larger  building,  but  in  the  fall  of  1857  a  con- 
flagration consumed  both  structures.  Though 
at  once  rebuilt,  another  fire  in  1864  destroyed 
the  new  creation,  and  a  very  much  larger  one 
was  promptly  erected  in  order  to  furnish 
ample  room  for  the  storage  of  the  immense 
quantities  of  material  that  were  needed  for 
the  prosecution  of  the  business. 

In  1 866  his  son-in-law,  Levi  K.  Fuller,  and 
his  son,  Julius  J.  Elstey,  were  admitted  to 
partnership  with  himself.  In  1869  the  sud- 
den overflow  of  the  stream  near  which  their 
factory  was  located,  caused  the  death  by 
drowning  of  one  of  their  workmen,  carried 
off  lumber  to  the  value  of  several  thousand 
dollars,  and  greatly  endangered  the  safety  of 
the  manufactory.  To  avoid  the  repetition 
of  similar  disasters,  the  company  selected 
higher  ground,  and  on  this  have  erected 
nine  large  factories,  each  three  stories  high, 
together  with  large  dry  houses  and  the  neces- 
sary buildings  for  boilers  and  engines,  with 
immense  storage  and  packing  houses. 

Mr.  Estey  was  ever  a  strong  advocate  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
in  i868-'69  he  represented  Brattleboro  in  the 
state  Legislature.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  state  Senate  from  Windham  county 
in  the  biennial  sessions  of  1872  and  1874, 
and  rendered  most  excellent  service  in  that 
body.  He  was  one  of  the  principal  movers 
in  the  organization  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  in  Brattleboro  in  1840,  and  was  dur- 
ing life  one  of  its  most  active  and  liberal 
supporters.  His  death,  on  April  15,  1890, 
was  a  great  loss  to  the  community  in  which 
for  so  many  years  he  had  lived. 

He  was  married  on  the  2d  of  May,  1S37, 
to  Desdemona,  daughter  of  David  and  .Anna 
Kendal  Wood  of  Brattleboro.  Three  chil- 
dren were  the  fruit  of  their  union,  the  eldest 
of  whom  is  not  living ;  the  two  remaining 
are:  Abby  E.  (Mrs.  Levi  K.  Fuller),  and 
Julius  J. 

HSTEY,  Julius  J.,  of  Brattleboro,  son 
of  Jacob  and  Desdemona  (Wood)  Estey, 
was  born  in  Brattleboro,  January,  1845. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  place  and  at  the  celebrated  Nor- 
wich Military  University.  He  did  not  com- 
plete the  full  course,  however,  as  he  was 
admitted  by  his  father  into  the  business 
established  in  1846 — which  has  now  be- 
come so  justly  famous — the  manufacture 
of   the  Estey  organs.     At   his    majority   in 


1866,  he  was  admitted  as  a  full  jiartner  in 
the  firm  of  J.  Estey  &  Co.  (afterwards 
known  as  the  Estey  Organ  Co.),  which  was 
composed  of  Jacob  Estey,  Julius  J.  Estey, 
and  Levi  K.  Fuller.  As  treasurer,  before 
and  since  his  revered  father's  death  in  1890, 
he  has  contributed  greatly  to  the  large  and 
highly  successful  business  of  organ  manu- 
facturing. General  Estey  is,  and  has  been 
for  years,  the  president  of  the  Peoples 
National  Bank  of  Brattleboro,  one  of  the 
soundest  and  most  progressive  banking  insti- 
tutions in  the  state. 

Mr.  Estey  is  first  and  foremost  a  thorough 
business  man,  but  he  is  also  a  leading  factor 
in  state  affairs,  having  represented  the  town 


.lUS   J.    ESTEY. 


of  Brattleboro  in  the  Legislature  in  1876, 
and  having  served  as  state  senator  from 
Windham  county  for  the  biennial  term  be- 
ginning in  1882,  his  services  in  both  bodies 
being  particularly  creditable  both  to  his 
party  and  himself.  He  was  appointed  a  del- 
egate-at-large  from  Vermont  to  the  Republi- 
can national  convention  of  1888,  where  his 
influence  and  good  work  was  felt  and  appre- 
ciated by  his  associates. 

At  an  early  age  he  became  interested  in 
military  affairs,  serving  in  the  National 
Guard  of  Vermont.  In  1874  he  was  elected 
captain  of  Co.  I,  know-n  since  as  the  Estey 
Guard. 

In  1876  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Hor- 
ace Fairbanks  a  member  of  his  military 
staff  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  in  i88i 


FAIRBANKS. 

was  elected  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  \'er- 
mont  National  Guard,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  election  as  colonel  in  1886. 
In  1892  he  was  promoted  to  the  command 
of  the  brigade,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier 
general,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  General 
Estey  has  always  commanded  one  of  the 
finest  and  best  disciplined  military  bodies  in 
the  New  England  states.  He  is  considerate, 
polite  and  popular  with  his  men,  who  love 
and  respect  their  leader  as  few  similar 
organizations  do.  This  is  due  as  much  per- 
haps to  the  strong  Christian  character  of  the 
man  as  to  his  soldierly  qualities,  for  not  the 
least  portion  of  his  life  has  been  exerted  in 
active  service  for  his  church,  where  he  has 
always  successfully  endeavored  to  inspire 
higher  and  nobler  work  in  the  denomination 
to  which  he  belongs. 

In  1867  he  married  Florence,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Henry  Gray  of  Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  from 
which  union  he  has  been  blessed  with  three 
sons :  Jacob  Gray,  Julius  Harry,  and  Guy 
Carpenter. 

He  has  been  president  of  the  Baptist 
State  Sunday  School  Association,  and  for 
the  past  ten  years  has  held  the  presidency  of 
the  board  of  managers  of  the  Baptist  state 
convention.  He  has  been  a  great  benefac- 
tor to  and  worker  in  the  Sunday  school  of 


FAIRBANKS. 


127 


his  church,  which  he  has  fostered  and  en- 
couraged to  the  utmost. 

.\mong  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
state  which  he  has  particularly  ])romoted  is 
the  Vermont  .\cademy  of  Saxton's  River, 
which  is  now  one  of  the  foremost  institu- 
tions of  learning  in  Vermont.  For  some 
years  he  has  been  the  treasurer  of  this  insti- 
tution. He  has  for  many  years  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
school  for  young  men  at  Mount  Hermon, 
Mass.,  and  the  Northfield  Seminary,  for 
young  ladies,  at  Northfield,  Mass.,  both  of 
which  were  established  by  Mr.  I).  L.  Moody, 
the  evangehst.  Of  the  latter  institution  lie 
is  also  treasurer. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  Brattleboro 
General  Estey  has  served  as  its  president 
and  been  one  of  its  most  liberal  supporters 
and  trusted  leaders.  His  interest  in  this 
organization,  however,  is  not  confined  to  the 
local  organization,  but  he  has  for  years  been 
active  in  the  state  gatherings  and  chairman 
of  the  state  executive  committee. 

His  benevolence  and  charity  to  deserving 
objects  is  too  well  known  to  require  especial 
mention.  He  has  won  the  highest  en- 
comiums of  his  associates  and  fellow-men 
and  has  always  led  an  active  and  upright  life. 


FAIRBANKS,  FRANKLIN,  of  St.  Johns- 
bury,  son  of  Erastus  and  Lois  (Grossman) 
Fairbanks,  was  born  in  St.  Johnsbury,  June 
18,  1828. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  the  Pink- 
erton  Academy,  Derry,  N.  H.,  and  in  the 
academies  at  Peacham  and  St.  Johnsbury. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  the 
scale  works  and  by  actual  labor  in  the 
various  departments,  and  having  a  natural 
genius  for  mechanics,  made  himself  familiar 
with  everything  that  had  to  do  with  the 
making  of  a  scale.  He  afterwards  was  clerk 
in  the  store  and  in  all  the  departments  of 
the  office  of  the  establishment,  and  these 
years  of  practical  experience  in  the  shop, 
store  and  office  served  as  a  school  to  give 
him  a  technical  and  business  education. 

When  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age 
he  was  admitted  as  partner  in  the  firm  of  E. 
&  T.  Fairbanks  &  Co.  For  many  years  he 
was  superintendent  of  the  works,  a  position 
for  which  he  was  prepared  by  his  practical 
knowledge  of  all  the  operations  of  the  estab- 
lishment. To  his  efficient  management  is 
due  much  of  the  success  and  growth  of  the 
company.  He  naturally  assumed  the  prac- 
tical, while  his    brother  Horace  undertook 


the  business  administration.  He  was  active 
in  the  construction  of  the  St.  lohnsbury  & 
Lake  Champlain  R.  R.,  a  work  demanding 
courage,  the  most  skillful  engineering,  and 
great  executive  ability.  In  1876,  at  the  or- 
ganization of  the  firm  as  a  corporation  he 
was  elected  vice-president,  and  at  the  death 
of  his  brother  in  i888  he  was  made  presi- 
dent and  has  held  this  office  to  the  present 
time. 

While  Colonel  Fairbanks  has  not  been  in 
politics,  he  has  always  manifested  a  consist- 
ent and  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  He 
was  elected  by  the  Republican  party  as  rep- 
resentative from  St.  Johnsbury  to  the  state 
Legislature  in  1870  and  again  in  1872,  at 
the  latter  session  being  chosen  speaker  of 
the  House.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
state  Republican  committee  for  more  than 
twenty  years.  He  was  appointed  aid-de- 
camp with  the  rank  of  colonel  in  Governor 
Hall's  staff  in  1858.  He  ret^eived  the  same 
appointment  in  1 86 1  from  Governor  Fair- 
banks. .\t  this  time  he  did  effective  service 
in  raising  troops,  caring  for  their  disposition 
and  arranging  for  their  comfort  at  the  front. 

Since  1888  he  has  been  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  St.  Johnsbury.  He 
is  also  president  of  the  Ely  Hoe  &  Fork  Co. 


128 


FAIRBANKS. 


of  the  same  town.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Northfield  (Mass.)  Seminary,  the  Soldiers' 
Home,  the  St.  Johnsbury  Academy,  the 
Athenffium,  and  Museum  of  Natural  Science. 
From  his  boyhood  Colonel  Fairbanks  has 
had  an  earnest  and  intelligent  interest  in 
natural  science.  When  a  young  man  he 
became  a  collector  of  illustrations  of  an- 
thropology, mineralogy,  and  ornithology. 
These  studies  have  been  his  recreation  and 
at  times  have  shared,  while  they  have  re- 
lieved, his  business  cares.     Having  a  con- 


.xf 


FAIRBANKS,  HENRY,  of  St.  Johnsbury,. 
son  of  Thaddeus  and  Lucy  Barker  Fair- 
banks, was  born  in  St.  Johnsbury,  Mav  6, 
1830. 

When  ten  years  old  he  spent  a  year  in 
I'inkerton  .Academy,  Derry,  N.  H.,  and  then 
entered  the  St.  Johnsbury  Academy,  which 
the  brothers,  E.,  T.  and  J.  P.  Fairbanks, 
established  in  1842,  to  provide  instruction 
for  their  children.  He  was  graduated  from 
this  academy  in  1S47,  from  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  1853,  and  from  Andover  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  1857,  having  spent  a  year  in 
Europe  in  iS48-'49,  and  six  months  in  1856. 
In  the  latter  year  he  went  with  Dr.  S.  H. 
Taylor,  the  honored  teacher  of  Phillips  .\n- 
dover  .Academy,  as  far  as  Egypt  and  Pales- 
tine, and  completed  his  tour  of  Europe  by 
the  ascent  of  Mt.  Blanc.  .After  graduation 
he  took  the  charge  of  a  large  number  of 
home  missionary  fields,  not  only  preaching, 
but  directing  the  vacation  labor  of  students 
and  others  in  them,  and  gathering  up  the 
fruits  of  their  work.  In  i860  he  went  to 
Dartmouth  College  as  professor  of  natural 
philosophy,  taking  afterward  the  department 
of  natural  history. 


viction  that  a  more  extended  knowledge  of 
the  sciences  would  elevate  the  community, 
he  erected  and  presented  to  the  town  a 
museum  of  natural  science,  which  was  dedi- 
cated in  December,  1891.  This  museum 
has  been  by  his  liberality  fully  equipped  for 
scientific  study,  and  amply  endowed. 

Since  186 1  Colonel  Fairbanks  has'  been 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the 
North  Church  of  St.  Johnsbury,  a  continu- 
ous service  of  thirty-two  years.  For  ten 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  international 
lesson  committee. 

December  8,  1852,  Colonel  Fairbanks 
married  Frances  A.  Clapp,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Sumner  G.  and  Pamelia  (Strong)  Clapp. 
They  have  had  four  children  :  .\lfred,  Mary 
Florence  (now  Mrs.  Joseph  T.  Herrick  of 
Springfield,  Mass.),  Margaret  Jane,  and 
Ellen  Henrietta,  of  whom  two,  Mrs.  Her- 
rick and  Ellen  H.,  now  survive. 


After  eight  years  in  this  service  he  returned 
to  St.  Johnsbury,  where  he  developed  various 
inventions,  securing  many  patents,  and  at  the 
same  time  preached  as  his  health  allowed. 
He  led  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  .Associations  in  the  state, 
and  as  president  of    the    State    Missionary 


FAIRRANKS. 


KAIRMANKS. 


129 


Society  had  opportunity  for  much  work  in 
this  direction.  He  is  a  trustee  of  Dartmouth 
College,  and  president  of  the  St.  Johnsbury 
.Academy,  and,  in  1891,  went  to  London  as 
a  member  of  the  International  Congrega- 
tional Council.  For  several  years  he  ha? 
been  secretary  of  the  corporation  of  E.  &: 
T.  Fairbanks  &  Co. 

He  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  .Annie, 
daughter  of  Prof.  D.  J.  Noyes  of  Dartmouth 
College,  who  lived  ten  years.  In  1874  he 
married  Ruthy  Page  of  Newport.  He  has 
six  children  ;  the  eldest,  Rev.  Arthur  Fair- 
banks, Ph.  D.,  is  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
Vale  Divinity  School,  and  the  second,  Robert 
N.  Fairbanks,  is  in  business  in  New  York. 

FAIRBANKS,  ThaddeuS,  born  in 
Brimfield,  Mass.,  Jan.  17,  1796;  died  in  St. 
Johnsbury,  Vt.,  April  12,  1886. 

The  first  of  the  name  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1633,  Jonathan  Ffayerbanke,  from 
Sowerby,  near  Halifax,  on  the  west  border 
of  Yorkshire  ;  and  Richard,  who  was  the  inn- 
keeper and  first  postmaster  of  Boston.  Jon- 
athan, the  ancestor,  so  far  as  known,  of  all 
the  American  families,  built  in  1636  a  house 
in  Dedham,  Mass.,  which  with  the  additions 
made  later  is  still  standing.  The  "Item — 
two  vices  and  one  turning  laeth  and  other 
seuch  thinges,"  and  "Item — many  smale 
tools  for  turning  and  other  the  like  work," 
in  the  in\entory  of  the  estate  of  Jonathan 
F.  in  1 668  seem  to  indicate  thus  early  the 
mechanical  taste  of  the  family,  while  the 
plan  of  the  house,  the  finish,  and  many  little 
arrangements  show  taste  and  skill.  George, 
the  second  son  of  Jonathan,  came  with  his 
father  from  England,  lived  in  Dedham,  and 
in  1657  removed  to  Sherborn,  where  he  was 
selectman  and  a  leading  citizen.  His  fourth 
child,  Eliezur,  was  born  in  1655  and  became 
a  prominent  man  in  Sherborn.  His  yoimg- 
est  child  was  "Captain"  Eleasur,  born  in 
1690,  whose  eleventh  child,  born  in  1734, 
known  in  Sherborn  history  as  "Deacon" 
Ebenezer,  moved  to  Brimfield,  Mass.,  in 
1783.  His  second  son,  Joseph,  born  in 
Sherborn  in  1763,  moved  with  his  father  to 
Brimfield,  bought  a  small  farm,  and  in  1790 
married  Phoebe  Paddock  of  Holland,  Mass., 
whose  ancestor  came  to  America  with  Gov- 
ernor Carver,  and  married  into  the  family  of 
Governor  Bradford,  and  whose  brother, 
Judge  Ephraim  Paddock,  and  others  of  the 
family,  coming  to  Vermont,  became  honored 
and  prominent  citizens.  To  them  three 
sons  were  born:  Erastus,  Oct.  28,  1792; 
Thaddeus,  Jan.  17,  1796,  and  Joseph  Pad- 
dock, No\'.  26,  iSo6. 

'I'hatldeus,  though  born  upon  the  farm, 
was  a  slender  child,  nervously  organized, 
growing  too  fast  to  be  strong,  suffering  in 
his  plays  with  rougher  children,  then  as  all 


his  life  lacking  ])hysical  vigor,  so  that  in  his 
later  years  he  said  that  he  did  not  know 
that  he  ever  in  all  his  life  felt  well,  an  expe- 
rience that  led  to  such  care  of  himself  and 
such  pains  to  make  the  most  of  himself  that 
few  men  have  accomplished  more  or  lived 
longer  than  he.  He  describes  himself  as 
exceedingly  timid,  exceedingly  bashful,  so 
that  when  sent  on  his  mother's  errands  to 
the  store  in  the  evening  no  one  could  know 
what  a  struggle  it  cost  him  to  pass  the  grave- 
yard, made  terrible  by  the  talk  of  the  boys, 
under  the  dark  trees  on  the  way,  or  to  nerve 
himself  to  speak  to  the  storekeeper  as  he 
must.  What  costs  another  nothing  develops 
in  such  a  child  a  true  manliness,  a  real  hero- 
ism. .And  because  it  was  not  easy  for  him 
to  speak  he  thought  the  more,  and  gained 
the  habit,  so  marked  in  all  his  life,  of  not 
beginning  to  speak  until  he  had  thought  the 
matter  through  and  was  quite  prepared  to 
speak  intelligently.  The  boy  who  preferred 
to  be  with  his  mother  instead  of  ]jlaving 
with  boys  outside  was  learning  to  consider 
every  question  .so  thoroughly  that  later  his 
advice  was  sought  and  heeded  by  probably 
more  men  than  ever  came  to  any  one  else  in 
the  state. 

His  father,  Joseph,  was  a  carpenter  as  well 
as  farmer,  and  Thaddeus,  who  was  afraid  to 
speak  to  the  storekeeper,  when  five  years  old 
was  found  running  as  fast  as  a  child  could 
around  and  around  upon  the  plates  of  a 
building  partly  raised  ;  and  very  early  he 
began  to  use  his  father's  tools  with  a  skill 
that  seemed  inborn,  setting  in  motion  little 
machines  driven  by  the  brook  back  of  the 
house,  or  making  various  things  for  his 
mother's  convenience. 

His  father  at  that  time  had  met  with  some 
losses,  there  was  little  money  in  the  country, 
and  the  years  when  Thadileus  should  have 
gone  to  some  academy  were  vears  when  the 
crops  failed,  so  that  he  had  only  the  op])or- 
tunities  furnished  by  the  common  schools, 
when  he  was  well  enough  to  attend.  Books 
were  expensive.  He  often  in  later  years 
spoke  of  how  large  a  sum  the  dollar  that 
must  be  paid  for  a  new  arithmetic  seemed  to 
him,  and  many  a  student  coming  to  him  for 
aid  has  had  occasion  to  be  glad  that  he  re- 
membered how  in  his  boyhood  and  young 
manhood  he  longed  for  educational  priv- 
ileges, which  he  missed  so  much  that  he  was 
glad  to  help  others  to  gain  them. 

Joseph  Fairbanks  and  his  sons  were  too 
enterprising  to  be  content  with  the  hard 
work  and  small  returns  of  the  life  on  the 
rather  rough  farm.  The  new  settlements  of 
Vermont  attracted  them,  and  in  .May,  1815, 
he  sold  his  property  in  Brimfield,  purchased 
the  falls  of  Sleeper's  river,  in  what  is  now 
the  southwest  part  of  the  village  of  St. 
Johnsbury,  and    moved    his    familv    into  a 


130  FAIRBANKS. 

little  cabin  of  rough  boards  there,  in  which 
they  lived  two  and  one-half  years,  as  pio- 
neers live. 

He  and  his  son  Thaddeus  worked  to- 
gether, and  being  skilled  mechanics,  built  a 
dam  upon  the  stream,  which,  coming  from 
the  then  wooded  country,  was  of  some  size, 
and  erected  and  operated  a  sawmill  and  a 
gristmill  where  the  Fairbanks  scale  factory 
has  grown  up.  Meeting  thus  the  necessities 
of  the  new  country  they  began  to  prosper. 
In  a  shop  over  the  gristmill  they  also  made 
carriages,  doing  so  good  work  that  in  1892 
an  old  gentleman  drove  into  St.  Johnsbury 
with  a  wagon  which  he  said  had  been  used 
every  year  since  his  father  purchased  it  of 
Thaddeus  Fairbanks  in  1819.  In  the  summer 
of  1 8 18  Thaddeus  built  a  two-story  double 
house  in  which  his  parents  lived  the  rest  of 
their  life,  and  to  which  he,  marrying  in  Jan- 
uary, 1820,  brought  his  wife,  and  lived  there 
until  1838.  The  work  of  the  mills  and  the 
shops  increased,  and  for  ten  years  he 
boarded  from  three  to  seven  men,  as  the 
e.xigencies  of  that  work  required. 

The  maternal  uncles  of  Thaddeus  Fair- 
banks were  iron  workers,  the  newly  opened 
iron  mine  at  Franconia,  N.  H.,  attracted 
his  attention,  and  in  1823  he  started  a  small 
iron  foundry,  and  was  joined  in  1824  by  his 
brother  F>rastus,  who  gave  up  his  store  in 
Barnet,  the  elder  uniting  his  business  expe- 
rience with  the  mechanical  and  practical 
skill  of  the  younger,  as  they  formed  the 
firm  of  E.  &  T.  Fairbanks.  Besides  some 
job  work  they  made  cooking  and  parlor 
stoves,  patenting  one  which  sold  well.  Thad- 
deus also  patented  a  cast  iron  plough,  an 
unheard  of  thing,  which  the  farmers  said 
would  "  break  all  to  pieces  "  but  which,  as 
made  by  the  inventor,  soon  displaced  the 
wooden  ones  with  steel  point,  the  only  kind 
before  known.  For  stoves  and  ploughs, 
Thaddeus  made  not  only  the  plans,  but  also 
the  patterns  with  his  own  hands,  moulding 
many  of  them  and  attending  to  the  melting, 
improving  the  blast  furnace,  and  overcom- 
ing the  faults  that  appeared  in  weak  or 
porous  castings.  What  he  learned  by  this 
experience  of  making  strong  iron  was  in- 
valuable to  him  in  all  the  later  business. 

In  1829  and  1830  the  attention  of  the 
farmers  of  New  England  was  directed  to 
the  raising  of  hemp,  and  machines  for 
dressing  it  were  required.  E.  &  T.  Fair- 
banks built  three  of  the  immense  Haynes 
machines,  thirty-two  feet  long,  and  each 
having  one  hundred  and  thirty  fluted  rolls 
arranged  in  pairs  and  geared  together  so 
that  the  hemp  stalks  were  crushed  between 
them  as  they  were  drawn  from  one  end  to 
the  other  of  the  machine.  Mr.  Fairbanks 
made  the  gear  wheels,  a  machine  for  fluting 
the  rollers,  and  parts  that  required  skilled 


FAIRBANKS. 

work,  besides  planning  and  superintending 
the  building  of  the  new  shop  and  store 
rooms,  and  patenting  an  improved  hemp 
dresser.  He  was  also  made  manager  of  the 
St.  johnsbury  Hemp  Co. 

His  duties  as  manager,  purchasing  hemp 
by  weight,  developed  a  necessity,  which 
with  such  a  man  as  he  must  prove  the  mother 
of  invention.  That  which  cost  from  ten  to 
fifteen  dollars  per  ton  must  be  accurately 
weighed.  The  only  weighing  machine  for 
carts  then  known  consisted  of  a  stick  of 
timber  suspended  high  in  the  air,  from  one 
end  of  which  two  chains  hung  down  with 
rings  at  the  ends  which  could  be  slipped 
over  the  ends  of  the  axle,  while  from  the 
other  end  of  the  timber  lever  hung  a  plat- 
form upon  which  weights  were  piled  until 
the  cart  swung  clear  of  the  ground.  The 
first  device  of  Mr.  Fairbanks  consisted  of  a 
platform  upon  which  a  cart  could  be  driven, 
resting  and  balanced  upon  a  long  knife- 
edge,  or  upon  two  in  line,  fixed  upon  a 
triangular  lever,  of  which  the  apex  hung  by 
a  steel-yard  rod  from  a  beam  pivoted  and 
graduated  like  the  old  Roman  steel-yard, 
while  the  base  rested  upon  proper  bearings 
at  the  other  end  of  the  scale.  To  keep  the 
platform  balanced  upon  the  supporting  knife 
edges,  a  stiff  post  was  framed  into  it,  from 
the  top  of  which  level  chains  extended  to 
posts  set  in  the  ground  on  either  side  which 
being  level  neither  lessened  nor  increased 
the  load  resting  upon  the  lever  under  the 
]jlatform. 

The  scale  which  Mr.  Fairbanks  built  upon 
tliis  plan  to  weigh  hemp  worked  so  well  that 
his  brother  thought  that  some  might  be  sold 
as  town  scales,  and  an  agent  was  to  take  the 
early  morning  stage  and  make  the  attempt. 
Mr.  Fairbanks  savs  :  "While  sitting  up  watch- 
ing for  the  time  to  call  him,  the  principle 
upon  which  we  now  build  our  scales  sud- 
denly came  to  my  mind.  I  told  the  agent 
that  he  must  wait  a  few  days  until  I  could 
make  plans  and  patterns  in  accordance  with 
my  new  discovery,  and  said  to  my  wife  that 
I  had  just  discovered  a  principle  that  would 
be  worth  more  than  a  thousand  dollars." 
If  such  an  arrangement  of  compound  levers 
had  ever  been  suggested  before  Mr.  Fair- 
banks did  not  know  it,  for  it  had  not  been 
put  into  practical  use,  and  he  obtained  a 
patent  for  it  early  in  1S3T,  as  his  invention. 
His  was  the  first  real  improvement  upon  the 
scales  buried  in  the  destruction  of  Pompeii. 
The  first  hay  scale  was  rude,  having  wooden 
levers  with  cast  iron  bearings,  but  it  was 
vastly  better  than  anything  before  made, 
and  in  a  few  weeks  several  were  sold. 

Mr.  Fairbanks  at  once  saw  that  the  com- 
bination of  levers  in  the  hay-scale,  in  which 
the  four  pivots  upon  which  the  platform 
rested  should  all  stand  in  the  same  relation 


IjVvAXjiWy-A^/wvyi     "^-Uw/vAMvyvJXVyi 


132 


FAIRBANKS. 


of  leverage  to  the  indicating  beam  from 
which  these  levers  hang,  would  be  equally 
adapted  to  scales  of  other  sizes  for  other 
uses.  He  at  once  set  about  making  plans 
and  patterns  with  his  own  hands  for  store 
scales.  These  and  the  counter  scales,  as 
well  as  the  railway  and  canal  boat  scales 
which  he  designed  later  were  new  articles  of 
manufacture,  and  everything  about  them 
must  be  originated.  He  says  :  '  "I  had  to 
consider  the  strength  of  material,  the  shape 
that  would  secure  the  greatest  strength  with 
the  least  material,  and  the  symmetry  and 
beauty  of  outside  appearance.  These,  es- 
pecially the  last,  required  a  great  amount  of 
study.  No  one  can  be  sure  beforehand 
what  the  taste  of  the  public  will  approve. 
That  I  succeeded  in  what  I  aimed  at  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  now  after  the  lapse  of 
fifty  years  the  scales  are  made  after  the 
same  design  and  all  other  makers  follow  the 
same.  My  evenings  and  sometimes  nights 
were  spent  in  this  study,  for  I  must  be  at 
the  shop  all  day.  My  habit  was  to  make 
the  plans  complete  in  my  mind  before  com- 
mencing to  put  them  upon  paper." 

The  scale  was  a  comparatively  simple  in- 
vention, but  many  of  the  machines  invented 
by  Mr.  Fairbanks  for  facilitating  the  man- 
ufacture were  exceedingly  ingenious,  one  for 
engraving  the  sides  of  the  scale-beams  being 
capable  of  so  many  adjustments  that  the  old 
foreman  used  to  say  that  it  could  do  every- 
thing but  talk.  Invention  was  not  laborious 
— to  see  a  result  desirable  was  to  devise  a 
mechanism  for  accomplishing  it.  The  real 
struggle  was  with  poverty,  and  unskilled 
help  and  with  ill-health.  The  demands  of 
the  business  growing  so  rapidly  could  not 
be  met  from  its  earnings,  and  he  made 
scales  for  fifteen  years  with  only  the  rude 
tools  which  he  fitted  up  himself,  and  for 
fifteen  more  bought  only  a  little  machinery. 
Trained  mechanics  could  not  be  hired  in 
the  country,  and  he  had  only  such  assistants 
as  he  could  educate  himself.  No  business 
was  ever  carried  on  at  greater  disadvantage, 
or  by  its  success  attested  more  manly  quali- 
ties in  its  manager. 

The  invention  of  the  scale  met  at  once  a 
great  want,  and  gradually  changed  so  en- 
tirely the  methods  of  doing  business,  that 
now  it  is  as  essential  as  the  steam  engine  or 
the  telegraph.  Almost  nothing  is  measured 
or  counted,  everything  is  weighed,  from  the 
minute  prescription  of  some  potent  drug  to 
the  loaded  freight  train  or  canal  boat.  And 
Mr.  Fairbanks  lived  to  see  scales  de- 
manded for  such  a  variety  of  uses  that  some 
five  hundred  modifications  were  sent  out 
from  St.  Johnsbury.  The  scale  has  become 
a  most  potent  factor  in  modern  civilized 
life,  the  arbiter  between  buyer  and  seller, 
and  by  its  accuracy  is  always  teaching  ex- 


FAIRBANKS. 

actness  in  business  methods,  and  enforcing 
strict  integrity  in  business  transactions. 
His  invention  was  a  scale,  not  a  pair  of 
scales.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  graduated 
beam,  the  scale  of  equal  parts  (scala,  lad- 
der), and  not  from  the  two  scales '(shells)  of 
the  even  balance. 

Mr.  Fairbanks  obtained  early  an  English 
patent,  and  others  later.  The  first  was  sold 
to  H.  Pooley  of  Liverpool,  who  thereupon 
established  what  is  still  the  leading  manu- 
factory of  ( Ireat  Britain.  The  scales  made 
at  St.  Johnsbury  are  also  sold  in  England, 
and  to  other  countries  the  export  is  very 
large.  These  scales  are  graduated  accord- 
ing to  the  standards  of  all  the  nations  of  the 
world,  and  are  sent  everywhere,  Russia, 
Japan,  China,  Australia  and  the  South 
.American  states  furnishing  large  markets. 
These  scales  and  their  inventor  have  re- 
ceived abundant  recognition  and  honors, 
awards,  diplomas,  medals,  from  mechanics' 
and  agricultural  fairs,  the  Philadelphia  Cen- 
tennial, the  London,  Paris  and  Vienna  Ex- 
positions, and  as  a  posthumous  tribute  to 
Mr.  Fairbanks,  as  well  as  an  honor  to  the 
house  which  he  established,  twenty  awards 
by  the  judges  of  the  Columbian  Exposition 
of  1893.  More  personal  than  these,  after 
the  Vienna  Exposition  he  received  from  his 
"Imperial  and  Royal  .\postolic  Majesty" 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  the  knightly  decora- 
tion of  the  Imperial  Order  of  Francis 
Joseph  ;  from  the  Kingof  Siam  the  decoration 
Paspamula,  the  gold  medal  of  Siam,  with  the 
heathen  prayer,  "  May  the  Power  which  is 
mighty  in  the  universe  keep  him  and  guard 
him,  and  grant  him  all  happiness  and  pros- 
perity ;"  and  from  Mohammed  es  Sadok, 
Pasha,  Bey  of  Tunis,  the  decoration  "  of  our 
Order  of  Iftikar,"  and  the  Mohammedan 
invocation,  "  May  you  wear  it  in  peace  and 
prosperity." 

Mr.  Fairbanks  was  not  only  a  scale  maker, 
but  having  occasion  to  build  so  much  he  be- 
came an  architect  of  no  mean  ability,  work- 
ing out  the  details,  from  frame  to  finish,  not 
only  of  shops,  but  of  some  public  buildings, 
some  fine  residences,  and  a  great  many 
most  convenient  little  houses,  sold  or  leased 
to  workmen,  which  are  a  comfort  to  their 
families  and  an  ornament  to  .St.  Johnsbury. 
And  his  inventions  were  not  merely  of 
scales,  for  which,  and  machines  for  making 
them,  he  received  thirty-two  patents,  but  he 
])atented  also  a  hemp  machine,  a  stove,  a 
cast  iron  plough,  a  device  for  creating 
draught  in  chimneys,  a  steam  heater,  a 
steam  water  heater,  a  feed  water  heater,  and 
an  improvement  in  refrigerators.  This  last 
consisted  in  placing  the  ice  above  the  level 
of  the  articles  to  be  cooled,  and  the  princi- 
ple has  been  universally  adopted  for  refrig- 
erators, fruit  houses,  meat  packing  houses. 


FAIRHAN'KS. 

etc.  The  moisture  is  condensed  upon  tlie 
ice,  with  all  tainted  \a]5ors,  and  the  cooled 
dry  air  flows  down  ujion  the  articles  below. 
Mr.  Fairbanks  could  not  go  into  new  busi- 
ness, and  gave  away  his  patent,  which  its 
new  owners  later  told  him  was  worth  at 
least  a  million  of  dollars.  .\  rival  comjiany 
attempted  to  cover  the  claims  of  this  into  a 
patent  of  their  own  by  reissue,  and  to 
establish  a  monopoly.  The  battles  that 
followed  were  among  the  hardest  fought  of 
patent  litigation,  and  the  final  decision 
established  the  priority  of  his  invention,  the 
judge  saying  :  ''  In  this  case  the  evidence  is 
perfectly  conclusive  of  the  construction, 
both  in  1846  and  1849,  by  Thaddeus  F'air- 
banks  of  refrigerators  embodying  the  prin- 
ciple." In  all  refrigerating  apparatus,  as  in 
the  plough  and  the  scale,  Mr.  Fairbanks'  in- 
vention proved  a  revolutionary  improve- 
ment. 

Perhaps  it  was  owing  to  his  own  sense  of 
loss  by  deficiency  of  education  that  Mr. 
Fairbanks  was  led  to  such  intense  interest  in 
giving  educational  advantages  to  others. 
As  a  young  man  we  find  him  interested  in  a 
lyceum,  with  his  employes  and  others,  and 
his  lectures  upon  astronomy  and  heat  pre- 
pared for  that  audience  indicate  vigorous 
and  original  thought.  St.  Johnsbury  had 
various  private  high  schools  before  its  acad- 
emy, and  he  and  his  noble  wife  were  seldom 
without  nephews,  nieces  or  others  in  the 
family  enjoying  these  advantages.  He  and 
his  brothers  established  St.  Johnsbury  Acad- 
emy in  1842,  and  twenty  years  later  he  un- 
dertook its  support,  and  still  later  erected 
its  buildings,  and  contributed  to  its  endow- 
ment fund  enough  to  make  his  total  gifts  to 
it  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  . 
also  contributed  largely  to  the  funds  of 
Middlebury  College  of  which  he  was  a  trus- 
tee, and  was  a  constant  giver  to  many 
western  colleges  and  other  institutions.  He 
was  likewise  for  many  vears  the  largest  con- 
tributor to  home  missionary  work  in  \'er- 
mont,  and  equally  large  to  foreign  missions, 
while  all  the  societies  that  naturally  ap- 
pealed to  him  received  liberal  regular  dona- 
tions, from  him,  and  scores  of  students  were 
aided  by  him. 

Mr.  Fairbanks,  while  exceedingly  taciturn, 
was  an  attractive,  impressive  man.  Active 
to  the  last,  in  spite  of  limitations  from  par- 
tial blindness,  he  was  interested  in  every- 
thing, and  his  last  patent  was  allowed  upon 
his  ninetieth  birthday.  His  was  a  beautiful 
old  age.  Children  loved  him,  and  clung  to 
him.  A  little  child  taken  to  church  for  the 
first  time  saw  him  come  in,  and  in  an  awed 
whisper  asked,  "Mamma,  is  that  Jesus?" 

He  died  after  a  painful  illness,  from  the 
indirect  effect  of  a  fall,  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years  and  three  months.     On  the  day  of  his 


I'ARMAN.  133 

funeral  all  business  in  St.  Johnsbury  was 
suspended,  buildings  were  draped  in  mourn- 
ing, and  great  numbers  came  to  look  once 
more  on  his  face,  and  joined  the  procession 
to  the  grave.  A  man  of  Christian  faith,  of 
spiritual  insight  and  force,  and  of  fine  native 
gifts,  Mr.  Fairbanks  was  successful  above 
most  men  in  his  chosen  lines  of  work,  and 
was  useful  wherever  he  was  successful. 

He  was  married,  Jan.  17,  1820,  to  Lucy 
P.  Barker,  a  native  of  St.  Johnsbury,  whose 
father  Barnabas,  came  with  his  father  and 
the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  and  in  1791 
brought  his  bride,  Ruth  Peck,  from  Reho- 
both  on  a  pillion  behind  him.  Mrs.  Fair- 
banks was  a  woman  of  marked  ability,  taking 
her  full  share  of  the  care  of  the  family,  and 
full  of  kindly  deeds.  Her  son.  Rev.  Henry 
Fairbanks,  Ph.  D.,  is  spoken  of  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Her  daughter,  (^larlotte,  became 
the  wife  of  Rev.  G.  N.  Webber,  D.  D., 
pastor  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  professor  in  Mid- 
dlebury College,  and  pastor  at  Troy,  N.  Y., 
and  died  March  29,  1869.  Mrs.  Fairbanks 
was  born  April  29,  1798,  and  died  Dec.  29, 
1866. 

FARMAN,  MaRCELLUS  WiNSLOW,  of 
Westfield,  son  of  Ashley  and  Harriet  (\^'ins- 
low)  Farman,  was  born  in  Westfield,  July 
29,  1865.  He  is  ninth  in  lineal  descent 
from  Kenelm,  brother  of  (lov.  Edward 
Winslow. 

Until  fifteen  years  of  age  he  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Westfield,  and  then  for  a 
short  time  pursued  his  studies  at  the  Nor- 
mal School  at  Johnson.  For  several  years 
his  sight  had  been  failing  gradually  owing  to 
an  internal  affection  of  the  eyes,  aggravated 
by  excessive  use,  and  his  affection  developed 
until  It  terminated  in  the  loss  of  physical 
vision.  This  was  an  especial  affliction,  as 
from  early  boyhood  he  had  evinced  strong 
literary  tastes,  but  undaunted  by  what  to 
many  would  have  proved  an  insurmountable 
obstacle,  he  again  attended  the  Johnson 
Normal  School,  receiving  his  instruction 
through  the  medium  of  a  reader.  In  1887 
he  entered  the  University  of  Vermont,  tak- 
ing a  special  course  to  fit  himself  for  a  pub- 
lic speaker,  and  notwithstanding  the  disad- 
vantage under  which  he  labored  he  attained 
high  rank  in  both  school  and  college.  His 
first  lecture  was  delivered  in  the  spring  of 
1890  before  the  Burlington  V.  M.  C.  A.  and 
was  attended  and  received  with  unqualified 
approbation  by  the  president  of  the  Uni- 
versity, members  of  the  faculty  and  the 
leading  men  in  the  city.  His  lectures  cover 
political,  historical  and  religious  subjects 
and  have  received  most  complimentary  en- 
dorsement from  many  sources. 

Mr.  Farman  has  met  with  marked  success 
as  a  popular  and  ]>owerful  speaker,  and  in 


134 


FARXHAM. 


the  campaign  of  1892  was  employed  by  the 
state  RepubHcan  committee  in  this  capacity. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  an  occasional 
contributor  to    the  press. 


From  early  manhood  he  has  been  an 
active  and  consistent  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  has  served  on  its  com- 
mittee and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
choir.  He  is  also  an  efficient  worker  in  the 
Y.  P.  S.  C.  E. 

FAULKNER,  SHEPHERD  D.,  of  Whit- 
ingham,  son  of  William  and  Hannah  (Dal- 
rymple)  Faulkner,  was  born  in  Whitingham, 
March  9,  181 8. 

Mr.  Faulkner  belongs  to  a  family  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  history  of  Whit- 
ingham, his  father  being  one  of  its  early  set- 
tlers. After  such  an  education  as  the  com- 
mon schools  of  the  time  afforded  he  desired 
to  devote  the  energy  of  his  life  to  farming, 
in  which  occupation  by  his  constant  labor 
and  careful  management  he  has  amassed  a 
considerable  fortune.  Recently  he  has  not 
engaged  in  any  active  occupation  but  has 
lived  a  retired  life  at  Jacksonville  or  with  his 
son  William  A.  Faulkner  at  Brookline,  Mass. 

In  the  days  of  the  whig  party  Mr.  Faulk- 
ner was  one  of  its  members,  but  has  been 
and  is  now  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was 
first  selectman  at  the  time  of  the  draft  to 
fill  the  town  quota  in  the  days  of  the  civil 
war  and  has  ever  been  one  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  in  the  community,  holding  many 
offices  of  honor  and  trust. 


Mr.  Faulkner  was  united  in  marriage 
Nov.  ir,  1S45,  at  Whitingham,  to  Miranda, 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Clarissa  (Smith) 
(Ireene.  There  were  two  children  :  William 
A.,  and  Emma  M.  (Mrs.  Henry  Holbrook  of 
Whitingham),  deceased. 

Mr.  Faulkner  was  one  of  the  early  found- 
ers of  the  Universalist  Society  in  Jackson- 
ville, is  a  firm  believer  in  its  doctrine  and  a 
liberal  supporter  of  religious  and  charitable 
organizations. 

FARNHAM,  ROSWELL,  of  Bradford,  son 
of  Roswell  and  Nancy  (Bixby)  Farnham, 
was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  July  23,  1827. 

Governor  Farnham  is  of  the  eighth  genera- 
tion in  line  of  direct  descent  from  Ralph 
Farnham,  who  emigrated  from  England  to 
America  and  settled  in  Andover,  Mass.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Capt.  David  Bixby, 
was  a  distinguished  soldier  in  the  Revolution, 
and  was  present  in  the  actions  at  Lexington 
and  Bunker  Hill,  afterwards  doing  excellent 
service  in  Rhode  Island  ;  he  was  also  at  the 
battle  of  Stillwater,  and  later  went  to  sea  on 
board  a  privateer,  and  returned  home  in  pos- 
session of  considerable  prize-money  at  the 
end  of  his  first  cruise.  The  second  venture 
was  not  so  fortunate.  His  vessel  was  cap- 
tured by  a  British  frigate,  when  but  a  short 
distance  out  of  port.  He,  himself,  was  con- 
veyed to  England,  lodged  in  Dartmoor 
prison,  and  there,  in  common  with  other 
American  capti\es,  suffered  great  privations 
for  seventeen  months.  The  father  of  Ros- 
well Farnham  was  in  business  on  Court  street, 
Boston.  He  removed  to  Haverhill,  Mass., 
where  he  began  the  manufacture  of  boots  and 
shoes  for  the  southern  market.  In  1839,  the 
great  financial  deluge  which  swept  so  many 
fortunes  away,  ruined  him.  In  1840,  Roswell 
Farnham,  Sr.,  removed  his  family  to  Brad- 
ford. There  he  purchased  a  farm  on  the 
Connecticut  river,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  within  two  years  of  his  death,  on  the 
2oth  of  December,  i860. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  prepared  for 
college  in  the  academy  at  Bradford,  and 
while  thus  engaged  assisted  in  the  cultivation 
of  his  father's  farm.  Lacking  the  means 
requisite  to  enter  college  when  fully  pre- 
pared, he  pursued  the  studies  of  the  fresh- 
man and  sophomore  classes  at  the  same 
academy,  and  in  September,  1847,  he  joined 
the  junior  class  at  the  L^niversity  of  Vermont, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  August,  1849, 
and  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1852. 

Immediately  after  graduation  he  entered 
upon  active  duty  as  a  teacher  at  Dunham, 
Lower  Canada,  now  Province  of  Quebec. 
From  Dunham,  Mr.  Farnham  removed  to 
Franklin,  Vt.,  where  he  took  charge  of  the 
Franklin  Academical  Institution,  and  later 
he  taught  the  Bradford  Academy  in  this  state. 


^^^^^^^^^,^^>l<^^>^/^. 


136 


But  he  did  not  intend  to  devote  his  hfe  to 
the  profession  of  teaching,  and  therefore  re- 
linquished the  charge  of  the  seminary.  Dur- 
ing this  period  he  found  leisure  for  the  study 
of  law,  and  made  such  progress  that  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  at  the  Orange  county 
bar  in  January,  1857. 

Mr.  Farnham's  professional  career  began 
as  the  partner  of  Robert  McK.  Ormsby.  In 
1859  '^s  commenced  practice  independently, 
soon  acquired  a  remunerative  business,  and 
had  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  its  gradual 
increase.  During  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  state's  attorney  for  Orange  county  by 
the  Republican  party,  and  was  subsequently 
re-elected  twice  by  the  same  organization. 

As  second  lieutenant  of  the  Bradford 
Guards,  Mr.  Farnham  accompanied  the  first 
regiment  of  the  Vermont  Volunteers  to  the 
scene  of  action,  and  was  stationed  for  the 
greater  part  of  its  three  months  service  at 
Fortress  Monroe  and  at  Newport  News,  Va. 
When  the  12th  Vt.  Vol.  Regt.  was  formed 
out  of  the  militia  companies  of  the  state  the 
Governor  detailed  the  Bradford  Guards  as 
one  of  the  companies  of  that  organization. 
Lieutenant  Farnham  was  elected  their  cap- 
tain, but  before  the  regiment  came  to  Brat- 
tleboro,  its  place  of  rendezvous.  Captain 
Farnham  was  appointed  and  commissioned 
as  lieutenant-colonel.  For  nearly  half  of  the 
term  of  his  new  service,  he  was  in  command 
of  the  regiment,  the  colonel  being  in  com- 
mand of  the  brigade.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
second  term  of  service  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Farnham  returned  to  the  practice  of  law 
in  Bradford,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Shortly  after,  he  was  the  Republican  candi- 
date for  representative  of  the  town,  but  was 
defeated  by  a  Democratic  majority.  In  186S 
and  1869  he  was  elected  by  the  Republicans 
to  the  state  Senate,  and  served  creditably  in 
that  body  throughout  both  terms.  He  was 
chairman  of  three  important  committees  and 
a  member  of  two  others.  In  1876  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  national  Republican  con- 
vention which  nominated  Gen.  R.  B.  Hayes 
for  the  presidency.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
presidential  electors  in  the  same  vear,  and 
for  three  years  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education.  He  is,  and  has  been, 
one  of  the  elective  trustees  of  the  University 
of  Vermont  and  State  Agricultural  College. 
In  1880  Colonel  Farnham  was  nominated  as 
candidate  for  the  chief  magistracy  of  Ver- 
mont, and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  25,- 
012  votes.  The  number  of  political  sup- 
porters indicated  by  the  ballot  was  larger 
than  any  previous  candidate  had  enjoyed. 
His  two  years  of  office  as  Governor  were 
extremely  busy  ones,  yet  he  attended  faith- 
fully and  efficiently  to  the  duties  of  his  posi- 
tion, and  that  to  the  neglect  of  his  personal 
affairs.     His  administration  was  as  grateful 


and  profitable  to  the  people  as  it  was  hon- 
orable to  himself. 

In  religious  matters  he  is,  as  might  be  an- 
ticipated from  what  has  been  said  of  his 
ancestry  and  education,  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 

Governor  Farnham  was  married  on  the 
25th  of  December,  1849,  to  Mary  Elizabeth, 
eldest  daughter  of  Captain  Ezekiel'and  Nancy 
(Rogers)  Johnson  of  Bradford.  Three  living 
children  are  the  fruit  of  their  union  :  Charles 
Cyrus,  Florence  Mary,  and  AMUiam  Mills. 

FARRELL,  PATRICK  JOSEPH,  of  New- 
port, son  of  James  and  Rose  Ann  Theresa 
(  Hart )  Farrell,  was  born  in  Stanstead,  P.  Q., 
May  10,  1 86 1. 

His  education  was  derived  from  the 
Wells  River  and  Newport  Academies  but  he 
mainly  relied  on  his  own  efforts  by  private 
study  to  make  himself  a  scholar.  Soon 
after  his  birth,  his  father  removed  to  New- 
bury and  afterwards  to  Newport.  In  his 
early  youth  Patrick  worked  upon  a  farm  and 
assisted  his  father  in  handling  bark,  and 
employed  his  evenings  in  studying  the  art 
of  telegraphy.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Conn.  &  Pass. 
R.  R.,  at  Newport  as  billing  clerk,  and  a  few 
months  after  was  transferred  to  Lyndon- 
ville  as  train  dispatcher,  then  was  employed 
at  Stanstead  and  Derby  Line  as  station 
agent,  and  conductor  of  passenger  trains 
running  from  the  former  town  to  Newport. 
By  the  death  of  his  father,  he  was  compelled 
to  resign  this  position  and  give  his  attention 
to  the  business  affairs  of  the  former,  suc- 
ceeding him  as  agent  for  a  Boston  firm  who 
dealt  in  hemlock  bark. 

He  now  turned  his  attention  to  the  legal 
profession  and  in  1884  began  studying  law 
with  Crane  &  Alfred  at  Newport,  then 
entered  the  office  of  C.  A.  Prouty,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1887.  He 
was  appointed  a  postal  clerk  the  same  year, 
his  route  extending  from  Newport  to  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  and  soon  after  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  chief  clerk  with  his  head- 
quarters at  Boston,  having  charge  of  the 
largest  division  in  New  England.  He  re- 
signed in  1889  and  returning  to  Newport, 
formed  a  copartnership  with  C.  A.  Prouty  in 
the  law  business  which  lasted  nearly  two 
years,  when  the  r)rleans  Trust  Co.  was  or- 
ganized and  Mr.  Farrell  was  made  its  treas- 
urer, which  position  he  still  retains  and  has 
also  charge  of  the  legal  affairs  of  the  bank. 

Mr.  Farrell  has  held  several  public  offices 
in  his  town  and  village,  and  was,  during 
three  years,  chairman  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  said  village.  He  is  a  strong  Demo- 
crat, having  served  several  years  on  the 
Democratic  town  committee,  and  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  state  committee. 


In  1S90  he  was  his  party's  candidate  for  the 
office  of  state's  attorney  in  Orleans  county 
and  in  1892  was  one  of  the  Democratic 
candidates  for  Vermont  presidential  electors 
and  was  an  earnest  and  effective  speaker  in 
the  political  campaign  of  that  year. 

He  was  married  August  9,  1883,  to  Sarah 
M.,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Johanna  M. 
Brady  of  Newport.  Their  children  are : 
Mary  Agnes,  Helen  Isabel,  Charles  Henry, 
and  Charlotte  Claire. 

Mr.  Farrell  is  emphatically  a  self-made 
man  and  one  of  the  brightest  young  attor- 
neys in  the  state.  He  owes  his  success 
almost  entirely  to  his  own  unaided  efforts  to 
advance,  and  deserves  the  highest  credit  for 
his  energy  and  perseverance.  He  has  not 
buried  a  single  talent  in  the  ground,  but  has 
used  every  honorable  means  to  acquire  his 
present  enviable  position,  which  now  pre- 
sents to  him  the  flattering  hope  of  a  still 
more  prosperous  future.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 


Fir.i.u.  137 

FIELD,  Henry  Francis,  of  Rutland, 

son  of  William  M.  and  Minerxa  (Daven- 
port) Field,  was  born  in  Brandon,  Oct.  8, 
1843.  His  ancestors  originated  in  Con- 
necticut and  were  descended  from  Z  echariah 
Field,  who  setded  in  Hartford  in  1639. 

The  education  of  .Mr.  Field  was  obtained 
in  ]jublic  and  pri\ate  sc-hools  and  at  the 
seminary  in  Brandon.  .At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  entered  the  Brandon  Bank  as  a 
clerk,  remaining  there  for  something  more 
than  a  year  and  until,  in  March,  1862,  he 
removed  to  Rutland  to  take  a  position  in  the 
office  of  John  B.  Page,  then  the  treasurer  of 
the  state.  In  1864  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  teller  in  the  Bank  of  Rutland,  soon 
after  reorganized  or  converted  into  a  national 
bank,  and  three  years  later  was  elected  to 
the  cashiership  of  the  Rutland  County  Na- 
tional Bank,  which  position  he  has  held  for 
the  past  twenty-six  years  and  still  retains. 
He  has  also  been  for  many  years  a  director 
of  the  same  institution. 


FIELD,    Frederic     Griswold,    of 

Springfield,  son  of  Abner  and  Louisa  ( Gris- 
wold) Field,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Jan.  i, 
1842.  His  father,  Abner,  was  the  first  post- 
master of  North  Springfield,  several  times 
represented  the  town,  and  was  twice  elected 
to  the  state  Senate.  He  was  an  influential 
man  in  his  day  and  much  respected  for  his 
probity,  energy  and  decision  of  character. 

Mr.  F.  G.  Field  passed  through  the  usual 
course  of  the  common  schools  and  attended 
the  Springfield  Wesleyan  Seminary  several 
years.  Shortly  after  his  majority  he  deter- 
mined to  follow  the  mercantile  profession 
and  with  this  view  in  1864  opened  a  store 
for  general  trade  in  North  Springfield.  \Vith 
the  exception  of  two  years  he  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  business  there.  He  is 
also  an  extensive  owner  of  real  estate  and  to 
some  extent  is  engaged  in  farming. 

.As  a  Republican  he  has  been  chosen  to  fill 
various  town  offices,  was  representative  to 
the  Legislature  from  Springfield  in  i87o-'72, 
and  elected  senator  in  1880.  He  was  com- 
missioner for  Windsor  county  in  1890,  and 
in  1S91  was  appointed  inspector  of  finance 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death 
of  Hon.  L.  O.  Greene  of  Woodstock. 

He  was  married  July  2,  1872,  to  Anna  M., 
daughter  of  Addison  and  Florella  Tarbell  of 
Cavendish.  They  have  two  children  :  Fred 
T.,  and  Bertha  I. 

The  counsel  and  advice  of  Mr.  Field  are 
highly  esteemed  in  financial  and  business 
matters  and  he  does  a  large  amount  of  con- 
vevancing,  besides  settling  many  estates  in 
North  Springfield  and  vicinity.  He  is  as 
sound  a  business  man  as  his  brother  Wal- 
bridge,  the  present  chief  justice  of  the 
Massachusetts  Supreme  Court,  is  lawyer. 


He  is  a  member  and  the  senior  deacon  of 
the  Rutland  Congregational  Church,  and  for 
a  <piarter  of  a  century  has  been  connected 
with  the  Sabbath  school  of  the  church  as 
superintendent  or  assistant. 

Mr.  I'ield  married,  June  21,  1S65,  Annie 
Louisa,  daughter  of  John  Howe  of  Brandon, 
who  was  the  founder  of  the  corporation 
known  as  the  Howe  Scale  Co.,  first  organ- 
ized and  established  in  Brandon  and  after- 
wards remo\  ed  to  Rutland.     The  children  of 


138 


this  union  are  two  sons  :     John   Howe,  and 
WilHani  Henry. 

Mr.  Field's  official  career  commenced  as 
town  treasurer,  which  office  he  held  for  ten 
years.  He  was  also,  meanwhile,  treasurer  of 
the  village,  and  of  the  graded  school  district 
of  Rutland  for  several  years,  and  has  been 
treasurer  of  the  county  since  1877.  He 
served  as  assistant  doorkeeper  of  the  Senate 
in  1858  and  1859  and  was  deputy  secretary 
of  state  in  1861.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  was  chosen  a  senator  from  Rut- 
land county  in  1884,  when  he  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  banks,  and  in  1888  he 
represented  Rutland  in  the  House,  where  he 
was  also  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
banks,  and  served  at  both  sessions  on  other 
important  committees.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  State  Treasurer  and  re-elected  to  the 
same  office  in  1892. 

FISH,  Frank  Leslie,  of  Vergennes, 
son  of  Frederick  A.  and  Sarah  M.  (Gates) 
Fish,  was  born  at  Newfane,  Sept.  17,  1863. 

He  was  educated  at  Leland  and  Gray 
Seminary,  and  at  the  Vermont  .\cademy, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  18S6.     At  this 


school  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the  rhetori- 
cal and  literary  exercises,  aiding  in  establish- 
ing and  being  the  first  editor  of  the  Ver- 
mont Academy  Life,  a  successful  school 
periodical.  After  completing  his  academic 
course  he  taught  several  terms  in  the  district 
schools.  While  engaged  as  principal  of  the 
graded    school   at   South    Londonderry    he 


commenced  the  studv  of  law  with  A.  K. 
Cudworth.  After  further  study  with  Milon 
Davidson  of  Newfane,  he  entered  the  office 
of  Hon.  James  M.  Tyler  at  Brattleboro,  re- 
maining with  him  until  Mr.  Tyler's  acces- 
sion to  the  supreme  court,  when  he  entered 
the  office  of  Judge  Levant  M.  Reed  of 
Bellows  Falls,  continuing  his  law  studies 
and  acting  as  register  of  probate  for  the 
1  )istrict  of  Westminster.  When  at  this  place 
he  edited  the  local  columns  of  the  Bellows 
Falls  Times.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  the  general  term  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
October,  1889.  In  January  following  he 
opened  an  office  at  Vergennes,  where  he 
now  resides. 

Though  but  thirty  years  of  age  he  has 
established  a  reputation  as  a  successful  law- 
yer ;  was  elected  state's  attorney  of  .Vddison 
county  in  1892  ;  is  city  collector  of  taxes; 
was  chosen  superintendent  of  schools  for  Ver- 
gennes in  1892,  and  now  holds  that  position. 

Mr.  Fish  was  married  March  15,  1892,  to 
Minnie  J.,  daughter  of  Chauncey  and  Kmer- 
etta  (Hopkins)  Lyon  of  W'aterbury. 

FISK,  FeRRIN  BaTCHELDER,  of  Lyn- 
don, son  of  Deacon  Lyman  and  Mary  (Spof- 
ford)  Fisk,  was  born  in  Waitsfield,  July  30, 
1837,  and  from  the  age  of  thirteen  to 
twenty-one  labored  at  his  father's  trade  of 
coopering.  Strongly  determined  to  obtain 
an  education,  at  his  majority  he  entered 
Barre  Academy.  Having  chosen  the  minis- 
try as  his  profession,  he  took  a  course  in 
Bangor  (Me.)  Theological  Seminary,  where 
he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1863.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion  he 
served  as  delegate  of  the  Christian  Commis- 
sion in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The 
coffee  wagon  had  been  sent  to  the  Christian 
Commission  at  City  Point,  Va.,  and  not 
being  appreciated  by  those  in  authority,  it 
had  been  left  to  rust  by  the  wayside.  Mr. 
Fisk  finding  it,  saw  it  was  a  good  idea  and 
got  permission  to  try  it.  It  proved  a  great 
success  and  is  remembered  with  gratitude 
by  many  a  veteran. 

Leaving  Dracut  in  1865,  the  subsecjuent 
pastorates  of  Mr.  Fisk  were  in  Massachu- 
setts, Vermont,  and  Minnesota,  and  for  two 
years  he  acted  as  the  field  agent  of  Carleton 
College  of  the  last  named  state.  Ill-health  in 
his  family  demanded  removal  to  a  warmer 
climate,  therefore  he  served  in  the  home 
missionary  field  in  Illinois  and  Florida  for 
about  five  years.  Returning  to  Vermont,  he 
supplied  at  Morrisville  and  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Lyndon,  where  he  now  resides  and 
has  under  his  charge  the  parishes  of  Lyndon 
and  St.  Johnsbury  Centre. 

August  25,  1863,  Mr.  Fisk  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Harriet  L.,  daughter  of 
Charles  F.  and    Luana    (Carpenter)    Bige- 


139 


low.  'I'hey  have  four  children  :  Flora  F. 
(Mrs.  (j.  L.  Zimmerman),  George  Shep- 
hard,  Fidelia,  and  Grace  Harriet. 

Mr.  Fisk  was  chaplain  of  the  Vermont 
Senate  in  icSOg  and  1870,  and  inaiigurated 
the  custom  of  daily  legislative  prayer  meet- 
ings. He  is  a  poet  of  more  than  local  rep- 
utation and  a  few  of  his  compositions  have 
been  published  in  the  "Poets  and  I'oetrv  of 
\'ermont." 

FLAGG,  George  W.,  of  ISraintree, 
son  of  .\ustin  and  Mary  V..  (Harwood) 
Flagg,  was  born  in  that  town,  April  9,  1839. 

F^ducated  in  the  common  schools  of  Brain- 
tree  and  Randolph  Academy  he  remained 
upon  his  father's  farm  till  the  age  of  twenty 
and  afterwards  was  a  day  laborer  till  the 
breaking  out  of  the  civil  war. 


^^e^ 


In  May,  1861,  he  enlisted  at  Montpelier 
in  Co.  F,  id  Regt.,  Vt.  Vols.,  and  partici- 
pated in  every  engagement  in  which  the  old 
Vermont  brigade  bore  part  from  Bull  Run 
to  .Appomattox.  He  was  constantly  on 
duty,  but  for  one  month  was  disabled  by  a 
wound  received  in  the  Wilderness.  May  3, 
1864,  his  brigade  was  the  first  to  enter 
Petersburgh,  when  General  Grant  advanced 
on  Richmond.  Mr.  Flagg  enlisted  as  a 
private,  served  four  years,  participated  in 
twenty-five  battles  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  sergeant ;  he  as  such  more  than  once 
commanded  his  company  in  the  absence  of 
all  the  superior  officers.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  as  ist  lieutenant  with  brevet 
captain,  July  25,  1865. 


He  was  in  commantl  and  took  home  to 
the  state  the  only  company  organized  in  the 
capital  of  the  state  during  the  war. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  mar- 
ried and  settled  upon  a  farm.  He  now  owns 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  the  east  por- 
tion of  the  town,  it  being  the  second  best  in 
town,  the  production  of  which  he  has  quad- 
rupled in  twenty-four  years.  He  is  a  well 
known  breeder  of  Cotswold  sheep  and  has  re- 
ceived many  medals  and  prizes  for  specimens 
exhibited  at  New  England  state  and  county 
fairs.  He  also  possesses  an  excellent 
orchard,  for  the  fruit  of  which  he  finds  a 
ready  market. 

Early  in  life  he  showed  great  aptitude  for 
collar  and  elbow  wrestling  and  was  wont, 
even  when  a  boy,  to  display  this  accomplish- 
ment at  public  gatherings.  He  gradually  so 
increased  in  skill  that  he  was  the  acknowl- 
edged champion  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. From  the  age  of  thirty-five  to  forty- 
eight,  he  travelled  extensively  in  most  of  the 
northern  states,  giving  exhibitions  of  his 
proficiency,  and  his  only  rival  was  H.  ^L 
Dufur  with  whom  he  had  many  hard  fought 
battles. 

.\t  the  age  of  eighteen  he  lost  his  last  fall 
(for  business),  for  fifteen  years  he  knew  no 
difference  in  men,  he  could  throw  any  man 
he  ever  met  in  five  minutes.  He  travelled 
through  Western  New  York,  where  he  won 
many  matches,  also  Ohio.  He  wrestled  in 
almost  every  town  of  importance  in  Michi- 
gan where  he  defeated  the  renowned  Indian 
chief  Tipsico  at  a  back  hold  match.  In 
New  England  he  wrestled  for  agricultural 
societies,  one  of  which  was  the  Vermont 
State  Fair,  also  at  July  4th  gatherings  to 
thousands  of  people  under  great  excitement. 
In  his  travels  he  challenged  all  comers  for 
any  amount  with  perfect  confidence. 

.After  each  campaign  of  travels  he  returned 
to  work  on  his  farm,  never  training  for  a 
match  or  series  of  matches. 

During  Mr.  Flagg's  wrestling  career  he 
doubtless  wrestled  two  hundred  matches. 
.Athletic  sports  had  a  great  fascination  for 
him.  A  game  that  was  very  popular  in  his 
boyhood  days,  the  champion  wrestler  being 
the  lion  of  the  day  at  all  public  gatherings. 
In  all  of  his  matches  he  always  manifested 
good  cheer  towards  all,  never  losing  his 
temper,  being  strictly  honest. 

.As  a  temperance  man  none  were  more 
zealous  in  the  cause  than  he.  In  all  of  his 
travels  he  never  tasted  licjuor ;  making 
speeches  in  the  Legislature  in  the  cause  of 
temperance,  never  tiring  in  advocating  its 
cause. 

Mr.  F'lagg  married  Delia  .A.,  daughter  of 
Whitman  and  Elmira  (Smith)  Howard, 
May  16,  1865.  f!y  her  he  has  had  two 
children  :  Lester  G.,  and  Bert  C. 


;i40 


FLETCHER. 


As  a  Republican,  Mr.  Flagg  has  been 
•called  upon  to  serve  his  town  in  many  minor 
•offices,  and  was  elected  representative  to  the 
Legislature  in  i8S6. 

He  received  his  degrees  in  Masonry  in 
Phoenix  ],odge  of  Randolph,  and  has  joined 
U.  S.  Grant  Post,  No.  96,  G.  .-V.  R.,  of  West 
Randolph,  and  is  its  present  commander. 

Mr.  Flagg  possesses  a  marked  personality, 
is  fully  six  feet  in  height  with  the  figure  of  a 
Hercules  ;  and  with  his  jovial  good  nature,  his 
sturdy  strength  and  endurance,  his  unflinch- 
ing courage  and  unselfish  patriotism  is  the 
^typical  Green  Mountain  Boy  of '76  and  '61. 

FLANDERS,  William  Dana,  of  Orange, 
son  of  Royal  C.  and  Hannah  B.  (Williams) 
Flanders,  was  born  in  Orange,  June  20, 
1850.  Royal  C.  Flanders  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  2d  Regt.  Vt.  Infantry,  and  after- 
wards in  the  9th,  and  when  he  returned  from 
the  war,  after  more  than  four  years  service, 
he  held  the  commission  of  lieutenant. 


Dana  attended  the  common  schools  of 
•Orange,  but  his  father  dying  when  he  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age,  his  efforts  to 
obtain  an  education  were  brought  to  a  ter- 
mination. Before  he  was  of  age,  he  began 
as  a  laborer  in  a  sawmill,  and  naturally  has 
followed  the  business  of  lumbering  from  that 
time.  In  1879  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Carlos  B.  Richardson,  which  lasted  six  years, 
and  since  that  time  he  has  carried  on  the 
business  alone,  in  the  summer  time  giving 
some  attention  to  farming. 


Favoring  the  princi])les  of  the  Republican 
]>arty,  he  has  been  thought  worthy  to  fill  the 
usual  town  offices,  and  was  sent  to  the  Legis- 
lature from  Orange  in  1892.  Here  he  served 
upon  the  committee  on  claims. 

Mr.  Flanders  was  married  at  Barre,  July 
3,  1878,  to  Cora  B.,  daughter  of  Carlos  B. 
and  Sarah  (Jackson)  Richardson.  Four 
children  are  the  fruit  of  their  marriage,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy ;  Nettie  B.  and 
Fred  C.  are  still  living  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Flanders  is  a  Free  Mason  of  more 
than  twenty  years  standing,  is  a  member  of 
Granite  Lodge,  No.  35,  of  Barre,  and  also  of 
the  chapter  of  that  place.  Though  he  com- 
menced life  under  many  disadvantages,  he 
has  made  full  use  of  his  opportunities,  and 
bears  an  excellent  reputation  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 

FLETCHER,  HENRY  ADDISON.ofProc- 
torsville,  son  of  Ryland  and  Mary  Ann, 
(May)  Fletcher,  was  born  in  Cavendish 
Dec.  1 1,  1S39. 

The  name  of  Fletcher  for  three  genera- 
tions has  been  a  prominent  one  in  the  town 
of  Cavendish.  Dr.  Asaph  Fletcher  was  a 
member  of  the  convention  that  framed  the 
Constitution  of  Massachusetts.  Having 
moved  to  Cavendish  in  17S7,  he  was  also  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  applied  to 
Congress  for  the  admission  of  Vermont 
into  the  Union,  was  several  times  elected  to 
the  Legislature  and  was  also  a  county  judge 
and  presidential  elector.  Of  his  family  of 
nine  children  the  three  most  distinguished 
were  :  Horace,  a  prominent  Baptist  clergy- 
man ;  Richard,  a  member  of  Congress  and 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  and  Ryland, 
who  became  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  was 
the  first  Republican  Governor  of  the  state. 
Sketches  of  both  the  latter  appear  in  Part  I 
of  this  work. 

Henry  A.  Fletcher  was  mustered  into  the 
U.  S.  service  Oct.  23,  1862,  as  ist  sergeant 
of  Co.  C,  1 6th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  commanded 
by  Col.  W.  G.  Veazey,  was  appointed  ser- 
geant major  March  9,  1863,  and  com- 
missioned 2d  lieutenant  of  Co.  C,  April  2, 
1863. 

.A  Republican  in  his  political  preferences, 
he  represented  Cavendish  in  the  House  in 
1867,  186S,  1878,  1880  and  1882  and  was  a 
senator  from  Windsor  county  in  18S6. 
Among  his  other  legislative  duties  he  served 
on  the  committees  on  banks,  railroads,  revis- 
ion of  laws  and  the  general  committee.  In 
1 8 78  he  was  appointed  aid  on  the  staff  of 
Ciovernor  Proctor  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 
In  1890  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor of  the  state.  He  is  a  member  of 
Howard  Post,  No.  33,  Cj.  A.  R.  of  Ludlow. 

Mr.  Fletcher  is  unmarried  and  is  a  farmer 
residing  on   the   old   homestead,  which   has 


been  owned  and  occupied  by  the  family  for 
more  tlian  a  century.  His  name  is  equally 
associated  with  the  distinguished  memory  of 
an  honored  ancestry  and  his  own  excellent 
record  as  a  citizen  and  a  public  man. 

FOOTE,  ROLLIN  ABRA.M,  of  Cornwall, 
son  of  Col.  Abram  and  Orpha  (William- 
son) Foote,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  Jan.  9, 
1832. 


children  ;     Abram  William,  and  I'Vank  S, 
son. 


141 
:imp- 


JN    ABRAM    FOOTE. 


He  obtained  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  birthplace,  settled  upon  the  farm 
which  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Foote 
family  from  the  first  settlement  of  the  town, 
and  has  continued  there  pursuing  his  vocation 
till  the  present  time.  The  estate  has  been 
enlarged  and  improved  since  it  came  into 
his  hands,  and  he  does  not  complain  of 
"  hard  times "  in  the  present  depression  in 
agriculture.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial 
men  of  the  county  ;  where  advice  is  often 
sought,  and  whose  influence  is  wholly  on  the 
side  of  good  order.  In  1879,  he  formed  a 
copartnership  with  his  son,  Abram  W.  Foote, 
for  the  sale  of  hay  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments, and  has  built  up  a  prosperous  trade 
in  that  line  ;  and  he  has  also  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  breeding  matched  horses. 

Mr.  Foote  has  held  all  the  principal  offices 
in  the  town  of  his  nati\ity,  among  which 
may  be  named  :  Lister  eleven  years,  overseer 
of  the  poor  seventeen  years,  and  road  com- 
missioner. 

He  married,  March  i,  1854,  Miss  Julia 
Arabella  Sampson,  by  whom  he  has  had  two 


FORBHS,  Charles  Spoonbr,  of  st. 

Albans,  son  of  Abner  and  Catherine  Forbes, 
was  born  at  Windsor,  .August  6,  185 1,  and 
removed  to  St.  Albans  in  1S63. 

The  public  schools  gave  him  his  prelimi- 
nary training,  and  resolving  to  become  a. 
journalist  by  profession,  he  commenced  his 
newspaper  career  on  the  St.  Albans  Tran- 
script at  the  age  of  seventeen.  He  has 
been  connected  with  various  state  papers  for 
nearly  twenty  years  and  since  1879  has  been 
the  Vermont  correspondent  and  state  mana- 
ger of  the  Boston  Journal. 

Mr.  Forbes  cast  his  first  vote  for  President 
Grant  and  was  prominent  in  the  Campaign 
Club  of  St.  Albans  in  1S72,  and  has  actedas 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  local  Republi- 
can clubs  afterward  formed.  He  was  secre- 
tary of  the  Republican  state  convention  of 
1886  :  was  a  delegate  and  one  of  the  secre- 
taries of  the  national  convention  of  Repub- 
lican clubs  held  in  New  York  City  in  1887  ; 
made  secretary  of  the  Republican  League  of 
\'ermont  in  188S,  and  assisted  in  organizing 


CHARLES  SPOONER  FORBES. 

one  hundred  and  fifty  campaign  clubs.  He 
was  appointed  captain  and  aid-de-cani])  on 
the  brigade  staff,  V.  N.  C.,  in  1886  and  was 
a  member  of  the  staff  of  Governor  Dilling- 
ham, with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

Colonel  Forbes  has  held  many  honorable 
])ositions  in  civil  life,  among  them  the  secre- 


142 


taryships  of  the  Vermont  commission  on 
the  Washington  centennial  at  New  Yorl;, 
the  State  Press  Association,  the  Vermont 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, the  Vermont  Historical  Society,  the 
Vermont  League  for  (iood  Roads,  and  the 
state  commission  to  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition.  He  was  elected  president  of 
the  Vermont  Press  Association  in  1893.  In 
December,  1889,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue 
for  the  Vermont  Division,  which  office  he 
held  for  four  years. 

The  religious  \iews  of  Colonel  Forbes  are 
Episcopalian  and  he  is  a  member  of  St. 
Luke's  Church,  St.  Albans.  He  has  been  a 
vestryman,  treasurer  and  parish  clerk,  and 
also  a  delegate  to  se\eral  diocesan  conven- 
tions of  the  church.  Colonel  Forbes  was 
one  of  the  notification  committee  appointed 
at  the  special  diocesan  convention  in  1893 
to  inform  Rev.  Arthur  C.  A.  Hall  of  Oxford, 
England,  of  his  election  to  the  Vermont 
Ri.shopric. 

FORD,  Samuel  W.,  of  concord,  son 
of  Robert  and  Lydia  (Hale)  Ford,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  (Irafton,  N.  H.,  June  16, 
1823. 

When  Samuel  had  arrived  at  the  age  of 
six  years  his  father  moved  to  Kirby  and  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  town  he  received 
his  early  educational  training. 

Mr.  Ford  left  home  when  about  seventeen 
years  old  and  pursued  the  vocation  of  farm 
laborer  until  the  age  of  thirty.  He  was  an 
excellent  type  of  his  class  of  that  period  now 
unfortunately  so  seldom  to  be  found  in  our 
agricultural  communities.  Sturdy,  intelli- 
gent and  industrious  he  fought  his  way 
through  difficulties  and  obstacles,  until  he 
was  able  to  marry  and  settle  upon  the  fertile 
farm  that  he  has  occupied  ever  since,  where 
he  has  still  continued  to  manifest  the  thrift 
and  perseverance  of  his  early  life.  He  has 
been  most  successful  in  breeding  good  grade 
Shorthorn  stock  and  Shropshire  sheep, 

Mr,  Ford  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to 
the  late  ex- President  Hayes  and  also  is  of 
the  same  political  creed.  As  selectman  he 
was  most  active  and  energetic  in  raising  the 
town  quota  of  soldiers  during  the  civil  war. 
The  requisition  was  received  Saturday  and 
on  the  following  Thursday  sixteen  recruits 
were  enrolled  before  sunset.  In  1876  he 
represented  the  town  of  Concord  in  the 
Legislature. 

Mr.  Ford  was  married  March  8,  1853,  to 
Sophronia,  daughter  of  William  and  Polly 
Willry.  Mrs.  Ford  has  been  the  mother  of 
four  children  :  Ellery,  Helen  (Mrs.  William 
Lindsan),  Dan,  and  Almeda  (Mrs.  Milo  A. 
Green). 


FOSS,  James  M.,  of  St.  Albans,  was 
born  at  Pembroke,  N.  H,,  Jan.  6,  1829. 
His  parents  were  Jeremiah  and  Clarissa 
(Moore)  Foss. 

He  was  educated  at  Pembroke  .Academy, 
until  his  seventeenth  year,  when  he  deter- 
mined to  supplement  his  academic  instruc- 
tion with  practical  information  in  a  direction 
that  would  fit  him  for  the  business  life  to 
which  he  had  resolved  to  devote  himself. 
To  this  end  he  commenced  an  apprentice- 
ship, November,  1846,  in  the  machine  shops 
of  the  Concord  Railroad  Co.,  at  Concord,  N. 
H,  From  1850  to  1862  Mr.  Foss  worked  as 
a  machinist  and  locomoti\e  engineer  on  the 
Boston,  Concord  &  Montreal  R.  R.,  acquir- 


ing a  thorough  familiarity  with  the  details 
and  practical  knowledge  of  the  construction 
and  operation  of  railroad  machinery.  Dur- 
ing the  last  portion  of  his  service,  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  shops  of  the  last  named  road. 
From  1862  to  1865  he  was  master  mechanic 
of  the  Boston  &  New  York  air  line,  in 
connection  with  the  Back  Bay  Co.  In 
March,  1865,  he  returned  to  Concord,  N. 
H.,  as  master  mechanic  of  the  Concord 
Railroad,  where  he  remained  until  June, 
1868,  at  which  time  a  larger  field  for  the 
employment  of  his  ability  in  his  special  line 
was  afforded  him,  and  he  accepted  an  offer 
for  the  management  of  the  Vermont  Central 
Railroad  Co.,  as  its  master  mechanic.  In 
1873  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the 
motixe  power  and  machinery  of  the  Central 


•4J 


\'ermont  system,  which  comprised  the  \er- 
mont  Central,  \'ermont  &  Canada  railroads, 
the  Rutland,  and  other  leased  lines.  During 
this  period  the  corporation  constructed  its 
own  locomotives,  some  half  hundred  of  which 
were  turned  out  under  the  supervision  of 
Mr.  P'oss.  His  efficiency  as  a  railroad  man 
was  recognized  by  his  promotion  in  1879  to 
the  position  of  assistant  general  superinten- 
dent, which  was  followed  by  a  further  ad- 
vancement, in  1885,  to  the  office  of  general 
sui)erintendent.  This  appointment  he  held 
until  1892,  when  impaired  health  compelled 
him  to  resign.  But  the  corporation  with 
which  he  had  been  connected  for  so  many 
years  was  loth  to  part  with  his  services,  and 
he  remained  in  its  employment  in  the 
capacity  of  assistant  to  the  president,  a  posi- 
tion in  which  the  benefit  of  his  advice  and 
judgment  could  be  availed  of,  while  he  could 
be  afforded  more  leisure  than  was  possible 
while  performing  the  more  active  duties  of 
general  superintendent.  This  position  of 
assistant  to  the  president  he  still  retains  after 
nearly  half  a  century  of  active  railroad  life. 

Mr.  Foss  was  married,  Nov.  15,  1855,  to 
Ellen  A.,  daughter  of  John  ^'.  and  Laura 
Barron,  who  died  in  April,  1871.  For  his 
second  wife  he  wedded,  Sept.  18,  1874,  Mrs. 
So])hia  H.  (Chester)  Locklin  (widow  of  H. 
H.  Locklin),  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
Chester,  natives  of  England  and  residents 
at  Dudswell,  P.  Q.  Of  this  union  there  is 
one  son  :  James  Barron  Foss,  born  August 
17,  1876,  who,  with  Hortense  H.  Locklin, 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Foss,  constitute  the  family. 

He  is  a  believer  in  the  great  industry  of 
Vermont  farming,  and  has  a  large  area  of 
land  under  cultivation,  located  on  the  road 
from  the  village  to  St.  Albans  Bay. 

His  business  life  has  demanded  all  his 
time,  and  he  has  found  no  opportunity  to 
mingle  actively  in  politics,  but  he  has  always 
manifested  a  loyal  allegiance  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party. 

He  is  a  member  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal 
Society,  and  contributes  generously  to  its 
support.  Mr.  Foss  is  a  member  of  the  sev- 
eral Masonic  bodies,  and  has  attained  to  the 
32d  degree  in  that  fraternity. 

He  possesses  a  genial,  social  nature,  and 
enjoys  the  quiet  entertainment  of  a  few 
friends  at  his  handsome  and  hospitable  home. 

FOSTER,  ALONZO  M.,  of  Cabot,  son 
of  G.  W.  and  Polly  (Kelton)  Foster,  was 
born  in  Calais,  Jan.  30,  1830.  His  father 
was  an  early  settler  and  when  much  of  the 
town  was  an  unbroken  wilderness  he  cleared 
away  the  land,  built  farm  buildings,  and  set 
out  shade  trees.  Not  content  with  this 
homestead,  he  busied  himself  extensively  in 
reducing  wild  lands  for  other  farms  in  the 
neighborhood. 


At  twenty  years  of  age  .'Monzo  M.  Foster 
bought  one-half  of  his  father's  estate  on 
credit  and  carried  on  this  property  success- 
fully for  sixteen  years.  In  1866  he  came 
into  possession  of  a  valuable  property  in 
Cabot,  known  as  the  "Old  C'anip  tiround," 
or  "J,yford  Farm,"  where,  although  doing 
general  farming,  he  has  gi\en  his  most  ener- 
getic efforts  to  the  manufacture  of  maple 
sugar,  producing  from  an  orchard  of  more 
than  two  thousand  trees  three  to  four  tons 
annually,  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  sale 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  products  of 
"Maple  Grove  Sugar  Camp"  are  becoming 
known  and  appreciated  throughout  the 
country,  and  while  Mr.  Foster  has  for  years 
led  the  column  of  ^'ermont  producers,  it  is 
now,  though  unofficially  as  yet,  learned  that 
his  sugar  has  received  the  highest  award  at 
the  late  World's  Fair. 

Mr.  Foster  acted  with  the  Free  Soil  party 
in  1852,  but  since  that  time  has  \oted  the 
Republican  ticket,  and  in  1864  and  1865 
was  sent  as  representative  of  the  town  of 
Calais  to  the  Legislature. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, and  was  for  years  Master  of  Wash- 
ington Grange  of  Cabot.  Remote  from  city 
life,  he  has  spent  a  useful  and  quiet  existence 
among  his  native  hills,  esteemed  and  re- 
spected in  the  community  in  which  fortune 
has  cast  his  lot. 

Mr.  Foster  was  united  in  marriage,  Ajiril 
20,  1 85 1,  to  P>lsie  W.,  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Susan  (Rich)  Dudley  of  Calais.  Their 
five  children  are  :  Charles  D.,  Harry  H.,  Ina 
B.,  Bernard  i\L,  and  Linnie  D. 

FOSTER,  AUSTIN  THEOPHILUS,  of 
Derby  Line,  son  of  Stephen  and  Mary 
(King)  Foster,  was  born  in  East  Mont- 
pelier,  Sept.  20,  1822. 

His  education  was  obtained  through  the 
usual  medium  of  the  common  schools  and 
an  after  course  of  instruction  at  the  acad- 
emy in  Montpelier. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  he  went  to  Derby 
Line  and  entered  the  store  of  Spaulding  & 
Foster  just  across  the  Canadian  frontier  at 
Rock  Island,  P.  Q.,  as  a  clerk.  In  1841  he 
was  associated  in  partnership  with  Levi 
Spaulding  and  his  brother  Stephen  Foster 
under  the  firm  name  of  Spaulding,  Foster  & 
Co.  In  185  I  he  also  opened  a  general  store 
at  Derby  Line  which  he  continued  until 
1882.  In  1865  he  purchased  from  the 
estate  of  Charles  Pierce  the  shoe  factory  at 
Rock  Island  which  he  still  owns.  Mr. 
Foster  has  been  an  active  business  man  for 
fifty  two  years  during  which  he  has  resided 
continuously  at  Derby  Line,  he  has  generally 
met  with  success  in  his  operations.  He  was 
a  director  in  the  People's  Bank  at  Derby 
Line  from   januarv,  18^2,  till  it  was  merged 


FRANCISCO. 


in  the  national  bank  of  that  place  of  which 
he  has  been  a  director  since  its  organization 
and  its  president  since  1871. 

He  represented  the  town  of  Derby  in  the 
General  Assembly  in  1S62  and  1S63,  being 
elected  by  the  Republican  vote,  and  was 
chosen  senator  from  Orleans  county  in  1886. 
■He  was  appointed  U.  S.  Consular  Agent  in 
1869  at  Stanstead,  P.  Q.,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  for  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Foster  has  also  been  prominent  in 
religious  circles,  receiving  the  honor  of  an 
election  to  the  presidency  of  the  Universalist 
convention  of  the  state  of  Vermont  and 
Province  of  Quebec  in  1882  and  has  been 
called  to  that  office  every  year  since  by  ac- 
clamation. 


i 
^ 


AUSTIN   THEOPHILUS    FOSTER. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  1848  at 
Stanstead,  P.  Q.,  to  Aurelia,  daughter  of 
Harris  and  Abigail  Way  of  Rock  Island,  who 
only  lived  about  two  years  after  their  mar- 
riage. In  1853  he  married  Sarah  H.,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  John  and  Lydia  Gilman.  By 
her  he  has  four  children  ;  Harriet  (Mrs.  F. 
M.  Hawes,  Somerville,  Mass.),  John  G., 
Mary  J.,  and  Stephen  A. 

FOSTER,  Wells  a.,  of  Weston,  son  of 
Jeremiah  and  Mary  (Temple)  Foster,  was 
born  at  Weston,  April  8,  1837.  •  t.O 

He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three 
children,  and  his  father  died  when  he  was 
five  years  old.  His  education  was  neces- 
sarily limited,  and  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools.     When  he  arrived  at  the  age 


of  thirteen,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his 
mother,  and  from  that  time  never  knew  the 
blessing  of  a  home  till  he  had  made  one  for 
himself.  He  labored  upon  a  farm  in  the 
vicinity  till  he  was  nineteen,  and  during  the 
next  seven  years  was  variously  employed  in 
mechanical  pursuits,  first  at  Mt.  Holly,  and 
later  at  Boston.  In  1863  he  was  drafted 
into  the  army,  but  purchased  his  release. 
Soon  after  he  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  ash  handles  for  agricultural  tools  in  com- 
pany with  W.  S.  Foster,  and  afterward  with 
R.  B.  Jaquith.  The  firm  then  began  to  turn 
out  chair  stuff  in  the  rough,  and  soon  after 
began  manufacturing  finished  chair  stock. 
Now  their  increased  business  requires  a 
force  of  forty  men,  and  their  buildings  cover 
an  area  of  four  acres.  In  1S89  the  firm  suf- 
fered the  loss  of  their  entire  plant  by  fire, 
but  with  characteristic  energy  they  immedi- 
ately rebuilt  their  works,  and  are  doing  the 
usual  amount  of  business,  turning  out  a 
product  of  540,000  a  year. 

Mr.  Foster  is  a  Republican,  and  repre- 
sented Weston  in  the  General  Assembly  in 
18S4  and  1886,  serving  on  the  committee 
on  the  grand  list. 

He  was  married  in  Mt.  Holly,  Dec.  23, 
1858,  to  Lavina  L.,  daughter  of  Austin  L. 
and  Lois  (Simonds)  Benson.  Of  this  union 
were  two  children:  Ella  (Mrs.  Walter  M. 
Wright,  of  South  Gardner,  Mass.),  and 
Vernie  A. 

Mr.  Foster  has  settled  many  estates  and 
often  acted  as  guardian  and  has  always  con- 
scientiously and  ably  discharged  the  duties 
of  these  trusts.  He  is  a  director  of  Chester 
National  Bank,  and  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Black  River  Academy,  of  Ludlow. 

FRANCISCO,  M.  JUDSON,  of  Rut- 
land, was  born  on  the  5  th  day  of  August, 
1S35,  at  West  Haven,  and  was  the  third  son 
of  John  Francisco  who  moved  to  West 
Haven  in  1795,  participated  in  the  war  ot 
18 1 2,  and  at  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh  was 
one  of  the  famous  Green  Mountain  Boys. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  left  home  when 
sixteen  years  old  for  Ohio,  to  enter  Oberlin 
College.  After  completing  his  studies  there 
he  passed  several  years  travelling  through 
the  West  and  South,  visiting  all  the  states 
then  admitted  to  the  LTnion.  He  returned 
to  Vermont  in  1859,  returning  West  again  in 
October,  i860,  as  principal  of  the  North- 
western Commercial  College  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana.  Here  he  resided  during  the  first 
years  of  the  rebellion  and  took  an  active 
part  in  raising  volunteers  for  the  Lnion 
cause,  and  in  circumventing  the  schemes  of 
the  "  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle." 

In  1863  I\[r.  Francisco  married  Margaret 
Holmes,  daughter  of  Israel  Holmes  of  Water- 
bury,   Conn.,    one   of  the   oldest   and    best 


i4() 


known  families  of  that  state.  Mr.  Holmes 
was  directly  connected  with  the  founding  of 
the  brass  industry  in  the  I'nited  States  and 
established  a  large  number  of  manufactur- 
ing concerns  in  Connecticut,  notably  among 
these  being  the  Holmes,  Booth  &  Hayden 
Manufacturing  Co. ;  the  Waterbury  Brass 
Co. ;  the  Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing 
Co. ;  the  Scoville  Button  Co. ;  the  Water- 
bury  Clock  Co.,  and  the  Wolcottville  FJrass 
Co. 

Leaving  Fort  Wayne  in  1S64,  Mr.  Fran- 
cisco accepted  the  presidency  of  the 
Pennsylvania  College  of  Trade  and  Finance, 
at  Harrisburg,  where  he  organized  a  large 
and  flourishing  institution,  in  which  many 
men  now  at  the  head  of  influential  corpora- 
tions received  their  first  knowledge  of  com- 
mercial principles.  After  several  years  of 
close  application  in  the  management  of  the 
college,  failing  health  compelled  him  to  re- 
linquish his  position,  and  he  returned  to  his 
native  state  where  he  found  renewed  vigor, 
and  entered  upon  that  sphere  of  activity 
which  was  destined  to  be  of  wider  scope 
than  that  of  any  preceding  years.  When 
the  English  fire  insurance  companies  were 
negotiating  for  admission  into  the  United 
States  Mr.  Francisco  was  promptly  tendered 
and  assumed  the  general  management  for 
Vermont  of  the  North  British  and  Mercan- 
tile of  Edinburgh  and  the  Liverpool  and  Lon- 
don and  Globe  of  London.  He  was  later 
made  manager  of  the  Vermont,  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Northern  New  Vork  departments  of 
several  other  like  companies  ;  it  was  while 
in  the  service  of  these  corporations  that  he 
made  his  memorable  argument  before  the 
joint  committee  of  the  state  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives  in  opposition  to 
the  so-called  "valued  policy"  bill.  He  has 
also  the  distinction  of  having  written  the 
largest  fire  policy  ever  issued  in  New  Eng- 
land, the  face  value  being  $2,100,000. 

In  1887  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Rutland  Electric  Light  Co.,  and  since  that 
time  has  devoted  the  best  part  of  his  energy 
to  furthering  the  success  of  his  different 
electrical  ventures.  In  1887  he  also  became 
a  member  of  the  National  Filectric  Light 
Association.  At  the  convention  of  the  latter 
organization  in  Kansas  City  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  executive  committee,  holding  that 
position  until  the  Providence  convention 
when  he  was  chosen  second  vice-president. 
At  the  St.  Louis  meeting  he  was  elected  first 
vice-president  which  place  he  still  occupies. 
His  paper  on  municipal  ownership,  read  be- 
fore the  convention  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion at  Cape  May,  N.  J.,  required  two 
editions  to  supply  the  popular  demand. 
Shortly  after  this  he  appeared  before  the 
joint  committee  of  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  in  Washington  with  a  review 


of  the  Postmaster-General's  argument  for  a 
limited  postal  telegraph,  and  later  still  re- 
viewed the  subject  of  municipal  ownership 
before  the  Massachusetts  Legislature.  Since 
the  publication  of  his  book  entitled  "Munic- 
ipal Ownership,  Its  Fallacy,"  with  other 
numerous  contributions  to  various  scientific 
and  literary  journals  Mr.  Francisco  has  been 
acknowledged  the  best  authority  of  the  day 
upon  this  problem. 

As  a  citizen  of  Rutland  he  ranks  as  one  of 
its  foremost  and  progressive  representatives. 
He  does  not  aim  at  political  preferment,  but 
confines  his  labors  to  the  interest  of  his 
business  life,  which  fact  is  evinced  by  the 
careful  and  energetic  supervision  given  the 
institutions  with  which  he  is  associated.  He 
is  the  senior  partner  of  M.  J.  Francisco  & 
Son ;  president  of  the  Rutland  Electric 
Light  Co.  ;  vice-president  of  the  National 
Electric  Light  Association  ;  director  of  the 
Rutland  Trust  Co.  ;  member  of  the  Rutland 
Board  of  Trade,  the  Rutland  County  Asso- 
ciation of  L'nderwriters,  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Electrical  Engineers  ;  a  Mason  of  many 
years  standing  and  a  stockholder  or  director 
in  many  other  corporations  outside  the  state. 

Mr.  Francisco  has  two  sons  :  I.  Holmes, 
and  Don  C. 

FRARY,   Solon  Franklin,  of  South 

Strafford,   son   of  Jonathan   and   Lvdia  Col- 


^.^ai!**,^^ 


SOLON    FRAN 


cord   (Blaisdell)   Frary,  was  born  in  Straf- 
ford,   Jan.    27,    1822.     He   is   lineally  de- 


■scended  from  John  Frary,  who  came  from 
England  in  1638,  and  was  among  the  earli- 
est settlers  of  the  town  of  1  ledhani,  Mass. 
The  progenitors  of  Mr.  Frary  for  three  gen- 
erations are  buried  in  the  town  of  Strafford. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Norwich  University,  and  com- 
menced the  active  business  of  life  in  a  coun- 
try store  as  clerk  with  Hon.  J.  S.  Morrill  and 
Judge  Jedediah  Harris,  at  Thetford,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then 
returned  to  .Strafford,  where  he  continued  to 
engage  in  trade  till  1S90,  when  he  retired 
from  the  pursuits  of  active  life. 

December  18,  1854,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Adeliza,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Betsey  (Kent)  Oilman.  Their  children 
are  :  Gertrude,  and  Bessie  Jane. 

Mr.  Frary  has  always  been  a  Republican  ; 
has  held  the  offices  of  town  treasurer,  town 
agent,  justice  of  the  peace,  and  chairman  of 
the  board  of  auditors.  He  was  chosen  rep- 
resentative of  the  town  in  the  Legislature  of 
1S72,  and  was  elected  in  1S88  from  ()range 
county  to  the  state  Senate.  He  discharged 
the  duties  of  postmaster  for  twenty-eight 
years,  has  often  been  made  chairman  of  the 
Republican  town  committee,  and  was  one  of 
the  trustees  of  Goddard  Seminary,  being  one 
of  the  auditors  of  their  accounts  and  chair- 
man of  the  investment  committee.  He  is 
liberal  in  his  religious  views,  and  has  been  a 
generous  supporter  of  all  the  societies  of  his 
town. 

FRENCH,    Warren    Converse,   of 

Woodstock,  son  of  Joseph  Wales  and  Polly 
(Converse)  French,  was  born  in  Randolph, 
July  8,  1819.  He  was  educated  at  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  Orange  county  gram- 
mar school  at  Randolph.  His  father  was 
the  oldest  son  of  Gen.  John  French,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Randolph,  who  was 
brigadier-general  of  state  militia  at  the  time 
of  the  last  war  with  England  and  marched 
with  his  brigade  to  Burlington  at  the  time  of 
the  British  invasion  in  181 4,  Jacob  Collamer, 
then  a  young  lawyer  at  Randolph,  being  one 
of  his  aids-de-camp. 

He  studied  law  with  Tracey  &  Converse 
at  Woodstock  and  was  admitted  to  the  l>ar 
of  Windsor  county  court  at  the  May  term, 
1844,  commencing  practice  at  Sharon,  where 
he  remained  until  1857.  Upon  the  election 
of  Hon.  James  Barrett  to  the  bench,  he  was 
invited  by  his  uncle,  Mr.  Converse,  to 
remove  to  Woodstock  and  succeed  Judge 
Barrett  in  the  firm  of  Barrett  &  Converse. 
In  this  firm  he  remained  as  a  partner  till  July 
I,  1865,  when  Mr.  Converse  retired  from  the 
profession  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  \\'iil- 
iam  E.  Johnson.  This  connection  lasteil 
until  July,  1868,  after  which  for  some  time 
Mr.    French   continued  the  practice  of  his 


I'UI.I.F.R.  147 

profession  by  himself.  In  Jul\-,  1879,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  son-in-law, 
Frederick  C.  Southgate,  and  this  arrange- 
ment still  exists.  He  has  been  in  full  and 
active  practice,  mostly  in  Windsor  and 
Orange  countie.s,  from  his  admission  to  the 
bar,  and  has  been  engaged  in  many  impor- 
tant civil  and  criminal  cases. 

In  politics  he  was  a  whig  until  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he 
has  since  been  a  steady  adherent.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1850  ;  the  first  state's  attorney  for  ^\'ind- 
sor  county  elected  by  the  ]jeople  under  the 
amended    constitution    of     iN^o,    and   state 


^^     '^f^ 


WARREN    CONVERSE    FRENCH 


senator  in  1858  and  1859.  He  represented 
Woodstock  in  1876  and  was  the  same  year  a 
member  of  the  national  convention  which 
nominated  Mr.  Hayes. 

In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Congregational- 
ist,  and  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  for  many  years. 

Mr.  French  married,  Sept.  19,  1849,  at 
Sharon,  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Hon.  William 
and  Lydia  (Gleason)  Steele.  They  have 
been  blessed  with  six  children  :  Mary  (Mrs. 
William  H.  Brooks,  deceased),  .Anna  (Mrs. 
Frederick  C.  Southgate),  Lillie  (Mrs.  Har- 
old S.  Dana),  Warren  C,  Jr.,  William  Steele, 
and  John. 

FULLER,  Henry,  of  Bloomfield,  son  of 
Henry  and  T.  (Bowker)  Fuller,  was  born  in 
Maidstone,  August  26,  1838. 


148 


\\'hen  two  years  old  his  father  mo\ecl  to 
Bloomfield,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
has  since  resided.  His  education  was  con- 
fined to  such  instruction  as  could  be  had  in 
the  high  schools  and  in  Derby  Academy. 

Farming  has  been  the  steady  occupation 
in  the  life  of  Mr.  Fuller,  though  he  has  given 
some  attention  to  teaching.  Having  from 
his  early  youth  a  great  desire  to  travel  and 
see  the  world  outside  the  narrow  limits  of 
his  home  surroundings,  he  was  unable  to 
indulge  this  longing  till  he  had  arrived  at  the 
years  of  middle  life,  but  in  1892  he  gratified 
his  cherished  wish  and  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  in  visiting  every  portion  of 
his  native  land  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  traveling  more  than  eight  thousand 
miles  to  effect  his  purpose. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Fuller,  with  his 
brother,  came  to  Minehead,  now  Bloomfield, 
in  or  about  1800.  He  raised  a  family  of 
ten  children,  nine  of  whom  lived  to  the  age 
of  eighty  years. 

Mr.  Fuller  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
though  in  his  latter  days  he  has  had  a  ten- 
dency tow^ard  Prohibition.  He  has  been 
constable,  collector,  selectman,  and  town 
clerk  for  thirteen  years,  and  has  held  other 
minor  offices. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  joined  the 
M.  E.  Church,  and  during  his  whole  life  has 
earnestly  labored  in  the  cause.  Devoting 
himself  to  the  welfare  of  the  parish  and  Sab- 
bath school,  he  has  been  steward  for  many 
years,  and  served  on  various  church  com- 
mittees. 

He  married,  May  31,  1864,  Miss  Nettie 
W.  Colby  of  Whitefield,  N.  H.,  which  union 
was  blessed  with  two  sons  :  Henry  Clarence 
(died  Oct.  g,  1867),  and  Asa  C,  now  a 
preacher  in  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mrs.  Fuller 
died  Jan.  15,  1868.  For  his  second  help- 
meet Mr.  F'uller  took  to  wife  Miss  May  L., 
daughter  of  Mary  and  Nathan  M.  Johnson, 
of  Bloomfield.  By  her  he  has  had  two  chil- 
dren :  Earle  W.,  and  Maude  M. 

FULLER,  LEVI  K.,  of  Brattleboro,  son 
of  Washington  and  Lucinda  (Constantine) 
Fuller,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  N.  H., 
Feb.  24,  1841. 

His  parents  were  of  English  and  German 
stock,  and  his  ancestors  on  both  sides  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  removed  to 
Windham  county  in  1845  with  his  parents, 
and  began  his  active  career  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  by  learning  telegraphy  and  also  the 
art  of  printing.  At  sixteen,  having  devel- 
oped an  aptitude  for  mechanics,  he  won  a 
premium  for  a  steam  engine  improvement  at 
the  Windham  County  Agricultural  Society's 
fair.  Going  to  Boston,  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship as  a  machinist,  acting  for  a  time 
as  night  telegraph  operator  at  the  Merchants' 


Exchange.  During  a  great  portion  of  his 
residence  in  Boston  he  also  took  a  scientific 
course  at  the  e\ening  schools.  Returning  to 
Brattleboro  in  i860,  he  entered  the  Estey 
works  as  machinist  and  mechanical  engineer 
and  later  established  a  shop  of  his  own, 
where  he  manufactured  wood-working  and 
other  machinery  with  success. 

In  .^pril,  1866,  he  entered  with  Col.  J.  J. 
Estey  the  firm  of  J.  Estey  &  Co.  (now  the 
Estey  Organ  Co.),  superintending  the  man- 
ufacturing department,  and  for  twenty  years 
has  been  vice-president  of  the  company. 

He  has  been  a  most  indefatigable  inven- 
tor, his  name  appearing  in  the  Patent  Office 
at  Washington  as  the  author  of  a  hundred 
different  inventions,  many  of  great  value. 

His  success  in  aiding  in  establishing  large 
European  agencies  for  the  company,  and  his 
many  trips  abroad  in  its  interest,  have  won 
for  him  recognition  on  both  sides  of  the 
.Atlantic  as  a  liberal  and  intelligent  man  of 
business.  On  his  trip  in  1873  he  was  ten- 
dered by  President  Grant  the  appointment 
of  commissioner  to  the  Vienna  Exposition, 
which  he  was  obliged  to  decline  on  account 
of  the  press  of  private  business.  The 
musical  trade  of  two  continents  acknowledge 
his  success  as  a  factor  in  elevating  the  great 
corporation  to  its  present  high  position. 
His  last  achievement  in  securing  the  adop- 
tion of  what  is  termed  in  the  musical  world 
"international  pitch"  for  musical  instru- 
ments, now  officially  adopted  by  all  man- 
ufacturers in  this  country,  has  been  termed 
by  Mr.  Steinway  "one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant, perhaps  the  most  important,  in  the 
annals  of  musical  history." 

He  is  an  active  member  of  the  American 
Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and 
of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  En- 
gineers. He  is  also  interested  in  astronomy, 
has  an  observatory  of  his  own  attached  to 
his  private  residence  and  the  finest  equa- 
torial telescope  in  Vermont.  His  library 
also  of  scientific  and  technical  works  is  one 
of  the  most  complete  in  the  state. 

Organizing  the  Fuller  Light  Battery,  V.  N. 
G.,  as  an  independent  company  in  1874,  he 
has  continuously  served  therewith  since, 
bringing  it  to  a  degree  of  perfection  uni\'er- 
sally  commended  by  all  regular  army  in- 
spectors as  second  to  no  military  organiza- 
tion in  the  country,  adding  greatly  to  the 
reputation  of  the  Vermont  militia.  He  was 
brevetted  colonel  in  18S7  for  long  and  mer- 
itorious service.  He  also  served  as  aid  on 
the  staff  of  Governor  Converse. 

Mr.  Fuller's  private  business,  however,  has 
not  prevented  him  from  participating  act- 
ively in  public  affairs,  both  local  and  state. 
He  has  held  important  town  and  village 
offices,  is  a  trustee  of  the  Brattleboro  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  the  Brattleboro  Free  Library. 


In  1880  he  was  elected  to  the  state  Sen- 
ate, taking  an  active  part  in  the  important 
legislation  of  that  session,  including  what 
was  then  know  as  the  "new  tax  law,"  a  meas- 
ure tending  to  equalize  the  burden  of  taxa- 
tion and  most  satisfactory  to  the  people.  As 
a  member  of  the  Senate  he  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  finance,  upon  the 
committee  on  militarv  affairs,  and  that  on 
railroads.  In  1886  he  was  elected  Lieuten- 
ant-(iovernor,  filling  that  position  with  credit 
to  himself  and  honor  to  the  state,  proving 
himself  one  of  the  best  presiding  officers 
whose  services  the  Senate  has  had  the  good 
fortune  to  enjoy. 

Early  in  life  he  became  connected  with 
the  Baptist  denomination,  and  has  ahvay.s  had 
an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  the 
church  of  his  choice.  His  gifts,  however, 
have  never  been  confined  to  that  faith,  but 
his  liberality  to  all  denominations  is  proverb- 
ial. His  interest  in  educational  matters  is 
well  known,  one  of  the  most  important  e\i- 
dences  of  which  is  the  Vermont  Academy  at 
Saxton's  River,  to  which  he  has  largely  given 
both  his  time  and  money,  and  this  institu- 
tion, under  his  management  as  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  has  taken  a  high  rank 
throughout  New  England. 

He  has  always  been  specially  interested  in 
agriculture  and  the  development  of  that 
branch  of  Vermont's  industries.  His  pur- 
chase of  a  farm  and  the  presentation  of  the 
same  to  the  Vermont  Academy,  his  intro- 
duction of  finely  bred  sheep  and  other  stock, 
and  the  inauguration  of  new  features  in  con- 
nection with  ]3ractical  farm  educational 
work,  has  attracted  wide  attention  in  the 
community. 

Governor  Fuller's  fitness  for  the  position 
of  chief  magistrate  of  his  state  has  long 
since  been  recognized,  and  in  1892  his 
Republican  friends  bestowed  upon  him  the 
highest  honor  in  their  power  by  nominating 
and  electing  him  to  the  gubernatorial  chair. 

Mr.  Fuller  was  married.  May  8,  1865,  to 
Abby,  daughter  of  Hon.  Jacob  and  Desde- 
mona  (Wood)  Estey. 

FULLER,  JONATHAN  KiNGSLEY,  of 
Barton  Landing,  son  of  Samuel  Freeman 
and  Elizabeth  ( Kingsley)  Fuller,  was  born 
in  Montgomery,  May  13',  1848. 

Mr.  Fuller  attended  the  common,  select 
and  private  schools  of  his  native  town  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  His  parents  being 
limited  in  their  circumstances,  and  young 
Fuller  being  somewhat  delicate  in  health,  he 
had  to  forego  the  great  desire  of  his  heart,  a 
classical  education.  In  1870  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  John  S.  Tupper.  Here  he  gave 
himself  earnestly  to  the  study  of  law,  and 
having  access  not  only  to  a  large  law  library, 
but  also  to  a  fine   collection  of  theological 


and  historical  works,  his  reading  co\ered  a 
wide  field.  During  this  time  also,  while 
teaching  school,  he  felt  moved  to  enter  upon 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  The  M.  E.  Church, 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  urged  him  to 
take  a  license  to  preach,  and,  forsaking  the 
legal  profession,  he  began  the  course  of  study 
prescribed  by  the  church.  This  was  con- 
tinued for  four  years,  and  ordination  followed 
at  St.  Johnsbury,  April  23,  1873.  He  was 
stationed  at  Eden  in  i872-'73,  at  Richford 
in  i874-'76.  At  the  close  of  a  very  success- 
ful pastorate  in  this  thriving  center,  he 
handed  his  resignation  to  the  Vermont  Con- 
ference. 

Uniting  with  the  Congregational  church 
at  East  Berkshire,  he  immediately  received  a 
hearty  call  to  the  parish  of  that  denomina- 
tion in  Bakersfield.  Free  to  control  and 
direct  his  own  labors  his  congregations  in- 
creased, while  a  steady  demand  was  made 


X. 


V 


JONATHAN    KINGSLEY    FULLER. 

for  his  sermons  and  other  writings  upon  the 
popular  questions  of  the  day.  Six  of  the 
twelve  years  of  this  pastorate  he  was  super- 
intendent of  schools,  aiding  in  the  establish- 
ment of  Brigham  Academy.  As  a  testimony 
of  appreciation  of  such  service,  he  was,  on 
Dec.  15,  1885,  made  a  life  member  of  the 
Creneral  Theological  Library  of  Boston. 

While  at  Bakersfield,  Mr.  Fuller  devoted 
a  litrte  time  to  farming,  in  which  pursuit  he 
was  highly  successful.  He  was  a  frequent 
lecturer  before  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture. 


FULLINGION. 


Politically,  Mr.  Fuller  is  an  independent 
Republican.  He  has  written  and  lectured 
often  on  such  themes  as  "  Civil  Service  Re- 
form," "  Political  Methods,"  "  Political  Re- 
form," "Religious  and  Political  Liberty," 
"Moral  Training  in  Our  Schools,"  "Oppor- 
tunity :  or,  the  Uses  and  Abuses  of  Wealth." 

In  1883,  Mr.  Fuller  was  made  honorary 
member  of  the  .A.  B.  C.  F.  M. ;  in  1885  he 
was  instrumental  in  organizing  a  Congrega- 
tional church  at  F]ast  Fairfield  ;  in  1888  he 
became  an  orignal  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Club  of  Western  Vermont.  '  In  1889 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  church 
in  Bakersfield,  and  of  the  several  calls  which 
he  received,  accepted  the  one  from  Barton 
Landing,  where  he  now  ministers  to  a  thrifty 
church  in  a  flourishing  community. 

In  1890  he  received  under  Professor  Har- 
per the  appointment  of  examiner  in  the 
American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature.  In 
i8gi  he  was  elected  to  membership  in  the 
American  .\cademy  of  Political  and  Social 
Science  in  Philadelphia.  In  this  .same  year 
he  .was  chosen  superintendent  of  schools  for 
the  town  of  Barton,  which  office  he  now 
holds ;  he  is  also  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Orleans  County  Summer  School.  In  1892 
he  was  constituted  a  member  of  the  Orleans 
County  Historical  Society.  In  this  same 
year  he  was  sent  from  the  state  convention 
of  Congregational  churches  as  delegate  to 
the  Free  Will  Baptist  yearly  meeting.  In 
1892  he  was  unanimously  chosen  chairman 
of  the  board  of  school  directors  for  the  town 
of  Barton. 

Mr.  Fuller  was  married  Sept.  16,  1875,  to 
Gertrude  Florence  Smith  of  Richford.  Of 
this  union  there  have  been  born :  John 
Harold,  Hawley  Leigh,  Raymond  Garfield, 
and  Robert  Samuel. 

FULLINGTON,  FREDERICK  H..  of 
P>ast  Cambridge,  son  of  John  'I',  and  Syh  ia 
(Carpenter)  Fullington,  was  born  in  Cam- 
bridge, Dec.  9,  1 85 1. 

F^shraim  Fullington  came  from  Raymond, 
X.  H.,  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  which  has  continued  the 
property  and  residence  of  the  family  for  four 
generations. 

The  present  possessor  of  the  estate  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Cambridge,  and  afterward  jnir- 
sued  a  course  of  study  at  the  Johnson  Nor- 
mal School.  The  second  of  a  family  of  four 
sons,  he  early  displayed  such  energy  and 
industry  that  he  was  the  chief  reliance  of  his 
father.  When  he  became  of  age  he  rented 
the  property,  and  has  conducted  it  ever 
since,  at  the  same  time  giving  his  father  the 
shelter  of  a  home.  Dairying  and  the  manu- 
facture of  ma])le  sugar  and  syrup  are  his 
princi]ial    resources.       His   sugar    orchard, 


numbering  o\er  two  thousand  trees,  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  state,  and  has  averaged  four 
pounds  to  the  tree  in  annual  production. 

Mr.  t'uUington  was  chosen  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  1888  by  the  largest  Republican 
majority  gi\en  in  the  town  of  Cambridge. 
He  has  been  selectman  and  road  commis- 
sioner, and  is  now  school  director  and  school 
superintendent.  He  is  a  modest  man,  the 
possessor  of  good  common  sen.se,  and  of 
undoubted  intesjritv. 


FREDERICK   H.    FULLINGTON. 

He  married,  March  16,  1875,  F^mma, 
daughter  of  James  F.  and  Clara  (Davis) 
I'aylor  of  Barton,  by  whom  he  has  had  two 
I  hildren  :   Fred  Earl,  and  Stella  Blanche. 

FULTON,  ROBERT  REED,  late  of  East 
Corinth,  son  of  Robert  and  .\bigail  (Smith) 
Fulton,  was  born  in  Newbury,  May  20,  1824. 

Mr.  Fulton's  father  was  born  in  Scotland 
and  emigrated  to  .America  in  1801.  Imme- 
diately on  his  arrival  he  removed  to  New- 
bury and  there  settled.  Mr.  Fulton's  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Col.  John  Smith  of 
Revolutionary  fame,  who  moved  to  Newbury 
in  1780.  Descended  from  such  ancestry, 
from  his  boyhood  days  he  won  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  townsmen.  .Although 
his  early  life  was  spent  on  one  of  Vermont's 
hill  farms,  Mr.  Fulton  received  what  was  for 
his  generation  a  liberal  education,  attending 
the  Thetford  and  Corinth  Academies. 

Besides  holding  the  minor  offices  in  his 
native  town,  he  was  chosen  its  representa- 
tive in  1867  and   1868.     In  1870   he  estab- 


•52 


lished  himself  as  a  merchant  in  the  village  of 
Kast  Corinth.  He  was.  in  iS88,  chosen  to 
represent  Corinth  in  the  legislature  and  was 
also  postmaster  for  many  years,  which  office 
he  held  till  the  time  of  his  death,  Jan.  i8, 
1893. 


ROBERT    REED    FULTON 


In  politics  he  was  a  pronounced  Republi- 
can, and  in  religion  a  worthy  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  .\  man  of  generous 
impulses,  unassuming,  kind  and  courteous 
was  Robert  Reed  Fulton. 

He  was  married  to  Annie  Halley,  in 
November,  186 1,  daughter  of  James  Halley 
of  Newbury,  who  survives  without  issue. 

FURMAN,  Daniel  G.,  of  Swanton.  was 
the  son  of  Warren  S.  and  Mary  A.  (Ware) 
Furman,  and  was  born  in  Elizal)ethtown,  N. 
Y.,  August  22,  1855. 


He  was  indebted  to  the  New  Hampton 
Institute  at  Fairfa.\  for  his  educational  train- 
ing. Mr.  Furman  studied  law  with  George 
W.  Newton  of  St.  .Albans  and  the  Hon.  H. 
A.  Burt  of  Swanton,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Franklin  county,  September,  1876. 
He  practiced  two  years  in  Berkshire,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Swanton,  where  he  has 
established  a  large  and  successful  business. 

As  a  Democrat,  he  was  elected  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  town  of  Swanton  in  1888, 
and  was  a  candidate  for  the  speakership,  and 
in  1893  was  appointed  United  States  Consul 
at  Stanbridge,  P.  Q. 


DANIEL   G.    FURMAN. 

Mr.  Furman  married,  Sept.  8,  1880 
Flizabeth  M.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and 
beth  (P.arr)  Best.  One  daughter  and 
blessed  their  union  :  Berenice  Mav 
Willis  B. 


,  Miss 

Kliza- 

a  son 

and 


G.4LHJP,  O.  M.,  of  Victory,  son  of 
.Amos  and  Emoline  Gallup,  was  born  in 
Wakefield,  N.  B.,  March  21,  1838. 

His  father  was  a  prominent  farmer  and 
business  man.  Mr.  Gallup  received  a  fair 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
town,  and  began  his  career  as  a  driver  of 
logs.  Mr.  Gallup  had  a  great  natural  apti- 
tude and  desire  for  large  operations  and 
soon  commenced  railroad  building.  His 
first  work  being  the  Hopkinton  &  Milford 
R.    R.,  he  next  built  the  .Acton  &  Nashua 


R.  R.,  and  then  went  to  Woods  River  Junc- 
tion, R.  I.,  and  constructed  the  railroad  there 
and  afterwards  the  larger  portion  of  the 
Kingston  &  Narragansett  road.  He  soon 
came  to  A'ermont  and  built  forty- one  miles 
of  road  from  the  town  of  Johnson  to  the 
Lake.  He  then  constructed  the  Profile  & 
Franconian  Notch  R.  R.,  opening  up  this 
important  summer  resort  in  the  White 
Mountains.  Later  he  built  the  docks  at 
Swanton  and  the  Champlain  House  at 
Maouam  Bav,  at  a  cost  of  §28,000. 


His  next  enterprise  was  tlie  link  connect- 
ing Betiilehem,  N.  H.,  with  the  main  line 
and  after  this  he  constructed  thirteen  miles 
of  railroad  to  Maquam  I5ay  and  Roiise's 
Point. 

In  1880  he  came  to  X'ictory  and  with  C. 
H.  Stevens  bought  the  mill  now  called 
'"  Gallup's  Mills,"  but  his  partner  soon  sokl 


out.  At  this  time  there  was  not  a  good 
highway  in  the  place,  and  Mr.  Gallup  at 
■once  surveyed  a  route  for  a  railroad  at  his 
own  expense  and  obtained  by  personal 
effort  a  large  part  of  the  subscription  for  the 
enterprise,  contributing  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  on  his  own  account ;  then  he  took 
the  contract  to  build  the  road  at  a  losing 
price,  that  the  town  might  recei\e  the  bene- 
fit of  it.  From  that  time  to  the  present  he 
has  been  engaged  in  his  mill,  although  he 
has  since  built  a  road  for  the  Wild  River 
Lumber  Co.,  in  the  western  part  of  Maine. 

Mr.  (Jallup  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
in  1S92  from  Victory  as  a  Democrat.  He 
takes  a  great  interest  in  every  movement 
which  conduces  to  the  moral  and  material 
well-being  of  his  community,  and  has  been 
a  liberal  contributor  to  all  worthy  enterprises 
in  the  community,  having  donated  land  for 
the  schools  and  churches  of  the  ])lace 

Mr.  Gallup  was  married  July  3,  1883,  to 
Miss  Mary  .A.  Cutter,  daughter  of  .\.  B.  Cut- 
ter of  Bradford,  Mass.  Four  children  have 
blessed  their  union,  of  whom  two  are  living  : 
.^nnie,  and  Frank. 


CAGE.  ,53 

GAGH,  Sidney,  of  Westminster,  son  of 
\\'illiam  P.  and  Laura  AL  (Richmond)  Gage, 
was  born  in  NVestminster,  Nov.  25,  1853. 

His  education  was  confined  to  the  com- 
mon schools  of  \\'estminster,  and  after  his 
somewhat  limited  schooling,  he  engaged  in 
the  employ  of  his  father  in  the  manufacture 
of  baskets,  and  later  succeeding  his  father, 
has  continued  in  the  same  business  to  the 
present  time. 

He  has  been  called  upon  to  assume  the 
responsibility  of  some  of  the  town  offices  in 
his  native  place,  and  in  1892  represented 
Westminster  in  the  General  .\ssembly.  Mr. 
(iage  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  Bellows  Falls  Savings  Institution,  having 
served  in  that  capacity  since  1889.  An 
earnest,  honest,  upright  citizen,  he  has  won 
the  esteem  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens. 


SIDNEY   GAGE. 

Mr.  Gage  was  married  in  Bellows  Falls, 
Feb.  21,  1877,  to  Fllen  L.,  daughter  of 
.•\lbert  E.  and  Lucy  M.  (I)a\is)  Leonard  of 
Grafton. 

GARDNER,  ABRAHAM  BROOKS,  of 
Pownal,  son  of  Samuel  J.  and  Jennette 
(Merchant)  (Gardner,  was  born  at  Pownal, 
Jan.  6,  1858. 

.■\fter  his  education  was  finished  in  the 
Bennington  public  schools,  he  labored  on 
his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained  until 
his  twenty-seconcl  year,  when  he  bought  an 
estate  of  his  own. 


154 


In  1 886  Mr.  (iardner  was  elected  to  rej)- 
resent  his  town  in  tlie  Legislature,  an  office 
which  he  ably  filled  for  one  term.  For  the 
past  four  years  he  has  been,  and  is  now,  one 
of  the  selectmen  of  Fownal. 


/d^— ^^^ 


I 


ing  convalescent  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
muster  rolls  at  Sloan  Hospital.  He  received 
an  honorable  discharge  from  the  service  in 
1865. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  army,  Mr.  Gates 
entered  the  drug  store  of  J.  C.  Brigham  of 
St.  Johnsbury.  In  1868  he  removed  to 
Morrisville  and  engaged  in  the  same  busi- 
ness, and  built  up  an  excellent  trade,  from 
which  ill  health  compelled  him  to  retire  in 
1893. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  7,  1869, 
to  Florence  H.,  daughter  of  Col.  Jonas  and 
Delia  (Prouty)  Cutting,  formerly  of  Stowe. 
Their  children  are  :  Lillian  L.  ( Mrs.  HoUis 
M.  Chase),  who  was  an  adopted  daughter, 
Henry  Franklin  (deceased),  and  Albert 
Oscar. 

Mr.  Gates  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
predilections,  and  has  been  auditor  of  ac- 
counts fifteen  years,  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  People's  Academy  and  is  one  of 
the  school  directors  of  Morristown.  He  has 
served  upon  the  Republican  committee  of 
the  First  District  of  Vermont  and  been  ap- 
pointed chief  of  staff  of  Governor  Fuller 
with  the  rank  of  colonel. 


He  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  body.  He  is  in  religious  prefer- 
ence a  Ba])tist. 

Mr.  Gardner  was  married  in  October,  18S0, 
to  Miss  Audria  M.,  daughter  of  D.  F.  and  H. 
E.  Bates.  Their  three  children  are  :  Flor- 
ence A.,  Daniel  F.,  and  Jennette  M. 

GATHS,  AMASA  O.,  of  Morrisville,  son 
of  Daniel  F.  and  I.avina  (Jordan)  Gates, 
was  born  in  Morristown,  .April  25,  1842. 

Of  Revolutionary  ancestry,  his  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  and  the 
People's  Academy  of  Morristown,  at  which 
academy  he  was  prepared  for  Middlebury 
College,  which  he  entered  in  the  class  of 
i860.  He  remained  in  college  till  his  junior 
year,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  L'nion  army. 

In  December,  1S63,  he  was  mustered  into 
the  service  as  ist  sergeant  of  Co.  C,  17th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  ])articipated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  and 
North  .Anna.  He  was  then  taken  sick  and 
sent  to  Campbell  Hospital,  and  then  to  his 
home  on  furlough.  To  such  a  degree  was 
he  reduced  by  illness,  that  he  was  "brought 
the  whole  way  on  a  stretcher.  At  the  e.x- 
piration  of  his  leave  of  absence,  he  went  to 
the  Cteneral  Hospital  at  Montpelier  and  be- 


Colonel  Gates  has  for  thirty  years  been 
affiliated  with  Free  Masonry,  during  which 
period  he  has  belonged  to  Mt.  ^'ernon 
Lodge  He  was  a  charter  member  of  J.  M. 
Warren  Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  R.,  Morrisville, 
has  held  the  position  of  adjutant  and  for 
three  years  been   its  commander.     He  has 


'55 


been  lor  two  years  inspector  of  department 
of  Vermont  and  twice  has  been  honored 
with  the  office  of  delegate  to  the  national 
encampment. 

GIDDINGS,  William  H.,  of  Water- 
bury,  son  of  William,  Jr.,  and  Betsey  (Wal- 
lace) Giddings,  was  born  in  Bakersfield, 
Oct.  24,  1840. 

After  the  customary  common  school  edu- 
cation in  Bakersfield  he  resolved  to  follow 
the  medical  profession  and  for  this  jnirpose 
commenced  his  studies  with  Dr.  \\ .  R. 
Hutchinson  of  Enosburgh.  He  then  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Vermont  from  which  he  received  a  diploma, 
graduating  in  the  class  of  1866.  He  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his 
native  town  where  he  remained  actively  en- 
gaged until  April,  i^g2,  when  he  was  chosen 
acting  superintendent  of  the  \'ermont  Asy- 
lum for  the  Insane,  and  the  wisdom  of  his 
selection  to  this  position  was  confirmed  by 
his  appointment  as  superintendent  a  few 
months  after.  This  office  he  still  continues 
to  hold. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock  in  Bakersfield, 
Feb.  1 1,  1868,  to  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Betsey  (Pierson)  Perkins.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  them  :   Florence  F. 

Dr.  Giddings  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1870  and 
by  the  vote  of  his  Republican  constituents 
he  was  sent  as  town  representative  to  the 
Legislature  ten  years  after,  and  was  finally 
elected  senator  from  Franklin  county  in 
1888,  where  he  served  with  marked  ability 
as  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  the 
insane. 

GILL,  Daniel  Oscar,  of  Springfield, 

son  of  Charles  and  Sophia  (Healey)  Gill, 
was  born  at  Hartland,  August  15,  1837. 

When  Daniel  was  three  years  old,  he  was 
adopted  by  his  uncle,  Daniel  A.  Gill,  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Springfield 
and  at  Kimball  Union  Academy  at  Meriden, 
N.  H.  Mr.  Gill  was  bred  a  farmer,  and 
never  forgetting  "that  the  cultivation  of  the 
earth  is  the  most  independent  labor  of  man  " 
has  remained  a  farmer  during  a  long  and 
useful  life.  He  now  owns  and  superintends 
several  estates.  On  one  of  these  his  father 
was  born  and  lived  eighty-nine  years.  Dur- 
ing the  last  five  years  Mr.  Gill  has  resided 
in  Springfield,  where  he  has  some  important 
interests,  and  is  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Noyes  &  Gill.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  and 
'director  in  the  Jones  &  Lamson  Machine 
Co.,  of  Springfield.  He  has  been  often 
called  upon  to  settle  estates  and  act  as 
guardian,  all  of  which  trusts  he  has  ably  and 
faithfiilly  discharged. 

As  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  he 


has  been  called  continuously  for  thirty  years 
to  some  town  office  and  has  been  a  justice 
of  the  peace  for  nearly  a  (juarter  of  a  cent- 
ury. In  1886  he  represented  Springfield  in 
the  House  and  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  railroails.  'I'he  only  se<ret  society 
with  which  he  is  affiliated  is  the  Springfield 
Grange,  P.  of  II. 

.Mr.  Gill  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  27, 
1864,  to  Helen  C,  daughter  of  Captain 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Clough)  Westgate,  of 
Plainfield,  N.  H.  She  died  within  two  years 
of  their  marriage.  He  contracted  a  second 
marriage  with  Miss  Jennie  I..,  daughter  of 
Rev.  (ieorge  D.  and  Fanny  (\\'hite)  l!ut- 
terfield,  of  Monticello,  Iowa.  Two  children 
have  blessed  their  union  :  Frank  D.,  and 
Fred  Butterfield. 

GLEASON,    Carlisle    Joyslin,  of 

Montpelier,  son  of  Huzziel  and  Emily  H. 
(Richardson)  Gleason,  was  born  in  Warren, 
Oct.  23,  1831. 

He  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  West 
Randolph  Academy,  and  was  graduated 
from    Dartmouth  College  with  the  class  of 


i 


CARLISLE  JOYSLIN    GLEASON. 

1856,  receiving  the  degree  of  .\.  B.  In  col- 
lege, he  was  a  member  of  the  Social  Friends 
and  Delta  Ka]5pa  Epsilon  societies.  Enter- 
ing the  law  office  of  Timothy  P.  Redfield  in 
Montpelier,  he  pursued  his  studies  there 
until  February,  1857,  when  he  was  made 
principal  of  the  Central  grammar  S(;hool, 
Peabody,  Mass.     During  this  time  he  con- 


tinned  his  legal  studies,  returning  to  Mont- 
pelier  in  July,  1S58,  where  he  resumed  his 
place  in  Mr.  Redfield's  office.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  Oct.  4,  185 8,  but  still 
continued  with  Mr.  Redfield  as  student  and 
assistant  till  Jan.  i,  1861,  when  he  became  a 
partner  under  the  firm  name  of  Redfield  & 
Gleason.  He  was  associated  with  Mr.  Red- 
field  until  the  latter  was  elected,  in  1870,  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  During  this 
time  he  was  actively  engaged  in  his  pro- 
fession. 

In  1856  and  during  the  extra  session  of 
1857  he  was  reporter  of  the  Vermont  Senate 
and  in  the  following  year  he  performed  the 
same  duties  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. Though  almost  a  stranger  in  Mont- 
pelier,  he  received  the  appointment  of 
reporter  of  the  Senate  in  the  contest  insti- 
tuted by  the  late  Hon.  E.  P.  Walton,  upon 
whom  at  that  time  devolved  the  duty  of 
making  this  appointment.  There  were  ten 
or  twelve  candidates,  and  just  before  the 
opening  of  the  session,  Judge  Luke  P. 
Poland  was  to  deliver  an  opinion  in  a  case  of 
considerable  importance.  On  the  morning 
of  the  day  on  which  the  opinion  was  to  be 
delivered,  Mr.  Walton  informed  the  aspirants 
that  he  would  appoint  the  candidate  who 
should  produce  the  best  report  of  it.  Mr. 
Gleason's  report  was  judged  the  best,  and  he 
received  the  appointment.  In  1859  and 
1S60  Mr.  (;ieason  was  secretary  of  the  Ver- 
mont Senate. 

January  i,  1872,  he  formed  a  copartnership 
with  Henry  K.  Field,  Esq.,  and  they  carried 
on  a  successful  practice  at  Montpelier. 
Their  clients  were  largely  from  Boston  and 
New  York.  In  18S1  Mr.  Gleason  retired 
from  the  active  practice  of  his  profession. 
In  18S2  and  1883  he  was  chairman  of  the 
board  of  listers  and  assessors  and  also  justice 
of  the  peace.  In  the  spring  of  1885,  he 
took  charge  of  the  American  Mortgage  and 
Investment  Co.,  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  acted 
as  attorney,  director  and  treasurer  in  closing 
up  the  business  of  that  company.  In  June, 
18S5,  he  was  elected  director  and  treasurer 
of  the  .American  Investment  Co.,  of  Nashua, 
N.  H.,  and  had  charge  of  the  Boston  office 
of  that  company  till  March,  1891,  when  he 
returned  to  his  former  residence  in  Mont- 
pelier, which  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Goss  & 
(ileason  of  Vergennes,  manufacturers  of 
kaolin  and  owners  of  the  Monkton  Kaolin 
Works.  Mr.  Gleason  claims  to  have  retired 
from  acti\e  business,  but  there  are  few  men 
who  are  more  industriously  employed.  His 
real  estate  investments  in  Montpelier  and 
Washington  county  require  his  constant  care 
and  he  bears  the  reputation  of  being  a  care- 
ful and  successful  financier. 

He  was   married,  Dec.  12,  i860,  to    Ellen 


Jeannette,  daughter  of  Oramel  H.  and  Mary 
(Goss)  Smith,  of  Montpelier. 

Mr.  Gleason  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  but 
he  has  not  sought  political  office,  preferring 
to  give  his  attention  to  professional  duties 
and  in  later  years  to  business  pursuits.  He 
has  been  United  States  commissioner  since 
his  appointment  by  Judge  Woodruff"  in  1873  ; 
the  office  came  to  him  unsolicited. 

GLEASON,  Henry  Clay,  of  Rich- 
mond, son  of  Rolla  and  Jenette  T.  (Mason) 
Gleason,  was  born  in  Richmond,  March  28, 
1S51. 

His  education  was  obtained  from  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at 
Barre  .\cademy.  When  quite  young  he 
entered  on  his  business  career  in  a  small 
way  as  a  speculator  in  poultry  and  farm  pro- 
duce ;  from  the  profits  thus  realized  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  and  followed  by  other  invest- 
ments in  real  estate.  For  a  period  of  eleven 
years  beginning  under  Grant's  last  adminis- 
tration he  was  mail  agent  on  the  Central 
Vermont  R.  R.,  between  St.  .\lbans  and  Bos- 
ton, and  having  half  the  time  to  devote  to 
his  personal  affairs  he  continued  in  other 
lines  of  business  and  also  operated  in  the 
lumber  trade  in  which  he  is  still  engaged. 
Since  leaving  the  mail  service  he  has  given 
special  attention  to  farming  and  dairy 
products.  In  this  he  has  been  successful 
and  by  his  advanced  methods  has  been  en- 
abled to  winter  sixty  cows  and  four  horses. 
.Among  his  other  enterprises  was  a  creamery 
which  he  started  simply  as  a  private  affair  to 
manufacture  the  butter  from  his  own  dairy. 
From  this  small  beginning  it  has  increased 
to  such  an  e.\tent  that  he  is  now  receiving 
the  milk  of  some  5,000  cows  from  which  his 
daily  manufacture  of  butter  is  more  than 
3,000  pounds. 

He  was  married  in  1S79,  to  Katie  I)., 
daughter  of  Albert  and  Mariette  ( Williams ) 
Town.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  them  : 
Grace  J.,  and  Gladys  M. 

Mr.  Gleason  is  a  sound  Republican  in  his 
political  faith.  His  father  was  an  active  and 
well  known  politician  and  the  disposition  to 
take  a  deep  interest  in  all  public  matters 
seems  to  have  been  inherited  by  the  son ; 
his  private  business,  however,  has  occupied 
so  much  of  his  care  and  attention  that  he 
has  been  unable  to  accept  many  of  the  town 
offices  which  have  been  tendered  him.  He 
represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature  in 
1888  and  is  at  the  present  time  serving  as 
one  of  the  state  senators  of  Chittenden 
county. 

GLEASON,  JOSEPH  THOMAS,  of 
Lyndonville,  son  of  George  and  Sabrina 
( Thomas )  Gleason,  was  born  in  Lunenburg, 
June  18,  1844.     He  is  the  seventh  in   lineal 


descent  from  John  1  [owe  of  Sudbury,  Mass., 
whose  progenitor  was  John  Howe,  a  War- 
wickshire squire,  and  kinsman  of  Sir  ("harles 
Howe  of  Lancaster  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
I.  John  Howe  of  Sudbury  was  one  of  the 
petitioners  in  1657  for  the  grant  constitu- 
ting the  town  of  Afarlboro,  Mass.  Both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers  of  ].  T. 
Gleason  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
the  latter  holding  a  commission  as  lieuten- 
ant in  a  New  Hampshire  regiment.  His 
grandfather,  Joseph  Gleason,  came  to  Lunen- 
burg in  1S02  where  for  half  a  century  he  was 
deacon  in  the  Congregational  church.  His 
father,  George  Gleason,  eighty-four  years  of 


■■•-•i'?<3fHfW^lf^W 


THOMAS    GLEASON 


age,  lives  in  Lunenburg,  one  of  its  solid  men, 
a  former  captain  of  militia  and  a  deacon  of 
the  Baptist  church. 

After  receiving  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Lunenburg  Mr.  J.  T.  Gleason  en- 
listed in  December,  1861,  in  Co.  K,  8th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  drilled  with  the  regiment 
for  a  brief  period  and  was  then  rejected  on 
account  of  his  extreme  youth.  Anxious  still 
to  serve  his  country  in  her  hour  of  peril  he 
re-enlisted  in  Co.  E,  15th  Vt.  Vols.,  in 
August,  1862.  When  the  regiment  took  up 
the  route  for  Gettysburg  Mr.  Gleason,  or- 
dered to  the  hospital  by  the  surgeon  on  ac- 
count of  illness,  refused  to  obey  and  marched 
with  his  command  to  Gettysburg,  serving 
with  it  until  it  was  honorably  discharged 
at  the  close  of  its  period  of  enlistment. 
During  the  war  he  contracted  disabilities 
from  which  he  has  never  fullv  recovered. 


GLE.ASON.  15^ 

.\fter  his  return  he  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  In  1874  he  began  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Joseph  P.  Lamson, 
Lsq.,  of  Cabot,  and  then  pursued  his  pro- 
fessional researches  under  W.  W.  Eaton, 
Esq.,  of  West  Concord,  until  the  spring  of 
rS75,  when  he  opened  an  office  for  himself 
He  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  Vermont 
bar  in  1876  and  entered  into  copartnership 
with  ().  F.  Harvey,  Esq.,  at  West  Concord 
which  connection  was  dissolved  in  1877.  ^'^ 
year  afterward  he  removed  to  Lyndonville 
where  he  was  the  first  member  of  his  pro- 
fession to  open  an  office  and  where  he  now 
resides.  Well  read  in  the  law  and  trusted 
by  the  people  of  the  vicinage  he  has  built  up 
a  large  general  practice  embracing  the  set- 
tlement of  many  estates,  while  of  all  the 
suits  he  has  brought,  he  has  never  lost  but 
one.  His  title  of  judge  he  derives  from  his 
election  to  an  associate  judgeship  of  the 
Caledonia  county  court.  Coming  to  Lyn- 
donville two  years  before  its  incorporation 
Judge  Gleason  drew  up  its  charter,  put  it 
through  the  Legislature  and  at  once  took  a 
prominent  part  in  settlement  of  the  many 
questions  that  would  naturally  arise  in  the 
new  town  and  was  identified  with  every  step 
of  its  progress.  His  readiness  of  speech 
and  clearness  of  statement  gave  him  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  deliberative  assemblies  of 
Lyndon,  where,  a  staunch  Republican,  he  has 
been  for  several  years  auditor  and  modera- 
tor, also  serving  since  1S86  as  chairman  of 
the  Republican  town  committee. 

He  owns  and  resides  in  one  of  the  hand- 
some mansions  of  Lyndonville,  having  been 
married,  Sept.  9,  1884,  to  Mary  S.,  daughter 
of  Roswell  and  Laodicea  (Holbrook)Aldrich. 
They  have  one  daughter  :   Louise  M. 

Judge  Gleason  is  a  Congregationalist  in  his 
religious  belief  and  has  taken  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest  in  the  Masonic  order,  being 
a  member  of  Crescent  Lodge  No.  66,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Lyndonville,  and  Palestine  Com- 
mandery  K.  T.,  Caledonia  Council  R.  &  S. 
M.,  Haswell  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  St. 
Johnsbury.  He  is  serving  his  second  term 
as  (Srand  Patron  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of 
the  Order  PZastern  Star  of  A'ermont  and  is 
also  a  member  of  Farnsworth  Post  No.  106, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Lyndonville  and  is  its  efficient 
adjutant. 

foseph  Thomas  Gleason  serves  as  an  illus- 
tration of  a  typical  New  Englander,  who, 
coming  out  of  the  war  broken  in  health  and 
without  a  dollar,  commanded  success  from 
adverse  circumstances. 

GLEASON,  Richardson  J.,  of  Waits- 

field,  son  of  Huzziel  and  Emily  (Richard- 
son) Gleason,  was  born  in  Warren,  Dec. 
28,  1828. 

Mr.  Gleason's  early  youth  and  manhood 


1  5  8  GI.EASON. 

were  passed  upon  the  farm,  and  he  received 
such  an  education  as  could  be  obtained  in 
the  common  schools  of  Warren  and  Waits- 
field.  In  1S49  he  entered  the  employment 
of  Mr.  Richardson  of  the  latter  place  and 
remained  with  him  three  years.  He  then 
removed  to  Royalton  and  gave  his  services 
to  Daniel  Tarbell  for  two  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  returned  to  Waitsfield  and 
was  employed  as  clerk  by  Cyrus  Skinner. 
In  1855  he  conducted  a  union  store  in  the 
village  and  afterward  formed  a  mercantile 
partnership  with  Judge  J.  H.  Hastings  which 
continued  for  four  years.  Since  then  he  has 
been  in  trade  at  AVaitsfield,  and  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  the  business  life  of  the 
place. 

Mr.  Gleason  is  a  Republican.  The  esti- 
mation in  which  he  is  held  is  amply  attested 
by  the  trusts  conferred  upon  him.  He  has 
held  nearly  every  town  office,  settled  several 
estates  and  acted  as  trustee  in  many  im- 
portant matters,  .\mong  the  many  impor- 
tant appointments  bestowed  upon  him  are 
town  clerk  and  treasurer.  These  positions 
he  has  occupied  for  nearly  forty  years.  He 
was  made  assistant  postmaster  in  1S5S  and 
in  tS6i  was  appointed  postmaster,  which 
place  he  retained  until  his  resignation  in 
1889.  He  was  sent  to  the  state  Legislature 
in  i8go  and  served  on  the  grand  list  com- 
mittee. 

He  married,  March  31,  1856,  Mary  L., 
daughter  of  Captain  Crowell  and  Almira 
Pease  Matthews  of  Waitsfield.  Their  chil- 
dren are  :  Herbert  C,  Marj-  E.,  Jennie  M., 
and  Louise  R. 

Mr.  Gleason  belongs  to  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  for  a  long  time  has  been 
the  treasurer  of  that  society  in  Waitsfield. 

GLEASON,  Samuel  Mills,  of  Thet- 

ford,  son  of  Richard  Mills  and  Harriet 
(Moxley)  Gleason,  was  born  at  Thetford, 
June  28,  1833. 

He  was  fittted  for  college  at  Thetford 
Academy,  under  Hiram  Orcutt,  and  gradu- 
ated at  Dartmouth  College  in  185S.  He  read 
law  with  Cornelius  ^V.  Clarke,  Esq.,  of  Chel- 
sea, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1861. 

He  at  once  commenced  the  practice  of 
law  at  Thetford  Center,  where  he  has  con- 
tinued ever  since.  He  is  one  of  the  best 
known  and  most  successful  lawyers  of  this 
section.  He  was  state's  attorney  in  1864 
and  1865,  and  again  in  1868  and  1869. 
While  acting  in  that  capacity  he  conducted 
successfully  many  important  criminal  cases. 
In  the  long  contested  chancery  case  of  Bick- 
nell  and  Pollard  against  the  Vermont  Copper 
Mining  Co.,  supposed  to  involve  the  sum  of 
§500,000,  he  was  associated  with  Hon.  John 
W.  Rowell,  and  argued  the  case  for  an  entire 
day  before  the  general  term  of  the  Supreme 


Court,  receiving  the  congratulations  of  Chief 
Justice  Pierpoint.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
receiver  of  all  the  immense  mining  and 
other  property  in  controversy  (in  the  suits 
against  the  \'ermont  Copper  Mining  Co., 
Vermont  Copper  Co.,  and  Ely  Goddard  & 
Cazin),  which  was  once  valued  at  more  than 
a  million  dollars,  and  he  has  successfully  dis- 
charged that  trust. 

Judge  Gleason  married,  May  19,  1S62, 
Sarah  Lysenbee,  daughter  of  Dr.  Enoch  Hil- 
ton and  .Arvilla  Smith  (Brown)  Pillsbury  ot 
Hubbardston,  Mass. 

He  represented  Thetford  in  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1864  and  1865  and  was  senator  in 
1880.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Thetford 
Academv,  and  of  the  State  Normal  School 


SAMUEL   MILLS   GLEASON. 

at  Randolph,  and  was  a  director  and  attor- 
ney of  the  West  Fairlee  Savings  Bank.  He 
was  elected  in  1893  a  trustee  of  the  Brad- 
ford Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Co.  In  1880 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Farnham 
chairman  of  the  board  of  railroad  commis- 
sioners for  two  years,  and  filled  this  respon- 
sible position  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
public  as  well  as  of  the  railroad  companies. 
He  has  been  town  clerk  many  years,  and 
was  elected  judge  of  probate  for  the  district 
of  Bradford  in  Orange  county,  in  September, 
1886,  by  a  large  majority,  and  later  by  every 
vote  of  both  political  parties  in  the  district, 
which  office  he  now  holds. 

Judge   Gleason    is  a  man    universally  es- 
teemed for  his  many  estimable  qualities. 


GOODELL,  Jerome  Winthrop,  of 

Burlington,  son  of  Ira  and  Sila  (Holmes) 
Goodell,  was  born  in  West  Townshend,  Oct. 
29,  1842. 

His  educational  advantages  were  received 
in  the  Townshend  public  schools  followed  bv 
one  term  in  the  Leland  &  Gray  Seminary  of 
that  place.  He  then  worked  with  his  father 
and  at  Keene,  N.  H.,  in  a  lumber  mill,  till 


COODELI..  159 

He  has  taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  the 
order  of  Free  Masonry  and  has  held  most  of 
the  offices  in  the  various  organizations.  He 
is  Sublime  I'rince  of  the  Royal  Secret  and 
member  of  the  \'ermont  Consistory  of  Bur- 
lington. He  has  also  taken  all  degrees  in 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  made  Grand 
Patriarch  in  1890,  Grand  Master  in  189 1 
and  the  following  year  was  elected  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  as  (Irand  Representative  for 
\ermont  for  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  .\rcanum  and  the  American  Legion 
of  Honor.  He  adheres  to  the  tenets  of  the 
Methodist  church. 

-Mr.  Goodell  married,  March  16,  187 1, 
Mary  C,  daughter  of  Luther  and  Mary 
(Thomas)  Sampson  of  Wayne,  Me. 

GOODELL,  Tyler  D.,  of  Readsboro, 
was  born  in  that  town,  Nov.  10,  1849,  the 
son  of  David  and  Sabrina  ( Hicks)  Goodell. 
The  parentage  of  Mr.  Goodell  was  of  New 
Lngland  stock  and  he  inherited  many  of  the 
characteristics  for  which  New  Knglanders  of 
the  old  school  are  distinguished. 


JEROME    WINTHROP   GOODELL. 

he  arrived  at  his  majority.  Returning  to  his 
father  with  whom  he  remained  till  1864,  he 
then  changed  his  residence  to  Boston,  Mass., 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  fur- 
nishing store  on  Washington  street  for  six 
years.  In  1870  he  commenced  to  act  as  a 
commercial  traveler  for  the  house  of  George 
M.  Cilaziel  &  Co.  In  1874  he  settled  in 
Burlington,  where  he  held  the  office  of 
superintendent  of  the  Burlington  Manufact- 
uring Co.,  but  two  years  after  the  firm  of  J. 
W.  Goodell  &  Co.  was  established  which 
continued  until  1885  when  the  copartner- 
ship was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Goodell  con- 
tinued his  business  alone,  engaging  in  the 
working  of  marble  and  granite  which  has 
proved  both  successful  and  remunerative. 
He  is  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
patent  box  binders. 

Mr.  Goodell  for  two  years  served  as  alder- 
man for  the  sth  ward  of  the  city  of  Burling- 
ton and  since  the  establishment  of  a  board 
of  managers  for  the  water  system  has  been 
one  of  the  commissioners.  He  has  been 
elected  to  many  minor  offices  by  the  votes  of 
the  dominant  jiarty. 


i'he  early  life  of  Mr.  Goodell  was  spent  in 
acquiring  an  education  and  upon  the  farm, 
and  for  ten  years  from  his  twenty-fifth  birth- 
day he  was  a  stage  dri\er  from  Readsboro. 
.'\bout  1874  Mr.  (loodell  purchased  the 
Goodell  House  of  Readsboro,  and  since  that 
time  has  successfully  conducted  that  well- 
known  establishment,  making  it  a  model 
country  hotel  and  jiresiding  over  his  guests 


i6o 


GOODENOUGH. 


with  a  grace  e(|ualled  only  by  the  boniface 
of  old. 

Mr.  Goodell  married,  first,  June  25,  187 1, 
Flora  E.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Jeremiah  Gifford. 
She  died  Dec.  26,  1874.  The  fruits  of  this 
marriage  were  Hallie  T.,  and  Flora  E.  He 
married,  second,  Feb.  12,  1879,  Ida  M., 
daughter  of  E.  W.  and  G.  M.  Robertson  of 
Readsboro.  Of  this  union  were  four  sons, 
two  of  whom  are  living :  Earl  W.,  and  Har- 
vey E. 

Always  afililiating  with  the  dominant  party 
he  has  received  many  honors  at  their  hands. 
Besides  holding  many  local  positions  he  has 
three  times  represented  his  town  in  the  Leg- 
islature, viz. :  in  the  sessions  of  1880,  1886 
and  1892. 

Although  not  rabid  on  the  subject  of  tem- 
perance, Mr.  Goodell  believes  in  the  uphold- 
ing and  honoring  of  the  prohibitory  laws  of 
the  state,  and  has  fully  demonstrated  that 
^'ermont  hotels  can  be  successfully  con- 
ducted without  selling  liquor. 

GOODHUE,  Homer,  of  Westminster 
West,  son  of  Deacon  Ebenezer  and  Lydia 


HOMER    GOODHUE. 

(Ranney)   Goodhue,  was  born  in  Westmin- 
ster, March  4,  181 1. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at 
the  Deerfield,  Mass.,  and  Bennington 
Academies,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1828,  when  he  returned  to  Westminster  and 


taught  school  for  two  winters,  spending  his 
summers  on  the  farm. 

In  I  S3 1  he  went  to  Charlestown,  Mass., 
where  he  was  employed  as  an  attendant  in 
the  McLane  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  from 
which  place  he  was  promoted,  after  three 
years  of  service,  to  that  of  supervisor,  which 
position  he  held  for  eighteen  years,  when  he 
resigned  and  returned  to  Westminster  in 
1852. 

In  iS53-'54  Mr.  Goodhue  travelled  ex- 
tensively in  the  United  States  and  British 
provinces,  in  the  company  of  a  private 
patient  under  his  care. 

After  his  return  Mr.  Goodhue  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  town  affairs,  and  since  that  time 
has  held  all  the  various  town  offices,  and 
represented  his  town  in  the  Legislatures  of 
1863  and  1865.  He  was  also  elected  state 
senator  in  1866  and  1867,  and  filled  the 
position  creditably  to  himself  and  acceptably 
to  his  county  and  state.  He  served  as 
county  commissioner  from  i860  to  1S75, 
and  was  appointed  by  the  Legislature  in 
1867  a  commissioner  of  the  insane,  and  re- 
appointed in  1868. 

In  1882  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  state 
board  of  supervisors  of  the  insane,  which 
position  he  has  continuously  held  since  that 
time,  serving  the  board  as  chairmain  during 
the  past  eight  years.  Mr.  ( loodhue  has 
never  yet  failed  to  be  present  at  the  regular 
monthly  meetings  of  the  board  in  Brattle- 
boro  and  generally  in  Waterbury.  He  has 
had  more  practical  experience  in  the  care 
and  management  of  the  insane  and  insane 
asylums  than  any  other  man  in  Vermont,  and 
probably  in  New  England.  His  judgment 
has  often  been  sought  by  persons  engaged 
in  this  specialty. 

Mr.  Goodhue  was  married  March  8,  1855, 
to  1  )elyra,  daughter  of  James  and  Patience 
(Hallett)  Tuthill.     She  "died  Nov.  21,  1893. 

GOODENOUGH,  JONAS  Eli,  of 
Montpelier,  son  of  Alonzo  l'].  and  Elizabeth 
(  Roulston)  Goodenough,  was  born  in  Berlin, 
Oct.  22,  i860,  on  the  farm  originally  bought 
and  settled  on  by  Joseph  Goodenough  in 
1794. 

He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  Washington  county  grammar  school, 
taught  school  several  winters,  and  studied 
dentistry  with  Dr.  O.  P.  Forbush  of  Mont- 
pelier, receiving  a  certificate  of  qualification 
from  the  state  board  of  dental  examiners. 

August  I,  i8S4,he  entered  the  Montpelier 
post-office  as  clerk  under  Postmaster  George 
^^'.  Wing,  and  was  appointed  assistant  post- 
master June  16,  1888,  which  position  he  re- 
tained till  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  Mr. 
Wing's  successor,  Mr.  Morse,  when  Mr. 
Goodenough  was  appointed  postmaster  by 
President  Harrison,  taking  possession  of  the 


i6i 


office  August  I,  1892.  He  has  administered 
the  duties  of  the  office  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  entire  community  and  made  many  im- 
provements in  the  service. 

He  is  a  member  of  Aurora  Lodge,  No.  22, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  has  been  Master. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  King  Solomon 
Lodge,  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  and  Mount  Zion 
Comniandery. 


JONAS    ELI    GOODENOUGH. 

Mr.  Goodenough  married,  Feb.  iS,  1S89, 
Eliza  P.,  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Cathar- 
ine B.  Holden  of  Middlesex. 

GOODWIN,    Elam    Marsh,  late   of 

Hartland,  son  of  Israel  and  Betsey  ( Mel- 
endy)  Goodwin,  was  born  in  Plainfield,  Dec. 
22,  1828. 

Commencing  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Plainfield,  he  continued  pur- 
suing his  studies  at  the  People's  Academy  of 
Morrisville  and  concluded  them  at  the  Green 
Mountain  Perkins  Institute  of  South  Wood- 
stock. In  early  life  he  evinced  a  taste  for 
the  natural  sciences,  and  was  always  a  great 
reader  and  careful  student  in  this  field.  He 
had  collected  a  very  choice  and  well-selected 
cabinet  of  minerals,  shells,  relics,  and  arch- 
aeological curiosities.  When  he  was  twenty- 
one  he  went  to  the  West  for  a  year,  but  re- 
turned well  satisfied  to  make  Vermont  his 
home.  In  1862  he  purchased  the  farm  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1890. 
He  was  a  successful  teacher  both  before  and 
after  he  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  was  a  valuable  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  .Agriculture. 


Mr.  (loodwin  was  an  earnest  Republican 
and  has  held  many  official  positions.  He 
was  town  su])erintendent  of  schools  in  Hart- 
land  and  for  many  years  town  agent.  He 
represented  Hartland  several  terms  in  the 
House,  was  county  commissioner,  and  sen- 
ator from  Windsor  county  in  1882.  In  the 
House  and  Senate  as  elsewhere  he  was  an 
able  and  fluent  speaker.  The  duties  of 
e.xecutor,  trustee,  guardian,  referee  and  au- 
ditor constantly  devohed  upon  him  with  the 
increasing  confidence  of  his  associates. 

Mr.  Goodwin  was  married  March  17, 
1869,  to  Ellen  A.,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Eliza 
Densmore  Brewster  of  Hartland.  Their  only 
child  is  Fred  Marsh. 

He  was  a  Universalist,  and  during  his 
long  life  was  a  shining  example  of  probit)', 
maintaining  a  high  standard  of  rectitude 
among  his  friends  and  neighbors. 

Ex-(;overnor  Pingree  in  his  memorial  ad- 
dress said  :  "He  was  ranked  by  all  as  a  man 
conspicuous  for  his  natural  and  acquired  abil- 
ities, most  of  the  time  filling  official  posi- 
tions in  his  town  and  county  and  constantly 
attaining  a  wider  and  more  pronounced  rec- 
ognition for  qualities  of  heart,  head  and 
character  as  a  public  man." 

GOSS,  Story  N.,  of  Chelsea,  son  of 
Abel  and  Amanda  (Hebard)  Goss,  was  born 
in  Waterford,  Feb.  7,  1831.  His  father  was 
a  farmer,  and  Story  remained  upon  the  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old. 

Educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Water- 
ford  and  later  at  the  academies  of  St.  Johns- 
bury  and  Chelsea,  he  commenced  to  study 
medicine  with  Doctors  Bancroft  and  Newell 
at  St.  Johnsbury  and  afterwards  with  Prof. 
E.  R.  Peasley  of  Dartmouth  College.  He 
graduated  in  1S56  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  Dartmouth  College  and  in  1S57  he 
received  a  degree  from  the  Medical  College 
of  New  York.  Later  he  accepted  an  ap- 
pointment as  senior  physician  on  the  staff 
of  Dr.  Sanger  at  Blackwell's  Island.  Re- 
maining there  one  year  he  returned  to  \'er- 
mont  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Georgia,  where  he  continued 
to  live  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war. 

Dr.  Goss  was  married  Jan.  4,  1S5S,  to  .Vnn 
Eliza  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Phoebe 
( Hale )  Mncent  of  Chelsea,  and  four  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  .Arthur  Vincent, 
Harry  Hale,  Walter  Story,  and  Annie  E. 

Dr.  (loss  was  commissioned  assistant  sur- 
geon 9th  Regt.  Vt.  \'ols.,  Sept.  26,  1862,  and 
ordered  to  report  to  the  general  hosjiital  at 
Brattleboro.  Here  he  remained  till  .\])ril 
when  he  received  orders  to  join  his  regiment 
in  the  field,  previous  to  which  he  was  pre- 
sented with  a  sword  by  the  patients  and  at- 
tendants of  the  Brattleboro  institution  in 
token  of  their  high  appreciation  of  his  valu- 


l62 


able  services.  Continuing  with  the  9th  Regt. 
in  the  vicinity  of  Vorktown,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  in  October,  i<S63,  as  he  was 
stricken  down  with  malarial  fever.  Par- 
tialh'  recovering,  his  zeal  for  the  cause  led 
him  to  re-enlist  as  acting  assistant  surgeon, 
U.  S.  A.,  and  was  ordered  again  to  Brattle- 
boro  and  shortly  afterwards  to  Fairfax  Semi- 
nary Hospital,  Xa.,  at  the  time  when  the 
battles  of  the  Wilderness  were  fought.  For 
a  third  time  he  was  stationed  at  Brattleboro 
and  later  at  Burlington  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  service  he  re- 
turned to  Georgia  and  remained  there  till 
1870,  when  he  settled  in  Chelsea  and  has 
practiced  his  profession  there  ever  since. 

Dr.  Goss  was  one  of  the  original  members, 
who  constituted  Waterson  Post,  No.  45,  G. 
A.  R.  He  has  been  a  Republican  from  his 
youth.      He  was  for  several  years  superin- 


Academy,  and  at  the  New  Hampton  (X.  H.) 
Institute. 

After  graduating  from  that  institute,  he 
taught  school  in  IJncoln  and  Starksboro 
three  years.  He  commenced  business  in 
the  fall  of  1S73  by  opening  a  retail  boot  and 
shoe  store,  and  continued  in  the  same  until 


STORY    N.    GOSS. 

tendent  of  schools  at  Georgia  and  also  at 
Chelsea.  Dr.  (ioss  stands  high  in  his  pro- 
fession as  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  has 
been  for  a  long  time  the  public  health  officer 
of  the  town  in  which  he  resides. 

GOVE,  MOSES  B.,  of  Lincoln,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Sarah  (Taber)  (Jove,  was  born 
in  Granville,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  28,  1847. 

His  parents  removed  to  I.incoln  when  he 
was  five  years  old,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  received  his  education  at  the 
common    schools    of   that   town,   at    Barre 


VIOSES    8.    GO 


(October,  1890,  when  at  the  organization  of 
the  IJncoln  Lumber  Co.,  he  became  one  of 
the  stockholders,  and  was  elected  secretary 
and  treasurer,  and  has  held  that  position  up 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Gove  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  his  town,  and  has  held  many  positions 
of  honor  and  trust,  having  been  a  justice  of 
the  peace  continuously  since  1874,  town 
clerk  and  treasurer  since  1875,  postmaster 
from  1877  to  the  time  of  his  resignation  in 
1890,  assistant  judge  of  Addison  county 
court,  iS9i-'92,  and  a  school  director  in 
1893. 

Judge  (love  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  more  than 
twenty  years. 

He  was  married  Mav  10,  1870,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Asa  and  Fannv  Purin- 
ton,  and  thev  have  had  three  daughters,  one 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  two  are  living  : 
Amy  Pearl,  and  Fanny  Estelle. 

GRANGER,  PLINY  NVE,  of  West 
Burke,  son  of  John  and  Eunice  (Owen) 
Granger,  was  born  in  Bethel,  Nov.  26,  1823. 


His  education  was  received  at  the  public 
and  private  schools  of  IJethel  and  \\'ood- 
stoclc.  The  family  having  removed  to  Wood- 
stock when  he  was  seventeen  he  assisted  his 
father,  who  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by 
trade,  and  afterwards  was  concerned  in  the 
business  of  a  butcher  till  1.S45,  when  a  strong 
desire  for  adventure  induced  him  to  embark 
at  New  Bedford  on  a  whaling  voyage  as 
ship's  carpenter.  This  voyage  extended 
through  three  and  a  half  years. 

Returning  in  the  fall  of  1848  Mr.  (Granger 
resumed  work  at  his  carpenter's  bench  at 
which  he  continued  to  labor  till  the  spring 
of  1853,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  M.  E. 
Conference  and  immediately  began  to  preach 
in  various  towns  in  the  state.  He  continued 
his  duties  as  pastor  for  twenty  years  and 
then  assumed  the  position  of  agent  for  the 
State  Temperance  Society,  lecturing  all  over 
Vermont  and  making  his  residence  at 
Peacham.  Returning  to  his  ministerial  labors, 
he  is  now  stationed  at  West  Burke.  He  has 
always  been  a  successful  preacher,  ever  mak- 
ing additions  to  the  societies  of  which  he  has 
had  the  pastoral  charge.  He  has  had  few 
active  revivals  but  believes  in  constant  regu- 
lar work. 

Mr.  Granger's  ancestors  emigrated  from 
the  old  country  to  Amherst,  Mass.,  and  Suf- 
field.  Conn. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  ]\Iay  28,  1849, 
to  Sophia,  daughter  of  Loring  and  Susan 
(Metcalf)  Richmond  of  Woodstock,  who 
died  Dec.  24,  1S78,  leaving  issue:  John 
Lormg  (deceased),  Sarah  J.  (deceased), 
Guy  R.,  George  H.,  one  of  a  surveying 
party  which  went  up  the  Pearl  river  in  1880 
and  was  never  heard  from;  Susan  L.  (]\Irs. 
Harrison  McClachlin  of  Peacham),  and 
Frank  P.  September  7,  1880,  Mr.  Granger 
married  as  his  second  wife  Ellen  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  P.  and  Lydia  (Rollins) 
Stevens  of  Derby. 

Mr.  Granger  has  occupied  the  responsi- 
ble position  of  superintendent  of  schools  in 
the  towns  of  Walden,  Holland  and  Lyndon, 
represented  Peacham  in  the  Legislature  in 
1 87 2.  In  1^74  he  was  chosen  a  senator 
from  Caledonia  county.  He  has  served 
eight  years  as  commissioner  both  in  Orleans 
and  Caledonia  county.  In  1880  and  1884 
he  was  selected  as  delegate  from  the  Ver- 
mont annual  conference  to  the  General  M. 
E.  Conference  and  has  been  for  several 
years  trustee  of  the  Vermont  M.  E.  Semi- 
nary, trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Preachers' 
Aid  Society  and  also  served  for  a  consider- 
able time  as  steward  of  the  M.  E.  Conference 
and  upon  several  other  standing  committees 
of  the  church.  Mr.  Granger  was  presiding 
elder  of  St.  Albans  district  from  1S78  to 
1882  and  of  St.  Johnsbury  district  from  1882 
to  1886.     He  has  always  been  a  steady  ad- 


GREENK.  163 

vocate  of  temperance  and  has  been  eminent 
in  the  order  of  Good  Templars :  was  a 
charter  member  of  Lodge  No.  7.  He  has 
also  served  as  delegate  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  \'ermont  and  to  the  Right  Grand  Lodge 
when  it  assembled  at  Detroit,  Mich. 

GREENE,  OLIN  D.,  of  Warren,  son  of 
Milton  and  Aurora  (Goodno)  Greene,  was 
born  Sept.  21,  1856,  in  Rochester. 

Brought  up  as  a  farmer,  he  obtained  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Roches- 
ter and  the  State  Normal  .School  at  Ran- 
dolph. Concluding  to  adopt  the  medical 
profession,  he  studied  for  three  years  with 
his  brother.  Dr.  L.  M.  (Ireene  of  Bethel,  and 
meanwhile  attended  lectures  at  the  U.  \'.  M., 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  M.  D. 
in  1879. 

Dr.  Greene  commenced  prai  tice  in  Roch- 
ester, remained  there  one  year  and  then  re- 
moved to  \\'arren  where  his  devotion  to  his 
chosen  profession  has  secured  to  him  a  large 
and  steadily  increasing  practice.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Medical  Society. 

He  was  married  March  4,  1879,  'o  Emma 
L.,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Clara  ( Ray- 
mond) Bee  of  Rochester.  Their  only  child 
is  Mabelle  S. 

Dr.  Greene  belongs  to  the  Republican 
])arty,  and  though  never  an  eager  aspirant 
for  political  honors,  has  occupied  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  1888  was 
elected  to  represent  Warren  in  the  Legfsla- 
ture,  where  he  was  a  useful  member  of  the 
committee  on  manufactures. 

Two  brothers  of  Dr.  (Ireene  occupy  the 
pulpit,  one  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  one  in 
\\akefield  of  the  same  state. 

GROUT,  DON  D.,  of  Waterbury,  son  of 
Luman  M.  and  Philura  L  (French)  Grout, 
was  born  in  Morris\ille,  April  24,  1849. 

Pklucated  at  the  People's  Academy,  Mor- 
ris\ille,  he  taught  for  a  time  in  Stowe  and 
HoUiston,  Mass.,  and  was  the  principal  of 
the  academy  at  West  Charleston. 

Deciding  upon  a  professional  career  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr. 
(ieorge  A.  Hinman  of  Charleston  and  later 
with  Dr.  Edward  S.  Peck  of  New  York. 
This  was  followed  by  attendance  at  several 
courses  of  lectures  at  Dartmouth  and  the 
L'niversity  of  Vermont  from  which  latter  in- 
stitution he  graduated  M.  D.  in  1872.  Upon 
his  graduation  Dr.  (irout  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  assistant  physician  in  the 
Kings  County  (N.  Y.)  Hospital  and  later 
filled  the  same  position  at  the  asylum  for  the 
insane  at  the  same  place.  He  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Wolcott  in  1873, 
and  in  1875  removed  to  Stowe  where  he 
built  up  a  lucrative  practice,  which  he  re- 
linquished   in   the  spring  of  1890  to  enter 


I  64  UKOIT. 

upon  a  larger  field  of  activity,  which  he  found 
at  AVaterbury,  where  he  has  since  resided 
and  is  actively  engaged  in  his  profession. 

Politically,  Dr.  Cirout  affiliates  with  the 
dominant  party  of  A'ermont,  and  that  his  ef- 
forts ha\e  been  appreciated  by  his  party  is 
evidenced  by  the  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  which  have  been  given  him.  He  was 
superintendent  of  schools  while  in  Wolcott ; 


Royal  Arch  Masons  and  of  Waterbury  Coun- 
cil of  Royal  and  Select  Masters.  He  has 
for  the  past  two  years  been  the  Worshipful 
Master  of  Winooski  Lodge. 

(IRIFFIN,  BenoNI,  of  Sudbury,  son 'of 
Benoni  and  Abigail  (Ray)  Griffin,  was  born 
in  Sudbury,  March  26,  1809.  The  family 
came  originally  from  England  and  the  name 
of  Benoni  has  descended  from  father  to^son 
for  many  generations  both  here  and  in  the 
uld  country.  His  educational  advantages 
were  limited  to  the  common  schools  of  Sud- 
luiry  and  he  went  from  these  to  labor  upon 
the  farm.  Mr.  Griffin  cultivates  with  great 
success  a  large  farm  of  three  hundred  acres 
in  extent.  He  also  trades  extensively  in 
I  attle  and  is  known  as  an  honorable  and 
energetic  dealer  in  those  lines  of  business  to 
which  he  has  given  his  attention. 

As  an  adherent  of  the  Republican  party 
he  has  held  all  the  offices  which  could  be 
(  onferred  upon  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen, 
and  he  w-as  elected  member  for  Sudbury  to 
the  state  Legislature  of  1880.  Mr.  Griffin 
was  employed  as  a  recruiting  officer  during 
the  war  of  the  rebellion. 


while  a  resident  of  Stowe  he  represented  that 
town  in  the  Legislature,  serving  on  the  com- 
mittees of  public  health  and  lunatic  asylums, 
and  had  charge  of  the  bill  to  locate  and  con- 
struct a  state  asylum  for  the  insane,  and  was 
appointed  by  (;overnor  Dillingham  one  of  the 
trustees  for  said  institution,  and  had  the  per- 
sonal supervision  of  the  construction  of  a 
portion  of  the  buildings.  He  has  held  many 
town  offices  and  is  at  present  one  of  the 
AA'aterbury  village  trustees. 

Dr.  (Irout  has  been  three  times  married. 
In  July,  1873,  he  married  Nettie  A.,  daughter 
of  John  and  Susan  Jones  of  Barre,  by  whom 
he  has  had  two  children,  Inez  L.,  and  Luman 
M.  ])ecember  20,  18S1,  he  married  Angle, 
daughter  of  Venon  and  Eliza  A\'ilkins  of 
Stowe.  She  left  him  four  children  :  Annie 
M.,  Josie  R.,  Benjamin  Harrison,  and  Angie. 
In  1892  he  married  his  present  wife,  Ida  E., 
daughter  of  D.  J.  and  Jane  Morse  of  Water- 
bury. 

Dr.  Grout  is  an  active  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  being  a  member  of  the 
Winooski    Lodge,    A\'aterbury    Chapter,    of 


BENONI    GRIFFIN 


Mr.  Griffin'was  united  to  Sarah  W.,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Dorcas  ( Murray )  Miller, 
March  12,  1840.  Their  children  are:  La- 
Roy  S.,  Edna  J.,  Florence  S.,  Ella  C.  (Mrs. 
E.  C.  Spooner),  Finest  B.,  Rolla  C,  Mary 
A.,  Nettie  M.,  and  Irwin  B. 


GROUT,  JOSIAH,  of  Derby,  son  of 
Josiah  andSophronia  (Ayer)  Grout,  was  horn 
of  American  parents  in  Compton,  Canada, 
May  28,  1842. 

\\'hen  six  years  of  age  his  father  removed 
to  \'ermont  and  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  Orleans  Liberal  In- 
stitute at  Glover.  He  also  commenced  a 
course  of  study  at  the  St.  Johnsbury  .Acad- 
emy, which  he  left  to  enlist  Oct.  2,  i86t,  as 
a  private  in  Co.  I,  ist  Vt.  Cavalry.  He 
was  mustered  in  on  the  organization  of  his 
company  as  2d  lieutenant,  promoted  to  cap- 
tain in  1 86 2,  and  in  1864  was  appointed 
major  of  the  26th  N.  Y.  Cavalry  which  was 
organized  for  frontier  service  after  the  St. 
Albans  raid.  While  serving  with  the  ist  \'t. 
he    participated    in  seventeen  different  en- 


(jRour.  165 

cially  e.\celling  as  a  jury  ad\ocate.  In  1S80 
he  returned  to  X'erinont  and  has  since 
devoted  himself  solely  to  his  extensive  model 
stock  farm,  his  chief  delight  being  farming  — 
and  it  well  done.  Major  Grout's  efforts  as 
an  agriculturist  and  stock  raiser  have  met 
with  great  success  and  he  possesses  some  of 
the  finest  Jersey  cattle,  blooded  .Morgan 
horses  and  Shropshire  shee])  in  tlie  Green 
Mountain  state. 

Major  Grout  was  united  in  marriage, 
October,  1S67,  to  Harriet,  daughter  of  .Aaron 
and  Nancy  (Stewart)  Hinman,  one  of  the 
leading  families  of  Derby.  They  have  one 
son  :  .Aaron  H. 

Major  Grout  is  an  earnest  Re])ublican. 
He  represented  Newport  in  the  Legislature 
in  1872,  1874,  and  Derby  in  1884,  1SS6  and 
1S80.  He  was  one  of  the  Orleans  county 
senators  in  1S92.  He  was  speaker  of  the 
House,  in  1874,  1886  and  1888.  He  has 
served  as  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the 
Republican  Club  at  Derby,  and  was  four 
years  vice-presdent  and  one  year  president 
of  the  Vermont  League  of  Republican  Clubs. 

He  is  liberal  in  his  religious  belief  and  has 
been  raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  a- 
Master  Mason.  During  the  three  years  he 
was  in  Chicago,  he  built  up  a  nice  law 
practice  which  was  reluctantly  exchanged 
for  business  prospects  at  Moline,  where  for 
two  years  he  was  one  of  the  supervisors  of 
Rock  Island  county.  He  devotes  himself 
industriously  and  with  conscientious  purpose 
to  the  accomplishment  of  all  his  undertak- 
ings and  can  be  literally  regarded  as  one  of 
those  who  does  with  his  might  whatever  his 
hands  find  to  do.  Particularly  is  this 
I'haracteristic  of  faithfulness  noticeable  in 
the  work  he  has  bestowed  in  improving  and 
developing  his  farm  and  stock,  which  with  a 
pardonable  pride  he  so  cheerfully  shows  all 
who  call  to  see  him. 


gagements  and  was  badly  wounded  in  a 
skirmish  with  the  partisan  leader  Mosby, 
April  1,  1863. 

At  the  termination  of  the  war  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  his  brother,  General  Grout, 
at  Barton  where  he  continued  till  December, 
1865,  when  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  \'ermont  courts.  The  following  year  he 
removed  to  Island  Pond  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  Custom  House  for  three  years 
and  also  served  the  same  space  of  time  in 
the  same  capacity  at  St.  .Albans  and  New- 
port. In  1S74  he  changed  his  residence  to 
Chicago  and  afterwards  to  Moline,  111. 

While  at  Newport,  before  going  West,  he 
practiced  his  profession  with  very  great  suc- 
cess, ranking    high  as  a  lawyer  and    espe- 


GROUT,  Selim  E.,  of  St.  johnsbury, 
son  of  Theophilus  and  Hannah  (Chick) 
Grout,  was  born  in  Kirby,  June  11,  1836. 

His  father  first  saw  the  light  in  the  old 
homestead  now  in  the  possession  of  Gen.  W. 
\\'.  (irout,  M.  C,  and  died  when  Selim  was 
only  eleven  years  old.  .At  that  time  the 
farm  was  sold  and  Selim  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources  to  fight  the  battle  of  life 
without  paternal  guidance  at  a  critical  age, 
but  he  possessed  the  characteristic  family 
traits  of  courage,  versatility  and  enterpri.se. 

Beginning  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  at  Concord,  he  attended  later  the  Lyn- 
don .Academy.  He  worked  upon  the  farm, 
learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  carriage 
maker  and  harness  maker,  acted  as  clerk, 
then  engaged  in  selling  ice  in  New  York 
and  creditably  encountered  the  rough  edge 
of   the  world  in  many  and  waried  caiiacities. 


i66 


Later  he  carried  on  the  carriage  and  harness 
business,  and  when  the  P.  &  O.  R.  R.  was 
completed  in  January,  1872,  he  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  station  agent  at  West  Con- 
cord and  acted  nearly  twenty  years  in  that 
capacity.  During  the  latter  part  of  this 
period  he  gave  his  attention  to  manufactur- 
ing chair  stock,  bobbins,  and  dressed  lumber 
until  his  works  were  burned  down  in  1890. 
He  also  owned  and  carried  on  a  large  grist 
mill  at  West  Concord  for  several  years. 


SELIM    E.    GROUT. 

Mr.  Grout  was  married  at  Concord  Sept. 
18,  1862,  to  .Annette,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Sophronia  (Richardson)  Hutchinson  of 
^^'aterford.  I'hey  have  adopted  .Arthur  Mur- 
ray and  Florence  C.  Grout. 

Mr.  Grout  was  a  charter  member  of  Essex 
Grange  P.  of  H.  and  also  one  of  the  original 
members  of  Moose  River  Lodge,  No.  82,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  and  has  passed  through  the  chairs 
of  L  and  S.  W.  For  two  terms  he  served 
his  lodge  as  Worshipful  Master. 

From  the  beginning  Mr.  (irout  has  been 
an  active  RepubHcan.  A  man  of  benevolent 
impulses,  he  has  been  a  'useful  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  obliging  and  accommodating 
often  to  his  own  loss.  He  represented  Con- 
cord in  the  Legislature  of  1880.  His  stand- 
ing in  the  community  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  he  has  been  deputy  and  high 
sheriff  of  Essex  county  for  seventeen  years, 
auditor  for  six  years,  and  was  elected  state 
senator  from  Essex  county  in  1890. 


GROUT,  William  W.,  of  Kirby,  was 

born  of  American  parents  in  Compton,  P.  Q., 
May  24,  1836.  His  ancestry  is  traced  back 
to  Dr.  John  Grout  who  came  from  England 
in  1630  and  settled  in  Watertown,  Mass.  His 
great-grandfather,  Elijah  Clrout,  of  Charles- 
town,  N.  H.,  served  as  commissary  in  the 
Rexolutionary  war.  His  grandfather,  Theo- 
philus  Grout,  settled  on  the  Moose  river  in 
the  new  state  of  Vermont  upon  land  after- 
ward included  in  the  present  town  of  Kirby, 
in  the  year  1799,  and  there  cleared  a  large 
farm  which  his  father,  Josiah  Grout,  after- 
wards owned  and  on  which  he  lived  till  near 
the  time  of  his  death. 

\\  illiam  ^\'.  Grout  recei\"ed  a  common 
school  and  academic  education,  and  was 
graduated  at  the  Poughkeepsie  (N.  Y.)  Law 
School  in  1857.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  December  of  the  same  year,  and  settled 
in  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Barton.     In  July, 

1862,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans 
of  the  county  to  the  office  of  state's  attor- 
ney, but  declined  the  nomination  and  en- 
listed in  a  company  then  being  raised  in  Bar- 
ton for  the  civil  war.  On  its  organization  he 
was  made  captain,  and  subsequently  was 
promoted  to  be  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
15th  Regt.,  which  was  attached  to  the  brig- 
ade of  General  Stannard,  afterward  so  famous 
for  the  repulse  of  Pickett's  charge  at  Gettys- 
burg. The  15th  Regt.  did  not  remain  at 
Gettysburg  till  the  close  of  the  battle,  but  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  was  ordered 
to  the  defence  of  the  ist  corps  train,  then 
on  the  way  to  \\'estminster,  and  liable  to  at- 
tack from  Stuart's  ca\alry,  which  were  prowl- 
ing in  the  rear  of  the  L'nion  army.  A  few 
days  after  the  regiment  joined  the  brigade 
at  Funkstown,  and  the  next  day  brought  up 
in  front  of  the  enemy  at  Hagerstown,  and 
Colonel  (Irout  with  two  hundred  men  from 
the  1 6th  Regt.  went  upon  the  skirmish  line 
against  which  the  enemv  was  actively  de- 
monstrating, while  Lee  w-ith  the  bulk  of  his 
army  was  crossing  the  Potomac.     In  August, 

1863,  Colonel  Grout  was  mustered  out  with 
his  regiment  on  account  of  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  the  enemy  raided  St. 
Albans,  robbing  banks,  etc.,  and  by  order 
of  the  (Governor  of  Vermont,  Colonel  Grout 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  provisional 
forces  raised  on  the  east  side  of  the  moun- 
tain to  guard  the  Canadian  frontier.  The 
Legislature  then  in  session  organized  three 
brigades  of  militia,  and  Colonel  Grout  was 
elected  brigadier-general  and  assigned  by 
the  Governor  to  the  command  of  one  of 
them. 

In  1865  he  was  elected  state's  attorney 
of  Orleans  countv,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1866.  He  represented  Barton  in  1868,  1S69, 
1870,  and   1874.     In    1876  he  was  elected 


i68 


to  the  state  Senate  from  the  county  of  Or- 
leans, and  on  organization  was  made  presi- 
dent pro  temfiore  of  that  body. 

In  1878  he  was  nominated  for  Congress 
by  the  Repiibhcans  of  the  third  district,  but 
was  beaten  by  Bradly  Barlow,  a  greenbacker. 
In  iSSo  he  was  elected  to  the  Forty-seventh 
Congress  from  the  third  district.  By  the 
tenth  census  Vermont  lost  a  member,  and  the 
third  was  absorbed  by  the  first  and  second 
districts,  (jeneral  Grout  was  a  candidate  for 
nomination  in  the  second  district  in  1882, 
but  was  beaten  by  Judge  Poland,  ex-member 
of  both  House  and  Senate,  and  ex-chief  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  1S84  General 
Grout  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  of 
the  second  district  and  was  elected  to  the 
Forty-ninth  Congress  by  a  majority  of  nearly 
thirteen  thousand,  and  has  since  been  re- 
elected to  the  Fiftieth,  Fifty-first,  Fiftv-sec- 
ond,  and  Fifty-third  Congresses,  invariably 
running  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He  has  served 
on  the  committees  on  territories,  levees  and 
im])rovements  of  the  Mississippi  River,  edu- 
cation, District  of  Columbia  (of  which  he 
was  chairman  in  the  Fiftv-first  Congress), 
expenditures  in  the  interior  and  treasury  de- 
partments, and  upon  the  committee  on  ap- 
propriations, of  which  he  is  now  a  member. 

Meantime  General  Grout  has  been  en- 
gaged in  an  active  law  practice  till  quite  re- 
cently, and  all  the  time  interested  in  agri- 
culture. He  now  owns  and  resides  upon 
the  old  homestead  in  Kirby  where  his  grand- 
father settled  in  1799,  and  which  has  been 
in  the  family  ever  since. 

(General  Grout  married  Loraine  M.  Smitn 
in  i860,  who  died  in  1868.  He  buried  two 
children  in  infancy.     He  has  not  remarried. 

GROUT,  THEOPHILUS,  of  Newport, 
son  of  Josiah  and  Sophronia  (Ayer)  (Jrout, 
was  born  in  Compton,  P.  Q.,  Sept.  3,  1848. 

His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Concord  followed  by  an 
academic  course  at  the  institutions  at  St. 
Johnsbury,  Newbury  and  Mclndoes  Falls, 
after  which,  as  he  had  resolved  to  adopt  the 
legal  profession  as  his  life  work,  he  com- 
menced his  studies  in  the  office  of  Bisbee 
&  Grout  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Orleans  county  at  the  September  term  in 
187 1.  He  commenced  to  practice  in  the 
town  of  Newport  and  with  the  exception  of 
one  year  which  he  spent  in  Galveston,  Tex., 
he  continued  his  professional  career  in  that 
place,  having  some  of  the  time  been  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Josiah  and  C. 
A.  Prouty,  Esq  ,  but  chiefly  by  himself.  In 
1878  he  was  made  state's  attorney  and  he 
has   been  connected  with   many  important 


cases  in  the  county.  In  1880  Mr.  Grout 
was  chosen  member  of  the  Legislature  to 
represent  Newport,  in  which  body  he  served 
with  marked  ability  on  the  committees  to 
which  had  been  entrusted  the  revision  of  the 
statutes  and  the  rules.  In  educational  af- 
fairs, he  has  always  taken  an  active  interest, 
has  acted  as  superintendent  of  schools  and 


trustee  of  Newport  Academy.  In  these 
duties  his  early  experience  must  have  been 
of  service,  for  he  had  been  an  instructor  in 
his  youth,  having  taught  in  several  educa- 
tional establishments  in  the  northern  jiart  of 
the  state. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Nov.  25,  1873, 
to  Ellen  A.,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary 
(Stubbs)  Black  of  CJalveston,  Texas,  and  of 
this  union  there  are  issue  :  Charles  T.,  and 
Addie  Lou. 

Mr.  Grout  is  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  is  a  warden 
and  lay  reader  and  is  active  in  the  work  of 
the  Sunday  school. 

In  Free  Masonry  he  has  received  the 
honors  of  the  32d  degree  and  he  is  the  act- 
ing prelate  of  Malta  Commandery  No.  10, 
of  Newport.  When  he  withdrew  from  pro- 
fessional practice  in  1891  he  became  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  Newport  Express  and 
Standard,  which  journal  he  continues  to 
imblish  till  the  present  time. 


i69 


HAILE,  Benjamin  Harrison,  of  Mont- 
gomery, son  of  Nathan  and  .Mary  Ann  (Tar- 
bell)  Haile,  was  born  in  Montgomerv,  Dec. 
26,  1S46. 

The  family  of  Haile  came  from  Scotland 
to  Rhode  Island  at  an  early  day  in  the  col- 
onial period.  Nathan  Haile  was  an  early 
settler  in  .Montgomery,  a  farmer  and  a  lum- 
berman. 

Henjamin  was  the  fourth  child  of  a  family 
of  five,  and  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Montgomery.  Early  inured 
to  the  labor  of  a  farm,  he  developed  a 
sturdy  physique  and  unusual  executive  ability, 
and  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  at  man's 
estate  has  taken  charge  of  all  the  business 
appertaining  to  his  father's  farm  and  also  of 
other  properties  which  he  has  purchased 
from  time  to  time.  In  the  winter  he  devotes 
his  attention  to  lumbering.  In  every  calling 
he  has  met  with  merited  success.  He  was 
largely  instrumental  in  establishing  a  co- 
operative creamery  at  Montgomery. 

Like  his  namesake  Mr.  Haile  is  a  stalwart 
Republican,  and  he  has  filled  many  public 
positions.  In  his  native  town,  composed 
largely  of  a  foreign  element,  his  wise  counsel 
and  prudent  advice  have  been  influential 
and  beneficial  in  the  management  of  public 
affairs,  and  he  was  a  useful  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  1888.  He  has 
been  county  commissioner. 

Mr.  Haile  married  in  1880,  Hattie,  daugh- 
ter of  .\.  P.  and  Harriet  (Rawson)  Richard- 
son. Their  children  are  :  John  Rawson,  and 
Clarence  Hamilton. 

HALE,  Harry,  late  of  Rindge,  N.  H., 
Windsor  and  Chelsea,  was  born  in  Rindge, 
N.  H.,  Feb.  10,  1780.  His  father.  Colonel 
Nathan  Hale,  who  had  been  at  home  after 
July,  1777,  upon  his  limited  parole  to  return 
within  the  enemy's  lines  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  if  not  sooner  exchanged,  had  left  home 
pursuant  to  the  terms  of  his  parole,  to  return 
within  the  enemy's  lines,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  son's  birth  was  a  prisoner  of  war  in 
the  hands  of  the  British  at  New  Utrecht, 
L.  I.,  where  he  died,  Sept.  23,  1780,  without 
again  visiting  his  home,  so  that  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  never  saw  his  father.  His 
training,  of  course,  devolved  upon  his  wid- 
owed mother,  a  woman  of  remarkable  energy, 
decision,  and  intelligence.  He  was  educated 
at  the  common  schools  in  Rindge,  with  the 
addition  of  a  term  or  two  at  New  Ipswich 
-Academy,  but  succeeded  in  acquiring  a 
thorough  practical  education,  and  was  al- 
ways remarkable  for  his  command  of  pure 
and  forcible  English  both  in  writing  and  in 
speech. 


When  about  twenty  years  of  age  he  joined 
liis  brother  Nathan  at  Windsor,  and  either 
then  or  on  arriving  at  his  majority,  entered 
into  copartnership  with  him  under  the  firm 
name  of  N.  &  H.  Hale  as  country  merchants, 
having  a  store  at  Windsor  street  and,  after  a 
few  years,  another  at  the  West  Parish,  now 
West  Windsor.  He  removed  from  Windsor 
to  Chelsea  in  1807,  and  there  continued  for 
some  years  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
Nathan.  On  the  dissolution  of  their  partner- 
ship he  formed  a  business  connection  with 
Joshua  Dickinson  for  several  years,  carrying 
on  a  country  store  under  the  firm  name  ot 
Hale  &  Dickinson.  They  built  the  structure 
on  the  west  side  of  the  north  common,  since 
known  as  the  Dickinson  store.  Somewhere 
about  1825  he  retired  from  trade,  and 
thenceforth  devoted  himself  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  grist  mill  and  his  farms. 

He  was  early  chosen  a  captain  of  militia 
and  was  best  known  by  the  title  of  Captain. 
He  was  frequently  elected  to  town  offices, 
selectman,  lister,  town  agent,  etc.  For  many 
years  he  was  justice  of  the  peace.  In  1828, 
1832,  and  1836  he  represented  Chelsea  in 
the  Legislature.  For  several  years  he  was 
county  clerk  of  Orange  county  and  bank 
commissioner  of  the  state.  He  was  repeat- 
edly moderator  of  the  town  meetings,  and  in 
all  respects  a  leading  citizen  of  his  town. 
He  always  took  an  active  interest  in  politics  ; 
was  an  early  Federalist,  but  when  John 
Ouincy  Adams  became  a  candidate  for  the 
jiresidency  warmly  supported  him  against 
the  violent  opposition  of  many  of  the  leaders 
(if  the  old  Federal  party.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  anti-Masonic  excitement  about 
1S27  and  1828,  Mr.  Hale,  who  had  never 
been  a  Mason,  fully  sympathized  with  the 
hostility  to  that  institution,  and  was  first 
elected  to  the  Legislature  as  a  candidate  of 
that  party.  Subsequently  he  acted  for  many 
vears  with  the  whigs,  but  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  so-called  "Liberty  Party,"  his  firm 
and  unyielding  hostility  to  slavery  led  him 
to  join  it,  and  to  it  adhered  till  his  death. 
In  1S43  he  received  its  nomination  for  state 
treasurer  on  the  ticket  with  Lawrence  Brain- 
erd  as  Covernor,  an-d  this  compliment  was 
renewed  for  several  years.  It  may  be  added 
that  he  never  sought  office,  and  that  all  his 
nominations  and  elections  came  unsought. 

In  all  the  relations  of  jniblic  and  jirivate 
life,  he  bore  an  honorable  and  unsullied 
character,  and  his  whole  career  was  marked 
by  integrity  and  uprightness.  Perhaps  his 
most  distinguished  characteristic  was  his 
firm  and  exact  adherence  to  justice,  which 
made  him  a  safe  umpire  not  only  between 
his  neighbors,  a  duty  he  was  often  called  to, 
but  an  almost  equally  safe  arbitrator  between 
himself  and  his  neighbor. 


lyi 


He  was  a  most  liberal  siqjporter  of  the 
Congregational  church,  with  which  he  wor- 
shipped, but  ne\'er  became  a  member  until 
1838. 

He  was  never  a  rich  man.  but  never  failed 
to  "pay  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar," 
and  but  once  while  in  business  was  com- 
pelled to  ask  so  much  as  an  "extension  of 
time"  from  his  creditors,  which  was  most 
freely  and  willingly  granted,  and  within 
which  his  indebtedness  was  fully  met.  The 
generous  education  which  he  gave  his  chil- 
dren was  a  continual  drain  on  his  resources 
which  he  never  regretted,  although  it  left 
him  in  moderate  circumstances,  financially, 
in  his  old  age.  He  died  at  Chelsea,  June, 
1861. 

Mr.  Hale  married,  first  in  Rindge  in  1802, 
Phebe,  daughter  of  David  and  Phebe  (Spof- 
ford)  Adams.  She  died  at  Chelsea,  Jan.  13, 
181 5,  having  been  the  mother  of  eleven 
children,  six  of  whom  survived  her.  He  mar- 
rieil,  secondly,  Nov.  14,  1818,  at  Chelsea, 
Lucinda,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Mary 
(Safford)  Eddy.  She  bore  him  seven  chil- 
dren. All  her  own  children  and  four  of  her 
step-children  survived  her.  She  survived  her 
husband  and  died  at  Chelsea,  .August  i,  1S71. 

On  the  renovation  of  the  Congregational 
church  in  Chelsea  in  1876  a  memorial  win- 
dow of  stained  glass  was  placed  in  the  rear 
of  the  pulpit,  which  describes  Mr.  Hale  as 
"Foremost  among  those  who  builded  this 
house  to  the  worship  of  God,  iSio,"  adding 
the  text  selected  by  his  children,  "One  that 
ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  his  chil- 
dren in  subjection  with  all  gravity." 

HALE,  Mark,  son  of  Harry  and  Phebe 
Hale,  born  .\ugust20,  1806,  was  appointed  a 
midshipman  in  the  navy  in  1825  and  re- 
signed in  1832.  No  tidings  have  been  re- 
ceived of  him  since  his  resignation,  and  he 
probably  died  many  years  ago.  He  is  de- 
scribed in  a  letter  written  by  one  of  his  ship- 
mates to  his  father  as  a  young  man  of  fine 
person,  prepossessing  manners,  and  as  highly 
respected  both  in  his  private  and  official 
capacity  by  his  brother  officers  in  every 
grade. 

HALE,  Thomas,  son  of  Harry  and  Phebe 
Hale,  was  born  in  Chelsea,  June  21,  1813. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S44,  but 
never  practiced  the  legal  profession  to  any 
extent.  Most  of  his  life  was  spent  in  jour- 
nalism. He  was  for  many  years  editor  of 
the  Vermont  Journal  at  Windsor,  and  also 
founded  and  edited  the  New  England  Ob- 
server at  White  River  Junction.  He  was 
also  the  editor  of  the  Sentinel  at  Keene,  N. 
H.,  and  of  various  other  papers  in  New 
England.  .\s  a  journalist  he  was  very  suc- 
cessful, continuing  in   that    profession    until 


he  was  comiielled  to  abandon  it  by  the  fail- 
ure of  his  sight. 

He  was  married  to  Sarah  Rallou  Potter  in 
1869,  and  died  in  Plainfield,  N.  J.,  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1893,  leaving  his  widow  and 
one  son  (Thomas)  surviving  him. 

HALE,  Henry,  son  of  Harry  and  Phebe 
Hale,  was  born  in  Chelsea,  June  21,  1814. 
Graduating  at  the  University  of  Vermont 
in  1840,  he  studied  law  and  practiced  his 
profession  first  at  Orwell,  \'t.,  then  at  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  V.,  and  remo\ed  to  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  in  1855,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death  in  December,  1890.  Not  long  after 
he  removed  to  St.  Paul  he  gave  up  profes- 
sional labor  and  devoted  his  time  mainly  to 
the  care  of  the  estate  which  he  accumulated 
there,  and  to  travel,  making  Ireijuent  visit.sto 
Europe,  where  he  spent  a  large  portion  of  his 
time. 

He  married,  just  before  his  remo\al  to  St. 
Paul,  Mary  Elizabeth  Fletcher,  daughter  of 
Paris  Fletcher,  Esq.,  of  Bridport.  He  had 
two  children,  who  both  died  in  infancy,  and 
left  only  his  widow  surviving.  By  his  will  he 
left  a  large  portion  of  his  fortune  to  the  city 
of  St.  Paul  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  free 
library  and  free  dispensary.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  reading  and  ability  and  had  a  high 
standing  in  his  profession. 

HALE,  Safford  Eddy,  eldest  son  of 

Harry  and  Lucinda  Hale,  was  born  in  Chel- 
sea, Oct.  26,  1818,  and  received  his  pro- 
fessional education  in  the  medical  dejjart- 
ment  of  Dartmouth  College.  In  1842  he 
went  to  Elizabethtown,  N.  V.,  where  he 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine, 
which  he  continued  until  within  a  few 
months  of  his  death,  which  occurred  .April 
iS,  1893. 

With  an  acute  and  cultivated  mind,  pol- 
ished manners,  agreeable  presence,  lively 
wit,  fine  professional  attainments  and  skill, 
absolute  integrity  and  fearless  independence, 
he  at  once  became  and  continued  to  the  end 
to  be  one  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of 
Elizabethtown.  He  felt  a  lively  interest  in 
all  matters  of  public  concern,  and  although 
not  an  active  politician  or  desirous  of  office, 
he  from  time  to  time  served  the  community 
in  such  positions  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
commissioner  of  highways,  county  treasurer, 
etc.  He  was  for  one  term  president  of  the 
Essex  County  Medical  Society  and  its  secre- 
tary many  year?. 

He  married  Elizabeth  Palmer  Churchill, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Churchill,  Esq.,  of  Wood- 
stock. She  "died  March  8,  1S71.  He  left 
surviving  him  three  children  :  Frederick  G. 
(a  lawyer  at  Chicago),  Joseph  C.  (of  Lead- 
ville,  Col.),  and  Clara  L.,  who  resided  with 
her  father,  and  still  resides  in  P'lizabethtown. 


172 


HAl.E,  Robert  SaFFORD,  second  son 
of  Harry  and  Lucinda  Hale,  was  born  in 
Chelsea,  Sept.  24,  1822.  He  graduated  at 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  1842,  and  re- 
ceived from  that  college  the  degree  of  LL.D. 
He  studied  law  in  Elizabethtown,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  1847,  continu- 
ing in  that  professon  at  Elizabethtown  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  Dec.  14,  iSSi. 
The  following  extract  from  the  memorial 
minute  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Regents  of 
the  State  of  New  York  on  the  occasion  of  his 
•death,  gives  a  concise  and  clear  sketch  of 
his  public  life  ; 

"  In  1856  he  was  elected  judge  of  Essex 
•county,  and  in  1859  a  regent  of  the  univer- 
sity. In  1S60  he  was  appointed  a  presiden- 
tial elector,  and  in  1S65  he  was  elected  to 
Congress.  In  1868  he  was  employed  as 
special  counsel  of  the  Treasury  before  the 
Court  of  Claims  of  the  United  States.  In 
1870  he  was  nominated  as  a  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals,  but,  with  the  majority  of 
his  party  candidates,  was  not  elected.  In 
187  I  he  was  appointed  agent  and  counsel  of 
the  United  States  before  the  mixed  commis- 
sion of  claims  under  the  treaty  of  Washing- 
ton. In  1873  hs  ^^'^5  again  elected  to  Con- 
gress, and  in  1876  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the 
■state  survey. 

"To  the  discharge  of  these  various  pro- 
fessional and  public  duties,  Mr.  Hale 
isrought  a  singular  combination  of  powers. 
His  fine  natural  ability  was  admirably  trained 
by  various  study  and  accomplishments.  His 
mind  was  a  treasury  of  well  ordered  knowl- 
edge. His  eloquence  was  clear,  forcible  and 
brilliant ;  and  his  quick  sympathies,  his  pro- 
fuse and  delightful  humor,  his  moral  earnest- 
ness and  courage  made  him  one  of  the  most 
•delightful  of  companions,  as  he  was  one  of 
the  most  persuasive  of  advocates  and  most 
upright  of  magistrates.  His  political,  like 
his  professional  career,  was  distinguished  by 
that  independence  which  is  as  rare  as  it 
is  manly,  and  which  of  itself  is  a  public  in- 
fluence of  the  highest  character.  In  this 
board,  Mr.  Hale's  service  was  constant  and 
efficient.  In  all  its  deliberations  his  sound 
judgment,  his  clear  perception  and  his 
great  experience  were  invaluable,  and  the 
board  are  but  too  sadly  conscious  that  his 
loss  cannot  be  replaced." 

He  married  Lovina  Sibley,  daughter  of 
Jeremiah  Stone  of  Elizabethtown,  who  sur- 
vives him.  He  also  left  five  children  :  one 
son  Harry  (who  is  a  practicing  lawyer  in 
Elizabethtown),  and  four  daughters,  three 
of  whom  are  still  living  with  their  mother  at 
Elizabethtown. 

HALE,  Rev.  John   Gardner,  third 

son  of  Harry  and  Lucinda  Hale,  was  born  at 


Chelsea,  Sept.  12,  1S24.  He  graduated  at 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  1845,  and 
Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  185 1.  In 
1852  he  was  sent  by  the  Home  Missionary 
Society  to  Grass  Valley,  Cal.,  where  he  re- 
sided for  several  years.  Before  his  depart- 
ure to  California  he  had  married  Jane  P., 
daughter  of  Israel  Dwinell  of  East  Calais, 
and  after  a  few  years  he  returned  to  Ver- 
mont, and  was  settled  successively  at  East 
Poultney,  Chester  and  Stowe.  His  health 
was  always  rather  delicate  and  the  climate  ot 
Vermont  somewhat  severe,  therefore  he 
again  went  to  California,  and  settled  at  Red- 
lands,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
March,  1892.  At  all  his  places  of  residence 
he  was  respected  and  loved  as  an  able,  sin- 
cere and  earnest  minister  of  the  gospel.  He 
left  surviving  him,  one  son.  Rev.  Edson 
Dwinell  Hale  (a  Congregational  minister  in 
California),  and  three  daughters. 

HALE,  William  Bainbridge,  fourth 

son  of  Harry  and  Lucinda  Hale,  was  born  in 
Chelsea,  July  20,  1826.  He  had  not  the 
benefit  of  a  college  education,  but  was  a 
great  reader  and  had  a  wonderfully  retentive 
memory,  and  was  really  a  better  educated 
man  than  most  college  graduates.  He  was 
for  many  years  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  and  a 
prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  North- 
ampton. The  following  from  the  Spring- 
field Republican  is  a  just  tribute  to  his 
memory. 

'  In  Northampton  he  was  interested  in 
various  manufacturing  enterprises  as  well  as 
banking,  and  for  several  years  was  president 
and  manager  of  the  old  Florence  Sewing 
Machine  Co.  in  its  palmy  days.  He  was 
also  interested  in  the  Knapp  dovetailing 
machine  and  other  industries.  He  was 
identified  with  the  affairs  of  the  old  town  of 
Northampton,  and,  in  i860,  as  president  of 
the  Young  Men's  Institute,  did  much  in 
bringing  about  the  establishment  of  the 
present  large  and  flourishing  free  library. 
In  town  meetings  he  was  a  ready  and  fluent 
speaker,  and  always  took  an  active  hand  in 
debates,  frequently  having  stirring  discus- 
sions on  educational  and  other  questions 
with  Judge  Bond,  the  late  Charles  Delano 
and  others. 

"  Mr.  Hale  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary ability,  of  wide  reading  and  possessed 
an  extraordinary  gift  of  language,  which  at 
times  mounted  to  eloquence.  He  spoke  in 
public  readily  and  fluently,  and  with  great 
effect.  His  manner  was  autocratic;  often 
he  expressed  himself  with  impolitic  vigor ; 
his  likes  and  dislikes  were  apt  to  be  ex- 
treme ;  but  his  weight  of  character  overbore 
all  the  traits  that  might  have  made  enemies. 
He  was  never  persuaded  to  run  for  office. 


and  his  transparent  unselfisliness  increased 
his  influence." 

He  married,  first,  Harriet  Amelia,  daugh- 
ter of  Wright  Porter  of  Hartford,  who  died 
Dec.  lo,  1882.  July  7,  1S86,  he  married 
Mrs.  Victoria  Morris  of  Grassdale,  Va.,  who 
survives  him.  After  his  second  marriage,  he 
removed  to  Grassdale,  Va.,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  his  death  in  Novem- 
ber, 1892.  He  left  two  sons,  children  of 
his  first  wife  :  Philip,  an  organist  and  musi- 
cal critic  of  lioston,  Mass.,  and  Rev.  Edward 
Hale,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  who  is  now  a 
Unitarian  minister  at  East  (Orange,  N.  J. 

HALE,  Matthew,  youngest  son  of 
Harry  and  Lucinda  Hale,  was  born  in  Chel- 
sea, June  20,  1829.  He  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Vermont,  in  1851,  and  after- 
wards received  from  that  college  the  degree 
LL.l).  He  studied  law  with  his  brother 
Robert  S.  at  Elizabethtown,  N.  ¥.,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  Vork  in  1S53. 
He  settled  first  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  V.,  then 
for  a  few  years  in  New  York  City  ;  after- 
wards in  Elizabethtown  until  1868,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Albany,  N.  V. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  New  Vork  state 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1867,  and  of  the 
New  York  state  Senate  in  1868  and  1869. 
In  18S3  he  was  the  Republican  candidate 
for  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the 
Third  District,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Hon. 
Rufus  W.  Peckham.  He  has  been  an  active 
member  of  the  New  York  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation from  the  time  of  its  organization,  and 
has  been  its  president.  In  18S6  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  New  York  Legislature  one 
of  three  commissioners  to  investigate  and 
report  the  most  humane  and  practical 
method  of  carrying  into  effect  the  sentence 
of  death  in  capital  cases  ;  and  in  pursuance 
of  the  recommendation  of  this  commission, 
the  New  York  Legislature  in  1888  enacted 
that  the  punishment  of  death  should  there- 
after lie  inflicted  by  causing  to  pass  through 
the  body  a  current  of  electricity  of  sufficient 
intensity  to  cause  death.  This  mode  of  in- 
flicting the  death  penalty  has  ever  since  pre- 
vailed in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  has 
proved  more  efficient  and  less  painful  and 
revolting  than  the  old  method  of  inflicting 
capital  punishment  by  hanging. 

Since  1884  Mr.  Hale  has  been  an  inde- 
pendent in  politics.  He  has  been  quite 
prominent  in  the  advocacy  of  political  re- 
forms, and  is  now  {1893)  president  of  the 
New  York  State  Ci\il  Service  Reform  League. 

He  married  in  1856,  Ellen  S.,  daughter  of 
the  late  Hon.  Augustus  C.  Hand,  justice 
of  the  New  York  Supreme  Court.  She  died 
in  1867.  In  December,  1877,  he  married 
his  present  wife,  Mary,  daughter  of  the  late 


HALE.  ,73; 

Col.  Francis  L.  Lee,  formerly  of  Loston,. 
Mass.,  by  whom  he  has  five  children,  three 
daughters  and  two  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom 
was  born  in  January,  1879.  He  still  resides 
and  practices  his  profession  in  .Albany,  and 
is  now  the  only  surviving  son  of  his  father. 

HALE,  Franklin  D.,  of  I.unenberg,  son 
of  Sprague  T.  and  Nancy  M.  (Moulton) 
Hale,  was  born  in  Barnet,  March  7,  1854. 

He  alternately  attended  school  and  worked 
upon  the  farm,  receiving  his  preparatory  in- 
struction in  the  common  schools  of  Concord,, 
and  after  continuing  his  studies  at  the  high 
school  of  Northfield  and  at  St.  Johnsbury 
.Academy,  finally  graduated  in  the  law  de- 
partment of  Michigan  University  in  1877. 

After  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Hale 


.IN  D.    HALE. 


became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hutchin- 
son, Savage  &  Hale  at  Lewiston,  Me.,  and 
some  time  afterwards  spent  two  years  in 
traveling  in  the  western  states.  In  1S81 
he  settled  in  Lunenberg  as  a  lawyer,  and  also 
engaged  in  farming.  Here  he  has  continued 
to  reside. 

Mr.  Hale  was  married  Nov.  2,  1881,  to 
Addie  L.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Levi  and  Susan 
(Powers)  Silsby.  Their  children  are  :  Susie 
M.,  and  Charles  S. 

The  usual  town  offices  have  been  entrusted 
to  him.  He  was,  in  1884,  representative 
and  senator  from  Esse.v  county  in  1SS6  in 
the  state  Legislature,  elected  by  Republican 
votes.     He  was  state's  attorney  from  1S83  to 


174 


iS8S.  In  1S92  he  was  elected  auditor  of 
accounts  of  the  state  of  Vermont.  He  also 
received  the  appointment  of  town  site  trustee 
in  Oklahoma  Territory  in  1891. 

Mr.  Hale  belongs  to  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, and  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor  ;  also  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 

HALE,  Ja.mes  Buchanan,  of  Newbury, 

son  of  lohn  and  Laura  Burns  (Hutchins) 
Hale,  was  born  in  Haverhill,  X.  H.,  July  13, 
1855, and  removed  to  Newbury  in  1S67  with 
his  parents,  entering  the  employment  of  the 
well-known  firm  of  F.  &  H.  T.  Keyes  &  Co., 
May  22,  1871.  Mr.  Hale's  instruction  in  the 
mercantile  profession  was  thorough  and  prac- 
tical. In  1882  he  bought  the  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise  and  good-will  of  Deacon 
Henry  H.  Deming  in  Newbury  village,  where 
he  still  continues,  and  by  his  energy  and 
exceptional  business  ability  has  built  up  a 
large  and  prosperous  concern. 

In  1889  Mr.  Hale  was  elected  town  treas- 
urer, which  ofifice  he  still  holds,  and  is  also  a 
trustee  of  the  Bradford  Savings  Bank  and 
Trust  Co.,  located  at  Bradford. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hale  is  a  Democrat,  in 
religion  a  Congregationalist,  of  which  church 
and  society  he  is  a  member  and  officer. 
December  7,  1880,  he  married  Carrie  M.,  only 
daughter  of  Daniel  P.  and  Melissa  ( Keyes ) 
Kimball.  Mr.  Hale  by  this  happy  union  has 
had  one  daughter,  Mary  K.,  and  one  son, 
Harold  B.  Mr.  Kimball  has  for  many  years 
been  a  resident  of  Newbury,  and  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  progressive  farmers  in  the 
Connecticut  \'alley  ;  an  upright  Christian,  a 
deacon  of  the  Congregational  church,  a  man 
honored  by  his  townsmen  and  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  in  i88o-'8i. 

HALL,  Alfred  Allen,  of  St.  Albans, 

son  of  R.  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Crowley)  Hall, 
was  born  in  Athens,  Dec.  31,  1848. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  Leland  &  Gray  Seminary, 
Townshend.  He  read  law  with  1  )a\is  &: 
Adams  at  St.  Albans  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  April,  1873. 

Soon  after  he  was  admitted  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  state  and  to  the  L'nited  States 
district  and  circuit  courts.  In  1874  he 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  W.  I).  Wilson 
at  St.  Albans,  where  they  have  since  enjoyed 
a  lucrative  practice.  Mr.  Hall  served  as 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  in  1880- 
'81.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  and  during  three  years  its 
chairman.  For  many  years  he  has  been  one 
of  the  trustses  of  the  Franklin  county  gram- 
mar school.  He  has  ser\ed  seven  years  as 
moderator  of  the  town,  and  has  been  for  fif- 
teen years  treasurer  of  the  public  library.    In 


iS82-'84  he  was  state's  attorney.  In  1892 
he  was  elected  to  the  Vermont  state  Senate 
and  was  made  president  pro  tern  of  that 
body.  In  June,  1893,  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Governor  chairman  of  a  commission 
upon  the  revision  of  the  laws  of  the  state. 

He  comes  of  good  Revolutionary  stock, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
National  Guard  from  1876  to  1886,  being 
promoted  from  pri\ate  to  the  non-commis- 
sioned and  commissioned  staff,  and  in  1884 
was  appointed  by  Governor  I'ingree  colonel 
and  aid-de-camp. 

Mr.  Hall  has  had  an  eminent  career  as  a 
Mason.  He  is  past  Grand  Master,  past  Grand 
High  Priest  and  past  Grand  Commander, 
being  the  first  Mason  in  the  state  to  receive 
all  these  honors.  He  has  repeatedly  repre- 
sented the  \arious  bodies  of  his  state  at  the 
national  gatherings  of  the  order  throughout 
the  country,  and  has  attained  the  33d  and 
highest  degree  in  the  Scottish  Rite. 


June  15,  1874,  he  married  Abbie  L., 
daughter  of  John  H.and  Loantha  Z.Austin. 
They  have  two  children :  Harrie  Vaughn, 
born  Feb.  2,  187S,  and  Leroy  Austin,  born 
August  10,  1 88 7. 

HALL,  Charles  Taylor,  of  Mont- 
gomery, son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Martha  M. 
(Taylor)  Hall,  was  born  in  Montreal,  P.  Q., 
Feb.  23,  1862.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation   in  the  public  schools   of  \\'altham, 


Mass.,  and  completed   his  education  in  the 
high  school  at  ^Nlontreal. 

His  father  was  a  manufacturer  of  wooden- 
ware,  and  the  son,  manifesting  a  natural 
aptitude  for  the  business  from  the  early  age 
of  sixteen,  had  the  practical  management 
and  was  foreman  of  the  factory,  remaining  in 
that  capacity  until  he  was  twenty  years  old. 
In  1882  the  factory  was  burned,  and  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  veneering  for 
five  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  large  butter-tub 
works  of  The  W.  H.  Stiles  Company,  at 
Montgomery  Centre,  and  has  been  ever 
nsice  the  junior  partner  and  business  nian- 


:i^sj,mij^^ 


LES  TAYLOR    HAL 


ager  of  the  concern.  The  company  also 
engage  in  the  manufacture  of  floor  boards 
and  bobbins,  and  have  been  so  successful  in 
their  operations  that  they  are  about  to  largely 
increase  their  plant,  and  have  recently  pur- 
chased one  thousand  acres  of  spruce  timber 
land,  thus  providing  a  sufficiency  of  material 
for  the  next  twenty  years. 

Though  taking  a  lively  interest  in  isolitics 
as  a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  Mr. 
Hall  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office, 
and  of  secret  societies  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  only. 

He  was  married  to  Etta  L.,  daughter  of 
H.  P.  and  Ann  (Fogg)  Foss,  of  Franklin, 
March,  1886,  by  whom  he  has  had  one 
daughter. 

HALL,  Emerson,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  son 
of  John  and  Jane  (Graham)  Hall,  was  born 
in  Cabot,  Jan.  9,  1816. 


H.ALL.  175 

He  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools 
(;1  Cabot  and  I'eacham  Academy,  for  some 
time  labored  on  his  father's  farm,  then  came 
to  St.  Johnsbury,  where  for  six  years  he  was 
employed  in  the  hotel  of  that  place.  In 
\846  he  became  engaged  in  general  trade 
and  continued  in  this  occupation  for  twenty- 
eight  years.  He  has  been  for  a  long  time 
one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  the 
town  and  by  his  personal  integrity  and  in- 
dustrious energy  has  won  an  enviable  posi- 
tion in  the  community. 

He  has  discharged  the  duties  of  deputy 
and  high  sheriff  at  a  time  when  the  insuffi- 
ciency of  the  police  force  made  these  duties 
more  arduous  than  at  the  present  time.  He 
received  the  appointment  of  postmaster 
under  President  Lincoln,  but  resigned  be- 
fore the  expiration  of  his  term  to  represent 
St.  Johnsbury  in  the  state  Legislature  in 
i868-'69.  In  this  body  he  served  on  the 
committee  on  banks. 

Mr.  Hall  wedded,  June  19, 1850,  Mary  S., 
daughter  of  Isaac  W.  and  (Blount)  Stanton 
of  Danville.  Three  children  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Mattie  J.,  Carrie  May,  and  Eliza. 
The  last  named  died  in  early  childhood.  In 
1859  he  was  elected  trustee  of  the  Passump- 
sic  Savings  Bank  and  for  the  last  thirty  years 
has  been  one  of  the  executive  officers  of  that 
institution,  and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  its 
(jresident.  A  staunch  Republican  since  the 
formation  of  the  party,  he  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential ballot  for  Gen.  \Mlliam  Henry  Har- 
rison in  1840. 

Mr.  Hall  is  a  Congregationalist  in  his  re- 
ligious belief,  attending  the  North  Church  of 
St.  Johnsbury. 

HALL,  Isaac  N.,  late  of  Groton,  son  of 
Henry  and  Susan  (Burnham)  Hall,  was  born 
in  Rumney,  N.  H.,  June  3,  iSoS.  He  was 
of  FLnglish  descent  and  came  from  a  long- 
lived  family.  His  grandfather  lived  to 
eighty-six  years  and  his  great-grandfather 
died  at  ninety-three  years,  while  his  mater- 
nal great-grandmother,  Lydia  Bradley,  at- 
tained the  age  of  one  hundred  and  four,  .^n 
ancestress  of  the  latter  was  taken  captive  by 
the  Indians  near  Haverhill,  Mass.,  in  the 
early  colonial  times. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Hall  were  not  in  af- 
fluent circumstances,  and  his  only  educa- 
tional advantages  were  those  afforded  by  the 
district  schools  in  the  time  of  his  early  youth. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  apprenticed  to 
his  uncle  Moses  Burnham,  a  noted  carpenter 
and  builder,  with  whom  he  served  his  time 
and  upon  his  master's  removal  to  Groton 
the  young  apprentice  accompanied  him  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  set- 
tled in  that  town  and  has  remained  there 
ever  since.  In  1826  he  lost  his  father,  and 
his  mother  immediatelv  after  her  husband's 


176 


death  moved  to  Groton  and  made  her  home 
with  her  son,  living  to  the  age  of  eighty-one. 
Mr.  Hall  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
William  Taisey  of  Groton,  April  28,  1829. 
Nine  children  have  been  born  to  them,  seven 
daughters  and  two  sons.  Of  these  five  are 
living ;  Judge  T.  B.  Hall  of  Groton,  Maria, 
(Mrs.  Stephen  Vance  of  Albany,  Vt.),  Helen 
(Mrs.  George  WiUard  of  Walt'ham,  Mass.), 
Theresa  (Mrs.  Alex.  Cochran  of  Groton), 
and     I.vdia   (Mrs.    Whitnev   of   San    Fran- 


ISAAO  N.   HALL. 


Cisco).  The  first  Mrs.  Hall  died  No\-.  11, 
1873,  and  he  contracted  a  second  alliance 
with  Mrs.  Louisa  A.  (Webster)  Hall  of  Ply- 
mouth, N.  H. 

In  can  be  truly  said  of  Judge  Hall  that  he 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  a  re- 
markable degree,  as  shown  by  his  election  to 
many  responsible  offices.  He  was  justice  of 
the  peace  and  town  clerk  for  more  than  a 
generation,  and  represented  his  town  in  the 
Legislature  in  1835,  1836,  1840,  and  1867. 
He  was  elected  assistant  judge  of  Caledonia 
county  court  in  1842,  1844,  and  1845,  and 
in  1848,  i860,  and  1861  was  senator  for  that 
county.  Judge  Hall  was  appointed  a  state's 
prison  director  in  1868  and  1869,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  in 
1850;  he  was  also  made  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  bank  at  Newbury,  at  Wells  River,  and 
served  as  United  States  assistant  assessor  of 
the  second  district  of  the  state  of  Vermont. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  projectors  and  build- 
ers of  the  Montpelier  &  W'eWs  River  R.  R., 
and  was  one  of  its  directors  until   the  road 


was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  bondholders, 
and  its  president  from  1873  to  1877. ;■  In  a 
.sketch  of  the  early  settlers  of  Groton  it  is 
said  of  him  : 

"His  agency  and  usefulness  in  all  matters 
of  public  interest  will  be  discovered  in  all 
that  relates  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
the  town  for  the  last  sixty  years.  There  is 
no  man  who  has  exerted  a  greater  influence 
for  good  or  who  has  advanced  the  interests 
and  morals  of  the  town  in  a  greater  degree." 

In  early  life  he  joined  and  was  ever  after 
an  earnest  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  its  general  quadrennial  confer- 
ence held  at  Cincinnati. 

Judge  Hall,  while  with  Mrs.  Hall  at  the 
residence  of  her  daughter,  died  at  South 
Chicago  Nov.  21,  1893,  and  Nov.  25,  1893, 
he  was  buried  at  Groton. 

HALL,S.AMUEL  Baker,  of  Pennington,, 
son  of  Marshall  Carter  and  Sophia  B.  (Dem- 
ing)  Hall,  was  born  in  Bennington,  Feb. 
17,  1S46. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  Ben- 
nington public  schools  and  seminary,  and 
also  at  the  Rock  Point  Episcopal  Institute 
at  Burlington,  and  Phillips  Exeter  Academy 
of  Andover,  Mass. 


SAMUEL   BAKER 


\Vhen  his  school  life  was  completed  he 
commenced  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in 
a  dry  goods  commisson  house  in  New  York 
City.     In  the  fall  of  1S67   he  received  the 


i 


HAMILTDN. 


■77 


appointment  of  bookkeeper  of  the  First 
National  Bank  at  North  Bennington,  and  in 
1873  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  cashier 
of  that  bank,  which  office  he  still  continues 
to  fill.  In  1890  he  was  elected  treasurer  of 
the  Bennington  &  Rutland  R.  R.  He  is 
interested  in  real  estate  and  also  in  the  bank 
with  which  he  is  connected. 

Politically  Mr.  Hall  is  a  Repiiblican  l)ut 
has  never  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics 
as  he  has  been  compelled  to  give  the  princi- 
pal part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  his 
business  affairs,  but  he  has  served  the  village 
at  different  times  in  local  offices  and  is  at 
present  chairman  of  the  North  Bennington 
school  board. 

He  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Congre- 
gational society  at  North  Bennington  and  an 
attendant  of  that  church. 

Mr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  Oct.  3, 
1870,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  (leorge  W.  and 
jane  (Hinsdill)  Robinson  of  Bennington. 
Their  children  are :  Deming,  Robinson, 
Francis  H.  (deceased),  Samuel  Carter,  and 
Charles  Lincoln. 

HAMILTON,  JOSEPH,  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
son  of  James  and  \L'iry  (Hammond)  Ham- 
ilton, was  born  in  North  (lore,  P.  (^.,  ^Lay 
T2,  1S39. 


His  early  education  was  received  at  La 
Chute  Academy  in  Canada,  and  he  has 
since  taken  the  course  of  study  prescribed 
by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  all 


who  enter  her  conferences.  He  came  to 
\'ermont  in  1865  and  joined  the  Vermont 
Conference  on  trial  in  .Vjiril,  1866.  His 
first  appointment  was  Kirby  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  His  second  appoint- 
ment was  Marshfield,  and  in  April,  1868,  he 
was  ordained  deacon  by  P>ishop  Ames  and 
admitted  into  the  conference  in  full  con- 
nection. In  1870  he  was  ordained  elder  by 
Bishop  Simpson.  In  1869  he  was  appointed 
to  West  Berlin  and  Gouldsville.  In  1870 
to  Waitsfield  ;  during  his  stay  here  a  new 
church  was  built  costing  $6,000.  In  1S71 
he  was  sent  to  Marshfield  ;  1872  Plainfield  ; 
1875  Groton ;  1877  he  was  sent  to  Roches- 
ter ;  during  his  three  years  here  he  took 
eighty-five  members  into  the  church  ;  1880 
he  was  sent  to  Wilmington;  1883  to  West 
Fairiee  ;  1886  to  \Voodstock,  where  he  raised 
S3, 200  to  repair  the  church,  making  it  one 
of  the  most  convenient  churches  in  the  con- 
ference :  in  1 888  he  was  appointed  to  White 
River  Junction  and  while  here  he  organized 
a  Methodist  church  at  (Jlcott  and  raised 
$2,000  and  succeeded  in  building  a  new 
church  worth  $3,000.  Fie  served  the  church 
at  Northfield  from  1890  to  1892  at  which 
time  he  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the 
St.  Johnsbury  district  and  through  his  efforts 
a  district  parsonage  was  purchased  in  the 
village  of  St.  Johnsbury.  During  his  minis- 
try he  has  baptized  three  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  persons  and  attended  three  hundred 
funerals. 

In  political  matters  he  is  a  Prohibitionist 
and  has  voted  with  that  party. 

April  27,  1879,  he  married  Charlotte  E., 
daughter  of  Dr.  J.  Q.  A.  and  Lavina  A. 
(Newton)  Packer  of  Marshfield.  Of  this 
union  six  children  have  been  born :  four 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

HAMILTON,    Merrill    Thomas,  of 

Newport,  son  of  Hannibal  and  Julia  E. 
(Tho;npson)  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Berk- 
shire, F'ranklin  county,  April  7,  1849. 

Obtaining  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Berkshire,  Richford  Academy  and 
the  Northampton  Institute  at  F'airfax,  in  1869 
he  entered  the  dental  office  of  Oilman  & 
Sheerar  at  St.  Albans,  where  for  three  years 
he  studied  dentistry.  In  1871  he  removed 
to  Newport  where  he  has  been  established 
e\er  since.  Dr.  Hamilton  is  unusually  pro- 
ficient in  his  profession  in  which  he  takes 
the  highest  rank  and  has  enjoyed  a  very  ex- 
tensive practice,  not  only  in  the  state,  but 
also  in  Canada.  In  1884  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  Derby 
and  also  at  Barton  Landing,  but  three  years 
subsequently  sold  out  his  interest  in  the 
business. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  August  22, 1873, 
to  Clara  F.,  daughter  of  Warren  and   Emily 


178 


HAMMOND. 


HANFLAHAX. 


(Rowell)  Fuller  of  Newport,  whom  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  after  three  years  of 
wedded  life.  One  son  was  born  to  them, 
Harry  Fuller.  Dr.  Hamilton  contracted  a 
second  alliance  May  24,  1878,  with  Etta  L, 
daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Mary  .A..  (Culver) 
Porter  of  'I'roy.  Of  this  marriage  there  have 
been  issue  :  Lavina  Fuller,  and  Samuel  Wor- 
cester Fuller. 

Dr.  Hamilton  is  an  expert  horseman  and 
takes  much  interest  in  equine  matters.  He 
posses.ses  two  large  farms  in  North  Trov, 
making  a  specialty  of  dairy  products.  Demo- 
cratic in  his  political  views,  he  has  never 
taken  any  active  part  in  public  affairs,  but 
conscientiously  devoted  his  whole  time  to  his 
profession.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
the  treasurer  of  St.  Mark's  Episcopal  Church 
in  Newport,  and  he  has  taken  the  degrees  of 
Ancient  Craft  Masonry  in  Memphremagog 
Lodge  of  that  place. 

HAMMOND,  Fred  Burton,  of  Troy, 

son  of  Oscar  and  Martha  (Cole)  Hammond, 
was  born  in  Derby,  Oct.  12,  1859. 


Notwithstanding  his  political  f;iith,  he  be- 
ing a  very  strong  Democrat  of  the  conserva- 
tive class,  he  has  been  elected  clerk  and 
treasurer  of  the  town,  also  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  public  money.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  under  the  Cleveland  administra- 
tion in  18S5,  and  on  the  re-election  of  Mr. 
Cleveland  he  was  reappointed  postmaster, 
which  position  he  is  now  filling.  .Although 
Troy  is  a  strong  Republican  town  he  was 
elected  town  representative,  serving  on  the 
committee  on  claims. 

Mr.  Hammond  is  an  enthusiastic  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member 
of  Masonic  Union  Lodge  No.  16,  at  Troy, 
member  of  Cleveland  Chapter  No.  20,  and 
Malta  Commandery  No.  10,  of  Newport. 
He  also  affiliates  with  the  Mount  Sinai  Tem- 
ple at  Montpelier.  He  was  District  Deputv 
errand  Master  of  the  tenth  Masonic  district 
in  1890  and  1891. 

May  I,  1884,  he  married  Frances  ]\L, 
daughter  of  Robert  B.  Chandler  of  North 
Troy,  and  has  two  daughters :  Adeline 
Moore,  and  Rachel  Frances. 


=!ED    BURTON    HAMMOND. 


His  education  was  obtained  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Derby  and  at  Newport  .Acad- 
emy. 

He  served  his  mercantile  clerkship  in  the 
Boston  clothing  store  at  North  Troy,  be- 
came manager  of  the  same  store  in  1881 
and  in  1884  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  the 
general  store  of  Hiram  K.  Stewart  of  Troy. 
The  firm  dissolved  partnership  in  1885  ;  Mr. 
Hammond  then  erected  the  building  he  now 
occupies. 


HANRAHAN,  JOHN  DAVID,  of  Rut- 
land, son  of  James  and  Ellen  (O'Connor) 
Hanrahan,  was  born  in  Rathkeale,  county 
Limerick,  Ireland,  Jan.  18,  1844. 

He  attended  the  National  schools  in  the 
place  of  his  nativity  till  his  father  removed 
with  his  family  to  New  York  City.  Here  he 
became  a  pupil  of  the  free  academy,  then 
entered  the  New  York  Medical  University, 
where  he  remained  till  1861,  when  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  entered  the 
\J.  S.  Navy  as  surgeon.  During  i86i-'62-'63 
he  served  in  the  Potomac  flotilla,  and  on 
the  23d  of  August,  1863,  the  vessel  on  which 
he  was  serving  was  captured  and  all  on  board 
made  prisoners.  After  being  in  Richmond 
six  weeks  he  was  paroled  and  transferred  to 
Washington.  While  a  paroled  prisoner  in 
\\'ashington  he  attended  a  course  of  medical 
lectures  at  the  medical  department  of  the 
(Georgetown  University.  In  the  early  spring 
of  1864  was  exchanged  and  ordered  to  duty 
in  the  North  Atlantic  squadron,  where  he 
served  under  .Admirals  Lee  and  Porter  until 
discharged  in  July,  1865.  Two  years  subse- 
quently he  received  his  diploma  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  New  York  L'ni- 
versity,  practiced  in  New  York  until  the 
spring  of  i86g,  when  he  removed  to  Rut- 
land, where  he  has  since  resided  and  built 
up  an  extensi^■e  general  practice. 

Dr.  Hanrahan  has  been  connected  with 
various  medical  societies,  in  which  he  has 
taken  an  active  interest  and  held  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility.  Outside 
of  his  professional  duties,  he  has  been  largely 
influential  in  both  town  and  state  affairs,  has 
been   trustee  of  the  village  of    Rutland,  as 


rl 


o^^^ 


l8o  HAMMOND. 

well  as  the  president  of  the  board,  was  ap- 
pointed president  of  the  Rutland  county 
pension  board  in  i.SSs,  the  duties  of  which 
he  so  acceptably  discharged  that,  notwith- 
standing his  loyal  adherence  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  President  Harrison  continued 
him  in  office  until  his  resignation  to  accept 
the  position  of  postmaster  of  the  city  of 
Rutland,  which  appointment  he  received 
from  President  Cleveland  in  1893.  A  strong 
Irish  Nationalist  in  his  views,  Dr.  Hanrahan 
has  been  a  potential  factor  in  the  Rutland 
Land  League  and  a  delegate  to  all  the  na- 
tional conventions.  He  has  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  Rutland  county  Democratic 
committee  and  has  frequently  been  a  mem- 
of  the  state  committee  ;  has  been  a  delegate 
to  the  Democratic  national  conventions  of 
1884  and  '88  and  chairman  of  the  delegation 
of  1892.  Has  always  been  a  warm  sup- 
porter of  President  Cleveland.  Dr.  Hanra- 
han is  also  prominent  in  G.  A.  R.  circles. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  and  has 
served  on  the  staff  of  Commanders-in-chief 
Veazey,  Palmer  and  Weissert,  and  has  been 
medical  director  of  the  Department  of  Ver- 
mont. 

In  his  religious  creed  he  is  a  Roman 
Catholic,  worshi])ing  with  the  congregation 
of  St.  Peter's  in  Rutland. 

Dr.  Hanrahan  was  united  in  marriage  Feb. 
12,  1870,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Bernard  and 
Elizabeth  (Halpin)  Riley  of  Wallingford, 
who  died  April,  1882.  October  31,  1883, 
he  was  again  married  to  Frances,  daughter 
of  John  C.  and  Mary  (Hughes)  Keenan  of 
Rutland.  Fi\e  children  have  resulted  from 
their  union  ;  May,  .Anna,  Hugh,  Frances, 
and  John. 

Hammond,  Lowell  G.,  of  Ludlow,  son 

of  ledediah  and  Clara  (Bent)  Hammond, 
was  born  Feb.  17,  1824,  in  Mt.  Holly. 

A  farm-bred  boy,  he  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Mt.  Holly,  and  at 
twenty-two  years  of  age  located  at  Ludlow, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade.  Then 
he  formed  the  ])artnership  of  Mason  &  Ham- 
mond, dealing  in  dry  goods  and  groceries 
during  four  years.  Since  1854,  he  has  con- 
ducted an  extensive  business  in  general  mer- 
chandise. In  1871,  meeting  with  a  severe 
disaster  froni  the  loss  by  fire  of  his  large  store 
and  a  partial  loss  of  his  stock,  he  immediately 
constructed  a  much  larger  and  finer  block, 
containing  one  of  the  finest  halls  in  the  coun- 
ty, where  he  has  carried  on  his  business  ever 
since. 

He  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket 
and  repeatedly  held  positions  of  trust  in  vil- 
lage and  town  :  being  chosen  representative 
in  1886.  He  was  married  in  August,  1S47,  to 
Maryette,  daughter  of  Dr.  Lowell  W.  and 
Sally  (Pettee)  Gurnsey,  of  Shewsbury.    Their 


children  are  :  Leonora  ^L,  Norris  G.,  and  Ad- 
die  W.  For  almost  forty  years  Mr.  Ham- 
mond has  been  a  most  impor.tant  factor  in  the 
business  life  of  Ludlow,  and  an  active  pioneer 
in  new  features  of  trade.  He  has  taken  a 
lively  interest  in  pubhc  improvement  and  has 
been  a  generous  donor  to  educational  and 
religious  enterprises.  He  is  vice-president  of 
thetrustees  of  the  Black  River  Academy,  of 
Ludlow. 


"^♦tf     **< 


LOWELL   G. 


He  is  a  Universalist  in  his  religious  prefer- 
ences ;  for  more  than  forty  years  has  belonged 
to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a  member 
of  Altamont  Lodge,  of  Ludlow. 

HARMAN,  George  Washington,  of 

Bennington,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Alice 
(Hascall)  Harnian,  was  born  in  Pawlet, 
May  7,  1812. 

He  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  this  being  sup- 
plemented bv  six  terms  at  the  academy,  and 
private  instruction.  He  read  law  with  his 
father,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Rut- 
land in  September,  1833.  He  practiced  his 
profession  at  Pawlet  until  1848,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Bennington,  and  for  twenty  years 
was  cashier  of  a  bank  in  that  village.  In 
1859  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  and  is 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  sages  of  the  pro- 
fession. In  1843  he  represented  Pawlet  in 
the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  was  one 
of  the  county  commissioners  in  i846-'47. 


iSi 


Mr.  Harman  has  held  most  of  the  local 
offices  in  Bennington,  including  that  of  mun- 
icipal judge,  but  he  has  never  had  any  polit- 
ical aspirations.  He  has  been  from  the  very 
first  one  of  the  strongest  advocates  and  sup- 
porters of  the  bar  association,  and  at  various 
times  has  been  importuned  to  accejjt  its 
presidency,  but  has  always  firmly  decline<l. 

Mr.  Harman  is  the  author  of  several  arti- 
cles which  have  met  with  high  approval  from 
those  interested  in  the  subjects  to  which  he 
has  devoted  his  literary  efforts.  .Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  a  sketch  of  the  life 
of  John  Burnham,  the  first  lawyer  of  Ver- 
mont, which  was  published  in  the  records  of 
the  Vermont  Bar  .Association,  a  historical 
paper  on  Battenkill  and  Ondawa,  another  on 
Allen  at  Ticonderoga,  pro\ing  conclusively 
that  Benedict  .\rnold  was  present  when  that 
post  was  surrendered  ;  several  papers  relating 
to  the  batde  of  Bennington,  and  various 
others. 


In  i<S74  he  began  his  studies  as  an  artist  at 
the  .Academy  of  Design  and  .Art  Students' 
League  in  New  York,  and  in  187S  went  to 
Paris,  France,  to  continue  same  at  the  Gov- 
ernment Ecole-des-Beaux-.Arts  under  the  in- 
struction of   MM.   y.  I..  Gerome   and  .Alex- 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON    HARMAN. 

Judge  Harman's  whole  life  has  been  pre- 
eminently marked  by  ].irinciples  of  order, 
industry  and  perseverance,  three  character- 
istics which  always  contribute  in  a  great 
measure  to  make  an  honorable  and  success- 
ful life. 

HARDIE,  ROBERT  Gordon,  of  Brat- 

tleboro,  son  of  Robert  (Jordon  and  Frances 
(Hyde)  Hardie,  was  born  in  Brattleboro, 
March  29,  1854. 

He  recei\ed  his  early  education  at  the 
public  schools  of  Brattleboro  and   RnHaiid. 


ROBERT   GORDON   HARDIE. 

andre  Cabanel.  E.xhibited  in  the  Salon  in 
the  years  i879-'8o-'8i-'82.  Returning  to 
.America  in  1883. 

The  first  work  which  brought  Mr.  Hardie 
prominently  before  the  public  was  the  por- 
trait of  Hon.  David  Dudley  Field,  painted 
in  1888  and  now  in  the  Capitol  at  .Albany, 
N.  V. 

In  the  same  year  he  married  Catharine, 
second  daughter  of  Hon.  S.  M.  Cullom,  U. 
S.  senator  from  Illinois. 

HARRIS,  BROUGHTON  Davis,  of  Brat- 
tleboro, .son  of  Wilder  and  Harriet  (Davis) 
Harris,  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  N.  H., 
.August  16,  1822. 

Mr.  Harris  began  his  preparation  for  col- 
lege in  the  Chesterfield  .Academy,  and  later 
attended  Kimball  Union  .Academy  at  Meri- 
den,  N.  H.  Matriculating  at  Dartmouth  in 
1S41,  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors  in 
the  class  of  1845,  being  a  member  of  the  I'hi 
Beta  Kappa  and  .Alpha  Delta  Phi  societies. 

.After  graduating  Mr.  Harris  began  the 
study  of  law  under  Judge  .Asa  Keyes,  and 
continued  it  later  in  the  office  of  P^dward 
Kirkland,  Esq.,  of  Brattleboro.  While  thus 
engaged  he  also  entered  the  ranks  of  journal- 
i  m,    and    for   a    year   edited    the    \erniont 


l82 


I'hcjenix.  In  August,  1S47,  together  with 
William  K.  Hale,  long  president  of  the  Urst 
National  Bank  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  he 
founded  the  Kagle,  a  semi-weekly  news- 
paper devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  whigs. 
On  his  departure  for  Utah  in  the  spring  of 
1851  the  paper  was  given  over  to  the  con- 
trol of  others.  On  his  return  in  the  fall  of 
1 85  2  Mr.  Harris  again  became  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Eagle,  which  he  changed 
into  a  weekly  paper.  During  those  days  of 
great  excitement  in  the  political  situation  of 
the  country  the  Eagle  maintained  the  po- 
sition of  a  successful  and  popular  contem- 
porary of  the  ablest  journals  ever  published 
in  the  state,  and  Mr.  Harris  won  for  himself 
the  distinction  of  being  classed  with  the  most 
skillful  and  forcible  writers  then  in  the  ranks 
of  journalism.  His  connection  with  the 
paper  ceased  by  sale  in  1856. 


V 


/     V 


BROUGHTON    DAVIS    --- 

In  the  fall  of  1850  his  life-long  friends. 
Senators  CoUamer  and  Foot,  without  his 
knowledge,  procured  for  Mr.  Harris  the  ap- 
pointment of  first  secretary  of  the  new  terri- 
tory of  Utah  from  President  Fillmore.  In 
his  administration  of  this  office  many  diffi- 
culties and  obstacles  were  interposed  by  the 
Mormons.  The  first  Governor  of  Utah  was 
Brigham  Voung,  and  the  ideas  and  opinions 
of  the  two  officials  were  so  radically  antago- 
nistic that  there  was  soon  friction  and  later 
an  open  rupture  between  the  Governor  and 
the  secretary.  So  defiantly  did  the  Governor 
an<i  his  pliant  I,egislature  disregard  the  pro- 
visions of  the  enabling  act  of  Contjress  that 


Secretary  Harris,  after  earnestly  expostulat- 
ing, finally  positively  refused  to  disburse  the 
money  committed  to  his  care  by  the  United 
States  go\ernment  for  the  benefit  of  the  ter- 
ritory. He  wrote  an  able  letter  assigning 
excellent  reasons  for  this  refusal,  and  as  a 
result  the  Mormon  Legislature  waxed  wroth 
and  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  requiring 
him  forthwith  to  deliver  over  the  money  to 
the  Mormon  United  States  marshal  of  Utah 
on  pain  of  instant  arrest  and  imprisonment. 
The  secretary,  firmly  adhering  to  his  original 
conviction  of  duty  and  loyalty  to  his  govern- 
ment, peremptorily  refused  to  comply  with 
this  demand,  and,  amid  threats  of  violence 
and  assassination,  returned  to  \\'ashington 
and  restored  every  dollar  of  the  coveted  ap- 
propriations to  the  United  States  treasury. 

The  administration  heartily  endorsed  his 
action,  and  shortly  afterward  tendered  him 
the  office  of  secretary  and  acting  Go\ernor  of 
the  territory  of  New  Mexico,  an  offer  which 
he  promptly  declined. 

In  1847  Mr.  Harris  was  register  of  pro- 
bate in  Windham  county.  In  i860  he  was  a 
member  of  the  state  Senate  and  served  on 
the  committee  on  railroads.  Being  re-elected 
in  1861,  he  was  assigned  to  the  imiwrtant 
post  of  chairman  of  the  committee  on  mili- 
tary affairs  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebel- 
lion, when  nearly  all  legislation  pertained  to 
military  matters.  In  the  celebrated  Peace 
Congress,  which  asseinbled  in  Washington 
on  the  invitation  of  Mrginia,  just  before  the 
war,  Mr.  Harris  was  a  delegate  appointed  by 
(iov.  Erastus  Fairbanks,  together  with  Ex- 
Clow  Hiland  Hall,  Lieut. -(lov.  Le\  i  I'nder- 
wood.  Gen.  H.  H.  Baxter,  and  Hon.  I..  ¥,. 
Chittenden. 

As  senior  member  of  the  well-known  firm 
of  Harris  Brothers  &  Co.,  he  was  engaged 
for  many  years  \ery  extensively  and  success- 
fully in  the  construction  of  railroads,  being 
connected  with  some  of  the  most  important 
lines  in  the  country. 

.Although  never  an  office  seeker,  Mr.  Har- 
ris's name  has  often  been  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  congressional  ser\ice,  and  many 
prominent  men  and  leading  newspapers  have 
at  times  urged  him  to  become  a  candidate 
for  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  state.  Mr. 
Harris  is  one  of  the  corporate  members  of 
the  Brattleboro  Savings  Bank  and  for  many 
years  has  been,  and  now  is,  president  of  that 
solid  and  prosperous  institution. 

Mr.  Harris  was  married  on  the  24th  of 
March,  1 851,  to  Sarah  Buell,  daughter  of  Ed- 
win M.  Hollister  of  New  York  City  (now 
deceased).  Their  wedding  journey  was  to 
L^tah,  there  being  then  no  white  settlement 
between  the  Missouri  River  and  Great  Salt 
Lake.  They  have  but  one  child,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  John  Seymour  AN'ood,  lawyer  and 
author,  of  New  York  City. 


HARRIS,  Charles  A.,  of  lOast  Burke, 
son  of  Amasa  antl  Ruth  (Tarbox)  Harris, 
was  born  in  Lyndon,  Sejst.  2,  1820. 

His  educational  advantages  were  limittd 
to  the  public  schools  of  Lyndon,  sujiple- 
mented  by  a  course  of  study  at  the  academy 
of  that  \iliage. 


HARRI.S.  183 

entire  satisfaction  to  the  i)ublic  during  his 
administration  of  the  office.  Mr.  Harris  has 
held  numerous  town  offices  in  Derby  and 
Hast  Burke,  and  was  the  representative  of  the 
latter  town  in  the  Legislature  of  1874,  where 
his  services  were  creditable.  Since  1884  he 
has  been  justice  of  the  i)eace.  In  his  relig- 
ious belief  he  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  he 
has  long  been  an  active  member  of  this 
denomination. 

Mr.  Harris  was  married,  ( )ct.  20,  1847,  to 
Kuphamea  Ramsey,  daughter  of  l-;ben  and 
Mary  (True)  Blake.  Two  children  ha\e 
l>een  born  to  them  :  Charles  K.,  and  Marv  K. 

HARRIS,  John  Edward,  of  Hardwick, 

son  of  Erasmus  B.  and  Caroline  (lirown) 
Harris,  was  born  in  Danville,  July  27,  185 8. 

He  received  his  educational  training  in 
the  common  schools  and  at  Phillips  Acad- 
emy at  Danville. 

In  1874  he  removed  to  Montpelier  and 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Randall  & 
Durant.  At  the  completion  of  his  course  of 
study  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
Seinember  term  of  the  Washington  county 
court  in   1879.     For  two  vears  he  followed 


As  soon  as  he  had  arrived  at  man's  estate, 
he  commenced  his  business  career  by  enter- 
ing the  employ  of  the  Farmers  and  Mechan- 
ics Mercantile  Co.,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  where 
he  remained  more  than  two  years,  when,  in 
company  with  associates,  he  bought  the  busi- 
ness, and  under  the  style  of  John  Bacon  iS: 
Co.  they  continued  till  1847.  He  then  went 
to  Derby  and  remained  two  years  pursuing  a 
similar  occupation,  after  which  he  connected 
himself  with  Mr.  Harry  Himman,  under  the 
firm  name  of  C.  A.  Harris  &  Co.  For  twenty 
years  Mr.  Harris  remained  in  business  in 
Derby.  In  March,  1867,  he  removed  to 
East  Burke,  where  he  jjurchased  a  small  farm 
and  also  a  store  in  company  with  Daniel 
Townsend,  and  engaged  in  trade  till  March, 
1872,  after  which  time  he  continued  by  him- 
self till  1893,  when  he  ga\e  his  stock  to  his 
children  and  retired  from  the  active  cares  of 
hfe. 

His  reputation  as  an  able  financier  has 
been  proved  by  his  services  as  director  of 
the  Lyndonville  National  Bank  for  six  years 
and  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  that 
institution  in  1889. 

He  was  made  postmaster  of  both  the  towns 
of  Derbv  Centre  and  F^ast  Burke,  and  gave 


r 


1 


JOHN    EDWARD    HARRIS. 

his  prt)fession  in  Montpelier  and  Dan\ille, 
then  he  purchased  the  St.  Johnsbury  Index, 
now  the  Republican,  which  he  sold  in  1885 
and  moved  to  Burlington,  where  he  bought 
a  half  interest  in  the  Burlington  Clipper. 
This  he  parted  with  in  1889,  when  he  trans- 
ferreil   his  business  to  Hardwick,  establish- 


1 84 


HARTSHORN. 


ing  the  Hardwick  (Gazette,  of  which  paper 
and  the  accompanying  job  office  he  is  now 
proprietor. 

Mr.  Harris  is  an  absokite  independent  in 
his  political  course  and  has  always  con- 
ducted the  newspapers  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  on  liberal  principles,  subject 
to  no  party  control. 

He  married  in  1879,  Carrie,  daughter  of 
N.  K.  and  Susan  (Moody)  Brown  of  Bur- 
lington. She  died  June  20,  1892,  leaving 
three  children  :  Charles  B.,  Frances  N.,  and 
Edward  J. 

Mr.  Harris  has  done  special  journalistic 
work  on  the  Boston  Globe,  the  Washington 
Post,  Chicago  News,  and  Springfield  Repub- 
lican. 

He  is  an  Episcopalian  and  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  having  held  all  the  offices 
but  the  first  in  Caledonia  Lodge  of  St.  Johns- 
bury. 

HARTSHORN,  JOHN  WiLLARD,  of 
Lunenburg,  son  of  Colburn  and  Elizabeth 
(Fay)  Hartshorn,  was  born  in  Lunenburg, 
Oct.  I,  1815. 


JOHN    WILLARD    HARTSHORN, 

The  public  schools  of  Lunenburg  gave  him 
his  educational  training,  and  when  he  arrived 
at  man's  estate  he  left  his  native  town  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  world.  He  went  to 
Sterling,  Mass.,  and  remained  three  years, 
during  which  period  he  witnessed  the  com- 
pletion of  the  first  railroad  from  Boston  to 
^\■orcester.    Then  he  returned  to  Lunenburg, 


and  purchased  a  large  farm  for  S800  and  a 
hundred  barrels  of  cider,  ten  of  the  latter 
to  be  paid  annually.  At  the  time  of  the 
famous  cider  and  log  cabin  campaign  in 
1840,  the  orchards  of  Mr.  Hartshorn  mani- 
fested "active  partisanship"  by  producing 
twenty-one  hundred  bushels  of  apples.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  noted  farmer,  drover 
and  stock  breeder,  and  he  acquired  some 
local  reputation  as  an  auctioneer,  and  satis- 
factorily settled  many  estates  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  was  one  of  the  original  direc- 
tors of  the  P.  &  O.  R.  R.,  and  retained  that 
position  until  the  road  passed  into  the  hands 
of  a  receiver. 

From  the  time  of  his  return  until  1H7S, 
when  he  received  an  almost  fatal  injury  from 
a  fall,  Mr.  Hartshorn  was  continuously  in 
the  service  of  the  town  as  lister,  overseer  of 
the  poor,  moderator  and  justice  of  the  peace 
for  fifty-one  years.  He  has  been  chosen  to 
both  branches  of  the  state  Legislature,  mem- 
ber of  the  House  in  185  2 -'5 3,  and  senator  in 
iS70-'7i,  and  been  honored  by  two  terms  as 
judge  of  probate  in  i850-'5  7.  For  seven 
years  he  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
state  prison. 

Judge  Hartshorn  married,  Nov.  16,  1840, 
Ann,  daughter  of  Chester  and  Betsey 
(Hutchins)  Smith  of  Lunenburg,  and  four 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Hon. 
F:iden  J.,  of  Emmettsburg,  Iowa,  Elizabeth 
(Mrs.  George  H.  Emerson,  deceased),  Harry 
C.,  and  Cora  (Mrs.  Edward  Lowell),  of  Lew- 
iston.  Me. 

HARVEY,  RONEY  M.,  of  Topsham,  son 
of  John  and  ]\Largaret  (Hight)  Harvey,  was 
born  in  Tojjsham,  May  20,  1843. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  the  day,  and  also  attended  Newbury  Semi- 
nary, Peacham  .Academy,  and  a  select  school 
at  East  Topsham,  taught  by  Rev.  N.  R. 
Johnson. 

In  his  youth  he  became  noted  as  a  "ped- 
agogue," and  was  always  in  demand  to  ad- 
minister discipline  in  the  notorious  hard 
schools  of  the  times.  In  1866  he  visited  the 
Pacific  coast  with  the  \iew  of  making  his 
home  in  that  country,  but  was  soon  recalled 
by  the  sickness  and  death  of  his  father.  He 
went  to  West  Topsham  in  the  spring  of  1867, 
and  at  once  commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  J.  O.  Livingston,  Esq.,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  December  term  of 
Orange  county  court,  1869.  He  soon 
opened  a  law  office  at  West  Topsham,  where 
he  now  resides.  Mr.  Harvey  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Cora  I.,  youngest  daughter  of 
Hon.  Roswell  M.  Bill,  late  of  Topsham, 
Dec.  28,  1870.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them:  Lrwin  M.,  Laila  J.,  and 
lohn  N. 


HASEI,TON. 


IIASF.LTOX. 


iS:; 


A  Republican  of  the  most  ijronounced 
type,  Mr.  Harvey  has  held  many  and  various 
town  offices,  was  state's  attorney  in  1878, 
and  has  twice  represented  his  town  in  the 
Legislature.  Here  he  served  on  important 
committees,  and  was  elected  one  of  the  super- 
visors of  the  insane.  In  1890  he  was  elected 
state  senator  from  Orange  county.  He  still 
continues  his  law  Inisiness  at  W'est  Tojisham, 


W^  "^f^^ 


and  is  well  known  in  his  section  of  the  state. 
His  success  in  many  important  cases  in 
which  he  has  been  employed  is  principalh- 
due  to  his  Scotch  pluck  and  the  personal 
interest  which  he  takes  in  all  his  work.  In 
addition  to  the  law,  Mr.  Harvey  has  become 
well  known  as  a  dealer  in  limiber  and  real 
estate.  He  is  a  hurried  man  of  business, 
and  his  many  cares  allow  him  little  time  in 
which  to  enjoy  the  quiet  of  his  home. 

HASELTON,  SENECA,  of  Burlington, 
son  of  Rev.  Amos  and  Amelia  ( Frink ) 
Haselton,  was  born  in  Westford,  Feb.  26, 
1848. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools  of  Jericho,  Underhill  and  the 
academies  of  Underhill  and  Barre.  He  then 
entered  the  classical  department  of  the  U. 
v.  M.,  from  which  he  graduated  with  high 
honors  in  1871.  During  his  college  course 
he  taught  several  terms  in  Barre,  Shelburne, 
Richmond  and  Waterbury,  and  for  a  year 
after  his  graduation  from  the  uni\ersity  he 
occupied  the  jiosition  of  associate  principal 
of  Barre  Academy.  In  1873  he  began  the 
studv  I  if  law  in  the  office  of  Wales  .S:  Taft  at 


ISurlington,  but  soon  after  accepted  the  chair 
of  instructor  of  mathematics  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  at  the  same  time  pursuing 
his  ])rofessional  studies  in  the  law  depart- 
ment of  that  institution.  Later  he  returned 
to  lUirlington  where  he  has  since  remained, 
attaining  a  very  high  rank  as  a  general  prac- 
titioner. 

Judge  Haselton  is  a  strong  adherent  of  the 
I  )emocratic  party  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  and  leading  part  in  both  city  and 
state  politics.  For  many  successive  terms  he 
was  city  judge  and  in  1886  represented  Bur 
lington  in  the  Legislature,  serving  on  the 
judiciary  committee.  In  1888  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  state  examining 
committee  on  admission  to  the  Vermont  bar, 
and  the  following  year  served  as  chairman 
of  the  same.  Two  years  later  he  was  chosen 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Burlington  to  which 
l^osition  he  has  been  twice  re-elected.  His 
term  of  office  has  been  characterized  by  ex- 
ceptional prosperity  on  the  part  of  the  city. 


SENECA    HASELTON. 


A  school  building  of  rare  beauty  has  been 
erected  and  an  important  modification  ot 
the  system  of  the  city  has  been  determined 
upon  and  is  in  progress.  An  electric  rail- 
way has  been  secured  through  a  contract 
which  makes  the  enterprise  especially  ad- 
vantageous to  the  business  interests  of  Bur- 
lington. Since  Mayor  Haselton  has  been  in 
office  the  rate  of  taxation  has  been  consider- 
ably reduced  and  now  compares  favorably 
with  that  of  any  other  progressive  city  in 
New  England. 


1 86 


HASKINS,  KlTTREDGE,  of  Brattleboro, 
son  of  Asaph  and  Amelia  (^\'ard)  Haskins, 
was  born  in  Dover,  April  8,  i8,^6.  His  great- 
grandfather, grandfather  and  father  served 
respectively  in  the  French  war,  the  Revolu- 
tionary, and  the  war  of  1812. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
nati\e  town  and  by  a  private  tutor,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  law  in  the  otifice  of 
Messrs.  Shaffer  &  Davenport  at  Wilming- 
ton ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Windham 
county  court,  x\pril  i-i,  1858,  and  immedi- 
atelv  entered  into  a  copartnership  with  the 
Hon.  Charles  N.  Davenport  at  Wilmington, 
which  was  dissolved  in  the  spring  of  1861, 
when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Williams- 
ville,  where  he  opened  an  offii  e.     He   has 


KlTTREDGE    HASKINS. 

been  admitted  at  various  dates  a  counsellor 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont, a  counsellor,  attorney,  proctor  and 
solicitor  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 
States  for  the  District  of  Vermont  at  Wind- 
sor, and  counsellor  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  at  Washington,  D.  C.  In 
November,  1863,  he  removed  to  Brattleboro, 
pursuing  the  practice  of  his  profession  with 
marked  success. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  when  he  be- 
came a  supporter  of  the  administration  of 
President  Lincoln,  and  has  acted  with  the 
Republican  party  since. 

He  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  since 
Dec.  I,  1861  :  state's  attorney  for  Windham 
county  ;  was  town  representati\e  of  Brattle- 


boro in  1872,  and  was  elected  to  the  state 
Senate  in  1892.  He  was  appointed  by  I'res- 
dent  Hayes  and  also  by  President  Arthur 
United  States  Attorney  for  the  District  of 
Vermont,  holding  the  ofifice  until  June  21, 
1887.  In  January,  1893,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  Governor  of  Vermont  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  establish,  in  conjunction 
with  a  similar  commission  on  the  part  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  a  boundary  line 
monument  between  the  two  states.  .'\t  the 
organization  of  the  Bratdeboro  Free  Library 
in  1883  he  was  elected  one  of  its  trustees, 
and  has  served  in  that  capacity  and  as  pres- 
ident of  the  board  to  the  present  time. 

He  enlisted  as  a  volunteer,  and  on  the 
organization  of  Co.  I,  i6th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols., 
Sept.  20,  1862,  he  was  elected  and  commis- 
sioned I  St  lieutenant  of  the  company.  He 
resigned  and  was  honorably  discharged,  by 
reason  of  disabilities  incurred  in  the  service. 
On  his  return  home  he  immediately  entered 
the  government  service  as  a  civil  employe 
in  the  office  of  the  assistant  quartermaster 
of  volunteers  at  Brattleboro,  doing  duty  there 
and  at  Burlington,  St.  Albans  and  Mont- 
pelier  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
appointed  and  commissioned  captain  of  Co. 
H,  12th  Regt.  Vt.  jMilitia,  and  was  appointed 
colonel  and  aid-de-camp  of  Governor  Peter 
T.  Washburn. 

He  is  a  3 2d  degree  Mason  and  has  been 
prominently  connected  w-ith  the  order  since 
June,  1857.  He  has  been  M.  E.  Grand 
High  Priest  of  the  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chap- 
ter of  Vermont ;  was  president  of  the  Order 
of  High  Priesthood  for  many  years,  R.  E. 
Commander  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of 
Knights  Templar  of  the  state,  and  in  the  M. 
W.  Grand  Lodge  of  Vermont,  has  served  as 
Grand  Junior  and  Grand  Senior  Warden, 
and  in  June,  1893,  was  elected  to  the  ofifice 
of  R.  \V.  I  )eputy  Grand  Master,  which  posi- 
tion he  now  holds.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Reiniblic  for 
many  years. 

He  married  Esther  Maria,  daughter  of 
Maj.  Adna  B.  Childs  of  Wilmington,  July  i, 
i860,  and  had  one  child,  who  died  in  1864. 

He  is  an  Episcopalian  and  for  many  years 
has  been  one  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Michael's 
Church  of  Brattleboro.  He  has  been  quite 
constant  in  his  attendance  upon  the  conven- 
tions of  the  diocese  as  a  delegate  from  his 
parish,  and  was  elected  as  one  of  the  lay 
deputies  by  the  diocesan  convention  to  the 
general  convention  of  the  church,  which  met 
in  Chicago,  111.,  in  1886,  again  at  the  city  of 
New  York  in  1889,  and  at  Baltimore,  Md., 
in  1892. 

Hastings,  Jonathan  Ham.mond,  of 

\Vaitsfield,  son  of  Garinter  antl  Hannah  (Ol- 
cutt)   Hastinffs,  was  born  in  Waitsfield,  Feb. 


IS; 


12,  1824.  His  father  came  from  New  Hamp- 
shire to  \\'aitsfield  in  1823,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  business  of  farming,  innkeeper,  and 
loaning  money.  With  no  educational  ad\an- 
tages  but  those  of  the  common  schools  he  has 
acquired  in  his  extensive  business  relations  a 
wide  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  a  large 
stock  of  general  information.  Owing  to  the 
ill  health  of  his  father  he  was  early  called  to 
the  management  of  his  financial  affairs  whic:h 
he  safely  conducted  for  him  until  his  decease 
in  1857.  Since  1856  he  has  retired  from  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  as  his  other  business  de- 
manded his  sole  attention.  For  four  years  he 
was  in  partnership  with  R.  J.  Gleason,  engag- 
ing in  general  trade.  The  public  has  reposed 
.such  confidence  in  him,  that  he  has  been 
called  upon  to  settle  a  majority  of  the  estates 
in  the  town  for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  also 
acting  as  guardian,  trustee,  referee,  commis- 
sioner, and  business  adviser.  He  has  been  a 
director  of  the  National  Bank  of  Waterbury, 
since  1856,  and  is  now  vice-president  of  the 
same. 

Naturally  Judge  Hastings  has  been  sought 
after  to  fill  the  various  offices  of  the  town 
where  he  resides,  and  the  county  also  has 
sought  his  services  as  deputy  and  sheriff  from 
1847  to  i860.  He  was  elected  by  a  large 
Republican  majority  in  1862  and  1863  to 
the  Legislature  and  was  further  honored  by 
being  the  choice  of  that  party  to  represent 
them  in  the  Senate  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber from  1869  to  1872,  serving  as  committee 
on  claims,  and  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  banks.  Elected  assistant  judge  in  1880, 
he  held  that  office  four  years,  and  has  acted 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  more  than  thirty 
years.  Again  in  1892  his  townsmen  saw  fit  to 
make  him  their  representative  in  the  House, 
where  he  served  on  the  committee  of  ways 
and  means.  He  is  now  trustee  of  the  public 
money  and  law  agent  for  his  town.  Ener- 
getically devoted  to  the  cause  of  temperance 
he  was  a  charter  member  of  Waitsfield  Lodge 
L  O.  G.  T. 

Judge  Hastings  was  married  Nov.  i,  1848, 
to  Miss  Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Samuel 
and  Hannah  (French)  Merriam,  of  Johnson. 
Six  children  have  been  born  to  them  of  whom 
two  only  are  now  living:  Abbie  M.  (Mrs.  J. 
C.  Joslyn,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.),  and  Lucy 
H.  (Mrs.  John  W.  Gregory),  of  Waitsfield. 

Judge  Hastings  was  again  married  Sept. 
29,  1892,  to  Orris,  daughter  of  John  C.  and 
Charlotte  (Lovell)  Paddock  of  St.  Johnsbury. 

HASTINGS,  Stephen  J.,  of  Passumpsic, 

son  of  Warren  and  Lydia  (Richardson)  Hast- 
ings, was  born  in  Waterford,  Feb.  10,  1850. 
His  grandfather  and  father  were  reputable 
citizens  of  the  town,  the  latter  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  of  1864  and  1865.  He 
gave  his  son  the  benefit  of  a  common  school 


and  academical  training,  completing  his  edu- 
cation by  sending  him  to  Dartmouth  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1873. 

M  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Hastings  mar- 
ried Althea  C,  daughter  of  .\mos  and  C'osbi 
(Parker)  Carpenter,  and  six  children  have 
been  born  of  their  union  :  Warren  J.  (de- 
ceased), .Mthea  L.,  Ruth  B.  (deceased), 
Harold  S.,  Frank  B.,  and  Dora  K. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  he  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Waterford,  now-  Passumpsic,  and  has 
devoted  special  efforts  to  the  breeding  of 
blooded  Jersey  stock.  His  attempt  has  been 
most  fortunate,  and  his  herd  of  twenty-three 
cows  averaged  414  pounds  of  butter  per  cow 


in  1892.  He  is  also  a  large  maple  sugar 
producer.  .After  discharging  the  duties-^of 
several  public  ofifices,  he  was  sent  to  the 
Legislature  in  1882,  and  in  the  following 
year  was  appointed  by  (iovernor  Barstow  as 
one  of  the  Vermont  representatives  at_,the 
Farmers'  Congress  in  New  ^'ork  City,  and 
again  served  in  that  cajiacity  by  request  of 
Governor  Pingree. 

Mr.  Hastings  has  passed  the  portals  of 
Freemasonry  and  Odd  Fellowship,  is  a 
Knight  Templar  of  Palestine  Commandery, 
of  St.  Johnsbury,  and  has  been  Noble  (irand 
of  Caledonia  Lodge,  as  well  as  C.  P.  of 
Moose  River  Encampment  L  O.  O.  F. 

HATCH,  Royal  A.,  of  Strafford,  son  of 
Royal  and  Marian  (Chandler)  Hatch,  was 
born  in  Strafford,  Se])t.  3,  1838. 


HAVWARD. 


He  passed  the  usual  time  in  the  public 
schools  of  Strafford  and  continued  his  studies 
at  Thetford  Academy,  and  later  at  the  acad- 
emy at  Chelsea  when  Judge  Ross  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  school. 

Finishing  his  educational  training  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  returned  to  Strafford 
and  helped  to  raise  the  frame  of  the  build- 
ing which  has  been  the  scene  of  his  active 
labors  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  early  dis- 
played an  aptitude  for  mechanics,  and  his 
father  erected  this  shop  to  give  him  an  op- 
portunity to  indulge  his  favorite  pursuits 
and  at  the  same  time  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  the  town.  He  has  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  bedsteads  for  almost 
forty  years,  introducing  new  machinery  to 
accommodate  the  changing  demands  of  the 
market. 

Mr.  Hatch  was  married  to  Mary  E., 
■daughter  of  Samuel  and  Almira  (Ripley) 
Cobb,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.  Their  children 
were :  Mabel  Ripley,  Marian  Chandler, 
Laura  Alice,  Caroline  B.  (deceased),  and 
Royal. 

Although  of  Democratic  stock  he  is  a  be- 
liever in  protection,  and  consequently  has 
acted  with  the  Republican  party.  His  busi- 
ness engagements  have  not  allowed  him 
much  time  to  take  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs,  yet  he  has  served  his  town  in  several 
important  capacities.  He  now  holds  the 
position  of  agent  for  the  Vermont  Mutual 
P'ire  Insurance  Co.,  and  is  director  for 
Orange  county,  having  filled  both  jilaces  for 
many  years. 

Mr.  Hatch  has  been  for  more  than  thirty 
years  a  Free  and  Accepted  Mason,  and 
affiliates  with  Temple  Lodge,  No.  54,  n\ 
Strafford.  He  was  a  charter  member  at  the 
■organization  of  Bishop  Lodge,  No.  31,  L  <). 
G.  T.,  and  is  now  treasurer  of  the  Clrand 
Lodge  of  Vermont. 

He  is  well  known  as  a  reliable  business 
man :  enterprising  and  substantial,  is  re- 
spected by  all,  and  is  an  important  factor  in 
the  affairs  of  the  town,  where  he  has  the 
good  fortune  to  be  surrounded  by  a  refined 
and  interesting  family. 

HAY,  Barron,  of  Bradford,  wn  of 
James  and  Laura  (White)  Hav,  was  born  in 
Bradford,  Sept.  26,  1828. 

His  education  was  acquired  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Orford  and  Bradford,  and  at 
Bradford  .Academy.  His  father  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  when  Barron  was 
ten  years  old  he  went  to  Orford,  N.  H., 
to  live  with  L.  D.  Corless,  Esq.  Here  he 
remained  for  seven  years,  working  upon  the 
farm  and  attending  school  in  the  winter 
terms.  In  1845  he  returned  to  Bradford, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Ha\ing  re- 
solved to  de\ote  his  energies  to  business,  he 


entered  the  store  of  0.  &  E.  Prichard  as 
clerk,  and  has  been  connected  with  the  firm 
for  forty-two  years,  during  twenty  of  which 
he  has  been  a  partner  in  the  house. 

Mr.  Hay  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
faith.  He  has  held  the  position  of  town 
treasurer  for  seventeen  years,  was  town  clerk 
in  1875,  and  in  1891  was  elected  a  member 
for  five  years  of  the  board  of  water  com- 
missioners. He  has  been  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  in  i866-'67,  and  in  1884  was  sent 
to  the  House  of  Representatives. 

He  is  a  careful,  capable,  and  honest  busi- 
ness man,  and  owes  his  success  in  the  world 
solely  to  his  own  efforts. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jeanette 
C,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Almira  (Abbey) 
Smith,  Oct.  16,  1854.  They  have  had  two 
children  :  Fred  E.  (deceased),  and  John 
Barron. 

The  Bradford  Opinion,  on  the  event  of 
Mr  Hay's  sixty-fifth  birthdav,  savs  :  "  We 
can  truthfully  say  of  him  that  he  detests 
meanness  and  trickery  in  whatever  form  it 
shows  itself,  and  is  accredited  by  all  w-ith 
being  the  best  type  of  an  honest  man.  These 
traits  are  so  conspicuous  that  to  some  he  at 
times  seems  'cranky,'  but,  just  the  same,  he 
is  honored  by  those  who  ha\e  known  him 
for  a  half  century,  as  well  as  those  of  more 
recent  acciuaintance." 

HA^'WARD,  HENR^-  R.,  of  Tunbridge, 
son  of  Reuben  and   Maria  (Cushman)  Hay- 


ward,  was  born  in  Montpelier,  March  29, 
1 84 1. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and  moved  in  1854  to  Tunbridge,  where  he 
has  since  resided. 

In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Co.  E.,  2d  Regt.  Vt. 
Vols.,  as  3d  sergeant,  and  served  three  years. 
He  was  promoted  to  2d  lieutenant,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service,  when  he  returned  to  Tun- 
bridge and  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  grist 
milling  business,  which  he  has  since  followed. 

He  has  been  commander  of  Whitney  Post 
No.  21,  G.  \.  R.,  ever  since  its  organization, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  and  also  held 
various  town  offices,  serving  as  selectman, 
lister,  overseer  of  poor,  etc.  Mr.  Hayward 
represented  Tunbridge  in  the  Legislature  of 
1880. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  17,  1864,  to  Miss 
Susan  E.,  daughter  of  Mason  and  Celenda 
(Thompson)  Farnham,  of  Tunbridge,  and 
thev  have  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living. 

HAZEN,   Lucius   Downer,  of  st. 

Johnsbury,  son  of  Lucius  and  Hannah  B. 
(Downer)  Hazen,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Jan.  19,  1834. 


LUCIUS    DOWNER 


The  common  schools  of  his  native  town 
furnished  the  facilities  for  his  early  educa- 
tion and  he  afterwards  attended  Kimball 
I'nion  Academy  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  where 
he  pursued  a  commercial  course  and  com- 
menced at  the  age  of   fifteen  to  assist    his 


HKATH.  1S9, 

father  in  his  store  and  on  the  farm.  In 
1863  his  father  died  in  possession  of  the 
largest  farm  in  Vermont  and,  two  years  after, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  removed  to  Barnet,. 
where  he  was  employed  in  purchasing  wool 
for  the  Caledonia  iManufac-turing  Co.  He 
then  made  a  heavy  investment  in  timber 
lanils  in  Whitefield,  N.  H.,  and  in  1872  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  lumber,  extend- 
ing his  operations  to  the  towns  of  (Iroton, 
N'ictory,  JMill's  Pond  and  Richford,  Vt.  In 
1890  he  sold  1 6,000  acres  of  timber  land  in 
Mctory  to  the  Olcott  Falls  Co  ,  previous  to 
which  sale  he  was  the  owner  of  one  half  of 
the  township. 

He  was  wedded  Jan.  12,  1S62,  to  Orinda 
G.,  daughter  of  Lloyd  and  Lois  (Griswold) 
Kimball  of  Mclndoes  Falls.  Four  children 
have  been  the  issue  of  their  union  :  Lucius 
K.,  Mary  L.  (Mrs.  N.  H.  Houghton),. 
Charles  IJ.,  and  Margaret  E. 

Mr.  Hazen  was  selectman  of  Newbury 
during  the  four  years  of  the  war  and  in  1869 
was  chosen  by  a  Republican  constituency  to- 
represent  the  town  of  Barnet  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. He  represented  St.  Johnsbury  in  1888 
and  served  on  the  committee  on  the  insane 
and  also  on  that  of  banks.  He  has  been 
director  and  vice-president  of  the  Merchants. 
National  Bank  of  St.  Johnsbury  for  fifteen 
years,  this  being  a  longer  term  of  service 
than  that  of  any  other  director.  In  1892  he 
was  appointed  a  delegate  at  large  to  the 
national  Republican  convention  at  Minne- 
apolis. He  is  a  deacon  in  the  ^Xorth  Con- 
gregational Church  and  a  member  of  the  A. 
B.  C.  F.  M.,  and  also  of  the  American  Home 
Missionary  Society. 

„j;,Heath,  Charles  Henry,  late  of  Mont- 
pelier, son  of  Elias  and  Ruth  (Blanchard) 
Heath,  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Nov.  4,  1829.. 

His  earlier  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Woodbury,  the  Washington 
grammar  school  and  the  People's  .\cademy 
at  Morrisville.  He  then  entered  the  Llni- 
\ersity  of  Vermont,  from  w^hich  he  graduated 
in  1854,  recei\ing  three  years  later  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M. 

For  two  years  after  his  graduation  he  was 
principal  of  the  academy  at  Morrisville, 
which  during  that  time  ranked  as  the  best 
school  of  its  kind  in  the  state.  He  then  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Thom- 
as (lleed,  of  Morrisville,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Lamoille  county  court  in  Decem- 
ber, 1858.  LTntil  1872  he  practiced  at  Plain- 
field,  but  then  removed  to  Montpelier.  Early 
in  the  sixties  he  served  as  state's  attorney 
for  the  county  for  two  years,  and  in  1868, 
1869,  and  1870  was  elected  to  the  state  Sen- 
ate, and  was  subsequently  made  a  trustee  of 
the  State  I.ibrarv. 


1 90  HEATON. 

Mr.  Heath  was  married  Feb.  9,  1859,  to 
Sarah  EKza,  daughter  of  Dr.  David  Wing  and 
Rebecca  (Caldwell)  Putnam,  of  Morrisville. 
His  death  occurred  July  12,  1889. 

Mr.  Heath's  life  work  was  not  all  done  in 
the  law  nor  in  the  House  where  laws  were 
made,  but  his  outlook  was  as  broad  as  the 
interests  of  humanity  extend,  and  whatever 
commanded  itself  as  helpful  to  these  was 
sure  to  enlist  his  hearty  co-operation.  He 
]iossessed  a  marvelous  memory  and  whate\er 
he  observed  seemed  indelibly  impressed 
upon  his  mind. 

The  cause  of  temperance  had  in  him  an 
ardent  supporter,  and  firmly  believing  in  the 
principles  of  Free  Masonry  he  was  a  staunch 
adherent  of  the  order,  being  advanced  to  the 
degree  of  Knight  Templar. 


A  Rejjublican  in  politics,  a  liberal  Christ- 
ian in  his  church  relations,  he  attempted  no 
disguise  of  his  beliefs  or  disbeliefs,  but  de- 
clared them  openly,  forcibly  and  often. 

HEATON,  Homer  Wallace,  son  of 

Dr.  Cershom  and  Polly  (Wallace)  Heaton, 
was  born  in  Berlin,  August  25,  181 1. 

Having  received  his  early  education  at  the 
schools  of  his  native  town,  he  continued  his 
studies  at  the  St.  Lawrence  Academy,  Pots- 
dam, N.  v.,  and  the  Washington  county 
grammar  school  at  Montpelier. 

He  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  J. 
P.  Miller,  Esq.,  and  N.  Baylies,  Jr.,  in  Mont- 
pelier, and  was  admitted  to  the  Washington 


county  bar,  November  term,  1835.  At  the 
dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Miller  &  Baylies, 
he  at  once  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Miller  under  the  firm  name  of  Miller  cS;  Hea- 
ton, and  when  Colonel  Miller  retired  in  1839 
he  took  as  a  partner  Mr.  Charles  Reed,  and 
under  the  style  of  Heaton  &  Reed  they  con- 
tinued to  practice  until  the  death  of  the  lat- 
ter in  1873. 

Mr.  Heaton  was  united  in  marriage  July 
I,  1841,10  Harriet,  daughter  of  John  Stearns. 
Of  this  union  were  four  sons,  three  of  whom 
are  now  living  :  Charles  H.,  James  S.,  and 
Homer  ^^'.  Mrs.  Heaton  died  April  26, 
1859. 

Mr.  Heaton  was  state's  attorney  in  1839- 
'41,  '60,  and  '61,  and  represented  Montpe- 
lier in  1848.  He  has  always  been  a  staunch 
Democrat  and  was  the  Democratic  candi- 
date tor  Governor  in  1869  and  '70,  and  for 
Congress  in  1872  and  '74.  Of  late  years 
Mr.  Heaton  has  kept  out  of  the  practice  of 
the  law  all  that  he  could  to  devote  himself  to 
the  care  of  his  own  property  and  the  man- 
agement of  the  Montpelier  Savings  Bank  and 
Trust  Co.,  of  which  he  has  been  presi- 
dent since  its  organization  in  1871. 

HENDEE,  George  Whitman,  of  Mor- 

ris\ille,  son  of  Jehial  P.  and  Rebecca 
(Ferrin)  Hendee,  was  born  in  Stowe,  Nov. 
30,  1832. 

George  W.  Hendee  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  and  at  the  People's  Ac- 
ademy at  Morrisville.  His  parents  were 
|ioor,  and  all  his  educational  advantages 
were  obtained  by  his  own  strenuous  and 
imaideci  exertions.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
W.  (;.  Ferrin  of  Johnson.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Lamoille  county  bar  in  1855.  It  was 
in  era  of  frequent  justice  and  jury  trials. 
The  industry,  pleasing  address,  and  clear  in- 
sight of  the  young  advocate  were  soon  re- 
warded with  an  ample  and  constantly  increas- 
ing practice.  .\  large  proportion  of  the 
more  important  cases  were  soon  committed 
to  his  charge,  and  nearly  all  of  his  recent 
practice  has  been  in  the  county  and  supreme 
courts  of  the  state  and  U.  S.  circuit  and 
district  courts.  During  the  last  twenty- 
five  years  the  discharge  of  important  politi- 
cal duties,  and  the  management  of  great 
business  enterprises,  have  at  times  withdrawn 
the  attention  of  Governor  Hendee  from  his 
professional  labors.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  the  construction  of  the  P.  &  O. 
R.  R.,  and  gave  his  entire  time  to  it  for  a 
period  of  seven  years,  and  is  now  the  only 
director  who  has  given  the  road  continuous 
service  since  the  organization  of  the  corpor- 
ation. He  has  been  for  three  years,  and  is 
the  president  of  the  Montreal,  Portland  & 
Boston  R.  R.  of  Canada.     His  connection 

..  "a 


ip2  HEBARD. 

with  banking  interests  has  been  varied  and 
extensive.  He  is  a  director  and  the  vice- 
president  of  the  Union  Savings  Bank  and 
Trust  Co.  of  Morrisville.  He  was  receiver 
of  the  National  Bank  of  Poultney,  and  of 
the  Vermont  National  Bank  of  St.  .Mbans, 
and  was  national  bank  examiner  from  1879 
to  1885. 

Governor  Hendee  is  and  always  has  been 
a  Republican.  When  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
superintendent  of  schools,  a  position  he  has 
since  repeatedly  and  worthily  filled,  and  dur- 
ing the  almost  forty  years  since  that  time 
there  has  been  no  year  in  which  he  has  not 
been  called  by  the  public  to  discharge  some 
official  trust.  He  has  many  times  acted  by 
order  of  court  as  auditor,  trustee,  and  special 
master.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Vermont 
House  of  Representatives  for  Morristown 
two  sessions,  1861-62,  state's  attorney  for 
Lamoille  county  in  i8s8-'59,  deputy  provost 
marshal  during  the  war,  senator  for  Lamoille 
county  in  i866-'67,  and  1868,  and  Lieutenant 
Governor  in  1869. 

Sworn  in  as  (;o\ernor  by  Judge  Steele  on 
the  death  of  Gov.  P.  T.  Washburn,  he  served 
the  remainder  of  the  term.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Forty-third,  Forty-fourth  and  Forty- 
fifth  Congresses,  and  there  served  on  the 
committee  on  pri\ate  land  claims,  and  on 
the  District  of  Columbia.  He  was  largely 
instrumental  in  drafting  and  securing  the 
passage  of  the  law  which  made  an  entire 
change  of  the  form  of  government  of  the 
District,  under  which  it  has  since  existed, 
and  which  has  placed  it  on  an  entirely 
sound  financial  basis. 

During  his  long  public  career  Governor 
Hendee  has  served  his  town  in  many  and 
varied  capacities,  and  the  grateful  apprecia- 
tion in  which  his  services,  both  public  and 
private,  are  held,  is  well  known.  He  is  now 
.serving  his  third  term  as  president  of  the 
board  of  village  trustees.  E)uring  the  last 
ten  years  he  has  sought  relaxation  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  is  largely  interested 
in  the  breeding  and  development  of  first- 
class  light  carriage  horses  of  the  Morgan 
type  and  blood.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity;  married  Nov.  17,  1855, 
Millissa,  daughter  of  Stevens  and  Caroline 
(Johnson)  Redding.  Their  only  child  was 
Lillian  Frances,  now  deceased.  His  wife 
died  in  1861,  and  he  married,  Dec.  23,  1863, 
Viola  S.,  daughter  of  Loren  and  Fidelia 
( Paine)  Bundy. 

HEBARD,  Salmon  B.,  son  of  Hon. 
William  Hebard,  was  born  Nov.  15,  1835, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Orange  county 
grammar  school  of  Randolph,  and  at  Chel- 
sea Academy.  [For  an  extended  sketch  of 
Hon.  William  Hebard  see  historical  portion 
of  this  work.] 


He  entered  his  father's  office  as  a  law  stu- 
dent when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  but 
at  twenty-one  he  was  appointed  clerk  of 
Orange  county  court  and  held  that  office 
until  i860.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1 86 1.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  enlisted 
and  was  made  2d  lieutenant  of  the  istVt. 
Light  Battery  and  served  in  the  Department 
of  the  Gulf  until  November,  rS63,  when  he 
returned  to  Chelsea  and  resumed  legal  prac- 
tice,  soon   forming  a  partnership  with   his 


«^ 


father  which  continued  until  the  death  of 
the  latter.  He  has  been  town  agent  ever 
since  1875,  and  deputy  clerk  of  Orange 
county  court  most  of  the  time  since  i860, 
and  on  the  death  of  Hon.  L.  G.  Hinckley 
in  1887  was  appointed  clerk.  In  1880  he 
was  elected  state's  attorney  for  Orange  county 
and  in  1884  senator. 

Mr.  Hebard  is  an  earnest,  reliable  man  of 
good  judgment  and  ability. 

HENRY,  William  Wirt,  of  Burlington, 

son  of  James  M.  and  Matilda  (Gale)  Henry, 
was  born  Nov.  21,  1831,  in  Waterbury. 

His  educational  advantages  were  limited 
to  the  district  and  village  schools  of  Water- 
bury  and  one  term  in  the  People's  .\cademy 
of  Morrisville. 

He  was  in  California  in  1852,  whence  he 
returned  in  1857,  and  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  father  and  brother.  Selling  out 
his  interest  in  i86t,  he  enlisted  as  a  ])rivate 
in  Co.  D,  2d  Vt.  Vols.  Promoted  ist  lieuten- 
ant, Co.  D,  he  was  present  at  the  first  battle 


193 


of  Hull  Klin,  mill  a  few  months  afterwards  he 
was  mustered  out  on  a  surgeon's  certificate. 
He  again  entered  the  service,  August  26, 
1862,  as  major  of  the  loth  Infantry,  Vt.  \'ols., 
and  successi\ely  was  promoted  to  the  grade 
of  lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel,  and  finally 
to  brevet-brigadier-general  for  gallant  and 
meritorious  service  during  the  war.  He 
commanded  his  regiment  at  the  battles  of  the 
\\'ilderness,  Spotts\'lvania,  North  Anna,  Tol- 
opotomy  Creek,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg, 
Cedar  Creek,  Va.,  and  Monocacy,  Md. 
Slightly  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor  and  Mon- 
ocacy, he  was  hit  four  times  at  Cedar  Creek. 
Congress  granted  him  a  medal  for  gallantry 
at  Cedar  Creek. 

The  first  entry  of  (General  Henry  into 
public  life  was  his  appointment  as  constable 
in  White  Oak  township,  Eldorado  county, 
California,  in  1856.  After  the  war  he  was 
twice  elected  state  senator  from  Washington 
county,  and  also  from  Chittenden  county,  in 
1874.  He  was  appointed  United  States 
marshal  for  district  of  Vermont,  in  1879, 
which  office  he  held  for  seven  years.  He 
was  mayor  of  Burlington  in  i887-'88,  and 
appointed  immigrant  inspector  in  1892. 

General  Henry  was  married  August  5, 
1857,  to  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Lyman  and 
Mary  (Sherman)  Beebe.  Five  children  were 
born  to  them  :  Bertram  Beebe,  Mary  Matilda, 
Ferdinand  Sherman,  Katie  Beebe,  and  Carrie 
Eliza.  His  second  wife  was  Valera,  daughter 
of  Timothy  J.  and  Susan  P.  (White)  Heaton, 
whom  he  married  at  A\'atertown,  Dec.  3, 
1872. 

After  his  return  from  the  war,  (ieneral 
Henry  again  re-entered  the  old  firm  and  the 
business  was  removed  to  Burlington.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  1870,  and  from 
it  sprung  the  firm  of  Henry,  Johnson  &  Lord. 

General  Henry  has  been  prominent  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  military  societies  in- 
stituted since  the  civil  war.  He  received  his 
first  degrees  in  Masonry  in  Aurora  Lodge, 
Montpelier,  in  1858  :  was  a  charter  memlier 
and  Past  Master  of  the  lodge  at  \\'aterbury  ; 
also  charter  member  of  Burlington  Lodge, 
Burlington.  He  has  enjoyed  the  honor  of 
Past  Grand  Master  of  the  L  O.  ().  F.  and  de- 
partment commander  of  the  G.  .\.  R.  of 
Vermont.  He  has  been  admitted  to  the 
military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  the  .Soci- 
ety of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

HEWITT,  ALEXIS  B.,  of  Putney,  son  of 
William  and  Abigail  (Holman)  Hewitt,  was 
born  in  Windham,  Nov.  29,  1822. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
common  schools  of  the  town,  and  had 
several  terms  at  the  old  Saxton's  River 
academy,  where  he  received  a  teacher's 
certificate. 


In  i842-'43  he  taught  school  in  London- 
derry, but  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the 
small  pay  teachers  received  in  those  days, 
he  removed  to  Putney,  in  the  early  part  of 
1843,  3""^  found  em])loyment  in  a  woolen 
mill,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years, 
being  superintendent  for  nine  years  of  the 
time.  Here  he  acquired  sufficient  capital 
to  establish  himself  in  business,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1857  he  bought  a  one-half  interest 
in  "The  Old  Corner  Store"  with  Mr.  Baker, 
continuing  for  fourteen  years.  In  1869  Mr. 
A.  F.  Kelley,  now  Kelley  Bros.,  bankers, 
Minneapolis,  Minn.,  bought  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Baker,  and  the  firm   name  of  Hewitt  &: 


ALEXIS    B.    HEWITT. 


Kelley  was  adopted.  This  firm  continued 
the  business  for  three  years,  until  1S72, 
when  ;\Ir.  Hewitt  bought  the  interest  of  his 
partner  and  continued  it  until  1882 

Mr.  Hewitt  has  always  been  a  man  of 
high  character  and  standing  in  the  commu- 
nity, and  has  held  many  positions  of  trust, 
to  which  he  has  been  both  appointed  and 
elected. 

In  1862  he  received  from  President  Lin- 
coln the  office  of  postmaster  :  holding  the 
office  continuously  until  1882,  when  he  re- 
signed. In  1857  he  was  elected  town  treas- 
urer, a  position  of  trust  which  he  still  holds. 
In  1868  he  was  elected  town  clerk,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  been  elected  each  year. 
He  has  also  been  receiver  of  taxes  since 
1884. 

In  1890  and  1892  he  represented  his  town 
in  the  General  Assembly  at  Montpelier,  and 


194  HILL. 

was  a  delegate  to  the  national  Republican 
convention  at  Minneapolis  in  1892. 

Mr.  Hewitt  was  married  August  4,  1845, 
to  Miss  Abbie  F.,  daughter  of  John  B.  and 
Harriet  Moore  Pierce. 

A  man  of  quiet  habits,  unostentatious,  but 
of  liberal  views,  having  much  sympathy  for 
the  unfortunate,  and  always  taking  a  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  town  and  its 
people  ;  he  is  beloved  by  the  community, 
and  most  by  those  who  know  him  best. 

HILL,  George  W.,  of  Lunenburg,  son 
of  Carleton  and  Amanda  M.  (Carr)  Hill,  was 
born  in  Danville,  Dec.  18,  1842. 

His  father  moved  to  Concord  when  George 
was  three  years  old,  and  he  received  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools  of  that  town 
and  of  Lunenburg. 


liilfliill 


At  the  age  of  eight  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  his  mother,  and  five  years 
afterward  he  left  home  and  found  employ- 
ment in  various  places  in  Concord  until 
1856,  when  he  returned  to  Lunenburg  and 
there  engaged  in  farm  labor  until  his  patri- 
otic impulses  led  him  to  serve  in  the  army 
of  the  Union.  F^nlisting  in  Co.  K,  8th 
Regt.  ^'t.  Vols.,  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Stephen  Thomas,  he  shared  in  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  Louisiana  campaign.  He  was 
present  at  Routes  Station,  Bayou  Teche, 
Fort  Bisland,  Port  Hudson,  Donaldson,  Win- 
chester, Va.,  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek. 
Severely  wounded  in  the  first  named  engage- 
ment, he  refused  an  honorable  discharge  and 


returned  to  his  regiment.  He  entered  the 
ser\ice  a  i)rivate,  was  promoted  through 
e\ery  grade  to  2d  lieutenant,  and  as  such 
returned  with  his  company  at  the  close  of 
the  war. 

After  the  termination  of  the  struggle 
Lieutenant  Hill  returned  to  Lunenburg,  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  finally  settled  on  the 
place  where  he  now  resides. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov.  7,  1865, 
to  Amanda  M.,  daughter  of  Sylvanus  and 
Martha  Lane.  Four  children  have  been  the 
fruit  of  their  union  :  Harry  S.,  George  W. 
(deceased),  Clara  AL,  and  Madge  E. 

Mr.  Hill  is  an  adherent  of  the  Re]3ublican 
party  and  has  repeatedly  been  charged  with 
the  responsibilities  of  many  offices  in  the 
gift  of  his  fellow-townsmen.  He  ably  repre- 
sented Lunenburg  in  the  Legislature  of  i8go. 
He  is  a  prominent  member  of  Howard  Post, 
G.  -A.  R.,  and  for  three  years  was  commander. 
He  is  noted  for  energy  and  perseverance,  is 
a  good  financier  and  successful  farmer. 

HILL,  Harlan  Henry,  of  Lowell,  son  of 

Samuel  and  Jane  (Fairbanks)  Hill,  was  born 
in  (ireensboro,  April  16,  i860. 

He  is  one  of  the  most  successful  physi- 
cians in  Orleans  county,  and  has  an  univer- 
sally large  practice.  Dr.  Hill  is  a  self-made 
man  and  after  leaving  the  public  schools  of 
( Greensboro,  by  a  hard  and  diligent  struggle 
])rocured  sufficient  funds  for  a  more  extended 
education  in  the  Liberal  Institute  of  Glover, 
and  the  Elclectic  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  of  New  York  City,  from  which  lat- 
ter institution  he  was  graduated  in  1883,  af- 
ter an  extensive  experience  in  hospital 
practice  at  Bellevue  and  Blackwell's  Island. 
.\fter  graduating  he  pursued  his  profession 
a  few  months  with  his  former  preceptor, 
1  )r.  Templeton,  of  Glover,  with  whom  he  had 
studied  three  vears,  going  from  (Hover  to 
Morgan.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he  moved  to 
Lowell,  where  he  soon  acquired  an  extensive 
practice.  In  1886,  Dr.  Hill  was  elected  town 
superintendent  of  schools. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Vermont  Eclectic 
Society  and  in  1892  was  elected  vice-presi- 
dent. Politically,  he  is  a  strong  Republican  ; 
in  religious  preferences  he  is  a  liberal. 

May  12,  1884,  he  married  Zana  B.  Drew, 
of  Cilover. 

HITCHCOCK,  Aaron  Charles,  of 

Westfield,  son  of  Medad  Smith  and  Patty 
(Hitchcock)  Hitchcock,  was  born  July  19, 
1823,  in  \Vestfield.  He  is  seventh  in  de- 
scent from  Luke  Hitchcock,  who  settled  in 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1644,  from  which 
place  his  two  sons,  Luke  and  John,  removed 
to  Springfield,  Mass.,  building  a  log  house 
on  the  present  site  of  the  old  court  house, 
which    habitation   was   burned    down  when 


Springfield  was  attacked  and  pillaged  by  the 
Indians.  The  great-grandfather  of  Aaron 
was  the  first  white  settler  who  remained 
through  the  winter  in  lirimfield,  Mass.,  and 
was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  that 
town,  from  where  Capt.  Medad  Hitchcock 
removed  to  \\'estfielcl  in  1805  and  there 
built  the  first  grist  and  saw  mill  and  the  first 
frame  barn,  the  latter  serving  as  church  and 
schoolhouse  for  a  time. 

l"he  Hitchcock  family  have  always  been 
prominent  in  Westfield,  and  no  member 
more  so  than  A.  C.  Hitchcock,  whose  edu- 
cation was  received  in  the  public  .schools. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  seventeen 
years  old  and  on  him  devolved  much  re- 
sponsibility (ably  borne)  as  the  eldest  of  a 
'family  of  six.     Air.   Hitchcock   has  de\oted 


HOI'.AkI-.  195 

Since  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Hitchcock  has  been  a  sturdy  ad- 
herent of  the  same,  and,  while  in  no  sense  a 
politician,  he  has  often  been  called  upon  to 
serve  his  town.  In  i860  and  1861  he  was 
fitly  chosen  to  represent  \\'estfield  in  the 
state  Legislature  and  at  the  special  session  in 
April,  1 86 1.  He  has  been  a  trustee  of  the 
W'estfield  grammar  school  since  its  incor- 
poration and  for  thirty  years  was  its  treasurer 
and  one  of  the  ]3ru(iential  committee.  .At 
the  age  of  twenty-five  he  became  an  active 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  to 
which  he  has  been  a  most  liberal  contributor 
and  supporter,  always  active  in  Sunday 
school  work  and  taking  much  interest  in 
home  and  foreign  missions. 

The  success  of  Mr.  Hitchcock  in  the 
course  of  a  long  and  active  career  has  been 
the  result  of  his  personal  energy,  common 
sense,  and  natural  good  judgment. 


AARON    CHARLES    HITCHCOCK. 

his  life  mainly  to  agricultural  pursuits  and 
was  a  pioneer  in  fruit  growing  in  his  section, 
and  as  a  farmer  and  business  man  has  been 
eminently  successful.  He  is  a  large  owner 
of  real  estate  in  Orleans  county  and  also  in 
Iowa  and  Dakota.  In  1873  he  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  a  general  store  at  Troy  for 
his  son  Edward  and  a  year  later  bought  out 
the  other  partner.  This  property,  howe\  er, 
he  sold  after  his  son's  death. 

He  was  married  March  12,  1849,  *"  ^ '>'" 
ista  L.,  daughter  of  Johnathan  and  Lydia 
(Rowell)  Jenkins  of  Kirby,  who  is  a  direct 
descendant  of  the  famous  Hannah  Dustin. 
They  ha\e  had  three  children  :  (,'harles  S. 
(deceased),  Edward  A.  (deceased),  Emma 
C.  (Mrs.  Hiram  O.  Miller). 


HOBART,  John  White,  of  St.  .Albans, 
son  of  Thomas  S.  and  Mary  (Packard)  Hob- 
art,  was  born  in  Randolph,  .August  23,  1829. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  of  English 
descent,  and  was  educated  at  (Grange  county 
grammar  school,  and  at  Thetford  Academy, 
under  the  tuition  of  Hiram  B.  Orcutt.  The 
traits  of  character  which  were  to  bring  suc- 
cess to  young  Hobart  early  manifested  them- 
selves, and  before  reaching  man's  estate  he 
was  fighting  the  battle  of  life  unaided.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad  in  the 
train  department.  In  1848,  several  months 
before  the  road  was  completed,  and  during 
the  period  of  this  employment,  he  had  more 
or  less  to  do  with  the  construction  of  the 
line. 

In  1S49  the  road  was  opened  to  .Mont- 
pelier  on  the  4th  of  July  of  that  year,  and 
Mr.  Hobart  was  appointed  station  agent  at 
the  Capital.  Ten  years  of  faithful  service  in 
this  capacity  was  rewarded  by  a  further 
recognition  of  his  ability  and  usefulness,  and 
in  March,  1859,  he  was  made  master  of  trans- 
portation. This  position  he  held  fourteen 
years,  and  at  its  close  had  completed  a 
quarter  of  a  century  of  active  service  for  the 
Vermont  Central  corporation,  commencing 
his  second  quarter  as  general  superintendent 
of  the  road  and  its  leased  lines  in  1873.  The 
growth  of  the  road,  and  its  e,xtension  by 
branch  roads  built,  and  other  roads  leased, 
furnished  a  large  field,  requiring  more  ex- 
tended supervision,  and  in  1883  Mr.  Hobart 
was  made  general  manager  of  the  Central 
Vermont  system. 

Continued  application  will  tell  on  the 
strongest  constitution,  and  though  capable 
of  more  physical  endurance  than  the  average 
man,  Mr.  Hobart  had  to  succomb  to  im- 
jiaired  health,  and  on  lunc  i,  1891,  for  that 


196  HOIiART. 

reason,  resigned  his  ]30sition,  after  having 
l.)een  in  the  employment  of  the  company 
forty-three  years. 

lUiring  a  large  part  of  the  period  of  his 
service  as  general  superintendent  and  gen- 
eral manager,  the  railroad  management  was 
harassed  by  vexations  litigation,  extending 
over  a  long  i^eriod,  and  making  heavy  de- 
mands on  the  time  and  ability  of  the  presi- 
dent, the  late  ex-Governor  John  Gregory 
Smith,  and  compelling  him  to  depend 
largely,  and  at  times  entirely,  upon  his  gen- 
eral superintendent  and  manager  in  all  affairs 
connected  with  the  ojierations  of  the  rail- 
road ;    how  thoroughly   and  ably   the    many 


lacobs  (I.yman)  Howe.  They  ha^e  one 
son  :  Norman  L. 

He  never  aspired  to  any  political  office, 
though  in  1870  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  several  local 
branches  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was 
district  deputy  grand  master  for  a  term. 

Mr.  Hobart  is  associated  with  many  of 
the  local  enterprises  in  the  town  of  St. 
Albans,  to  which  his  well-balanced  judgment 
and  business  instincts  are  a  tower  of  strength. 
He  is  a  member  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal 
Church,  and  a  generous  contributor  to  its 
support.  His  genial  disposition  and  uni- 
versal courtesy  makes  him  essentially  a  man 
of  the  people.  No  corporation  ever  had  a 
manager  who  so  generally  commanded  the 
esteem  of  all  classes  of  employes. 


HUE    HOBART. 


duties  of  the  latter  were  performed  is  shown 
by  its  prosperity,  notwithstanding  it  was  so 
heavily  handicapped  during  that  period,  a 
prosperity  that  John  W.  Hobart  helped  to 
make  possible. 

His  reputation  as  an  able  railroad  man- 
ager has  extended  far  beyond  the  borders  of 
his  native  state,  and  he  has  several  times 
received  offers  from  corporations,  notably 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  and  the 
New  Orleans  &  Mobile.  These  offers  with 
large  salaries  connected  with  them  would 
have  persuaded  many  less  unselfish  natures, 
but  through  them  all  his  loyalty  to  the  old 
Central  Vermont  never  swerved,  nor  his  love 
for  the  Green  Mountain  state  in  which  he 
was  content  to  pass  his  life. 

He  was  married  in  Royalton,  Jan.  18,  1853, 
to  Mary  lane,  daughter  of  I.uther  and  Mary 


HOBSON,  Samuel  Decatur,  of  island 

Pond,  son  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Sawyer) 
Hobson,  was  born  in  Hollis,  Me.,  Oct.  5, 
1830. 

Mr.  Hobson  is  of  English  descent  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Lim- 
erick Academy.  Ih  1852,  he  removed  to 
Island  Pond,  and  aided  in  the  erection  of  the 
first  building  in  the  village.  He  continued 
the  business  of  builder  and  contractor  until 
1857,  when  he  was  engaged  by  Isaac  Dyer, 
of  Portland,  as  foreman  of  his  mill  and  lum- 
ber business,  and  he  remained  with  him  two 
years,  when  he  became  the  agent  of  St.  John 
Smith  of  the  same  place,  whose  interest  he 
soon  purchased.  After  continuing  here  for 
three  years  Mr.  Hobson  bought  the  Wood- 
bury Mills  at  East  Brighton  in  1886,  and 
"Hobson's  Mills"  has  since  that  time  been 
his  residence,  until,  in  1890,  he  removed  to 
Island  Pond,  and  his  sons  have  been  associa- 
ted with  him.  In  addition  to  their  regular 
trade,  they  maintain  an  extensive  mercantile 
establishment  and  carry  on  a  large  stock 
farm. 

Mr.  Hobson  was  united  in  marriage  in 
January,  1854,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Eben 
and  Sarah  (Haley)  Sawyer,  of  Hollis,  Me. 
To  them  have  been  born  :  Harry  Howard, 
Helen  M.  (Mrs.  K.  B.  Fletcher,  jr.,  of  Lan- 
caster, N.  H.),  John  E.  (deceased),  Eugene 
F.,  Sarah  M.,  Albion  W.,  Mary  C,  and  Elsie  G. 

Mr.  Hobson  is  an  active  and  influential 
Republican.  Having  performed  the  duties  of 
the  various  town  offices  he  was  chosen  to  the 
Legislature  in  1856,  and  again  in  18S2  and 
1883.  The  following  year  he  was  elected 
to  the  Senate  from  Essex  county  and  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Dillingham  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committe  to  locate  the  new  state 
asylum  for  the  insane.  In  i860  he  received 
the  honor  of  an  election  as  assistant  judge  of 
the  county  court. 


197 


Judge  Hobson  is  a  liberal  and  iniblie-spir- 
ited  man  of  strong  temperance  views  and  a 
consistent  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  He 
possesses  good  judgment  and  remarkable  en- 
ergy, in  consequence  of  which  he  has  l)een 
financially  successful. 

HOI. BROOK,  ARTHUR  T.,  of  l.cming- 
ton,  son  of  Thomas  P.  and  (Mi\e  (Huffington) 
Hoibrook,  was  born  Nov.  8,  1839,  in  Leming- 
ton.  His  father,  Thomas,  came  to  Lemington 
from  Helchertown,  Mass.,  as  one  of  the  earli- 
est settlers,  in  1805.  Here  in  the  conipara- 
ti\e  wilderness  he  reared,  amid  his  rough 
surroundings,  a  family  of  eighteen  sturdy 
children,  who  though  accustomed  to  hard- 
ships and  toil  from  early  infancy,  all  lived  to 
maturity. 

-Arthur  attended  the  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  the  neighboring  academy  of  Cole- 
brook,  N.  H.,  when  not  engaged  in  labor 
on  the  farm.  He  now  is  in  possession  of  a 
fine  fertile  estate,  embracing  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  which  he  manages  with  great 
ability,  producing  two  tons  of  maple  sugar 
annually.  A  dutiful  son,  he  has  remained 
upon  this  farm  his  whole  life  long,  and 
cherished  the  declining  years  of  his  father 
who  died  in  1873,  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  eighty-eight ;  and  of  his  mother  who 
still  survives,  and  though  nearly  four  score 
and  ten,  is  a  pleasant  and  intelligent  old 
lady,  retaining  full  possession  of  her  mental 
faculties. 

Mr.  Hoibrook  is  a  prominent  Republican, 
but  though  living  in  a  Democratic  town,  has 
been  pronounced  worthy  of  almost  all  the 
ofifices  in  its  gift,  and  was  complimented  by 
an  election  to  the  Legislature  in  1S74.  He 
has  also  been  called  upon  to  fill  the  responsi- 
ble position  of  justice  of  the  peace  ancl  town 
clerk  for  thirty  and  twenty  years  respectively, 
while  his  assistance  has  been  frequently 
sought  in  settling  estates.  In  1S70  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention. 

He  was  married  in  Colebrook,  Jan.  17, 
1880,  to  Marial  C,  daughter  of  Judge  Elias 
and  Clarissa  (Smith)  Lyman.  Two  children 
have  blessed  their  union  :  ^L^ude  Lyman,  and 
Harold  .Arthur. 

Mr.  Hoibrook  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry.  He  is  independent  in  his 
judgment,  honest,  moral,  industrious.  Of 
frank  and  hospitable  nature,  one  is  always 
assured  of  a  hearty  welcome  in  his  pleasant 
and  comfortable  home. 

HOLBROOK,  JOHN,  late  of  Hrattle- 
boro,  son  of  John  and  Sybil  (Lane)  Hoi- 
brook, was  born  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  July 
10,  1761,  and  soon  after  he  became  of  age 
moved  to  Xewfane  ( reporting  himself  to 
Hon.  Luke  Knowlton,  who  assisted  him  to 
employment  as  a  land  surveyor,  as  he  had 


been  taught  drawing  and  the  surveyor's  art 
by  British  officers  stationed  at  Dorchester 
Heights).  Voung  Hoibrook  ran  town  and 
division  lines  in  the  vicinity  of  Xewfane 
hill. 

.\t  the  age  of  twenty-fi\e  he  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Luke  and  Sarah  (Hol- 
land) Knowlton.  Luke  Knowlton  was  one 
of  the  first  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Vermont,  and  was  one  of  the  very  earliest 
settlers,  coming  from  Shrew-sbury,  Mass., 
where  most  of  his  family  were  born. 

At  that  time  the  settlers  sought  high  ele- 
vations in  order  to  protect  themselves  from 
roaming  Indians  who  were  wont  to  attack 
from  ambush  along  the  valleys,  and  also  to 
escape  the  malarial  fevers.  Mr.  Hoibrook 
soon  opened  a  small  general  store  in  the  L 
of  what  is  now  about  the  onlv  house  left  of 


JOHN   HOLBROOK. 


the  early  ones  built  on  Newfane  hill.  He 
took  his  produce  and  articles  of  barter  on 
pack-horses  over  a  bridle  path  defined  by 
marked  trees  along  the  West  River  valley 
down  through  Brattleboro,  then  unsettled,  to 
Greenfield,  where  they  were  exchanged  for 
dry  goods  and  groceries.  .After  accumulat- 
ing his  first  thousand  dollars  he  moved  to 
Brattleboro,  buying  the  old  mills  which 
stood  where  Hines  &  Newman  afterward 
built  their  shop,  and  also  buying  the  house 
which  is  now  known  as  the  .American  House, 
of  which  his  family  occupied  a  i)art,  he 
opening  a  country  store  in  the  other  part. 
He    fmallv    formed   business    relations    with 


198 


HOLBROUK. 


HOLBROOK. 


David  Porter,  a  leading  merchant  in  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Porter 
&  Holbrook  at  Hartford,  and  Holbrook  & 
Porter  at  IJrattleboro.  Mr.  Holbrook  was 
one  of  the  original  directors  of  the  old 
Phoenix  Bank  of  Hartford,  and  is  said  to 
have  brought  the  first  bank  notes  here  for 
circulation.  He  started  the  first  flat  bottom 
boats  on  the  Connecticut  river  between  here 
and  Hartford,  and  for  many  years  these 
boats  were  the  principal  means  of  exchang- 
ing heavy  freights  with  the  seaboard.  He 
also  built  a  slaughter  house  on  the  island 
across  the  river,  where  large  quantities  of 
beef,  pork,  hams  and  tongues  were  cured 
for  market,  and  which  were  sent  mainly  to 
the  West  Indies  by  the  Hartford  firm  in  ex- 
change for  goods  of  that  country.  About 
the  year  1809  he  sold  his  property  to 
Francis  Goodhue,  who  came  to  Brattleboro 
from  Wethersfield. 

Mr.  Holbrook  removed  to  ^\'arehouse 
Point,  Conn.,  where  he  lived  for  two  or 
three  years  or  until  the  death  of  his  son-in- 
law,  William  Fessenden,  who  left  a  small 
family  and  an  extensive  business,  which 
made  it  necessary  for  Mr.  Holbrook  to  re- 
turn and  assume  charge  of  the  concern, 
which  he  subsequently  extended  and  enlarged 
after  taking  as  a  partner  Joseph  Fessenden, 
brother  of  William,  and,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Holbrook  &:  Fessenden,  the  busi- 
ness was  continued  for  many  years.  In 
1794  Mr.  Holbrook  was  appointed  post- 
master and  served  till  July  i,  1804.  At  the 
age  of  sixty,  he  retired  from  active  business 
and  built  a  house  for  his  own  occupancy  on 
extensive  grounds  in  the  north  part  of  the 
village,  where  for  the  remainder  of  his  life 
he  devoted  himself  to  fancy  gardening  and 
to  the  beautifying  and  cultivation  of  his 
home  farm.  He  was  the  second  member  of 
the  original  board  of  trustees  of  the  Ver- 
mont Asvlum  under  the  Marsh  bequests,  and 
died  in  office  in  1838. 

HOLBROOK,  Frederick,  of  Brattle- 
boro, ex-(;o\ernor  of  ^'ermont,  was  born  in 
East  Windsor,  Conn.,  Feb.  15,  1813.  His 
father  was  John  Holbrook.  [See  preceding 
sketch.] 

Freckrick  Holbrook  receixed  a  sound  Kng- 
lish  education  in  the  progress  of  which  he 
devoted  much  attention  to  mathematics.  For 
two  years  he  was  a  diligent  student  at  the 
Berkshire  Gymnasium,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  an 
institution  then  under  the  direction  of  Pro- 
fessor Dewey,  and  held  by  many  to  be  the  best 
private  school  in  the  country  at  that  time. 
When  twenty  years  of  age  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  obtain  the  advantage  of  a  Euro- 
pean tour.  Returning  home  in  1833,  he  set- 
tled in  Brattleboro  and  confined  his  energies 
mainly  to  agricultural  pursuits. 


Frederick  Holbrook  was  married  on  the 
13th  of  lanuarv,  1835,  to  Harriet,  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Edwards)  Goodhue  of 
Brattleboro.  Their  children  are  :  Franklin 
F.,  William  C.  [see  following  sketch],  and 
John. 

Public  official  life  with  Mr.  Holbrook  be- 
gan in  1847,  when  he  was  elected  register  of 
probate  for  the  district  of  Marlboro.  In 
1850  he  was  chosen  to  the  presidency  of  the 
^'ermont  State  .Agricultural  Society,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  founders.  The  first  ad- 
dress delivered  before  the  association  was 
from  his  lips.  Eight  consecutive  annual 
elections  followed  his  first  elevation  to  that 
most  useful  and  honorable  post.  In  1849, 
and  1850  he  was  returned  to  the  state  Senate 
as  the  representative  of  his  fellow-citizens  ia 
\Mndham  county.  While  a  member  of  the 
Senate,  and  acting  as  chairman  of  a  special 
committee  on  agriculture,  he  proposed  and 
prepared  a  memorial  to  Congress  setting 
forth  the  usefulness  and  urging  the  establish- 
ment of  a  National  Bureau  of  Agriculture. 
The  project  received  the  indorsement  and 
commendation  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States  in  his  message  to  Congress.  It  was 
no  less  favorably  received  by  the  rejjresenta- 
tives  of  the  several  states,  and  by  their  action^ 
approved  by  the  chief  magistrate,  the  depart- 
ment of  agriculture  soon  passed  from  the- 
domain  of  possibility  into  that  of  reality. 

His  essays  and  other  writings  lor  the  agri- 
cultural press  for  several  years  first  attracted 
public  attention  to  him.  His  style  of  writ- 
ing, the  result  of  careful  training  in  the  for- 
mation of  good  composition,  and  clear,  con- 
cise statement,  was  said  to  be  graceful  and 
forceful,  and,  later  on,  conspicuous  in  his. 
state  papers  and  official  correspondence. 

Qualities  so  useful  and  public  service  so. 
beneficial  naturally  led  to  Mr.  Holbrook's. 
ele\ation  to  the  gubernatorial  chair  of  Ver- 
mont. In  1 86 1  he  was  placed  therein  by  a. 
gratifying  majority  of  votes.  The  choice  was 
one  of  special  honor  to  the  subject,  inasmuch 
as  the  time  was  one  of  the  darkest  and  most 
portentous  in  the  whole  of  our  national  his- 
tory. Responsibilities  of  the  gravest  char- 
acter devohed  upon  the  executive  head  of 
the  state  and  burdensome  and  incessant  labor 
was  required  of  him. 

\\'hile  Clovernor  of  Vermont  Mr.  Holbrook 
was  called  upon  to  assist  in  devising  means 
for  the  preservation  of  injured  Union  sol- 
diers. Under  his  guidance  Vermont  was  the 
first  state  in  the  L'nion  to  provide  hospitals 
for  its  soldiers.  Thereby  many  were  saved 
from  sinking  into  untimely  graves.  There 
were  no  precedents  to  guide  action.  Good 
practical  sense  alone  availed  to  work  out  the 
problem.  But  few  mistakes  attended  the 
attempted  solution,  and  brilliant  success 
crowned  it  in  the  outcome. 


^rr^A^^^Aj'  /^>^i/^^o^/^^ 


Since  he  was  Governor  he  has  dechned 
all  overtures  of  public  office,  preferring  the 
quiet,  honored,  and  eminently  useful  life  he 
is  now  leading.  As  an  authority  on  many 
and  diverse  subjects,  his  opinions  are  eagerly 
sought  and  largely  followed  by  an  ever- 
widening  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 
Appointments  from  general  government 
have  sought  his  acceptance,  but  have  been 
declined.  Never  an  office-seeker,  and  com- 
paratively seldom  an  office-accepter,  when- 
ever he  has  been  persuaded  to  don  the  official 
harness  he  has  always  been  noted  for  the 
efficiency,  thoroughness  and  beneficence  of 
his  work.  The  best  ends,  the  wisest  means 
to  the  ends,  and  the  highest  rule  of  action 
have  entered  into  all  his  meditations,  plans, 
and  deeds  of  pubhc  activity. 

Chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Vermont  Asylum  for  the  past  forty  years,  he 
has  incessantly  sought  the  best  good  of  the 
patients  and  the  best  welfare  of  the  institu- 
tion. Legislator,  Governor,  and  public  ben- 
efactor, his  career  has  been  one  of  dutiful, 
loving  utility.  In  the  tranquil  but  prolific 
department  of  agriculture  his  position,  if 
vacated,  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  fill. 

HOLBROOK,   William    C,  of  New 

York,  son  of  Frederick  and  Harriet  ((lood- 
hue)  Holbrook,  was  born  in  lirattleboro, 
July  14,  1842. 

He  commenced  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Bratdeboro,  and  afterwards  at- 
tended a  private  school  for  boys  under  the 
charge  of  the  Rev.  .\ddison  Brown.  He  first 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Boston, 
Mass.  Returning  to  Brattleboro  on  the  out- 
break of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  enlisting 
as  private  in  Co.  F,  4th  Vt.  Vols.,  he  accompa- 
nied that  regiment  to  Washington  as  ist  lieu- 
tenant, and  was  shortly  afterwards  made  act- 
ing adjutant.  Subsequentiy  he  was  promoted 
to  major  of  the  7th  Vt.  Vols.,  which  organi- 
zation he  accom])anied  to  Ship  Island,  Miss., 
and  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  com- 
mand in  August,  1862.  He  served  as  such 
and  as  brigade  commander  until  after  the  sur- 
render of  all  the  rebel  armies.  Colonel  Hol- 
brook actively  participated  in  sieges  and  the 
battles  of  Vicksburg,  Grand  C.ulf,  Baton 
Rouge,  Jackson's  Bridge,  Gonzales  Station, 
Spanish  Fort,  Blakely,  Whistler  and  Mobile, 
and  he  re-enlisted  in  the  7th  Regt.  for  three 
additional  years  service  or  for  the  war  on  the 
exjMration  of  its  first  term  of  service. 

.■\t  the  close  of  the  struggle  he  entered  the 
Cambridge  Law  School  and  began  there  the 
study  of  law.  In  1868  he  went  to  New  York 
City,  was  there  admitted  to  the  bar  and  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  the  law.  He  has  also  been  admitted  a 
member  of  the  bar  of  Windham  county,  and 
of  the  circuit  and  district  courts  of  the  L^nited 


States,  of  various  departments  in  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  and  Western  Pennsylvania. 

Colonel  Holbrook  was  married  in  New 
York  City,  Jan.  17,  1872,  to  Anna  Morrison, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  Chalmers. 
Three  children  are  issue  of  the  union  :  Mar- 
garet Chalmers,  Marion  Goodhue,  and  Chal- 
mers. 

Colonel  Holbrook  is  allied  with  numerous 
civil  and  military  social  organizations,  among 
which  may  be  named  Sedgwick  Post,  No.  8, 


i 


WILLIAM    C.    HOLBROOK. 

of  Brattleboro,  G.  A.  R.,  the  military  order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion,  the  societies  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  of  the  Officers  and  Soldiers 
4th  Vt.  Vols.,  of  the  \^"indham  County  ^'eter- 
ans,  of  the  Windsor  County  Veterans,  of  the 
19th  Army  Corps,  of  the  Xt.  Officers,  of  the 
Veteran  Officers  and  Soldiers  of  the  7th  \'t. 
^'ols.  Of  the  three  last  named  he  either  is, 
or  has  been,  president.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  is  a  life  member  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Society  of  that  city. 

HOLDEN,  Charles  Reed,  of  Holden, 

son  of  Fitch  and  Chloe  (Todd)  Holden,  was 
born  in  Mt.  Holly,  June  3,  1840. 

i\fter  the  customary  public  school  educa- 
tion he  pursued  a  course  of  study  at  the 
Springfield  Methodist  Seminary,  after  which 
he  went  to  Illinois,  following  the  occupation 
of  farmer  and  stock  raiser  for  six  years. 
Though  meeting  with  success,  he  returned 
to  the  East  in  1865,  where  after  a  temporary 
residence  in  several  towns,  he  finally  settled 


in  Chittenden,  and  there  has  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  the  lumber  trade,  paying  some 
attention  also  to  agriculture.  So  highly  has 
Mr.  Holden  been  esteemed  in  the  (immun- 
ity where  he  resides  that  when  the  U.  S. 
government  established  a  new  jjostottice  in 
that  part  of  the  township  known  as  North 
Chittenden,  it  received  the  title  of  Holden 
as  a  deserved  compliment  to  him. 

He  espoused,  June  4,  1859,  M.  Ellen, 
daughter  of  Beeman  and  Rhoana  Rixby, 
from  which  connection  have  sprung  :  Jennie 
May,  Charles  R.,  Jr.,  Agnes  J.,  Ada  R.,  Ottie 
L.,  and  Guy  B. 

Mr.  Holden  has  passed  through  the  rou- 
tine of  office  in  his  town  and  represented 
Chittenden  in  1878,  gi\ing  his  services  to 
the  committees  on  elections  and  debentures. 

HOLDEN,  James  Henry,  late  of  Mid- 
dlesex, son  of  Elijah  and  Orpha  (Steele) 
Holden,  was  born  in  Middlesex,  Mav  26, 
1829. 

His  father  afterwards  moved  to  Barre  and 
then  to  Waitsfield,  and  James,  whose  educa- 
tion was  limited  to  the  common  schools  of 
those  towns.bv  takin^  ail\nntat;e  to  the  utmost 


%v^ 


JAMES    HENRY    HOLDEN. 

of  his  opportunities  was  enab';d  to  master  all 
the  branches  there  taught.  He  became  a 
fine  penman  and  a  good  bookkeeper.  He 
also  gave  much  attention  to  music,  and  for 
many  years  was  leader  of  the  choir  in  his 
native  village.  Remaining  upon  his  father's 
farm  in  Waitsfield  until  his  majority,  he  was 
for  seven  vears  afterwards    emiiloved    as  a 


clerk  in  Waitsfield,  an<l  Danvers,  Mass.  ,  In 
1856  he  commenced  business  for  himself  in 
.Middlesex,  in  which  he  continued  for  thirty- 
two  years,  until  the  time  of  his  death,  en- 
gaging in  various  partnerships  during  that 
time.  Always  honest  and  conscientious  in 
his  dealings  he  retained  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all  his  customers  during  his  whole 
business  career,  and  was  the  leading  mer- 
chant of  that  town. 

In  his  early  years  he  joined  the  Rep\ib- 
lican  ]3arty  in  which  he  acted  a  prominent 
part  during  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  of  Middlesex  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  i860,  and  from  1872  to  1876  was 
assistant  judge  of  the  county  court.  Judge 
Holden  was  selectman  of  the  town  during 
the  period  of  the  war,  and  rendered  good 
service  to  his  country  in  enlisting  and  send- 
ing soldiers  to  the  front.  He  has  frequently 
acted  on  town  and  county  committees,  and 
was  for  two  years  county  commissioner  under 
the  ]jrohibition  law  of  the  state.  For  more 
than  twenty  years  he  was  postmaster  at  Mid- 
dlesex, and  in  every  position  of  public  trust 
proved  himself  a  capable  and  faithful  steward 
of  the  people. 

An  acti\e  member  of  the  Masonic  lodges 
at  Moretown  and  U'aterbury,  he  was  buried 
with  the  customary  funeral  ceremonies  of 
the  order.  He  was  a  member  and  a  worthy 
chief  of  the  (iood  Templars,  and  in  all  moral, 
social,  and  benevolent  enterprises  in  the 
town  he  gave  freely  his  time,  his  talent,  and 
his  money. 

Judge  Holden  married  at  Fayston,  July 
16,  1855,  Catherine,  daughter  of  Eli  and 
riuma  (Sherman)  Bruce,  from  which  union 
there  were  :  Pluma  Eliza  (Mrs.  J.  E.  (jood- 
cnough  of  Montpelier),  William  .Allen  (de- 
ceased), and  James  Harry. 

HOLDEN,  Sylvanus  Marsh,  of  south 

Londonderry,  son  of  Philemon  and  Sally 
(Faulkner)  Holden,  was  born  in  London- 
derry, Feb.  14,  1838. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Londonderry  and  at  the 
West  River  Academy,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ited  in  1858.  After  leaving  school  he 
remained  on  the  homestead  until  r  860,  when 
he  went  to  Brattleboro  and  learned  the  trade 
of  a  jeweler.  In  1861  he  started  in  this  busi- 
ness at  South  Londonderry,  continuing  until 
1865,  when  he  commenced  to  deal  in  general 
merchandise,  and  was  thus  employed  until 
1 87 1.  He  then  bought  the  farm  where  he 
has  since  residsd,  de\()ting  himself  to  agri- 
culture and  dealing  in  cattle  and  real  estate. 
He  is  now  also  conducting  a  farm  in  Lon- 
donderry, where  he  has  started  a  general 
merchandise  store  in  addition  to  his  agricul- 
tural o])erations,  and  is  now  the  ])ossessor  of 
a  large  ]5roperty  in  South  Dakota. 


He  has  served  his  town  as  chairman  of 
listers  for  ten  years,  beginning  in  1881,  and 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  past  six  years. 

Mr.  Holden  was  married,  Nov.  28,  1861, 
at  North  Adams,  Mass.,  to  Kllen  S.,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Wiley)  Jaquith. 
'I'here  were  born  to  them  three  children  : 
Willie  S.  (deceased),  Archie  W.  (deceased), 
and  Arthur  H. 

HOLDEN,  ORSEMOR  S.,  of  Felchville, 
son  of  Joel  and  Priscilla  (W'hitmore)  Holden, 
was  born  in  Reading,  July  30,  1843. 

He  received  the  school  advantages  of  his 
native  town.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
only  seven  years  of  age.  From  his  father's 
family  he  inherited  a  rare  taste  and  gift  for 
music,  which  he  has  cultivated  during  his 
whole  life,  and  of  this  accomplishment  he 
has  availed  himself  at  times  to  earn  his  liv- 
ing. For  about  twenty-eight  years  he  has 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  house,  sign  and 
carriage  painter,  though  he  has  meanwhile 
traveled  extensively  with  concert  troupes. 
In  1864  he  commenced  an  engagement  with 
Whitmore  &  Clari's  Minstrels  during  their 
seasons,  and  this  lasted  five  years.  Mr.  Hol- 
den is  a  popular  ballad  singer,  possessing  a 
baritone  voice  of  great  compass  and  power. 

He  enlisted  three  times  during  the  civil 
war,  but  could  not  pass  the  medical 
examination. 

He  has  received  his  degrees  in  Mt.  Sinai 
Lodge,  No.  22,  L  O.  O.  F.  of  Proctorsville. 

He  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Republi- 
can partv  ;  has  been  eight  years  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  ten  years  a  selectman,  eight 
years  chairman  of  the  board.  He  has  been 
twice  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Read- 
ing, in  t886  and  1890,  serving  on  the  com- 
mittee on  claims.  He  is  now  road  commis- 
sioner, town  agent  and  auditor. 

He  contracted  marriage  July  2,  1873,  with 
J.  Ella,  daughter  of  Samuel  H.  and  Julia  A. 
(Spaulding)  Nutting  of  Andover. 

HOLDEN,  John  StedmaN,  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  Lewis  and  Eliza  A.  (How- 
let)  Holden,  was  born  in  Charlton,  Mass., 
May  9,  1845. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Charlton  but  was  sent  to  Nichols  Academy 
at  Dudley,  when  sixteen  years  of  age  ;  and 
afterwards  entered  upon  a  course  of  study  at 
the  Weslyan  Academy,  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
and  finally  graduated  from  Poughkeepsie 
Business  College. 

The  business  experience  of  Mr.  Holden 
has  been  widely  varied.  When  nineteen  he 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  Hartford,  Conn., 
and  for  two  years  engaged  in  the  roofing 
business  in  that  city  ;  he  next  served  three 
years  on  the  police  force  of  Hartford. 
Abandoning   this   occupation    in    1871,    he 


entered  into  a  copartnership  with  his  brother 
to  trade  in  general  merchandise  at  Palmer, 
Mass.,  under  the  firm  name  of  H.  P.  &  J.  S. 
Holden,  and  while  here  they  established  two 
branch  stores.  This  connection  was  dis- 
solved in  1S79,  when  Mr.  J.  S.  Holden 
established  himself  in  the  oil"  businesss  at 
Miller's  Farm,  near  Titusville,  Pa  ,  where  he 
purchased  the  Crystal  Oil  Works  and  manu- 
factured refined  oil,  but  in  1S80  sold  this 
property  to  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  and  then 
for  two  years  did  a  wholesale  trade  in  this 
article.  He  then  erected  woolen  mills  at 
Palmer,  Mass.,  which  he  operated  till  1889 
when  he  sold  the  establishment,  bought  the 
Hunt  &  Tillinghast  woolen  mills  at  Ben- 
nington, and  entered  into  partnership  with 
Charles  W.  and  George  F.  Leonard  under 
the  firm  name  of  Holden,  Leonard  &  Co. 
Here  they  employ  about  three  hundred 
hands  during  all  the  year  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  woolens,  and  in  connection  with  this 
they  have  a  large  store.  Mr.  Holden  has 
large  interests  in  tenement  house  property 
in  Palmer,  Mass.,  and  is  president  of  a  wire 
company  in  that  town.  He  also  is  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Bennington  County  National  Bank 
and  its  vice-president. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Ben- 
nington Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Belonging  to  the  Republican  party  he  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  that  organiza- 
tion in  Palmer.  He  is  trustee  of  the  village 
of  Bennington,  a  thorough  protectionist,  and 
though  interested  in  politics,  has  no  desire 
for  official  positions. 

He  was  married  Oct.  21,  1868,  to  Jennie 
G.,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Almira  (Burr) 
Goodell  of  Hartford,  Conn.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Arthur  (.,  Alice  A., 
Lula  J.,  Florence  E.,  and  Clarence  L. 

HOLLAND,  Emerson,  of  Vergennes, 
son  of  Stephen  and  .Achsa  R.  (Bi.xby)  Hol- 
land, was  born  in  Hinsdale,  Mass.,  May  21, 
1829. 

He  received  a  good  education  by  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  of  Panton,  to  which 
town  his  parents  moved  when  he  was  yet 
young.  Later  he  attended  a  private  classical 
school  at  ^'ergennes,  and  the  academy  at  St. 
Albans. 

He  spent  the  years  1854  and  1855  in 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  and 
warehouse.  When  his  father  died,  he  was 
obliged  to  return  and  has  since  been  a  farmer 
and  surveyor,  and  as  both  has  been  actively 
employed.  He  holds  many  positions  of  trust 
and  has  assisted  by  appointment  of  probate 
court  in  settling  fifty-six  estates. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holland  is  a  Republican 
and  has  held  various  town  offices.  He  was 
town  treasurer  for  seventeen  years  and  five 


204  HOLTON. 

years  selectman,  after  which  he  resigned.  He 
represented  Panton  in  1864  and  1865,  and 
served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  mile- 
age and  debentures.  He  was  census  enum- 
erator for  Panton  and  \\'altham  in  1890.  In 
1892  he  was  elected  associate  judge  for 
Addison  county. 

judge  Holland  is  unmarried,  and  his  sister, 
lessie  M.,  presides  over  his  household  at  the 
old  homestead. 

Judge  Holland  has  a  good  library  of  classi- 
cal works.  He  has  made  a  most  conservative 
record  in  the  positions  of  honor  which  he 
has  held,  but  is  a  quiet,  unassuming  man  and 
despises  office-seeking.  He  is  of  a  dignified 
bearing,  and  though  naturally  reserved  is 
friendly  and  sincere  in  his  relations,  and  is 
one  of  the  able  and  respected  men  of  Addi- 
son county. 

HOLTON,  Charles  O.,  of  Canaan, 
son  of  John  and  Abbie  (Morse)  Holton,  was 
born  in  Charleston,  Jan.  8,  1855. 

His  early  educational  advantages  were  lim- 
ited to  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Charleston. 


LES    O.    HOLTON. 


After  laboring  on  his  father's  farm  till  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age,  he  grew  interested 
in  the  art  of  photography  and  practiced  it  in 
Charleston  and  later  on  in  Sherbrook,  P.  Q., 
and  North  Troy.  In  1875  he  was  employed 
in  reproducing  and  enlarging  ])ictures  at  the 
Centennial  ex])osition  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia. He  then  returned  to  Charleston  and 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  with  his  brother. 


In  1880  he  removed  to  Canaan,  where,  not- 
withstanding his  limited  capital,  he  has  stead- 
ily prospered  in  business,  adding  to  his  orig- 
inal trade  the  sale  of  jewelry,  silverware,  and 
fancy  goods. 

Mr.  Holton  has  served  as  town  clerk  and 
superintendent  of  the  schools  and  in  1872 
was  complimented  by  an  election  to  the 
state  Legislature. 

He  was  married  Dec.  11,  1S79, '"  Lla  M., 
daughter  of  George  W'.,  and  Mary  (Clreen) 
Hamilton  of  Charleston.  They  ha\e  one 
child  :  Neil. 

HOLTON,  Henry  DWIGHT,  of  Brattle- 
boro,  son  of  Elihu  D.  and  Nancy  (Grout) 
Holton,  was  born  at  Saxton's  River,  julv  24, 
1838. 

Having  prepared  himself  for  college,  he 
decided  to  forego  the  regular  collegiate 
course  and  to  at  once  enter  into  the  profes- 
sion he  had  chosen  for  himself;  therefore  he 
immediately  began  to  study  the  theory  and 
application  of  medicine  under  the  tuition  of 
Dr.  H.  J.  Warren  of  Boston.  Subsequently 
he  continued  under  Professors  Valentine 
and  A.  B.  Mott,  in  New  York,  and  also  at- 
tended the  lectures  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  L'niversity  of  New  York,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  March,  1S60.  After 
his  graduation.  Dr.  Holton  went  to  Brook- 
lyn, N.  v.,  where  for  six  months  he  acted  as 
l)hysician  to  the  Williamsburg  Dispensary. 
In  November,  i8fio,  he  removed  to  Putney 
from  whence,  after  seven  years  successful 
practice,  he  went  to  Brattleboro  where  he 
located  permanently. 

Being  always  a  firm  believer  in  the  bene- 
fits accruing  from  the  association  of  medical 
practitioners,  Dr.  Holton,  in  i86t,  became  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  River  Valley 
Medical  Association;  in  the  year  following 
he  was  made  its  secretary,  a  position  ably 
filled  by  him  for  five  years,  when  he  was 
elected  president.  In  1873  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  ^'ermont  Medical  Society, 
which  he  entered  in  186 1,  and  of  which  he 
was  a  censor  for  several  years.  In  1864  Dr. 
Holton  became  a  member  of  the  American 
iMedical  Association  and  was  elected  to  its 
vice-presidency  in  1880.  During  the  ses- 
sion he  was  made  a  member  of  the  judicial 
council  to  which  was  submitted  for  arbitra- 
tion all  questions  concerning  professional 
ethics.  He  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the 
International  Medical  Congress  held  at 
Brussels  in  1875.  While  abroad,  during  a 
visit  to  England,  he  was  made  a  member  of 
the  British  Medical  Association.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  .American  Public  Health 
Association  and  was  elected  its  treasurer  at 
the  meeting  held  in  the  city  of  Mexico  in 
1892.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the   Boston 


i^Z-^i-^Z-^. 


irCZd^^^' 


206 


tiynaecological  Society,  and  tlie  New  York 
Therapeutical  Society. 

Dr.  Holton  is  the  recipient  of  many  grati- 
fying testimonials  to  his  medical  erudition 
and  skill,  not  only  from  medical  associa- 
tions, but  also  from  the  authorities  of  his 
own  state.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  medi- 
cal examiner  to  the  Vermont  Asylum  for  the 
Insane,  by  the  court ;  and  in  the  same  year 
he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  University  of  Vermont,  in  the 
medical  department  of  which  institution  he 
was  for  some  years  professor  of  materia 
medica  and  general  pathology  ;  and  in  1881 
he  received  from  the  same  institution  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.  M. 

I!)r.  Holton  has  been  an  extensive  trav- 
eler in  both  the  Eastern  and  ^\'estern 
Hemispheres.  In  18.71  he  crossed  the  con- 
tinent to  San  Francisco  in  order  to  attend  a 
meeting  of  the  American  Medical  .Associa- 
tion, at  which  he  was  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Rocky  Mountain  Medical  Association. 

He  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to 
current  medical  literature  and  his  essays  in 
turn  have  been  published  in  various  medica! 
journals  and  in  the  transactions  of  the 
societies.  He  reported  "  Mott's  Cliniques" 
for  the  press. 

Dr.  Holton  has  avoided  that  entire  re- 
striction of  active  energy  to  one  pursuit 
which  sometimes  subjects  individuals  to  the 
charge  of  narrowness.  For  twenty  years  he 
has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Urattle- 
boro  school  board,  and  during  a  large  por- 
tion of  this  time  its  chairman.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  trustees  of  the  Brattleboro  Free 
Library  ;  has  been  a  director  of  the  Vermont 
National  Rank  for  fourteen  years  :  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Brattleboro  Gas  Co.  for  twelve 
years. 

Politically,  Dr.  Holton  is  a  staunch  Re- 
publican, and  in  1884  was  elected  to  the 
state  Senate  from  Windham  county,  serving 
in  that  body  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  education,  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
insane  asylum,  and  a  member  of  the  joint 
committee  on  the  house  of  correction.  In 
1888  he  was  elected  representative  from 
Brattleboro  to  the  General  Assembly,  where 
he  vcas  a  member  of  the  committees  on 
education,  ways  and  means  and  public 
health.  He  served  for  three  years  as  sur- 
geon of  the  1 2th  Regt.  Vt.  Militia. 

Dr.  Holton  was  instrumental  in  the  or- 
ganization, and  is  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Pan-American  Medical  Con- 
gress, which,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
government,  met  in  \Vashington  in  1893. 
(This  organization  was  one  of  the  most 
important  in  the  medical  profession,  and 
was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  scientific 
discussion  and  more  intimate  relations  of 
the  medical  fraternity  of  the  Western  Hemi- 


sphere, and  undoubtedly  will  have  an  indi- 
rect influence  upon  the  political  relations  of 
the  United  States  and  these  countries.)  He 
was  appointed  commissioner  for  Vermont  of 
the  Nicaragua  Canal  convention,  held  in 
New  Orleans  in  December,  1S92;  was  also 
one  of  the  commissioners  for  Vermont  of 
the  Columbian  E.xposition. 

He  is  a  member  of  Brattleboro  Lodge, 
.\o.  102,  F.  and  A.  M. 

He  married,  Nov.  19,  1862,  KUen  Jane, 
daughter  of  Theophilus  and  Mary  Damon 
(Chandler)  Holt  of  Saxton's  River.  They 
have  one  adopted  daughter:  (Mrs.  Clifton 
Sherman  of  Hartford,  Conn.) 

HOLTON,    JOEL    Huntington,    of 

Burlington,  son  of  Erastus  Alexander  and 
Hannah  Brainard  (May)  Holton,  was  born 
in  Westminster,  Nov.  15,  1841.  He  is  a 
direct  descendant  of  Kenelm,  brother  of 
( ;o\-.  Edward  Winslow  of  the  old  Plymouth 
colonv. 


Mr.  Holton  obtained  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Westminster  and  the  academies  of 
Barre  and  West  Brattleboro.  In  1857  he 
commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  silver 
])later  and  continued  in  this  employment  for 
fi\e  years,  when,  prompted  by  his  patriotic 
impulses,  he  enlisted  August  18,  1862,  as 
private  in  Co.  I,  12th  Vt.  Regt.,  in  which 
organization  he  was  promoted  to  the  grade 
of  sergeant,  and  served  till  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  |uly  14,  1863. 


After  his  return  from  the  annv  he  was 
employed  as  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  at  St. 
Albans;  he  then  jnirchased  a  half  interest  in 
a  plating  and  saddlery  loncern  at  Derby 
Line.  In  187 1  he  removed  to  Burlington, 
where  he  formed  a  copartnership  to  do  a 
wholesale  and  retail  trade  in  hardware,  .sad- 
dlery and  biulders'  supplies.  He  shortly 
became  sole  proprietor  in  the  wholesale 
department,  and  is  now  the  most  extensive 
hardware  dealer  in  Vermont. 

A  staunch  adherent  of  the  Democratic 
party,  he  has  taken  an  active  i)art  in  city 
and  state  politics,  has  been  the  incumbent 
of  many  important  offices,  was  elected  alder- 
man from  a  strong  Republican  ward  of  the 
citv,  and  nominated  for  mayor  in  op])Osition 
to  the  Hon.  U.  .A.  Woodbury. 

Mr.  Holton  married,  Oct.  29,  1863,  Emma 
J.,  daughter  of  Sylvester  and  Amanda  (Far- 
man)  Diggins  of  Westminster,  who  died 
June  16,  1881.  Three  children  were  the 
fruit  of  their  union:  Frank  F.  (deceased), 
Harry  Sylvester,  and  Susie  May.  Mr.  Holton 
was  again  united  in  marriage,  June  25,  1883, 
to  Kate  E.,  daughter  of  Thomas  \\'.  and 
Rebecca  (Richardson)  NMley  of  Westmin- 
ster. 

He  is  commander  of  Stannard  Post  No.  2, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  is  much  interested  in  (1.  A.  R. 
work.  He  united  with  the  Congregational 
church  of  Burlington,  and  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  member  of  its  prudential 
committee. 

HOOKER,  George  White,  of  Brat- 

tleboro,  son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Esther  (White) 
Hooker,  was  born  at  Salem,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  6, 
1838. 

He  attended  the  common  schools  of  Lon- 
donderry, and  his  scholastic  education  was 
subsequently  supplemented  in  the  West 
River  Academy.  Commencing  life  as  a 
clerk,  he  continued  at  Londonderry  and  at 
Bellows  Falls,  and  then  went  to  Boston  as 
tra\eling  salesman. 

In  August,  1 86 1,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Co.  F,  4th  Vt.  Vols.,  and  soon  after  he 
was  made  sergeant-major.  In  the  spring  of 
1862  he  recei\ed  the  commission  of  2d 
lieutenant,  and  in  the  summer  that  of  ist 
lieutenant.  After  the  battle  of  Antietam  he 
declined  a  captaincy  in  the  line,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  staff  of  Gen.  E.  H.  Stough- 
ton.  From  thence  he  was  afterward  trans- 
ferred to  that  of  Gen.  George  J.  Stannard. 
In  June,  1864,  he  was  appointed  assistant 
adjutant-general  of  volunteers  by  President 
Lincoln,  and  held  that  position  until  mus- 
tered out,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel 
in  1865.  After  the  triumphant  close  of  the 
struggle  Colonel  Hooker  returned  to  Boston, 
and  traveled  through  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern states.     In  the  spring  of  1876  he  was  ad- 


Hdol'KU  207 

niitted  as  junior  partner  to  the  firm  of  William 
Belden  &  Co.,  bankers  and  brokers,  in  New 
Nork.  In  1S76  he  remo\eil  to  Brattleboro, 
which  has  since  been  his  home. 

Colonel  Hooker  has  very  properly  mani- 
fested patriotic  interest  in  the  political  affairs 
of  his  adopted  state.  In  1878  he  was  ap- 
pointed chief  of  staff  with  the  rank  of  colonel, 
by  (Governor  Proctor.  In  1880  he  was  a 
delegate-at-large  to  the  national  Republi- 
can convention  in  Chicago,  and  in  the  same 
year  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  national 
Republican  committee.  In  the  fall  of  1880 
he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  citizens  of 
BratUeboro  in  the  state  Legislature,  and  re- 
elected in  1882.  During  the  first  session  he 
was  unanimously  elected  judge-advocate- 
general  by  the  Legislature. 

Colonel  Hooker  was  chosen  sergeant-at- 
arms  of  the  House  of  Representati\es  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Forty-seventh  Congress. 
In  1S79  he  was  elected  department  com- 
mander of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
in  ^'ermont,  and  was  again  elected  in  the 
following  year.  He  also  received  the  unusual 
compliment  of  nomination  for  the  third 
term,  but  positively  declined  re-election. 

Colonel  Hooker  was  married  on  the  28th 
of  January,  1868,  to  Minnie  G.,  daughter  of 
James  and  Love  (Ryan)  Fiske  of  Brattle- 
boro. One  son  is  the  fruit  of  their  union  : 
James  Fiske. 

HOOPER,  Marco  B.,  of  Fletcher,  son 
of  John  W.  and  Polly  (Hall)  Hooper,  was 
born  in  Bakersfield  in  1837.  John  W.  Hooper 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  died 
from  the  effect  of  wounds  received  in  the 
same. 

Marco  was  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren and  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of 
seven  years  by  the  death  of  both  his  parents. 
He  was  thus  compelled  in  early  youth  to  face 
the  hardships  and  difificulties  that  beset  his 
path,  in  which  undertaking  he  had  little  as- 
sistance from  educational  facilities,  as  his  ad- 
vantages in  this  respect  were  limited  to  the 
district  school.  Soon  after  he  was  fourteen 
he  entered  the  employment  of  B.  F.  Bradley 
of  Fairfield  to  learn  the  carriage  maker's 
trade  and  he  remained  with  him  until  1861. 
After  a  residence  of  some  years  in  East  Fair- 
field he  went  back  to  Fairfield  and  engaged 
in  business  in  Mr.  Bradley's  sho])s.  Subse- 
quently he  labored  on  a  farm  for  eight  years 
in  Fletcher.  In  1885  he  bought  the  house 
and  shops  of  the  late  S.  E.  Chase  of  Fletcher 
and  gave  his  attention  to  carriage  repairs 
and  bucket  manufacturing  until  1892,  since 
which  time,  in  conjunction  with  his  sons,  he 
has  occupied  and  cultivated  a  large  farm  in 
the  town. 

Always  a  Republican  since  he  cast  his  first 
ballot  for  .Abraham  Lincoln,  Mr.  Hoojierwas 


208 


sent  to  the  Legislature  as  the  member  from 
Fletcher  in  1892  and  served  on  the  manu- 
factures and  distributing  committees.  He  is 
a  Baptist  in  his  religious  faith. 

He  married,  Ma\'  31,  i860,  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Junia  (Montague)  Robin- 
son Fletcher,  belonging  to  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  that  place.  A  goodly  family  of 
six  sons  have  blessed  their  union  :  Elmer  J-, 
\\".  liurton.  John  W.,  H.  .Arthur,  Samuel  R., 
and  Joel  .A. 

MORTON,  Edwin,  of  Chittenden,  son 
of  John  N.  and  Elsie  (Potter)  Horton,  was 
born  in  Clarendon,  .August  25,  1841. 


He  was  reared  among  the  usual  surround- 
ings of  the  youth  in  his  time,  dividing  his 
time  between  an  attendance  at  the  common 
and  select  schools  of  Clarendon  and  Black 
River  .Academy  of  Ludlow,  and  labor  upon  the 
paternal  homestead.  Being  desirous  of  a  more 
e.xtended  education  than  that  afforded  by  the 
course  of  study  which  he  had  pursued  he  de- 
voted much  time  to  private  research  and  read- 
ing. HesetUed  in  Chittenden  in  1858,  where 
he  has  principally  followed  the  calling  of  a 
farmer,  but  has  been  ol)liged  to  devote  much 
time  to  those  official  duties  which  his  upright 
character  and  keen  intelligence  have  brought 
to  him.  He  has  held  at  various  times  different 
town  offices,  especially  that  of  lister.  For 
twenty-three  years  he  served  as  constable  and 
collector,  resigning  these  positions  in  1S93. 
He  was  the  Republican  representative  of  the 


town  for  three  terms  and  in  1884  was  elect- 
ed senator  from  Rutland  county,  and  served 
on  the  committee  on  claims.  In  1890  he  was 
again  complimented  by  an  election  as  repre- 
sentative and  in  that  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture his  previous  experience  placed  him  at 
once  among  the  leaders  of  the  House. 

Mr.  Horton  was  married  in  Bethel,  August 
4,  1862,  to  Ellen  L.,  daughter  of  Zenias 
and  Harriet  (Brown)  Holbrook.  Their 
children  are  :  Bertha  A.  (Mrs.  Harley  Baird 
of  South  Boston),  Fred  E.,  Ida  M.  (  Mrs.  D. 
F.  Spaulding  of  South  Boston),  and  Hattie  E. 

When  the  war  which  imperiled  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Union  commenced  Mr.  Horton 
although  restrained  by  his  parents  was  re- 
solved to  participate  in  the  struggle.  He  there- 
fore deserted  towards  the  front  and  enlisted 
in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  June  15,  1861,  serving  for 
one  year  in  Co.  G.,  2  2d  Regt.,  of  that  state 
and  in  1862  was  discharged  from  the  LT.  S. 
service.  When  the  draft  took  place  in  1863 
Mr.  Horton  was  the  only  one  of  the  fifteen 
drafted  from  the  town  whom  fortune  selected 
to  fight  for  their  native  land,  to  fulfill  this 
duty.  He  immediately  joined  the  4th  ^'t. 
Regt.,  and  saw  hard  service  in  the  battles  of 
the  AVilderness  and  at  Petersburg  and  was 
twice  wounded  while  in  action,  but  remained 
with  the  regiment  and  was  discharged  when 
the  regiment  was  mustered  out  in  1865. 

Mr.  Horton  has  a  large  acquaintance 
throughout  the  state  and  many  friends.  He 
is  a  member  of  Roberts  Post,  G.A.  R.,  of  Rut- 
land, and  of  the  society  of  Vermont  Officers. 
He  has  taken  the  vows  of  the  Masonic  order, 
uniting  with  Otter  Creek  Blue  Lodge,  Daven- 
port Chapter  and  Council,  and  Killington 
Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  and  Mt. 
Sinai  Temple  ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  Kill- 
ington Lodge,  Otter  Creek  Encampment,  and 
Canton  Rutland  of  Odd  Fellows. 

HOWARD,  Charles  W.,  of  shore- 

ham,  son  of  Willard  and  Sarah  (Page) 
Howard,  was  born  in  Windham,  Dec.  4, 
1S46. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
in  \\'indham  and  afterward  fitted  for  col- 
lege at  Chester  Academy.  He  entered  Mid- 
dlebury  College  in  1868  and  graduated  with 
honors.  In  1874  he  received  a  degree  from 
the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Vermont  at  Burlington.  During  the  next 
year,  he  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Eddy  of 
Middlebury,  and  afterward,  for  a  year,  was 
in  the  hospital  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  remov- 
ing to  Shoreham  in  1875.  From  that  time 
he  has  applied  himself  to  his  professional 
duties  and  built  up  a  large  practice.  He 
has  risen  from  the  condition  of  a  poor  boy 
by  steady  work  to  that  of  a  man  of  influence 
and  repute,  while  he  has  also  acquired  some 
property. 


209 


I  )r.  Howard  has  no  aspirations  for  politi- 
cal preferment,  but  has  held  several  offices, 
serving  continuously  as  town  clerk  since 
1881,  and  also  as  town  treasurer.  He  has 
been  honored  with  the  town  snperintendency 
of  schools  since  1S83,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  the  county  board  of 
education. 


CHARLES    W.    HOWARD. 


He  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  citizens,  not 
as  a  church  member  or  society  man,  but  for 
his  true  worth  and  high  principles.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Delta  Upsilon  fraternity 
during  his  college  course,  and  is  an  atten- 
dant of  the  Congregational  church. 

On  Nov.  28,  1876,  in  the  town  of  Shore- 
ham,  he  was  united  in  wedlock  to  Lottie  N., 
daughter  of  Edwin  B.  and  Naomi  Douglass. 
From  this  union  is  one  daughter  :   Florence. 

HOWARD,  Henry  Seymour,  of  Ben- 
son, son  of  Judson  J.  and  Persis  (Pierce) 
Howard,  was  born  in  that  town,  Feb.  26, 
1841. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools 
of  Benson,  the  Casdeton  Seminary,  and  from 
a  course  at  the  high  school  at  West  Rutland. 
After  the  completion  of  his  school  training, 
he  taught  school  for  a  time,  and  being  anx- 
ious to  lend  his  personal  aid  in  the  defence 
of  his  country's  welfare,  he  enlisted,  August 
29,  1862,  in  the  14th  Regt.  Vt.  \'ols.,  and 
was  soon  promoted  to  the  grade  of  corporal. 
He  participated  in  all  the  hard  service  which 
fell    to    the    lot   of    his  brigade.     Upon   his 


return  from  the  South,  he  was  for  a  few  years 
employed  in  an  establishment  for  the  manu- 
facture of  flour,  at  Pjrandon,  and  in  1868  he 
established  himself  in  the  hardware  trade  in 
Benson,  in  which  business  he  has  continued 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Howard  was  married  in  Benson,  Sejjt. 
1,5,  1S64,  to  Eunice  P.,  daughter  of  John  and 
Ruth  ( Pratt)  Balis.  Two  children  are  the 
fruit  of  this  marriage  ;  Judson  Balis,  and  Hal- 
lie  Maud. 

Mr.  Howard  has  been  selectman,  lister, 
and  is  town  clerk  and  notary  ])ublic,  besides 
ha\ing  held  many  other  offices  of  honor  and 
trust.  .\s  the  candidate  of  a  Republican  con- 
stituency he  represented  Benson  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  1884,  serving 
on  the  committee  on  public  buildings.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  .Acacia  Masonic 
Lodge,  No.  91,  of  Benson,  in  which  he  has 
filled  the  chair  of  junior  warden.  He  is  also 
a  comrade  of  the  G.  A.  R.  For  a  quarter  of 
a  century  he  has  been  a  respected  and  hon- 
ored member  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  has  long  served  as  chorister  in  the  soci- 
ety of  this  persuasion  in  Benson. 


^ENRY    SEYMOUR    HOW 


By  his  unquestioned  sincerity,  his  honora- 
ble dealing  in  business  and  the  public  spirit 
which  he  has  ever  manifested  when  the  prog- 
ress and  welfare  of  his  native  place  were  in 
question,  he  has  won  the  respect  of  all  his 
friends  and  neighbors,  and  is  considered  a 
leading  and  influential  citizen  of  the  state. 


HOWARD,  ROGER  S.,  was  born  in 
North  Thett'ord.  Mr.  Howard  was  educated 
at  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town  and 
at  Kimball  Union  Academy,  Plainfield,  N.  H. 
Being  reared  upon  a  farm  he  has  naturally 
followed  that  avocation,  and  has  dealt  largely 
in  lumber  as  a  side  issue. 

Mr.  Howard  has  affiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Has  been  selectman  of  his 
town  for  seven  successive  terms,  and  was 
honored  by  his  constituency  with  two  elec- 
tions to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature, 
in  1 884  and  1886,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  the  legislation  of  those  sessions. 

Mr.  Howard  married,  March  5,  1868, 
Kathere  T.,  daughter  of  S.  C.  and  Mary 
(Reed)  Taylor.  Of  this  union  is  one  son: 
Frederick  T. 

He  is  prominently  connected  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  has  taken  the  chap- 
ter degrees. 

A  man  of  sterling  worth,  Mr.  Howard  has 
had  the  lo\e  and  respect  of  the  community 
in  which  he  has  resided. 

HOWARD,  Walter  E.,  of  Middle- 
bury,  son  of  William  Bickford  and  Louisa 
(Cilley)  Howard,  was  born  in  Tunbridge, 
May  29,  1849. 


Receiving  his  early  education  in  the 
Springfield  Wesleyan  and  Leland  and  Ciray 
seminaries,  he  entered  Middlebury  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1871.  After  leaving  this  institution  he  fol- 
lowed the  profession  of  a  teacher  and  at  the 


same  time  studied  law.  In  1S76  he  was 
appointed  principal  of  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Castleton,  and  five  years  later 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Fair 
Haven.  In  1889  Mr.  Howard  received  the 
appointment  of  professor  of  history  and 
political  science  at  Middlebury  College. 

Always  a  strong  Republican,  he  was  sent 
to  the  state  Senate  from  Rutland  county  in 
1882.  In  this  body  he  served  as  chairman 
of  the  special  committee  on  amendments  to 
the  state  constitution,  and  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  those  on  federal  relations,  education 
and  the  library.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was 
made  V.  S.  Consul  at  Toronto,  Can.,  and  in 
1892  received  a  similar  appointment  at 
Cardiff,  \Vales.  He  represented  the  town  of 
Fair  Haven  in  the  Legislature  of  1888,  where 
he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  elec- 
tions and  a  member  of  that  on  the  judiciary. 
In  September,  1893,  he  resumed  the  profes- 
sorship of  history  and  political  science  in 
Middlebury  College. 

HOWARD,  William  Sumner,  of  Con- 
cord, son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Adams)  How- 
ard, was  born  in  Ludlow,  Sept.  7,  1822. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ludlow 
and  Concord,  he  made  the  best  use  of  the 
opportunities  afforded  him.  Hisfather  moved 
to  Concord  and  purchased  the  Howard  home- 
stead when  William  was  about  fourteen  years 
old,  and  the  son  assisted  the  father  in  btiild- 
ing,  clearing,  and  developing  their  estate. 
L'nder  his  careful  management,  and  by  tak- 
ing advantage  of  all  the  resources  in  his 
|)0wer,  he  has  now  one  of  the  very  best  up- 
land farms  in  town,  well  supplied  with  every 
modern  appliance  and  excellent  stock.  Here 
he  has  always  resided,  enjoying  the  fruits  of 
his  energy  and  industry. 

Always  a  Republican  since  the  formation 
of  the  party,  such  a  man  would  naturally  be 
called  upon  to  discharge  the  duties  of  various 
town  offices,  and  Mr.  Howard  has  been 
prominently  connected  with  educational 
affairs,  serving  as  district  clerk  for  more  than 
thirty  years  and  for  more  than  forty  as  trus- 
tee of  the  Essex  county  grammar  school, 
founded  by  Rev.  Samuel  Reed  Hall  as  a  nor- 
mal school,  the  oldest  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Howard  was  a  charter  member  of  Es- 
sex Cirange  P.  of  H.  of  A\"est  Concord. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock,  June  8,  1843, 
to  Lucinda  F.,  daughter  of  William  and  Ra- 
chel (Wilcox)  Gorham  of  Kirby,  and  of  this 
union  there  are  issue :  William  Elmore, 
(leorge  S.,  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  L.  W. 
Macam  of  Moncton,  N.  B.). 

HOWE,    Elhanan   Winchester,   of 

Northfield,  was  the  son  of  Joel  and  Rebecca 
(Wakefield)  Howe,  and  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Winhall,  March   2,  1825. 


He  was  one  of  a  family  of  fifteen  children, 
•and  as  his  parents  were  poor  he  had  to  push 
his  way  in  life  unaided  and  alone.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools 
in  the  town  of  Manchester. 
-  He  commenced  the  marble  business  in 
South  Dorset  in  1853  and  continued  the 
same  at  Northfield  in  the  firm  of  Howe  & 
Sawyer.  He  also  was  interested  in  an  enter- 
prise of  the  same  nature  at  Montpelier.  In 
i860  he    formed    a   business   alliance    with 


aged  to  surmount,  a  practical  education  in  the 
schools  of  Clarendon  and  'I'roy  Conference 
Academy  of  Poultney.  Subsequently  he  taught 
school  and  while  teaching  studied  and  im- 
proved his  opiwrtunities.  For  some  time 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Clarendon  and 
\\allingford,  but  mo\ed  to  Mt.  Tabor  in  1854. 

.Mr.  Howe  has  served  with  credit  in  \ari- 
ous  otficial  capacities,  first  as  an  old-time 
whig  and  later  as  a  loyal  Republican.  His 
residence  in  the  town  has  seen  him  lister, 
town  clerk,  constable,  collector,  selectman 
and  deputy  sheriff.  He  has  done  good  ser- 
vice as  town  representative  in  four  different 
sessions,  1856,  1861,  1863,  1864,  acting  on 
important  committees  and  finally  was  deemed 
worthy  of  a  seat  in  the  state  Senate  in  1874, 
where  he  was  a  member  of  the  agricultural 
and  general  committees. 

He  is  allied  both  to  the  order  of  Free 
Masons  and  Odd  Fellows. 


George  ^^'.  Soper,  and  later  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  firm  of  F.  L.  Howe  &  Co.  at 
Northfield,  which  at  present  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  in  the  state,  carrying  a  \  ery 
large  stock  of  ornamental  work. 

Mr.  Howe  was  married  in  Dorset,  July  ,5, 
1 848,  to  Miss  Pamelia  J.,  daughter  of  John 
C.  L.  and  Eliza  (Viall)  Soper.  Their  children 
are  :  Frank  L.,  A\'ilbur  C,  and  Helen  M. 
I  Mr.  Howe  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
South  Dorset  in  1850  and  held  the  office 
fi\e  years.  He  has  served  as  deputy  sheriff 
of  Washington  county  for  twenty  years,  and 
has  been  its  sheriff  since  1890.  He  has  ever 
been  a  strictly  temperate  man,  and  has  proved 
a  reliable  and  efficient  officer  in  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  law.  As  a  Master  Mason  he  is 
affiliated  to  DeW'itt  Clinton  Lodge,  No.  15. 

HOWE,  Luther  Proctor,  of  Danby, 

son  of  Joseph  and  Olive  (Scott)  Howe,  was 
born  in  Ludlow,  Jan.  6,  1821. 

Descended  from  a  well-known  ancestry,  he 
obtained,  despite  difficulties  which  he  man- 


1 


LUTHER    PROCTOR    HOWE. 


He  married  at  Clarendon,  Oct.  23,  1845, 
NLiry  .Ann,  daughter  of  Ozial  H.  and  Avice 
(Harrington)  Round.  To  them  were  born: 
.Addie  (Mrs.  Joel  C.  Baker),  and  Charles 
Luther.  November  2,  1865,  he  formed  a 
second  alliance  with  Helen  Maria,  daughter 
of  Judge  .Austin  and  Betsey  NL  Baker.  'Lhey 
have  one  son  :  Luther  Proctor,  Jr. 

HOWE,  Marshall  Otis,  of  Xewfane, 

son  of  Otis  and  Sally   (Marsh)    Howe,  was 
born  in  Wardsboro,  Oct.  4,  1832. 
■  His  early  education  was  acipiired  at  the 
district  school,  su]i|ilemented  by  a  few  terms 


at  the  academy.  In  earlv  life  he  read  sev- 
eral of  the  standard  elementary  treatises  on 
law  and  civil  government.  He  has  a  general 
knowledge  of  the  leading  branches  of  the 
natural  sciences,  and  has  made  a  collection 
of  minerals,  grasses,  etc.  He  was  agricul- 
tural editor  of  the  Vermont  Phcenix  from 
1880   to    1890,  and    has  been  a  paid  writer 


OTIS    HOWE. 


for  other  publications.  An  article  compar- 
ing, according  to  the  census  statistics,  the 
agricultural  products  of  Vermont  with  those 
of  other  eastern  states  and  the  leading  agri- 
cultural states  of  the  West,  which  he  con- 
tributed to  the  New  York  Tribune,  showed 
a  surprisingly  favorable  result  for  Vermont, 
and  the  article  was  copied  and  commented 
upon  by  nearly  all  the  papers  in  the  state. 
Mr.  Howe  has  since  more  fully  elaborated 
the  comparative  statistics  of  Vermont  pro- 
duction in  many  newspaper  contributions, 
and  in  vols.  HI  and  XI  of  the  reports  of  the 
Vermont  Board  of  Agriculture.  He  has 
treated  of  the  "Past  and  the  Present  Pro- 
ducts of  the  Soil"  in  vol.  V  of  the  Vermont 
agricultural  reports. 

Mr.  Howe  has  been  a  school  superin- 
tendent for  nine  years,  and  now  holds  that 
office  in  the  town  of  Newfane.  He  has  been 
for  many  years  statistical  correspondent  of 
the  department  of  agriculture  for  Windham 
county.  He  was  census  enumerator  in  1880, 
and  in  1S82  he  represented  Newfane  in  the 
I,egislature,  where  he  attended  strictly  to  his 
uties,  never  but  once  failing  to  be  present 


and  \ote  when  the  yeas  and  nays  w-ere 
called.  In  1890,  on  recommendation  of  the 
\'ermont  delegation  in  Congress,  he  was  ap- 
pointed supervisor  of  the  eleventh  census 
for  the  district  of  Vermont.  For  the  past 
twenty-five  years  Mr  Howe's  home  has  been 
in  Newfane. 

He  was  married  in  1866  to  Gertrude  I., 
daughter  of  Avery  J.  and  Mary  (White) 
Dexter  of  Wardsboro.  They  have  five  sons  : 
Marshall  A.,  Hermon  A.,  Arthur  O.,  Carlton 
D.,  and  Clifton  D.  Marshall  A.  Howe,  the 
eldest  son,  is  now  a  member  of  the  faculty 
of  the  University  of  California. 

HOWLAND,  Frank  George, of  Barre, 
son  of  George  and  Angelina  (Buszell)  How- 
land,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  August  27, 
1863. 

His  father's  employment  was  that  of 
farmer  and  auctioneer  and  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  F'ast  Montpelier  since  April,  1866. 
He  has  been  the  incumbent  of  several  im- 
portant town  offices  and  was  sent  to  the 
Legislature  in  1882. 


FRANK    GEORGE    HOWLAND. 


F>ank  G.  Howland  pursued  the  usual 
course  of  instruction  in  the  public  schools 
and  then  graduated  from  the  Vermont  M.  E. 
Seminary  at  Montpelier,  in  the  class  of  1884. 

An  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
represented  the  town  of  Barre  in  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1892,  and  served  creditably  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  banks. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  Marrh  29, 
1 888,  to  Marv,  daughter  of  Sidney  and  Irene 
A.  (Heath)  VVells  of  Barre. 

iSIr.  Howland  was  elected  teller  of  the  Na- 
tional liank  of  Harre,  Feb.  16,  1885,  and 
two  years  later  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  cashier.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in 
securing  the  charter  for  the  Barre  Savings 
Bank  and  Trust  Co  ,  which  commenced  busi- 
ness Feb.  27,  1893,  and  of  which  institution 
he  is  treasurer.  He  is  considered  in  the 
community  in  which  he  resides  as  an  acti\e, 
energetic,  and  efficient  man  of  business ; 
shrewd,  intelligent,  and  honorable  in  all  his 
transactions. 

HUBBARD,  George  a.,  of  Guildhall, 
son  of  John  and  Susan  D.  Hubbard,  was 
born  in  Guildhall,  Sept.  10,  1850. 

At  the  age  of  seven  he  removed  to  Lunen- 
burg to  attend  the  common  schools  of  that 
place.  Here  he  remained  till  he  was  seven- 
teen, at  which  time  he  returned  to  Guildhall 
and  completed  his  education  at  the  Essex 
county  grammar  school. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Hubbard  made  his 
residence  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  for 
most  of  that  period  was  employed  in  farm- 
ing, but  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
the  home  of  his  wife,  where  he  remained 
until  1892,  when  his  position  of  county  clerk 
required  his  immediate  presence  at  the 
county  seat. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Lunenburg, 
Oct.  13,  1871,  to  Ida  M.,  daughter  of  Lor- 
enzo and  Ann  (Woods)  Manning  of  Guild- 
hall. One  son  was  born  to  them  and  died 
in  infancy.  One  daughter,  Addie  Manning, 
and  an  adopted  child,  Ethel  May,  are  living. 

Mr.  Hubbard  is  an  active  Republican,  and 
has  been  selectman  for  five  consecutive 
terms.  He  has  also  been  town  superintend- 
ent, and  was  elected  to  represent  Guildhall 
in  the  Legislature  of  1890. 

He  is  a  quiet,  self-respecting  man  of  good 
moral  principles,  and  gives  promise  of  a  long 
career  of  usefulness. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  P.  of  H.  at 
Guildhall. 

HUBBARD,  LORENZO  W.,  of  Lyndon, 
son  of  Richard  and  Loraine  (Weeks)  Hub- 
bard, was  born  in  Lyndon,  Feb.  3,  1841. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Lyndon 
Academy. 

September  i,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  M, 
nth  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  on  the  completion 
of  its  organization  he  was  appointed  ser- 
geant. Serving  in  this  capacity  one  year  he 
was  made  hospital  steward  of  the  regiment 
and  served  as  such  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

He  then  studied  medicine  at  the  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York,  from 


hui!I;f,i.i,.  213 

which  he  graduated  March  i,  1867.  In  the 
following  .April  he  went  to  Lunenburg,  where 
he  practiced  medicine  six  years ;  then 
located  permanently  at  Lyndon. 

Dr.  Hubbard  represented  Lyndon  at  the 
General  Assembly  in  1882  and  1886.  In 
each  session  he  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  the  insane,  and  offered  in  the 
House  the  joint  resolutions  requesting  the 
Governor  to  appoint  a  commission  to  inves- 
tigate as  to  the  advisability  and  location  of  a 
separate  building  for  the  care  of  the  criminal 
and  convict  insane,  which  resulted  in  the 
construction  of  the  asylum  at  Waterbury. 
In  1S83  Dr.  Hubbard  was  made  president 
of  the  St.  Johnsbury  board  of  examining  sur- 
geons for  pensions,  which  office  he  accept- 
ably filled  for  more  than  two  years. 

Dr.  Hubbard  is  a  deacon  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  He  is  a  practitioner  of  the 
regular  school  and  since  1867  has  belonged 
to  the  White  Mountain  Medii:al  Society  ;  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  ^■ermont  Medical 
Society,  and  was  one  of  its  license  censors 
two  years  and  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the 
Lyndon  Republican  Club. 

He  is  a  member  of  Crescent  Lodge  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Lyndonville,  and  of  Chamberlin  Post 
G.  A.  R.,  No.  I,  of  St.  Johnsbury.  He  has 
taken  great  interest  in  the  academy  and 
graded  schools  of  Lyndon,  serving  on  the 
committee  for  the  past  twelve  years. 

Dr.  Hubbard  was  married,  Nov.  10,  1868, 
to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Bela  and  Martha 
(Perry)  Halton.  Of  this  union  there  was 
issue:  Charles  Bela,  May  E.  (deceased), 
and  one  son  who  died  in  infancy. 

HUBBELL,  MVRON  R.,  of  Wolcott,  son 
of  Seth  and  Sylvia  (Spaulding)  Hubbell,  was 
born  in  Wolcott,  .April  6,  1835.  His  grand- 
father was  the  first  settler  of  the  town  of 
Wolcott.  Coming  there  in  1 7S9,  he  endured 
privations  and  hardships,  carrying  his  corn 
on  his  back  twehe  miles  to  mill  for  several 
years.  LTnder  such  conditions  he  reared  a 
family  of  seventeen  children.  Seth,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch,  was  a 
life-long  resident  of  the  town,  and  Myron  R. 
was  brought  up  among  the  usual  surround- 
ings of  a  New  England  farm. 

Completing  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  when  he  arrived  at  man's  estate  he 
went  to  the  Northwest  on  a  tour  of  observa- 
tion, but  soon  returned  to  the  paternal  home- 
stead, devoting  himself  to  the  care  of  his 
parents  during  their  declining  years.  At 
their  death  he  sold  the  farm  and  removed 
to  the  village. 

Mr.  Hubbell  has  a  decided  talent  for  in- 
vention and  for  twenty  years  has  devoted 
himself  to  this  pursuit,  constructing  his  own 
models  and  patterns,  and  has  obtained  in 
all  fifteen  patents.     He  has    devoted  much 


!I4 


HUMPHREY. 


time  and  thought  to  improving  reversible 
plows,  and  is  the  originator  of  the  theory 
that  the  draught  attachment  of  a  re\ersible 
plow  should  be  adjusted  to  the  right  and  left 
furrows,  alternately,  at  each  turn  of  the 
mouldboard.  To  accomplish  this  object  he 
devised  and  patented  the  shifting-lever  clevis 
now  so  generally  used  on  reversible  plows, 
and  also  patented  the  rod  running  length- 
wise of  and  swiveled  to  the  beam  for  the 
same  purpose. 


It  is  unnecessary  to  say  more  in  reference 
to  this  matter,  as  the  great  value  of  his  im- 
provements in  reversible  plows  are  generally 
and  widely  known.  He  has  also  invented 
and  patented  a  car-coupler,  which  those  who 
are  conversant  with  this  subject  unhesitat- 
ingly declare  to  be  far  in  advance  of  all 
others  they  have  ever  examined.  Mr.  Hubbell 
and  W.  W.  Cate,  of  Wolcott,  are  joint  invent- 
ors in  a  spiral  rotary  cylinder  for  planers, 
which  is  now  in  operation  and  is  doing 
superior  work. 

He  married,  .^Xpril  2,  1862,  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  Ralph  and  Sybil  (Powers)  Mar- 
tin, of  Wolcott ;  their  only  living  child  is 
Ralph  M.,  of  Wolcott.  Mr.  Hubbell  has 
always  been  attached  to  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  never  cared  for  or  accepted 
official  positions.  He  is  a  member  of  Min- 
eral  Lodge,  No.  93,  F.  &  .\.  M..  of   ^Volcott. 

HUDSON,  Solomon  S.,  of  East  Haven, 
son  of  Calvin  and  Philomelia  (Powers)  Hud- 
son, was  born  in  Athens,  July  22,  1836. 


He  was  an  industrious  pupil  of  the  public 
schools,  and  made  the  best  use  of  his  limited 
opportunities  to  obtain  an  education. 

.At  the  early  age  of  nineteen  he  took  to 
himself  a  wife,  and  with  this  responsibility 
commenced  to  clear  a  farm  in  the  unbroken 
wilderness,  carrying  his  worldly  possessions 
on  his  back.  In  this  enterprise  he  was  en- 
gaged five  years,  when  he  was  summoned  to 
the  field  by  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  loth  Regt.. 
Vt.  Vols.  He  remained  in  the  army  about 
three  years,  most  of  the  time  on  detached 
service,  and  was  discharged  when  the  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out.  Returning  to  his. 
farm  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  remained 
there  until  18S6,  when  he  moved  to  his 
present  location  in  East  Haven  village,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  general  trade. 

.Mr.  Hudson  has  held  many  responsible 
positions  in  town,  having  been  for  many 
years  justice  of  the  peace  and  selectman. 
He  represented  East  Haven  in  1880,  and 
under  a  Republican  administration  received 
the  appointment  of  postmaster,  a  position 
which  he  worthily  filled  for  six  years. 

In  1855  he  married  Eunecia  L.,  daughter 
of  Russell  and  .Almira  Hosford.  .She  died 
Jan.  29,  1881.  He  contracted  a  second  alli- 
ance with  Lydia  Gero,  daughter  of  Hoklen 
and  \'iantha  Partlow. 

Mr.  Hudson  has  received  the  first  three 
degrees  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  a 
member  of  Island  Pond  Lodge,  No.  44.  He 
also  belongs  to  Erastus  Buck  Post,  G.  A.  R.,. 
of  that  place.  He  stands  prominently  forth 
in  the  community  as  a  moral,  industrious- 
and  energetic  man  of  good  judgment  and 
ability. 

HUMPHREY,   Charles  Ti.wothy 

Allen,  of  East  Burke,  son  of  Timothy  and' 
Sabrina  (Cushing)  Huinphrey,  was  born  in 
St.  Johnsbury,  Jan.  2,  1822. 

His  father  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
town  and  Mr.  Humphrey  received  only  such 
educational  advantages  as  were  afforded  by 
the  public  schools.  .At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  commenced  to  labor  for  a  livelihood.  Four 
years  after  he  bought  his  time  from  his  father 
for  S125,  chopped  cord  wood  and  dro\e 
teams  from  Boston  to  Portland  in  order  to 
reimburse  his  father  for  the  time  he  had  pur- 
chased. In  1840  with  twenty  dollars  in  his 
pocket  he  started  for  the  West.  Arriving  at 
Conneaut,  Ohio,  he  remained  two  or  three 
years  in  this  place,  engaging  in  farming  and 
trading ;  then  removed  to  Geneva,  in  the 
same  state,  and  in  1847  returned  to  Burke, 
and  finally  took  up  his  abode  in  East  Burke, 
where  he  employed  himself  in  general  trade. 

Mr.  Humphrey  has  held  many  responsilile 
offices.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace,  lister, 
o\  erseer  of  the  poor,  notary  public,  and  town 


HUMPHREY. 

agent  to  settle  claims.  He  received  the  honor 
of  an  election  by  Republican  votes  to  the 
"war  session"  Legislature  of  i86o-'6i.  In 
1877,  he  was  elected  associate  judge  of  the 
Caledonia  county  court,  serving  the  full  term 
of  two  years.  He  has  been  director  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank,  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
for  more  than  eleven  years  ;  has  been  the 
administrator  for  many  valuable  estates,  and 
has  acted  as  guardian  in  many  cases.  He 
attends  and  supports  the  Methodist  church 
of  that  place. 


HLNrKK.  215 

in  1889,  giving  especial  attention  to  the 
breeding  of  Devon  cattle,  and  horses  of  the 
Wilkes  strain  of  blood.  For  forty  years  he 
has  been  called  upon  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties of  various  offices  of  the  town  and  was 
sent  to  the  Legislature  as  the  representative 
of  a  Republican  constituency  in  1868,  1869 
and  1882,  giving  his  service  to  the  commit- 
tees on  the  grand  list,  highways  and  bridges, 
and  on  public  buildings.  Being  drafted  for 
service  in  the  army  he  was  rejected  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber and  for  several  years  has  been  steward 
of  the  ^L  E.  Church  in  Burke. 

.Mr.  Humphrey  married,  F"eb.  25,  1856, 
1  .ucia  A.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  and  .\nnie 
(Miner)  Belden,  of  Burke.  Four  children 
ha\ebeen  born  to  them  :  Mary  Helen  (Mrs. 
Sumner (r.  Prescott  of  Lyndon),  I'Vank  Fras- 
tus,  .Annie  B.,  and  Inez  1.. 


HUNTER,   Ellsworth    M.,   of    Fair 

Haven,  son  of  Mahlon  and  Susan  Hunter, 
uas  born  in  the  town  of  1  Inbb.irdton.  April 
[I,  1S62. 


ChARLES    TIMOTHY    ALLEN    HUMPHREY. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock  Sept.  i,  1 841,  to 
Flavilla  Pamelia,  daughter  of  Matthew  and 
Resia  Gushing,  of  Bttrke,  who  died  .'\pril  1 1 , 
1880.  Four  children  were  born  to  them  : 
Violetta  M.  (.Mrs.  OUn  Smith,  of  Springfiekl, 
Mass.,  deceased),  Fdwin  Payson  (deceased), 
Rose  Sabrina  (deceased),  and  Celia  C  (wife 
of  Dr.  Frederick  Newell,  of  Barton). 

Judge  Humphrey  contracted  a  second 
alliance  Sept.  14,  1880,  with  Mary  L.,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  F.milv  (Har\e\)  Prout\-, 
of  Burke. 

HUMPHREY,  JULIUS  AUGUSTUS,  of 
East  Burke,  son  of  F>astus  and  Hannah  1. 
(Johnson)  Humphrev,  was  born  in  that  town 
Nov.  3,  1830. 

His  father  came  from  Connecticut  to  East 
Burke  very  early  in  the  present  century  and 
Mr.  Humphrey  attended  the  public  schools 
until  seventeen  years  of  age  ;  since  that  time 
he  has  always  lived  and  labored  on  the  farm 
where  he  was  born  and  which   he  purchased 


ELLSWORTH    M.   HUNTER. 

He  received  his  early  educational  train- 
ing in  the  common  schools  and  afterwards 
took  a  course  of  study  at  a  business  college. 
.\t  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr.  Hunter,  who 
had  adopted  journalism  as  his  (jrofession, 
was  made  business  manager  of  the  Rutland 
1  )aily  Review,  and  in  the  following  year  was 
employed  as  an  editorial  writer  on  the  Platts- 
burg  (X.  V.)  Telegram,  afterwards  founding 


2l6 


the  flipper  at  Fort  Ann.  He  returned  to 
his  native  state  in  1887,  and  for  the  last 
four  years  has  filled  the  position  of  editor 
and  manager  of  the  Vermont  Record. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  5,  1886, 
to  E.  Alida,  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Marie 
(Broughton)  of  Fort  Ann,  N.  V.  Of  this 
marriage  there  have  been  three  children  : 
Gertrude,  Anna,  and  Frances  M. 

In  1886  Mr.  Hunter  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  county  committee  of 
Washington  county,  N.  V.,  and  with  four 
others  composed  the  executive  board  of  that 
committee.  After  his  return  to  Vermont  he 
entered  politics  and  assisted  in  1888  in 
forming  se\eral  Re]jublican  league  clubs, 
and  was  secretary  of  the  John  A.  Logan 
Club  at  Castleton.  Twice  he  was  elected  a 
delegate  to  the  Republican  state  convention 
of  ^"ermont.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  press 
congress  of  the  World's  Fair.  He  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  two  succes- 
sive terms,  being  nominated  on  the  tickets 
of  the  Republican,  Democratic  and  Labor 
parties,  the  last  named  of  which  nominated 
him  for  assistant  judge  in  1890,  when  his 
vote  was   much  larger  than  that  of  his  party. 

Mr  Hunter  is  a  charter  member  of  Fair 
Haven  I,odge,  No.  52,  L  O.  O.  F.,  of  which 
he  is  an  officer. 

HUNTLEY,  EBER  W.,  of  Duxbury,  son 
of  Gilbert  and  Mary  E.  (Nash)  HunUey, 
was  born  in  that  town,  Nov.  11,  1839. 

He  a\ailed  himself  of  the  school  training 
of  his  native  town  and  then  pursued  a  course 
of  study  at  the  Peoples  Academy  of  Morris- 
ville.  He  early  manifested  an  aptitude  for 
mechanical  pursuits,  and  soon  after  his  ma- 
jority commenced  working  at  the  carpenter 
and  joiner's  trade,  and  later  was  a  millwright 
and  house  builder. 

In  the  fall  of  1886  he  purchased  the  mill 
site  in  Duxbury,  near  Waterbury,  a  wonder- 
ful natural  water  privilege.  There  he  re- 
built the  mill  and  put  in  a  large  plant  for 
planing,  dressing  and  matching  hard  and 
soft  wood  lumber,  which  is  sold  as  a  finished 
product.  A  large  share  of  his  stock  is  pur- 
chased in  the  neighborhood  and  thereby  the 
farmers  are  furnished  with  a  convenient 
home  market  for  their  surplus  wood  products. 

Mr.  Huntley  was  elected  by  the  Republi- 
cans of  Duxbury  to  the  Legislature  of  1882, 
where  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
corporations.  His  personal  standing  in  the 
community  has  resulted  in  his  being  called 
to  the  occupancy  of  many  town  offices  since 
he  was  twenty-one,  and  among  these  he  has 
been  the  incumbent  of  the  town  clerkship 
and  also  town  treasurer  for  more  than  a  score 
of  years. 

He  has  received  the  degree  of  the  Blue 
Lodge  in  the  order  of  Free  Masonry,  and 
has  twice  occupied  the  chair  in  the  east. 


He  married,  August  26,  1863,  Minta  F., 
daughter  of  Janus  and  Eurette  (Crosby) 
Crossett,  of  Duxbury.  One  child  is  issue  of 
this  union  :  Mertie  E. 

HUSE,  Hiram  Augustus,  of  Montpe- 

lier,  son  of  Hiram  Sylvester  and  Emily  Mor- 
gan (Blodgett)  Huse,  was  born  at  Randolph, 
Jan.  17,  1843. 

His  parents  moved  to  \Visconsin  in  1845 
and  that  was  his  home  till  1868.  In  the 
West  he  went  to  school  at  the  red  school- 
house,  at  Willard  Seminary  in  Watertown, 
Wis.,  and  at  Dixon.  111.,  and  taught  district 
school  several  terms.  In  1860  he  went  to 
Randolph  where  he  fitted  for  college  (in 
part  under  Edward  Conant),  at  the  Orange 
county  grammar  school,  and  also  taught  dis- 
trict school  again,  and  in  i87i-'72  was  Mr. 
Conant's  assistant  in  the  State  Normal 
.School. 


HIRAM    AUGUSTUS    HUSE. 

He  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in 
1S65,  and  from  the  .Albany  Law  School  (of 
which  .Amos  Dean,  formerly  of  Barnard,  was 
then  the  head)  in  1867,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  New  York  bar  in  Albany.  After  a 
year  at  his  home  in  Wisconsin,  he  moved  to 
Vermont,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  ^'er- 
mont  bar  in  Orange  countv,  lune  term, 
1S69. 

While  in  college  he  enlisted  .August  19, 
1862,  at  Randolph  and  served  as  a  private 
in  Co.  F,  1 2th  Vt.  Vols.,  till  the  regiment 
was  mustered  out  July  14,  1S63. 


lll'TCHINSON. 

He  moved  to  Montpelier  in  1872,  begin- 
ning the  practice  of  law,  and  for  some  ten 
years  served  as  editorial  writer  on  the  (jreen 
Mountain  Freeman. 

He  has  been  state  librarian  since  1873, 
represented  Montpelier  in  the  Legislature  of 
187S,  and  was  elected  state's  attorney  in 
1882. 

January  i,  1883,  a  law  partnership  was 
formed  by  Clarence  H.  Pitkin  and  himself 
under  the  firm  name  of  Pitkin  &  Huse, 
which  continued  seven  years.  At  the  close  of 
William  P.  Dillingham's  term  as  Governor  in 
October,  1S90,  the  partnership  of  Dillingham 
&  Huse  was  formed,  and  by  the  admission 
of  Fred  A.  Howland  in  1892,  the  firm  is 
now  Dillingham,  Huse  &  Howland. 

Mr.  Huse  married  at  Randoljjh,  Jan.  30, 
1S72,  Harriet  Olivia,  daughter  of  Melzar  and 
Eunice  Harriet  (Smith)  ^^'oodbury.  They 
have  two  children  :  Harriet  Emily,  and  Ray 
Woodbury. 

Mr.  Huse's  mother  died  at  his  home  in 
Montpelier,  May  29,  1890,  and  his  father 
now  resides  with  him. 

He  is  a  comrade  of  Brooks  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
and  a  member  of  .Aurora  Lodge,  F.  &  .\.  iNL, 
and  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

HUTCHINSON,  JaMES,  of  West  Ran- 
dolph, son  of  James  and  Sophia  (Brown) 
Hutchinson,  was  born  in  Randolph,  Jan.  i, 
1826.  The  grandfather,  John  Hutchinson, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Braintree. 
Noted  for  his  industry  and  honesty,  he  was 
much  in  public  life  and  represented  the  town 
in  the  Legislature  for  seventeen  years,  while 
his  father,  James,  was  an  enterprising  and 
prosperous  farmer,  enjoying  the  confidence 
and  res])ect  of  the  neighboring  community. 

The  education  of  the  subject  of  the  pres- 
ent sketch  was  obtained  first  in  the  district 
and  then  in  a  private  school  in  West  Ran- 
dolph, and  after  this  course  of  instruction  he 
was  engaged  in  teaching  for  three  consecu- 
tive winters. 

November  2,  1847,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was 
united  in  the  bonds  of  wedlock  to  Miss  .Abby 
B.,  daughter  of  Fllijah  and  Patience  (Netf) 
Flint,  of  Braintree  (who  died  ^L^y  4,  1879). 

He  settled  upon  the  old  homestead  in 
Braintree,  where  he  lived  till  1869,  when  he 
moved  to  West  Randolph.  While  in  the 
former  ])lace  he  filled  many  town  offices  and 
was  elected  delegate  to.  the  state  Constitu- 
tional Convention  in  1856.  For  two  years, 
1864  to  1866,  he  was  associate  judge  of  the 
county. 

Judge  Hutchinson  was  elected  state  sena- 
tor in  1868,  and  also  in  the  following  year, 
while  in  1S70  he  received  the  appointment 
of  county   commissioner,  and  was  in   1872 


HUTCHINSON. 


217 


chosen  a  delegate  to  the  national  Re])ublican 
con\ention  at  Philadelphia.  He  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  West  Randol])h  in 
1872,  which  office  he  held  till  1887.  With  a 
few  others.  Judge  Hutchinson  petitioned  the 
Legislature  of  1889  for  a  charter  for  a  savings 
bank  in  West  Randolph,  and  on  the  organiz- 
ation of  the  institution,  he  was  elected  its 


president,  a  position  in  which  he  continues 
to  the  present  time. 

.\mong  the  earliest  founders  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  he  was  always  an  acti\e  worker 
in  its  behalf,  and  even  previous  to  its  exist- 
ence, in  the  days  of  anti-slavery  agitation,  he 
was  an  enthusiastic  disciple  of  (larri.son  and 
Phillips,  ever  extending  a  hearty  welcome  to 
all  who  were  interested  in  the  cause  of  aboli- 
tion. For  five  years  he  filled  the  office  of 
\ice-president  for  \'ermont  of  the  New  Eng- 
Kngland  Anti-Slavery  Society.  During  the 
troubles  in  Kansas,  Judge  Hutchinson  was 
connected  with  the  Emigrant  .Aid  Society, 
and  in  the  company  of  the  state  agent  visited 
several  places  in  the  state  to  raise  men  and 
money  to  aid  in  freeing  Kansas  from  the 
trammels  of  the  slave-holders,  and  at  one 
time  he  himself  accompanied  an  expedition 
for  this  purpose.  He  has  held  leading  jjosi- 
tions  in  the  temperance  societies  of  \"ermont 
and  has  always  been  a  devoted  adherent  of 
the  cause,  strongly  advocating  the  law  of 
i)rohibition. 


IDE,  Henry  Clay,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  son 
of  Jacob  and  Lodaska  (Knights)  Ide,  was 
born  in  Barnet  Sept.  i8,  1844. 

He  conducted  his  preparatory  studies  at 
the  St.  Johnsbury  Academy  and  then  entered 
Dartmouth  College  from  which  he  graduated 
with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class  in  1866. 

He  was  principal  of  St.  Johnsbury  .Acad- 
emy from  the  time  of  his  graduation  until 
the  summer  of  1S68,  when  he  was  appointed 
head  master  of  the  high  school  of  Arling- 
ton, Mass.,  which  po.sition  he  filled  till  the 
autumn  of  1869,  when  he  read  law  with  the 
late  Judge  B.  H.  Steele  of  St.  Johnsbury  till 
December,  1870,  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  immediately  began  to  practice 
in  St.  Johnsbury  and  in  1873  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Hon.  H.  C.  Belden  which  con- 
tinued till  1S84,  when  the  firm  of  Ide  &  Staf- 
ford was  formed,  which  in  1890  was  changed 
to  that  of  Ide  &  (^uimby.  This  last  partner- 
ship was  dissolved  in  1892  and  since  then 
Mr.  Ide  has  practiced  alone.  In  1890  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court.  During  this  period  Mr.  Ide 
was  engaged  in  much  of  the  most  important 
litigation  in  Northern  Vermont,  and  stood  in 
the  front  rank  of  his  profession. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock,  Oct.  26,  1S71, 
to  Mary  M.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sophia 
Matcher,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  who  passed 
from  life  April  13,  1892.  Of  this  marriage 
four  children  were  born  :  Adelaide  M.,  Annie 
L.,  Harry  J.  (deceased),  and  Mary  M. 

Mr.  Ide  has  been  honored  with  manv  of- 
fices in  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens.  For 
three  years  he  was  state's  attorney  for  Cale- 
donia county  and  was  twice  sent  to  the  state 
Senate,  in  which  he  served  on  several  im- 


portant committees.  He  was  prominent  in 
carrying  through  measures  securing  the  prop- 
erty rights  of  married  women,  simphfying 
legal  procedure,  etc.  In  1884  he  presided 
at  the  Republican  state  convention,  and  was 
chosen  delegate  to  the  national  convention 
at  Chicago  in  1888  where  he  served  on  the 
committee  on  credentials. 

Mr.  Ide  was  appointed  by  President  Har- 
rison a  commissioner  on  behalf  of  the  United 
States  to  act  with  others  appointed  by  Eng- 
land and  Germany  to  settle  the  disputes  in 
Samoa.  Chosen  by  that  commission  as  its 
chairman,  he  rendered  important  service  in 
organizing,  formulating  and  carrying  on  its 
work.  In  November,  1S91,  he  resigned  this 
appointment  on  account  of  sickness  in  his 
family,  returning  to  this  country  with  expres- 
sions of  regret  from  the  King  of  Samoa,  his 
associates,  and  all  other  officials  with  whom 
he  had  come  in  contact  in  the  course  of 
his  official  duties.  On  his  return  he  also  re- 
ceived from  the  president  a  letter  of  thanks 
for  his  efficient  and  valuable  services  as  com- 
missioner. 

He  has  been  for  years  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  St.  Johnsbury,  the 
Passumpsic  Savings  Bank — one  of  the  largest 
institutions  in  the  state — the  'I'redegar  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Jacksonville,  Ala.,  and  in  va- 
rious manufacturing  and  railroad  corpora- 
tions, all  of  which  trusts  he  has  carefully 
and  honorably  fulfilled. 

In  1893  he  was  appointed  chief  justice  of 
Samoa,  and  on  the  6th  of  October  left  St. 
Johnsbury  and  on  the  20th  of  that  month 
sailed  from  San  Francisco  to  enter  upon  his 
new  and  most  important  duties  in  those  dis- 
tant islands  of  the  South  Pacific. 


JACKMAN,  A.  M.,of  Barre,  son  of  Abel 
and  Dorothy  (True)  Jackman,  was  born  in 
Corinth,  March  2,  181 3.  His  father  came 
from  Salisbury,  Mass.,  and  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Corinth. 

The  son,  left  an  ori:>han  at  an  earlv  age, 
went  to  Barre  and  learned  the  trade  of  a 
wool  carder  and  cloth  dresser.  His  oppor- 
tunities for  education  were  limited  to  the 
common  schools  of  Corinth  and  a  few  terms 
at  the  Barre  district  schools. 

Working  with  untiring  industry  and  living 
prudently,  laying  up  and  not  squandering 
the  liberal  wages  he  received,  he  was  enabled 
in  1836  to  hire  and  three  years  after  to  pur- 
chase the  mill  in  which  he  was  employed, 
and  he  conducted  the  business  until  the 
factory  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1853.  In 
February,    1856,    Mr.   Jackman   bought   an 


estate  in  liarre.  Much  of  this  he  has  sold, 
and  this  portion  of  the  property  is  now  occu- 
pied by  the  thriving  village  of  Barre.  When 
he  commenced  his  business  everyone,  with 
perhaps  the  exception  of  the  doctor,  lawyer, 
and  clergyman,  wore  homespun,  the  product 
of  the  family  loom,  woven  and  fashioned  in 
the  home  circle,  and  there  was  but  one  cloth 
manufactory  in  the  state,  that  of  Governor 
Paine  of  Northfield,  the  only  product  of 
whose  mills  was  exclusively  indigo  blue 
broadcloth.  Mr.  Jackman  has  lived  to  see 
an  entire  change  in  the  population  of  the 
town  of  Barre,  and  he  is  the  only  one  that 
remains  of  the  bygone  generation  of  Barre 
village. 

He  took  to  wife,  April  11,  1837,  Christina, 
daughter  of  David  and  Delia  (French) 
French.     Their  union  was  blesssd  with  four 


JACKMAN. 

sons  and  one  daughter:  Orvis  French  (a 
soldier  of  the  Union,  deceased  in  1885), 
John,  (leorge  W.,  Eveline  (Mrs.  F.  H.  Rob- 
erts), and  Charles  Edgar  (deceased).  Mrs. 
Jacknian  departed  this  life  in  1885. 


JAMES. 


219 


I    . 


1 


Mr.  lackman  has  always  been  a  Democrat, 
and  has  taken  an  acti^•e  interest  in  town  and 
county  affairs.  For  twenty-five  years  he  wa;-. 
sheriff  or  deputy  sheriff,  and  also  justice  cf 
the  peace.  He  was  strongly  in  favor  of  a 
resolute  prosecution  of  the  war  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  Union,  and  one  of  his  sons 
lost  an  arm  in  the  service.  Mr.  [ackman 
carries  the  cares  and  labors  of  his  four  score 
years  bravelv,  with  form  still  erect  and  his 
mental  faculties  unimpaired. 

JACKMAN,  HENR't' A.,  of  East  Corinth, 
son  of  Winthrop  '1".  and  .Mary  (Elkins)  Jack- 
man,  was  born  in  Barre,  Feb.  18,  1829. 

His  mother  died  when  he  was  four  years 
old  and  for  two  years  he  resided  with  an  aunt, 
then  he  was  compelled  to  push  his  own  way, 
working  on  a  farm  till  he  was  twenty-one 
and  obtaining  such  instruction  as  the  winter 
terms  of  the  district  school  afforded.  .After 
attaining  his  majority  he  went  to  Boston  where 
he  remained  nine  years  engaged  in  teaming. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  civil  war  .Mr. 
Jackman  enlisted  in  the  2d  Mass.  Light  Bat- 
tery. This  battery  was  first  stationed  at 
Baltimore  and  afterwards  sent  to  Fortress 
Monroe  and  witnessed  the  naval  contest  be- 
tween   the    Monitor    and    Merrimac.     Soon 


after  he  accompanied  the  command  to  Ship 
Island  and  New  (Orleans  in  General  Butler's 
expedition.  He  w'as  jiresent  at  the  first  at- 
tem])t  of  Farragut  to  cajiture  Vicksburg,  and 
afterwards  participated  in  almost  all  the  bat- 
tles and  hostile  expeditions  in  the  depart- 
of  the  Culf  including  the  successful  attack 
upon  Mobile.  When  his  term  of  service  ex- 
pired he  ])roni|)tly  and  patriotically  re-enlisted 
as  a  \eteran  volunteer, and  with  his  command 
marched  from  Mobile  to  .Montgomery  and 
thence  to  \'icksburg,  where  he  remained  till 
honorably  discharged  in  .Xugust,  1865,  after 
more  than  four  years  of  active  and  continuous 
service,  during  the  latter  part  of  which  he 
acted  as  quartermaster-sergeant. 

Soon  after  his  discharge  he  came  to  East 
Corinth,  and,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
purchased  and  carried  on  the  grist  mill  in  that 
place  for  four  years.  In  1876  he  moved  to 
Topsham  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
bobbins  and  spools  and  to  this  end  he  has 
just  erected  a  plant  that  promises  much  for 
the  future  prosperitv  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Jackman  was  married  at  Bradford  in 
October,  1869,  to  Mrs.  Nancy  (Crown)  Row- 
land, and  four  children  have  been  born  to 
them  :  .Alfred  C,  Winthrop  T.,  Henry  .\.,  Jr., 
and  Mary  E. 

He  is  an  ardent  Republican,  a  man  of  few 
words,  but  prompt,  decided  and  resolute  in 
action  and  with  a  persistence  that  in  the  end 
IS  bound  to  succeed  in  whatever  he  under- 
takes. He  has  always  avoided  rather  than 
sought  office,  as  the  demands  of  his  business 
are  imperative.  For  several  years,  however, 
he  served  as  selectman  and  represented  Tops- 
ham  in  the  House  in  1876.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  for  two  years  served 
as  commander  of  Ransom  Post,  No.  7,  of 
F^ast  Corinth. 

JAMES,  JOHN  A.,  of  Middlebury,  son 
of  .Samuel  and  Susan  (Payne)  James,  was 
born  in  Weybridge,  April  7,  1853. 

Descended  from  a  family  of  undoubted 
worth  and  respectability,  he  received  his 
earlier  education  in  the  schools  of  \\'ey- 
bridge  and  afterwards  studied  at  the  high 
school  of  Middlebury. 

His  chief  occupation  has  ever  been  that  of 
a  farmer  and  he  resides  on  the  old  homestead 
which  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the 
[ames  family  since  i  788.  Here  he  has  stead- 
ily jnirsued  his  calling  and  like  many  farmers 
of  his  county  gave  much  attention  to  sheep 
breeding,  but  in  recent  years  he  has  devoted 
more  efibrt  to  the  dairy,  and  breeding  of  fine 
horses.  His  property  yields  him  fine  returns 
and  he  is  one  of  those  who  find  farming  re- 
numerative. 

.Mr.  James  is  a  Republican  and  he  has 
been  honored  by  his  fellow-townsmen  with 
more  offices  than  he  cared  to  accept.     He 


JANES. 


JENNE. 


was  chosen  'representative  of  the  town  of 
Weybridge  in  1890  and  served  on  the  com- 
mittee on  agriculture.  While  in  the  House 
he  was  an  intelligent  and  conservative  mem- 
ber. 

He  was  married  in  \\'eybridge,  April  15, 
1874,  to  Orpha,  daughter  of  Philo  and  Eliza 
(Landon)  Jevvett.  Four  children  have 
blessed  their  union  :  Grace  E.,  Emma  C,  J. 
Perry  (died  in  vouth),  and  Samuel  E. 


to  follow  that  profession.  He  was  made  suc- 
cessively the  principal  of  the  graded  and  high 
schools  of  Northfield  and  of  Middlebury. 
His  popularity  and  success  in  these  posi- 
tions, and  his  superior  qualities  as  scholar 
and  instructor,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
college  authorities  and  his  services  were  en- 
gaged as  professor  of  Latin  and  French  in 
Middlebury  college,  and  he  has  occupied 
that  chair  since  1891. 

\A'hile  at  the  University  of  Vermont,  Pro- 
fessor Janes  was  an  active  and  prominent 
member  of  the  local  Delta  Psi  society,  and 
in  Boston  joined  the  Theta  Delta  Chi  frater- 
nity, of  which  he  has  ever  been  an  active 
and  loyal  member. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  has  been  actively  connected 
with  local  county  and  state  Christian  Endea- 
vor societies,  energetically  furthering  their 
work  and  usefulness  and  holding  their  high- 
est offices.  Though  one  of  the  youngest 
professors  in  the  state  he  has  won  the 
respect  of  all  who  have  come  into  contact 
with  him,  and  has  gained  a  wide  reputation 
in  social  and  educational  circles. 

JENNE,    James    Nathaniel,    of    St. 

Albans,  son  of  John  (Jilbert  and  Charlotte 
(Wordworth)  Jenne,  was  born  in  Berkshire, 
I  )ec.  2  I,  18^9. 


JOHN    A,   JAMES. 

Mr.  James  is  a  member  and  liberal  sup- 
porter of  the  Congregational  church  of  his 
town,  to  which  the  James  family  has  ever 
been  attached.  He  is  esteemed  a  true  and 
hearty  supporter  of  the  principles  he  pro- 
fesses, and  all  who  know  him  predict  for 
him  a  useful  and  honorable  career  in  his 
county  and  the  state. 

JANES,  Arthur  Lee,  of  Middlebury, 
son  of  Charles  W.  and  Mina  (Anderson) 
Janes,  was  born  in  Montgomery,  .•\ugust  22. 
1867. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools  of  St.  .-Mbans,  where  he  fitted 
for  college.  After  a  course  of  hard  and  un- 
remitting study  he  entered  the  University  of 
Vermont,  following  the  classical  course  in 
that  institution.  In  the  fall  of  1887  Mr. 
Janes  changed  the  scene  of  his  labors  to 
Boston  University,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1889.  During  the  time  that  he  was  thus 
employed  in  completing  his  education,  he 
had  at  intervals  engaged  in  teaching  with 
much  success,  and  on  graduation  determined 


JAMES    NATH 


Ha\"ing  recei\ed  his  preparatory  educa- 
tion at  the  Enosburg  Falls  graded  schools, 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
U.  V.  ^L  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1881. 


JENNINGS. 


He  afterward  attended  for  four  years  the 
regular  courses  of  the  Post  Graduate  Mediial 
School  of  New  York,  from  which  he  took  a 
diploma  in  1890. 

Dr.  Jenne  began  the  practice  of  medicine 
at  Georgia,  remaining  there  until  1887,  when 
he  established  himself  at  St.  .Albans,  and  at 
once  attained  a  high  standing  in  his  pro- 
fession, and  won  an  enviable  reputation  as 
a  skillful  surgeon.  Elected  a  member  of  the 
Franklin  County  Society,  Clinical  Society  of 
N'ew  York,  .American  Medical  .Association, 
and  the  Yermont  State  Medical  Society,  he 
was  made  president  of  the  latter  in  1890. 
Previous  to  this  date  he  was  a  member  of  its 
board  of  censors,  and  he  has  been  a  dele- 
gate on  several  occasions  to  the  societies  of 
other  states,  and  to  the  .American  Medical 
Association.  In  1890  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  board  of  consulting  surgeons 
of  the  Mary  Fletcher  Hospital,  to  which  ])osi- 
tion  he  has  been  elected  annually  since  that 
time.  In  1892  was  invited  to  fill  the  chair 
of  adjunct  professor  of  materia  medica  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  U.  Y.  M.,  and 
in  1893  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica. 

In  1889  Dr.  Jenne  was  commissioned  as- 
sistant surgeon  ist  Regt.  V.  N.  G.,  and  the 
following  year  was  promoted  to  the  office  of 
surgeon,  which  was  subsequently  followed  by 
his  advancement  to  the  position  of  brigade 
surgeon  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel, 
which  office  he  now  holds. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  F.  of  .A.,  and 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity ;  in  the  latter  or- 
ganization he  is  afifiliated  with  P'ranklin 
Lodge,  Champlain  Chapter,  and  Lafayette 
Cammandery. 

Dr.  Jenne  was  united  in  marriage  in 
September,  1883,  to  .Abbie,  daughter  of 
Hiram  and  Miranda  (Gilmore)  Cushman. 

JENNINGS,  Cyrus,  of  Hortonville,  son 
of  Justin  and  Harriet  (Hill)  Jennings,  was 
born  in  Hubbardton,  Feb.  23,  1838. 

Having  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  he  adopted  farming  as  his 
profession,  in  which  pursuit  he  has  been 
vigorously  engaged  to  the  present  time. 

Strongly  Democratic  in  his  political  faith, 
he  has  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen  to  such  an  e.xtent  that  they  have 
seen  fit  to  entrust  him  with  the  offices  of 
selectman  and  lister.  In  1876  he  was  called 
upon  to  represent  his  native  town  in  the 
General  Assembly,  which  honor  was  sup- 
plemented by  an  election  to  the  .Senate  in 
1890. 

Mr.  Jennings  was  united  in  marriage, 
Nov.  13,  1 86 1,  to  .Alice  E.,  daughter  of  N. 
H.  Eddy.  Four  sons  have  blessed  this 
union  :  William  .A.,  Edward  J.,  Elmer  E., 
and  Joseph  S. 


JENNINGS,  REV.  ISAAC,  late  of  Ben- 
nington Centre,  son  of  Isaac  and  Anne 
Beach  Jennings,  was  born  in  Trumbull,  Conn., 
July  24,  1816. 

\Vhile  yet  a  lad  he  removed  to  Derby  of 
that  state  and  there  his  early  days  were 
passed.  Having  obtained  his  preparatory 
education  in  accordance  with  the  admirable 
New  England  system  in  the  common  school 
and  preparatory  academy  he  graduated  from 
Yale  College  in  the  famous  class  of  1837, 
which  numbered  among  its  numbers  such 
prominent  men  as  Hon.  William  M.  Evarts 
of  New  York,  Chief  Justice  Morrison  R. 
Waite,  Hon.  Edwards  Pierpont,  Samuel  J. 
Tilden  and  others,  and  the  thoroughness  of 
his  mental  training  was  apparent  in  all  his 
after  life. 

F'resh  from  collegiate  honors,  he  com- 
menced the  active  career  of  life  as  the  prin- 
cipal of  a  school  in  Washington,  Conn.,  in 
iS37-'38,  but  transferred  the  scene  of  his 
labors  to  New  Haven,  where  he  took  charge 
of  the  Hopkins  grammar  school,  and  num- 
bered among  his  pupils  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight, 
afterward  president  of  his  alma  mater,  but 
he  soon  abandoned  the  profession  of  a 
teacher  to  study  for  the  Christian  ministry, 
pursuing  a  course  of  theology  at  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  and  subsequently  at  .Andover,  Mass. 
From  the  theological  seminary  of  the  latter 
place  he  graduated  in  1842.  Though 
earnest  in  church  work,  he  never  lost  his 
interest  in  schools,  a  fact  fully  substantiated 
by  his  connection  with  those  of  Akron,  ().. 
where  he  commenced  his  ministry,  becom- 
ing pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  of  that  city  June  14,  1843.  There 
he  labored  with  untiring  zeal  to  carry  out 
measures  of  reform  in  their  then  defective 
school  system,  and  his  energetic  efforts  were 
rewarded,  for  he  inaugurated  there  the  sys- 
tem of  graded  schools,  now  so  common 
throughput  the  country.  To  such  an  extent 
did  he  leave  his  impress  upon  the  interests 
of  education  in  that  section  that  he  has 
been  justly  styled  in  the  annual  reports  of 
the  board  of  education,  "The  Father  of  our 
Public  Schools." 

February  17,  1847,  he  was  married  to 
Sophia,  daughter  of  Matthias  and  Sophia 
(Loomis)  Day  of  Mansfield,  Ohio.  They 
had  nine  children  :  Isaac,  Jr.,  Walter 
Loomis  (deceased), Sophia  Day  (deceased), 
Frederic  Beach,  Matthias  Day  (deceased), 
Charles  Green  Rockwood,  Robert  Gould, 
Philip  Burton,  and  William  Bigelow. 

.After  a  successful  pastorate  at  Stamford, 
Conn.,  commencing  in  1847,  Mr.  Jennings 
removed  to  Bennington,  where  he  was  in- 
stalled over  the  First  Church  of  Christ, 
Bennington  Centre,  Sept.  21,  1853,  and 
here  the  remainder  of  his  useful  and  Chris- 
tian life  was  passed.      For  over  thirty-four 


JOUXsnN. 


223 


years  he  presided  over  his  Hock — a  typical 
"New  England  hill-side  ])arish,"  as  he  him- 
self quaintly  termed  it.  With  repeated  op- 
portunities to  go  to  larger  fields,  and  with 
prospects  of  larger  financial  gain,  Mr.  [en- 
nings  steadily  refused  to  leave  his  people  in 
historic  Bennington,  preferring  to  live  and 
die  among  them.  In  1859  he  made  a  Ku- 
ropean  tour  and  returned  with  fresh  vigor 
and  enlarged  powers  for  his  life  work. 

(Jf  his  published  writings  the  "Memorials 
of  a  Century"  is  probably  the  best  known, 
and  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  a  history  of 
Bennington  and  the  old  First  Church.  (Jne 
of  the  most  remarkable  pulpit  efforts  of  Mr. 
Jennings  was  his  centennial  discourse  deliv- 
ered in  the  old  church  on  its  one  hundredth 
anniversary  in  1863,  which  will  long  be  re- 
membered by  those  who  were  privileged  to 
listen  to  it.  Ever  zealous  and  active  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  credit 
of  the  town  from  the  inception  of  the  enter- 
prise he  took  great  interest  and  an  influen- 
tial part  in  the  erection  of  the  Bennington 
battle  monument.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber and  vice  president  of  the  association, 
and  a  member  and  secretary  of  the  board 
of  directors,  while  his  last  public  utterance 
pronounced  the  benediction  which  closed 
the  ceremony  on  laying  the  corner  stone  of 
the  monument.  A  model  pastor,  faithful  and 
beloved  to  an  eminent  degree,  a  public-spir- 
ited citizen,  an  enthusiastic  promoter  of  good 
works,  his  useful  and  Christian  life  was 
brought  to  a  close  .August  25,  1887. 

JENNINGS,  FREDERIC  B.,  son  of  Rev. 
Isaac  and  Sophia  Day  Jennings,  was  born  in 
Bennington  Centre,  August  6,  1853. 

.\fter  completing  the  preparatory  course 
he  entered  Williams  College,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1872  with  high  honors.  He  subse- 
quently studied  law  at  the  Harvard  Law 
School,  taking  his  degree  therefrom  in  1S74, 
and  from  the  University  Law  School  in  New- 
York  City  in  1875  ^^''^h  honors. 

Mr.  Jennings  entered  the  office  of  William 
M.  Evarts  in  New  York  City  in  1874,  where 
he  remained  in  successful  practice  several 
years,  after  which  he  established  his  present 
law  firm  of  Jennings  &  Russell,  30  ISroad 
street,  New  York  City. 

While  his  time  and  energies  have  been 
chiefly  devoted  to  his  law  practice,  many 
other  business  interests  have  shared  his  at- 
tention. Mr.  Jennings  is  the  vice-president 
of  the  .American  Trading  Company,  a  large 
and  prosperous  concern  engaged  in  business 
with  China,  Japan  and  London.  He  is  also 
vice-president  of  the  Bennington  &  Rutland 
Railroad  Co.,  and  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  North  Bennington.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Free  Library  Hall  at  Bennington,  as 
well  as  a  trustee  of   public  schools  in  the 


city  of  New  \ork,  and  a  director  or  trustee 
in  se\eral  other  business  enterprises  in  New 
Nork. 


Mr.  Jennings  married,  July  27,  1880,  Laura 
Hall,  daughter  of  Trenor  W.  and  Laura  W 
D.  S.  Park,  and  a  granddaughter  of  the  late 
(lovernor  Hiland  Hall.  Their  children  are  : 
Percy  Hall,  Elizabeth,  and  F"rederic  B.,  Jr. 

JOHNSON,  Leonard,  of  Pawlet,  son 
of  James  and  Ruth  (^^■illiams)  Johnson,  was 
born  at  Pawlet,  Nov.  28,  1828. 

Having  recei^■ed  the  u.sual  educational  ad- 
vantages of  the  common  schools,  he  was  a 
tiller  of  the  soil  till  he  arrived  at  his  majority, 
when  his  active  disposition  making  him  de- 
sire a  change,  he  entered  the  employment  of 
the  R.  &  W.  R.  R.  Co.  as  station  agent,  and 
has  continued  in  this  occupation  for  forty 
years. 

During  the  late  civil  war  he  acted  as  re- 
cruiting officer  and  assistant  ])rovost  mar- 
shal. 

In  1852  he  became  a  member  of  the  order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  joining  Hopkins  Lodge, 
Hartford,  N.  Y.,  and  he  has  been  a  Free  and 
.Accepted  Mason  for  thirty-fi\e  years. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  at  Pawlet,  Feb. 
26,  1857,  to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Harry  and 
Harriet  ^"iets.  Of  this  union  were  born 
three  children  :  Wayland,  R.  O.  .M.,  and 
.Anna  .A.  .As  his  second  wife  he  wedded 
Ellen,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Julia  Wright, 
of  Hartford,  N.  Y. 


In  his  political  career  he  has  been  re- 
peatedly elected  selectman,  and  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Pawlet  for  thirty-eight 
years.  Twice  has  he  represented  his  native 
town  in  the  state  Legislature,  and  been 
deemed  worthy  of  filling  the  responsibile 
position  of  senator  from  Rutland  county  for 
two  successive  terms.  In  all  these  positions 
he  has  never  failed  to  merit  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  by  those  through  whose  in- 
strumentality he  has  been  called  to  ofifice. 

JOHNSON,  RUSSELL  Thayer,  of 

West  Concord,  son  of  Ransel  and  Sally 
(Farmer)  Johnson,  was  born  in  Newark, 
April  4,  1S41. 


RUSSELL  THAYER  JOHNSON. 

The  public  schools  furnished  him  with  his 
early  educational  training  and  he  fitted  for 
college  in  the  Charlestown  (P.  Q.)  Acad- 
emy, after  which  he  studied  medicine  with 
Dr.  Charles  S.  Cahoon  of  Lyndon,  and 
graduated  from  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  Xew  York  City,  in  1867. 

Dr.  Johnson  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Stanstead,  Canada,  and  in  1869  he 
removed  to  Concord,  and  since  that  time 
has  had  an  extensive  practive  not  only  in 
that,  but  also  in  adjoining  towns.  In  1862 
he  enlisted  in  the  nth  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and 
served  nearly  three  years,  most  of  the  time 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  Sixth 
Army  Corps  and  since  1872  has  been  ex- 
amining surgeon  for  pensions. 


He  is  a  Republican,  and  was  member  from 
Concord  in  the  Legislature  of  1884.  In 
1886  he  was  vice-president  of  the  Vermont 
State  Medical  Society.  For  nine  years  he 
has  been  supervisor  of  the  insane.  He  has 
been  honored  with  several  town  offices,  and 
at  present  is  town  treasurer. 

He  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fel- 
low and  is  also  a  member  of  the  C.  A.  R., 
having  held  several  important  offices  in  the 
department  of  Vermont. 

Dr.  Johnson  was  married,  March  29,  1869, 
to  Asenath  A.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
.\lmira  (Currier)  Weeks  of  Wheelock. 

JOHNSON,    William    Edward,   of 

\\'oodstock,  son  of  Eliakim  and  Harrie  A. 
(Collamer)  Johnson,  was  born  in  \N'ood- 
stock,  June  26,  1841. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  at 
Kimball  Union  Academy,  Meriden,  N.  H., 
and  entered  Dartmouth  College  from  which 
he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1862. 

He  studied  law  with  Gov.  P.  T.  Washburn 
and  Hon.  Charles  P.  Marsh  of  the  firm  of 
Washburn  &  Marsh,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  \\'indsor  county  at  the  May 
term,    1865.     He    has    from    that    time    on 


WILLIAM    EDWARD    JOHNSON. 

been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Woodstock.  A  noticeable  thing 
in  his  legal  work  is  the  large  number 
of  cases  referred  to  him  for  decision,  and 
for  findings  of  fact,  more  perhaps  than  to 
any  other  lawyer  in  the  state.     Mr.  Johnson 


JONES. 


is  the  grandson  of  the  late  Hon.  Jacob 
Collamer. 

He  has  proved  his  business  capacity,  and 
is  a  director  in  the  Woodstock  National 
Bank,  the  Woodstock  Hotel  Co.,  and  the 
Aqueduct  Co. 

He  has  been  always  attached  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  and  was 
elected  to  the  state  Senate  in  iSSSi  From 
1872  to  1874  he  was  state's  attorney  for 
Windsor  county. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage, 
August  20,  1866,  at  Woodstock,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Philo  and  l^lizabeth 
M.  (Fitch)  Hatch.  Of  this  union  there  is 
one  child  :  Margaret  L. 

JONES,  Edwin  Kent,  of  South  North- 
field,  son  of  Daniel  and  Rhoda  (Pratt)  Jones, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Randolph,  June  4, 
1828.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  faniilv  of 
five  children,  and  his  mother  dying  when  he 
was  an  infant,  he  found  a  good  home  in  the 
household  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  .A.  Kent,  of 
Warren,  in  the  schools  of  which[place  he  re- 
ceived his  education. 


|»  -1^ 


EDWIN    KENT    JONES. 


He  removed  to  Northfield  when  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age  and  became  a  house  car- 
penter. He  erected  the  first  academy  and  a 
large  number  of  dwelling  houses  in  North- 
field  during  the  thriving  and  prosperous 
times  that  followed  the  advent  of  the  railroad. 
In  i860  he  went  to  South  Northfield  to  settle 
the  estate  of  his  brother-in-law,  George  S. 
Edson,  and  soon  after  formed  a  ]iartnershi]) 


with  his  uncle,  engaging  in  trade  and  at  the 
same  time  giving  some  attention  to  lumber- 
ing and  the  manufacture  of  chairs.  By  his 
various  enterprises  he  has  added  materially 
to  the  prosperity  and  welfare  of  the  village. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  Republican  in  his  politi- 
cal i)references,  has  served  the  town  in  vari- 
ous capacities,  as  justice,  selectman  and  as 
town  representati\e  in  1866  and  1867.  He 
is  the  author  of  the  militia  law  which  is  the 
basis  of  the  present  system.  In  1882  and 
1884  he  was  elected  senator  from  Washington 
county.  He  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  the  Dog  River  Valley  Fair  .Association  as 
its  treasurer  and  president. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  DeWitt  Clinton 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

He  was  married  I  )ec.  30,  1852,  to  Har- 
riet E.,  daughter  of  .Samuel  and  Harriet 
((Gardner)  Dodge,  of  Northfield.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom 
three  are  living  :  Fred  A.,  Susie  E.( deceased), 
Minnie  .A.  (Mrs.  E.  H.  Prince  of  Chicago), 
and  Jessie  A. 

JONES,  Henry  R.,  of  Benson,  son  of 
Henry  and  Lodema  (Crawford)  Jones,  was 
born  in  Shoreham,  Dec.  11,  1822. 

He  received  his  early  instruction  in  the 
public  schools  of  Shoreham  and  Newton 
.Academy  and  afterward  as  a  student  at  Burr 
Seminary  in  Manchester,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1844.  After  teaching  a  pri- 
vate school  for  one  year  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Joel  Rice  of  Brid- 
port.  He  attended  his  first  course  of  lect- 
ures at  the  medical  college  in  Castleton,  con- 
tinuing his  studies  with  Dr.  Joseph  Perkins, 
professor  of  obstetrics  and  materia  medica 
in  that  institution,  and  graduated  in  the  fall 
of  1849.  The  following  year  he  commenced 
his  professional  labors  in  New  Haven,  but 
left  to  attend  a  post  graduate  course  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New 
York  Citv.  Devoting  se\  eral  months  to  hos- 
pital practice  and  attending  lectures,  he  re- 
turned to  Vermont  and  settled  at  Benson, 
where  he  has  since  enjoyed  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice. 

In  educational  matters  he  has  taken  great 
interest  and  was  for  a  long  time  town  super- 
intendent of  schools.  Dr.  Jones  has  always 
voted  the  Republican  ticket,  both  national 
and  state,  up  to  the  time  of  President  Cleve- 
land's nomination  in  1884  ;  since  then  he  has 
been  independent  in  his  political  views. 

In  the  winter  of  1863  he  was  appointed  by 
Ciovernor  Holbrook  one  of  the  board  for  the 
county  of  Rutland  to  e.xamine  those  liable  to 
military  duty  with  a  view  to  selecting  the  fit- 
test subjects  to  choose  from  in  case  of  a 
draft.  He  represented  Benson  in  the  House 
in  the  years  1868  and  '6g,  serving  each  ses- 
sion on  the  committee    on  education,    and 


contributed  largely  to  obtaining  a  special 
charter  for  a  railroad  from  Fair  Haven  or 
Whitehall  to  some  point  on  Lake  Champlain. 
Early  in  its  history  he  became  a  member 
of  the  State  Medical  Society.  In  1884  he 
was  chosen  delegate  to  the  American  Medical 
Association  and   to  the   Burlington  Medical 


cultural  pursuits  chiefly  for  many  years,  cul- 
tivating the  estate  which  has  been  in  the 
family  for  over  a  century.  He  formerly 
made  a  specialty  of  breeding  Durham  catrte 
and  Merino  sheep,  but  of  late  years  has 
devoted  his  attention  more  especially  to 
sheep  and  horses.  Mr.  Jones  and  S.  S. 
Rockwell  originated  the  business  of  export- 
ing improved  sheep,  sending  away  the  first 
lot  in  1843.  This  enterprise  first  extended 
to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  in  i860  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  made  many  trips  west 
before  any  railroads  were  built  in  that  sec- 
tion, and  remained  on  that  coast  five  years, 
having  his  horses  and  sheep  shipped  to  him, 
his  headquarters  being  at  San  Francisco. 

Mr.  Jones  was  formerly  a  whig,  and  be- 
came a  Republican  when  that  party  was 
formed.  He  has  been  elected  four  times  to 
the  House  of  Representatives  from  his  town. 


College  at  its  annual  examination  of  students 
preparatory  to  graduation.  In  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Rutland  County  Medical  and  Sur- 
gical Society  he  took  an  active  part  and  was 
early  elected  its  jjresident. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Benson, 
May  18,  1853,  to  Louise  R.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Isaac  and  Louise  C.  (Chase)  Norton. 
Five  children  have  been  the  fruit  of  this 
union,  three  of  whom  still  survive  :  Emma 
S.,  Henry  R.,  Jr.,  M.  D.,  and  Charles  N. 

JONES,  ROLLIN  J.,  of  West  Corn- 
wall, son  of  Arnzi  and  Hepzibath  (Harvey) 
Jones,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  Nov.  12,  1819. 
His  mother  was  a  relative  of  James  Hervey, 
M.  A.,  one  of  the  most  popular  English 
authors  of  the  eighteenth  century.  His 
father  was  a  great-grandson  of  Benjamin 
Jones,  who  was  an  officer  in  the  F^nglish 
army.  His  progenitors  came  to  America  in 
the  early  settlement  of  the  country. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
common  schools  in  Cornwall,  and  afterward 
went  to  Hinesburgh  Academy  and  from 
thence  to  the  high  school  at  Saco,  Me. 

He  owns  one  of  the  most  productive 
farms  in  the  state,  and  he  has  followed  agri- 


ROLLIN   J.   JONES. 

in  1849,  1850,  1867,  and  1868,  and  three 
times  to  the  Senate,  in  1853,  1854,  and  1869. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention in  1857.  In  1870  he  accepted  the 
coUectorship  of  internal  revenue  for  the  first 
congressional  district  under  President  Grant, 
at  the  same  time  refusing  to  have  his  name 
considered  for  the  position  of  Lieutenant- 
tiovernor  of  the  state.  He  was  a  popular 
candidate,  having  never  been  beaten  in  con- 
vention or  at  the  polls,  and  has  declined 
being  a  candidate  for  many  important  offices 
that  seemed  easily  within  his  reach.  He  re- 
tired from  politics  early  in  life,  peferring  to 


JONES. 


227 


devote  his  time  to  the  management  of  his 
estate. 

Mr.  Jones  has  been  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  since  1840.  He  is  one  of  the 
board  of  managers  of  the  state  Baptist  con- 
vention for  helping  destitute  churches  and 
one  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  15a])tist 
State  Historical  Society.  He  has  also  held 
for  many  years  the  position  of  a  trustee  of 
Saxton's  River  Academy. 

He  was  married  in  Hinesburgh,  on  Sejjt. 
15,  1842,  to  Flora,  daughter  of  Sarah  and 
Austin  Heecher.  From  this  union  two 
daughters  were  born  :  Martha  Grace,  and 
AHce  May,  both  of  whom  died  in  youth. 

Mr.  Jones  has  been  a  liberal  contributor 
to  the  Sheldon  Museum  of  Middlebury.  He 
is  a  man  of  literary  tastes,  quiet  and  unas- 
suming in  his  manner,  yet  withal  possesses 
an  extended  acquaintance  and  is  largely 
influential  in  the  state. 

JONES,  Walter  Alonzo,  late  ot 

Waitsfield,  son  of  Hiram  and  Laura  (Car- 
penter) Jones,  was  born  in  Waitsfield,  July 
27,  1840.  His  father,  Hiram  Jones,  was 
prominent  in  town  and  county  affairs. 


WALTER    ALONZO      JONES. 


The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Mr.  Jones  were 
spent  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  he  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools, 
after  which  he  fitted  for  college  at  Barre 
Academy.  In  the  fall  of  186 1  he  entered 
the  University  of  Vermont,  but  was  obliged 
to  leave  in  his  sophomore  year  on  account 


of  ill-liealth.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
medical  college  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  i<S65, 
and  practiced  his  jirofession  for  a  short  time 
at  Fabius,  N.  V.,  and  afterwards  in  his  native 
town.  In  1868  he,  with  others,  bought  the 
somewhat  extensive  mercantile  business  of 
his  uncle,  and  this  soon  after  came  into  his 
liands  exclusively,  for  which  reason  he  relin- 
(|uished  the  practice  of  his  profession  and 
devoted  himself  to  business  piirsuits. 

Dr.  Jones  was  actively  identified  with  town 
affairs,  especially  interesting  himself  in  edu- 
cational progress,  and  to  him  more  than  any 
other  is  due  the  great  improvement  and 
enviable  reputation  of  the  schools  of  Waits- 
field. He  represented  his  town  in  1880  and 
1SS2,  serving  each  term  as  chairman  of  the 
grand  list  committee.  His  well  demonstrated 
capacity  for  affairs,  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held,  easily  gave  him  the  nomination 
to  the  state  Senate  in  1888.  This  was  his 
last  public  service. 

Dr.  Jones  was  a  leading  and  consistent 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
had  its  interests  always  at  heart.  For  four- 
teen years  he  acted  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school. 

He  married,  at  Waitsfield,  Nov.  17,  1869, 
Elvira,  daughter  of  Jedediah  and  Naomi 
(Joslin)  Bushnell,  and  of  this  union  there 
were  born  two  sons  :  Matt  B.,  and  Walter  E. 
Dr.  Jones  died  Feb.  9,  1892,  not  before  the 
people  of  Washington  county,  and  indeed 
of  the  state  of  Vermont,  had  learned  and 
appreciated  his  worth,  so  that  they  sorrowed 
for  the  loss  of  a  good  man,  a  valuable  citi- 
zen, a  wise  counsellor,  and  a  trusted  friend. 

JONES,   Walter    Frank,  of   West 

l^o\er,  son  of  William  H.  and  Diana  (AUis) 
Jones,  was  born  in  Do\er,  April  7,  1840. 

His  educational  advantages  were  obtained 
in  the  common  schools  of  Dover  and  at  Wil- 
mington high  school,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  i860.  After  the  completion  of  his 
studies  he  entered  his  father's  store  as  clerk, 
in  which  he  remained  for  some  years,  and 
then  took  charge  of  the  hotel  in  West  Wards- 
boro.  Remaining  there  a  year,  he  again 
returned  to  his  native  town  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  his  father  to  do  a  general 
merchandise  trade,  which  connection  lasted 
seven  years. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married,  April  23,  1862,  to 
Miss  .Annette,  daughter  of  Devi  and  Nancy 
(Rice)  Snow,  of  Somerset.  Of  this  union 
are  two  children  :  Orrin  H.,  and  H.  Jennie. 
Mrs.  Jones  died  Dec.  16,  1881.  He  was 
united  to  Martha  A.,  daughter  of  Wells  P. 
and  Mary  Ann  (Bowker)  Allis,  who  died 
Dec.  29,  1892,  leaving  one  child  ;  Martha  .V. 

Mr.  [ones  held  the  office  of  postmaster  for 
ten  years,  being  appointed  under  President 
Lincoln  in   1861,  and  from  time  to  time  has 


228 


filled  nearly  every  one  of  the  town  ofifices ; 
for  ten   years   he  was   town  clerk  and  treas- 


i 


^^*^ 


^kt, 


i«?S4>  ' 


urer.  He  was  elected  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly from  Dover  in  1888,  an  honor  which  he 
again  received  in  1892. 

JOYCE,  Charles  H.,  of  Rutland,  son 
of  Charles  and  Martha  E.  (Grist)  Joyce,  was 
born  in  Wherwell,  England,  Jan.  30,  1830. 

He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents 
in  1836,  and  settled  in  Waitsfield.  He 
worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  the  district 
school,  winters,  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
old,  when  he  left  the  farm  and  completed 
his  education  at  the  Waitsfield  and  North- 
field  Academies  and  at  Newbury  Seminary. 

He  was  a  page  in  the  Vermont  House  of 
Representatives  three  sessions,  assistant 
librarian  one  year,  and  librarian  one  year. 
He  taught  school  several  terms,  at  the  same 
time  pursuing  his  legal  studies  under  Hon.  F. 
F.  Merrill  of  Montpelier,  and  the  late  Col.  F. 
V.  Randall  of  Northfield.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Washington  county  at  the  Sep- 
tember term,  1852,  and  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Northfield  in  December,  1855. 
In  September,  1856,  he  was  elected  state's 
attorneyofWashington  county,  and  re-elected 
in  1857.  During  the  last  year  of  service  as 
state's  attorney  he  greatly  distinguished  hmi- 
self  in  the  prosecution  and  conviction  of  one 
Ariel  Martin,  for  the  murder  of  two  men  in 
Calais.  Hon.  James  Barrett  presided  at  the 
trial  and  '  Martin  was  defended  by  Paul 
Dillingham  and  Luther  L.  Durant. 


In  June,  1S61,  he  was  appointed  by  Gov. 
Erastus  Fairbanks  major  of  the  2nd  Regt. 
Vt.  Vols.  Infantry,  the  first  three  years' 
regiment  to  leave  the  state,  and  in  June 
following  he  was  promoted  by  Governor 
Holbrook  to  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  same 
regiment.  He  fought  gallantly  with  his  regi- 
ment in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  ;  at  Lees 
Mills  ;  at  Williamsburgh  ;  at  (lolden's  Farm  ; 
at  Savage  Station  ;  at  White  Oak  Swamp  ;  at 
the  second  Bull  Run  ;  and  at  Fredericks- 
burg. In  several  of  these  battles  he  was 
specially  mentioned  by  his  superior  officers 
for  gallant  conduct  upon  the  field.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1863,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  his 
commission  on  account  of  a  severe  disa- 
bility contracted  during  the  campaign  of 
1861. 

On  his  retirement  from  the  army  Colonel 
Joyce  removed  to  Rutland  and  resumed  the 
practice   of  his  profession.     At  the   March 


CHARLES 


term,  1869,  of  the  Rutland  county  court,  the 
case  of  State  against  Ziba,  Fred  and  Horace 
Plumley  for  the  murder  of  one  John  Oilman 
was  tried  ;  Colonel  Joyce  had  charge  of  the 
defence,  and  his  argument  for  the  respond- 
ents attracted  wide  attention  and  placed 
him  at  once  in  the  front  rank  of  jury  advo- 
cates in  this  state.  In  1874  he  was  engaged 
to  assist  the  state's  attorney  in  the  prose- 
cution of  John  P.  Fair  for  the  murder  of  one 
Anne  Frieze  at  Rutland  under  the  most 
horrible  circumstances.  The  case  attracted 
wide  attention  and  it  was  said  by  the  daily 


•  press  of  the  day  that  Colonel  Joyce's  closing 
argument  was  a  masterly  effort  and  highly 
appreciated  by  the  bar  and  the  vast  audience 
present  at  the  trial.  But  probably  the  great- 
est effort  ever  made  by  him  and  the  most 
splendid  victory  he  ever  achieved  at  the  bar, 
was  in  the  celebrated  case  of  Calvin  S.  Inman 
of  Poultney,  tried  for  the  shooting  of  Patrick 
Sennott,  at  the  September  term  of  Rutland 
county  court,  1889,  and  acquitted.  The 
colonel  made  the  closing  argument  for  the 
defence  and  during  its  delivery  the  large 
court  room  was  packed  with  people  from  all 
parts  of  the  county.  A  death-like  stillness 
was  preserved  by  the  vast  audience  until  he 
closed,  when  the  deep  murmur  of  applause 
showed  the  effect  produced  by  the  fiery  and 
eloquent  words  of  the  advocate.  The  Rut- 
land Daily  Herald  speaking  of  the  argument 
said  :  "  Colonel  Joyce  was  eloquent  and  im- 
pressive. It  was  the  effort  of  his  life.  He 
was  inspiring  ;  he  was  ])athetic  ;  and  with 
the  magical  witchery  of  a  silver  tongue  he 
painted  a  portrait  so  touching,  so  saddening 
that  at  times  there  was  scarcely  a  dry  eye  in 
the  audience.  Again  in  characterizing  the 
affray,  and  that  which  led  up  to  it,  he  gave 
full  reign  to  his  terrible  power  of  denuncia- 
tion." 

In  1869  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
state  House  of  Representatives  from  the 
town  of  Rutland,  and  in  1870  was  again 
elected  for  two  years,  during  which  time  he 
was  speaker  of  the  House.  In  1874  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  first  congres- 
sional district,  and  re-elected  in  1876,  1878 
and  1880.  Colonel  Joyce  took  an  active 
part  during  his  eight  years  service  in  the 
national  House  of  Representatives,  in  the 
discussion  of  most  of  the  important  ques- 
tions which  came  before  Congress.  In  1876 
he  made  speeches  on  the  death  of  Vice- 
President  Wilson  ;  on  the  presentation  of  the 
statue  of  Kthan  .Mien  ;  on  early  resumption 
of  specific  payments  ;  on  the  centennial  cele- 
bration of  the  American  independence  ;  in 
1878  on  the  repeal  of  the  resumption  act 
■and  the  remonetization  of  silver ;  on  the 
election  of  President  and  ^'ice- President  ; 
on  the  tariff ;  on  an  amendment  to  the  Mexi- 
can war  ]5ension  bill,  to  exclude  rebels  from 
the  pension  roll  ;  in  1879,  on  the  policy  of 
the  Democrats  in  forcing  an  extra  session  of 
Congress  by  failing  to  pass  the  regular  a]j- 
propriation  bills;  in  1880,  on  commercial 
reciprocity  between  this  country  and  Canada  : 
■on  the  alcoholic  liquor  tariff;  and  in  18S2, 
on  Chinese  immigration  ;  on  the  apportion- 
ment of  representatives  to  the  national  Con- 
gress ;  and  on  the  policy  of  the  government 
in  relation  to  pensions.  Many  of  these 
speeches  attracted  the  attention  not  only  of 
the  people  of  Vermont,  but  of  the  whole 
countrv  and  were  widelv  circulated. 


JLTDEVINE.  229 

In  jiolitics  Colonel  Joyce  has  always  been 
an  earnest,  thorough-going  Re])ublican,  antl 
has  in  every  presidential  canijiaign  since  1852 
done  effective  work  upon  the  stump  for  his 
jjarty,  not  only  in  Vermont,  but  in  New 
Hampshire,  Connecticut,  Indiana  and  New 
York. 

He  has  long  been  ranked  among  the  lead- 
ing platform  orators  in  the  country  ;  a  fine 
voice,  an  earnest,  im])ressive  manner,  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  his  subject,  and  a  firm 
conviction  of  the  truth  of  what  he  utters,  are 
among  the  elements  which  make  him  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  and  efTecti\  e  speakers  be- 
fore a  popular  audience  in  this  country. 

During  all  the  years  of  his  busy  and  labor- 
ious life,  in  his  profession  and  in  Congress, 
he  has  found  time  to  respond  to  all  the  num- 
erous calls  made  upon  him  for  the  4th  of 
July  orations,  addresses  at  agricultural  fairs. 
Memorial  Day  addresses,  and  lectures  upon 
a  great  variety  of  subjects.  He  has  always 
been  a  close  and  thorough  student  and  a 
keen  and  interested  obser\er  of  men  and 
things.  His  favorite  books  outside  of  the 
law,  are  the  Bible,  Shakespeare,  Milton,  Bun- 
yan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  Scott's  works  and 
I  )ickens',  while  history,  biography,  political 
economy  and  general  literature  make  up  the 
catalogue.  The  esteem  in  which  Colonel 
Joyce  has  always  been  held  by  the  people  of 
his  adopted  state  is  fully  shown  by  the  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  honor  to  which  they  have 
so  often  called  him. 

He  was  married,  Feb.  21,  1853,  to  Rouene 
Morris,  daughter  of  Gurdon  and  I.aura 
(Scott)  Randall,  of  Northfield.  Of  this 
union  there  are  now  living  one  son  and  one 
daughter.  The  son,  Charles  Pitt  F.,  gradu- 
ated at  Princeton  in  1887  and  at  Dartmouth 
Medical  College  in  1892.  The  daughter, 
Inez  Rouene  (educated  at  Tilden  Seminary, 
Lebanon,  N.  H.,  and  Temple  Grove,  Sara- 
togo,  N.  v.),  was  married,  March,  1877,  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  to  Theron  C.  Crawford 
of  Michigan. 

JUDEVINE,  Harvey,  of  West  Concord, 
son  of  Cornelius  and  Lucy  (Wetherbee) 
Judevine,  was  born  in  Concord,  March  28, 
1820.  The  name  of  Judevine  has  been  prom- 
inent in  the  annals  of  the  town  of  Concord 
for  almost  a  century.  Cornelius  Judevine 
came  thither  in  1805,  was  the  first  merchant 
who  settled  there,  and  had  a  large  and  pros- 
])erous  trade,  yet  he  found  some  leisure  to 
attend  to  public  affairs,  for  he  represented 
the  town  in  the  state  Legislature  twice. 
'I'he  maternal  grandfather  of  Harvey,  Ca]it. 
Samuel  \\'etherl)ee,  was  a  captain  in  the 
Revolutionarv  war  and  marrieil  Susannah 
Johnson,  who  with  her  father's  family  was 
captured  by  the  Indians,  .August  29,  1754,  at 
Charlestown,  N.  H.     She  had  a  sister  named 


Captive  (from  the  fact  that  she  was  born  on 
the  march  of  the  prisoners  to  Canada). 


Harvey  Judevine  passed  through  the  usual 
educational  course  in  the  common  schools, 


KELTON,  Francis  P.,  of  East  Mont- 
pelier,  son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Ursula  (Sprague) 
Kelton,  was  born  in  East  Montplier,  May  6, 
1841.  The  name  of  Kelton  has  been  well 
known  and  honored  in  this  town  for  three 
generations.  The  grandfather  of  Francis  P. 
settled  in  town  in  1798.  His  son  Samuel  S. 
Kelton  was  prominent  in  official  affairs  for 
sixteen  years  ;  was  assistant  judge  of  Wash- 
ington county  court  for  two  years.  He 
moved  to  Montpelier  in  1876  and  died  there 
March,  1892. 

Francis  P.  was  born  and  reared  on  the 
paternal  homestead,  receiving  such  educa- 
tion as  the  common  schools  afforded,  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  of  instruction  at  Dr. 
Spaulding's  .\cademy  at  Barre. 

He  married,  Jan.  19,  1876,  Joanna  A., 
daughter  of  Capt.  FMvvin  J.  and  Mary  ( Wig- 
glesworth)  Colby  of  Salisbury,  Mass.,  of 
which  marriage  there  is  issue  :  Mary  H., 
Raymond  A.,  and  Robert  S. 

IVIr.  Kelton  has  successfully  pursued  the 
vocation  of  a  farmer  on  the  farm  which  his 
father  occupied.  He  has  made  a  specialty 
of  dairy  products  and  raising  thoroughbred 
Jerseys.     Here   he  lives,  respected    by   his 


and  then  was  admitted  to  the  Concord  gram- 
mar school.  He  also  attended  the  academy 
in  Plymouth,  N.  H. 

At  the  time  of  his  majoritv,  Mr.  ludevine 
became  practically  the  superintendent  in  the 
management  of  his  father's  affairs  until  the 
death  of  the  latter  in  1862.  For  years  he 
has  been  in  active  business,  being  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  lumber.  He  is  best  known 
however,  as  a  real  estate  operator  and  farm 
manager  and  is  the  owner  of  a  very  exten- 
sive property  including  no  less  than  seven 
different  farms. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1846,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Florilla  Jane,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Josiah  Morse  of  Concord.  Their 
only  child,  Luthera  M.,  died  at  the  age  of 
sixteen.  Mr.  Judevine  contracted  a  second 
alliance,  Feb.  27,  r86i,  with  .Angle,  daughter 
of  P^benezer  and  Lepha  (Joslin)  Holbrook, 
also  of  Concord. 

Mr.  Judevine  is  a  staunch  Republican, 
and,  beginning  with  constable,  has  held  al- 
most every  town  office  and  is  now  chairman 
of  the  board  of  school  directors.  He  was 
representative  from  Concord  in  1865  and 
fifteen  years  later  senator  for  Essex  county, 
serving  in  the  Senate  on  the  grand  list 
committee. 

He  is  of  a  marked  and  original  personal- 
ity, serious  and  reflective,  but  with  an  under- 
lying and  spontaneous  vein  of  wit  and  humor.. 
For  nearly  half  a  century  his  influence  in 
town  affairs  has  been  extensive  and  contin- 
uous. 


FRANCIS    P.  KELTON 


231 


townsmen,  all  of  whom  recognize  his  private 
worth  and  hearty  interest  in  all  good  works. 
He  belongs  to  the  majority  party  of  the 
state,  has  been  selectman  and  held  other 
civil  offices,  as  well  as  representing  East 
Montpelier  in  the  state  Legislature  in  1S90. 

KELTON,  Truman  Chittenden,  of 

Flast  .Montpelier,  son  of  Xaum  and  Fanny 
(\'incent)  Kelton,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Montpelier,  May  11,  181 7.  The  father  was 
an  early  pioneer,  born  in  Warwick,  Mass., 
1778,  coming  to  Montpelier  in  1798.  He 
was  an  e.xcellent  farmer,  a  successful  teacher 
and  fiNe  times  a  representative  of  the  orig- 
inal town  of  Montpelier. 

The  son  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  learned  the  trade  of  a 
mason,  which  he  followed  for  more  than 
thirteen  years.  He  is,  however,  better 
known  as  a  farmer  and  business  man.  He 
has  successfully  cultivated  an  estate  of  more 
than  two  hundred  acres,  the  basis  of  which 
has  been  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Kelton 
family  for  nearly  a  century.  He  is  esteemed 
a  man  of  excellent  judgment  and  thoroughly 
conscientious  in  every  work  he  undertakes. 


CHITTENDEN 


Such  a  man  would  naturally  and  jiroperly 
be  sought  for  public  office,  accordingly  we 
find  him  acceptably  filling  the  positions  of 
town  treasurer  for  fourteen  years,  town  clerk 
thirty-one  years,  and  justice  of  the  peace 
twenty-five  years;  while  in  1863  and  1864 
he  was  called  upon  to  represent  East  Mont- 
pelier .in  the  Legislature. 


In  1S46  he  married  iMiieline  K.,  daughter 
of  Joel  and  Ruba  ( Metcalf)  Bassett.  Their 
marriage  has  been  blessed  with  six  children, 
fi\e  of  whom  survive:  Cieorge,  Herbert, 
Henry,  Fanny  (Mrs.  A.  1).  Coburn),  Walter 
(deceased),  and  Edwin,  all  residing  in  this 
vicinity. 

In  recent  years  he  has  acted  as  a  local 
counsel  in  business  affairs,  has  executed 
nearly  all  deeds  retjuired  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, performed  all  the  offices  of  a  convey- 
ancer and  settled  more  than  twenty-five 
estates,  some  of  them  in\ol\ing  extensive 
interests. 

KEMP,  Dean  GUSTAVUS,  of  .Montpelier, 
son  of  Phineas  .\.  and  Betsey  (Blanchard) 
Kemp,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Nov.  8,  1841. 


DEAN    GUSTA 


He  resided  with  his  father  until  he  was 
about  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  spent  his 
time  in  attendance  at  the  district  school  and 
in  hard  work  on  the  farm.  He  then  went  to 
.Montpelier,  and  became  a  pupil  in  the  Wash- 
ington county  grammar  school.  In  1S62  he 
entered  the  office  of  Dr.  W.  H.  H.  Richard- 
son, as  a  medical  student,  and  afterwards 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College  of  New  Vork  City, 
where  he  graduated  March  26,  1866,  and 
commenced  the  i)ractice  of  his  profession 
with  his  first  instructor.  Soon  after,  he  pur- 
chased the  residence  of  Ur.  Richardson  and 
succeeded  him  in  a  large  and  successful  prac- 
tice, which   he  retains   to  the  jiresent  time. 


KENISTON. 


Dr.  Kemp  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  ex- 
amining physicians  for  pensions  under  the 
administrations  of  Presidents  Garfield,  Arthur 
and  Harrison,  and  has  been  for  years  the 
treasurer  of  the  Vermont  Medical  Society  and 
was  its  president  in  iSS6.  He  has  been  sec- 
retary of  the  Montpelier  school  board  for 
several  years  and  is  a  director  of  the  Mont- 
pelier Electric  Light  and  Power  Manufact- 
uring Co. 

He  was  married  to  Annette  C,  daughter  of 
George  \V.  and  Laura  (Cadv)  Maxhani,  of 
Northfield,  Sept.  5,  1866. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  :  and  is  a 
member  of  Bethany  Congregational  church. 

KENFIELD,  FRANK,  of  MorrisviUe,  son 
of  Asaph  and  F^liza  (Shephard)  Kenfield,  was 
born  in  Sterling,  now  a  part  of  Morristown, 
March  13,  1838.  George  Kenfield,  the 
grandfather  of  Frank,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  .\saph  was  the  first  male  child 
born  in  Morristown,  and  followed  farming  as 
his  life  occupation.  He  was  born  June  26, 
1794,  and  died  Oct.  11,  1866. 


Frank  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  People's  Academy, 
MorrisviUe.  After  he  was  of  age,  he  went 
to  Massachusetts  for  a  year,  where  he  taught 
school  and  then  made  a  tour  of  observation 
through  the  West  and  South.  In  the  spring 
of  i860  he  returned  from  his  wanderings, 
built  a  saw  mill  at  Morristown  Corners  and 
commenced  the    lumber  business,   but  this 


was  interrupted  by  the  call  to  arms,  that 
resounded  through  the  land  in  1861. 

He  enlisted  Sept.  24,  1862,  as  a  private 
in  Co.  E,  13th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  was  immedi- 
ately elected  2d  lieutenant,  and  soon  after 
promoted  to  be  ist  lieutenant.  He  was  with 
his  regiment  every  day  of  its  service,  and 
when  General  Pickett  made  his  furious 
charge  at  Gettysburg  he  had  the  good  fortune 
to  capture  a  confederate  captain,  whose 
sword  is  still  in  his  ])ossession.  In  the  latter 
part  of  this  engagement  he  received  a  severe 
wound.  On  his  recovering  he  again  entered 
the  service,  recruited  Co.  C,  17th  Regt., 
was  commissioned  its  captain,  and  mustered 
in,  Feb.  8,  1864.  The  third  attempt  at 
battalion  drill  of  this  regiment  was  on  the 
bloody  field  of  the  Wilderness,  and  there 
Captain  Kenfield  was  again  severely  wounded, 
sent  to  the  hospital  at  Fredericksburg  and 
allowed  a  thirty-days'  furlough.  At  the 
battle  of  Petersburg  Mine,  July  30,  1864,  his 
company  was  almost  annihilated,  and  he  was 
captured  and  sent  to  Columbia,  S.  C.  After 
seven  months'  imprisonment  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Wilmington,  N.  C,  and  paroled. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  U.  S.  service,  Mav 
IS,  1865. 

Since  his  return  from  the  army  Captain 
Kenfield  has  been  actively  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits,  but  more  recently  he  has 
given  attention  to  farming  and  stock  and 
produce  buying. 

He  has  been  entrusted  with  nearly  every 
town  office,  and  was  sent  to  the  Legislature 
in  1884,  where  he  served  on  the  general  and 
military  committees.  He  was  influential  in 
securing  the  appropriation  for  the  soldiers' 
home,  and  was  appointed  one  of  its  trustees. 
He  holds  the  office  of  assistant  quarter- 
master-general of  the  department  of  Vermont 
( ;.  A.  R. 

He  married,  Sept.  5,  1866,  Lamott  C, 
daughter  of  Lomis  and  Catherine  Wheelock 
of  Montpelier  ;  she  died  in  1872,  leaving  one 
daughter,  Kate  B.  (Mrs.  Carl  Smith).  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1874,  he  formed  a  second  alliance 
with  Airs.  Margaret  Lyman,  daughter  of 
David  and  Ann  Cruller. 

Captain  Kenfield  is  a  member  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  and  has  served  as  commander 
of  J.  M.  Warren  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Morris- 
viUe. For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has 
been  numbered  among  the  brotherhood  of 
Free  Masons. 

KENISTON,  Nathan,  of  Greensboro, 
son  of  Nathan  and  Grace  (Currier)  Kenis- 
ton,  was  born  in  Cabot,  Feb.  5,  1816.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
and  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Cabot. 

The  son  received  his  scanty  education  in 
the  district  school  and  remained  at  home 
till  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he 


'-35 


removed  to  (jreensboro  and  was  em])loyed 
as  laborer  on  a  farm  in  that  vicinity,  but  be- 
ing desirous  to  see  something  of  the  world 
outside  the  narrow  circle  to  which  his  pre- 
vious life  had  been  limited,  he  walked  with 
a  companion  to  Boston,  a  distance  of  more 
than  two  hundred  miles,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  occupation  of  brick  making  in  the 
summer  season  while  he  drove  a  general 
delivery  wagon  between  Dover  and  Boston 
during  the  winter.  He  remained  in  Boston 
and  vicinity  about  five  years,  then  returned 
to  Greensboro,  where  he  bought  a  small 
farm  which  he  managed  most  successfully  in 
spite  of  the  serious  apprehension  of  his 
friends  that  he  would  fail  in  this  attempt, 
but  this  word  was  not  to  be  found  in  his 
dictionary  and  he  struggled  on,  bought  ad- 
joining land  — in  all,  five  hundred  acres— and 
devoting  a  large  part  of  his  efforts  to  dairy 
products,  brought  this  enterprise  to  a  pros- 
perous issue  by  his  unflagging  zeal  and  indus- 
try. In  addition  to  his  ordinary  occupation 
he  plied  the  trade  of  brick  mason  and  plasterer 
and  as  he  had  no  rival  in  the  place  he  did  a 
remunerative  business.  In  1858  he  bought  the 
grist  mill  at  Greensboro  \'illage,  made  exten- 
sive repairs  and  thus  had  another  source  of  in- 
come ;  not  content  he  added  to  his  other 
properties  a  saw  mill  privilege,  built  and 
equipped  the  mill  with  the  first  circular  saw 
ever  used  in  the  place,  then  took  as  a  partner 
Hiram  Blaisdell.  These  mills  they  afterwards 
exchanged  for  a  large  agricultural  property  in 
Hardwick.  Having  obtained  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  he 
abandoned  his  farm  in  Greensboro  and  built 
the  house  where  he  now  resides  in  Greens- 
boro Village  and  in  addition  erected  other 
dwellings  in  that  place  and  St.  Johnsbury. 

Mr.  Keniston  was  married.  May  4,  1845, 
to  Abigail,  daughter  of  Zaccheus  and  Jennet 
(.\twood)  Thompson,  who  died  Nov.  12, 
1866.  He  was  a  second  time  wedded, 
.August  19,  1868,  to  Mary  E.  Ellsworth, 
daughter  of  Charles  B.  and  Abigail  (Cobb) 
Field.  No  children  have  been  the  fruit  of 
either  union,  but  in  1848  he  adopted  Elloit 
F.  Rollins,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  war  of  the 
rebellion,  and  in  1871  he  adopted  Myrtle 
Thompson  who  died  about  two  years  later. 

In  political  choice  he  has  been  a  life-long 
Democrat,  yet  has  never  desired  or  sought 
preferment.  He  has  been  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  member  of  the  school  board  and 
highway  surveyor.  In  185  i  he  united  with 
the  Congregational  church  and  he  has  ever 
been  a  generous  donor  to  the  society  in 
Greensboro  as  well  as  a  liberal  contributor 
to  home  and  foreign  missions,  with  which  he 
has  especially  identified  himself  by  becoming 
an  honorary  member  of  the  .American  board 
and  making  Mrs.  Keniston  a  life  member  of 
the  .American  Home  Missionary  Society. 


Mr.  Keniston  is  the  last  survivor  of  a  very 
large  Bible  class  and  has  always  taken  a 
lively  interest  in  church  affairs,  but  his 
generous  heart  does  not  confine  itself  to  the 
outward  forms  of  religion,  for  his  kindly 
charity  is  extended  to  all  in  need  or  sorrow. 

KEYES,  Thomas  C,  of  Newbury,  son 
of  Freeman  and  Emeline  C.  (Jewett)  Keyes, 
was  born  in  Newbury,  Jan.  i,  1844. 

He  was  educated  chiefly  at  Newbury 
Seminary,  and  then  passed  through  a  course 
of  instruction  at  the  Commercial  and  Colle- 
giate Institute  of  New  Haven,  Conn. 

In  1864  Mr.  Keyes  was  admitted  as  a 
partner  in  the  mercantile  firm  of  F.  &  H. 
T.  Keyes  &  Co.,  and  since  his  father's  death 
in  1 87 1,  he  has  owned  and  continued  the 
business. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  sym- 
pathies, and  was  appointed  postmaster  in 
1875,  which  office  he  continued  to  hold  for 
ten  years.  He  was  elected  to  represent 
Newbury  in  the  House  in  1886,  and  has 
long  been  a  member  of  the  Republican 
town  committee. 

Mr.  Keyes  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov. 
24,  1 88 1,  in  Chicago,  III,  to  Martha  P., 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Hosmer) 
Morse,  of  St.  Johnsbury. 

KIMBALL,  ROBERT  JaCKSON,  of  Ran- 
dolph, son  of  Hiram  and  Jerusha  (Piradish) 
Kimball,  was  born  in  Randol])h,  Feb.  16, 
1836.  His  ancestors  were  English  and  his 
grandfather  and  great-grandfather  both  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  in  Col.  Samuel  B. 
Webb's  3d  Conn.  Regt.  His  grandfather 
removed  from  Pomfret,  Conn.,  to  Ranclol])h 
about  the  year  1795. 

He  was'  educated  at  the  West  Randolph 
.Academy  and  commenced  business  at  the 
early  age  of  thirteen  as  a  newsboy  on  the 
A'ermont  Central  R.  R.  :  was  afterwards  a 
telegraph  operator  and  expressman  and  has 
been  interested  in  telegraph  and  railroad  en- 
terprises to  a  considerable  extent  ever  since, 
and  is  now  director  in  the  old  Vermont  & 
Boston  Telegraph  Co.  He  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  at  Toronto,  Canada,  in 
1862  and  in  1865  established  a  banking  house 
in  New  York,  which  still  continues  as  R.  J. 
Kimball  &  Co.  In  1872,  owing  to  a  great 
decline  in  securities,  he  was  unable  to  meet 
his  engagements  in  full  and  settled  with  his 
creditors  within  forty-eight  hours  after  his 
failure  by  the  payment  of  twenty- fi\e  cents 
on  the  dollar  and  received  his  discharge 
from  any  further  obligation.  In  1881  he 
jiaid  the  other  seventy-five  per  cent  together 
with  nine  years'  interest  at  six  per  cent,  the 
whole  amounting  to  manv  thousands  of 
dollars. 

He     was    an    aid-de-camp     on    Governor 


234  KING. 

Dillingham's  staff,  i8S8  to  1890;  represented 
the  town  of  Randolph  in  the  Legislature  in 
1890  and  1 89 1,  and  served  on  the  committee 
of  ways  and  means,  banks,  and  special  joint 
committee  on  the  ^Vork^s  Columbian  Expo- 
sition, and  was  consular  agent  at  Toronto  in 
1864.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  State 
Republican  League,  also  the  Republican 
Club  at  Randol])h,  and  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Randolph. 

He  married  Martha  L.,  daughter  of  Charles 
A.  Morse,  in  1863. 

While  he  has  for  manv  vears  been  a  mem- 


ber of  the  Baptist  church,  his  liberal  support 
to  the  cause  has  not  been  confined  to  that 
denomination.  He  has  shown  his  gener- 
osity and  public  spirit  in  many  ways  in  differ- 
ent enterprises  in  his  native  town.  He  has 
a  home  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was 
instrumental  in  forming  a  flourishing  society 
of  Vermonters,  of  which  he  was  made  presi- 
dent, and  is  connected  as  a  trustee  in  various 
important  religious,  charitable  and  other  in- 
stitutions in  that  city.  He  has  maintained 
his  home  in  West  Randolph  since  1864. 

KING,  Aaron  N.,  of  Tunbridge,  son  of 
Kid.  Nathaniel  and  Lydia  (Noyes)King,  was 
born  in  Randolph,  July  i,  1820.  His  father 
Elder  King  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Tunbridge,  and  was  one  of  the  first  preachers 
of  the  Freewill  Baptist  denomination  west  of 
the  Connecticut  river.  So  marked  was  his 
abilitv  manv  were  the  revivals  that  followed 


his  preaching.  Through  his  efforts  largely 
was  the  first  conference  of  the  denomination 
organized  at  Tunbridge.  To  him  came  the 
committee  appointed  to  prepare  the  articles 
of  faith,  and  the  doctrines  outlined  by  him 
and  written  down  by  the  committee  were  the 
articles  of  faith  found  in  the  'IVeatise  of  the 
denomination.  He  preached  from  stumps 
in  the  woods,  in  barns  and  later  in  houses  of 
worship.  The  days  not  spent  in  preaching 
were  spent  in  labor  and  by  his  frugality  and 
industry  he  accumulated  a  large  property. 
He  represented  Tunbridge  in  the  Legislature 
thirteen  years  and  held  many  offices  of  trust,, 
he  found  time  however  for  study  and  was 
noted  as  a  Bible  student  and  theologian  in 
the  yearly  meetings  of  the  denomination  in 
this  state. 

Mr.  A.  N.  King  was  the  youngest  of  thir- 
teen children.  In  his  earlier  business  life  he 
was  a  farmer  and  was  succesful  in  this  pur- 
suit. 

December  2,  i84i,he  was  married  to  Eliza 
B.  Nutter  at  Northfield.     Two  sons  were  the 


fruit  of  this  imion  :  Heber  A.,  and  Millard  T. 
In  1854  Mr.  King  embarked  in  mercantile 
business  in  Tunbridge,  and  is  still  engaged  in 
it.  At  about  the  same  time  he  engaged  in 
banking  and  was  for  several  years  a  director 
in  the  Royalton  bank.  He  was  also  a  director 
in  the  Orange  County  National  Bank,  of 
Chelsea,  and  for  several  years,  until  its  suc- 
cessful close  in  I S93,  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Chelsea.  At  the  expiration 
of  the  charter  of  this  bank  the  National  Bank 


of  Orange  County  was  organized  through  his 
efforts,  and  he  was  elected  its  first  (jresident. 
He  has  nearly  completed  forty  years  ser\ice 
as  a  bank  officer.  He  has  bought  farm  after 
farm  until  he  is  one  of  the  largest  landed 
proprietors  of  Orange  county,  and,  at  an  age 
when  other  men  retire  from  active  business, 
is  continually  at  work  looking  after  various 
interests. 

He  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Republican  party  since  its  organization  and 
represented  'runbridge  in  the  Legislature  in 
1868  and  iS6g,  was  for  twenty-five  years 
postmaster,  se\  eral  years  town  treasurer  and 
has  held  other  offices  in  Tunbridge. 

His  elder  son,  Heber  A.,  was  early  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  his  mercantile  business, 
continuing  in  this  until  his  death,  Dec.  2, 
1889.  The  vounger  son,  after  getting  his 
education  at  Randolph  Academy,  entered  the 
store  of  his  father  and  has  for  a  long  term  of 
years  been  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
A.  N.  King  &  Son.  He,  like  his  father,  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Republican  party  and 
represented  Tunbridge  in  i884-'85  and  was  a 
senator  from  Orange  county  in  i888-'89.  Has 
been  treasurer  of  the  town  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  since  1881.  He  has  been  post- 
master several  years  and  is  a  director  of  the 
National  Bank  of  ( )range  County. 

KING,  Charles  W.,  late  of  Lunenburg, 
son  of  Willard  and  Laura  L.(Ladd)  King,  was 
born  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  9,  1832.  His 
father,  Captain  Willard  King,  was  an  old 
resident  of  the  place,  industrious,  frugal, 
conscientious,  and  ever  a  most  zealous 
worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance  and 
religion.  He  started  in  life  with  no  capital 
but  his  two  hands  and  an  axe,  cleared  for 
himself  a  farm  about  three  and  one-half 
miles  from  the  present  village,  and  there 
lived,  labored  and  reared  his  family  of  eight 
children. 

Charles  ^V.  was  early  trained  to  labor,  and 
his  opportunities  for  an  education  in  the 
district  school  were  but  meagre.  After  the 
crops  were  harvested  he  was  able  to  attend 
school  a  few  weeks,  boarding  at  home  and 
walking  seven  miles.  Hut  he  had  an  insa- 
tiable desire  for  knowledge,  and  every  spare 
moment  was  spent  in  reading  and  studying. 
He  taught  school  at  seventeen,  and  at 
twenty-one  was  elected  superintendent,  and 
for  several  years  was  an  important  factor  in 
educational  movements  in  his  town  and 
county.  Mr.  King  was  bred  a  farmer,  and 
to  this  occupation  was  given  his  chief  atten- 
tion, though  he  was  also  successfully  engaged 
in  other  business.  He  was  everywhere  re- 
cognized as  a  man  of  keen  insight,  at  once 
sure  and  rapid  in  his  conclusions,  and  of 
excellent  general  ability.    He  was  frequently 


KING.  23s 

trusted  with  the  management  and  settlement 
of  estates,  invested  funds  for  others,  and 
occupied  responsible  financial  positions  in 
large  enterprises.  January  18,  1884,  he  was 
elected  treasurer  of  The  Browns'  Lumber 
Co.,  of  VVhitefield,  N.  H.,  and  occupied  that 
position  till  his  decease.  He  was  for  a  long 
time  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  St.  Johnsbury,  and  was  in  his  last  years 
its  vice-president. 

Republican  in  politics,  as  such  he  repre- 
sented Lunenburg  in  1874,  and  served  on 
the  committee  on  education,  and  was  influ- 
ential in  abolishing  the  board  of  education 
and  electing  a  state  superintendent.  In 
1878  he  was  chosen  to  the  state  Senate  from 
Essex  county,  and  again  served  on  the  com- 
mittee on  education.  He  was  trustee  of 
Johnson  State  Normal  School  and  two  years 
county  road  commissioner,  also  many  years 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  all  of  the  varied 
and  private  trusts  committed  to  his  hands 
Mr.  King  was  faithful,  diligent  and  efficient, 
and  earned  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
associates. 

He  married,  Dec.  25,  i860,  Jennie,  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  and  Fannie  Chandler.  Their 
children  are  :  Charles  C,  and  Willard  G. 

Mr.  King  died  at  Whitefield,  N.  H.,  August 
12,  1S93,  regretted  by  all  to  whom  he  had 
become  known  by  his  public,  business  and 
social  life. 


KING,  Charles  M.,  of  Benson,  son  of 
Mosley  F.  and  Juliette  King,  was  born  in 
Benson,  Feb.  26,  1849. 

He  received  a  careful  training  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Benson  and  Barre  Academy, 
forming  the  industrious  habits  and  sound 
ideas  which  were  to  render  him  efficient  ser- 
\ice  in  the  events  of  his  after  life.  Like  so 
many  citizens  of  the  Creen  Mountain  state, 
Mr.  King  has  devoted  himself  to  farming  in 
the  town  where  he  was  born.  This  vocation 
he  has  jjursued  in  all  its  branches,  and  by 
patient  and  unremitting  toil  has  met  with 
merited  success,  attaining  a  high  position 
among  the  citizens  of  Benson.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  his  political  faith,  and  has  dis- 
charged acceptably  the  duties  of  selectman 
and  other  town  offices.  He  has  been  for 
many  years  a  director  of  the  Rudand  County 
.\gricultural  Society,  and  is  also  a  director  in 
the  Western  Vermont  Agricultural  Society. 
His  high  reputation  for  intelligence  and 
energy  met  with  a  fitting  reward  in  his 
choice  as  representative  of  Benson  to  the 
Legislature  in  1888,  where  he  manifested  the 
same  careful  and  attentive  consideration 
which  had  always  characterized  his  jirivate 
life,  in  his  attention  to  his  legislative  duties, 
giving  his  services  to  the  committee  on  agri- 
culture. 


236  KING 

Mr.  King  united  with  the  M.  E.  Church  in 
1 88 1,  and  is  now  filHng  the  office  of  one  of 
its  stewards. 


He  was  married  at  Fair  Ha\en,  March  31, 
1880,  to  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Dorcas  (Kenyon)  Fish.  They  have  one  daugh- 
ter and  one  son  :  Candace  1).,  and  Carl  F. 

KING,  Royal  Daniel,  of  Benson,  son 
of  Horace  and  Eunice  (Belden)  King,  was 
born  in  Benson,  Nov.  17,  1S24.  His  grand- 
father, a  Revolutionary  veteran,  after  the  war 
of  independence  moved  from  Connecticut 
and  settled  in  the  town  of  Benson. 

Mr.  Royal  D.  King  received  his  prelim- 
inary instruction  in  district  and  pri\ate 
schools,  fitted  for  college  at  Castleton  Sem- 
inary, and  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Vermont  in  1846.  His  life  has  been  mainly 
de\'oted  to  the  profession  of  teaching,  though 
he  spent  some  time  in  the  law  office  of 
Smalley  &  Phelps  of  Burlington.  He  has 
been  an  instructor  both  in  his  native  state 
and  in  Illinois. 

His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for 
Henry  Clay,  and  he  has  acted  with  the  Re- 
publican party  since  its  inception.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  public  work  of 
Benson,  serving  for  a  long  period  as  town 
superintendent  of  schools,  and  being  select- 
man at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he  was 
especially  energetic  in  the  enlistment  of 
soldiers,  till  he  himself  was  mustered  into  the 
United   States  service  Sept.  10,  1862,  in  Co. 


D,  14th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  with  which  command 
he  honorably  ser\-ed  till  after  the  victory  of 
Crcttysburg,  when  he  w-as  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment  July  30,  1863. 

Mr.  King  received  the  compliment  of  an 
election  as  representative  from  Benson  to  the 
Legislature  in  1852  and  1854  and  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  committee  on  edu- 
cation in  both  sessions.  He  was  reappointed 
town  superintendent  and  held  the  position 
up  to  March,  1880.  He  was  also  elected 
senator  from  Rutland  county  in  1880,  where 
he  again  served  on  the  committee  on  educa- 
tion and  also  on  that  of  the  librarv. 


For  several  years  he  was  secretary  of  .Aca- 
cia Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

KINGSLEY,    Jerome    Orlando,  of 

.Athens,  son  of  Billy  Gray  and  Lucy  ( Pal- 
mer) Kingsley,  was  born  in  South  Wood- 
stock, Sept.  29,  1822. 

Receiving  a  limited  education  in  the  dis- 
trict and  select  schools  of  South  Woodstock, 
he  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  teaching  in  district  schools 
during  the  winter  and  laboring  on  the  farm 
in  summer.  In  1849  Mr.  Kingsley  went  to 
Plymouth  and  bought  a  farm,  where  he 
lived  eleven  years,  during  which  period  he 
held  the  offices  of  first  selectman  and  super- 
intendent of  schools  for  three  and  four 
years  respectively.  In  i860  he  sold  his  farm 
property  and  purchased  an  estate  in  Chester 
in  1 86 1,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years, 


until  i86S,  acting  as  selectman  during  two 
years  of  his  residence  in  that  place.  He 
then  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to  Athens, 
where  he  has  since  lived. 

In  1870  he  was  the  delegate  from  .Athens 
to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  repre- 
sented the  town  in  1870  and  1884.     He  has 


I.ANDON.  237 

discharged  the  duties  of  lister  and  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  selectman  for  several  years. 
Mr.  Kingsley  was  married  on  the  29th 
day  of  March,  1849,  to  Angeline  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Rebecca  (Eaton)  Sargent. 
Of  this  union  there  was  one  child  :  Eugene 
S.     His  wife  died  .August  27,  1884. 


LADD,  Chester  M.,  of  Worcester,  son 
of  Mark  !'.,  and  Harriet  (Hildreth)  Ladd, 
was  born  in  Worcester,  March  16,  1848.  In 
early  life  his  father  was  a  Methodist  preacher, 
and  later  a  large  and  successful  farmer,  still 
continuing  occasionally  to  labor  in  the 
former  vocation  in  Worcester. 

The  son  divided  his  time  during  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  between  farm  labor  and  an 
attendance  of  the  schools  of  Worcester,  and 
upon  the  death  of  his  father,  went  to  Chicago, 
where  in  connection  with  his  brother  he 
established  a  mercantile  business  and  also 
dealt  in  real  estate.  In  1882,  on  account  of 
the  failure  of  his  wife's  health,  he  returned 
to  Worcester  and  bought  the  large  lumber 
mill  which  he  has  since  conducted  with  an 
ability  that  has  met  with  well-deserved  suc- 
cess. His  business  has  steadily  increased 
and  he  is  now  able  to  turn  out  one  million 
feet  of  lumber  annually.  At  the  same  time 
he  is  an  agriculturist,  owning  an  excellent 
meadow  farm  which  he  cultivates  with  in- 
dustry and  care,  thus  giving  to  himself  a 
pleasant  rural  home. 

Mr.  Ladd  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  and  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
allegiance.  He  represented  Worcester  in 
the  Legislature  of  1892,  serving  on  the  com- 
mittee of  highways.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  and  has  held  other  town 
offices. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  2,  186S, 
to  Ella  S.,  daughter  of  William  and  Lydia 
(Carr)  Bruce  of  Worcester.  They  have  two 
children  :  Mildred  E.,  and  Mark  P. 

LANDON,  Mills  J.,  of  New  Haven, son 
of  Elisha  H.  and  Charlotta  (Hoyt)  Landon, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  Dec.  14,  1845. 

He  received  his  education  at  Beeman 
Academy  at  New  Haven,  and  Black  River 
Academy  at  Ludlow.  He  is  and  always  has 
been  a  practical  farmer  and  dealer  in  young 
stock.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  dairy 
business,  breeding  Durham  cows  to  quite  an 
extent,  has  a  well-laid-out  and  productixe 
farm  which  he  carefully  cultivates,  and  is  one 
of  the  successful  farmers  of  Vermont. 

In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican  and 
has  held  many  town  offices,  including  select- 
man, lister,  and  justice  of  the  peace,  which 
last  position  he  has  held  for  many  years  past. 
He  represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature 


of  1886,  and  ser\ed  on  the  committee  on  the 
grand  list.  While  there  he  made  a  most 
conservative  record,  and  reflected  credit 
upon  the  place  of  his  nativity. 

Mr.  Landon  is  a  Free  Mason  and  is  affili- 
ated with  Libanos  Lodge,  No.  47.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
since  1868,  and  has  held  for  many  years  the 
position  of  treasurer  of  the  society.  He  also 
served  as  chairman  of  the  building  commit- 
tee of  the  beautiful  church  recently  erected 
in  New  Haven. 

He  was  married  on  Feb.  25,  1868,  to 
Harriet  L.,  daughter  of  Deacon  Oliver  and 
Louisa  Dexter,  of  Windham  county,  of  this 
marriage  three  children  survive  :  Charlotta  L., 
Mary  Ann  F.,  and  Ralph  Dexter. 

Mr.  Landon  is  a  man  of  energy  and  un- 
questioned integrity.  He  is  yet  in  the  prime 
of  life  and  has  a  career  in  the  future  as  one 
of  the  leading  men  of  his  town  and  county. 

LANDON,  O.  B.,  of  Johnson,  son  of 
John  S.  and  Lucy  (Hinckley)  Landon,  was 
born  in  South  Hero,  June  28,  1839. 

He  attended  the  common  and  private 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  this,  with  three 
months'  instruction  at  the  Commercial  Col- 
lege of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  completed  his 
education. 

Mr.  Landon  labored  as  a  farmer  in  South 
Hero  till  he  was  nearly  thirty  years  of  age 
and  then  took  up  his  abode  in  Colchester, 
w'here  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber and  land  plaster.  Remo\  ing  to  Milton, 
for  seventeen  years  he  continued  in  the  same 
employment  and  also  conducted  an  exten- 
sive grist  mill.  In  Johnson  for  some  time 
he  has  been  doing  a  business  in  feed  and 
western  grain,  but  his  chief  enterprise  has 
been  the  erection  of  a  creamery  in  connec- 
tion with  his  mill.  This  he  commenced  to 
operate  in  1892,  and  he  has  increased  the 
original  capacity  of  the  plant,  w-hich  was 
5,000  pounds  of  milk  daily  to  nearly  five 
times  that  amount.  By  his  careful  and  sys- 
tematic management  it  is  calculated  that 
thirty  per  cent  more  product  is  realized  than 
under  the  old  system. 

He  married,  jime  4,  1867,  Alice  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Horatio  and  Beulah  (Bliss)  Chapin 
of  Williston,  who  has  borne  him  two  chil- 
dren ;  Persis  L.,  and  Wilbur  .A. 


Mr.  Landon  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  in 
Co.  C,  1 2th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  commanded  by 
Col.  .\.  P.  Blunt,  served  out  his  term  and  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge  when  the 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  a  member  of  Old 
Brigade  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Johnson.  Though 
an  ardent  Republican  he  has  never  sought 
for  nor  accepted  any  political  ofifice. 

LANE,  Edwin,  of  Lanesboro,  son  of 
Willis  and  Laura  (Cutler)  Lane,  was  born  in 
Barre,  April  2,  1835. 

His  father  moved  to  Orange  when  he  was 
a  child,  and  he  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  that  town  and  at  Barre 
Academy.  Soon  after  attaining  his  majority, 
he  was  engaged  for  six  years  in  building  at 
Barre,  and  later  in  the  wood  and  lumber 
trade  at  Montpelier.  In  1867  he  desired  to 
see  something  of  the  world,  and  visited  the 


state  of  Michigan  on  a  tour  of  inspection, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  millwright  and  su- 
perintendent. Two  years  afterwards,  he 
built  a  steam  mill  in  Marshfield,  and  soon 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  father,  which 
continued  about  twelve  years.  He  then  form- 
ed a  partnership  with  his  uncle,  Dennis  Lane, 
which  continued  till  the  death  of  the  latter, 
and  entered  upon  a  similar  enterprise  at 
Montpelier,  running  the  Pioneer  Mills  of 
that  place,  and  finally  located  his  business 
at  Lanesboro,  where  he  has  built  up  a  large 
and  successful  lumber  business.     During  his 


residence  at  South  Marshfield,  in  two  years 
his  mills  were  thrice  burned,  and  a  man  with 
less  courage  and  determination  would  have 
surrendered  himself  to  despair  ;  and  again 
in  1892  he  suffered  a  loss  of  §7,000  by  the 
destruction  of  his  plant  at  Lanesboro,  but 
his  energy  and  force  of  character  were  now 
called  into  action,  and  in  less  than  two 
months  the  present  large,  convenient  and 
well  appointed  mill  was  constructed.  He 
has  always  been  considerate  in  his  treatment 
of  his  employes,  and  consequently  has  never 
suffered  from  the  inconvenience  of  a  strike. 

Mr.  Lane  was  united  in  marriage  in  De- 
cember, i860,  to  .\nn  L.,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Ann  Perrin,  who  died  two  years 
after  their  union.  He  contracted  a  second 
alliance  with  Lilian,  daughter  of  Jerry  and 
Mary  U'ebber  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  with 
whom  he  lived  eleven  years.  In  1881  he 
married  Lffie  P.,  daughter  of  Nathan  and 
Philena  Skinner,  who  passed  from  earth 
January,  1893.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  one 
child  :  Lilian  A.  Lane.  Of  the  second  mar- 
riage there  were  issue  :  /\rthur  E.,  Glen  C. 
(Mrs.  Charles  M.  Bennett  of  Montpelier), 
and  Fred  C.  Hallie  E.,  and  Efifie  were  the 
children  of  his  last  marriage. 

Mr.  Lane  was  Republican  in  his  politics, 
but  with  one  exception  has  always  refused 
the  honors  of  office.  He,  however,  con- 
sented to  represent  the  town  of  Marshfield 
in  the  Legislature  of  1892. 

He  is  a  Free  Mason,  affiliated  with  Granite 
Lodge,  No.  24,  of  Barre. 

LANE,  HENRY  Clark,  of  Westminster, 
son  of  Ithamar  and  Lucinda  (Clark)  Lane, 
was  born  in  ^Vestminster,  Jan.  26,  1824. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  Walpole 
Academy,  Walpole,  N.  H.,  from  which  after 
a  four  years  course  he  graduated  at  the  head 
of  his  class.  Mr.  Lane's  ambition  was  to 
qualify  himself  for  a  professional  life,  but 
upon  his  graduation  the  duties  of  a  son  to  an 
invalid  father  so  strongly  impressed  him, 
that  he  voluntarily  relinquished  his  ambitious 
hopes  and  assumed  the  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities of  his  father's  estate,  which  he  found, 
in  consequence  of  his  parent's  ill-health,  to 
be  seriously  burdened  with  debt.  Having 
decided  as  to  what  was  his  present  duty,  he 
applied  himself  to  the  work  and  in  due  time 
the  obligations  were  fully  discharged.  He 
had,  however,  now  reached  that  age  which 
made  it  practically  impossible  for  him  to 
take  up  and  prosecute  his  studies  again 
with  any  hope  of  realizing  his  early  ambition, 
and  finding  farming  a  congenial  pursuit  he 
continued  to  follow  this  vocation  until  the 
age  of  thirty,  when  he  gave  his  attention  to 
the  settlement  of  estates  and  devoted  him- 
self largely  to  the  public  affairs  of  the  town. 


In  1866,  Mr.  Lane  was  elected  a  select- 
man and  held  that  ofifice  continuously  for 
twelve  years,  during  which  time  the  state 
erected  the  William  French  monument,  and 
the  management  was  given  by  (Governor 
Converse  into  his  hands,  which  duties  he 
discharged  with  credit  to  himself,  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  state.  Republican  in  his 
political  creed  he  was  elected  in  1874  a 
justice  of  the  peace  and  has  continued  in 
this  office  to  the  present  date,  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  any  other  justice  in  this  section 
of  the  state  has  heard  so  many  cases  as  he 


HENRY    CLARK    LAKE. 


has.  Mr.  Lane  has  an  unusual  faculty  for 
financial  affairs  and  in  1881  was  elected  a  trus- 
tee in  the  Bellows  Falls  Saving  Institution, 
in  1 88 2  was  advanced  to  its  presidency,  and 
has  continued  to  fill  that  postion  to  the 
present  time. 

He  was  married,  Sept.  11,  1850,  to  Mary 
P.,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Elizabeth 
T.  (Peniman)  Nutting.  Of  this  union  were 
four  children  :  Fred  L,  Emma  E.,  Caroline 
L,,  and  Nellie  V.,  all  of  whom  are  married. 
Mrs.  Lane  died  March  19,  1874. 

LANE,  Henry  James,  of  F:ast  Burke, 
son  of  Sylvanus  and  Martha  (Balch)  Lane, 
was  born  in  Lunenburg,  March  i,  1855. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  in 
the  public  and  graded  schools  of  Lunenburg, 
entered  the  L'.  V.  I\L  in  1881,  and  four  years 
later  graduated  from  the  classical  depart- 
ment. In  1887  he  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  from  the  Burlington  Medical  College, 


I.AIHKOP.  239 

antl  soon  after  fi.ved  his  abode  at  East  Burke 
where  he  entered  u]ion  the  practice  of  his 
profession  and  where  he  still  continues  to 
reside. 

Born  and  reared  upon  a  farm,  during  his 
educational  career  he  partially  gained  his 
support  by  employment  as  a  clerk  at  Burke 
in  the  intervals  of  study.  Dr.  Lane  has  been 
appointed  to  serve  on  the  state  l^oard  of 
health  and  is  s])ecial  health  officer  for  Burke 
and  East  Haven,  has  been  made  su])erin- 
tendent  of  schools,  and  in  1892  was  elected 
as  a  Republican  to  the  lower  branch  of  the 
Legislature,  where  he  was  a  member  of  the 
joint  special  committee  for  public  health  and 
reform,  also  on  special  committee  on  elec- 
tions in  Caledonia  county. 

May  20,  1876,  he  espoused  Sarah  E.  Phil- 
lips. By  her  he  has  had  issue  :  Jessie  E., 
and  Charles  S. 

Dr.  Lane  is  an  ardent  advocate  and 
staunch  supporter  of  the  cause  of  tem])erance 
and  served  on  several  special  committees  in 
the   Legislature   appointed   to   consider   this 


important  subject.  In  his  religious  creed 
he  is  Congregational,  and  is  a  member  of 
LTnion  Lodge,  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  I.yndon- 
ville.  He  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
order  of  Cood  Templars  and  by  all  means 
in  his  power  labors  to  advance  the  cause  of 
total  abstinence  and  prohibition. 

LATHROP,  Cyrus  U.,  of  Williams- 
town,  son  of  Urbane  and  Eliza  (Wiggins) 
Lathrop,  w-as  born  in  Chelsea,  Oct.  31,  1839. 


240 


LATHROP. 


He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six 
children,  and  his  mother,  left  a  widow  when 
he  was  only  three  years  of  age,  by  great 
industry  and  prudence  managed  to  keep  the 
family  together.  Cyrus  commenced  at  the 
common  school,  and  by  strong  personal 
effort  was  enabled  to  continue  his  studies  at 
the  Chelsea  and  Newbury  Academies.  At 
.  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  purchased  a  farm 
at  Williamstown,  and  the  cultivation  of  this 
estate    has    been    his    principal    occupation 


ever  since.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
the  formation  of  the  Williamstown  Granite 
Co.,  and  chairman  of  the  board  of  railroad 
commissioners  for  the  town  of  Williamstown 
in  their  bonding  and  contracting  for  their 
railroad,  and  is  at  present  chairman  of  the 
Williamstown  Construction  Co.  He  has 
settled  many  estates  and  gives  an  active 
support  to  every  wise  measure  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  interests  of  the  town. 

When  the  Union  of  the  states  was  threat- 
ened with  dissolution  by  the  slave  aristoc- 
racy, Mr.  Lathrop  determined  to  battle  for 
his  country's  flag,  and  he  enlisted  for  three 
years  in  Co.  C,  Sth  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  under 
the  leadership  of  General  Stephen  Thomas. 
He  followed  the  standard  of  his  regiment  in 
every  engagement  after  his  enlistment  until 
the  war  was  ended,  and  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge  from  his  military  duties 
in  June,  1865. 

He  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  Republican, 
and  been  thought  worthy  by  his  party  to 


hold  many  responsible  offices  in  town  and 
county.  For  four  years  he  was  associate 
judge  of  the  Orange  county  court,  and  in 
1892  was  elected  to  represent  Williamstown 
in  the  present  Legislature. 

Judge  Lathrop  is  a  comrade  in  the  G.  A. 
R.  He  was  a  member  of  Waterson  Post, 
No.  45,  of  Chelsea,  but  later  became  charter 
member  and  commander  of  William  Wells 
Post,  No.  113,  of  Williamstown. 

November  24,  1861,  Judge  Lathrop  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Frances  A.,  daughter 
of  Denison  and  Eliza  (Luce)  Hopkins,  of 
Williamstown.  One  son,  Frank  D.,  has  been 
the  fruit  of  this  marriage. 

LAVIGNE,  JOSEPH  W.,  of  Winooski, 
son  of  Henri  and  Francoise  (Beausoleil) 
Lavigne,  was  born  in  the  town  of  St.  Da- 
masse,  district  of  St.  Hyacinth,  Province 
(Quebec,  July  14,  1844. 


In  1848,  the  father  with  his  family  came 
to  Williston,  where  they  continued  to  live 
till  1852.  He  then  moved  to  Essex,  and 
remained  there  two  years.  From  this  place 
he  removed  to  Indiana  and  remained  two 
years,  coming  back  to  Essex  in  1856,  where 
they  lived  till  1864.  In  Essex,  Joseph,  as  a 
boy  and  young  man,  attended  the  common 
schools  and  the  classical  institute,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  which  he  subsequently 
improved  by  reading  and  studying  at  home. 
From  the  age  of  sixteen  till  he  reached 
twenty-four,    he   assisted  his  father    in    the 


241 


manufacture  and  sale  of  brick.  In  iiS72  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  |.  &  J.  Rogers 
Iron  C'o.  of  Ausable  Forks,  N.  V.,  in  the 
brick  manufacturing  business,  where  he 
continued  about  thirteen  seasons.  He  then 
entered  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of 
George  W.  Kelley  of  Burlington.  .At  the  end 
of  a  year  he  established  himself  in  a  retail 
grocery  store  in  Winooski,  where  he  has 
carried  on  the  business  ever  since,  and  in 
which  he  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative 
trade.  In  this  business,  as  well  as  in  his 
previous  career,  he  has  earned  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  an  honest  and  upright  man. 
These  qualities,  together  with  good  business 
qualifications  and  sound  judgment  induced 
his  fellow-townsmen  to  elect  him  to  various 
town  and  village  offices,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  that  of  member  of  the  board 
of  school  commissioners,  which  he  held  for  a 
period  of  eight  years,  selectman,  grand  juror, 
trustee  of  the  village,  and  town  representa- 
tive, which  he  was  elected  in  1892.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  a 
hard  worker  and  influential  member  in  the 
local  councils  of  the  party. 

In  1865  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Adeline  Desautels,  daughter  of  Francis  and 
Julia  (Le  Claire)  Desautels  of  St.  Jean 
Baptiste,  P.  Q.,  on  the  2 1  st  day  of  April.  By 
her  he  had  three  children  :  Helen  (Mrs. 
Capt.  M.  H.  Daniels  of  Vergennes),  J. 
Henry,  and  Arthur.  His  wife  died  Oct.  9, 
1870.  Subsequently  he  married  Mary  A. 
Chagnon,  daughter  of  John  and  Celeste 
(I'rudeau)  Chagnon,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children  :  Lillie  A.,  Luke  L.,  Lizzie  C,  and 
George  W. 

Mr.  Lavigne  is  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  and  also  of  St.  Jean  Bap- 
tiste Benevolent  Society. 

LAWTON,  ShaILER  Emery,  of  FJrattle- 
boro,  son  of  Benjamin  and  jane  E.  (Nettle- 
ton)  Lawton,  was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn., 
Oct.  3,  1S53. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  until  1863,  when  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Great  Barrington,  Mass., 
where  he  took  a  course  at  the  Sedgwick 
Institute,  in  the  meantime  assisting  his 
father,  who  was  a  merchant.  Mr.  Lawton 
went  to  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  in  1873,  and 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  continuing 
for  a  year,  when  his  desire  for  the  study  of 
medicine  prevailed,  and  he  returned  to 
Great  Barrington  and  was  enrolled  as  a  stu- 
dent under  the  watchful  eye  of  that  distin- 
guished physician,  Clarkson  T.  Collins.  He 
continued  his  studies  here  for  a  year,  and 
then  pursued  a  two  years'  course  at  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New 
York  City,  but  owing  to  a  lack  of  funds  he 
was  not  able  to  remain.     Learning  from  a 


friend  of  the  medical  department  of  the 
L'niversity  of  \'ermont,  of  the  exceptional 
opportunities  offered  there,  he  began  anew, 
and  availing  himself  of  all  the  advantages  of- 
fered by  that  institution,  he  was  graduated 
M.  I),  in  1881.  During  the  vacation  time  of 
his  school  years  he  was  employed  as  attend- 
ant at  the  Hartford  (Conn.)  Retreat,  where 
he  was  afforded  special  opportunities  for  the 
close  study  of  mental  diseases. 

In  18S1,  after  graduating.  Doctor  Lawton 
came  to  the  Vermont  Asylum  for  the  Insane 
at  Brattleboro,  to  fill  the  place  of  assistant 
physician  during  the  temporary  absence  in 
Europe  of  Doctor  Draper.  In  the  fall  of 
1 88 1,  at  the  resignation  of  Doctor  Phelps,  he 


was  appointed  second  assistant  physician, 
and  during  thewinterof  1 881 -'82  he  received 
the  appointment  of  first  assistant  physician, 
to  succeed  Dr.  J.  \\'.  Clark,  holding  that  po- 
sition until  the  fall  of  1889,  when  he  resigned 
to  fulfil  a  long-cherished  design  of  spending 
a  year  in  a  special  course  of  study  in  neuro- 
logical and  psychological  medicine.  His 
resignation  was  not,  however,  accepted,  and 
he  was  voted  a  year's  leave  of  absence  by 
the  board  of  trustees.  He  spent  six  months 
of  his  year's  leave  at  the  Post-Graduate 
Medical  School  in  New  ^'ork,  and  the  bal- 
ance of  the  time  in  travel  abroad,  visiting 
and  studying  at  the  principal  institutions  of 
the  old  world. 

Doctor  Lawton  returned  to  ISrattleboro  in 
November,  1891,  and  again  took  up  the  du- 


242 


ties  of  first  assistant  physician,  which  position 
he  held  until  March  19,  1892,  when,  at  the 
death  of  Doctor  Draper,  he  received  the 
appointment  of  acting  superintendent,  and 
was  elected  superintendent,  April  20,  1892. 
He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  i,  1893, 
to  Mary  Lillian,  daughter  of  Cajjt.  James  M. 
and  Croline  (Stamds)  Upton,  of  Roxbury, 
Mass. 

LEACH,  Chester  K.,  of  Fletcher,  son 
of  loseph  and  01i\e  (Burton)  Leach,  was 
born  in  F'airfield,  Jan.  17,  1830. 


He  was  one  of  a  family  of  sexen  children 
and  his  early  history  is  that  of  hundreds  of 
young  men  in  his  native  state,  born  and  lired 
upon  the  farm  and  in  the  intervals  receiving 
a  meagre  education  in  the  district  schools. 

From  1856  to  the  time  of  the  civil  war  he 
was  employed  in  the  \ocation  to  which  he 
had  been  brought  up,  but  sharing  in  the 
general  outburst  of  patriotism  that  followed 
the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  he  enlisted  in  the  2d 
Regt.  of  the  old  Vt.  Brigade  and  was  mus- 
tered into  the  L'nited  States  service  June  20, 
1861.  He  was  immediately  made  2d  Lieut, 
of  Co.  H.,  and  participated  with  his  regi- 
ment in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  After 
this  defeat  he  was  present  at  every  important 
battle  and  engagement  in  which  that  veteran 
regiment  took  part,  and  received  his  dis- 
charge as  ist  Lieut,  after  three  years  of  gal- 
lant and  arduous  service. 

Captain  Leach  was  married,  Oct.  8,  185 1, 
to  .\nn  A.,  daughter  of  .Samuel  and  Hannah 


(Thomas)  Montague,  and  four  children  haxe 
been  the  issue  of  the  union  :  Justin  S.,  Zelia 
J.  (Mrs.  D.  C.  Robinson),  Byron  L.  and 
Myron  C,  the  two  last  being  twin  brothers. 

After  his  discharge  from  military  duty 
Captain  Ixach,  like  Cincinnatus,  returned  to 
the  plough,  and,  after  cultivating  different 
farms,  finally  settled  on  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  still  remains.  He  is  a  successful 
dairyman  and  also  produces  a  large  crop  of 
sugar  from  his  orchard  of  more  than  two 
thousand  maple  trees. 

Captain  Leach  has  received  the  blue  lodge 
degrees  of  F"ree  Masonry  and  unites  with 
the  Mt.  Vernon  Lodge  of  Morrisville.  He 
has  also  a  membership  in  J.  M.  \\'arner 
Post,  No.  4,  (;.  A.  R. 

He  was  elected  as  the  Republican  candi- 
date to  the  state  Senate  in  1878  and  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  military  affairs 
and  agriculture.  Fiesides  this  position  he 
has  also  held  manv  offices  of  minor  impor- 
tance in  the  town  where  he  resides. 

LEACH,  Moses  J.,  of  Wolcott,  son  of 
F3rvin  and  Mary  .Ann  (Scott)  Leach,  was 
born  in  Craftsbury,  Dec.  22,  1837.  He  can 
trace    his   lineage   back   to   the   old    Puritan 


stock  that  made  the  glory  of  New  England, 
to  within  ten  years  of  the  time  when  the 
little  band  of  pilgrims  first  landed  on 
Plymouth  Rock. 

When  he  was  nine  years  old  his   father 
moved  to  Wolcott   where  the  son  received 


LEAVKNWDRTH. 


LKAVENWdRTH. 


243 


whale\er  educational  advantages  the  com- 
mon schools  afforded  and  afterwards  at- 
tended the  I'eople's  Academy  of  Morrisville. 
He  remained  in  the  employment  of  his 
father  one  year  after  his  majority  to  repay 
him  the  amount  spent  in  his  academic  train- 
ing. Soon  after  young  l.each  went  to  Massa- 
chusetts where  he  was  employed  in  a  saw 
mill  until  the  early  winter  of  that  historic 
year,  1861.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  E,  13th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  participated 
with  that  organization  in  the  famous  flank 
movement  of  (General  Stannard's  brigade 
which  repulsed  (General  Pickett's  great 
charge  at  Gettysburg.  He  wore  a  corporal's 
stripes  and  was  not  absent  from  his  com- 
pany a  single  day. 

Upon  his  return  to  civil  life  he  "  beat  his 
sword  into  a  pruning  hook  "  and  established 
himself  upon  a  farm  which  he  cultivated 
till  1S69,  then  sold  the  property  and  re- 
moved to  the  centre  of  the  village  where  he 
built  the  first  drug  store  ever  erected  in  the 
town  and  has  carried  on  this  business  since 
that  time. 

Mr.  Leach  was  united,  March  16,  1864,  to 
Ellen  B.,  daughter  of  Moody  and  Milliscent 
(Moulton)  Parker  of  Wolcott. 

Naturally  he  is  a  comrade  of  Gen.  George 
P.  Foster  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  has  filled 
several  important  offices  in  the  department 
-and  national  encampment  of  the  order. 
He  has  received  the  three  first  degrees  of 
Ancient  Craft  Masonry  in  Mineral  Lodge, 
No.  93,  of  Wolcott. 

Mr.  Leach  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  has  continued  a 
Republican  ever  since.  He  has  done 
thorough  and  successful  work  in  many  town 
offices,  having  served  as  town  clerk  con- 
tinuously since  March,  1872,  and  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  in  December,  1890. 
Several  times  he  has  been  selected  as  a 
delegate  to  county  and  state  conventions, 
and  under  no  circumstances  has  he  betrayed 
a  trust  reposed  in  him. 

LEAVENWORTH,  ABEL  EDGAR,  of 
Castleton,  son  of  Abel  and  Anna  (Hickok) 
Leavenworth,  was  born  in  Charlotte,  Sept.  3, 
1828. 

Having  obtained  his  preparatory  educa- 
tion at  the  district  schools  of  Madrid,  N.  V., 
and  Charlotte,  he  continued  his  studies  at 
Hinesburgh  Academy,  and  afterwards  en- 
tered the  University  of  Vermont,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1856,  on  his  return  from 
the  South. 

He  commenced  his  career  as  a  teacher  in 
1846,  taught  district  schools  five  winters  and 
became  successively  the  principal  of  Bolivar 
(Mo.)  Academy,  and  the  academies  of 
Hinesburgh,  Brattleboro  and  New  Haven.  In 
1870  he  secured  the  incorporation  and  en- 


dowment of  Beeman  Academy  at  New 
Haven,  the  position  of  princi])al  of  which, 
after  a  most  successful  administration,  he 
resigned  in  1874  to  become  principal  of  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Randolph,  leaving 
the  former  institution  with  an  endowment 
fund  of  twelve  thousand  dollars.  Leaving 
the  Normal  School  at  Randolph  in  1879, 
after  having  greatly  increased  its  facilities 
and  the  number  of  the  pupils,  he  spent  two 
years  in  institute  work  and  the  collection  of 
a  large  and  choice  cabinet  of  minerals, 
while  recruiting  his  impaired  health.  In 
1 88 1  he  purchased  the  school  building  and 
equipment  of  the  Rutland  county  grammar 
school,  and  was  appomted  principal  of  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Castleton  under  its 
patronage.      Since  that  date    Mr.   Leaven- 


ABEL    EDGAR    LEAVEN 


worth  has  devoted  his  energies  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  school,  and  has  always  given 
special  attention  to  the  training  of  teachers, 
having  signed  six  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
certificates  while  principal  of  the  various 
institutions  under  his  charge. 

Mr.  Leavenworth  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil 
war,  and  soon  after  his  enlistment  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Co.  K,  9th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  was  pro- 
moted through  the  ranks  of  sergeant  and 
I  St  lieutenant  to  that  of  captain.  He  was 
made  assistant  inspector  general  of  Wistar's 
brigade  of  the  Lfnited  States  forces  on  Vork 
Peninsula,  of  the  2nd  division  of  the  18th 
army  corps,  and  of  the  provisional  brigade 
at  Bermuda  Hundreds.     He  also  served  as 


244 


LE  BARRON. 


assistant  adjutant  general  of  the  last  named 
command,  later  of  the  2d  brigade,  j;d  divis- 
ion, 24th  army  corps,  and  led  the  skirmish 
line  into  the  city  of  Richmond,  April  3, 
1865.  He  was  appointed  assistant  provost 
marshal  of  that  city  and  subsequently  assist- 
ant adjutant  general  of  the  district  of  Appo- 
mattox. He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
at  Richmond,  June  13,  1865,  having  received 
highly  commendatory  letters  from  the  gen- 
erals on  whose  staff  he  had  served. 

Mr.  Leavenworth  was  married  at  Corning, 
N.  Y.,  Sept.  14,  1853,  to  Mary  Evelina, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sally  (Hubbard) 
Griggs  of  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.  To  them  were 
born  :  Anna  Maria  (deceased),  Francis  Abel 
(deceased),  Samuel  Edgar,  Clarence  (Jreen- 
man,  William  Stowell,  Emily  Reynolds  (de- 
ceased), and  Philip  Reynolds.  Mrs.  Leav- 
enworth died  July  30,  1877,  and  he  con- 
tracted a  second  alliance  at  Linden,  Md., 
August  12,  1889,  with  Lucy  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Marcus  N.  and  Julia  ^L  (Burt) 
^^'adsworth  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  he  united,  with  the 
Congregational  church,  with  which  he  has 
continued  his  connection,  serving  the  local 
congregation  as  deacon  and  delegate  to 
county  associations  and  state  conventions. 
Never  sectarian  in  belief  or  practice,  he  has 
ever  maintained  most  friendly  relations  with 
all  branches  of  the  Christian  church. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Delta 
Psi  fraternity  in  the  U.  V.  M.,  and  in  early 
life  was  an  active  Mason,  Odd  Fellow,  Son 
of  Temperance,  and  Good  Templar,  having 
been  presiding  officer  in  each,  as  also  in 
various  county  and  state  teachers'  organiza- 
tions, and  later  in  the  Grand  Army,  from 
which  body  he  was  a  delegate-at-large  for 
Vermont  at  the  twenty-fifth  national  encamp- 
ment at  Detroit,  in  August,  1891.  He  has 
also  been  a  member  of  the  .American  Acad- 
emy of  Political  and  Social  Science  from  the 
first  year  of  its  organization. 

Le  baron,  Isaac  Newton,  of  Morris- 

ville,  son  of  Apollos  and  Rhoda  (Sanger)  Le 
Baron,  was  born  in  Calais,  April  30,  1839. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the  dis- 
trict school,  and  afterwards  w-as  a  pupil  of  the 
academies  of  Barre  and  Morrisville.  Com- 
mencing his  life  as  a  farmer,  he  met  with 
great  success  in  his  chosen  vocation.  In 
1866  he  began  the  mantifacture  of  brick, 
which  he  continued  for  four  years,  but  unfor- 
tunately the  financial  result  was  not  propor- 
tionate to  the  skill  and  industry  displayed  by 
Mr.  Le  liaron  in  the  business.  The  lack  of 
fortune  was  followed  by  a  large  decrease  in 
the  value  of  real  estate  in  his  vicinity,  and 
after  an  ineffectual  struggle,  he  was  obliged 
to  abandon  the  old  homestead  upon  which 
he    had  so  long  and  earnestly  labored,  but 


though  suffering  pecuniary  loss,  he  could  now 
solace  himself  with  the  comforting  reflection, 
that  his  honor  and  respectable  standing  in 
the  community  still  remained. 

Casting  his  first  vote  for  .Abraham  Lincoln 
Mr.  Le  Baron  has  ever  since  remained  a 
strong  adherent  of  the  principles  which  that 
vote  professed.  Repeatedly  he  has  been 
called  upon  by  his  townsmen  to  fill  the  differ- 
ent positions  of  trust  and  importance  in  their 
gift.  As  lister,  selectman,  justice  of  the  peace 
and  superintendent  of  schools,  he  has  always 
merited  their  confidence  and  in  1888  he  rep- 
resented their  interests  in  the  state  Legisla- 
ture where  he  made  a  manly  and  satisfactory 
record. 

Mr.  Le  Baron  is  an  active  and  conscien- 
tious member  of  the  L'niversalist  church  to 
whose  interests  he  has  devoted  much  active 
effort,  for  seven  years  serving  as  the  sup- 
erintendent of  their  Sabbath  school.  In 
years  past  he  has  been  the  faithful  secretary 
of  the  old  Lamoille  County  Fair. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock  to  Maria  L., 
daughter  of  Malachi  and  Patience  Barrows  of 
Morristown.  From  this  marriage  there  are 
seven  children  :  Dana  F.,  Eva  L,  Ada  C. 
(deceased),  Daisy  M.,  Washington  Irving, 
and  Isaac  Newton,  Jr. 

LELAND,   George   Farnham,   of 

Springfield,  son  of  Charles  A.  and  Susan 
(Farnham)  Leland,  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Jan.  25,  1858. 

His  education  was  obtained  at  the  public 
schools  of  Springfield,  and  at  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  entered  the  employment  of 
his  father,  Charles  A.  Leland,  of  North 
Springfield,  as  clerk,  remaining  with  him 
two  years.  After  that,  his  father  having  sold 
his  business  to  Hon.  F.  G.  Field,  he  con- 
tinued four  years  as  clerk  for  him.  In  April, 
1882,  in  company  with  his  father,  he  formed 
a  business  partnership  under  the  title  of  C. 
A.  Leland  &  Son,  and  purchased  the  stock 
and  good-will  of  Cobb  &  Derby  of  Spring- 
field, to  deal  in  general  merchandise,  and 
they  have  conducted  their  business  on  the 
principle  of  a  farmers'  exchange,  which 
method  has  given  wide  and  general  satisfac- 
tion in  the  community  where  they  reside. 
This  has  enabled  them  to  greatly  increase 
their  stock,  and  they  now  do  the  largest 
general  country  trade  of  any  establishment 
in  their  vicinity. 

Mr.  Leland  has  filled  many  town  offices, 
and  as  a  Republican  candidate  was  sent  to 
represent  S]iringfield  in  the  Legislature  of 
1892,  .served  on  the  grand  list  committee 
and  was  chairman  of  tfiat  on  rules. 

He  is  an  enthusiastic  Mason,  and  is  past 
master  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  41,  and  in 
Royal  .Arch  Masonry  has  held  the  highest 
office  in  Skitchewaugh  Chapter,  No.  25,  of 


Springfield  and  Ludlow.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  Vermont  Commandery,  No.  4,  of 
Windsor. 

November  8,  1881,  Mr.  Leland  married 
Nellie  A.,  daughter  of  Edson  X.  and  Mary 
(Barrett)  Pierce.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children  :  .Arthur  !>".,  born 
August  28,  1886,  and  .A[ary  .\.,  born  June 
2,  1890. 

LEWIS,  Frank  W.,  son  of  .Mbert  R. 
and  Emily  (Holt)  J>ewis,  was  born  in  Mid- 
dlesex, Oct.  21,  1852.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
the  late  Dr.  Joseph  Lewis,  Jr.,  whose  father, 
a  surgeon  in  the  Re\olutionary  army,  was  by 
the_side  of  (leneral  Montgomery  when  the 
latter  fell  in  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to  storm 
(Quebec. 


The  school  privileges  enjoyed  by  Mr. 
Lewis  were  rather  limited  and  somewhat 
irregular,  but  this  lack  was  compensated  in 
a  measure  by  the  fact  that  he  was,  from 
childhood,  an  omnivorous  reader  and  a  dili- 
gent student,  and  that  for  some  years  he  had 
access  to  extensive  libraries.  He  was  usually 
graded  with  [nipils  much  older  than  himself, 
managing  even  then  to  lead  his  classes,  and 
at  fourteen  had  mastered  such  elements  of 
an  education  as  were  afforded  by  district 
schools  of  the  better  grade,  besides  giving 
some  attention  to  the  study  of  languages. 
.At  fifteen  he  entered  an  advanced  class  in 
the  high  school  at  Canton,  Mass.,  after  leav- 
ing which  he  continued  his  studies,  mainlv 


LEWIS.  2^5 

without  assistance.  Later  he  pursued  the 
course  in  "English  Literature  and  Science" 
l^rescribed  for  the  candidates  for  the  minis- 
try of  the  Methodist  Ejiiscopal  church,  and 
the  four  years'  course  in  "Biblical,  Ecclesi- 
astical and  Literary"  studies  required  after 
admission  on  trial,  passing  his  examinations 
with  credit. 

Being  dependent  for  supi)ort  and  educa- 
tion chiefly  on  his  own  efforts,  little  of  Mr. 
Lewis'  boyhood  and  youth  was  exempt  from 
hard  work,  even  when  attending  school.  He 
was  variously  emjjloyed,  gaining  some  in- 
sight into  ijursuits  of  several  kinds,  mercan- 
tile and  mechanical,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
farm,  and  in  city  as  well  as  country,  having 
spent  some  years  in  Boston.  He  has  taught 
several  terms  of  district  school,  and  for  a 
year  had  charge  of  the  Weston  high  school. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  he  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  entered  actively 
into  its  work,  and  was  at  once  singled  out 
as  having  qualifications  for,  and  an  im- 
doubted  call  to,  the  ministry.  Yielding  to 
the  conviction  that  duty  lay  in  this  direction, 
and  urged  forward  by  what  seemed  pro\iden- 
tial  indications,  he  passed  the  required  ex- 
aminations the  following  spring,  was  licensed 
to  preach,  and  appointed  by  Bishop  Gilbert 
Haven  to  supply  the  pulpit  at  Topsham.  A 
year  later  he  was  admitted  to  the  Vermont 
conference,  ordained  deacon  in  i8Sr,  and 
elder  in  1883.  He  was  appointed  to  Barton, 
his  present  charge,  in  1890,  where  he  is 
serving  his  fourth  year. 

Mr.  Lewis  has  never  taken  any  acti\e  part 
in  politics,  but  has  served  as  superintendent 
of  schools  and  in  some  other  minor  offices. 
He  has  been  statistical  secretary  of  Vermont 
conference  since  1883,  and  for  several  years 
on  the  conference  board  of  examination. 

He  wedded,  March  26,  1879,  Miss  Ella  P., 
daughter  of  David  H.  and  Fidelia  (Thresher) 
Whitney  of  Granville.  Their  marriage  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children :  Bessie 
Ethel,  Lula  Miriam,  and  Annie  Louise. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
efficient,  intellectual,  and  well  educated 
young  divines  on  the  St.  Johnsbury  district. 
Whatever  recognition  his  merits  have  re- 
ceived, in  promotion  or  otherwise,  has  been 
bestowed  unsolicited.  No  man  in  the  con- 
ference has  surrendered  the  designation  of 
his  work  more  entirely  into  the  hands  of 
the  constituted  authorities  of  his  church. 

LEWIS,  L.  HalSEV,  of  Hyde  Park,  son 
of  David  and  Julia  (Smith)  Lewis,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Blooming  Grove,  X.  V.,  Dec.  2, 

185.3- 

He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  New  York  City  and  Michigan,  and  when 
his  education  was  completed,  learned  the 
printer's  trade  at  Middletown,  X.  Y. 


246 


August  1 8,  1878,  he  settled  in  Hyde  Park 
and  purchased  the  Lamoille  News.  Three 
years  after  he  united  that  paper  with  the 
Vermont  Citizen.  Since  that  time  he  has 
conducted  the  combination  of  the  two 
papers  under  the  title  of  the  "  News  and 
Citizen "  with  offices  at  Morrisville  and 
Hyde  Park.  The  News  and  Citizen  is  un- 
swerving in  its  advocacy  of  Republican 
principles,  and  under  Mr.  Lewis'  manage- 
ment its  influence  is  strongly  felt  throughout 
the  state.  Notwithstanding  the  active  part 
he  takes  in  politics,  Mr.  Lewis  has  never 
found  time  to  hold  political  office,  as  his 
newspaper  business  monopolizes  all  his  time 
and  personal  attention. 

Notwithstanding  his  devotion  to  journal- 
ism, he  has  however  found  time  to  devote 
to  the  two  great  secret  societies  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Free  Masons.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Mt.  Vernon  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Tucker  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  Burlington  Coun- 
cil, and  Burlington  Commandery.  He  also 
belongs  to  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  34,  I.  ( ).  O.  F. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  married,  Nov.  4,  iSSo,  to 
Alice  D.,  daughter  of  Russel  S.  and  ^L  ^L 
Page. 

LEWIS,  Rodney  M.,  of  Wells,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Cherlina  (Culver)  Lewis,  was 
born  in  Wells,  June  30,  1839. 

He  obtained  his  education  by  a  course 
in  the  common  and  select  schools,  supple- 
mented by  more  advanced  studies  in  North 
Hebron  Academy,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Lewis  has  devoted  his  whole  business 
life  to  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods, 
chiefly  cashmeres  and  knit  underwear,  being 
until  1875  a  partner  with  his  father  under 
the  firm  title  of  B.  Lewis  and  Son.  At  that 
time  he  took  charge  of  the  business  and  has 
managed  it  individually  ever  since.  He  is 
also  the  proprietor  of  the  Lewisville  cheese 
factory  and  of  a  large  farm,  the  cultivation  of 
which  he  carefully  oversees. 

He  married,  at  Castleton,  Dec.  31,  1859, 
Maria  A.,  daughter  of  John  and  Agnes  Fos- 
ter, and  by  her  has  had  two  children  :  Helena 
(Mrs.  George  D.  Carter),  and  Genevie\e. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  an  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  has  been  called  ui)on  to  dis- 
charge various  public  trusts  appertaining  to 
town  and  county  for  periods  varying  from 
one  to  si.xteen  years.  While  considering  the 
list  of  offices  whose  duties  he  has  discharged, 
it  is  difficult  to  see  how  he  has  had  oppor- 
tunity to  manage  his  pri\ate  affairs,  .\mong 
other  positions  may  be  mentioned  that  of 
state  representative  for  four  years  from  1870 
to   1874. 

He  has  also  found  opportunity  in  his  busy 
life  to  give  some  attention  to  the  ancient 
craft  of  Masonry,  being  a  member  of  Morn- 
ing Star  Lodge  and  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of 


Poultney,  in  one  of  which  he  has  held  the 
position  of  scribe  and  in  the  other  of  junior 
warden. 

LINCOLN,    Benjamin   Franklin,  of 

Lyndon,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sophia 
(Makepeace)  Lincoln,  was  born  in  Ware- 
ham,  Mass.,  Sept.  4,  1831. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  at  twelve  years  of  age- 
went  to  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  where  he  lived 
for  six  years  and  then  moved  to  Wilmington, 
Del.,  and  there  learned  the  tinner's  trade. 
.At  twenty  years  of  age  he  visited  California, 
spending  one  year  in  mining,  and  thence  re- 
moved to  Oregon  where  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business,  remaining  four  years,, 
when   he   returned   to   New   Bedford,   Mass. 


BENJAMIN    FRAN 


In  1S62  he  came  to  Vermont  and  engaged 
in  the  hardware  business  at  Lyndon.  In 
-April,  1866,  he  commenced  the  lumber  busi- 
ness in  which  he  has  been  employed  for 
twenty-five  years,  operating  in  Michigan  and 
\'ermont  jointly. 

.-Vs  a  Republican,  he  represented  his  town 
in  the  General  Assembly  in  1876,  1878,  and 
1888,  and  was  elected  to  the  state  Senate  in 
1890  and  1892. 

Mr.  Lincoln  is  a  member  of  Crescent 
Lodge,  No.  66,  F.  &  A.  M.,  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  Lyndon  National  Bank,  also 
president  of  the  Caledonia  Publishing  Co., 
of  St.  Johnsbury. 

He  was  married  at  .\cushnet,  Mass.,  Nov. 
28,  i860,  to  .'Annie  A.,  daughter  of  John  .A> 


LIVINGSTON. 

and  Sophronia  (Skinner)  l.oniljard.  hive 
children  are  the  issue  of  this  union  ;  Alice  S. 
(Mrs.  Homer  C.  Wilson),  Mary  S.,  lienja- 
min,  John  E.,  and  Charlotte  C. 

LIVINGSTON,  Fred  B.,of  Morrisvillr, 
son  of  William  R.  and  Anna  S.  (Allard) 
Livingston,  was  born  in  Schuylerville,  .\.  \  ., 
.Aucrust  II,  18^2. 


FRED   B.    LIVINGSTON. 


His  educational  advantages  were  derived 
from  the  public  schools,  and  a  course  of 
study  at  the  Cambridge  Washington  .-Xcadmy. 
.\t  the  age  of  seventeen,  while  acting  as 
station  agent  at  Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  he  mas- 
tered the  art  of  telegraphy,  and  followed 
this  as  his  occupation  for  some  years  in  Rut- 
land and  Burlington,  but  in  the  latter  city 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign  his 
])osition.  .After  a  short  rest  to  regain  his 
health,  he  came  to  Morrisville  and  settled  on 
a  farm,  where  he  has  been  engaged  ever 
since  in  extensive  agricultural  operations, 
making  a  specialty  of  dairy  products  and 
maple  sugar  and  syrup.  With  a  sugar 
orchard  of  three  thousand  trees,  an  un- 
developed resource  of  nearly  an  equal 
amount,  and  using  all  modern  improvements 
in  the  manufacture,  he  has  built  up  an  ex- 
tensive trade,  sending  the  ])roduct  to  all 
parts  of  the  world.  In  1880  he  received  the 
sweepstakes  prize  on  butter  at  the  New 
Orleans  exposition,  accompanied  by  a  medal 
and  a  pecuniary  testimonial  of  seventy-five 
dollars. 


l.OCKWOOI).  247 

Mr.  l.ixingslon  was  married  to  Stella  L., 
daughter  of  Alnon  I),  and  Susan  (Bingham) 
Thomas  of  Morrisville,  Jan.  i,  1875.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Florence 
I!.,  (lertrude  A.,  and  Stella  (deceased). 

He  is  a  member  both  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  Masonic  societies,  belonging  to  the 
Sterling  Lodge,  No.  44,  1.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
holding  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Mt.  \'ernon 
Lodge,  No.  8,  F.  &  A.  M. 

As  a  Republican  he  was  elected  repre- 
sentative from  Morristown  to  the  state  Leg- 
islature in  1890  where  he  served  on  the 
committee  on  rules,  and  that  of  ways  and 
means,  and  in  the  extra  session  of  1891  he 
was  made  chairman  of  the  World's  Fair 
committee.  He  introduced  the  agricultural 
college  bill,  and  labored  earnestly  for  its 
])assage.  .AH  his  service  in  the  Legislature 
was  ably  performed  and  duly  appreciated  by 
those  whose  vote  secured  him  the  position  of 
representative. 

LOCKWOOD,  ALBERT  H.,  of  Ludlow, 
son  of  William  and  Sallie  (Oriswold)  Lock- 
wood,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Oct.  18,  1840. 


!%  t^ 


He  is  the  youngest  and  only  survi\ing 
member  of  a  family  of  four  children.  When 
less  than  a  year  old,  by  the  death  of  both  of 
his  parents  he  was  left  an  or])han,  and  was 
entrusted  to  the  care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bucklin 
Burnham  of  Springfield,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained till  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  and 
whose  kindly  care  he  repaid  by  support 
during  their  declining  years.     While  under 


248 


the  roof  of  Mr.  Burnham,  he  received  such 
education  as  the  common  schools  could 
afford. 

In  1858,  he  came  to  Ludlow,  a  poor  boy 
without  influence  but  with  a  firm  resolve  to 
push  his  way  and  win  a  support  by  his  own 
unaided  effort  and  after  twelve  years  spent  in 
the  subordinate  position  of  a  clerk  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Charles  Raymond  to  deal 
in  clothing,  boots  and  shoes.  In  1S76,  he 
moved  to  the  West  but  the  experience  of  one 
season  expedited  his  return  and  he  made  his 
residence  in  Ludlow,  where  he  was  for  five 
years  associated  in  business  with  Edward  E. 
Parker,  but  is  engaged  at  present  by  himself 
as  a  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes  in  that  town. 

He  married,  June  10, 1863,  Mary  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Albert  and  Dolly  Adams,  of  Evansville, 
Wis.  They  have  two  children  :  Alice  M.,  and 
Edward  A. 

For  eighteen  years  Mr.  Lockwood  has  been 
an  active  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  same. 
He  has  also  chosen  to  ally  himself  to  the 
charitable  organization  of  Freemasonry,  re- 
ceiving the  first  three  degrees  in  Lafayette 
Lodge  \o.  53  and  afterwards  passing  through 
the  higher  grades  of  Royal  Arch  Masonry  and 
Knight  Templar.  He  is  treasurer  of  his 
chapter  and  is  a  Sir  Knight  of  Killington 
Commandery  No.  6,  of  Rutland. 

.^s  a  Republican,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  postmaster  in  1884  and  continued  in 
office  four  years.  He  is  now,  and  has  been 
for  ten  years,  treasurer  of  both  town  and  cor- 
poration. In  1 888  he  represented  his  town 
in  the  Legislature  and  served  on  the  com- 
mittee on  claims.  Notwithstanding  the  early 
disadvantages  against  which  he  was  obliged 
to  struggle,  Mr.  Lockwood,  by  his  own  un- 
aided and  persistent  effort  has  amassed  a 
handsome  comijetency. 

LYFORD,  Horace  W.,  of  Warren,  son 
of  Hazen  and  Electa  (\Vhite)  Lyford,  was 
born  in  that  part  of  the  old  town  of  Mont- 
pelier  which  is  now  East  Montpelier,  Feb. 
16,  1835. 

After  he  had  passed  through  the  usual 
educational  course  at  the  schools  of  East 
Montpelier  and  also  in  Montpelier  village, 
he  learned  the  sash  and  blind  trade  from  his 
uncle,  and  while  thus  occupied  manifested  a 
natural  aptitude  for  mechanical  pursuits.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  father,  under  the  title  of  Hazen 
Lyford  &  Son,  to  manufacture  sash  and 
blinds.  Horace  was  from  the  first  the  busi- 
ness manager,  and  soon  became  sole  proprie- 
tor of  the  concern.  In  1861  he  exchanged 
this  property  for  a  hotel  in  \Varren,  which 
he  has  since  conducted  in  a  manner  satis- 
factory to  the  public.  In  1865  he  engaged 
in  the  tin  and  hardware  trade,  and  followed 


this  by  the  manufacture  of  pail-bail  handles 
and  clothes-pins.  During  the  last  ten  years 
he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  manu- 
facture of  butter-tubs,  and  has  invented  sev- 
eral appliances  that  not  only  turn  out  a 
superior  article,  but  result  in  an  immense 
saving  of  labor. 

Mr.  Lyford  is  an  earnest  Republican  and 
has  held  many  public  positions  of  trust  and 
influence.  He  was  first  selectman  in  Warren 
in  the  years  of  the  war,  and  was  many  years 
deputy  sheriff.  He  was  from  1872  to  1876 
sheriff  of  \\'ashington  county.  He  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  continuously  for  twenty- 
nine  years.  In  1888  he  was  elected  assistant 
judge  of  \\'ashington  county  court,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1890. 


Judge  Lyford  was  united  in  marriage, 
Sept.  9,  1858,  to  Sarah  R.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Sarah  (Chamberlain)  Vincent,  of  F^ast 
Montpelier. 

He  has  been  long  and  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
member  of  Aurora  Lodge,  No.  22,  of  Mont- 
pelier, King  Solomon  Chapter,  No.  7,  of  the 
same  place,  Montpelier  Council,  No.  14,  a 
Knight  Templar  of  Mt.  Zion  Commandery, 
No.  9,  of  the  Washburn  Lodge  of  Perfection, 
No.  14,  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite, 
and  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

LYMAN,  Charles  A.,  of  Royalton,  son 
of  Jabez  and   .Abigail  (Woodbury)  Lyman, 


249 


was  born   in   Royalton,  Oct.   21,  iS^ijand 
has  always  been  a  resident  of  that  town. 

He  received  the  customary  common 
school  education  in  Royalton.  He  has 
chiefly  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  but 
has  also  practiced  the  trade  of  a  carpenter 
and  given  much  attention  to  the  manufact- 
ure of  lumber.  He  has  been  entrusted  with 
many  responsible  positions,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  those  of  selectman,  over- 
seer, lister,  auditor,  and  trustee  of  the  sur- 
plus revenue  fund.  He  has  always  dis- 
charged these  duties  with  honor  to  himself 
and  profit  to  his  fellow-citizens.  In  1892 
he  was  elected  by  a  strong  Republican 
majority  to  represent  the  town  of  Royalton  in 


CHARLES   A.    LVK 


the  General  .Assembly,  where  his  energetic 
action  in  behalf  of  his  constitutents  merited 
the  approbation  of  those  who  had  entrusted 
him  with  that  position. 

Mr.  Lyman  was  united  in  wedlock,  March 
8,  1S54,  to  Hannah  W.,  daughter  of  Horatio 
and  Sarah  ( W'alcott )  Freeman.  Four  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  of  whom  only  one 
(Mrs.  Nellie  M.  Doyle),  is  now  surviving. 
He  contracted  a  second  alliance,  July  5, 
1866,  with  Laura  J.,  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Walcott)  Fay.  Four  children 
were  issue  of  this  second  marriage,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living  :  Albert  F.,  Ida  C,  and 
Elizabeth  W. 

LYNDE,  George  W.,  of  Williamstown, 
son  of  John  and  Dolly  (Smith)  Lynde,  was 
born  in  Williamstown  Feb.  3,  1849. 


He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
and  at  Randolph  and  Barre  academies. 
When  twenty  years  of  age  he  commenced 
extensive  operations  in  the  lumber  business 
in  Groton  and  these  he  carried  on  in  part- 
nership with  his  father-in-law  for  fifteen 
years.  He  then  remo\ed  his  plant  to  Mill 
X'illage  and  has  since  employed  it  in  running 
the  grist  and  saw  mill,  and  i)olishing  works. 

Mr.  Lynde  was  united  in  marriage,  March 
16,  187 1,  to  Frances,  daughter  of  Richard 
L.  and  Phebe  (Moore)  Martin,  by  whom  he 
has  had  two  children  :  Fred  G.  (deceased), 
and  John  Richard. 

In  1886  he  removed  to  the  farm  formerly 
belonging  to  his  father-in-law  and  has  con- 
tinued there  the  latter  ]5ortion  of  his  life. 
He  may  be  styled  the  typical  X'ermont  farmer, 
so  large  is  the  scale  on  which  he  conducts 
his  operations  and  so  great  the  success  he 
meets  with  in  all  his  enterprises.  He  is  also 
the  possessor  of  a  fine  maple  grove  and  one 
of  the  four  owners  of  the  Williamstown  gran- 
ite quarry. 

Mr.  Lynde  is  a  Republican  in  his  ijolitical 
sympathies;  and  in  religious  belief  a  L^niver- 
salist.  After  having  filled  the  usual  town 
offices  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  in  1888, 
where  he  served  on  the  genera!  committee. 
He  is  active,  public-spirited,  and  influential 
in  every  social  and  business  enterprise,  and 
a  highly  esteemed  member  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  resides. 

LYNDE,  John,  of  Williamstown,  son  of 
Cornelius  and  Rebecca  (Davis)  Lynde,  was 
born  in  \Villiamstown,  August  6,  1810.  Cor- 
nelius Lynde  left  Harvard  College  at  his 
country's  call,  enlisted  in  the  Continental 
army  and  served  through  the  Revolutionary 
war,  attaining  the  rank  of  major.  In  1 786 
he  moved  from  ^^"illiamstown,  Mass.,  to  the 
town  of  the  same  name  in  Vermont,  and 
was  one  of  the  original  proprietors.  He  laid 
out  and  allotted  the  land  to  his  associates, 
was  justice  of  the  peace  and  first  town  clerk. 
He  constructed  the  first  saw  mill  in  the 
town,  was  representative  from  1791  to  1795, 
member  of  the  state  council,  first  postmas- 
ter, and  associate  judge  for  two  years.  In 
the  first  year  of  the  century  at  a  meeting  in 
his  house,  a  Universalist  society  was  organ- 
ized, believed  to  be  the  earliest  in  the  state. 
The  mother  of  John  Lynde  was  the  oldest 
daughter  of  Col.  Jacob  Davis,  the  pioneer  of 
Montpelier. 

The  subject  of  the  present  sketch  was 
educated  at  the  common  schools  of  Will- 
iamstown, and  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen 
began  to  teach,  working  in  the  summer  on 
his  father's  farm. 

He  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-two, 
uniting  himself  in  the  bond  of  wedlock  to 
Dollv  Smith.     She  bore  him  twelve  children, 


250 


nine  of  whom  still  survive  :  Ellen  ( Mrs.  W. 
B.Bass),  John,  Martha  (Mrs.  Jerry  Kenis- 
ton),  Rebekah  (Mrs.  Nat  Simons),  George 
W.,  James  K.,  Laura  (Mrs.  Harvey  L. 
Cheney),  and  Emma  (Mrs.  Dr.  William  B. 
Mayo  of  Northfield,  Vt.),  and  Dr.  Cornelius 
V.  Two  of  his  sons,  John  and  Charles  (the 
latter  deceased),  served  in  the  civil  war. 
His  first  wife  died  in  July,  iS8i,  and  he  was 
again  married  in  1S82  to  Laura  E.,  daughter 
of  Norman  Davis. 


Mr.  Lynde  was  a  farmer  till  1865,  and 
after  that  was  engaged  in  trade  until  1887, 
when  he  sold  out  his  interest  to  his  son, 
James  K.,  and  again  returned  to  farming.  He 
has  been  very  prominent  in  all  social  and 
public  affairs,  has  settled  many  estates,  and 
was  a  general  counsellor  in  business  and 
legal  matters.  For  more  than  ten  years  he 
was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Northfield, 
and  later  of  the  Rarre  bank. 

Formerly  a  whig,  but  now  a  Republican, 
he  has  been  for  forty-four  consecutive  years 
justice  of  the  peace,  has  held  every  town 
office,  and  was  twice  town  representative 
before  the  war  and  three  times  afterwards, 
and  was  chosen  senator  in  1876.  He  was 
assistant  judge  of  Orange  county  court  for 
two  terms. 

Judge  Lynde  has  ever  been  a  liberal  donor 
to  all  benevolent  and  religious  enterprises,  a 
public-spirited  citizen,  and  has  given  to  all 
his  children  every  educational  advantage 
that  was  in  his  power  to  bestow. 


LYON,  JOHN  Stanley,  of  Fair  Haven,. 
son  of  Seth  S.  and  Jane  (Barnard)  Lyon, 
was  born  in  Winhall,  Jan.  28,  1861. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  Black 
River  Academy,  Colgate  University,  Hamil- 
ton, N.  v.,  and  the  University  of  the  City  of 
New  York.  In  college  he  develo])ed  marked 
taste  in  the  fields  of  mental  philosophy,  polit- 
ical science,  literature  and  oratory,  and  was 
especially  interested  in  Creek  and  Latin 
literature.  He  was  class  poet  in  both  acad- 
emy and  college,  and  also  editor  of  the 
college  magazine.  In  his  early  youth  he 
taught  the  district  school.  In  1885  he  was 
called  to  the  position  of  instructor  in  Greek 
and  Latin  in  Friends'  Seminary,  Stuyvesant 
Square,  New  York  City,  which  position  he 
held  for  five  years ;  and,  though  not  a 
Quaker,  was  appointed  vice-principal  of  the 
institution  at  the  end  of  the  third  year. 
While  thus  employed  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  church   work,  and   feeling  called   to   the 


gospel  ministry,  he  resigned  the  chair  of 
classics,  and  was  ordained  in  the  Fair  Haven 
Baptist  Church,  Feb.  26,  1891. 

Mr.  Lyon  married  Ella  G.,  daughter  of 
John  E.  and  Almina  White,  of  Mount  Holly, 
Dec.  29,  1886.  He  has  two  children  :  Clif- 
ford S.,  and  Raymond  F. 

Of  rare  natural  ability  and  attainments, 
and  withal  an  earnest  and  impressive  speaker. 
Rev.  Mr.  Lyon  has  placed  the  church  at  Fair 
Ha\en  among  the  leading  Baptist  congrega- 
tions of  the  state.     Enthusiastic  in  his  work 


MtFAKI.ANl) 


and  watchful  for  opportunities  teach  am  c  tlie 
interests  of  his  people,  he  has  won  many- 
friends  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor,  a  fact 
which  fully  attests  his  Christian,  manly  char- 
acter. He  is  deeply  and  actively  interested 
in  all  public  matters  but  es])ecially  in  those 
that  advance  the  welfare  of  his  beloved  (Ireen 
Mountain  state. 

LUND,  Henry  W.,  of  Canaan,  son  of 
Hezekiah  and  Mary  (Shores)  Lund,  was 
born  in  Granby,  Oct.  ii,  1S54. 

He  commenced  his  education  at  district 
school  No.  2,  of  Granby,  from  which  more 
teachers  and  professional  men  have  come, 
than  any  other  district  of  its  size  in  that 
section  of  the  state.  He  continued  his 
studies  at  St.  Johnsbury  .\cademy  and  then 
commenced  reading  law  with  Hon.  H.  C. 
Bates  of  St.  Johnsbury,  completing  his  pro- 
fessional training  with  George  W.  Harts- 
horn, Esq.,  at  Canaan.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Elssex  county  at  the  March 
term  of  18S4,  and  immediately  opened  an 
office  in  Canaan  in  which  locality  he  has 
remained  and  by  assiduity  and  energy  has 
secured  a  large  connection  and  profitable 
practice. 

Mr.  Lund  is  a  self-made  man  and  by 
teaching  paid  all  the  necessary  expense  in- 
curred in  obtaining  his  education  and  while 
pursuing  his  legal  studies.  When  only 
twenty-one  he  was  elected  superintendent  of 
schools  in  Granby  and  he  has  held  a  similar 
appointment  in  the  town  of  Canaan.  In 
1892  he  was  made  state's  attorney  and  still 


fills  that  office.     Lie  is  a  young  man  of  keen 
observation,  ready  wit  and  resolute  will,  and 


will   undoubtedly,   if  he  so   elects,  become 
prominent  in  town  and  county  affairs. 

He  was  married  in  1881  to  Carrie  V., 
daughter  of  Sylvester  P.  and  Carrie  (Col- 
burn)  Jones  of  Canaan  and  formerly  of 
Farmington,  Me. 


MCFARLAND,  HENRY  Moses,  of  Hyde 
Park,  son  of  Moses  and  Livonia  ( Leach ) 
McFarland,  was  born  in  Waterville,  August 

5,  1852- 

Mr.  McFarland's  great-grandfather  served 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  coming  out  of 
the  service  with  the  rank  of  major.  His 
father  also  served  his  country  in  the  civil  war 
as  captain  of  Co.  A,  8th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and 
was  a  brave  and  resolute  officer,  having  at 
various  times  received  honorable  mention 
for  meritorious  conduct  on  the  field  of  battle. 

He  received  his  preliminary  educational 
training  in  the  schools  of  Water\  ille  and  the 
People's  Academy,  working  his  way  through 
the  University  of  Vermont,  where  he  grad- 
uated as  valedictorian  in  the  class  of  1878. 

.■\fter  his  collegiate  course  he  came  to 
Hyde  Park,  for  three  years  teaching  in  the 
academy,  and  at  the  same  time  reading  law 
with  Messrs.  Brigham  &  Waterman.  In  1881 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  commenced 
to  practice,  being  elected  three  years  after- 
ward   state's  attornev  for   Lamoille   countv. 


In  connection  with  his  law  practice,  hehas 
built  up  an  extensive  insurance  business,  his 
agency  being  by  far  the  largest  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  Mr.  McFarland  served  his 
town  for  several  years  as  superintendent  of 
public  schools.  He  was  secretary  of  civil 
and  militarv  affairs  under  Governor  Page  ill 
1890.  He  was  the  first  \ice  president  of  the 
Lamoille  County  Savings  Bank  and  'i'rust 
Co.,  and  in  1892  was  elected  to  a  similar 
position  in  the  Lamoille  County  National 
Bank  of  Hyde  Park. 

He  has  joined  both  the  orders  of  Free 
Masons  and  Odd  Fellows ;  was  a  charter 
member  and  the  first  N.  G.  of  the  local  or- 
ganization of  the  latter  institution  in  Hyde 
Park,  and  has  received  not  only  the  degrees 
of  .Ancient  Craft  Masonry,  but  those  con- 
ferred by  Tucker  Chapter,  as  well  as  being  a 
Knight  'Lemplar  of  Burlington  Commandery. 

Mr.  McFarland  was  united,  Dec.  22,  1881, 
to  Julia,  daughter  of  Hon.  Waldo  and  Ellen 
(Noyes)  Brigham  of  Hyde  Park.  Three 
children  are  the  issue  of  their  marriage. 


MACKIE,  George  CaRDNO,  of  Barre, 
son  of  John  and  Ann  (Clark)  Mackie,  was 
born  in  Fraserburg,  Aberdeenshire,  Scotland, 
May  I,  1849. 

He  received  his  education  by  attending 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  land,  and 
when  seventeen  years  of  age  was  appren- 
ticed to  the  trade  of  a  granite  stone  cutter. 
He  emigrated  to  America  in  1871  and  worked 
at  his  trade  in  many  states  of  the  Union.  At 
this  time  the  art  of  cutting  and  polishing 
granite  was  in  its  infancy  and  mostly  all  of 
the  finished  work  of  this  description  was  im- 
ported from  abroad.  Mr.  Mackie  came  to 
Barre  in  1880,  accompanied  by  his  half- 
brother,  James  C.  Simpson,  and  entered  the 
employment  of  \\'etmore  &  Morse.  They 
were  the  first  Scotchmen  to  ply  their  trade 
in  that  community,  though  at  present  there 
are  probably  a  thousand  of  their  countrymen 
engaged  in  similar  pursuits   in  and  around 


the  neighborhood.  In  1884  he  commenced 
business  in  partnership  with  his  brother. 
They  met  with  great  success  and  at  the  end 
of  three  years  found  themselves  the  owners 
of  a  valuable  pro])erty  and  employing  sixty 
men.  At  this  time  they  made  an  advan- 
tageous sale  of  their  business  to  Jones  Bros, 
of  Boston  and  for  five  years  Mr.  Mackie  con- 
tinued to  act  as  their  superintendent,  during 
which  time  the  firm  has  been  very  prosper- 
ous, owing  not  a  little  of  their  success  to  the 
industry  and  executive  ability  of  their  mana- 
ger.    Since  parting  with  his  interest  in  the 


quarry,  Mr.  Mackie  has  invested  largely  in 
real  estate  and  to  the  care  and  improvement 
of  this  he  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  and 
energy.  In  1893  he  bought  out  the  firm  of 
Sortwell  &  Morse  and  now  owns  one  of  the 
best  manufacturing  plants  in  Barre,  consist- 
ing of  about  six  acres  of  land,  a  fine  water 
power,  with  some  very  valuable  granite  cut- 
ting machines.  His  sons,  James  and  Will- 
iam, are  now  his  business  partners. 

He  was  married  in  1869  to  Mary,  daughter 
of  ^\■illiam  and  Jane  (Scott)  Cameron,  of 
Aberdeenshire,  Scotland,  and  they  have  four 
sons  living :  James,  William,  John,  and 
Robert. 

Mr.  Mackie  belongs  to  the  brotherhood  of 
the  "square  and  compasses"  and  is  treasurer 
of  Granite  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Barre,  and 
is  also  trustee  of  the  Burns  Club  of  that 
place.  He  is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  held  the  office  of  village 
bailiff.  He  has  had  to  make  his  own  way  in 
life,  and  affords  a  notable  example  of  what 
can  be  accomplished  by  energy,  intelligence 
and  public  sjiirit. 

MACOY,  BVRON  Grafton,  of  Cam- 
bridge, son  of  Daniel  and  Laura  (Downer) 
Macoy,  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Jan.  8, 
1S44.  Daniel  Macoy  was  a  long-time  resi- 
dent of  the  town,  and  when  a  bov  of  twelve 
years  paddled  the  \'ermont  \'olunteers  bound 
for  the  seat  of  war  at  Plattsburg,  across  the 
river  at  Jeffersonville  in  a  log  canoe. 

Byron  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, and  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
jirivate  schools  of  Cambridge.  In  1858  he 
went  to  live  with  his  brother,  H.  N.  Macoy, 
who  was  a  lumber  merchant  in  Cambridge 
and  built  the  first  steam  and  circular  saw- 
mill in  Lamoille  countv.  During  the  six 
years  that  he  remained  with  his  brother,  he 
turned  his  natural  mechanical  dexterity  to 
good  account,  doing  all  kinds  of  work  that 
required  this  species  of  skill.  He  then 
rented  the  mill  for  a  year  of  his  brother,  who 
meantime  had  gone  to  Ottumwa,  la.  Byron 
soon  joined  him  there,  but  a  year's  experi- 
ence removed  all  desire  to  remain  in  the 
West,  and  he  returned  to  Cambridge  in 
1S66.  He,  with  his  brother,  W.  D.  Macoy, 
and  two  others,  built  the  large  steam  saw- 
mill now  established  there.  Ill-health  soon 
compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  business,  and 
during  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  occupation  of  a  furniture  dealer 
and  undertaker. 

He  married.  May  16,  187  i,  Emma,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Riley. 

Mr.  Macoy  is  a  Re]niblican  and  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  in  1890;  served  on  the 
committee  on  manufactures.  As  one  of  the 
committee  for  the  construction  of  the  Con- 
gregational  church    he   was   largely   instru- 


MANCHESTER. 

mental  in  securing  the  services  as  architect 
of  his  brother,  H.  N.  Macoy. 

Mr.  Macoy,  by  his  integrity  of  purpose  and 
interest  in  the  general  welfare,  enjoys  in  a 
large  measure  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
his  townsmen. 


MANI.EY.  253 

I  )r.  Manchester  has  always  belonged  to 
the  Republican  ])arty,  but  his  professional 
duties  ha\e  not  allowed  him  to  mingle  much 
with  political  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Rei)ublican  county  committee  and  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  town  committee  in 
Pawlet. 

lie  is  secretary  of  Morning  Flower 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  also  regularly 
])assed  the  chair  in  the  same  body,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  chapter  R.  A.  M.,  and  of  the 
council  R.  &  S.  M.  at  Poultney,  as  well  as  a 
Sir  Knight  of  Killington  Commandery  K.  T. 
of  Rutland.  A  Congregationalist  in  his 
creed,  he  is  both  clerk  and  treasurer  of  the 
church  of  that  denomination  in  his  place  of 
residence. 

MANLEY,  JOSEPH  E.,  of  West  Rutland, 
son  of  Fobes  and  Wealthy  (Hill)  Manley, 
was  born  at  Sutherland  Falls,  then  a  portion 
of  the  town  of  Rutland,  Feb.  15,  1831. 

'I'he  subject  of  this  sketch  was  of  English 
and  Scotch  descent,  and  one  of  twelve  chil- 
dren of  a  typical  New  P^ngland  family.  His 
father  was  stern  in  discipline  and  of  sterling 
religious  character,  leaving  the   impress  of 


BYRON    GRAFTON    MACOY 


His  devotion  to  the  principles  of  the 
Masonic  order  has  gi\en  him  all  the  honors 
his  local  lodge  could  confer  upon  him.  He 
is  a  member  of  Warner  Lodge,  No.  50,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  Cambridge,  and  has  filled  all 
the  chairs  of  that  organization. 

MANCHESTER,  HlRAM  LEVI,  of  Pawlet, 
son  of  Le\i  A\'.  and  I'^eline  (Shaw)  Manches- 
ter, was  born  in  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  28, 

1855- 

He  attended  the  common  schools  till  the 
age  of  seventeen  and  for  a  year  pursued  his 
studies  at  Castleton  Seminary.  He  com- 
menced his  medical  education  in  Burlington 
and  received  his  diploma  from  the  University 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  graduated  on  the   iSth  of  Februarv, 

1879. 

Dr.  Manchester  began  the  pursuit  of  his 
profession  in  Fair  Haven  with  Dr.  T.  K. 
Wakefield  but  after  three  months  opened  an 
office  in  Pawlet,  in  June,  1879,  where  he  has 
since  remained  and  built  up  a  large  practice. 

He  married,  July  8,  1879,  in  Whitehall,  N. 
Y.,  Flora  A.,  daughter  of  Harry  and  .Annis 
(Benjamin)  Bartholomew.  Two  children 
have  blessed  their  union ;  Paul  R.,  and 
Hazel  A. 


his  teachings  upon  the  minds  of  his  children. 
Mr.  Manley  early  in  life  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  but  after  attaining  his  ma- 
jority, being  desirous  of  higher  educational 
advantages,  he  entered  Castleton  Seminary, 
a  then  leading  institution  under  the  charge 
of  Rev.  K.  J.  Hallock,  graduating  therefrom 


254 


in  1854.  During  this  time  he  provided  for 
his  support  by  teaching  school  in  the  winter 
and  employing  his  vacations  in  agricultural 
labor. 

He  was  wedded  August  19,  1857,  to  Electa 
A.,  daughter  of  Kbenezer  Porter  of  Orwell. 
Two  children  were  born  to  them  ;  \Vilbur 
P.,  and  Lillian  K. 

After  he  left  the  seminary  he  engaged  in 
the  marble  business,  and  is  considered  as  an 
expert  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  deposits 
of  this  stone,  and  has  published  an  article 
on  the  "Marbles  of  Rutland  County,"  which 
can  be  found  in  the  first  report  of  Professor 
Collier  of  the  Vermont  Board  of  .\griculture. 

He  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  believes 
in  Democracy  from  a  Republican  stand- 
point. .'\t  the  age  of  twenty-eight  he  was 
chosen  justice  of  the  peace  for  Rutland 
county,  receiving  the  compliment  of  thirteen 
consecutive  elections,  during  which  time  he 
has  tried  many  hundred  cases,  both  civil 
and  criminal,  and  his  decisions  have  been 
characterized  by  such  justice  and  impar- 
tiality, that  jury  trials  were  resorted  to  in 
only  two  instances,  and  one  appeal  only 
from  his  decision  was  reversed  in  the  county 
court.  During  his  term  of  service  he  secured 
a  small  but  well  selected  library,  and  occu- 
pied his  leisure  hours  with  the  study  of  the 
law.  He  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  C.  H. 
Joyce  of  Rutland  in  1S74,  and  at  the  March 
term  of  the  following  year  was  admitted  to 
the  Rutland  county  bar,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  in  successful  practice.  His  ser- 
vices have  been  especially  sought  in  the  set- 
tlement of  estates  as  administrator  and  com- 
missioner. Mr.  Manley  is  philanthropic  in 
spirit,  and  has  done  much  in  the  aid  of  the 
church  and  the  cause  of  temperance  :  held 
the  office  of  special  prosecutor  for  six  years 
prior  to  1892  ;  was  secretary  of  the  Rutland 
County  Temperance  Society  for  ten  years,  and 
for  a  considerable  period  dischared  the  du- 
ties of  president.  He  was  elected  a  resident 
member  of  the  Webster  Historical  Society 
of  Boston  in  1884,  and  evincing  an  early 
taste  for  literary  metaphysical  study  he  has 
written  and  published  many  articles  on 
standard  and  popular  subjects. 

In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  and  united  with  the  First  Church  at 
West  Rutland,  July  4,  i860.  During  a  resi- 
dence of  over  thirty  years  at  West  Rutland, 
he  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  promoting 
the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  village, 
having  invested  to  a  large  extent  in  real 
estate.  He  has  erected  many  structures, 
both  dwelling  houses  and  for  business  pur- 
poses, and  ever  manifests  a  strong  desire  to 
promote  the  progress  of  the  town  and  state. 

MANN,  Charles  David,  of  ira,  son  of 

Benjamin  S.  and  Harriet  (Thornton)  Mann, 


was  born  in  Middletown  Springs,  Dec.  21, 
i860.  He  is  of  mixed  Elnglish  and  Scotch 
descent  and  his  paternal  grandfather  took 
part  in  the  campaigns  of  181 2.  His  parents 
moved  from  Miildletown  Springs  to  Ira  in 
1S61,  from  which  place  his  father  enlisted  in 
Co.  B,  9th  Regt.  ^"t.  \'ols.  Benjamin  was 
taken  a  prisoner  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  was 
sent  to  Chicago  on  parole  where  he  died  of 
fever. 

Charles  D.  Mann  received  the  usual  edu- 
cational advantages  of  the  public  schools  and 
was  afterwards  a  pupil  in  the  Vermont  Acad- 
emy at  Saxton's  River.  His  father's  death 
left  his  mother  and  one  brother  to  face  the 


CHARLES    DAVID 


Struggle  of  life  alone.  Since  Mr.  Mann 
reached  his  majority  he  has  always  devoted 
himself  to  some  extent  to  public  affairs.  He 
commenced  his  public  career  by  an  appoint- 
ment as  constable  and  collector  of  his  native 
town  which  latter  office  he  has  held  until  the 
present  time.  He  has  also  been  made 
school  superintendent  and  was  the  choice  of 
the  county  convention  in  1892  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  commissioner.  In  1893  Gover- 
nor Fuller  conferred  upon  him  the  honor  of 
a  commission  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
has  been  actively  connected  with  the  work 
of  the  Baptist  church  since  the  age  of  six- 
teen and  even  while  at  the  academy  he  was 
largely  interested  in  the  V.  M.  C.  A.  He 
was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Camp 
John  .\.  Sheldon  S.  of  V.,  and  for  a  time 
acted  as  their  quartermaster.      He   follows 


principally  the  callina;  of  a  fanner  but  pays 
considerable  attention  to  pension  claims  and 
insurance. 

MANN,  HOSEA,  Jr.,  of  Wilmington,  son 
of  Hosea  and  Maria  (Grousbeck)  Mann,  was 
born  in  Wilmington,  July  13,  1858. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
•common  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at 
the  Brattleboro  Academy  and  Eastman's 
Business  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  After 
leaving  school  he  commenced  the  study  of 
the  theory  and  practice  of  law  with  the  fjon. 
O.  E.  Butterfield,  was  admitted  to  the  Wind- 
ham county  bar^in  1882,  and  at  once  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Wilmington. 


HOSEA    MANN,    JR. 

In  1879,  as  soon  as  Mr.  Mann  had  reached 
his  majority,  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the 
Wilmington  Savings  bank  and  town  clerk  of 
the  town  of  Wilmington,  both  of  which  posi- 
tions he  held  until  18S5,  when  he  resigned 
to  devote  his  time  to  other  matters.  In  1886 
he  was  elected  state's  attorney  for  Windham 
county,  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  a  full 
term  of  two  years.  He  was  elected  to  the 
General  Assembly  for  the  successive  terms, 
1886,  1888,  and  1890,  and  served  with  great 
credit,  giving  \aluable  assistance  in  putting 
through  many  important  measures.  In  1890 
his  ability  as  a  legislator  was  recognized,  and 
he  was  elected  sjaeaker  of  the  House,  being 
one  of  the  youngest  men  who  ever  recei\"ed 
that  honor. 

Mr.  Mann  is  interested  in  many  financial 
and  industrial   enterprises,  and  has  given  a 


great  deal  of  his  time  and  money  to  the  de- 
\elopment  of  his  own  town  and  state  as  a 
place  of  summer  resort. 

He  was  married,  February,  1880,  to  Eva 
A.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Jeremiah  and  Jane 
(;ifford  of  Wilmington.  Of  this  union  is  one 
son  :  Ralph  Hosea. 

MARSH,    Charles   Phelps,   late  of 

Woodstock,  son  of  John  and  Amstis  Marsh, 
was  born  in  Wethersfield,  Jan.  7,  18 16. 
He  came  of  distinguished  ancestry,  the  first 
progenitor  of  the  family  being  John  Marsh, 
who  organized  a  colony  in  Connecticut  in 
1635- 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  1839,  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Chandler  &  Billings  of  Woodstock,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1843  at  the  May 
term  of  the  Windsor  county  court.  A  year 
later  Mr.  Marsh  formed  a  partnership  with 
Peter  T.  Washburn,  Esq.,  which  continued 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  During  these 
years  of  active  professional  life  he  held  sev- 
eral high  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  and 
for  four  years  was  state's  attorney  for  Wind- 
sor county.  He  was  in  1870  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  in  1886 
and  1888  represented  Woodstock  in  the 
House  of  Representatives.  He  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  assistant  judges  of  the 
Windsor  county  court,  and  the  bar  of  his 
own  county  and  lawyers  from  other  counties 
having  cases  at  Woodstock  were  content  with 
his  judgment  and  rulings  as  with  those  of  a 
regular  presiding  judge  from  the  supreme 
bench. 

Politically,  he  was  an  original  Harrison 
and  Clay  whig,  and  naturally  became  an 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party  when  it 
was  formed  in  1854.  In  1842,  while  a  law 
student,  he  edited  the  \\'hig  Advocate,  a 
campaign  paper,  and  with  such  care  and 
ability  that  it  attained  a  great  circulation  and 
won  him  deserved  praise. 

Judge  Marsh  was  always  a  strong  friend  of 
education,  an  earnest  advocate  of  morality 
and  whate\er  tended  to  the  promotion  of 
the  public  good.  His  talents  both  in  busi- 
ness and  in  a  judicial  way  were  jiarticularlv 
administrative,  and  he  ever  evinced  a  mas- 
tery of  the  situation  whatever  might  be  the 
emergency.  His  life  was  such  in  all  his  re- 
lations with  his  fellowmen  that  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  his  death,  which  occurred 
[an.  13,  1893,  was  so  generalh-  mourned  in 
Vermont. 

judge  Marsh  was  married  on  the  5th  of 
|uiv,  1844,  to  Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Rev.  U'orthington  Wright.  Four  sons  were 
l)orn  to  them,  the  oldest  of  whom  alone  sur- 
\ives  :  John  W.  Marsh,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  now- 
residing  in   Chicago.     Mrs.   Marsh  died   in 


256 


MARSHALL. 


1854  and  Judge  Marsh  contracted  a  second 
alliance,  in  1859,  with  Amelia  Brayton  of 
Swanton,  who  survives  him. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fratern- 
ity, and  the  society  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Judge  Marsh  was  a  gentleman  of  a  school 
that,  if  it  was  not  the  old  school,  yet  was  old 
enough  to  carry  memory  back  to  pleasant 
days  "before  the  war."  A  stranger  would 
hardly  have  selected  him  as  one  to  lead  in 
an  "end  of  the  century"  body  of  legislators, 
yet  in  a  House  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
members,  made  up  largely  of  farmers,  this 
faultlessly  dressed  lawyer  of  courtly  and  not 
new-fashioned  manner  did  lead.  'I'he  secret 
was  an  open  one.  He  was  a  clear-headed, 
candid  gentleman,  one  fit  to  represent 
Woodstock. 


eminently  successful  in  all  his  agricultural 
enterprises,  and  was  one  of  the  substantial 
men  of  the  town  whose  good  judgment  and 
sound  sense  was  esteemed  by  all  who  came 
in  contact  with  him.  He  became  a  large 
stockholder  in  the  Fairbanks  Scale  Co.,  in 
various  banks,  and  was  largely  interested  in 
real  estate  in  the  town  of  Burke  and  its 
vicinity. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  July  20,  1843, 
to  Calista  A.,  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Bemis)  Martin,  of  Burke,  whom  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  by  death,  [une  18, 
1862.     By  her  he  had;   Carrie  (deceased), 


MARSH,  PlaTT  T.,  of  Simonsville,  sonof 
Col.  Sylvanus  and  Sarah  D.  (Thorn)  Marsh, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Andover,  Jan.  5, 
1 844.  His  father  served  with  distinction  in 
the  war  of  1812. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Andover,  and  has  always  devoted  himself  to 
the  occupation  of  farming.  He  has  a  very 
pleasant  home,  around  which  cluster  the 
cherished  memories  of  kindred  running  back 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  Here  he 
cultivates  his  fertile  acres,  making  a  specialty 
of  the  dairy  and  in  addition  possessing  a 
fine  orchard  of  maple  trees,  from  which  he 
annually  gathers  an  abundant  crop  of  sugar 
and  syrup. 

He  married,  April  13,  1869,  Abbie  H., 
daughter  of  Mills  and  Emily  (Lockwood) 
Redfield.  Their  children  are :  Mary  A. 
(Mrs.  George  P.  Stickney),  Henry  P.,  and 
Arthur  R. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  a  strong  Republican  and  for 
several  years  has  performed  the  duties  of 
selectman,  while  he  has  been  called  upon  to 
fill  many  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility  in 
the  town  where  he  resides.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  and  again  in  1892. 
In  this  body  he  served  on  the  committee  of 
the  grand  list  and  that  on  the  insane,  and 
has  always  discharged  his  duties  creditably 
and  conscientiously. 

MARSHALL,  JESSE,  late  of  West  Burke, 
son  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Hall)  Marshall,  was 
born  in  Ludlow,  Dec.  12,  181 7. 

Receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Guildhall  and  Burke,  to  which 
latter  town  his  parents  removed  in  1833,  he 
first  purchased  a  small  farm  which  he  cleared 
but  sold  in  1854.  He  then  bought  a  much 
larger  property,  on  which  he  lived  during 
the  rest  of  his  days,  bringing  it  up  to  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation,  and  devoting  especial 
attention  to  the  breeding  of  Devon  cattle 
and    Morgan    horses.      Mr.    Marshall    was 


L^' 


JESSE    MARSH 


Benoni  Hall,  and  Fayette  (deceased).  He 
was  again  married,  July  30,  1862,  to  Isabel 
M.,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Sarah  M. 
(Allen)  Thomas,  of  Burke. 

Mr.  Marshall  for  very  many  years  had 
served  as  selectman,  overseer,  lister  and 
auditor  of  the  town  in  which  he  resided,  and 
enjoyed  to  such  an  extent  the  confidence  of 
the  community,  that,  in  1870  and  1872,  he 
was  called  by  a  Republican  constituency  to 
represent  Burke  in  the  Legislature  where  he 
rendered  important  service  upon  the  grand 
list  and  other  committees.  He  was  intrust- 
ed with  the  duties  of  administrator  of  many 
estates.  A  strong  Lhiiversalist  in  his  relig- 
ious belief,  he  attended  and  supported  the 
Universalist  church.  He  was  a  very  charit- 
able and  public-spirited  man,  and  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  2t,  1892,  was  sincerely 
mourned  as  an  irreparable  loss  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


MARSHALL. 

MARSHALL,  OSCAR  AZOR,  latent  I'.rat- 
tleboro,  son  of  Azor  and  Ann  (ICstahrook) 
Marshall,  was  born  at  ( )ak  Gro\  e,  \\'is., 
August  9,  1858. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Brattleboro,  and  entered  the  employment  of 
the  Vermont  National  Bank,  May  31,  1875. 
He  became  assistant  cashier  of  the  People's 
National  Bank  in  1S83,  and  cashier  in  j886, 
which  position  he  held  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  a  director  of  the  People's 
National  Bank,  and  also  a  trustee  of  the 
Brooks  Library.  Mr.  Marshall  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Brattleboro  Savings 
Bank,  the  Vermont  Savings  Bank  of  Bratde- 
boro,  and  the  Wilmington  Savings  Bank. 


.  £1:4 


OSCAR    AZOR    MARSHALL. 

Mr.  Marshall  represented  Brattleboro  in 
the  Legislature  of  Vermont  in  the  sessions  of 
1890  and  1 89 1.  He  was  a  useful  member, 
and  ably  served  his  town  and  state.  He 
introduced  the  first  bill  providing  for  a 
secret  ballot  law  in  the  state,  basing  it  upon 
the  Australian  system,  and  it  was  largely 
through  his  painstaking  efforts  that  this  be- 
came a  law.  He  held  numerous  minor  town 
offices,  in  all  of  which  he  pro\ed  himself  a 
conscientious,  scrupulous,  honorable  gentle- 
man. 

He  was  one  of  the  rising  young  men  of 
the  state,  enjoying  the  full  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  death 
was  universally  regretted,  for  no  man  in  the 
community  was  more  beloved.  A  good 
citizen,  a  faithful  friend,  and  a  public  bene- 


NLARriN.  257 

factor,  he  was  most  sincerely  mourned  when 
he  jiassed  from  this  mortal  life. 

Mr.  Marshall  was  married  Sept.  25,  1883, 
to  Katherine  R.,  daughter  of  Francis  W. 
and  .Matilda  C.  (Smith)  Brooks.  Of  this 
union  are  two  children:  Klizabeth  (L,  and 
Brooks. 

MARTIN,  Frank  J.,  of  P.arre,  son  of 
Kimball  P.  and  Delana  (Wiley)  Martin,  was 
born  in  Washington,  Oct.  22,  1858.  The 
Martin  family  came  to  Vermont  from  Con- 
necticut. Frank  Martin's  progenitors  were 
early  settlers  of  Williamstown  and  their  de- 
scendants form  no  inconsiderable  share  of 
the  population  of  that  town. 

The  early  life  of  Mr.  Martin  was  on  a  farm, 
and  more  than  ordinary  tasks  devolved  upon 
him  in  consequence  of  the  sickness  and  early 
death  of  his  father.  In  spite  of  his  increased 
duties  he  managed  to  secure  such  a  share  of 
knowledge  as  was  afforded  by  the  schools  of 
iiarre  and  Williamstown  and  some  attend- 
ance at  the  Barre  Academy. 

For  four  years  after  he  had  entered  active 
life  he  divided  his  attention  between  employ- 
ment as  a  clerk  in  the  winter  season  and 
labor  on  the  farm  in  summer.  In  1880  he 
had  acquired  sufficient  funds  to  take  a  four 
years'  course  of  study  at  Worcester  Academy, 
Mass.  This  he  accomplished  in  three  years 
and  graduated  in  June,  1883.  He  then 
taught  school  in  Connecticut  and  in  Will- 
iamstown, and  after  employment  as  a  clerk 
in  Massachusetts  and  Vermont,  he  com- 
menced, in  1887,  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Frank  Plumley,  of  Northfield,  re- 
maining there  till  May,  1888,  when  he  went 
to  Montpelier,  and  while  deputy-clerk  of  the 
Washington  county  court  studied  with  M. 
K.  Smilie,  till  .April,  1S90,  when  he  entered 
the  office  of  H.  A.  Huse,  of  Montpelier. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  general 
term,  1890. 

In  Deceinber,  1890,  with  F.  P.  Carleton, 
he  began  practice  at  Barre  in  the  firm  of 
Martin  &  Carleton,  which  continued  till  Mr. 
Carleton 's  removal  to  Montpelier  in  1892. 
December,  1892,  he  and  L.  P.  Slack  formed 
the  firm  of  Martin  &  Slack. 

Mr.  Martin,  Dec.  28,  1892,  espoused  Ida 
M.,  daughter  of  Samuel  G.  and  Lucy  M. 
(\Vheeler)  Norris. 

He  is  a  Re])ublican  and  is  one  of  the 
town  grand  jurors  and  one  of  the  listers  of 
Barre.  In  1890  and  1892  he  was  second 
assistant  state  Hbrarian.  He  has  taken  the 
blue  lodge  degrees  and  affiliates  with 
Granite  Lodge,  No.  38,  F.  &  .\.  M. 

MARTIN,  Joseph  Gray,  of  Nfanches- 
ter  Center,  son  of  James  and  Lucy  ((iray) 
Martin,  was  born  in  Landgrove,  Oct.  8,  1S50. 


258 


His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools 
of  Landgrove  and  Londonderry  and  for  a 
time  he  enjoyed  private  instruction  in  the 
latter  place  and  Peru.  After  a  visit  to  the 
South  he  returned  to  his  native  place  on 
account  of  ill-health,  and  in  1869  he  studied 
law  with  his  brother  J.  L.  Martin  in  South 
Londonderry.  Here  he  remained  till  1874 
when  he  was  for  a  short  time  with  Jon- 
athan G.  Eddy  of  Jamaica.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  the  April  term  of  the 
Windham  county  court  in  the  same  year, 
and  soon  after  opened  an  office  in  London- 
derry where  he  remained  till  1881  when  he 
removed  to  Manchester  Center.  Mr.  Martin 
has  been  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme 
Court  and  both  the  district  and  circuit 
courts  of  the  United  States.  By  meritorious 
e.xertion   he    has  arrived  at  a  large  general 


JOSEPH    GRA 


practice,  has  been  retained  as  attorney  for 
two  national  banks  and  employed  as  counsel 
for  either  the  state  or  the  respondent  in 
several  important  criminal  cases.  In  1886 
he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Frank  T. 
Spring,  which  continued  till  the  death  of  the 
latter,  and  in  188S  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Frank  Archibald,  state's  attorney,  which 
arrangement  still  continues.  In  1894  he 
organized  the  Vermont  Spring  Co.,  of  which 
he  is  president.  This  corporation  owns  a 
large  tract  on  Putney  mountain  containing 
chalybeate  and  sulphur  mineral  springs. 

January  14,  1873,  Mr.  Martin  was  united 
to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Lydia 
A.  (Walker)   Barnard  of  Winhall,  who  died 


March  9,  1886,  leaving  four  children  :  Lucy 
E.,  Willard  B.,  Lucius  P.,  and  James  G. 
(deceased). 

Mr.  Martin  belongs  to  the  dominant 
party  of  the  state  but  has  held  only  a  few 
minor  offices.  He  is  an  Episcopalian  in 
religious  belief  and  has  taken  the  Masonic 
degrees  conferred  in  Anchor  Lodge,  No.  99, 
F.  &  .A.  M.  of  South  Londonderry. 

MARTIN,  James  LOREN,  of  Brattleboro, 
son  of  James  and  Lucy  (Gray)  Martin,  was 
born  at  Landgrove,  Sept.  18,  1846. 

His  early  education  was  in  the  district 
schools,  and  at  Londonderry  and  Marlow 
(N.  H.)  academies.  In  1867  he  became  a 
student  of  Judge  H.  H.  Wheeler,  and  pursued 
his  legal  studies  as  time  and  opportunity 
permitted.  The  following  year  he  went  to 
the  law  school  in  .Albany,  N.  Y.,  from  which 
he  graduated,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Ben- 
nington county  bar  at  the  June  term  in 
1869.  He  practiced  law  in  Londonderry 
from  that  time  until  January,  1882,  when  he 
bought  out  the  law  business  of  the  late  Charles 
N.  Davenport,  and  moved  to  Brattleboro.  In 
1 888  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Hon. 
E.  L.  Waterman,  and  later  George  B.  Hitt 
became  a  member  of  the  firm.  He  com- 
mands a  leading  position  as  a  lawyer. 

In  1886  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Brattleboro  Tool  Co.,  and  two  years  later  was 
appointed  tax  commissioner  by  Governor 
Dillingham,  which  office  he  still  holds.  In 
the  fall  of  1 89 1  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
L.  E.  Holden,  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
and  the  firm  is  now  conducting  a  large  busi- 
ness. He  is  also  president  of  the  Martin  & 
Fitts  Lime  and  Cement  Manufacturing  Co. 

Mr.  Martin's  political  career  began  with 
his  election  to  the  Legislature  as  representa- 
ti\e  of  Londonderry  in  1874,  in  which  body 
he  served  on  the  committee  on  education, 
having  charge  of  the  bill  to  abolish  the  board 
of  education  and  for  the  appointment  of  a 
state  superintendent.  Two  years  later  he 
was  again  returned  to  the  Legislature,  serv- 
ing as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  elec- 
tions, and  a  member  of  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee. In  1878  he  was  for  a  third  time 
elected  to  the  same  position,  and  was  chosen 
speaker  of  the  House  on  the  second  ballot. 
He  was  elected  to  the  House  in  1880  and 
1882,  and  at  both  of  the  last-named  sessions 
was  again  chosen  speaker.  His  thorough 
knowledge  of  parliamentary  law,  and  singular 
aptitude  for  the  prompt  dispatch  of  business 
rightfully  won  for  him  his  reputation  as  a 
model  speaker.  In  1892  he  represented 
Brattleboro,  and  declined  being  a  candidate 
for  speaker.  He  was  chairman  of  the  judic- 
iary committee,  second  on  the  ways  and 
means  committee.  .At  this  session  he  won  the 
reputation    of    being   a   painstaking,   hard- 


working,  and  a  very  useful  mcml.ier  of  the 
House  of  Representatives. 

He  was  first  married,  Nov.  19,  1X69,  to 
Delia  E.,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  .\lary 
(Aiken)  Howard.  She  died  Dec.  14,  1881. 
Three  children  were  born  to  them,  none  of 
whom  survive. 

On  the  loth  of  January,  1SS3,  he  married 
Jessie  Lilley,  daughter  of  Capt.  Kdward  and 
Susan  (Lilley)  Dewey,  of  Montpelier.  They 
ha\e  three  children  :  Margaret  Susan,  Helen 
Ruth,  and  Katharine  (Iray. 

MARTIN,  Milton,  of  Williamstown,  son 
of  James  and  Martha  (Coburn)  IVLirtin,  was 
born  in  AMlliamstown,  Feb.  19,  1809. 

He  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children, 
and  a  brother  of  the  late  ex-Lieut.-Gov. 
Burnam  Martin,  and  lived  the  frugal  life  of  a 
farmer's  bov  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old. 
During  this  time  he  obtained  what  educa- 
tional advantages  he  could  from  the  common 
schools  of  Williamstown.  Abandoning  his 
original  occupation  he  resolved  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith,  and  was  apprenticed 
for  three  years  to  Enoch  Howe,  with  whom 
he  served  his  time. 

Shortly  after  he  went  to  Wolcott  and  there 
married,  in  1832,  Mary  ALartyn,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living  : 
Albert  R.,  Lenora  (Mrs.  Austen  H.  Young  of 
Minneapolis),  and  Fred  R.  His  wife  died 
in  1868,  and  he  espoused  Mrs.  Nancy  (Whit- 
ney) Covil,  who  passed  away  March  12,  1875. 
He  has  contracted  a  third  alliance  with  Mrs. 
Nancy  (Martin)  Chamberlain.  Mr.  Martin 
remained  in  Wolcott  for  five  years,  pursuing 
his  trade,  and  then  returned  to  Williamstown, 
where  he  continued  at  the  forge,  until  his 
eldest  son  had  gained  skill  and  experience 
sufficient  to  succeed  him,  when  he  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  and  also  the  manage- 
ment of  the  village  inn.  He  bears  his  years 
lightly  and  "the  grasshopper  is  not  a  burden" 
in  his  ripe  old  age,  and  though  somewhat 
deaf  all  his  physical  and  mental  faculties  are 
'Unimpaired  and  active. 

Mr.  Martin  may  properly  be  designated  a 
Jacksonian  Democrat,  for  he  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  for  "Old  Hickory"  and  he 
has  adhered  to  that  party  ever  since.  He 
has  been  honored  with  official  trusts  both  in 
Wolcott  and  Williamstown  ;  was  postmaster 
for  five  years  and  justice  for  fifteen  in  the 
latter  town,  which  place  he  has  twice  repre- 
resented  in  the  Legislature.  He  has  also 
been  a  director  in  the  Montpelier  t^  White 
River  R.  R. 

MARTIN,  William,  late  of  I'lainfield, 
son  of  William  and  Sabrina  (Axtell)  Martin, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshfield.  His 
grandfather,  Jesse  Martin,  was  a  veteran  of 
Bunker  Hill,  and  his  father,  Hon.  A\illiam 


.MAkii.\.  259 

Martin,  was  a  man  of  mark,  who  represented 
Marshfield  for  thirteen  years  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, was  colonel  of  a  cavalry  regiment,  and 
associate  judge  of  the  county  court. 

William  Martin  passed  through  the  usual 
experience  in  his  boyhood  days,  receiving 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  The 
rough  and  constant  labor  of  the  farm  devel- 
oped his  energy  and  endowed  him  with  un- 
common physical  strength  and  endurance 
He  was  always  a  prodigious  worker,  and  for 
a  time  was  a  manufacturer  and  merchant, 
but  for  many  years  devoted  his  chief  atten- 
tion to  the  occupation  of  his  youth.  He  is 
a  large  owner  of  real  estate,  possessing  at 
the  time  of  his  death  several  extensive  farms 
in  this  and  neighboring  towns,  and  he  was 
also  the  proprietor  of  a  large  saw  mill,  which 
is  carried  on  by  his  sons. 

Mr.  Martin  was  an  enthusiastic  adherent 
of  the  dominant  party  in  the  state,  and  held 
many  public  offices  ;  representing  Marshfield 
in  the  Legislature. 

He  was  strongly  in  favor  of  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  civil  war,  and  one  of  his 
sons,  William  E.  Martin,  served  as  2d  lieu- 
tenant in  Co.  C,  13th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  under 
the  command  of  Col.  F.  V.  Randall,  and 
was  promoted  to  ist  lieutenant  before  that 
regiment  was  mustered  out.  He  then  en- 
listed in  the  17th  Regt.,  and  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Petersburg  Mine,  July  30,  1864. 
In  honor  of  his  memory  the  local  organiza- 
tion of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in 
Plainfield  received  its  title  of  the  William 
E.  Martin  Post. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  wedded 
Jan.  II,  1838,  to  Vienna  L.  Perrin,  by  whom 
he  has  had  eight  children:  Julia  S.  (Mrs. 
Walter  Page,  deceased),  \Mlliam  E.  (killed 
at  Petersburg,  Va.,  as  stated  above),  C'urtis 
A.,  Cassius  L.,  Charles  P.,  F'dwin  B.,  Harry 
H.,  and  Benjamin  F. 

MARTIN,  WILLARD  S.,  of  Plainfield, 
son  of  Joshua  B.  and  Betsv  (Sheppard) 
Martin,  was  born  in  Marshfield,  |nn.  26, 
1827. 

He  enjoyed  only  the  pri\ileges  of  the 
common  school,  but  by  active  observation 
and  assiduous  reading  he  is  practically  a 
well  educated  man. 

In  i860  he  moved  to  Plainfield  and  ]iur- 
chased  a  fine  property  of  nearly  six  hundred 
acres,  and  he  has  made  his  home  here  ever 
since.  He  has  been  an  extensi\e  dealer  in 
and  breeder  of  fine  stock.  .A  public-spirited 
man  of  kindly  and  sympathetic  nature,  he 
has  met  with  some  serious  losses  in  generous 
attempts  to  assist  his  neighbors  and  friends. 

Mr.  Martin  was  united  in  marriage,  Feb. 
21,  i860,  to  Fannie,  daughter  of  Orlando 
and  Cecilia  (Nash)  Lewis  of  East  Mont- 
pelier, who  died  May  7,   1889.     Five  chil- 


26o 


MATIHEWS. 


dren  are  the  issue  of  their  marriage :  K. 
AHce,  Willard  S.,  Jr.,  Orlando  L.,  Arthur  R. 
(deceased),  and  Edgar  L. 

Mr.  Martin  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
belief  and  has  been  entrusted  with  many 
responsil)le  positions  in  his  town.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for 
thirty  years  and  was  chosen  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1864  and  1S65.  He  received  the 
election  of  associate  judge  in  iS74,andcon- 


WILLARD    S.    MARTIN. 

tinued  on  the  bench  for  four  years.  He  was 
elected  senator  from  Washington  county  in 
1882.  He  was  six  years  director  of  the  Barre 
National  I'ank,  and  two  years  president  of  the 
Washington  County  Agricultural  Society. 

Judge  Martin  is  a  L'niversalist,  has  always 
taken  a  lively  interest  in  educational  matters, 
and  for  a  long  time  has  been  a  trustee  of 
Goddard  Seminary  of  Karre. 

MASON,  Charles  W.,  of  Vergennes, 
son  of  Lawrence  S.  and  Sarah  (French) 
Mason,  was  born  in  Potsdam,  N.  V.,  Nov.  6, 
1837. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
and  academy  at  New  Haven,  receiving  a 
thorough  preparation  for  after  life.  He  has 
always  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  and 
by  industry  and  skill  from  small  beginnings 
has  increased  the  value  of  his  property  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  has  now  one  of  the 
best  farms  of  .\ddison  county,  consisting  of 
over  four  hundred  acres  of  productive  land. 
He  is  a  breeder  and  dealer  in  thoroughbred 
Merino  sheep,  and  has  raised  many  of  very 


high  \alue.  These  have  been  exported  to 
nearly  all  states  of  the  L'nion,  and  he  has 
also  shipped  many  to  Africa,  being  one  of 
the  first  to  establish  this  enterprise.  "  He  also 
is  a  breeder  of  high-blood  horses. 

Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been 
honored  with  various  town  offices,  and  is 
popular  and  prominent  in  Addison  county. 

He  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  14th  Vt.  Vols.,  when 
they  organized  Sept.  9,  1862,  and  was 
mustered  in  in  October  of  the  same  year, 
holding  the  position  of  2d  lieutenant.  '  Re- 
turning to  Vermont  in  July,  1863,  he  raised 
Co.  E  for  the  3d  Vt.  Militia  Regl,  and  was 
commissioned  captain  by  ex-Gov.  J.  Gregory 
Smith.  He  was  present  and  took  part  in  the 
bloody  struggle  at  Crettysburg,  and  has  a  war 
record  of  which  one  may  well  be  proud. 

He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  brotherhood, 
being  a  member  of  Libanus  Lodge,  No.  47, 
of  Bristol,  and  the  Chapter  and  Royal  Arch 
Lodge  of  Vergennes.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregationalist  church  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  is  one  of  the  ex- 
amining and  building  committee  of  the 
church  recently  erected. 

Mr.  ALason  is  a  well-informed  gentleman 
on  state  and  foreign  matters,  and  an  intelli- 
gent and  pleasant  conversationalist. 

MATTHEWS,  CHARLES  W.,  of  Granby, 
son  of  Jonathan  and  Nancy  F.  (Bell)  Mat- 
thews, was  born  in  Clranby,  August  31,  1857. 

Jonathan  Matthews  came  to  Granby  in 
1838,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  resident  of 
that  place,  purchasing  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  lives.  The  son  received  an  excellent 
education  in  the  district  school,  and  com- 
pleted his  instruction  at  the  St.  Johnsbury 
.•\cademy.  He  has  always  remained  on  the 
paternal  estate,  and  is  an  enterprising  and 
substantial  farmer,  an  enviable  lot  in  these 
days  of  bustling  and  by  no  means  remuner- 
ative toil  in  other  branches  of  money  getting. 

He  belongs  to  the  ruling  party  of  Vermont, 
and  has  received  the  offices  of  lister  and 
selectman,  and  enjoyed  the  honors  of  town 
clerk  and  treasurer  for  nearly  fifteen  years. 
He  has  served  as  county  commissioner,  and 
also  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  1880  and  1892.  Though  a 
young  man,  Mr.  Matthews  has  been  promi- 
nent in  town  and  county  affairs,  and  gives 
promise  of  a  career  of  much  usefulness. 

He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Mr.  Matthews  was  married  June  25,  1879, 
to  Hettie,  daughter  of  Loomis  and  Adeline 
(Farr)  Wells.     They  have  one  child  :   Leila. 

MATTISON,   William    P.,  of   South 

Shaftsbury,  son  of  Reuben  and  Eunice  (Slye) 
Mattison,  was  born  in  Shaftsbury,  Dec.  22, 
1828.  His  great-grandfather,  Thoinas  Matti- 
son, caine  from  Rhode  Island  in  the  latter 


26l 


half  of  the  i8th  century,  was  chosen  the  first 
town  clerk  of  Shaftsbury,  and  the  earliest 
deed  on  record  in  that  tow'n  bears  his  signa- 
ture. 

The  opportunities  for  early  education  en- 
joyed by  William  P.  were  those  afforded  by 
the  schools  of  his  native  town,  supplemented 
by  a  short  course  at  North  Bennington  Acad- 
emy. For  several  succeeding  winters  he  was 
employed  in  teaching  in  Bennington  and 
Hillsdale,  N.  V.  On  his  return  to  Shaftsbury 
he  gave  his  attention  to  the  manufacture  of 
squares  for  se\eral  years,  still  continuing  at 
intervals  his  former  profession  and  devoting 
all  his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  law,  which 
he  hoped  to  adopt  as  a  profession. 


'ILLIAM   P.   MATTISON. 


Mr.  Mattison  was  united  in  wedlock  August 
9,  1853,  to  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  William  F. 
and  Catherine  (Sharts)  Stickle,  of  Hillsdale, 
N.  Y.  Five  children  were  the  fruit  of  the 
union  :  Katherine  A.  (Mrs.  Charles  F.  Chapin 
of  \\aterbury.  Conn.),  Frederick  L.,  May  V. 
(Mrs.  Ceorge  A.  Bruce  of  South  Shaftsbury), 
William  R.  and  Clayton  S. 

Some  time  after  his  marriage,  he  removed 
to  Hillsdale,  and  during  a  period  of  about 
five  years  engaged  in  teaching  and  farming, 
and  also  became  a  partner  in  a  general  store. 
In  1 86 1  he  again  returned  to  Shaftsbury, 
and  entered  the  employment  of  the  Kagle 
Square  Co.  He  had  always  taken  great  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  this  corporation,  giv- 
ing much  time  to  the  study  of  square-making 
and  imiiro\'ed  machinerv  therefor.      In  1864 


the  Kagle  Square  Co.,  which  till  then  had 
been  organized  as  a  ]jartnership,  was  incor- 
porated and  three  years  later  Mr.  Mattison 
was  elected  secretary  and  treasurer.  In 
1883  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
vice-president,  which  office  he  holds  at 
the  present  time.  In  1880  the  plant  of  the 
company,  which  had  been  rejjeatedly  en- 
larged to  accommodate  the  manufacture  of 
bedsteads,  sash  and  blinds,  and  boring  ma- 
chines, was  destroyed  by  fire,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  sfpiare-finishing  department,  and 
it  was  principally  owing  to  the  active  and  in- 
telligent efforts  of  Mr.  NIattison  that  the  works 
were  reconstructed.  To  him  was  entrusted 
the  responsible  task  of  erecting  the  necessary 
buildings  and  providing  a  new  plant  on  a 
larger  scale  than  the  former,  equipped  with 
the  most  improved  machinery.  In  this  en- 
terprise he  was  eminently  successful  and  the 
company  is  now  more  prosperous  than  e\er 
before.  His  success  as  the  chief  acting  execu- 
ti\e  officer  of  the  Eagle  Square  Manufacturing 
Co.  for  a  long  term  of  years  stamps  him  as  a 
representative  member  of  that  large  and 
valued  class  of  New  Kngland  manufacturers 
who  have  done  so  much  to  win  the  high  repu- 
tation which  these  states  enjoy  as  industrial 
centers. 

Politically,  Mr.  Mattison  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican since  the  inception  of  the  party.  His 
natural  ability  and  energy  have  made  him  a 
fit  candidate  for  many  official  positions  in 
both  Shaftsbury  and  Hillsdale.  In  1872  he 
represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature,  serv- 
ing as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  land 
taxes  and  taking  an  active  part  in  all  matters 
affecting  the  manufacturing  interests  of  the 
state.  Six  vears  subse(]uently  he  was  chosen 
state  senator  from  Bennington  county,  in 
which  body  he  was  a  member  of  several 
highly  important  committees. 

Mr.  Mattison,  by  an  accident  received  in 
185S,  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  the  sight  of 
his  right  eye,  which  disqualified  him  for  ser- 
vice in  the  late  war. 

In  his  religious  preferences  he  inclines  to 
the  Baptist  faith.  He  has  always  taken  a 
li\ely  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  native 
town  to  whose  material  welfare  he  has  been  so 
large  a  contributor. 

MATTISON,  Fred  LELAND,  of  South 
Shaftsbury,  son  of  William  P.  and  Sarah 
(Stickle)  Mattison,  was  born  in  Hillsdale, 
N.  v.,  April  20,  1857. 

His  educational  advantages  were  received 
in  the  public  schools  of  Shaftsbury,  the 
graded  school  of  North  Bennington  and  the 
Wilbraham  (Mass)  Academy.  He  com- 
menced the  active  business  of  life  as  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store  in  South  Shaftsbury  and 
afterwards  became  bookkeeper  of  the  Eagle 
Square  Co.  till  the  year   1884  when  he  was 


262 


McCULLOUGH. 


elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  that  cor- 
poration, which  position  he  still  retains,  and 
since  the  illness  of  his  father  has  had  the  chief 
control  of  the  business.  He  is  one  of  the  stock- 
holders in  that  company  which  was  founded 
by  Silas  Hawes  in  i'8i2.  In  1878  Mr. 
Mattison  purchased  a  third  interest  in  the 
general  store  owned  bv  \\'.  P.  Mattison  & 
Co. 

In  his  political  sentiments  he  is  Republi- 
can and  he  supports  and  attends  the  Aletho- 
dist  church. 


trines  of  the  protectionists,  and  is  now  a; 
strong  Cleveland  Democrat  of  the  independ- 
ent type,  who  believes  in  principle  rather 
than  party. 

Mr.  May  was  married  Dec.  12,  1872,  to 
Miss  Eunice  A.  S.,  daughter  of  Sumner  W. 
and  Rosette  (Eastman)  xArnold.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  the  issue  of  this  marriage  : 
Florence  Joanna,  Eunice  Rosette,  and  Bea- 
trice Sophia. 

During  the  war  he  made  an  attempt  to  en- 
list in  the  17th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  but  was  re- 
jected. A  second  effort  was  more  successful, 
and  he  was  enrolled  in  the  26th  Regt.  New 
York  Cavalry  under  Col.  Ferris  Jacobs.  He 
received  a  commission  from  Governor  Fen- 
ton  as  ist  lieutenant  and  regimental  com- 
missary, but  was  not  present  at  any  battle  of 
the  war. 

Mr.  May  has  also  knelt  at  the  shrine  of 
Free  Masonry,  having  taken  the  degrees  of 
blue  lodge,  chapter  and  temple  and  he  is  a 
member  of  Chamberlain  Post,  No.  i,(;.  A.  R. 

A  modest  and  unassuming  man,  notwith- 
standing his  liberal  and  advanced  view  of 
the  present  aspect  of  public  affairs,  he  has 
never  sought  for  political  promotion,  but  he 
was  the  candidate  for  auditor  of  accounts  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  in  1890  and  1892, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  state 
committee  for  Caledonia  county.  Mr.  May 
was  in  1893  appointed  bank  examiner  in 
\'ermont  by  President  Cleveland,  and  is  at 
present  director  of  the  state  prison  and  house 
of  correction. 


AND    MATTISON 


He  married,  Nov.  29,  1881,  Jennie, 
daughter  of  Clark  and  Sarina  Bates  of  South 
Shaftsbury.  Four  children  have  blessed  the 
union  :  Raymond,  Louis,  Irwin,  and  Dorothy. 

MAY,  ELISHA,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  son  of 
Preston  and  Sophia  Stevens  (Grout)  May, 
was  born  in  Concord,  Dec.  12,  1842. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
and  at  St.  Johnsbury  Academy.  After  his 
preliminary  studies  he  read  law  with  Jona- 
than Ross,  Esq.,  at  St.  Johnsbury  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  December  term 
in  Caledonia  county  in  1867.  The  following 
year  he  served  as  assistant  clerk  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  under  John  H.  Flagg.  .At 
one  time  a  partner  of  Henry  E.Belden,  Esq., 
Mr.  May  is  now  associated  with  Hon.  Henry 
C.  Bates. 

F"ormerly  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party,  he  withdrew  his  allegiance  in  1884, 
being  a  pronounced  opponent  of  the  doc- 


MCCULLOUGH,  JOHN  GRIFFITH,  of 
Bennington,  son  of  Alexander  and  Rebecca 
McCullough,  was  born  in  Newark,  Del.  He 
is  of  mingled  Scotch  and  AVelsh  ancestry, 
and  the  circumstances  which  surrounded  his 
early  youth  did  not  present  a  rosy  prospect 
for  his  future ;  for  his  father  died  when  he 
was  three  years  of  age,  and  his  mother  when 
he  was  seven.  His  early  educational  advan- 
tages were  meagre,  but  with  unwearied  in- 
dustry he  made  the  most  of  them,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  graduating  from  Delaware  College 
with  the  highest  honors  before  reaching  his 
twentieth  year.  He  then  commenced  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  St.  (leorge 
Tucker  Campbell  of  Philadelphia,  dividing 
his  time  between  study  and  practical  expe- 
rience in  the  office  and  attendance  at  the 
law  school  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  which  institution  he  received 
the  degree  of  LLB.  In  1859  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Pennsylvania.  At  this  time  impaired  health 
rendered  a  change  of  climate  and  surround- 
ings necessary,  and  he  set  sail  in  that  vear 
for  San  Francisco,  but  the  severity  of  the 
seacoast  winds  induced  him  to  remove  to 
Sacramento,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 


^^^g/1/Vl.C^^^t..^^^onx^^ 


264 


McCUI.LOUGH. 


bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  California. 
Even  here  the  climate  was  too  rough  for  his 
delicate  condition,  and  he  soon  changed  his 
residence  to  Mariposa,  at  the  foot  of  the 
picturesque  Sierra  Nevadas.  California  at 
this  time  was  passing  through  her  trying 
pioneer  period,  and  her  precarious  situation 
was  about  to  be  complicated  by  the  bursting 
of  the  war  cloud  of  the  rebellion,  and  the 
young  lawyer  arrived  on  this  rough  scene  in 
time  to  perform  his  part  in  the  drama.  A 
terrible  struggle  between  the  Secessionists  of 
Southern  California  and  the  Unionists  ap- 
peared inevitable,  when  the  arrival  of  Gen- 
eral Sumner,  sent  by  the  government  to  su- 
persede Cen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  then 
in  command  at  Fort  Alcatraz,  frustrated  the 
scheme  of  Southern  sympathizers  to  separate 
California  from  the  Union.  In  young  Mc- 
Cullough,  whose  loyalty  to  the  Federal 
government  was  intense,  { General  Sumner 
found  a  ready  and  efficient  supporter  and 
coadjutor.  .Ascending  the  stump,  in  spite 
of  his  delicate  health  which  precluded  active 
service  in  the  field,  by  his  courage  and  elo- 
quence, he  did  yeoman  service  for  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  national  unity. 

Having  secured  the  admiration  and  confi- 
dence of  the  Union  element,  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  General  Assembly  in  1861,  and 
elected  by  a  triumphant  coalition  of  Repub- 
licans and  Douglas  Democrats.  In  1862  his 
constituents  returned  him  to  the  state  Senate, 
though  the  district  up  to  that  time  had  been 
overwhelmingly  Democratic.  Such  was  his 
success  and  vigor  in  shaping  legislation,  that 
notwithstanding  his  youth  and  his  brief  ex- 
perience as  a  practical  lawyer,  he  was  nomi- 
nated the  next  year  by  the  state  convention 
of  the  Republican  party  as  attorney-general 
of  California,  and  elected  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority.  In  this  position  he  labored 
with  signal  skill  and  success  in  the  interest 
of  and  for  the  honor  of  the  state.  Renomi- 
nated in  1867,  he  failed  of  a  re-election, 
though  receiving  the  largest  vote  of  any  can- 
didate on  the  Republican  ticket.  For  four 
succeeding  years  as  the  head  of  a  well-known 
law  firm  in  San  Francisco,  he  enjoyed  a 
highly  renumerative  practice  and  the  en- 
viable reputation  with  court,  counsel  and 
client,  of  a  practitioner  scrupulously  accurate 
in  statement  and  in  every  action  or  position 
governed  by  the  nicest  sense  of  professional 
honor. 

In  187 1,  while  on  a  visit  to  the  eastern 
states.  General  McCullough  married  Eliza 
Hall,  daughter  of  Trenor  W.  and  Laura  V.  H. 
Park  of  Bennington.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren :  Hall  Park,  Elizabeth  1,.,  Ella  S.,  and 
Esther  Morgan. 

Two  years  after  his  marriage,  having 
acquired  an  ample  fortune,  he  remoxed  to 
Southern  Vermont,  where  he  interested  him- 


self in  railroad,  commercial  and  banking 
enterprises.  His  active  operations  in  these 
directions  have  made  him  for  some  months 
in  the  year  a  resident  of  New  York,  where  a 
portion  of  his  time  is  passed,  but  his  home 
and  permanent  and  favorite  residence  is  in 
the  Green  Mountain  state.  Some  disap- 
pointed individual  has  said  that  Vermont 
was  a  good  state  to  emigrate  from  ;  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  believes  rather  that  it  is  a 
good  state  not  only  to  emigrate  to,  but  to 
marry  into  also.  He  is  an  ardent  admirer 
of  those  Vermont  methods  and  principles  by 
which,  the  Grecian  statesman  said,  a  small 
state  may  be  made  great,  and  a  great  state 
greater  still. 

From  1873  to  1883  he  was  vice-president 
and  general  manager  of  the  Panama  Railroad 
Co.,  and  from  the  latter  year  until  his  resigna- 
tion in  1888  he  was  president  and  directing 
genius  of  the  corporation.  He  was  elected 
a  director  of  the  Erie  R.  R.  in  18S4,  and 
since  1888  has  been  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive committee.  He  was  the  first  president 
of  the  Chicago  &  Erie  R.  R.,  a  position 
which  he  still  holds,  and  is  president  of  the 
Pennington  &  Rutland  Railroad  Co.  He 
is  also  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  North  Bennington,  a  director  in  the  New 
York  Security  and  Trust  Co.,  of  the  Fidelity 
and  Casualty  Insurance  Co.  of  that  citv,  and 
is  largely  interested  in  many  other  corpora- 
tions. 

American  politics  have  always  possessed 
the  liveliest  interest  for  (leneralMcCullough, 
and  he  has  suffered  no  political  campaign  to 
pass  by  since  i860,  in  which  his  voice  has 
not  been  heard  in  earnest  and  efficient 
advocacy  of  the  men  and  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  yet  he  entertains  no 
ambition  in  the  direction  of  public  office. 
His  genial  nature  and  social  tastes  have  won 
him  hosts  of  friends,  and  his  home  life  in 
the  state  of  his  adoption  is  singularly  happy 
and  contented. 

McDUFFKE,  Henry  Clay,  of  Bradford, 

son  of  John  and  Dolly  (Greenleaf)  McDuffee, 
was  born  at  Bradford,  Oct.  3,  1831.  John 
McDuffee  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the 
town.  He  was  a  teacher  and  later  a  railroad 
projector  and  civil  engineer  of  distinguished 
ability  and  extended  reputation. 

Henry  C.  was  educated  in  the  Bradford 
public  schools  and  at  Bradford  .Academy. 
He  lived  upon  the  farm  where  he  was  born 
until  1 868,  when  he  removed  to  his  pleasant 
home  on  Main  street  in  Bradford  where  he 
now  lives.  He  learned  surveying  at  an 
early  age  and  has  always  pursued  that  voca- 
tion more  or  less.  .After  the  death  of  his 
father,  and  brother  Charles,  who  were  agents 
for  Joseph  Bell  of  Pioston,  an  extensive  land 
owner  in  Canada,    New    England  and   the 


iMcGE'n  KICK. 


265 


western  states,  Mr.  McDuffee  was  appointed 
agent,  having  complete  control  of  the  man- 
agement and  sale  of  this  large  property,  and 
discharged  that  trust  with  much  credit. 
During  that  time  and  since,  he  has  had 
charge  of  many  other  complicated  estates 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  has 
also  conducted  a  widely  extended  business 
in  buying  and  selling  real  estate  in  the 
South  and  West.  For  a  number  of  years 
Mr.  McDuffee  had  the  management  of  some 


HENRY    CLAY    McDUFfEE. 

large  oil  wells  and  coal  mines  in  Ohio. 
Afterwards  he  was  manager  of  a  linen  mill 
in  Claremont,  N.  H.,  where  he  remained 
until  1 8 70,  when  he  returned  to  Bradford. 
Mr.  McDuffee  has  always  been  a  public- 
spirited  man,  and  greatly  interested  in  any- 
thing which  he  thought  was  for  the  true  in- 
terest of  his  town.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Bradford  Savings  Bank 
and  Trust  Co.,  personally  secured  its  char- 
ter and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the 
directors.  He  was  also  influential  in  estab- 
lishing the  Bradford  Opinion  and  soon  after- 
wards became  the  principal  owner.  He  has 
been  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Bradford 
Academy.  Mr.  McDuffee  is  a  man  of  large 
business  experience  and  has  traveled  exten- 
sively. 

He  was  for  some  time  engaged  by  a  large 
banking  establishment  of  Boston  to  inspect 
and  to  establish  loan  agencies  throughout 
the  West  and  along  the  Pacific  Coast. 

He  is  a  loyal  Republican  and  is  a  man 
who  has  the  courage  of  his  convictions.     He 


has  held  nearly  all  the  important  town 
offices.  He  was  elected  as  representative 
from  Bradford  to  the  deneral  Assembly  of 
icSyo  and  187 1,  being  the  first  Republican 
representative  ever  elected  in  that  town. 
He  was  re-elected  in  1872  receiving  at  this 
time  the  largest  Re]Hiblican  vote  ever  polled 
in  Bradford  before  or  since.  He  was  high 
bailiff  of  Orange  county  for  1872  and  1S73  ; 
assistant  U.  S.  .Assessor  from  1871  to  the 
time  the  office  was  abolished,  and  was 
elected  state  senator  from  Orange  county  in 
18S4  serving  at  this  time  on  the  committees 
of  finance,  railroads  and  banks.  He  was 
also  for  many  years  chairman  of  the  Orange 
county  Republican  committee  and  in  1888 
was  one  of  the  presidential  electors. 

He  is  a  member  of  Charity  Lodge  43  and 
Chapter  of  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Bradford. 

March  12,  1863,  he  married  Laura  Water- 
man of  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  who  died  the  fol- 
lowing September.  He  married  his  present 
wife,  Rosie  ^L,  daughter  of  Hon  Roswell 
M.  and  ^^arinda  (Nelson)  Bill  of  Topsham, 
June  8,  1869.  They  have  one  child  :  Ernest 
Bill. 

MCGETTRICK,  FELIX  WILLIAM,  of  SL 
Albans,  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (O'Con- 
nell)  McGettrick,  was  born  in  Fairfield, 
Nov.  20,  1847. 


The  educational  facilities  which  Mr.  Mc- 
( lettrick  enjoyed  before  the  war  were  exceed- 
ingly limited,  as  he  li\ed  nearly  three  miles 
from    the   nearest  district   schoolhouse,    but 


266 


after  his  return  from  the  battlefields  of  \"ir- 
ginia  he  took  a  partial  course  of  study  at  the 
New  Hampton  Institute  at  Fairfax,  and  then 
placed  himself  as  a  private  pupil  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  C.  J.  Alger  at  Burlington,  in 
whose  office  he  commenced  the  study  of  law, 
which  he  afterward  continued  with  the  firm 
of  Edson  &  Rand  at  St.  Albans. 

In  1870  he  combined  his  legal  studies 
with  the  teacher's  profession,  but  two  years 
later  he  began  to  practice  at  St.  Albans. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  several  important 
cases  and  ranks  high  as  an  able  criminal 
lawyer,  and  as  an  advocate  he  has  no  supe- 
rior in  the  state,  possessing  great  command 
of  language,  and  is  both  forcible  and  elo- 
quent as  a  .speaker. 

Mr.  McGettrick  enlisted,  when  a  lad  of 
sixteen,  in  Co.  E,  2d  Regt.  U.  S.  Sharp- 
shooters, and  in  the  winter  of  1864  the  com- 
mand were  in  camp  around  Brandy  Station 
and  Culpepper,  Va.  He  was  present  at  the 
battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania, 
and  in  the  latter  engagement  was  seriously 
wounded.  He  was  discharged  at  the  close 
of  the  war. 

He  is  actively  interested  in  politics,  being 
a  staunch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  been  town  grand 
juror  and  member  of  the  school  board,  as 
well  as  town  agent  for  prosecuting  and  de- 
fending suits.  He  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  national  convention  in  1880, 
and  seven  years  afterward  was  appointed 
special  inspector  of  customs.  He  was  the 
nominee  of  his  party  for  Congress  in  1892, 
and  the  following  year  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  superintendent  of  construction  of 
the  new  United  States  custom  house  and 
postofifice  at  St.  Albans. 

Mr.  McGettrick  was  married,  January, 
1872,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Burke)  Morris  of  Fairfield.  They 
have  three  children :  Edward  Thomas, 
Charles  Henry,  and  Mary  Catherine. 

MCLAM,  James  R.,  of  Topsham,  son  of 
James  and  Agnes  (Leech)  McLam,  was 
born  in  Ryegate,  Nov.  24, 184 1.  His  parents 
came  from  Scotland  to  Caledonia  county 
about  1830,  and  James  received  a  good  prac- 
tical education  in  the  schools  of  Ryegate, 
supplemented  by  a  course  of  instruction  at 
the  Caledonia  grammar  school  and  at  Mcln- 
does  Academy.  He  remained  with  his  father 
upon  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty  vears  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  Boston,  Mass.,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  business  of  trucking  for  three 
years. 

After  spending  a  year  in  Iowa,  he  returned 
to  Ryegate,  and  finally  removed  to  Topsham, 
where  he  engaged  in  general  trade  for  four 
years,  and  then  parted  with  his  interest  in 
the  business  to  Mr.  Stewart,  who   had  been 


connected  with  him.  For  several  years  he 
ga\e  his  attention  to  insurance,  pensions  and 
town  affairs.  He  then  went  back  to  his  old 
stand,  and  taking  A.  C.  Wormwood,  of  Bos- 
ton, as  a  partner,  they  successfully  conducted 
the  business  till  1892,  having  a  practical 
monopoly  of  trade  in  the  ^•illage,  when  Mr. 
McLam  sold  out  to  Mr.  Wormwood. 

February  i,  1871,  he  married  Susan  ]., 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Jeanette  (Cochrane) 
Wormwood,  and  of  this  union  were  issue  : 
Elmer  D.  (deceased),  George  L.,  Cora  J., 
and  Affnes  M. 


^•*^    ^^^  t 


Though  not  a  farmer,  he  has  gi\-en  both 
time  and  money  to  the  establishment  of  a 
co-operative  creamery  in  East  Topsham,  and 
is  a  director  and  secretary  of  the  company. 

MCLEAN,  Albert,  of  Norton  Mills,  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Carleton)  McLean,  was 
born  in  Alna,  Me.,  August  31,  1849. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Alna  and  at  Eastpitston  (Me.) 
Academy. 

His  father  was  a  farmer  and  merchant 
and  to  these  \ocations  he  added  a  large  ship- 
ping business,  finding  opportunity,  neverthe- 
less, to  discharge  the  duties  of  town  clerk 
for  a  period  of  fifty  years.  Albert  remained 
with  him  until  his  majoritv,  in  his  extensive 
operations,  when  he  moved  to  Norton  Mills 
and  engaged  as  clerk  for  Wilmot  Nelson, 
remaining  about  four  years.  .Afterward  he 
went   into  partnership  with   Mr.  Nelson  as 


iMiMASTKR. 

A.  McLean  &  Co.,  and  continued  in  trade 
until  the  business  was  sold  to  A.  M.  Stetson 
&  Co.,  in  18S9,  when  he  entered  their  em- 
ployment as  head  clerk. 

Mr.  McLean  is  a  Republican  and  a  Free 
Mason,  having  received  his  degrees  in  Island 
Pond  Lodge  No.  44. 

\\hen  the  town  was  organized  in  1885  he 
was  chosen  town  clerk  and  has  served  most 
faithfully  and  acceptably  ever  since.  He 
also  has  made  a  most  efficient  town  treasurer 
for  five  years.  He  is  obliging  and  of  sterl- 
ing moral  worth. 

He  was  wedded,  in  1885,  at  Island  Pond, 
to  Ella  B.,  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and  Margaret 
Libby  of  East  Machias,  Me.,  and  by  her  he 
is  the  father  of  two  children  :  John  Walter, 
and  Cora  P^nuna. 

MCMASTER,  William  D.,  of  Wood- 
stock, son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Burke)  Mc- 
Master,  was  born  in  Ireland,  Nov.  28,  1833, 
and  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  X'ermont 
when  a  child. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools,  and  from  the  experience  derived  in 
an  a]i|irenticeNlii|i  served  in  a  printing  uffi(  r. 


Mcr)UIVE\-. 


26^ 


WILLIAM    D.    McMASTER. 

Mr.  McMaster  has  followed  the  vocation 
of  printer,  editor  and  publisher.  From  Jan. 
I,  1861,  he  has  been  the  proprietor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Spirit  of  the  Age.  He  is  now 
the  oldest  journalist  as  regards  continuous 
service  in  the  state. 

Mr.  McMaster  was  married  lulv  to,  1867, 
to  Maria  E.,  daughter  of  Wilder  and    F'Jiza 


C.  (Demary)  Raymond.  Two  children  were 
the  fruit  of  their  union :  Charles  1^.,  and 
William  R.,  both  deceased. 

Democratic  in  his  political  faith,  he  has 
served  on  state,  county  and  town  committees, 
was  postmaster  of  Woodstock  during  Presi- 
dent Cleveland's  first  administration,  hold- 
ing the  office  for  four  years  and  ten  months, 
and  several  times  has  been  the  candidate  of 
his  ])arty  for  town  representative.  During 
the  period  of  the  rebellion  of  the  slave  states 
his  paper  heartily  endorsed  and  supported 
all  measures  leading  to  a  \  igorous  prosecu- 
tion of  the  war. 

MCQUIVEY,  ALSON  N.,  of  Bread  Loaf, 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Family  E.  (Dunham) 
McQuivey,  was  born  in  Ripton,  Feb.  3, 
18:^1. 


He  passed  through  the  common  schools 
of  Ripton,  the  high  school  of  Middlebury 
and  the  Vermont  Methodist  Seminary  at 
Montpelier.  After  completing  his  educa- 
tional training  he  settled  down  as  a  farmer 
near  Bread  Loaf  Mountain,  a  noted  summer 
resort,  where  he  has  methodically  and  suc- 
cessfully pursued  his  business.  He  has 
dealt  somewhat  extensively  in  real  estate  and 
is  iiiuch  interested  in  breeding  driving 
horses. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Middlebury, 
Jan.  25,  1876,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Carlos 
and  Marcia  Hooker.  Shortly  after  her 
marriage  she  died  and  he  then  espoused 
Florence   A.,   daughter  of  William    N.  and 


268 


Joanna  B.  (Fletcher)  Cobb.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them  :  Agnes  A., 
Gordon  D.,  and  Arthur. 

Mr.  McQuivey  belongs  to  the  dominant 
party  in  the  state  and  for  six  years  has  filled 
the  offices  of  superintendent  of  schools, 
auditor,  lister  and  selectman.  He  was 
appointed  census  enumerator  in  1890,  and 
two  years  afterwards  was  called  upon  to 
represent  the  town  of  Ripton  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, where  his  services  were  given  to  the 
committee  on  the  library. 

He  belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  is  specially  attached  to  Lake  Dunmore 
Lodge,  No.  II.  He  formerly  affiliated  with 
the  state  Grange,  and  is  at  present  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church.  Mr. 
McQuivey  is  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the 
town,  and  is  prominently  connected  with  all 
affairs  of  social  and  political  life. 

MEAD,  Elisha  Ferguson,  of  starks- 

boro,  son  of  William  and  Mandana  ( Fergu- 
son) Mead,  was  born  in  Hinesburgh,  June 
25,  1824.      His  grandfather,  Alpheus  Mead, 


'  Mt  t^r^^^ 


ELISHA    FERGUSON    MEAD. 

was  born  in  Greenwich,  Conn.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  was  cap- 
tured and  confined  in  the  old  sugarhouse  in 
New  York.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Hinesburgh,  where  he  died  in  1837.  The 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
daughter  of  Flisha  Ferguson,  of  Starksboro. 
His  grandmother  on  his  mother's  side  was  a 
sister  of  Elijah  Hedding,  one  of  the  early 
bishops  of  the  Methodist  church. 


Elisha  Ferguson  Mead  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  in  the  Hinesburgh 
Academy.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  Asahel  Peck,  at  Burlington,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Chittenden  county,  in 
1847.  He  practiced  in  Chittenden  county 
until  1855,  when  he  moved  to  Michigan, 
where  he  opened  an  office  at  Romeo,  and 
had  a  large  practice  in  that  and  the  sur- 
rounding counties,  and  in  the  United  States 
circuit  and  district  courts.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  of  Michigan  in  1866,  and 
served  on  the  judiciary  committee,  was  re- 
elected in  1868,  and  was  a])pointed  chairman 
of  that  committee,  and  filled  the  position 
satisfactorily  the  next  two  years.  He  prac- 
ticed law  in  Michigan  until  1874,  when  he 
retired  from  professional  life  and  has  since 
resided  at  Starksboro. 

MEAD,  JOHN  ABNER,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Fairhaven,  on  the  20th 
day  of  April,  1841.  His  ancestors  were  En- 
glish and  the  family  was  an  ancient  and  hon- 
orable one.  There  is  in  Westminster  .\bbey 
a  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  Rich- 
ard -Mead,  ^L  I).,  one  of  his  ancestors,  who 
was  the  friend  and  physician  of  the  talented 
though  not  amiable  George  H,  and  of  Queen 
.Anne.  Col.  Richard  K.  Mead,  aid-de-camp 
to  General  Washington  from  1777  to  1783, 
attained  the  rank  of  colonel  and  rendered 
valuable  service  throughout  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  He  was  with  the  commander-in- 
chief  in  all  his  principal  battles  and  person- 
ally superintended  the  execution  of  Major 
Andre,  a  duty  which  he  was  accustomed  to 
say,  he  was  not  able  to  perform  without  shed- 
ding tears.  The  Rt.  Rev.  William  Mead, 
Bishop  of  Virginia,  was  also  of  the  same 
family.  Richard  \\'.  Mead,  another  ancestor, 
born  in  Chester  county.  Pa.,  in  June,  1778, 
was  said  to  be  the  first  importer  of  Merino 
sheep  into  the  United  States.  The  great- 
great-grandfather  of  the  present  sketch.  Col. 
James  Mead,  was  the  first  white  settler  in 
Rutland  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Otter  creek, 
and  was  a  descendant  from  one  of  the  two 
families  of  Meads  who  emigrated  from  F^n- 
gland  about  1642.  He  was  born  at  Horse- 
neck,  N.  Y.,  August  25,  1730,  and  married 
Mercy  Holmes  of  the  same  place.  Having 
purchased  seven  thousand  acres  of  land  at 
six  cents  an  acre,  situated  on  either  side  of 
Otter  creek  and  near  the  falls  at  Center  Rut- 
land, Colonel  Mead  left  Manchester,  \t.,  on 
the  morning  of  the  28th  of  September,  1769, 
with  his  wife  and  eleven  children  and  a  son- 
in-law,  and  starting  out  into  the  unbroken 
wilderness,  arriving  at  Central  Falls  on  the 
evening  of  the  30th,  having  been  en  route 
three  days  and  two  nights.  .\n  extract  from 
the  inaugural  address  of  Mayor  Mead  on  the 
organization  of  the  city  government  graphi- 


270 


callv  describes  the  experiences  of  the  first 
settler  :  "Go  back  with  me  for  a  moment 
for  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  years,  and 
picture,  if  you  will,  that  man,  the  first  settler, 
with  his  wife  and  eleven  children  ;  one  pair 
of  oxen  with  the  old-style  sledge  piled  high 
with  all  their  earthly  belongings ;  the  mother 
and  girls  riding  alternately  upon  two  small 
horses  ;  the  father  and  boys  in  turn  driving 
the  oxen,  and  closely  behind,  their  two  cows. 
At  Manchester,  Vt.,  they  leave  all  roads  and 
strike  out  into  the  unbroken  forest ;  they 
push  their  way,  slowly  but  surely,  along  the 
sides  of  the  mountains.  There  are  no  setders 
along  their  route  to  point  the  way  or  shelter 
them  by  night.  They  mo\e  along  that  rocky 
crest  and  after  three  days  and  two  nights, 
they  arrived  at  their  destination,  the  Central 
Falls,  as  they  were  known  upon  the  old 
survev,  viz.,  the  falls  at  Center  Rudand. 
They  stopped  the  first  night  near  the  present 
village  of  Dorset,  the  second  night  near  that 
•of  Danby ;  they  passed  through  Tinmouth, 
West  Clarendon,  and  finally  arrived  at  the 
home  of  the  Caugnawaga.  (Jne  of  the  chiefs 
met  him  at  the  door  of  his  wigwam,  talked  for  a 
few  minutes  in  an  unknown  tongue  to  his 
.squaw,  and  papooses  and  other  Indians,  and 
then  throwing  his  hands  high  in  the  air  and 
wide  apart,  he  exclaimed  in  English,  'Wel- 
come, Welcome  !'  The  father  allowed  the 
cattle  to  feed  upon  the  leaves  in  the  under- 
brush near  by,  the  boys  arranged  to  sleep 
near  the  sled,  while  the  mother  and  girls, 
kneeling  in  a  circle,  utter  their  feeble  prayers 
in  the  Indian  wigwam,  thirty  miles  from  the 
nearest  white  settler.  If  sickness  threatens 
the  parents  or  their  children,  there  are  no 
neighbors  to  help  and  to  sympathize,  there 
is  no  physician  to  consult  or  relieve  their 
anguish,  and  should  death  overtake  them  in 
this  wilderness,  the  parents  must  hew  from 
the  trees  of  the  forest  the  cofifin  for  the  loved 
one,  and  bury  their  dead  alone  in  the  lonely 
wilderness ;  there  are  no  friends,  no  bearers, 
no  chapel,  no  church,  and  no  pastor  to  soothe 
and  minister  and  to  ask  divine  sustenance  in 
this  hour  of  anguish  ;  there  are  no  stores,  no 
shops,  no  mills  of  any  kind,  no  fields  of  grass 
or  grain,  no  roads  or  paths,  except  an  occa- 
sional Indian  trail." 

At  the  organization  of  the  town  go\ern- 
ment  on  the  2d  Tuesday  of  October,  1770, 
Col.  James  Mead  was  made  the  first  modera- 
tor, first  selectman  and  first  town  representa- 
tive of  Rutland,  and  the  old  farm  cleared  by 
Colonel  Mead  still  remains  in  the  Mead 
family,  having  been  deeded  from  father  to 
son  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years, 
the  original  purchase  having  been  from  the 
Caugnawaga  Indians. 

.Abner,  son  of  Col.  James  Mead,  was  great- 
grandfather of  Mayor  Mead,  from  whom  he 
derived  a  portion  of  his  name.     He  married 


Amelia,  daughter  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Roots, 
the  first  clergyman  in  Rutland.  John  .A.  was 
the  only  child  of  Roswell  R.  and  Lydia  A. 
(Clorhani)  Mead.  His  father  was  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  merchant  in  West  Rutland  till 
his  death  in  1S75.  His  mother  died  when 
he  was  but  six  months  old.  Her  father  ser\ed 
in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  so  maternal  and  pa- 
ternal ancestors  give  him  a  loyal  claim  on 
the  country.  John  A.  Mead  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  West  Rutland 
and  at  Franklin  Academy,  Malone,  N.  V., 
graduating  from  Middlebury  College  in  1864, 
and  in  1868  received  his  diploma  of  M.  D. 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  New  York  City.  He  immediately  accepted 
a  position  as  house  physician  in  the  Kings 
County  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  N.  V.,  remaining 
there  until  December,  1870,  when  he  removed 
to  Rutland,  where  he  successfully  practiced  till 
1S88.  At  this  time  he  was  tendered  a  "chair" 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Vermont  and  for  some  time  he  hesitated 
as  to  whether  he  should  or  not  continue  in 
his  chosen  profession,  but  he  finally  and  re- 
luctantly retired  from  professional  pursuits  in 
order  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  his  ex- 
tensive business  interests.  During  his  career 
in  medicine  he  was  appointed  surgeon-gen- 
eral of  the  state  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  Redfield 
Proctor,  was  medical  superintendent  of  the 
house  of  correction  from  the  time  it  was  es- 
tablished till  he  gave  up  his  profession,  was  a 
member  of  the  pension  examining  board  for 
eight  years,  and  was  appointed  surgeon-gen- 
eral of  the  Vermont  state  encampment  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  in  1890. 

Dr.  Mead  is  now  one  of  the  largest  real 
estate  owners  in  Rutland,  was  director  and 
cashier  of  the  old  National  Bank  of  Rutland 
for  several  years,  was  treasurer  of  the  Rut- 
land R.  R.  and  director  and  treasurer  of  the 
Addison  R.  R.  for  nearly  five  years,  director 
of  the  Clement  National  Bank  since  it  was 
organized,  vice-president  of  the  State  Trust 
Co.  since  its  organization,  and  continued  as 
such  till  he  was  elected  its  president. 

He  is  president  of  the  New  England  Fire 
Insurance  Co.,  of  the  P.  E.  Chase  -Mfg.  Co., 
and  the  Rutland  board  of  trustees,  and 
trustee  of  Middlebury  College  of  Middle- 
bury.  In  1888  he  reorganized  the  Howe 
Scale  Co.,  and  is  now  president  and  execu- 
tive officer  of  that  corporation.  The  history 
of  this  corportion  had  been  unfortunate  since 
its  first  organization  in  1857,  but  in  his  new 
sphere  Dr.  Mead  proved  more  successful 
than  ever  before,  as  the  wonderful  growth 
of  this  company  fully  testifies.  Within  five 
years  under  his  administration  he  made  this 
company  second  to  none  other  manufactur- 
ing a  weighing  machine.  In  addition  to 
the  production  of  the  renowned  Howe 
scales,  he  added  the  truck  department,  and 


in  two  years  thev  developed  over  a  thousand 
varieties,  and  manufactured  more  trucks 
than  any  other  comijany  in  America.  Letter 
presses  were  added,  and  soon  a  large  busi- 
ness in  this  line  was  established.  A  full  line 
of  lifting  jacks  was  also  added  to  their  out- 
put, increasing  their  sales  largely.  In  1895 
he  contracted  for  the  sole  manufacture  of 
the  Cyclone  coffee  mills,  formerly  made  in 
Portland,  Me.,  and  all  the  patterns  have  been 
removed  to  Rutland  and  become  a  part  of 
the  business  of  the  Howe  Scale  Co.  The 
Harrison  Conveyor  Co.  was  also  added  to 
the  manufactured  products  of  this  company, 
and  today  they  are  melting  more  iron  than 
any  concern  in  the  state,  and  are  producing 
more  scales  than  any  corporation  in  the 
world. 

In  the  administration  of  the  financial  and 
a.  supervision  of  the  mechanical  affairs  of 
this  company,  Dr.  Mead  has  exhibited  rare 
e.\ecuti\e  ability.  His  watchful  care  of 
every  detail,  and  his  judgment  of  human 
nature,  enabling  him  to  select  competent 
assistants  in  the  varied  departments,  and 
his  untiring  perseverance  have  contributed 
largely  to  the  remarkable  success  of  this  in- 
dustry. 

He  has  always  shown  a  kindly  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  employes,  and  of  the 
■workingmen,  and  has  never  hesitated  to 
chairipion  their  cause  whenever  their  de- 
mands were  reasonable  and  in  his  judgment 
just,  and  they  in  turn  evinced  their  apprecia- 
tion of  his  efforts  in  electing  him  to  the 
state  Senate  in  1892  by  a  large  majority,  and 
again  in  1893  by  making  him  the  first  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Rutland  by  over  three-fourths 
of  the  total  vote  cast  for  the  candidates  for 
this  office. 

Dr.  Mead  is  most  emphatically  one  of  that 
large  class  of  New  Englanders  who  are  the 
sole  architects  of  their  reputations  and  for- 
tunes, having  acquired  his  academic  educa- 
tion by  his  own  efforts  in  the  school  room 
and  on  the  farm.  He  left  his  studies  for  a 
year  to  acquire  means  to  begin  the  study  of 
his  profession,  and  on  his  receiving  his 
diploma  in  medicine,  he  found  himself  a 
debtor  to  quite  an  extent,  and,  in  short,  on 
leaving  the  hospital  and  starting  in  prixate 
practice  in  Rutland,  it  was  an  absolute  ne- 
cessity that  financial  success  should  attend 
his  first  efforts,  or  he  could  have  maintained 
himself  but  a  few  weeks. 

Impelled  by  patriotic  duty.  Dr.  Mead 
enlisted  in  Co.  K,  12th  Vt.  Vol.  Regt.,  serv- 
ing in  the  campaign  of  1862  and  1863,  and 
returning  to  college  he  graduated  with  his 
class  in  1864.  He  is  a  member  of  Roberts 
Post,  C.  A.  R.,  and  has  always  felt  a  warm 
interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  "Boys 
in  Blue."  He  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
General  Alger  and  of  General  Veazev  when 


they  were  commanders-in-chief  of  theClrand 
.Arm  v. 

Dr.  Mead  is  a  staunch  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  as  state  senator  was 
chairman  of  the  committees  on  claims,  and 
of  the  World's  Fair,  also  a  member  of  the 
committees  on  manufactures  and  banks.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  one  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee,  and  is  \ice-president  of 
the  Congregational  Club  of  Western  Ver- 
mont. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Oct.  30,  1872, 
to  Mary  M.,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  N. 
Sherman,  a  prominent  citizen  of  flreenwich, 
R.  I.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mead  have  one  child, 
a  daughter  :  Mar\'  Sherman. 

MtAD,  John  B.,  late  of  Randolph,  was 
born  in  Stratham,  N.  H.,  March  15,  1831. 
In  184 1  he  catue  to  Randolph  and  lived 
with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  I^.  D.  lilodgett,  who  were 
childless. 


/ 


His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
school  and  in  the  Orange  county  grammar 
school,  and  was  supplemented  by  discipline 
obtained  by  teaching  school  both  in  Ver- 
mont and  New  Jersey. 

The  first  year  of  the  rebellion  found  him, 
at  the  age  of  thirty,  settled  with  wife  and 
two  young  children  on  what  had  been  the 
Dr.  Blodgett  farm,  just  south  of  Randolph 
Center,  where  Mrs.  Blodgett  still  lived,  receiv- 
ing love  and  care  from  him  in  his  manhood 


as  he  had  received  them  from  her  in  his 
boyhood.  Late  in  1861  he  enlisted,  making 
such  arrangements  as  he  could  for  the  well- 
being  of  the  family  left  behind  him. 

Colonel  Mead's  military  service,  and  that  of 
no  soldier  was  more  honorable,  was  in  the 
8th  Vermont  Regiment,  where  he  held  every 
commission  from  2d  lieutenant  to  colonel. 
His  record  is  this  :  2d  lieutenant  Co.  G. 
Jan.  7,  1862  ;  ist  lieutenant  Co.  G,  April  2, 
1863;  captain  Co.  G,  May  5,  1863;  major, 
July  26,  1864  ;  lieutenant-colonel,  Nov.  24, 
1864;  colonel,  March  4,  1865  ;  taken  pris- 
oner at  Bayou  des  Allemands,  Sept.  4,  1862  ; 
wounded  Oct.  19,  1S64,  at  the  battle  of 
Cedar  Creek  ;  mustered  out  June  28,  1865. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Colonel  Mead  re- 
turned to  the  farm,  and  was  in  1867  and 
1868  elected  to  represent  Randolph.  In 
1878  he  was  a  senator  from  Orange  county. 
In  1875  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture,  and  from  1878  to  1880  was 
state  superintendent  of  agriculture.  In 
1884  and  1S85  he  was  commissioner  from 
Vermont  to  the  New  Orleans  Hxposition, 
and  in  1886  was  the  commissioner  from 
New  England  to  the  New  Orleans  Exposi- 
tion of  that  year,  and  was  a  member  of  its 
board  of  management. 

He  was  a  practical  farmer  on  modern 
lines,  and  was  an  importer  and  breeder  of 
red-polled  cattle,  and  in  1883  spent  some 
time  in  England  selecting  stock  for  impor- 
tation. 

Colonel  Mead  was  from  young  manhood 
an  active  member  of  the  Congregationalist 
church,  and  for  many  years  a  deacon  there- 
in. He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  tem- 
perance and  held  the  highest  official  posi- 
tions in  the  organization  of  Good  Templars. 
Full  of  zeal  in  all  educational  matters  he 
was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Randolph  State  Normal 
School  and  secretary  of  the  board,  and  with 
public  spirit  invested  thousands  of  dollars  in 
erecting  a  large  boarding  house,  which  he 
and  others  thought  necessary  for  the  better 
condition  of  the  school. 

He  was  engaged  at  the  last  in  an  enter- 
prise looking  to  the  settlement  by  Ver- 
monter.s  of  a  large  tract  of  land  in  North 
Dakota. 

Colonel  Mead  died  suddenly  at  his  home 
in  Randolph,  Dec.  16,  18S7 — his  death 
doubtless  hastened,  and  it  is  believed,  caused 
by  the  lingering  effects  of  his  years  of  mili- 
tary service. 

He  married  in  May,  1858,  at  Randolph, 
Orpha  O.,  daughter  of  Elias  and  Orinda 
(Blodgett)  Carpenter.  Their  children  were  : 
Charles  C.,  born  in  1859  ;  John  F.,  born 
August  i6,  1861;  Nellie  0."(Mrs.  W.  F. 
Morse  of  Barre),  born  in  1864;  Myra  B., 
born  in  1866  and  died  in  1879,  ^^id  Orinda 


C,  born  in  1868  and  died  in  1885.  Mrs. 
Mead  died  May  6,  1877.  In  August,  1880, 
Colonel  Mead  married  Laura  C,  daughter 
of  Hiram  and  Jerusha  (Bradish)  Kimball. 
Mrs.  Mead  and  their  daughter,  Annie  K., 
born  in  1882,  now  reside  in  West  Randolph. 
Colonel  Mead  was  of  commanding  pres- 
ence and  soldierly  bearing — earnest,  elo- 
quent, and  brave  physically,  intellectually 
and  morally.  He  was  a  real  and,  so  far  as 
in  man  lies,  the  ideal  Christian  citizen  and 
soldier. 

MEAD,  John  P.,  of  Randolph,  son  of 
John  B.  and  Orjiha  O.  (Carpenter)  Mead, 
was  born  in  Randolph,  August  16,  1861. 


His  education  was  received  at  the  Ran- 
dolph Normal  School  and  St.  Johnsbury 
Academy,  and  during  his  earlier  life  he 
remained  with  his  father  on  the  farm,  acting 
as  his  foreman  during  his  frequent  absences. 

He  now  owns  the  homestead  at  Randolph 
and  a  large  cattle  ranch  in  North  Dakota, 
the  latter  property  jointly  with  his  brother 
now  located  in  that  state.  He  is  engaged 
in  dairying  and  horse  breeding,  and  has  the 
character  of  an  enterprising,  industrious  and 
successful  farmer.  He  held  the  appoint- 
ment of  assistant  commissioner  of  Vermont 
at  the  International  Exhibition  at  New 
Orleans  in  1885,  and  in  1886  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  second  division  of  the  first 
Minneapolis  Exposition.  He  has  traveled 
in    every    state    but    one    this    side    of   the 


Mississippi,  and  for  a  man  of  his  age  pos- 
sesses wide  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs. 
He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Randolph 
Normal  School,  has  held  town  offices,  and 
in  1892  was  representative  from  Randolph 
and  servetl  on  tiie  committees  on  education 
and  the  World's  Fair. 

MElfCH,  LEONARD  E.,  of  ICast  Monk- 
ton,  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Jane  E.  (Burritt) 
Meech,  was  born  in  Hinesburgh,  Oct.  27, 
1844. 


His  education  was  principally  received  at 
the  academy  of  Hinesburgh,  but  he  supple- 
mented his  school  instruction  by  a  long 
course  of  judicious  reading  and  home  study. 

He  served  in  the  civil  war  in  Co.  G,  14th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  in  which  command  he  was 
promoted  to  the  grade  of  corporal  and  a 
little  later  was  compelled  to  accept  his  dis- 
charge on  account  of  disability. 

He  has  always  followed  the  occupation  of 
a  general  farmer,  especially  devoting  his  at- 
tention to  the  breeding  of  Jersey  cows,  and 
horses  of  a  high  class. 

Well  informed  in  political  affairs  he  has 
been  chosen  to  nearly  all  the  official  posi- 
tions in  his  town,  and  in  1884  represented 
Monkton  in  the  state  Legislature  where  he 
gave  his  services  to  the  committee  on  the 
state's  prison. 

Mr.  Meech  w^as  married  in  Monkton,  July 
3,  1865,  to  Edna  S.,  daughter  of  Daniel  S. 
and    Frances    M.    (l)eming)    Ladd.     From 


MEI.ENUV.  273 

this  union  were  four  children,  only  one  of 
whom,  Daniel,  survives. 

He  is  allied  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  for  twelve  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  which 
he  has  served  for  some  time  as  steward. 
Sincere  and  unassuming,  his  straightforward 
and  honorable  dealings  have  won  for  him  a 
numerous  body  of  warm  friends  in  his  com- 
munity. 

MELENDY,  JONATHAN  WASHBURN,  of 
South  Londonderry,  son  of  Emery  and 
Jerusha  (Pierce)  Melendy,  was  born  in  Lon- 
donderry, Nov.  18,  1845. 

His  education  was  derived  from  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  West  River  and  Sa.xton's 
River  academies,  and  after  its  completion  he 
engaged  with  his  father  in  the  trade  of  a 
blacksmith,  which  he  had  learned  during  his 
boyhood.  Later  he  devoted  his  attention  to 
agriculture,  and  in  conjunction  with  his 
brother  has  operated  the  home  farm  to  the 
present  time. 


JONATHAN    WASHBURN    MELENDY. 

He  was  twice  elected  first  constable  and 
collector,  and  was  selectman  of  the  town  for 
nine  years,  during  six  of  which  he  served  as 
chairman  of  the  board.  In  1879  he  was 
made  town  railroad  commissioner  and  was 
instrumental  in  the  building  of  the  B.  &  W. 
R.  R.  In  1 87 1  he  was  appointed  deputy 
sheriff,  which  position  he  held  by  successive 
ajipointments  until  1878,  when  he  was 
elected    sheriff    of    Windham    county,    dis- 


2  74 


MERRIFIELL). 


charging  the  duties  of  that  office  for  six 
years,  and  was  afterward  appointed  by  his 
successor  as  a  deputy,  which  position  he  still 
retains.  In  1890  he  was  elected  a  state  sen- 
ator from  Windham  county,  and  served  on 
the  committee  on  claims,  and  was  chairman 
of  that  on  fish  and  game. 

He  is  a  member  of  .Anchor  Lodge,  No. 
99,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  South  Londonderry,  in 
which  he  has  filled  the  Master's  chair,  and 
of  .Adoniram  Chapter,  No.  15,  of  Manchester. 

Since  the  construction  of  the  B.  &  W.  R. 
R.  Mr.  Melendy  has  been  a  director  of  the 
corporation.  Since  1880  he  has  been  en- 
gaged with  his  brother  in  the  undertaking 
business  at  South  Londonderry. 

Mr.  Melendy  has  been  a  public-spirited 
man  and  prominent  in  all  movements  for  the 
benefit  of  his  town  and  community. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  26,  1868,  to  Carrie 
L.,  daughter  of  Hon.  David  and  Lydia 
(Dudley)  Arnold  of  Londonderry.  Of  this 
union  is  one  child  :  Emery  A. 

MERRIFIELD,  JOHN  HASTINGS,  of 
Williamsville,  son  of  John  A.  and  Louisa  \\'. 
(Williams)  Merrifield,  was  born  in  Newfane, 
June  12,  1847. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  the  Springfield  Wes- 
leyan  Seminary. 

Working  on  his  grandfather's  farm,  and 
finally  conducting  the  same,  he  commenced 
his  business  career  by  the  purchase  of  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store,  which  he  carried  on 
till  1 88 1.  The  following  year  he  went  to 
Dakota  and  for  four  years  was  connected 
with  the  Vermont  Loan  and  Trust  Co.,  when 
he  returned  to  Williamsville,  and  since  1S87 
has  been  acting  station  agent  of  the  B.  &  W. 
R.  R. 

Mr.  Merrifield  was  married,  Feb.  24,  18S6, 
to  Miss  Ella  R.,  daughter  of  .\sa  and  Polly 
M.  (Morse)  Stratton,  of  Newfane. 

He  has  discharged  the  duties  of  lister, 
selectman,  and  superintendent  of  schools  in 
his  native  town,  which  he  represented  in  the 
Legislatures  of  187S  and  1880.  In  1874  and 
1876  he  was  engrossing  clerk  of  the  Legisla- 
lature,  second  assistant  clerk  of  the  House  in 
1882  and  1888,  first  assistant  clerk  in  1890, 
and  clerk  in  1892. 

MILES,  LORENZO  Dow,  of  Newport, 
son  of  Orrin  and  Eunice  (Clark)  Miles,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Sept.  26, 
1838. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  in 
the  schools  and  academy  of  Johnson,  and 
was  contemplating  a  college  course,  which 
design  he  was  unable  to  carry  out  on  ac- 
count of  the  bursting  of  the  war  cloud  in 
1861.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  3d  Vt.  Regt., 
while  yet  a  schoolboy,  but  was  detached  on 
special  service  with   Battery   F,   5  th   U.   S. 


regulars,  with  which  organization  he  re- 
mained till  early  in  the  winter  of  1863,  when 
he  returned  to  his  regiment,  with  which  he 
served  till  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Burlington,  July  27,  1864.  He  participated 
in  all  the  battles  in  which  the  Sixth  .Army 
Corps  were  engaged,  except  the  seven  days' 
fight  in  front  of  the  rebel  capital,  including 
Lee's  Mills,  .\ntietam,  both  engagements  at 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg, 
Wilderness,  Petersburg,  Welden  Station,  Cold 
Harbor  and  Fort  Stevens.  In  all  these 
bloody  struggles  he  escaped  unscathed,  nor 
was  he  ever  captured  by  the  enemy,  but  did 
his  duty  every  day  during  the  three  years  of 
his  service  except  a  period  of  three  months, 
which  he  spent  in  the  hospital,  sick  with 
typhoid  fever.  .\t  the  expiration  of  the  war 
Mr.  Miles  came  to  Albany,  where  he  settled 
down  as  a  farmer. 


March  14,  1865,  he  was  united  to  Harriet 
E.,  daughter  of  Eben  K.  and  Jennett  (Gregg) 
Lord  ;  they  have  three  children  :  Carrie  E., 
Eddie  F.,  and  Frank  E. 

In  1 8 74  Mr.  Miles  was  appointed  deputy 
sheriff"  and  successively  re-elected  until  he 
was  made  sheriff"  ten  years  later.  Since  the 
fall  of  1878  he  has  resided  in  Crafts- 
bury,  Barton,  Irasburg  and  Newport,  but 
finally  made  his  place  of  abode  in  .-M- 
bany.  He  has  been  concerned  in  the  arrest 
of  many  prominent  criminals  and  was  active- 
ly employed  in  search  of  the  murderer 
Almy. 


Republican  since  the  formation  of  tiie 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Baxter  Post,  d. 
A.  R.,  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  in  the  Masonic 
order  is  a  member  of  the  K.  T.  He  is  Hberal 
in  his  reUgious  preferences. 

MILES,  WILLARD  WESBERY,  of  Barton, 
son  of  Orin  and  Eunice  (Clark)  Miles,  was 
■born  in  Albany,  Feb.  6,  1845.  His  ances- 
tors were  among  the  early  settlers  of  this 
country  and  his  father's  and  mother's  grand- 
fathers were  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  set- 
tled in  \'ermont  at  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

Mr.  Miles,  after  a  course  in  the  public 
schools  in  Albany,  fitted  for  college  at  the 
Barnston  and  Hatley  academies  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  (Quebec,  at  the  time  intending  to 
complete  his  education  at  college  ;  but  being 
compelled  to  rely  upon  his  own  resources 
and  financial  means,  consisting  [principally 
of    stood    health,  a  robust  constitution    and 


freedom  from  expensive  habits,  he  finally 
decided  to  abandon  his  purpose  to  take  a 
college  course,  and  devote  the  time  necessary 
to  complete  that  course,  to  the  study  of  law. 
Previous  to  entering  an  office,  he  took  pri- 
vate lessons  in  Greek  and  Latin  of  Re^•.  S. 
K.  B.  Perkins.  For  some  time  he  taught  in 
the  common  schools  in  Albany  and  vicinity 
and  two  terms  in  each  of  the  academies  of 
Albany  and  Craftsbury,  employing  his  leisure 
time  in  reading  law.  In  1866,  he  entered 
the  office  of  Charles  I.  Vail,  I'^sii.,  then  of 


MILLER.  275 

Irasburgh,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  then  went  to  Ann  .'\rbor,  Mich.,  for  the 
pur|)ose  of  entering  the  law  school  at  that 
place,  but  on  account  of  ill-health  he  was 
com])elled  to  return  to  Vermont,  and  in  the 
fall  of  187 1,  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
\Villiam  W.  Grout  at  Barton,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  Se])tember  term  of  Orleans 
county  court,  1872,  at  which  time  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  was  ap])ointcd  master 
in  chancery. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at 
South  Albany,  where  he  remained  till  June, 
1873,  when  he  removed  to  North  Craftsbury, 
and  there  opened  a  law  office.  He  prac- 
ticed law  at  this  place  until  April,  1881, 
when  he  removed  to  Barton,  and  formed  a 
copartnership  with  Gen.  William  \\".  (irout, 
under  the  name  of  Grout  &  Miles.  That 
firm  did  a  large  and  remunerative  business 
during  its  continuance,  and  was  engaged  in 
many  of  the  important  suits  in  that  ])art  of 
the  state.  In  1888,  on  account  of  congres- 
sional duties.  General  Grout  withdrew  from 
the  firm,  since  which  time  Mr.  Miles  has 
conducted  that  business  alone  at  Barton, 
where  he  is  now  located.  Since  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  firm  of  Grout  &  Miles,  he  has 
retained  and  continues  to  hold  the  clientage 
of  that  firm. 

Mr.  Miles  is  a  strong  Republican  and  has 
ever  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  been  entrust- 
ed with  official  positions  both  in  .Albany 
and  Craftsbury,  holding  the  office  of  town 
clerk  in  the  latter  named  town  for  several 
vears  and  until  his  removal  to  Barton.  In 
1872,  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  to  rep- 
resent the  town  of  Albany,  serving  on  the 
committee  on  elections,  and  in  1878  he  rep- 
resented the  town  of  Craftsbury,  serving  on 
the  judiciary  committee  of  which  Judge 
Poland  was  chairman.  In  1 890  he  was  elect- 
ed state's  attorney  for  the  county  of  Orleans, 
which  office  he  still  holds. 

He  is  a  member  of  Meridian  Sun  -fcodge 
of  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  20.  In  his  religious  be- 
lief, he  is  Congregationalist  and  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Barton. 

September  29,  1872,  he  married  Ellen  M., 
daughter  of  Luther  and  Lavinia  (Dewey) 
1  low  of  Albany.  They  had  three  children  : 
Ida  M.,  Mabel  A.,  and  Orin  L.  (deceased). 

MILLER,  Crosby,  of  Pomfret,  son  of 
John  and  Hannah  (Crosby)  Miller,  was  born 
in  Pomfret,  June  6,  181 1. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
afterwards  at  Chester  .Academy,  he  has 
de\oted  the  principal  energies  of  a  long  life 
to  farming,  but  has  found  opportunities  to 
discharge  many  other  duties  which  have  de- 
devolved  upon  him  in  consequence  of  the 
high    reputation    for    integrity   and   ability 


276 


which  he  has  always  maintained  in  the  com- 
munity. 

In  politics  he  was  a  whig  until  the  Repub- 
lican party  was  formed,  since  which  he  has 
steadfastly  adhered  to  its  principles.  For 
several  years  postmaster,  and  having  held 
most  of  the  town  offices,  including  treasurer 
for  thirty  years,  he  was  sent  to  the  state  Sen- 
ate in  1851  and  1852,  and  for  four  terms  was 
the  representative  from  Pomfret,  commenc- 
ing that  service  in  i860.  He  has  been 
county  commissioner  and  United  States  as- 
sistant assessor,  and  was  made  assistant 
judge  of  the  county  court  in  1872,  which 
office  he  held  for  ten  vears.     The  limits  of 


this  article  are  hardly  sufficient  to  enumerate 
a  tithe  of  the  trusts  which  ha\e  devohed 
upon  him.  As  a  farmer,  Judge  Miller  was 
president  of  the  Windsor"  County  Agricul- 
tural Society,  and  a  director  and  vice-presi 
dent  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  a 
director  of  the  Champlain  Valley  and  Con- 
necticut River  societies,  while  as  a  financier 
he  has  held  for  seventeen  years  the  position 
of  director  of  the  Royalton  National  Bank, 
and  that  of  its  president  for  ten  years,  and 
vice-president  of  the  Otter  Queche  Savings 
Bank.  For  a  long  time  past  he  has  beena 
trustee  of  the  U.  V.  M.  and  State  Agriculural 
College,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  con- 
trol of  the  experiment  station  since  its 
establishment.  Judge  Miller's  wisdom  as  to 
what  is  best  to  be  done  and  how  to  do  it  is 
the  reason  of  his  having  been  called  to  so 
many  and  important  duties. 


Judge  Miller  married,  April  5,  1835,  '"^ 
Pomfret,  Orpha,  daughter  of  Joseph  Denni- 
son  and  Rebecca  (Miller)  Hewitt.  Their 
five  children  were :  Melvin,  KUen  Matilda 
(Mrs.  A.  B.  Chandler),  Isabella  (deceased), 
Crosby  Park,  and  Kmma  Lucy  (Mrs.  H.  H. 
Mclntyre). 

MILLER,  JOSEPH,  of  East  Dummerston, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Wilson)  Miller, 
was  born  in  Dummerston  March  3,  1817. 
His  great-grandfather,  Capt.  Isaac  Miller, 
who  surveyed  the  township  of  Dummerston 
in  1767,  ga\e  in  1775  the  land,  which  was 
lot  No.  37,  containing  one  hundred  acres,  to 
his  eldest  son,  Capt.  \'espasian  .Miller.  \'es- 
pasian  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  old  French 
war  in  1759,  afterward  followed  the  sea  until 
1775  when  he  came  to  Dummerston  and  in 
1778  moved  his  family  to  this  town. 

Mr.  Joseph  Miller  received  a  somewhat 
limited  education  in  the  public  schools,  but 
availed  himself  of  his  opportunities  so  profit- 
ably that  for  five  winters  he  was  an  instructor 
in  the  village  schools  and  was  made  town 
superintendent  in  1857.     The  business  of  his 


life  has  been  the  tillage  of  the  soil,  and  his 
intelligent  and  industrious  efforts  have  been 
rewarded  with  merited  success.  His  farm  is 
pleasantly  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
town  and  produces  excellent  crops.  He  has 
a  large  orchard  from  which  he  manufactures 
the  best  quality  of  maple  sugar.  Some 
friends  of  Grover  Cleveland  during  his  first 


term  as  President  bought  a  box  of  this  pro- 
duct and  sent  it  to  him,  and  to  be  strictly 
impartial  a  similar  purchase  was  made  and 
sent  to  President  Benjamin  Harrison.  His 
sugar  was  especially  noticed  by  the  French 
commissioners  at  the  Centennial  in  Philadel- 
phia in  1876,  and  received  an  award  at  the 
Columbian  Exposition  in  1893. 

Mr.  Miller's  political  life  began  at  the  age 
of  thirty-two,  when  he  was  chosen,  town 
clerk,  and  having  held  the  ofifice  for  forty- 
four  years,  he  was  re-elected  at  the  last  March 
meeting.  From  1850  until  1884  he  dis- 
charged the  responsible  duties  of  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  has  represented  his  town 
in  the  state  Legislature  for  two  successive 
terms  (in  1862  and  1863).  Soon  after  the 
war  he  was  chosen  town  treasurer,  holding 
that  office  at  the  present  time,  and  was  made 
census  enumerator  of  the  United  States  for 
the  township  of  Dummerston  in  1880.  His 
long  experience  in  public  business  makes 
him  a  valuable  officer  and  reliable  legal 
counsellor  in  matters  pertaining  to  town  af- 
fairs. His  assistance  and  advice  are  often 
sought  in  making  wills  and  the  settlement  of 
estates.  He  is  an  excellent  penman,  and  the 
town  records  kept  by  him  can  be  as  easily 
read  as  typewriting. 

Mr.  Miller  was  first  united  in  marriage, 
March  3,  1841,10  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Abigail  (McWayne)  Reed,  who  died 
Nov.  26,  1843.  His  second  wife  was  Sophia, 
daughter  of  \\'illiamand  Polly  (Frost)  Arms, 
whom  he  espoused  Dec.  25,  1844.  She  de- 
ceased July  26,  1883.  Of  this  marriage  there 
are  three  children  now  living  :  J.  Arms,  Adin 
P.,  and  Ansel  Irwin. 

MILLER,  JOSEPH  ARMS,  of  East  Dum- 
merston, son  of  Joseph  and  Sophia  (.'\rms) 
Miller,  was  born  in  Dummerston,  August  22, 
1847. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  and  bred  upon  a 
farm,  and  in  the  intervals  of  hard  and  unre- 
mitting labor  availed  himself  of  such  educa- 
tional advantages  as  were  afforded  by  the 
district  schools  of  Dummerston.  He  has 
always  followed  the  occupation  in  which  he 
was  brought  up,  and  the  instruction  of  his 
youth,  added  to  the  experience  of  riper 
years,  has  brought  him  a  well-earned  com- 
petency, derived  from  commendable  care, 
industry  and  punctuality. 

For  four  successive  years  he  was  chosen  to 
perform  the  duties  of  first  selectman,  and 
refused  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  year 
to  longer  hold  the  office.  He  was  consid- 
ered a  fitting  individual  to  represent  Dum- 
merston in  the  Legislature  of  1890,  and 
se\eral  times  has  been  selected  to  minor 
offices  in  that  town. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married,  Jan.  10,  1871,  to 
Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  Thomas  L.  and  Maria 


MILLER.  277 

(Ramsdell)  Read.     Ten  children  have  been 
issue  of  this  union  ;    Willie  A.,  .\ddie  S.,  J. 


^ 


Warren,  Arthur  L.,  Avery  F.,  Earnest  (;., 
Florence  E.,  Dwight  R.,  R.  Irving,  and 
Floyd  S. 

MILLER,  Harris  M.,  of  \Vest  Fairlee, 
son  of  Madison  M.  and  Sarah  E.  (Vesper) 
Miller,  was  born  in  West  Fairlee,  May  24, 
1852. 

He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  of  his 
father,  who,  in  addition  to  cultivating  his 
property,  bred  and  extensively  dealt  in 
horses.  The  son  received  his  educational 
training  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town 
and  at  Thetford  Academy.  When  he  arrived 
at  his  majority,  Mr.  Miller  resolved  to  see  a 
little  of  the  outside  world  and  consequently 
made  a  tour  of  observation  through  the 
Northwest,  visiting  Iowa,  Minnesota  and 
Dakota.  This  trip  occupied  two  years,  and 
on  his  return  he  determined  to  engage  in 
business  as  a  butcher  and  on  account  of  the 
growth  of  population  from  the  working  of 
the  Ely  copper  mines  he  soon  enjoyed  a 
trade  of  $20,000  per  annum.  .\t  this  time 
he  purchased  the  property  where  he  now 
resides  and  he  has  erected  thereon  a  com- 
modious and  elegant  mansion. 

Mr.  Miller  was  united,  Nov.  16,  1S78,  to 
Katie  A.,  daughter  of  A.  I.  and  Mary  (Piper) 
Abbott  of  Medford,  Minn.  They  have  one 
son  :  Llewellyn  M. 

He  is  a  member  of  Jackson  Lodge,  No. 
60,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  took  his  degrees 


when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  has 
filled  all  the  chairs  and  is  its  present  Wor- 
shipful Master. 

Mr.  Miller  is  an  active  and  influential 
Democrat  and  has  repeatedly  served  his 
party  as  chairman  of  the  county  convention 
and  upon  the  county  committee.  After 
serving  as  lister,  selectman  and  constable 
he  was  elected  the  representative  from 
West  Fairlee  in  1890  and  complimented  by 


a  re-election  in  1S92.  For  six  years  he 
actively  and  vigorously  discharged  the  duties 
of  deputy  sheriff,  proving  himself  to  be  a 
most  able  and  efficient  executive  officer. 
For  a  man  of  his  age  he  is  widely  known 
and  deservedly  popular  in  his  town  and 
countv- 


of  what  energy  and  industry  can  effect  on  a 
Green  Mountain  farm,  for  he  has  paid  off  an 
encumbrance  of  $7,000,  improved  his  prop- 
erty, and  retired  to  enjoy  his  latter  days  in. 
peace  and  dignity  in  Shelburne  village,  sell- 
ing at  a  profitable  advance  his  estate,  which 
at  times  has  produced  thirteen  hundred  bar- 
rels of  apples  annually. 

Mr.  Aliller  was  maried,  Feb.  8,  1844,  to- 
Ann  Maria,  daughter  of  Asahel  and  Frelove- 
( Irish)  Ballard,  of  Lawrence,  N.  Y. 

He  was  brought  up  a  Democrat  of  the- 
Jackson  school,  but,  when  the  Kansas  agita- 
tion occurred,  became  a  Free  Soiler,  and 
finally  a  Republican,  to  which  party  he  has- 
steadfastly  adhered  and  gi\en  a  hearty  sup- 
ort.  He  has  been  entrusted  with  many 
town  offices,  is  now  town  clerk  and  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  was  sent  to  the  lower  branch 
of  the  Legislature  in  1890,  where  he  served 
with  credit  on  the  committee  on  elections. 


MILLER,  NORRIS  Robinson,  of  shel- 
burne, son  of  Caleb  and  Polly  (Naramore) 
Miller,  was  born  in  Charlotte,  Jan.  23,  1822. 
He  is  of  mixed  lineage,  for  his  grandfather, 
an  old  Revolutionary  veteran,  was  a  Scotch- 
man, while  his  mother  was  of  Dutch  descent. 

The  former  was  an  early  settler  of  Char- 
lotte, where  Norris  enjoyed  the  limited  edu- 
cational resources  of  the  common  schools, 
and  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  until  he  was  of 
age,  when  he  relinquished  agriculture  in  part 
for  the  calling  of  a  carpenter.  He  continued 
working  at  his  trade  in  Lawrence,  N.  Y.,  till 
1868,  when  he  purchased  a  fruit  farm  in 
Shelburne  and  commenced  to  raise  fruit  for 
the  Boston  market.     He  is  a  marked  proof 


NORRIS   ROBINSON    MILLER. 

Mr.  Miller  became  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  in  1839,  and  has 
been  honored  with  many  of  the  official 
positions  which  a  layman  can  hold  in  that 
church.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

MILLER,  ADIN  FRANKLIN,  of  East 
Dummerston,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sophia 
(.-\rms)  Miller,  was  born  in  Dummerston, 
July  16,  1850. 

Born  and  bred  on  a  farm,  he  commenced 
his  education  by  attendance  in  the  common; 


schools  and  then  ])iirsued  a  course  of  in- 
struction at  Power's  Institute  of  I'.ernards- 
ton,  Mass. 

He  has  been  all  his  life  a  farmer,  devoting 
his  entire  effort  to  this  honorable  calling, 
reaping  where  he  has  sown  and  winning  a 
comfortable  and  well  earned  subsistence 
from  the  soil. 


ADIN    FRANKLIN    MILLER. 

Mr.  Miller  has  been  called  upon  to  serve 
in  many  offices  in  his  native  town.  For 
nearly  ten  years  he  has  been  constable  and 
collector  and  represented  Dummerston  in 
the  Cleneral  Assembly  of  the  state  of  \'er- 
mont  in  1888. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Dec.  31,  1874, 
to  Hattie  Alice,  daughter  of  Deacon  Adin  A. 
and  Fannie  (Kathan)  Dutton. 

MORRILL,  Justin  Smith,  of  Strafford, 

son  of  Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Hunt)  Morrill, 
was  born  at  Strafford,  .\pril  14,  1810,  and 
now  resides  there. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at 
Thetford  and  Randolph  academies,  begin- 
ning business  life  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  enter- 
ing a  local  store  as  a  clerk,  afterward  going, 
in  1828,  to  Portland,  Maine,  where  he  also 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  with  a  merchant  en- 
gaged in  the  West  India  shipping  trade  and 
then  with  a  wholesale  and  retail  dry  goods 
establishment.  In  1831  he  returned  to  Straf- 
ford, and  became  the  ]jartner  of  the  late 
Judge  ledediah  Harris,  the  leading  merchant 
in  Strafford,  lint  tliis  business  connection  was 


.Mokkii.i,.  279 

terminated  by  tlie  death  of  Judge  Harris,  in 
1.S55.  l'"or  many  years  he  was  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Orange  County  P,ank,  of 
Chelsea.  Mr.  .Morrill  ceased  to  give  his  per- 
sonal attention  to  mercantile  business  in  1S48, 
and  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  agricultural 
and  horticultural  jiursuits. 

From  his  boyhood  Mr.  Morrill  had  given 
his  unoccupied  working  hours  to  careful  and 
diligent  perusal  of  standard  and  classical 
authors  and  while  a  clerk  had  read  such  works 
as  "P)lackstone's  Commentaries."  He  was 
thus  storing  a  retentive  memory  with  facts 
and  fitting  himself  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously for  public  life  and  national  usefulness. 
I'ntil  he  was  forty-four  years  old,  however,  he 
had  neither  sought  nor  held  any  office  higher 
than  that  of  a  justice  of  the  peace,  although 
in  the  circle  of  his  numerous  acquaintances 
he  had  become  known  as  a  man  of  much 
more  than  ordinary  intellectual  ability,  of 
remarkable  balance  of  judgment,  of  marked 
business  capacity,  of  uniform  courtesy,  and 
of  pleasing  personal  address.  Suddenly  he 
stepped  to  the  front.  In  1854,  the  late 
.\ndrew  Tracy,  of  Woodstock,  representative 
of  the  second  congressional  district  in  Con- 
gress, after  a  single  term  declined  to  be  a 
<andidate  for  re-election.  Mr.  Morrill  was 
suggested  by  some  discerning  friends  as  a  fit 
man  to  succeed  him.  The  suggestion  found 
favor,  and  he  received  the  nomination  of 
the  whig  party  convention  of  the  district.  It 
was  a  notable  compliment  to  be  paid  to  a 
(piiet  and  studious  man,  who  had  never 
e\en  represented  his  town  in  the  Leg- 
islature. Mr.  Morrill  was  elected  by  a  small 
majority,  as  there  were  then  three  political 
l)arties  in  the  state,  and  took  his  seat  in  the 
Thirty-fourth  Congress,  on  the  3d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1855.  He  had  been  elected  as  an  anti- 
sla\ery  whig,  but  the  whig  party  was  then  in 
the  throes  of  dissolution,  and  when  he  ap- 
peared in  Washington  it  was  as  a  representa- 
ti\e  of  the  new  Re])ublican  partv,  in  the 
organization  of  which  in  Vermont  he  had 
taken  part,  and  of  whose  principles  he  be- 
came the  earnest  advocate.  He  soon  made 
his  mark  as  an  intelligent  legislator.  He 
o])posed  the  tariff  of  1857  in  a  s]:)eech  which 
attracted  wide  attention.  He  carried  through 
the  House  the  first  bill  against  Mormon 
jiolvgamv.  Con.scious  that  a  college  educa- 
tion would  have  been  of  great  value  to  him- 
self in  public  life,  he  resolved  to  do  what  he 
could  through  national  legislation  to  promote 
liberal  and  scientific  education  for  the  youth 
of  the  land.  He  introduced  the  first  bill  to 
grant  iniblic  lands  for  agricultural,  scientific 
and  industrial  colleges,  and  advocated  it  in 
an  able  speech.  It  was  \etoed  by  President 
liuchanan,  but  was  again  introduced  by  Mr. 
Morrill  in  1862,  and  through  his  able  man- 
agement became  a  law.     Under  this  act  forty- 


28l 


se\  en  or  more  land-grant  colleges  have  l)een 
successfully  established  in  various  states,  with 
five  hundred  professors  and  over  five  thous- 
and students.  The  national  bounty  has 
called  out  state  aid  in  large  amounts  and  the 
act  supplemented  by  the  recent  act  (also 
carried  through  by  Mr.  Morrill)  increasing 
the  fund  at  the  disposal  of  these  institutions, 
has  given  an  immense  impulse  to  liberal, 
scientific  and  industrial  education,  and  will 
confer  incalculable  benefits  upon  the  rising 
generations  of  our  land.  Mr.  Morrill  was  five 
times  re-elected  to  the  House  by  majorities 
ranging  from  seven  thousand  to  nine  thous- 
and, and  grew  steadily  in  standing  and  influ- 
ence in  the  lower  branch  of  Congress  till,  in 
the  Thirty-ninth  Congress  he  held  the  leading 
position  of  chairman  of  the  committee  of 
wavs  and  means  ;  and  it  was  said  of  him,  with 
truth,  that  his  influence  in  the  House  was 
greater  than  that  of  any  other  member  with 
the  exception  of  Thaddeus  Stevens.  Among 
the  important  speeches  made  by  him  during 
the  critical  period  before  the  ci\  il  war  was 
one  in  support  of  a  report,  also  made  by  him, 
in  opposition  to  the  admission  of  Kansas 
with  a  pro-slavery  constitution.  During  the 
war  he  had  charge  of  all  tariff  and  tax  bills  in 
the  House  of  Representatives— a  herculean 
task — and  made  arguments  thereon,  and  the 
"Morrill  tariff"  of  1861,  a  monument  of  indus- 
try and  practical  wisdom,  and  the  internal 
revenue  tax  system  of  1862  connect  his  name 
indissolubly  with  the  financial  history  of  the 
time. 

In  1866,  after  twelve  years  of  honorable 
service  in  the  House,  Mr.  Morrill  was  trans- 
ferred by  the  Legislature  to  the  U.  S.  Senate. 
He  took  his  seat  with  an  established  national 
reputation  as  a  statesman.  Subsequently  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  finance  in  the 
Senate,  he  held  a  most  important  position 
of  power  and  influence,  and  his  service  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  public  bviild- 
ings  and  grounds,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  education  and  labor,  has 
been  of  the  most  laborious  and  useful  char- 
acter. He  is  authority  in  ^^'ashington  on 
questions  relating  to  finance  and  taxation, 
and  his  opinion  on  any  subject  carries  much 
weight  in  Congress.  Mr.  Morrill's  period  of 
ser\ice  in  the  national  Legislature  is  as  re- 
markable for  its  duration  as  it  is  distin- 
guished for  its  usefulness.  His  fifth  election 
to  the  Senate,  at  the  age  of  four  score,  was 
an  event  without  a  precedent,  and  will  jjrob- 
ably  remain  without  a  ])arallel.  If  he  sur- 
vi\  es  to  the  end  of  his  present  term  it  will  com- 
plete forty-two  years  of  service.  The  longest 
pre\  ious  continuous  term  of  service  in  Con- 
gress was  that  of  Nathaniel  Macon  of  North 
Carolina,  w^hich  was  thirty-seven  years,  or 
twenty-four  in  the  House  and  thirteen  in  the 
Senate.     Mr.  Morrill  already  looks  back  ujion 


nearly  thirty-nine  years  of  congressional  life, 
and  he  is  now  younger  in  mind  and  body 
than  most  men  of  three  score. 

It  is  the  crowning  glory  of  such  a  career 
that  it  is  absolutely  spotless.  No  act  of  dis- 
honor or  word  of  discourtesy  was  ever 
charged  to  him.  He  has  uniformly  held  the 
highest  respect  and  esteem  of  his  brother 
legislators  of  all  parties,  as  well  as  the  citi- 
zens of  \'ermont. 

Mr.  Morrill  has  been  too  busy  in  affairs  of 
the  state  to  give  much  time  to  literary  labor, 
though  making  some  contributions  to  the 
Forum,  and  to  the  North  American  Review, 
but  a  volume  entitled  "Self-Consciousness  of 
Noted  Persons,"  being  a  collection  of  ex- 
pressions of  self-appreciation  on  the  part  of 
many  famous  men  and  women,  gathered  by 
him  in  the  course  of  his  wide  reading,  was 
published  in  1882,  and  a  second  edition  in 
1886. 

Mr.  Morrill  was  married  in  185 1,  to  Ruth, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Caleb  and  Ruth  (Barrill) 
Swan  of  Easton,  Mass.  Of  this  union  there 
is  one  son  living  :  James  S. 

Mr.  Morrill  has  been  for  twenty-six  years 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
L'uiversity  of  Vermont  and  State  Agricultural 
College,  and  for  many  years  one  of  the 
regents  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  The 
degree  of  M.  A.  has  been  conferred  upon 
him  by  Dartmouth  College,  and  that  of  LL. 
D.  by  the  Pennsylvania  ITniversity,  and  also 
by  the  Vermont  University,  and  the  State 
Agricultural  College.  Of  Senator  Morrill's 
speech  on  the  tariff,  made  in  the  Senate  Dec. 
13,  1893,  George  Alfred  Townshend,  the 
veteran  and  up-to-date  correspondent,  says  : 
"I  fell  to  wondering  whether  Daniel  Webster 
ever  made  a  speech  in  better  literary  form 
or  with  more  sense  of  proportion."  Charac- 
terizing the  senator  himself—  the  Nestor  of 
the  Senate — Townshend  uses  not  unfitly  the 
words,  "our  Clladstonian  friend." 

MORSE,  George  A.,  of  Last  Elmore, 
son  of  Ira  and  Huldah  S.  (.Ainsworth)  Morse, 
was  born  in  Plainfield,  Oct.  22,  1848. 
Descended  from  a  grandsire  who  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war,  his  boyhood 
was  spent  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  in  the 
intervals  of  labor  he  attended  the  common 
schools  and  then  continued  his  studies  at 
Hardwick  Academy,  teaching  school  win- 
ters. 

For  two  years  after  attaining  manhood  he 
worked  upon  different  farms  but  in  1871  re- 
moved to  East  Elmore  and  bought  a  saw- 
mill, engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber. 
.\t  first  his  capital  was  very  limited,  but  by 
his  industry  and  strict  attention  to  business, 
his  resources  soon  increased,  and  he  is  now 
in  possession  of  two  thousand  acres  of  timber 
land  and  turns  out  a  million  and  a  half  feet  of 


282 


boards  per  annum,  while  the  product  of  his 
plant  is  still  increasing  He  lets  the  logging 
principally  to  the  neighboring  farmers.  By 
diligence,  energy  and  good  management  he 
has  accumulated  a  handsome  property,  sold 
his  mill  and  has  removed  to  Morrisville. 
Mr.  Morse  is  president  of  the  Morse  Manu- 
facturing Co.  of  Wolcott,  and  is  owner  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  stock  :  he  also  is  a  di- 
rector of  the  Hardwick  Savings  P'ank  and 
Trust  Co. 


MOULTON,  Clarence  f.,  of  West 

Randolph,  son  of  Horace  and  Lucy  (Smith) 
Moulton,  was  born  in  Randolph,  Alarch  ii, 
1837- 

He  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life  on  the 
farm,  and  in  the  intervals  of  agricultural  toil 
he  attended  the  common  schools  of  Ran- 
dolph and  later  the  New  London  Literary 
and  Scientific  Institute,  where  he  received 
his  preparatory  instruction  for  Dartmouth 
College,  from  w^hich  he  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1863.  Soon  after  his  graduation  he 
went  to  New  York  and  entered  the  office  of 
Austin  Corbin  &  Co.,  bankers.  After  this  he 
became  a  partner  in  the  mercantile  house  of 
Clapp,  Braden  &  Co.,  importers  of  millinery, 
having  also  the  charge  of  Mr.  Clapp's  private 
estate  and  acting  as  guardian  for  his  minor 
nephews  and  nieces,  after  his  death.  In  1877 
he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  A.  F. 
Roberts  &  Co.,  commission  merchants  in 
flour  and  grain.  He  now  became  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  seat  in  the  Produce  Flxchange, 
and  was  made  a  director  of  the  Hanover 
Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of  New  York.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  New  York  Consolidated 
Exchange,  but  his  early  fondness  for  the  soil 
of  Vermont  brought  Mr.  Moulton  back  to  the 
scenes  of  his  boyhood  and  youth.  In  1882 
he  bought  the  place  where  he  now  resides. 


He  has  been  appointed  to  many  of  the 
town  offices,  has  been  constable,  selectman, 
justice,  and  commissioner,  and  chairman  of 
the  school  board.  He  received  the  position 
of  postmaster  under  the  administration  of 
President  Grant,  and  is  still  the  incumbent 
of  the  same,  having  had  the  care  of  the 
office  for  about  twenty  years.  He  was 
elected  by  the  Republicans  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1882,  and  was  chosen  senator  for 
Lamoille  county  in  1890,  in  which  he  was  a 
member  of  the  finance  committee  and  chair- 
man of  that  on  the  grand  list. 

Mr.  Morse  has  taken  the  three  degrees  of 
Ancient  Craft  Masonry,  and  is  a  member  of 
Mineral  Lodge,  No.  93,  of  Wolcott. 

He  espoused,  Jan.  i,  1874,  Alice  M., 
daughter  of  William  and  Pheoba  (Olmstead) 
Silleway  of  Llmore.  Two  children  have 
blessed  their  union  :  George  G.,  and  Ethel 
(;iee. 


ARENCE    F.    MOULTON 


Mr.  Moulton  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1875,  to  Annie  J.,  daughter  of  Addison  F. 
and  Mary  (Sherman)  Roberts.     Three  chil- 


283 


dren  ha\  e  been  born  to  them  :  Shernuui  Rob- 
erts, Horace  Freeman,  and  Desier  (lapp. 

In  his  pohtical  affiliations  Mr.  Moulton  is 
a  Repubhcan,  but  he  has  never  been  an  act- 
ive partisan  in  public  affairs,  since  he  has 
devoted  his  active  energies  to  business  and 
his  leisure  to  reading  and  social  enjoyment. 

Mr.  Moulton  is  one  of  the  ]>roprietors  and 
the  secretary  of  the  Green  Mountain  Stuck 
Farm  Co.,  an  establishment  which  must  be 
seen  to  be  fully  appreciated.  Here  a  plant 
has  been  erected,  with  every  detail  and 
appointment  perfected,  regardless  of  ex- 
pense, and  a  magnificent  herd  of  nearly 
three  hundred  registered  Jerseys  are  kept 
under  ideally  perfect  conditions  with  respect 
to  feed  and  care.  The  result  is  butter  of 
great  perfection,  which  was  found  worthy  to 
take  the  gold  medal  at  the  Paris  Exposition, 
1889,  also  the  gold  medal  at  the  World's 
Fair  at  Chicago  in  1893. 

MUNSON,  LOVELAND,  of  Manchester, 
son  of  Cyrus  and  Lucy  (Loveland)  Mimson, 
was  born  in  Manchester,  July  21,  1843. 

The  first  ancestor  of  Mr.  Munson  to  be- 
come a  resident  of  Vermont  was  Jared  Mun- 
son, who  emigrated  from  Lanesboro,  Mass., 
in  1778  and  settled  on  a  portion  of  the  land 
on  which  Manchester  village  now  stands. 
His  son  Rufus  was  born  in  1762  and  accom- 
panied his  father  to  Manchester,  where  he 
died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five  in  1797. 
Cyrus  Munson,  son  of  Rufus,  was  born  in 
Manchester,  Jan.  22,  1790,  and  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  to  whom  he  was 
married  on  the  loth  of  August,  181 1,  was 
Catherine  Walker,  who  died  in  i8 
On  the  1 6th  of  November,  1841,  he  married 
Lucy,  daughter  of  Deacon  Asa  Lo\eIand.  Mr. 
Munson  led  the  life  of  a  quiet,  industrious 
farmer,  was  honored  by  election  to  different 
town  offices,  and  died  on  the  ist  of  October, 

1857- 

Loveland  Munson  received  a  good  acad- 
emical education.  Choosing  the  legal  pro- 
fession, he  began  the  study  of  law  in  1862 
in  the  office  of  Elias  B.  Burton.  Admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Bennington  county  in  June, 
1866,  he  at  once  entered  into  copartnership 
with  his  former  preceptor.  The  firm  of  Bur- 
ton &  Munson,  while  it  continued,  had  a 
good  practice,  as  did  afterward  its  junior 
member  when  alone. 

Mr.  Munson  occupied  for  many  years  a 
prominent  place  in  the  political  affairs  of  the 
state.  About  1866  he  was  elected  member 
and  afterward  chairman  of  the  Republican 
county  committee  and  served  as  such  for 
several  years.  After  his  selection  for  this 
position  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican district  committee,  and  was  con- 
tinued in  this  for  several  years.  From  1863 
to  1866  Mr.  Munson  edited   the  Manchester 


Journal  and  his  interest  in  literature  he  has 
always  kept  alive.  In  1S82  he  deli\ered  an 
excellent  address  on  "The  llarly  History  of 
.Manchester"  which  was  afterward  published. 
From  1866  to  1873  he  was  town  clerk  of 
Manchester,  and  in  the  latter  year  declined 
further  election  because  of  the  jiressure  of 
professional  ]nirsuits.  From  December,  1866, 
to  December,  1876,  he  was  register  of  pro- 
bate for  the  district  of  Manchester.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  famous  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1870. 

In  1872  Mr.  Munson  entered  the  \"ermont 
Legislature  as  the  representative  of  the  town 
of  Manchester.  During  the  session  of  that 
year  he  served  on  the  committees  on  the 
judiciary  and  on  railroads,  and  also  on  a 
special  joint  committee  appointed  to  inves- 
tigate the  affairs  of  the  Central  Vermont 
R.  R.  The  latter  assembled  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  Legislature  and  made  its 
report  to  the  Governor.  Again  elected  to 
the  House  in  1874,  he  served  in  the  session 
following  as  chairman  of  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee. He  received  a  large  vote  for  the 
speaker's  chair  in  competition  with  judge 
H.  H.  Powers.  In  1878  he  represented 
Bennington  county  in  the  Senate,  and  re- 
ceiving the  honor  of  an  election  to  the  presi- 
dency/;y; /<?;;/,  was  for  that  reason  excused 
from  all  committee  service,  except  that  on 
rules,  of  which  committee  he  was  chairman. 
Mr.  Munson  was  again  returned  to  the 
House  in  1882,  and  by  the  action  of  his 
friends  was  made  a  candidate  for  the  speak- 
ership against  Hon.  J.  L.  Martin,  but  the  lat- 
ter was  elected.  At  this  session  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  general  committee  and  was  also 
a  member  of  the  judiciary  committee.  His 
sound  sense  and  absolute  sincerity  gave  him 
the  leadership  on  the  floor  of  the  two  Houses 
in  which  others  carried  off  the  honors  of  the 
speakership.  Strong  in  debate,  his  speeches 
uniformly  commanded  the  close  and  respect- 
ful attention  of  his  colleagues,  and  almost 
always  their  hearty  support  of  measures  ad- 
vocated by  him. 

In  May,  1S83,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  judge  of  probate  for  the  district  of 
Manchester,  succeeding  Judge  Ranney  How- 
ard, deceased. 

He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Ormsbee 
in  1887  chairman  of  a  committee  authorized 
by  the  Legislature  of  1886  to  revise  and  re- 
draft the  school  laws  and  incorporate  with 
their  revision  new  features  to  improve  the 
schools  and  present  the  same  in  the  form  of 
a  bill.  The  bill  so  drafted  with  some  few 
changes  became  the  school  law  enacted  in 
1888. 

Judge  Munson  was,  in  September,  1889, 
upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Veazey,  ap- 
pointed sixth  assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  in  1S90  was  elected  fourth  assist- 


284 


NEEDHAM. 


ant  judge  of  that  court  which  position  he 
now  holds  by  re-election  in  1S92. 

Judge  Munson's  fairness,  studious  habit, 
and  literary  skill  rendered  him  a  most  valu- 
able acquisition  to  the  bench,  and  his  pe- 
culiar ability  as  a  presiding  officer  helps  to 
keep  up  the    well-deserved    reputation  the 


\'ermont  trial  courts  have  won  as  places 
where  the  law  is  administered  with  fit  dignity 
and  decorum. 

Judge  Munson  married.  May  4,  1882, 
Mary  B.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Alexander  B.  and 
.'\nna  M.  (Hollister)  Campbell,  of  Men- 
don,  111. 


NEEDHAM,  LEWIS  CaSS,  of  Leicester 
Junction,  son  of  Benjamin  E.  and  Amanda 
(Page)  Needham,  was  born  in  Shrewsbury, 
April  6,  1843.  His  parents  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Massachusetts,  and  his  great-grand- 
father, Benjamin  Needham,  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  town  of  Shrewsbury.  Owing 
to  his  being  the  only  dependent  of  a  widowed 
mother  and  her  younger  children,  Mr.  Need- 
ham is  about  the  only  member  of  his  family 
who  is  without  a  personal  war  record.     His 


LEWIS   CASS    NEEDHAM. 

great-grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lution ;  his  grandfather,  father,  and  an  uncle 
were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812  ;  an  uncle, 
Horace  Needham,  served  in  the  Mexican 
war,  and  many  others  of  the  family  were 
engaged  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 

The  early  education  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  Shrews- 
bury during  the  fall  terms,  his  summer  and 
winter  months  being  spent  in  farm  labor  and 
teaching.  Mr.  Needham  resolved  upon  a 
business  career,  and  pursued  a  course  of 
study  in  the   Eastman  Business  College  of 


Poughkeepsie,  N.  V.  Subsequently  he  re- 
turned to  his  birthplace  and  lived  with  his 
widowed  mother  until  her  death.  In  1868 
he  went  to  Rutland  and  commenced  work  in 
the  employuient  of  the  Rutland  Railroad  Co. 
In  1878  he  moved  to  Leicester  and  since 
then  has  been  agent  for  the  CentraU'ermont 
Railroad  Co.  in  that  place. 

He  represented  Leicester  in  the  Legisla- 
ture in  the  session  of  1884  ;  has  been  justice 
of  the  peace  since  that  time,  and  superin- 
tendent of  schools  since  1890.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Republican  town  committee 
in  1S90,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs. 

Mr.  Needham  became  a  member  of  Centre 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Rutland,  in  1865,  and 
afterward  affiliated  with  St.  Paul's  Lodge  at 
Ikandon,  in  1890.  He  became  a  member 
of  Killington  Lodge,  L  O.  ().  F.,  of  Rutland 
in  1870,  and  was  a  zealous  and  efficient 
worker  in  the  order.  He  united  w-ith  the 
Congregational  church  at  Rutland  in  Janu- 
ary, 1S75,  and  was  transferred  to  the  church 
in  Whiting  in  1885,  where  he  has  been  a 
deacon  since  1887. 

Mr.  Needham  was  married,  Jan.  23,  1879, 
to  Ella,  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Nancy 
(  Farr)  Brown  of  Rutland.  Of  this  union 
there  are  two  children  :  Martha  E.,  and 
Florence  R.  Mrs.  Needham  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Solomon  Brown  of  Lexington, 
Mass.,  who  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and 
fired  the  first  gun  in  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
The  gun  is  a  keepsake  in  the  Brown  family. 

NELSON,  WILMOT  C,  of  Norton's 
Mills,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Eliza  (C.reen- 
liaf)  Nelson,  was  born  in  Alna,  Me.,  May  9, 
1850. 

His  education  was  derived  from  a  course 
of  study  at  the  common  schools,  at  the  com- 
pletion of  which  he  entered  his  father's 
shop  to  learn  the  tanner's  trade  and  engaged 
in  this  calling  till  he  arrived  at  his  majority, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Norton 
Mills  Co.,  as  clerk.  When  the  company 
failed  in  1874,  Mr.  Nelson  went  to  Island 
Pond,  but  soon  returned  and  rented  a  store, 
in  which  he  carried  on  the  principal  retail 
general  trade  of  the  place.  In  1884  he 
entered  as  senior  partner  the  firm  of  A. 
McLean   &    Co.     This    concern    five   vears 


after  sold  their  interest  to  A.  M.  Stetson  iS: 
Co.,  by  whom  Mr.  Nelson  was  engaged  as 
foreman  of  the  establishment. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  united  in  marriage,  August 
7,  1874,  in  Boston,  to  Cora  A.,  daughter  of 
\\'illiam  and  Margaret  Libbey  of  Elast 
Machias,  Me.  Four  children  have  been  the 
fruit  of  their  union  :  Frank  M.  (deceased), 
Gertrude  E.,  Edward  J-,  and  Edith  M. 


WILMOT   G.    NELSON. 

He  has  taken  the  several  degrees  of  the 
blue  lodge,  working  with  Island  Fond  Lodge, 
No.  44,  and  is  also  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and 
a  member  of  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in 
that  town. 

When  the  town  of  Norton  was  organized 
in  1S85  Mr.  Nelson  acted  as  moderator  and 
first  selectman,  which  office  he  held  for 
three  consecutive  terms.  He  has  also  been 
postmaster  for  fifteen  years  and  deputy 
sheriff  for  twelve  years.  His  business  en- 
gagements have  been  so  pressing  and  im- 
portant, that  he  has  avoided  office.  He  is 
an  outspoken  Republican  and  his  influence 
can  be  seen  in  the  constantly  increasing 
vote  of  that  party  in  the  town,  which,  not- 
withstanding the  large  foreign  element,  gave 
a  majority  for  Harrison  in  1892.  His  in- 
fluence in  the  community  has  been  con- 
stantly on  the  side  of  good  morals  and 
progress. 

NEWELL,    Lyman    Merrifield,  of 

Wardsboro,  son  of  Jackson  and  Sarah  ( Mer- 
rifield) Newell,  was  born  in  Wardsboro,  April 
14,  1833- 


NEWTON.  285 

Having  availed  himself  of  the  educational 
advantages  derived  from  the  common 
schools,  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  his 
father's  store  until  1S55,  when  he  bought 
his  father's  interest  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness for  four  years.  He  then  retired  from 
active  mercantile  life  and  bought  a  farm, 
which  he  has  conducted  u|)  to  the  present 
time. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  April  20,  1855, 
to  Sylvan  D.,  daughter  of  Calvin  and  Orrilla 
(Choate)  Taylor. 

For  twelve  years  past  Mr.  Newell  has  been 
town  treasurer  and  town  agent.  For  many 
years  he  was  lister  and  constable,  and  also 
trustee  of  public  money.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1870, 


JtERRlFIELD    NEWEL 


while  for  four  years,  1867,  1868,  1872  and 
1S73,  he  represented  the  town  in  the  General 
Assembly.  An  upright  citizen,  Mr.  Newell 
has  the  respect  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resides. 

NEWTON,  WILLIAM  S.,  of  ISrattleboro, 
son  of  Willliam  and  Betsey  (Harris)  New- 
ton, was  born  in  Marlboro,  June  26,  1822. 
He  was  of  the  seventh  generation  on  the 
line  of  descent  from  England.  Cotton  New- 
ton, his  grandfather,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  was  at  the  battle  of 
Stillwater. 

His  educational  training  was  obtained 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  Brattle- 
boro  Academy,  and  when  seventeen  years  of 


age  he  left  the  farm  upon  which  he  was 
born,  to  take  his  first  step  in  active  business 
life,  being  employed  as  clerk  in  the  store  of 
Jesse  Cone  at  the  center  of  the  town,  which 
was  then  located  on  the  present  site  of  the 
meeting  house.  Subsequently  he  came  to 
Brattleboro,  where  he  obtained  a  similar 
position  in  the  store  of  (lardner  C.  Hall,  in 
whose  service  he  remained  for  two  years. 
Again  he  returned  to  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
but  in  1852  accepted  a  position  in  the 
employment  of  the  Vermont  &  Massachu- 
setts Railroad  Co.,  at  Brattleboro ;  from 
thence  he  transferred  his  services  to  the 
post-ofifice  under  the  administration  of 
Samuel  Dutton.  In  March,  1S59,  he  formed  a 
copartnership  with  Nathaniel  Cheney  and 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  This  con- 
nection was  dissolved  in  July  afterwards  and 
he  continued  the  trade  at  the  old  stand  till 
Dec.  I,  1887. 

He  was  elected  town  clerk,  March  3,  1863, 
and  justice  of  the  peace  at  the  September 
Freemen's  meeting  afterwards ;  elected  a 
trustee  of  the  Vermont  Savings  Bank  in 
January,  1882,  and  vice-president  in  Jan- 
uary, 1 89 1.  In  all  of  these  capacities  he 
has  given  universal  satisfaction  by  the  exact- 
itude, impartiality  and  conscientiousness 
with  which  he  has  discharged  the  some- 
what delicate  duties  of  his  official  position, 
and  the  unwavering  rectitude  and  constant 
probity  of  his  daily  life  have  earned  the 
entire  respect  of  the  community  where  he 
resides. 

Gifted  with  a  keen  sense  of  the  ridiculous, 
no  one  more  appreciates  the  comic  side  of 
life  or  enjoys  with  more  hearty  zest  the  droll 
occurences  that  are  continually  arising  to 
relieve  in  some  degree  the  irksome  toil  to 
which  poor  humanity  is  otherwise  con- 
demned. 

His  religious  preference  is  the  Congrega- 
tional faith. 

Mr.  Newton  was  united  in  wedlock,  March 
30,  185S,  to  Lucinda  \\'.  Harris,  daughter  of 
David  \V.  and  Salome  (Wheeler)  Goodrich, 
of  Chesterfield,  N.  H. 

NICHOLS,  William  Henry,  of  Brain- 
tree,  son  of  William  and  Betsey  (White) 
Nichols,  was  born  in  Braintree,  Dec.  23, 
1829.  He  descends  from  old  New  England 
stock,  which  has  exhibited  the  virtue  of  good 
citizenship  through  successive  generations. 
Isaac  Nichols,  his  great-grandfather,  was  a 
colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  a 
participant  in  the  battles  of  Bennington  and 
Saratoga.  He  came  to  Braintree  with  his 
wife  and  seven  stalwart  sons  and  one  grand- 
child in  October,  1787,  and  took  up  his 
residence  on  Quaker  Hill,  building  a  rude 
log  hut,  covered  with  bark.  From  that  time 
to  the  present,  the  family  has  been  promi- 


nently and  officially  connected  with  public 
affairs.  Isaac  was  the  first  representative, 
repeatedly  holding  that  position  ;  and  he  and 
his  wife  were  original  members  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church,  of  which  he  was  for 
a  long  time  a  deacon,  and  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1794.  His  wife,  Dorcas  (Sibley) 
Nichols,  was  a  woman  of  unusual  mental 
and  physical  vigor,  of  great  celebrity  as  a 
nurse,  and  lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of 
one  hundred  and  four  years  and  ten  months. 
His  youngest  son,  Rev.  Ammi  Nichols,  was 
a  clergyman  for  two-thirds  of  a  century. 

Betsey  White,  mother  of  Judge  Nichols, 
was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Peregrine  White, 
the  first  born  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  the  old 
family  homestead,  now  occupied  by  the  son 
of  Judge  Nichols,  has  been  the  home  and 
unencumbered  property  of  the  family  for 
more  than  a  century. 

William  H.  Nichols  attended  the  Orange 
county  grammar  school  and  West  Randolph 
Academy,  and  graduated  from  Middlebury 


College  in  the  class  of  1856.  He  studied 
law  with  John  B.  Hutchinson,  meanwhile 
teaching  several  terms  of  the  Orange  county 
grammar  school  and  West  Randolph  .Acad- 
emy. He  was  admitted  to  the  Orange 
county  bar  in  1857,  and  continued  to  prac- 
tice until  the  fall  of  i860,  when  he  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  lawyer  at  Cedar  Falls, 
Iowa. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted 
as  a  private,  served  in  the  departments  of 


Mississippi  and  the  (ailf,  at  X'icksburg, 
Shiloh,  the  siege  and  second  battle  of  Cor- 
inth, and  capture  of  Mobile,  and  was 
wounded  at  Corinth.  He  served  at  times  as 
drill-master,  and  ordnance  and  commissary 
sergeant.  .After  being  mustered  out  he  came 
to  Braintree  and  took  charge  of  his  father's 
farm. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  discharged 
many  public  and  official  trusts.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  last  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion ;  re])resentative  from  Braintree  in  1870  ; 
judge  of  county  court,  1872  to  1874;  has 
been  superintendent  of  schools,  and  was  for 
a  long  time  clerk  and  treasurer,  a  position 
that  has  been  held  by  successive  members 
of  the  family  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a 
century.  In  1879  he  was  elected  judge  of 
probate,  and  has  since  creditably  filled  that 
position. 

Judge  Nichols  married,  .August  3,  1856, 
Ann  Eliza,  daughter  of  William  A.  and 
Abby  (Curver)  Bates.  Their  children  are  : 
Henry  Hebert,  William  Bates,  Edward  H., 
and  .Anna. 

Judge  Nichols  is  a  whole-souled  gentle- 
man, and  in  all  of  the  various  relations  of 
civil  and  military  life  has  discharged  his 
duties  ably  and  faithfully.  He  has  been  for 
thirty-six  years  a  member  of  Phcenix  Lodge, 
No.  28,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  a  comrade 
of  U.  S.  Grant  Post,  No.  36,  of  West 
Randolph. 

NIMBLET,  Oscar  L.,  of  Monkton,  son 
of  Hosea  and  .Althea  (Williams)  Nimblet, 
was  born  in  Monkton,  Jan.  16,  1832. 

His  scholastic  training  was  recei\ed  at  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  at  Bakersfield  .Academy.  Immediately 
after  leaving  Bakersfield  he  commenced  the 
studv  of  medicine  by  attending  lectures  at 
Dartmouth  College,  and  afterwards  graduated 
with  high  honors  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Vermont,  receiving 
his  diploma  in  the  class  of  1854.  Returning 
to  Monkton,  he  practiced  successfully  in  that 
town  and  vicinity. 

Doctor  Nimblet  was  married  at  Mont- 
pelier,  August  16,  1853,  to  Sarah  V.,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Hannah  (Prescott)  Mason, 
by  whom  he  has  had  issue  :  Ida  A.  (Mrs. 
Moses  Sears,  of  Williston),  Katie  L.  (Mrs. 
Alfred  Hull,  of  Hinesburgh),  Altha  S.  (Mrs. 
William  Stone,  of  U'illiston).  Mrs.  Nimblet 
died  Dec.  2,  1884,  and  Doctor  Nimblet  was 
united,  Jan.  2,  1886,  to  Mrs.  Eliza  C.  Weller. 

Doctor  Nimblet  has  always  been  an  ardent 
supporter  of  Republican  principles.  On  ac- 
count of  his  interest  in  educational  matters, 
he  has  been  called  upon  to  act  as  superin- 
tendent of  schools  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
besides  serving  as  school  director  and  town 
agent.    He  represented  Monkton  in  the  Leg- 


NORTON.  2S7 

islature  of  1888,  giving  his  .services  to  the 
committee  on  the  insane,  in  which  capacity 
he  established  a  most  desirable  record.  He 
has  enrolled  himself  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  though  a  believer  in 
C'hristianity,  is  not  a  member  of  any  particu- 
lar sect. 

He  possesses  marked  literary  ability,  and 
has  often  contributed  to  papers  and  periodi- 
cals. He  is  a  fluent  and  eloquent  speaker, 
and  has  often  displayed  his  oratorical  powers 
in  lectures  and  on  public  occasions  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  state. 

NORTON,  LUMAN  Preston,  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  Julius  and  Maria  (Spooner) 
Norton,  was  born  in  Bennington  March  20, 
I  S3  7.  Mr.  Norton  is  directly  descended 
from  William  C.  Spooner,  signer  of  the  De- 
claration of  Independence,  and  his  great 
grandfather,  John,  fought  in  the  Revolution- 
ary army  in  which  he  held  the  rank  of 
(■a])tain. 


He  received  his  preliminary  education  at 
the  public  schools  of  Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  and 
afterward  pursued  his  studies  at  the  acad- 
emies of  Randolph  and  Bennington  and  also 
that  of  Bloomfield,  N.  V.  Entering  Union 
College,  Schenectad)',  N.  Y.,  he  graduated 
in  June,  1858,  and  the  following  year  formed 
a  copartnership  with  his  father  at  Benning- 
ton for  the  manufacture  of  pottery,  a  busi- 
ness established  by  his  great-grandfather  in 
1793.  After  his  father's  death  in  1861  Mr. 
Norton  continued  in  the  concern  for  twentv- 


OLMSTEAD. 


one  years,  when  he  sold  his  entire  interest 
to  his  partner  and  removed  to  Bismark,  Dak., 
for  the  benefit  of  his  impaired  health.  On 
his  return  to  Vermont  he  accepted  the  gen- 
eral agency  of  the  Northwestern  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Co.  He  was  elected  the  first 
president  of  the  Bennington  County  Savings 
Bank  and  also  of  the  vitlage  of  Bennington. 
He  is  largely  interested  in  real  estate  both  in 
Vermont  and  in  the  West. 

A  Republican  in  his  political  preferences, 
he  has  taken  little  active  part  in  public  af- 
fairs, though  confidence  in  his  integrity  and 
financial  capacity  have  called  him  to  the 
office  of  trustee  of  Bennington  \illage,  repre- 
senting that  town  in  the  Legislature  of  1874, 
being  assigned  to  important  committees. 


In  Mt.  Anthony  Lodge,  No.  13,  F.  &:  A. 
M.,  he  has  been  the  incumbent  of  all  the 
ofifices  with  the  exception  of  that  of  master  ; 
is  a  charter  member  of  Bennington  Histor- 
ical Society,  and  belongs  to  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men.  He  is  a  communicant 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  He  is 
auditor  of  the  diocese  of  Vermont  and  has 
been  for  many  years  lay  delegate  to  the  dio- 
cesan convention. 

Mr.  Norton  married,  Oct.  12,  1858,  Alice 
L.,  daughter  of  Bradford  Godfrey.  Four 
children  have  been  issue  of  this  union : 
Luman  S.,  Agnes  C.  (wife  of  Judge  Charles 
H.  Darling  of  Bennington),  Alice  Mabel, 
and  Julius  Philip. 


OLMSTEAD,  ALNER  AllYN,  of  South 
Newbury,  son  of  Isaac  H.  and  S.  Ann 
(Allyn)  Olmstead  was  born  at  Newbury, 
Tune  15,  1850.  He  is  of  English-Scotch 
descent. 


OLMSTEAD. 


He  received  his  education  at  Newbury  Sem- 
inary and  Vermont  Methodist  Seminary  at 
Montpelier.  In  1 87 1  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law  with  Orrin  Gambell  of  Bradford,  but  on 
account  of  difficulty  with  his  eyes  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  his  hopes  of  entering 
that  profession,  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  father  for  the  manufacture  of  chairs, 
which  trade  he  had  learned  in  his  minority. 


This  business  connection  continued  until  the 
death  of  his  father  in  1878.  The  next  vear 
Mr.  Olmstead  built  a  large  and  commodious 
chair  factory,  costing  about  S6,ooo,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  successfully  conducted  the 
business,  with  the  addition  of  the  lumber 
and  furniture  trade.  He  is  a  farmer  and 
breeder  of  blooded  horses,  of  which  he  is  a 
great  lover,  owning  twelve  at  the  present 
time.  He  is  enterprising  and  possesses  a 
marked  degree  of  will  power,  with  that  con- 
tinuity that  makes  it  painful  to  give  up.  He 
is  a  director,  treasurer,  and  manager  of  the 
Orange  County  Canning  Co.,  which  he  was 
instrumental  in  organizing. 

Mr.  Olmstead  is  a  Democrat,  and  although 
his  town  is  strongly  Republican,  in  1890  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, a  position  not  held  in  Newbury  by  a 
Democrat  since  Henry  Keyes,  thirty-five 
years  before.  He  served  on  the  committee 
of  manufacturing  and  on  the  joint  special 
committee  of  the  World's  Fair.  He  gained 
the  reputation  of  being  a  prudent  and  care- 
ful legislator,  and  won  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  associates.  His  townsmen 
honored  him  with  a  re-election  in  1892,  when 
he  served  on  the  committee  of  grand  list, 
and,  being  a  staunch  temperance  ad\ocate, 
was  placed  on  the  committee  of  temperance, 
where  he  did  good  work.  On  the  5th  of 
May,  1892,  at  the  Democratic  state  conven- 
tion in  Montpelier,  Mr.  Olmstead  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Vermont  Democratic  state 
committee,  and  now  holds  that  position.  On 
the  13th  of  June,  1893,  J.  Sterling  Merton, 
Secretary  of  Agriculture  in  Mr.  Cleveland's 
cabinet,  appointed  Mr.  Olmstead  to  the  posi- 
tion of  state  statistical  agent  for  Vermont  at 
a  salary  of  $600  per  year. 

He  joined  the  M.  E.  Church  in  1870,  and 
has  been  an  active  member,  officer  and  lib- 
eral supporter  since.  He  was  made  a  Mason, 
in  1874,  and  is  now  a  Royal  Arch. 


On  May  27,  1880,  at  South  Newbury,  he 
married  Miss  Jennie  M.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Susan  C.  (Fuller)  Thompson,  a  noble 
Christian  woman,  "who  did  him  good  and  not 
evil  all  the  days  of  her  life."  She  died  Dec. 
25,  1889. 

ORVIS,  Franklin  Henry,  of  Man- 
chester, was  born  on  the  12th  day  of  July, 
1824,  and  is  the  eldest  child  of  Levi  Church 
and  Electa  Sophia  (Purdy)  ()r\is.  His 
father,  Levi  Church  Orvis,  and  grandfather, 
Waitstill  Orvis,  were  likewise  natives  of  Ver- 
mont, though  born  east  of  the  mountains. 
His    mother  was  descended    from    Reuben 


.IN    HENRY    ORVIS. 


Purdy,  who  will  be  remembered  as  the  head 
of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  highly  re- 
spected pioneer  families  of  the  town  of 
Manchester.  Levi  Church  Orvis  came  to 
Manchester  about  the  year  1820,  living  for  a 
time  in  the  family  of  Ephraim  Munson,  and 
attended  Hill's  School.  Shortly  afterward 
he  married  Electa  Sophia  Purdy.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  and  marble  busi- 
ness at  Manchester  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1849. 

It  was  in  his  father's  store  that  Franklin 
H.  Orvis  obtained  his  early  business  train- 
ing. He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  town,  and  at  the  Barr  Semi- 
nary, and  the  Union  Village  Academy  at 
Greenwich,  N.  V.,  from  which  last  institution 
he  graduated  in  1842,  being  then  eighteen 
years  of  age.  The  next  two  years  were 
passed  in  Wisconsin  and  Illinois  in  mercan- 


tile ]nirsuits,  but  in  1S44  he  went  to  New 
\  ork  City  as  a  clerk  in  the  wholesale  dry 
goods  house  of  Marsh  &  Willis,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  about  two  years.  In  1846, 
Mr.  Orvis,  in  association  with  Elijah  .M. 
Carrington,  formerly  of  Poultney,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Carrington  &  Orvis,  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  dry  goods  business,  whuh  he 
continued  until  about  the  year  i860,  when 
he  retired  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  the 
hotel  which  he  had  established  some  eight 
years  before.  But  the  Equinox  of  Man- 
chester, as  is  very  well  known,  has  been  con- 
ducted as  a  summer  resort  exclusively  ;  there- 
fore, when  Mr.  Orvis  withdrew  from  his 
occupation  in  New  York  City,  the  winter 
months  became  to  him  a  season  of  compara- 
tive inactivity,  except  during  the  period  of 
his  connection  with  the  Manchester  Journal, 
which  paper  he  purchased  in  1871,  and  con- 
tinued with  gratifying  success.  In  1872  Mr. 
( )rvis  became  proprietor  of  the  St.  James 
Hotel  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  which  he  con- 
ducted as  a  winter  resort.  In  1875  he  pur- 
chased the  Putnam  House  at  Palatka,  Fla., 
enlarged  it  and  continued  its  management 
imtil  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  Noxember, 
1884.  In  1880  Mr.  Orvis  leased  the  Wind- 
sor at  Jacksonville,  conducting  this  and  the 
Putnam  at  Palatka  until  the  latter  was  burned, 
since  which  the  Windsor  has  occujiied  his 
time  during  the  winter,  and  the  Equinox  at 
Manchester  during  the  summer.  The  suc- 
cessful conduct  of  a  large  hotel  calls  for  as 
much  of  tact  and  good  judgment  as  the  man- 
agement of  any  other  extensive  enterprise. 
These  necessary  traits  and  qualifications  are 
possessed  by  Mr.  Orvis  in  an  abundant 
degree  ;  and  while  to  him  is  due  the  credit 
of  having  built  up  these  large  enterprises, 
and  made  for  them  a  reputation  second  to 
none  in  the  country,  acknow-ledgment  should 
be  made  of  the  efficient  assistance  rendered 
by  his  sons,  who  have  inherited  much  of  the 
business  thrift  and  energy  of  their  father. 

He  was  married  Nov.  17,  1852,  to  Sarah 
M.,  daughter  of  Paul  and  Sarah  R.  Whitin,  of 
\\hitinsville,  Mass.  Six  children  are  the  fruit 
of  this  union. 

It  will  seem  from  the  foregoing  brief 
resume,  that  the  life  of  Franklin  H.  Orvis  has 
been  one  of  busy  activity  for  more  than  half 
a  century.  While  he  has  been  thus  engaged 
with  his  business  affairs  he  has  nevertheless 
found  time  to  participate  in  the  \arious 
events  and  measures  looking  to  the  welfare 
and  improvement  of  his  native  town.  P^very 
enterprise  tending  to  its  advancement  has 
found  in  him  an  earnest  advocate,  and  every 
worthy  charity  has  received  from  him  sub- 
stantial aid.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  was 
elected  to  the  Vermont  Senate  from  lienning- 
ton  county  as  the  candidate  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  of  which  party  he  has  been   an 


290 


active  member  since  1861.  In  1892  he  was 
again  elected  to  the  Vermont  Senate  for  two 
years.  Although  now  in  his  seventieth  year 
he  is  actively  engaged  as  the  head  of  the  well- 
known  Equinox  Spring  Co.,  of  Manchester. 

OSGOOD,  Charles  Wesley,  of  Bel- 
lows Falls,  son  of  Peter  and  Rebecca  Osgood, 
was  born  in  North  Andover,  Mass.,  Nov.  14, 
1841. 

His  early  education  was  received  at  the 
common  schools  of  .\ndover  and  supple- 
mented by  a  short  course  of  study  at  Phil- 
lips Academy.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
ended  his  brief  schooling  and  commenced 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist.  Having 
mastered  this,  after  various  vicissitudes  Mr. 
Osgood  came  to  Bellows  Falls  in  187 1  and 
entered  into  partnership  with  William  G. 
Barker,  under  the  firm  name  of  Osgood  & 
Barker,  to  do  a  general  trade.  When  they 
started  they  employed  but  one  man,  but  the 
firm  was  successful  and  business  steadily  in- 
creased. Ten  years  after  the  formation  of 
the  concern  Mr.  Barker  died,  and  since  then 
Mr.  Osgood  has  owned  and  operated  the 
plant  and  he  is  now  chiefly  occupied  in  the 
manufacture  of  paper-making  machinery. 
In  1883  his  shops  were  burned,  but  in  1891 
he  purchased  the  estate  known  as  the  Island 
House  property  and  erected  a  spacious 
building  thereon,  in  which  now  nearly  a  hun- 
dred men  are  employed. 

Though  a  strong  Republican,  Mr.  Osgood 
has  neither  cared  for  nor  sought  ofifice. 

He  married  at  North  Andover,  Mass.,  Fan- 
nie M.,  daughter  of  B.  Gardner  Searle.  Three 
children  have  been  issue  ;  Edward  Gardner, 
Charles  Herbert,  and  Fannie  Rebecca. 

OWEN,    Clarence    Philander,    of 

Glover,  son  of  Philander  and  Irene  (Knapp) 
Owen,  was  born  in  (Mover,  March  31,  1844. 
He  is  of  Puritan  lineage,  being  a  descendant 
from  Samuel  and  Priscilla  Owen,  who  emi- 
grated from  Wales  about  1685,  settled  in 
Salem,  Mass.,  but  not  finding  sufficient  re- 
ligious liberty  there,  went  to  Roger  Williams 
colony  at  Providence,  R.  I. 

His  great-grandfather,  Capt.  Daniel  Owen, 
was  the  president  of  the  first  state  conven- 
tion of  Rhode  Island,  which  adopted  the 
Constitution,  and  drafted  the  letter  which 
informed  General  Washington  of  the  organ- 
ization of  the  state  government.  He  was 
also  chief  justice  of  the  state  and  Dept.- 
Governor  from  i  786  to  1 790,  and  with  five 
others  was  granted  the  exclusive  privilege  of 
coining  money  for  a  term  of  twelve  years, 
then  was  a  partner  in  an  iron  foundry  with 
the  celebrated  John  Paul  Jones  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Revolution.  .^Lt  the 
close  of  the  war,  with  others,  he  received  a 
grant  of  land  in  the  towns  of  \\'estfield  and 
Barton. 


Mr.  Clarence  Philander  Owen  obtained 
his  education  in  the  public  schools,  the 
Orleans  Liberal  Institute  of  Glover,  and 
Barre  Academy.  .After  a  course  of  legal 
study  in  the  office  of  Knapp  and  ^^"^ight  of 
Keosaukqua,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1866  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Van  Buren  county  bar 
of  that  state,  but  never  practiced  his  pro- 
fession, for  he  was  immediately  appointed 
United  States  inspector  of  customs  for  the 
First  Iowa  district.  While  visiting  his  home 
in  1868  he  was  seized  with  a  dangerous  ill- 
ness the  nature  of  which  precluded  all  in- 
door occupation,  and  he  became  a  farmer. 
In  this  employment  he  has  always  remained, 
making  a  specialty  of  Jersey  stock  and  Mor- 
gan horses. 


CLARENCE   PHILANDER   OWEN. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  Feb.  4,  1869, 
to  -Anna,  daughter  of  William  and  Fanny 
(Randall)  Chase,  of  Wheelock.  Two  daugh- 
ters have  been  born  to  them :  Maud  L. 
(Mrs.  William  S.  Mason  of  Glover),  and 
Kate  (Mrs.  Willard  C.  Leonard  of  New 
London,  N.  H.) 

Mr.  Owen  has  been  earnestly  interested  in 
public  affairs,  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  has  served  on  the  county  com- 
mittee, held  most  of  the  town  offices  and  is 
county  auditor,  now  serving  his  third  year. 
In  1886  and  1888  he  was  elected  associate 
judge  for  Orleans  county,  serving  the  full 
term  of  four  years,  and  in  1S92  represented 
the  town  of  Glover  in  the  General  Assembly, 
serving  on  the  ways  and  means  committee. 


Judge  Owen  is  a  C'ongregationalist,  and  a 
Free  and  Accepted  Mason,  affiliating  with 
Orleans  Lodge,  No.  55,  of  Barton,  and 
Cleveland  Chapter,  No.  20,  of  Newport. 

OWEN,  JOSEPH,  of  r.arton,  son  of  Jos- 
eph and  Esther  (Cohvcll)  Owen,  was  born 
in  Clover,  Feb.  18,  1818.  He  is  the  grand- 
son of  Hon.  Daniel  Owen,  Covernor  of  Rhode 
Island,  to  whom  part  of  the  towns  of  Barton  and 
Westfield  was  granted  in  17S1.  The  young- 
est son  of  the  Covernor,  and  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  in  com])any  with  other 
settlers  came  to  Barton  in  i  798,  thence  floated 
down  the  ri\er  to  Newport,  made  an  excur- 
sion through  the  woods  to  Westfield,  where 
they  built  camps  on  their  own  lots,  subse- 
quently settling  in  Barton. 


OWF.N.  291 

by  all  for  his  i)ersonal  integrity  and  financial 
ability. 

He  has  taken  small  share  in  political  or 
town  matters,  nevertheless  he  has  served  as 
collector  and  selectman  in  Barton.  He  has 
always  voted  with  the  Re])ublicans  since  the 
dissolution  of  the  whig  party. 

For  fifty-seven  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church  of  which  he  has 
been  one  of  the  stewards  since  his  early 
manhood.  He  has  been  a  faithful  instructor 
in  the  Sunday  School  besides  being  a  liberal 
and  generous  benefactor  to  the  church. 

He  married,  Dec.  14,  T848,  Diana,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Sally  (Cilman)  Shaw,  of 
Sutton,  who  died  August  23,  1884,  leaving 
two  children  :  Flla  F.  (Mrs.  Waldo  Mossman, 
of  Barton),  and  Ceorge  W.  July  22,  1886, 
he  was  married  to  Mrs.  .Abbie  B.  Bickford,  of 
Montpelier,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  ICliza- 
beth  (Sawyer)  Cliffin.  He  has  now  retired 
from  business,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his 
labors. 

OWEN,    Oscar    Daniel,  of  Barton, 

son  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Barnard)  Owen, 
was    born    in    Barton,    Oct.    i.    1842.     His 


JOSEPH    OWEN. 

The  present  Joseph  Owen  obtained  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Barton  and  Clover 
and  afterwards  at  Browington  Academy.  He 
commenced  the  active  business  of  life  as  an 
instructor  in  Westfield,  Barton,  and  Sutton, 
and  after  employment  as  a  clerk  in  the  latter 
place  removed  to  Barton  and  settled  upon  a 
farm,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  now  occu- 
pied by  the  village.  He  was  a  farmer,  and 
tilled  the  soil  for  the  love  of  it,  and  conse- 
quenrty  made  it  a  success  ;  and  he  stoutly 
affirms  that  a  young  man  now,  with  pluck 
and  courage  for  capital  stock,  can  acquire 
wealth  on  a  Vermont  farm.  Mr.  Owen  has 
been  one  of  the  most  prominent  busines  men 
in  Orleans  county  and  was   much  respected 


OSCAR   DANIEL  OWEN. 

ancestors  came  to  this  country  from  Wales 
in  1685  for  the  better  enjoyment  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  and  to  seek  a  wider  field  for 
agricultural  labor  than  they  could  find  in 
their  native  land.  They  settled  in  Rhode 
Island  and  from  thence  the  grandfather  of 
Mr.  Owen  removed  to  the  Hampshire  Crants 


292  ORMSBEE. 

and  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the 
town  of  Barton. 

Mr.  Owen  passed  through  the  customary 
course  of  instruction  at  the  common  schools 
and  academy  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
made  his  first  step  in  an  active  business 
career  by  being  employed  as  clerk  in  the 
local  store.  He  then  took  his  departure  for 
Rockford,  111.,  and  worked  in  the  same 
capacity  for  two  years,  after  which  he  trans- 
ferred his  abode  to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he 
still  continued  to  hold  a  similar  position. 
Having  by  this  time  a  wide  and  varied 
knowledge  of  business  affairs,  in  1869  he 
returned  to  Barton,  where  he  commenced  as 
a  merchant  on  his  own  account.  By  his 
energy,  thrift  and  industry,  he  has  been 
more  than  successful,  has  built  up  a  most 
flourishing  trade  and  deservedly  acquired  a 
handsome  fortune  by  honorable  and  straight- 
forward dealing.  In  1875  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  his  entire  stock  and  store  by 
fire,  but,  undismayed  by  this  stroke  of  ill- 
luck,  with  characteristic  pluck,  he  imme- 
diately commenced  the  erection  of  his 
]jresent  business  block  at  that  time  the  finest 
in  the  vicinity.  He  is  largely  engaged  in 
buying  and  shipping  Vermont  butter  and 
dairy  produce  in  general. 

Mr.  Owen  married,  Nov.  5,  1874,  Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  Judge  Fordyce  S.  and 
Martha  H.  French  of  Barton.  One  daugh- 
ter, Julia,  is  issue  of  their  union. 


ORMSBEE,  EbeNEZER  JOLLS,  of  Bran- 
don, son  of  John  Mason  and  Polly  (Willson) 
Ormsbee,  was  born  in  Shoreham,  June  8, 
1834. 

He  received  the  education  afforded  by  the 
common  schools  of  the  state  and  the  acade- 
mies at  Brandon  and  South  Woodstock, 
dividing  his  time  between  the  farm  and  the 
school  until  his  majority,  when  he  taught 
school  winters  while  acquiring  the  higher 
branches  taught  in  the  academy.  He  began 
the  study  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  Briggs  & 
Nicholson,  at  Brandon,  in  1857,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Rutland  county  at  the 
March  term  of  court  in  1 86 1 . 

Instead  of  entering  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  however,  he  enlisted  in  the 
"Allen  Grays,"  a  military  company  of  Bran- 
don, in  April,  1861  ;  this  company  became 
Co.  G  of  the  I  St  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  having 
been  elected  2d  lieutenant  thereof,  he  was 
commissioned  as  .such,  April  25,  i86i,  and 
was  with  his  company  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States  during  the  term  of  its  enlist- 
ment, being  mustered  out  of  the  United 
States  service,  August  15,  1861.  Returning 
home,  he  again  enlisted  in  Co.  G  of  the  12th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  was  elected  captain  of  the 


company,  and  commissioned  Sept.  22, 1862. 
This  regiment  was  attached  to  the  2d  ^'t. 
Brigade,  commanded  by  General  Stannard, 
which  became  the  3d  Brigade  in  the  3d 
Division  of  the  ist  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  taking  a  most  noteworthy  part 
in  the  Gettysburg  campaign.  Captain  Orms- 
bee was  with  his  company  during  its  term  of 
service,  sharing  the  dangers  and  hardships 
of  his  men,  and  was  again  mustered  out  with 
them,  July  14,  1863. 

Taking  up  the  duties  of  civil  life,  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law  at  Brandon,  as  a 
partner  of  Anson  .A.  Nicholson,  in  1864,  af- 
terwards entering  into  a  like  business  con- 
nection with  Hon.  Fbenezer  N.  Briggs,  with 
whose  son  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Brandon.  Was  appointed 
assistant  United  States  internal  revenue  as- 
sessor, in  1868,  serving  as  such  until  1872. 
Was  elected  state's  attorney  for  Rutland 
county,  1870  to  1874;  town  representative 
from  Brandon  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  state  in  1872,  and  senator  from  Rutland 
county  in  that  body  in  1878.  .Appointed 
and  served  as  a  trustee  of  the  Vermont  re- 
form school,  from  1880  till  1884,  when  he 
was  made  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state, 
and  was  chosen  Governor  of  the  state  in 
1886. 

Among  many  other  positions  of  trust  to 
which  he  has  been  called,  and  in  which  he 
has  served  with  eminent  ability,  is  that  of 
chairman  of  a  commission  to  treat  with  the 
Pi  ITe  Indians,  at  Pyramid  Lake,  Nevada, 
concerning  the  relinquishment  of  a  portion 
of  their  reservation  to  the  L'nited  States,  to 
which  he  was  appointed  by  the  President  in 
1 891  ;  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  by 
the  President  as  the  United  States  land  com- 
missioner at  Samoa,  the  duties  of  which  of- 
fice he  discharged  until  Mav  16,  1893,  when 
he  returned  to  this  country  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  twice 
married  :  In  1862,  to  Jennie  L.  Briggs, 
daughter  of  Hon.  E.  N.  Plriggs,  of  Brandon  ; 
and  in  1867,  to  Frances  (Wadhams)  Daven- 
port, daughter  of  William  L.  Wadhams,  of 
Westport,  N.  Y. 

Always  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 
he  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  state 
Republican  committee,  and  a  firm  supporter 
of  the  principles  and  policy  of  that  party. 

He  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Lodge  F.  and 
A.  M.,  of  Brandon,  and  has  long  been  a 
comrade  of  C.  J.  Ormsbee  Post,  No.  iS,  G. 
A.  R.,  an  order  at  whose  annual  memorial 
services  he  has  been  a  speaker  and  partici- 
pant for  many  years. 

His  religious  preference  is  that  of  Episco- 
palian. 

He  is  now  (  1894)  engaged  in  law  practice 
at  Brandon. 


^•-^^-<-»-«-t-4A-»>^      J        \JjLy%^xyLAy^^-*--*^  •• 


294 


PAINE,  Milton  Kendall,  of  Windsor, 

son  of  Isaac  and  Martha  Locke  (Riggs) 
Paine,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  July  15, 
1834.  He  is  of  English  descent.  When 
Washington  assumed  the  command  of  the 
Revolutionary  forces  at  Cambridge,  Milton's 
great-great-grandfather,  William  Paine,  then 
in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age,  entered 
the  camp  accompanied  by  his  son  and  two 
grandsons,  and  when  the  general  questioned 
him  with  regard  to  his  own  presence  there, 
he  replied  that  he  was  there  to  encourage  his 
son  and  grandsons  and  see  that  they  did 
their  duty  to  their  country. 

Milton  K.  Paine  received  his  educational 
training  at  the  common  and  high  schools  of 
Chelsea,  but  before  attaining  his  fifteenth 
year  he  entered  the  drug  store  of  A.  &  H. 
Wardner  of  \Mndsor  as  clerk,  and  seven 
vears  afterward  started  in  that  business  in  the 


/* 


1>  % 


tion  of  Paine's  Celery  Compound,  of  which 
the  local  sales  were  immediately  enormous,, 
and  the  medicine  is  now  known  and  used 
throughout  much  of  the  civilized  world.  Mr. 
Paine  has  also  originated  many  appliances 
for  the  economical  manufacture  of  medi- 
cines, and  has  received  several  U.  S.  patents 
for  articles  of  practical  value.  His  health 
failing  after  nearly  forty  years  of  arduous 
application  to  his  profession,  he  disposed  of 
his  stock  in  trade,  and  on  March  19,  1887, 
sold  his  interest  in  the  Celery  Compound  to 
A\'ells  &  Richardson  Co.  of  Burlington.  He 
retired  from  active  business  April  20,  1888,. 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  widely  known 
druggists  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Paine  was  married  in  May,  1S57,  to 
Helen  A.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Horace  Austin  of 
Athol,  Mass.,  whom  he  had  the  misfortune 
to  lose  by  death  in  September,  1864.  She 
left  one  daughter,  Jennie  Louise  Paine,  now 
Mrs.  W.  R.  Sheldon  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.. 
<.)n  May  6,  1S72,  he  wedded  Mrs.  Mary 
(  Lemmex)  Smith,  daughter  of  William  H. 
and  Elvira  (Warner)  Lemmex  of  Windsor. 

Colonel  Paine  is  an  active  Republican,, 
attesting  his  faith  by  his  works,  and  has  held 
several  official  positions.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  Governor  Farnham  in  1881, 
receiving  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  in  1888 
was  elected  the  Windsor  county  member  of 
the  state  Republican  committee,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds.  He  is  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  was  for  two  years  president  of 
the  Vermont  Pharmaceutical  Association. 
He  was  an  incorporator,  and  has  been  for 
four  years  past  the  treasurer  of  the  \'ermont 
society,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 
He  is  treasurer  of  the  Old  South  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Windsor,  and  superinten- 
dent of  the  Sabbath  school. 

In  the  Masonic  order  Colonel  Paine  has 
ever  taken  a  deep  and  abiding  interest,  and 
in  this  has  attained  an  eminent  position,, 
having  reached  the  33d  degree.  He  is  one 
of  the  senior  members  of  the  Supreme 
Council  in  the  state  of  \'ermont. 


KENDALL   PAINE. 


same  town,  with  a  capital  of  $30,  running  in 
debt  for  his  entire  stock.  So  successful  was 
he,  owing  to  his  prudence  and  energy,  that 
in  two  years  he  was  free  from  all  pecuniary 
obligations  and  had  built  up  a  trade  that  was 
ever  widely  increasing.  A  man  of  original 
mind  and  natural  inventive  faculty,  devel- 
oped by  careful  observation,  even  in  his 
youthful  days,  he  began  the  preparation  of 
])erfumes  by  processes  originated  bv  himself, 
and  later  compounded  the  "Wild  Cherry 
Tonic,"  which  had  an  immense  sale,  not 
only  in  the  state,  but  in  various  parts  of  the 
LTnion.     His  crowning  effort  was  the  in\en- 


PAGE,  Carroll  Smalley,  of  Hyde 

Park,  son  of  Russell  S.  and  Martha  Malvina. 
(Smalley)  Page,  was  born  in  Westfield,  Jan. 
10,  1843. 

He  was  educated  at  the  People's  Academy 
at  Morrisville,  the  Lamoille  county  gram- 
mar school  of  Johnson,  and  the  Lamoille 
Central  .Academy  of  Hyde  Park. 

Covernor  Page  is  identified  with  many  of 
the  important  business  enterprises  of  his 
county  and  state,  being  president  of  the 
Lamoille  County  Savings  PJank  and  Trust 
Co.,  of  the  Lamoille  County  National  Bank,, 
of  the  Hyde  Park  Hotel  Co.,  and  of  the 
Fife  Lumber  Co.  He  is  the  treasurer  of  the- 
Hvde  Park  Lumber  Co.,  of  the  Morse  Man- 


'"^^^    JoJj'^' 


296 


ufacturing  Co.,  of  the  Buck  Lumber  Co.,  ami 
a  director  of  tlie  St.  J.  &  L.  C.  R.  R. 

.Altliougii  aiways  a  very  busy  man  lie  lias 
foun(i  time  to  give  good  service  to  iiis  party 
and  to  iiis  state.  He  represented  Hyde 
Parli  in  the  House  from  1869  to  1872,  was 
senator  from  Lamoille  county  from  1874  to 
1876,  and  was  county  treasurer  and  reg- 
ister of  the  probate  court  for  the  district  of 
Lamoille  for  about  ten  years.  In  1880  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  national 
convention  at  Chicago,  that  nominated 
James  A.  Garfield  for  President.  From  1872 
to  1S90  he  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 
state  committee,  serving  from  1878  to  1884 
as  its  secretary,  and  from  1884  to  1890  as  its 
chairman,  his  chairmanshi])  covering  the 
notable  campaign  of  188S. 

.■\s  a  financier  he  became  well  known  to 
the  people  of  the  state  while  filling  the  oiTice 
of  inspector  of  finance  (examiner  of  savings 
banks)  from  1884  to  1888.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  Governor — the  highest  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  people.  To  this  position,  which 
he  filled  till  1892,  he  brought  the  same  ad- 
ministrative ability  that  has  characterized 
the  conduct  of  his  private  affairs. 

But  first  and  always  a  business  man,  it  is 
not  in  political  or  official  life  that  Governor 
Page's  reputation  has  become  most  widely 
extended,  but  rather  as  a  dealer  in  Green 
Calf  .Skins,  in  which  line  of  business  his  trade 
is  confessedly  the  largest  in  America,  if  not  in 
the  world,  extending  not  only  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  but  through  all  the  British  provinces 
in  .-\merica,  and  to  England,  France  and 
Germany. 

Governor  Page  is  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fel- 
low, and  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution. 

.April  II,  1865,  Mr.  Page  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Ellen  F.,  youngest  daughter  of 
T.  H.  and  Desdemona  Patch,  of  Johnson. 
They  have  three  children  :  Theophilus  Hull, 
Russell  Smith,  and  Alice. 

PARK,  TRENOR  William,  late  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  Luther  and  Cynthia  (Pratt) 
Park,  was  born  in  Woodford,  Dec.  8,  1823. 

His  parents  removed  to  Bennington  when 
he  was  two  or  three  years  of  age,  and  as  they 
were  poor  he  had  few  educational  advan- 
tages, but  in  his  earliest  youth  he  contrived 
to  contribute  something  to  the  famly  sup- 
port. Resoh  ing  to  adopt  the  legal  profes- 
sion he  began  to  study  law  in  an  office  in 
the  town  when  only  sixteen,  and  a  few  years 
later  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1852 
a  political  appointment  changed  the  whole 
current  of  his  life,  and  interru])ted  a  suc- 
cessful professional  career  in  Bennington. 
His  father-in-law,  ex-fJov.  Hiland  Hall,  had 
been  selected  by  President  Fillmore  as 
chairman  of  the  V.  S.  land  commission  of 
California,  to  settle  disputed  land  titles  in 


the  territory  lately  acquired  from  Mexico. 
This  appointment  induced  Mr.  Park  to  re- 
move to  San  Francisco,  where  his  skill  and 
success  in  the  management  of  his  first  case 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  newly  estab- 
lished firm  of  Halleck,  Peachy  &  Billings, 
and  he  was  invited  to  become  a  member  of 
that  concern.  This  offer  he  accepted,  and 
the  firm  soon  became,  and  continued  for 
years,  the  most  eminent  one  in  California. 
Mr.  Park  became  prominently  identified 
with  the  reform  movement  in  San  Francisco 
in  1855,  and  assisted  James  King  to  estab- 
lish the  San  Francisco  Bulletin,  and  after 
the  assassination  of  that  editor  in  the  streets 
of  the  city,  he  became  the  attorney  of  the 
historic  vigilance  committee,  which  de- 
livered San  Francisco  from  the  reign  of 
terror  established  by  lawlessness  and  ruffian- 
ism. The  commercial  panic  of  1858  swept 
away  a  considerable  portion  of  the  large 
fortune  w-hich  Mr.  Park  had  acquired,  but  he 
soon  recovered  his  lost  ground.  .About  this 
time  he  became  interested  in  politics,  and 
was  a  candidate  for  L".  S.  senator,  lacking 
but  few  votes  of  an  election.  Returning  to 
Vermont  in  1863,  he  established  the  First 
National  Bank  at  North  Bennington,  and 
soon  after  was  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
exercising  great  influence  in  that  body.  He 
now  gave  his  attention  to  a  number  of  rail- 
road enterprises  in  his  native  state,  assisted 
in  the  reorganization  of  the  Vermont  Central, 
and  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of 
that  company  under  its  new  title.  He  pur- 
chased the  Western  \'ermont  R.  R., 
and  commenced  the  construction  of  the 
Lebanon  Springs  R.  R.,  hoping  to  make 
Bennington  an  important  railroad  cen- 
ter, but  not  meeting  with  adequate  co- 
operation he  sank  a  large  fortune  in  this 
latter  patriotic  enterprise.  In  1872  Mr. 
Park  was  associated  with  General  Baxter  in 
the  ownership  and  conduct  of  the  famous 
Emma  Mine,  and  he  was  for  many  years  a 
director  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Co. 
In  1874  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Panama  R.  R.,  holding  the  office  till  the 
time  of  his  death.  Under  his  skillful  man- 
agement, and  with  the  able  assistance  of 
Gen.  J.  G.  McCullough  the  stock  rose  from 
par  to  three  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar,  at 
which  price  it  was  sold  to  the  I)e  Lesseps 
Canal  Co.  Mr.  Park  was  pre-eminently  a 
public-spirited  man.  When  a  trustee  of  the 
U.  V.  M.  he  donated  to  that  institution  the 
art  gallery  which  bears  his  name.  He  was  a 
liberal  contributor  to  the  New  York  Tribune 
"Fresh  An  P'und,"  established  the  Benning- 
ton Free  Library,  and  with  ex-Go\ernor 
Prescott  of  New  Hampshire,  ex-Governor 
Rice  of  Massachusetts,  and  E.  J.  Phelps  of 
Burlington,  constituted  a  committee  on  the 
design  of  the  Bennington  battle  monument. 
He  also  contemplated  a  magnificent  charity 


298 


to  be  entitled  the  "Park  Home,"  to  be 
established  in  Bennington,  a  refuge  lor  desti- 
tute women  and  children.  Unfortunately 
his  death  occurred  before  his  plans  could  be 
completed,  and  a  large  property  which  had 
been  secured  near  the  town  as  the  site  of 
the  new  charity  was  donated  to  the  state  by 
his  heirs  and  is  now  occupied  by  the  Soldiers' 
Home. 

Mr.  Park  was  married  Dec.  15,  1S46,  to 
Laura,  daughter  or  ex-Clov.  Hiland  Hall,  of 
Piennington.  He  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
this  estimable  lady  in  June,  1875.  He  es- 
poused as  his  second  wife,  Ella,  daughter  of 
A.  C.  Nichols,  Esq.,  of  San  Francisco.  His 
own  death  occurred  in  1882,  while  en  route 
to  Panama.  One  son,  Trenor  L.,  and  two 
daughters  (Mrs.  J.  G.  McCullough  and  Mrs. 
Fred  B.  Jennings),  survive  him. 

The  energy,  perse\eranc,  and  public  spirit 
of  Mr.  Park  carried  him  from  the  humblest 
circumstances  in  youth  to  a  manhood  of 
noble  attainments,  and  his  enterprises  pro- 
cured for  him  the  possession  of  great  wealth, 
a  large  portion  of  which  he  conscientiously 
employed,  not  in  selfish  self-indulgence,  but 
for  the  benefit  and  assistance  of  his  fellow- 
men. 

PARKER,  Charles  S.,  of  Elmore,  son 
of  Henry  C.  and  Mary  (Batchelder)  Parker, 
was  born  in  Barre,  Nov.  2,  1820. 

He  availed  himself  of  the  educational  fa- 
cilities afforded  by  the  common  school  and 
academy  of  the  time,  and  in  early  life  was 
both  teacher  and  farm  laborer,  but  soon  de- 
voted all  his  attention  to  the  tillage  of  the 
soil  and  has  followed  this  occupation  through 
the  course  of  a  long  and  honorable  life.  He 
has  now  practically  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits, but  can  look  back  with  satisfaction 
upon  his  career,  contented  with  the  success 
he  has  achieved. 

Mr.  Parker  prided  himself  upon  the  fact 
that  he  was  the  first  to  introduce  the  breed- 
ing of  Jersey  cattle  into  Lamoille  county  and 
he  possesses  at  the  present  time  a  fine  herd 
of  thirty  thoroughbreds.  For  two  years  he 
has  been  the  president  of  the  Lamoille 
County  Agricultural  Society,  and  is  a  recog- 
nized authority  in  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  farm  or  the  breeding 
of  stock. 

From  the  formation  of  the  party  Mr.  Par- 
ker was  a  Republican,  but  since  1884  he  has 
identified  himself  with  the  Prohibitionists. 
He  has  served  as  sheriff  of  Lamoille  county 
and  was  elected  associate  judge  in  i867-'68, 
county  commissioner  in  1867,  and  repre- 
sented the  town  of  Elmore  in  i863-'64.  He 
has  also  been  county  bailiff  and  justice  of  the 
peace. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  for  more  than  fifty  years,  and   is  the 


oldest  living  steward  of  that  church  in  town. 
He  has  also  been  admitted  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  Mt.  Vernon 
Lodge  in  Morrisville. 


CHARLES   S.    PARKER. 

Judge  Parker  was  married,  Oct.  17,  1842,. 
to  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Susan 
( Sherman )  Town.  To  them  have  been  born 
five  children  :  Carlos  S.,  Natt  S.,  Henry  C, 
Candace  A.  (wife  of  Rev.  D.  B.  McKenzie 
of  Troy,  N.  Y.),and  Ellen  F.  (widow  of  the 
late  J.  H.  Batchelder  of  Barre). 

PARKER,  Harry  ELWOOD,  of  Bradford, 
son  of  Charles  and  .Amelia  (  Bennett)  Parker, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Lvman,  N.  H.,  June 
11,1853. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  local 
schools  of  Lyman  and  at  Lisbon  Academy,, 
in  which  town  his  family  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  1863.  Possessing  fine  musical 
ability,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of 
this  art  for  several  years,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  was  the  leader  of  a  military  band  in 
Marion,  Va.  In  1869  he  commenced  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  printer,  relinquished  it 
for  a  time,  but  resumed  this  occupation  in 
1S72.  Five  years  later  he  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  Lisbon  (ilobe,  a  small  five- 
column  sheet,  and  in  1881  he  removed  to 
Bradford,  consolidated  the  rival  papers  of 
the  place  and  established  the  L^nited  Opinion. 
L'nder  his  able  management  the  circulation 
of  the  paper  has  largely  increased.  Mr. 
Parker   is  also   half  owner  of    the   Record, 


Plymouth,  X.  H.,  and  the  Northern  Herald 
of  Lisbon,  N.  H.,  in  addition  to  which  he 
does  a  large  job  printing  business,  the  ar- 
rangements for  which,  including  a  spacious 
and  convenient  building,  are  said  to  be  supe- 
rior to  any  country  establishment  of  its  kind 
in  Xew  England.  He  is  president  of  the 
Opinion  Mfg.  Co.  (newspaper  folders),  and 
president  of  the  Bradford  Loan  and  ]'>uilding 
Association. 


ARRY    ELWOOD    PARKER. 


In  1878  he  was  chosen  engrossing  clerk 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature,  a  lucra- 
tive and  responsible  position,  to  which  he 
was  again  elected  in  1879  and  1880.  His 
busy  life  has  not  given  him  much  leisure  for 
attention  to  public  affairs,  but  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  for  the  town  of  Bradford 
in  i8go.  He  is  the  president  of  the  Ver- 
mont Editors  and  Publishers  Association  for 
1893,  and  he  has  been  selected  by  Governor 
Fuller  to  serve  as  aid-de-camp  upon  his  staff 
with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

Colonel  Parker  is  very  prominent  in  the 
circles  of  Odd  Fellowship,  being  P.  C.  P.  of 
Trotter  Encampment  of  Bradford,  and  grand 
secretary  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Vermont, 
having  held  that  position  since  1S87.  He 
is  also  a  Free  Mason,  affiliating  with  Char- 
ity Lodge,  No.  43  ;  Mt.  Lebanon  Chapter, 
No.  1 1,  R.  A.  M. ;  Bradford  Council,  No.  11, 
of  Bradford  ;  Palestine  Commandery,  No.  5, 
of  St.  Johnsbury,  and  Mt.  Sinai  'Pemjile, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Mont])elier. 


P.ARKEK.  299 

He  is  deputy  supreme  regent  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum. 

He  was  married  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Sept. 
24,  1873,  to  .Anna  M.,  daughter  of  William 
S.  and  Sarah  (JMiierson)  \\eston.  Five 
children  have  blessed  their  union  :  Leslie 
Weston  (died  in  infancy),  Katherine  Louise, 
Sarah  Knowles,  Charles,  and  Levi. 

Colonel  Parker  is  a  spirited  advocate  of 
all  village  improvements,  heartily  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  his  town  and  section, 
always  on  the  alert  to  introduce  new  enter- 
prises, and  a  progressive  and  popular  editor. 

PARKER,  Henry  J.,  of  Andover,  son 
of  Benjamin  and  Betsey  (Fullam)  Parker, 
was  born  in  Plainfield,  N.  H.,  May  2,  1836. 

.After  attending  the  common  schools,  he 
continued  his  educational  course  at  the 
\\'esleyan  Seminary  of  Springfield,  and  the 
Kimball  I'nion  .Academy  of  Meriden,  N.  H. 
In  the  spring  of  1855,  he  found  employment 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  as  a  bookkeeper,  but  soon 
went  to  (Dttawa,  111.,  w^here  he  obtained  his 
living  by  teaching  and  also  served  as  a 
clerk  in  various  establishments  for  four 
vears,  when  he  returned  to  Springfield. 


\.^ 


He  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov.  9,  1859, 
to  .Adelaide  E.,  daughter  of  Timothy  and 
Emily  Putnam  of  Sjiringfield.  One  child 
has  blessed  the  marriage  ;  Edwin  H. 

Mr.  Parker  in  response  to  the  call  for 
volunteers  to  serve  for  nine  months,  enlisted 
Sept.  I,  1 86 2,  in   Co.   H,    i6th   Regt.,  from 


the  town  of  Weston  and  was  mustered  out 
with  that  command. 

After  his  return  from  the  scenes  of  the 
struggle,  he  purchased  an  estate  in  Andover 
and  this  has  since  been  his  residence.  He 
has  made  many  improvements  in  the 
property,  since  he  understands  both  the 
theory  and  practice  of  farming,  making  a 
specialty  of  dairy  produce  and  maple  sugar. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  the 
general  state  agent  for  the  Clranite  State 
Mowing  Machine  Co.,  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H., 
and  has  traveled  several  years  in  the  in- 
terests of  A.  P.  Fuller  &  Co.,  dealers  in 
granite  and  marble.  He  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  and  a  trustee  of  the  Chester 
Savings  Bank  and  since  its  formation  direc- 
tor and  treasurer  of  the  Andover  Dairy  Asso- 
ciation. 

Through  the  confidence  of  his  Republican 
associates,  Mr.  Parker  has  held  nearly  all 
the  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  in 
the  town,  which  he  represented  in  1874. 
Fourteen  years  later  he  was  called  to  a  seat 
in  the  Senate  from  Windsor  county.  Both 
these  positions  he  filled  with  dignity  and 
credit. 

PARKER,    Luther    Fletcher,    of 

Peacham,  son  of  Isaac  and  Arabella  (Cobb) 
Parker,  was  born  in  Coventry,  Sept.  22, 
1821. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Luther  Parker 
was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  Coventry  and 
in  Brownington  and  Peacham  Academies, 
and  while  a  student  he  taught  in  Coventry 
and  the  neighboring  towns.  In  1844  he 
entered  the  U.  V.  M.,  but  after  remaining 
two  years  was  obliged  to  leave  the  university 
on  account  of  ill-health,  when  he  again 
taught  for  two  years  at  Coventry  Falls.  He 
then  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Cobb,  of  Peacham, 
and  after  the  latter's  death  continued  with 
his  successor.  Dr.  Farr,  attending  a  course 
of  lectures  at  Dartmouth  and  \Voodstock. 
He  was  subsequently  requested  by  Dr. 
Brewer,  of  Barnet,  to  assume  his  large  prac- 
tice, which  he  retained  till  his  removal  to 
Peacham,  when  he  purchased  the  profes- 
sional connection  of  Dr.  Farr.  In  1864  he 
received  the  diploma  of  M.  D.  from  Llart- 
mouth  College.  For  forty  years  he  has  had 
a  large  and  extensive  practice,  has  kept 
fully  abreast  with  the  great  advance  of 
medical  science  for  the  past  half  century, 
and  has  gained  a  high  reputation  as  a  con- 
sulting physician  in  all  the  surrounding 
country.  Dr.  Parker  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
farm  in  Peacham,  which  he  himself  operates. 

Formerly  a  whig,  but  now  a  Republican, 
though  often  sought  for  political  office,  he 
has  always  refused  to  serve,  except  in  1886 
and  1888,  when  he  represented  Peacham  in 


P.-iRTRUlGE. 

the  Legislature,  in  both  sessions  being  a 
member  of  the  temperance  and  ways  and 
means  committees.  He  has  always  been 
active  in  securing  and  enforcing  prohibitory 
laws.  He  was  sent,  after  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  in  charge  of  a  sum  of  money 
collected  in  Peacham  for  the  sanitary  com- 
mission. When  he  arrived  at  the  front  the 
exigency  of  the  occasion  was  so  great  that 
he  gave  his  professional  services  freely  to 
the  wounded  in  that  great  battle. 


.-CT*-   4^' 


LUTHER  FLETCHER  PARKER. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  several  medical 
societies,  of  Peacham  Congregational  Church, 
the  Vermont  Home  Missionary  Society,  and 
always  a  generous  contributor  to  different 
religious  organizations. 

Dr.  Parker  married,  June  6,  1850,  Louisa, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Moses  and  Jane  .Adel- 
aine  (  Martin)  Martin,  of  Peacham.  ( )f  this 
union  are  issue :  Mrs.  E.  C.  Hardy,  of 
Framingham,  Mass. ;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Bayley,  of 
Peacham  ;  Mrs.  G.  B.  M.  Harvey,  of  New 
York  ;  H.  M.,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and 
Lizzie  A. 

PARTRIDGE,  FRANK  CHARLES,  of 
Proctor,  son  of  Charles  F.  and  Sarah  A. 
(Rice)  Partridge,  was  born  in  East  Middle- 
bury,  May  7,  1 86 1. 

He  graduated  from  the  Middlebury  high 
school  with  the  class  of  '77,  and  followed 
this  with  one  term  at  Middlebury  College. 
Entering  Amherst  College  in  the  fall  of  1878, 
he  graduated  in  1882  at  the  head  of  his  class, 
receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  was  pres- 


i'.\kirii)c;e. 

ident  of  his  class.  In  the  tall  of  18S2  he 
entered  C'oliniibia  College  Law  School,  and 
graduated  in  1884  with  the  degree  of  L.  L.  H. 
Mr.  Partridge  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  \'ermont  in  1885,  and 
in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  1891. 
He  was  assistant  manager  of  the  Producers 
Marble  Co.  of  Rutland  from  1884  to  1885, 
when  he  removed  to  Proctor,  where  he  be- 
came treasurer  of  the  Vermont  Marble  Co., 
serving  in  that  ca]5acity  until  1890,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  vice-president.  He 
is  also  vice-president  of  the  Clarendon  & 
Pittsford  Railroad  Co.,  and  a  director  of  the 
Proctor  Trust  Co. 


FRANK    CHARLES    PARTRIDGE. 


Politically,  Mr.  Partridge  has  always  been  a 
Republican,  and  though  young  in  years  has 
been  honored  with  elections  to  many  posi- 
tions of  trust.  He  was  a  page  in  the  Senate 
of  1876,  page  to  the  Governor  in  1878  ; 
town  clerk  of  the  town  of  Proctor,  i887-'90, 
and  town  agent  and  school  trustee.  He  was 
private  secretary  to  Secretary  of  War  Proc- 
tor from  1889  to  1890.  June  10,  1890,  he 
was  appointed  solicitor  for  the  Department 
of  State  by  the  President  to  succeed  ^\■alker 
Blaine.  He  served  as  law  ofificer  of  that 
department  during  the  last  two  years  of  Sec- 
retary Blaine's  administration,  and  under  the 
administration  of  Secretary  Foster  until  Jan. 
25>  1 893.  when  he  was  appointed  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary 
of  the  United  States  to  Venezuela,  which 
position  he  still  holds. 


P.-VRTKIIJCE.  301 

.-\  young  man  of  great  native  ability  and 
strong  character,  Mr.  Partridge  owes  his 
success  in  life  to  his  own  energies. 

PARTRIDGE,  HENRY  v.,  of  Norwich,  son 
of  Capt.  Alden  and  Ann  Elizabeth  (Swazey) 
Partridge,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Dec.  10, 
1839.  His  father,  Capt.  Alden  Partridge, 
was  born  in  Norwich,  Jan.  12,  1785,  and  was 
the  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Captain 
Partridge  graduated  from  West  Point  in 
1806,  having  entered  that  institution  in  1805, 
his  junior  year  at  Dartmouth  College.  The 
following  year  he  was  apjjointed  ]jrofessor  of 
mathematics  at  the  military  school  of  the 
United  States  and  the  Sejitember  following 
was  made  professor  of  engineering.  .After- 
ward he  was  promoted  to  the  post  of  super- 
intendent of  the  school  and  discharged  the 
duties  of  that  position,  with  one  or  more  in- 
termissions, until  1 8 18,  when  he  resigned 
and  went  out  in  charge  of  a  surveying  party 
sent  to  the  northeast  frontier  of  the  United 
States  in  order  to  determine  the  boundary 
line.  In  1820  Captain  Partridge  foimded 
the  American  Literary,  Scientific  and  Mili- 
tary .\cademy  at  Norwich,  which  he  taught 
with  much  success  until  1825  when  he  re- 
moved the  school  to  Middletown,  Conn.  In 
1832  Captain  Partridge  returned  to  Nor- 
wich and  reopened  the  school.  Two  years 
after  a  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Legis- 
lature and  the  academy  became  a  military 
college  with  Captain  Partridge  as  its  first 
president.  Under  his  supervision  the  insti- 
tution ranked  second  only  to  the  National 
."Academy.  Captain  Partridge  died  at  Nor- 
wich, Jan.  17,  1854. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Norwich, 
from  private  instruction,  and  at  Bristol  Col- 
lege, Penn.  In  1859  he  went  to  Illinois 
where  he  entered  an  oflice  for  the  purpose 
of  making  himself  a  member  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession, and  a  year  after  removed  to  Warren, 
Penn.,  to  continue  his  studies. 

In  .'\pril,  1861,  he  responded  to  President 
Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops  and  raised  a 
company  of  the  39th  Regt.  Pa.  Vols.  (loth 
Reserves),  McCall's  Division.  He  partici- 
pated first  in  the  battle  of  Gainesville  and 
afterward  in  McClellan's  Peninsular  cam- 
])aign,  but  was  discharged  for  physical  dis- 
ability in  August,  1862.  In  1863  he  was 
appointed  to  a  position  in  the  paymaster 
general's  office  at  Washington  and  remained 
in  that  capacity  about  three  years.  Then 
he  became  an  attorney  for  the  Union  Paper 
Collar  Co.  of  New  York,  continuing  in  their 
service  for  five  years.  Since  that  time  he 
has  made  his  residence  at  ('olbrook.  Conn., 
and  Norwich,  from  which  latter  town  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1882. 


302 


PEARL,  ISAAC  L.,  of  Johnson,  son  of 
Zimri  A.  and  Kliza  (Blake)  Pearl  was  born 
in  Milton,  Nov.  17,  1S32. 

His  father  was  a  woolen  manufacturer, 
and,  after  pursuing  the  customary  educa- 
tional course  at  the  public  schools  and  the 
Milton  Academy,  the  son  concluded  to 
follow  the  same  business  ;  and  in  order  to 
give  himself  a  liiorough  training  in  his 
chosen  occupation,  he  commenced  to  work 
in  the  Winooski  Woolen  Mills.  He  then 
shifted  the  scene  of  his  labors  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  Messrs.  S.  &  1).  M.  Dow  in 
Johnson,  and,  on  the  death  of  the  latter, 
"purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  factory, 
where,  in  partnership  with  Stephen  Dow,  he 
continued  the  business  eight  years.  .Mr. 
Dow  then  withdrew,  but  after  some  changes 
in  the  firm  again  renewed  his  interest.  In 
.April,  1S71,  the  mill  was  burned  and  imme- 
diately rebuilt  and  since  then  for  twenty 
years  the  business  has  been  successfully  con- 
ducted by  the  firm  of  I.  L.  Pearl  &  C"o.  Mr. 
Pearl  commenced  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder, 
learning  every  detail  of  the  .business  and 
from  the  completeness  of  his  early  training, 
has  been  able  successfully  to  mount  to  the 
top,  and  has  seen  the  fruition  of  his  hopes  in 
the  fine  factory  and  increased  business,  that 
have  crowned  the  efforts  of  his  lifetime. 

He  was  married,  March  ti,  1858,  to 
Hattie  N.,  daughter  of  Sylvester  N.  and 
Caroline  (Green)  Tracey.  Four  children 
are  issue  of  their  alliance,  three  of  whom  are 
living :  Jed.  A.,  Flora  .\.,  and  Lizzie  H. 

Mr.  Pearl  is  a  director  of  the  Lamoille 
County  National  Bank  of  Hyde  Park,  and 
has  been  for  a  long  time  secretary  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Johnson  State  Nor- 
mal School.  Four  times  he  has  filled  the 
chair  of  Worshipful  Master  of  Waterman 
I-odge,  No.  83,  F.  &  .\.  M.,  of  Johnson,  and 
he  is  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  G.  T. 

In  his  political  preference  a  Republican, 
he  was  elected  judge  of  probate  of  Lamoille 
county  in  1870,  was  county  commissioner 
for  four  years  and  for  a  quarter  of  century 
has  been  auditor.  He  was  honored  by  be- 
ing the  choice  of  his  fellow-townsmen  to 
represent  them  in  the  state  Legislature  of 
1888,  and  in  that  body  was  chairman  of  the 
manufacturing  committee. 

PEASE,   Allen  Luther,  of  Hartford, 

son  of  Luther  and  Harriet  (Cone)  Pease,  was 
born  in  Hartford,  Sept.  8,  1843.  His  father 
was  a  successful  and  enterprising  business 
man  in  Hartford,  in  whose  pubhc  affairs  he 
was  always  prominent. 

Mr.  A.  L.  Pease  passed  through  the  cus- 
tomary course  of  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  then  received  a  higher  grade  of 
instruction  in  Kimball  Union  Academy,  of 
Meriden,  N.  H. 


Shordy  after  he  arrived  at  man's  estate,  he 
emigrated  to  Kansas  and  there  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits,  being  an  active  i>artici- 
pant  in  the  stirring  scenes  of  that  period. 
.\fter  remaining  six  years,  he  returned  to 
Hartford  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  L.  Pease  &  Son,  dealers  in  hardware  and 
agricultural  implements.  This  business  he 
has  successfullv  conducted  for  twentv-three 
years,  during  the  last  seventeen  of  which  he 
has  been  sole  proprietor.  He  has  also  been 
largely  interested  in  real  estate  and  has 
erected  many  buildings,  notably  the  Pease 
Hotel.  Mr.  Pease  has  been  a  director  of  the 
White  River  Savings  Bank,  and  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Caintal  Savings  Bank 
and  Trust  Co.,  of  Montpelier. 


LUTHER    PEASF. 


An  ardent  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party,  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  in  1884, 
where  he  served  on  the  committee  on  corpo- 
rations. In  1890,  he  was  chosen  senator 
from  Windsor  county,  and  in  this  branch  of 
the  Legislature  was  chairman  of  the  state 
prison  committee  and  member  of  that  on 
claims.  He  held  the  appointment  of  post- 
master from  1 88 1  to  1884. 

Mr.  Pease  espoused,  Jan.  28,  1869,  Sophia 
M.,  daughter  of  Chandler  and  Roxanna 
(Huntting)  Ward,  of  Lawrence,  Kan. 

He  is  an  eminent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  in  which  he  has  taken  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest  for  thirty  years.  During  this 
period  he  has  passed  through  the  va  riou 
bodies   of   the   craft,   until  he   has    attained 


the  ji^d  degree.  At  the  present  time 
he  sits  in  the  master's  chair  in  Hartford 
Lodge  No.  19,  is  a  member  of  Windsor  Chap- 
ter No.  6,  R.  A.  M.,  Windsor  Cotmcil  No.  <S, 
R.  &  S.  ^^.,  and  X'crmont  C'ommandery  No. 

4,  K.  r. 
PHCK,  Cicero  Goddard,  of  Hines- 

burgh,  son  of  Nahum  and  T.ucinda  (Wheeler) 
Peck,  was  born  in  the  quiet  village  of  Hines- 
bttrgh,  Feb.  17,  1828.  His  father,  Nahinn 
Peck,  was  a  distinguished  lawyer,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  the  oldest  practitioner 
in  Chittenden  county.  Cicero  G.  Peck  is  a 
descendant  in  the  eighth  generation  from 
Joseph  Peck,  who  in  1638,  with  other  Puri- 
tans of  Belton,  Yorkshire,  I'^ngland,  fled 
from  the  persecution  of  the  Established 
church  to  this  country  to  secure  for  them- 
selves freedom  of  thought,  speech,  and 
action. 


CICERO  GODDARD    PECK, 


Cicero  G.  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  the  old  Hinesburgh  Academy, 
in  which  institution  he  prejiared,  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  for  a  regular  collegiate  course, 
but  his  health  failed  and  he  was  forced, 
though  reluctantly,  to  abandon  his  cher- 
ished hope  of  a  liberal  education,  and  to 
seek  outdoor  employment.  He  therefore 
engaged  in  agricultural  occupations,  in  which 
he  has  been  quite  successful,  and  has, 
therefore,  remained  on  a  farm  all  his  life, 
though  he  has  devoted  a  good  deal  of  time 
to  other  affairs,  having  been  called  on  fre- 


I'lXK.  303 

i|uently  to  act  as  executor  or  administrator 
in  the  settlement  of  important  estates  in  the 
\icinity. 

He  has  enjoyed  the  entire  confidence  of 
his  townsmen,  as  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that 
he  has  been  called  to  every  office  within 
their  gift,  and  several  of  these  he  has  filled 
many  times.  He  has  been  chosen  to  fill  the 
jjosition  of  selectman  seven  consecuti\e 
years.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  all  jniblic  institutions  or  in  any 
movement  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  ag- 
ricultural portion  of  the  community.  fn 
1864  he  took  a  leading  part  in  organizing 
the  \'alley  Factory  Cheese  Co.,  which  has 
been  in  successful  operation  imder  his  super- 
\ision,  and  has  been  a  great  financial  benefit 
to  the  farmers  of  the  town. 

In  early  life  he  identified  himself  with  the 
Free  Soil  party,  and  was  always  a  strong  o]3- 
ponent  of  the  aggressions  of  the  slave  power, 
and  since  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  has  been  a  firm  adherent  to  its  princi- 
ples. In  1878  the  Republicans  of  Chitten- 
den county,  recognizing  his  loyalty  to  the 
political  principles  which  he  professes,  and 
his  fitness  for  the  position,  elected  him  to 
represent  the  county  in  the  state  Senate, 
where  he  served  on  the  committee  on  edu- 
cation, grand  list,  and  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee under  the  fourth  joint  rule.  In  1890 
he  was  chosen  by  his  townsmen  to  represent 
his  town  in  the  Legislature, _  also  being  a 
member  at  the  extra  session  of  1891.  As 
a  member  of  the  House  he  served  on  the 
committee  of  joint  rules,  as  chairman  of  the 
joint  special  committee  on  industrial  mat- 
ters, and  again  on  the  committee  on  educa- 
tion, taking  an  acti\e  part  in  urging  the 
adoption  of  the  town  system  of  schools. 

He  has  always  taken  a  lively  and  active 
part  in  all  educational  matters,  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board  for  fifteen  years, 
and  town  superintendent  from  1877  to  1884, 
in(lusi\e,  and  again  from  i8gi  to  1894.  Un- 
der the  school  law  of  188S  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education,  which  of- 
fice he  filled  while  this  law  remained  in  force. 
By  this  board  he  was  chosen  committee  for 
the  selection  of  text  books  for  the  county, 
having  twice  before  serxed  on  a  like  com- 
mittee. .At  the  session  of  1892  he  was  nom- 
inated by  (Governor  Fuller  and  confirmed  by 
the  Senate  as  trustee  of  the  state  reform 
school  for  six  years,  from  Dec.  1,  1892.  In 
June,  1893,  he  was  honored  by  Governor 
Fuller  as  one  of  the  appointees  to  the  inter- 
national congress  of  charities,  correction  and 
philanthrojjv,  held  at  Chicago,  June  12-1 8, 
1893. 

He  has  been  an  outspoken  and  earnest 
advocate  of  temperance,  always  favoring  all 
organizations  having  for  their  chief  aim  the 
su]ipression  of  the  vice  of  intemperance,  and 


304 


for  several  years  when  the  order  of  Good 
Templars  was  active,  was  worthy  chief  of  the 
lodge  in  his  town.  In  early  life  he  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  has  alwavs  been  an  active  and 
liberal  supporter  of  all  the  interests  of  the 
church  of  his  choice. 

He  was  married  at  Hinesburgh,  March  29, 
1854,  to  Maria  P.,  daughter  of  Selah  and 
Phoebe  (Russell)  Coleman,  of  Hinesburgh. 
He  has  no  children  of  his  own,  but  has  an 
adopted  daughter,  Lucv,  now  married  to 
Rev.  M.  R.  France,  of  Cobleskill,  X.  Y. 

PECK,  Marcus,  of  Brookfleld,  son  of 
Reuben  and  Hannah  G.  (Edson)  Peck,  was 
born  in  Brookfleld,  Jan.  26,  1834.  Reuben 
Peck  was  a  life-long  resident  and  successful 
business  man  in  the  town  of  Brookfield,  and 
inseparably  connected  with  the  agricultural, 
commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  of 
the  place,  living  to  the  patriarchal  age  of 
eighty-five. 


%.- 


4^t 


MARCUS   PECK. 

Marcus  received  his  educational  advan- 
tages in  the  common  schools,  and  at  the 
academies  of  Newbury  and  Barre.  Soon 
after  he  arrived  at  years  of  discretion  he 
commenced  the  sale  of  hay  forks,  and  has 
pursued  this  occupation  more  or  less  ever 
since.  He  has  had  the  general  management 
of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  this  article 
since  1870,  and  is  now  sole  proprietor  of  the 
business,  which  is  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  Peck,  Clark  i!i:  Co.  They  also  turn 
out  garden  rakes,  hoes  and  cant  hooks,  for 


which  they  find  a  ready  sale  throughout 
New  England  and  New  York,  and  the  merit 
of  the  product  is  too  well  known  to  require 
comment.  Mr.  Peck  was  formerly  largely 
interested  in  cheese  factories,  and  at  the 
present  time  is  extensively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Brookfield  and  adjoining  towns. 

He  was.  elected  by  the  Republican  vote, 
senator  from  Orange  county  in  1880,  serv- 
ing on  many  important  committees.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  Mystic  Lodge,  No.  97, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  the  position  of  worshipful  mas- 
ter of  which  he  has  filled  nine  terms. 

Mr.  Peck  married,  June  26,  1859,  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Erastus  and  Electa  (Brown) 
Wilcox,  who  bore  him  four  children  :  One 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven,  Bessie  Fran- 
ces (deceased),  Mary  Stella  (Mrs.  Arthur 
Lyman  of  Rutland),  and  Marcia  L.  His 
first  wife  died  in  1872,  and  he  contracted  a 
second  alliance  in  January,  1S73,  with  Mrs. 
.'\deline  (.\bbott)  Wheatley,  daughter  of 
Walter  and  Sarah  Abbott. 

Mr.  Peck  has  been  active  in  church  work 
for  over  forty  years,  and  has  been  one  of  the 
officers  of  the  .Second  Congregational  Church 
for  the  last  fifteen  years. 

PECK,  Theodore  SaFFORD,  of  Burl- 
ington, was  born  in  Burlington,  March  22, 
1843.  He  enlisted  at  the  age  of  eighteen  as 
private  in  Co.   F,   ist  Yt.  Cavalry,  Sept.  i, 

1861  ;  mustered  into  the  United  States  ser- 
vice, Nov.  I,  1861  ;  transferred  to  Co.  K, 
and    discharged    for   promotion,    June    25, 

1862  ;  appointed,  by  Col.  George  Jerrison 
Stannard,  regimental  quartermaster-sergeant, 
9th  Regt.,  Yt.  Infantry,  June  25,  1862  ;  pro- 
moted 2d  lieutenant,  Co.  C,  Jan.  7,  1863; 
promoted  ist  lieutenant,  Co.  H,  June  10, 
1864;  acting  regimental  quartermaster  and 
adjutant,  also  acting  assistant  adjutant-gen- 
eral, aid-de-camp,  and  brigade  quartermas- 
ter, 2d  Brigade,  2d  Division,  i8th  Army 
Corps  ;  promoted  captain  and  assistant  quar- 
termaster. Ignited  States  Yolunteers,  March 
II,  1865  ;  assigned  to  ist  Brigade,  3d  Divi- 
sion, 24th  Army  Corps.  He  served  on  the 
staffs  of  Brevet  Maj.  Gen.  George  J.  Stan- 
nard, Brig. -Gen.  Isaac  J.  Wistar  at  Suffolk, 
Va.,  Brig.-Gen.  Joseph  H.  Potter,  Brevet 
Brig.-Cien.  Michael  T.  Donahue,  and  Brevet 
Brig.-Gen.  Edward  H.  Ripley,  in  the  trenches 
in  front  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  Ya. 
In  the  Yermont  cavalry  he  was  present  in 
action  at  Middletown  and  Winchester,  \'a.. 
May  24  and  25,  1862  ;  in  the  9th  Regt., 
Winchester,  August,  and  Harper's  Ferry, 
Ya.,  Sept.  13,  14  and  15,  1862  (captured 
and  paroled)  :  siege  of  Suffolk,  Nansemond, 
Edenton  Road,  Blackwater,  May,  1 863 ; 
Yorktown  and  raid  to  Gloucester  Court 
House,  Ya.,  July  and  August,  1863  ;  action 
of  Young's  Cross  Roads,  December,  1863; 


Newport  Barracks,  Feb.  2,  1S64:  raid  to 
Swansborough  and  Jacksonville,  N.  C,  May, 

1864  ;  Fort  Harrison,  Sept.  29  and  30,  1864  ; 
Fair  Oaks,  \"a.,  Oct.  29,  1864  :  was  present 
in  New  York  City  commanding  a  battalion, 
9th  Yt.  Regt.,  in  November,  1864,  at  the 
second  election  of  President  Lincoln.  He 
was  also  present  in  the  siege  (winter,  1SC4, 
and  spring,  1865)  and  capture  of  Richmond, 
\'a.,  and  was  with  the  first  organized  command 
of  infantry  (3d  Brigade,  3d  Division,  24th 
Army  Corps)  to  enter  the  confederate  capital 
at  the  surrender  on  the  morning  of  April  3, 

1865  ;  his  brigade  was  also  provost  guard  of  the 
city  for  two  weeks  after  its  capture.  He  was 
wounded  Sept.  29,  1864,  in  the  assault  of 
Fort  Harrison,  Ya.     He  received  a  medal  of 


imm^ 


THEODORE   SAFFORD    PECK. 

honor  inscribed  as  follows  :  "The  Congress 
to  ist  Lieut.  Theodore  S.  Peck,  Co.  H,  9th 
Yt.  Yols.,  for  gallantry  in  action  at  Newport 
Barracks,  N.  C,  Feb.  2,  1864." 

Captain  Peck  was  mustered  out  of  the 
United  States  service  on  account  of  the  close 
of  the  war,  June  23,  1865,  having  served 
nearly  four  years  as  a  private  in  the  ranks, 
an  officer  in  the  line  and  on  the  staff,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  cavalry  corps  and  also  of  the 
ist,  4th,  9th,  iSth,  and  24th  army  corps  in 
the  armies  of  the  Potomac  and  the  James. 
The  government  at  the  close  of  the  war  offered 
him  two  commissions  in  the  regular  army, 
which  were  declined. 

Upon  his  return  to  Vermont  he  was  ap- 
pointed chief  of  staff,  with  rank  of  colonel, 


I'l'XKKIl'.  305 

by  (lovernor  John  W.  Stewart  ;  afterwards 
colonel  of  the  first  and  only  regiment  of  in- 
fantry of  the  state,  which  position  he  held 
for  eight  years.  In  1869  appointed  assist- 
ant adjutant-general  of  the  (i.  \.  R.  depart- 
ment of  Yermont,  and  by  his  energy  and  tact 
saved  the  order  from  going  to  pieces ;  in 
1 87 2,  senior  vice  commander,  and  in  1876- 
'77  department  commander.  In  1881  he 
was  appointed  adjutant-general  of  \'ermont, 
with  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  is  on 
duty  in  this  office  at  the  present  time.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Yermont  Com- 
mandery  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
and  was  a  vice  president-general  of  the 
National  Society,  Sons  of  .American  Revolu- 
tion. He  had  four  ancestors  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  one  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Oeneral  Peck  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  a  member  of  the  board  of  visitors 
at  the  L'nited  States  Military  .-Vcademy  at 
West  Point  in  1S91. 

He  is  a  resident  of  Burlington,  following 
the  business  of  general  insurance,  and  repre- 
senting fire,  life,  marine  and  accident  com- 
panies, the  aggregate  capital  of  which 
amounts  to  about  $300,000,000,  the  business 
extending  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1879,  he  married 
.Agnes  Louise,  daughter  of  the  late  William 
Leslie  of  Toronto,  Ont.  They  have  one 
child  :   Mary  Agnes  Leslie. 

General  Peck  is  a  man  of  public  spirit  and 
enterprise.  In  politics  he  is  a  loyal  Repub- 
lican. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and 
other  fraternities,  and  was  for  ten  years  grand 
marshal  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Yermont. 

PECKETT,  JOHN  Barron,  of  Brad- 
ford, son  of  John  Barron  and  Martha  (Til- 
ton)  Beckett,  was  born  in  Bradford,  Dec. 
19,  1822,  and  has  always  resided  there. 

His  education  was  received  at  the  jiublic 
schools  of  Bradford.  His  father  was  a  dealer 
in  lumber,  a  farmer,  and  a  business  man  who 
was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  early  history 
of  the  town,  of  active  energy  and  robust, 
vigorous  frame.  The  son,  though  not  cast 
in  the  same  iron  mould,  inherited  many  of 
the  mental  traits  of  his  parent. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  entered 
the  employment  of  Asa  Low,  Esq.,  a  promi- 
nent merchant  of  the  town.  .\t  his  majority 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  .Adams  Preston, 
Esq.,  which  continued  three  years.  He  then 
engaged  with  his  former  employer  and  re- 
mained with  him  until  .April,  1854.  He 
then  purchased  an  interest  in  a  large  grist 
mill  and  saw  mill  in  Bradford,  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  Col.  George  W.  Pritchard 
&  Sons,  and  for  thirty-seven  years  was  the 
active  manager  of  this  establishment  during 
the   existence    of   four  firms.     .\n  immense 


3o6 


business  was  carried  on  in  wood,  lumber  and 
grain  during  the  entire  period.  Mr.  Peckett's 
masterly  management  caused  the  respective 
firms  to  stand  high  in  financial  circles,  and 
the  business  among  the  leading  enterprises 
of  the  state. 

He  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  Bradford 
Guards,  ist  Regt.,  and  as  ist  Lieut,  of  that 
company  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Big 
Bethel,  being  mustered  out  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service.  He  is  a  member  of 
Washburn  Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R. 


JOHN    BARRON    PECKETT. 


Mr.  Peckett  has  held  many  town  offices, 
but  is  perhaps  best  known  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  the  duties  of  which  he  has  performed 
for  twenty  years. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Sept.  9,  1S47, 
to  Caroline  H.,  daughter  of  /\sa  and  Lucinda 
(Brooks)  Low  of  Bradford.  Two  sons  and 
two  daughters  have  been  born  to  them  :  Asa 
Low  (who  at  this  writing  is  engaged  in  the 
claims  department  of  the  Boston  &  Maine 
R.  R.  at  Boston,  Mass.),  John  B.,  Jr.  (who  is 
an  attorney  at  law  at  Bradford),  Caroline 
Frances  (deceased  at  twenty),  and  Martha 
L.  (died  in  infancy). 

He  has  conducted  his  business  in  such  a 
systematic  manner  as  to  conduce  both  to 
private  and  public  prosperity.  He  has  been 
thoroughly  identified  with  the  financial  pros- 
perity of  the  town  of  Bradford,  and  has 
constructed  more  buildings  than  any  other 
individual  in  the  place.  By  his  dilligence 
and  energy  he  has  acquired  a  handsome 
competency. 


He  was  very  influential  in  opening  a  road 
on  the  west  side  of  Lake  Morey,  in  Fairlee, 
and  from  the  head  of  said  lake  to  Bradford 
line.  He  has  built  a  fine  summer  residence 
upon  a  beautiful  and  commanding  point  of 
the  shore  of  said  lake,  and  is  greatly  interested 
in  the  dexelopment  of  the  localitv. 

The  family  for  three  generations  have  been 
strong  advocates  of  temperance  and  emphat- 
ically in  fa\or  of  an  impartial  enforcement 
of  the  legal  enactments  to  suppress  the  liquor 
traffic. 

PEMBER,  Emmett  R.,  of  Wells,  son  of 
Russell  and  Emily  (Bidwell)  Pember,  was 
born  in  Wells,  Sept.  21,  1846. 

He  enjoyed  such  educational  facilities  as 
were  afforded  by  the  public  schools  of  Wells, 
supplemented  by  a  course  of  study  at  the 
Troy  Conference  Academy  at  Poultney,  and 
the  Fort  Edward  Institute  of  Fort  Edward, 
\.  V.  His  ambition  tempted  him  to  follow 
a  professional  life,  but  filial  duty  induced 
him  to  remain  with  his  parents  on  the  home- 
stead, and  here  he  has  devoted  the  larger 
part  of  a  useful  life  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  Pember  was  united  in  matrimony  at 
Caroline,  N.  V.,  Oct.  3,  1872,  to  Carrie, 
daughter  of  ^^'illiam  and  Julia  A.  (Barton) 
\Mnchell.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  five  daughters  and  one  son  :  Grace  E., 
Celesta  M.,  Julia  E.,  Ernest  W.,  Ruth  A., 
and  Ruble  Alice. 

Mr.  Pember  is  an  ardent  Republican  and 
has  continuously  been  the  incumbent  of 
some  town  office  since  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  He  has  served  sixteen  years 
as  chairman  of  the  Republican  town  com- 
mittee and  also  several  years  on  the  Repub- 
lican county  committee.  He  was  elected 
senator  from  Rutland  county  in  1880,  serv- 
ing on  the  committees  on  agriculture  and 
highways  and  bridges.  He  enjoyed  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  youngest  member  of 
the  Senate  during  that  term,  but  notwith- 
standing his  youth  established  a  high  reputa- 
tion as  a  careful,  considerate  and  intelligent 
legislator.  For  two  terms  he  has  served 
acceptably  on  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 
He  also  has  knelt  at  the  altar  of  Freemasonry 
and  is  connected  with  Morning  Star  Lodge, 
No.  37,  of  Poultney.  He  has  always*been 
actively  identified  with  educational  work 
both  in  our  common  schools  and  Sunday 
schools  and  several  years  of  his  earlier  life 
were  spent  in  teaching.  Whatever  tends  to 
promote  the  moral,  religious  or  material 
interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives, 
or  the  state  at  large,  ever  finds  in  him  a 
faithful  and  zealous  advocate. 

PERKINS,  Marsh  OliN,  of  Windsor, 
son  of  Henry  Olin  and  Mary  Eloise  (Gid- 
dings)  Perkins,  was  born  in  Rutland,  Feb. 
7,  1849. 


307 


His  early  education,  including  a  college 
preparatory  course,  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools  of  Rutland.  He  entered 
Middlebury  College  and  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1870.  While  still  pursuing  his 
studies  he  made  his  first  essay  as  an  in- 
structor, and  taught  at  Bridport,  Hydeville 
and  Wallingford.  He  was  made  principal 
of  the  South  Woodstock  Academy  in  1870. 
The  following  year  he  was  elected  to  a  simi- 
lar position  in  the  Windsor  high  school, 
which  he  occupied  until  1880,  when  he 
became  editor  of  the  Vermont  Journal. 

Mr.  Perkins  has  always  acted  with  the 
Republican  party  and  held  many  offices  of 
trust  and  responsibility,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  that  of  school  director  con- 
tinuously from  1 88 1  of  both  the  town  and 
village  of  \\'indsor.  He  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  to  represent  the  town 
in  1882  and  1884,  and  four  years  after  was 
chosen  a  senator  for  Windsor  county.  In 
1888  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Dilling- 
ham a  member  of  his  staff  with  the  rank  of 
colonel. 

In  Masonic  circles  Colonel  Perkins  has 
been  especially  prominent,  and  at  various 
times  has  been  the  presiding  officer  of  all 
the  bodies  of  the  order  in  Windsor.  He  has 
also  most  creditably  filled  a  similar  position 
in  the  Grand  Lodge,  Grand  Chapter  and 
Grand  Commandery  of  the  state,  and  in 
1884  was  made  honorary  member  of  the 
Supreme  Council  Northern  Masonic  juris- 
diction, A:.  A:.  S:.  R  :.,  U.  S.  A.  In  "1891 
he  was  elected  an  active  member  of  the 
same  and  deputy  for  Vermont. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Dec.  31,  1878, 
to  Clara  Alice,  daughter  of  Lyman  J.  and 
Abbie  (Locke)  Mclndoe.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  them  ;  Locke  Mclndoe, 
Gail  Giddings,  Margaret  Florinda  and  Ma- 
rion Eloise  (twins),  and  Herbert  Marsh. 

PERRY,  ELBRIDGE,  of  Pomfret,  son  of 
Asa  and  Martha  Ann  (Spooner)  Perry,  was 
born  at  Pomfret,  Sept.  2,  1846. 

Educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools 
of  Barnard,  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  left  the 
paternal  roof  and  labored  on  various  farms 
for  a  period  of  five  years.  In  April,  1872,  he 
purchased  the  estate  on  which  he  now  resides 
and  which  he  has  cultivated  till  the  present 
time.  He  is  a  substantial  farmer  and  has 
enjoyed  a  contented,  though  perhaps  a  some- 
what uqeventful,  career.  Gn  his  farm  he 
raises  large  numbers  of  cows  and  sheep. 

He  belongs  to  the  Republican  party  ;  has 
been  road  commissioner,  school  director,  and 
town  representative  to  the  Legislature  of 
1892.  He  has  also  served  the  town  as  select- 
man. 

Mr.  Perry  was  married  Jan.  26,  1870,  to 
Viola,    daughter  of  Smith  and  Caroline  M. 


(Hackett)  Hodges,  of  Pomfret.  Five  chil- 
dren ha\e  been  born  to  them  :  Mima  A., 
Hermon  S.,  Arthur  .\.,  Seth  K.,  and  Mildred 
H. 

PERRY,  James  M.,  of  Barre,  son  of 
Daniel  A.  and  Dulcina  (Freeman)  Perry, 
was  born  in  Plainfield,  Feb.  28,  1838.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  of  Flnglish  descent,  and 
during  his  whole  life  resided  in  Plainfield, 
where  he  was  prominent  in  civil  life,  and 
was  twice  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  The 
boyhood  of  James  was  passed  on  the  old 
homestead,  where  he  divided  his  time  be- 
tween labor  on  the  farm  and  an  attendance 
at  the  common  schools  01  Plainfield,  and 
Barre  Academv. 


JAMES    M.    PERRY 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Perry  com- 
menced his  mercantile  life  as  a  clerk  in  the 
Lhiion  store  of  Barre :  this  was  a  good 
school,  for  the  establishment  was  a  financial 
success.  In  1864  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  and  engaged  in  trade  for  four  years. 
He  then,  perceiving  a  fine  business  oppor- 
tunity in  Barre,  opened  a  large  store  in  that 
village,  where  he  still  continues  to  reside, 
carrying  on  a  large  trade  in  dry  goods  and 
boots  and  shoes.  He  is  recognized  as  a 
safe  and  successful  financier  and  has  been 
])rominently  identified  with  the  monetary  in- 
terests of  the  \illage.  He  has  been  for 
twelve  years  and  is  still  a  director  of  the  na- 
tional bank  and  also  holds  the  office  of 
president  of  the  Barre  Savings  Bank  and 
Trust  Co. 


5o8 


Mr.  Perry  was  married  Feb.  i6,  1869,  to 
Alma  H.,  daughter  of  Allen  and  Betsey 
(Nelson)  Martin,  of  Barre.  Four  children 
are  issue  of  this  union  :  J.  Frank,  Carl  M., 
Edna  IX,  and  Dean  H. 

The  orders  of  Masonry  and  Odd  Fellows 
claim  Mr.  Perry  as  a  member.  He  belongs 
to  Granite  Lodge,  No.  35,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Barre,  and  to  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No.  26, 
and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hiawatha 
Lodge,  No.  20,  L  O.  O.  F. 

He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  received  sev- 
eral offices  in  the  gift  of  that  party,  has  been 
chairman  of  the  board  of  village  trustees  and 
also  an  active  member  of  the  town  committee. 
In  1S90  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives and  did  good  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  claims. 

PHELPS,  BRIGHA.M  Thomas,  of  West- 
minster, son  of  John  and  Judith  H.  (Brig- 
ham)  Phelps,  was  born  in  Grafton,  May  4, 
1 84 1.  In  1849  hs  removed  with  his  parents 
to  ^^'alpole,  N.  H.,  remaining  there  six  years, 
and  from  there  to  Westminster  where  he 
now  resides. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Walpole,  N.  H.,  Westminster  Academy 
and  at  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Commercial 
College  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.  He  entered 
business  life  m  the  employment  of  Krigham 
&  Balch,  wholesale  commission  merchants  of 
San  Francisco,  and  there  continued  until 
failing  health  admonished  him  that  an  out- 
door life  was  a  necessity,  and  upon  delibera- 
tion he  decided  to  remove  to  Westminster 
and  engage  in  tobacco  raising  and  general 
farming,  which  he  did  in  T870. 

Mr.  Phelps  is  a  Republican  and  is  in  full 
sympathy  with  his  party.  In  18  71  he  was 
appointed  deputy  sheriff  of  Windham  county 
which  office  he  held  for  ten  years.  He  has 
been  called  to  serve  his  town  in  many 
official  capacities,  as  first  constable,  auditor, 
tax  collector,  and  to  represent  it  in  the 
Legislature,  being  elected  to  that  body  in 
1888  and  serving  on  the  committee  on 
agriculture. 

Mr.  Phelps  responded  to  the  nation's  call 
and  in  August,  1S62,  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  of 
the  12th  Vt.  Vols.,  and  was  a  corporal  of  his 
company.  His  regiment  was  ordered  to  the 
defenses  at  Washington  and  was  there  in 
Casey's  Division  and  was  afterwards  attached 
to  the  first  corps  (General  Reynolds)  of  the 
.Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  honorably  dis- 
charged July  14,  1863.  In  1S64  recruited 
and  was  elected  ist  lieutenant  Co.  B,  12th 
Regt.  Vt.  State  Militia. 

In  social  life  Mr.  Phelps  takes  a  deep 
interest.  He  is  a  member  of  E.  H.  Stough- 
ton  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No.  34,  of  Bellows  Falls, 
and  was  its  commander  for  two  years,  i8gi- 
'92,  and  of  the  Temple  Lodge,  F.  cS;  A.  M., 


of  Bellows  Falls,  also  of  the  Chapter  and  of 
the  Hugh  De  Payen's  Commandery  of 
Keene,  N.  H. 

He  was  married,  July,  1874,  to  Annie  O., 
daughter  of  Nodiali  L.  and  F.liza  A.  ( Bur- 
roughs) Holton  of  Westminster. 


BRIGHAM    THOMAS    PHELPS. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps  are  the  inventors  of 
the  Excelsior  square  system  of  cutting  ladies' 
and  children's  garments,  which  is  of  such 
value  that  it  has  found  its  way  into  every 
state  in  the  Union.  In  recent  years  Mr. 
Phelps  has  also  conducted  this  business  in 
connection  with  the  management  of  his  farm. 

PHELPS,  Edward  John,  of  Burling- 
ton, son  of  Hon.  Samuel  S.  Phelps,  was  born 
in  Middlebury,  July  11,  1822. 

He  received  his  education  at  Middlebury 
college,  graduating  in  1840,  and  studied  law 
at  the  law  school  of  Yale  Llniversity,  and  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour  in  Mid- 
dlebury. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
.\ddison  county  in  December,  1843,  ^nd 
after  something  more  than  a  year  of  prac- 
tice in  Middlebury,  established  himself  as  a 
lawyer  in  Burlington. 

In  185  I  the  office  of  second  copiptroller 
in  the  treasury  was  unexpectedly  offered  to 
Mr.  Phelps  by  President  Fillmore.  .As  its 
duties  would  not  require  a  cessation  of  pro- 
fessional practice,  he  accepted  the  office, 
and  held  it  through  Mr.  Fillmore's  adminis- 
tration. He  represented  Burlington  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1870,  and  was 
made  president  of  the  American  Bar  Asso- 


V. 


.>^-^i^. 


3IO 


ciation  in  1881.  Mr.  Phelps  has  been  for 
more  than  twenty  years  a  trustee  of  the 
Vermont  State  Library.  He  was  appointed 
professor  of  law  in  Yale  College  in  the  same 
year,  and  gave  a  short  course  of  lectures 
before  the  law  school  of  Boston  University 
upon  constitutional  law.  Mr.  Phelps  was  a 
whig  while  that  party  continued  organized 
and  active.  Since  that  party  ceased  to  be  he 
has  regarded  himself  as  an  independent  in 
politics,  not  bound  in  fealty  to  any  organized 
party.  In  the  main,  however,  he  has  voted 
for  Democratic  nominees.  In  the  year  1880 
he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic 
party  of  Vermont  for  the  office  of  Governor, 
and  received  the  largest  vote  ever  cast  in 
Vermont  for  a  Democratic  aspirant  to  that 
office. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  married  in  August,  1846, 
to  Mary,  daughter  of  Hon  Stephen  Haight 
of  Burlington.  Of  this  marriage  there  are 
surviving  two  sons  and  one  daughter  :  Ed- 
ward, Mary  (Mrs.  Horatio  Loomis  of  Bur- 
lington), and  Charles  Pierpoint. 

The  faculties  and  qualities  by  which  he  is 
chiefly  known  and  regarded  have  been  mani- 
fested mainly  in  his  vocation  as  a  lawyer. 
Vet,  not  only  his  arguments  to  courts  and 
juries,  but  also  his  occasional  addresses  and 
his  professional  lectures,  show  him  exten- 
sively conversant,  from  scholarly  study  and 
extensive  reading,  with  a  wide  range  of 
learning  outside  of  the  law,  and  deeply  im- 
bued with  the  text  and  spirit  of  the  best 
classics  of  our  language,  and  familiar  with 
the  current  literature  of  the  day. 

Outside  of  the  court  room  the  public  ex- 
hibitions of  Mr.  Phelps  mark  him  as  one  of 
the  best  furnished,  best-judging,  and  most 
cultivated  and  accomplished  of  public  speak- 
ers. There  is  but  one  expression  in  this 
respect  by  those  who  heard  his  address  on 
Chief  Justice  Marshall  at  Saratoga  before 
the  .American  Bar  .Association  in  1880,  or  his 
address  two  years  after  on  American  Legis- 
lation, or  witnessed  his  presidency  of  the 
Bennington  Battle  Centennial  in  1877,  or 
heard  him  on  Judge  Prentiss  before  the  Ver- 
mont Historical  Society  in  1SS2,  or  any 
other  of  his  public  addresses. 

Mr.  Phelps  has  never  cast  his  fortune  or 
plumed  his  ambition  in  the  line  of  politics. 
What  has  been  before  stated  as  to  his  politi- 
cal relations  and  action  as  a  citizen  and 
voter  sufficiently  explains  him  in  this  re- 
spect, however  congenial  and  gratifying  polit- 
ical life  and  political  preferment  might  have 
been  to  him  under  other  auspices  and  con- 
ditions. His  chosen  status  in  his  relation 
to  politics  attests  the  ingenuousness  of  his 
views,  discordant  as  they  may  be  with  the 
common  conception  and  sentiments  of  the 
majority  of  his  state. 


In  1885  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Cleveland  L'nited  States  Minister  to  the 
Court  of  St.  James,  and  no  one  could  have 
more  faithfully,  ably  and  elegantly  discharged 
the  duties  of  that  responsible  office.  He 
was  leading  counsel  for  the  United  States, 
before  the  Behring  Sea  Board  of  Arbitration, 
which  held  its  sessions  in  Paris  in  1893. 
.Although  the  public  performance  of  this 
most  high  professional  engagement  was  in 
the  second  Cleveland  administration  his  em- 
ployment and  preparatory  work  in  this  great 
international  lawsuit  was  in  the  time  of  the 
Harrison  administration. 

PHELPS,  Frederic  B.,  of  irasburg, 

son  of  William  and  Maria  {  Forward )  Phelps, 
was  born  in  Belchertown  Mass.,  Feb.  8,, 
1829. 


1^  l^. 


FREDERIC    B.    PHELPS. 


While  fitting  for  college  at  the  academy 
at  Belchertown  he  was  allured  by  the  golden 
promises  of  wealth  offered  in  California  in 
1849,  and  emigrated  to  that  state,  where  he 
remained  for  eight  years,  during  which  time 
he  acquired  a  thorough  practical  knowledge 
of  Spanish  and  other  European  languages. 
On  his  return  to  the  East  he  resumed  his 
studies  and  graduated  from  the  Hartford 
Theological  .Seminarv  in  1870.  He  was 
ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Lowell,  Oct.  18,  1870, 
where  he  continued  his  ministerial  services 
for  nine  years,  the  latter  portion  of  the  time 
also  preaching  in  Westfield.     In  both  these 


PHILBRICK. 


places  many  members  were  added  to  the 
church  through  the  energetic  efforts  of  the 
pastor.  In  1879  he  was  installed  at  St. 
johnsbury  East,  where  he  remained  four 
years  and  finally,  after  six  years  of  minister- 
ial labor  in  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire was  called  to  Irasburg,  where  he  is  now 
engaged  in  the  labor  of  his  profession. 
During  the  twenty-three  years  of  his  pastoral 
labors  he  has  lost  but  three  Sabbaths  from 
sickness,  and  he  has  frequently  aided  in 
revival  work  in  parishes  other  than  his  own. 

Rev.  Mr.  Phelps  has  twice  entered  the 
married  state.  His  first  wife  was  Damaris 
S.,  daughter  of  Jared  and  Julia  (Storrs) 
Clark,  to  whom  he  was  united  at  Belcher- 
town,  Mass.,  Jan.  10,  1859.  She  died  five 
years  later  having  been  the  mother  of  two 
sons,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  He 
was  again  wedded  at  North  Amherst,  Mass., 
.•\pril  19,  1865,  to  Sarah  T.,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Tammy  (Eastman)  Dickinson. 
By  her  he  has  had  seven  children  :  Frederic 
William  (deceased),  Charles  Dickinson, 
Edith  Sophia  (deceased),  Myron  Austin,  Julia 
Eastman,  Florence  Dell,  and  Isabelle  Maud. 

Mr.  Phelps  has  been  a  Republican  since 
the  formation  of  the  party  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  convention  that  nominated 
John  A.  .Andrew  for  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts. For  four  years  he  was  superintendent 
of  schools  in  Lowell,  and  also  served  on 
school  committes  inErving,  Mass.,  and  Sulli- 
van, N.  H. 

For  some  time  he  was  chaplain  of  .Mt. 
Norris  Lodge  of  G.  T.  at  Lowell,  and  he 
held  a  similar  position  in  the  lodge  at 
Erving,  Mass. 

PHILBRICK,  JONATHAN,  of  Guildhall, 
son  of  Thomas  P.  and  Susan  (Boston)  Phil- 
brick,  was  born  at  Bartlett,  N.  H.,  Oct.  26, 
1836.  His  father  was  for  many  years  a  stage 
driver  of  the  old  school,  an  employment  that 
has  fallen  into  disuse  under  the  aggressive 
and  universal  advance  of  the  iron  horse.  He 
removed  to  Maidstone  when  Jonathan  was 
six  years  old. 

The  latter  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  that  place  and  also  in  those  of 
Guildhall.  Leaving  the  paternal  roof  when 
he  had  attained  his  eighteenth  year,  he  was 
for  a  period  employed  on  various  farms  in 
the  vicinity.  Later  he  removed  to  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  and  labored  in  a  paper  mill  for  two 
years.  He  then  made  his  residence  in  Bos- 
ton where  he  was  engaged  by  the  Boston  and 
Providence  R.  R.  Corporation  to  serve  them, 
first  as  fireman  and  afterward  as  locomotive 
engineer,  and  in  this  responsible  capacity 
he  remained,  careful  and  diligent  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duties  for  twenty-nine  years. 
In  1858  he  purchased  the  estate  where  he 
now  lives  and  as  a  solace  to  the  declining 


years  of  his  father,  settled  his  parent  in  this 
comfortable  home  and  thirty  years  after  took 
possession  of  the  jiroperty  himself  and  Irom 
that  time  has  made  it  his  abode.  In  every 
way  he  has  improved  the  farm  which,  under 
his  vigorous  and  successful  management,  has 
always  furnished  abundant  and  remunerative 
crops. 

Mr.  Philbrick  is  a  Democrat,  but  though 
belonging  to  the  minority  party,  received 
the  compliment  of  an  election  to  represent 
Guildhall  in  the  Legislature  of  1892,  and  he 
has  also  filled  the  position  of  selectman  in 
the  town.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Engineers. 

He  was  united  to  Amelia  F.,  daughter  of 
E.  M.  and  Mary  (Boston)  Hayes  of  Boston, 
Oct    25,  1876. 

PHILLIPS,  GEORGE  HENRY,  of  Put- 
ney, son  of  .\aron  Jones  and  Susan  (Walker) 
Phillips,  was  born  in  Athol,  Mass.,  May  3, 
1836. 


GEORGE   HENRY 


He  moved  with  his  parents  to  Winhall  at 
an  early  age,  and  it  was  here  that  he  received 
his  early  educational  training  by  attending 
school  during  the  winter  season  and  laboring 
during  the  summer  on  the  farm,  as  was  cus- 
tomarv  in  those  days. 

On'  the  28th  day  of  August,  1862,  Mr. 
Phillips  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  C,  14th 
Vt.  Vols.,  and  was  jiromoted  through  suc- 
cessive grades  to  that  of  orderly  sergeant, 
which   rank  he  continued  to  hold  until  his 


discharge  in  1865.  He  is  a  member  of 
Greenwood  Post,  No.  90,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Put- 
ney, and  iias  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
its  work. 

In  1S64,  after  his  return  from  the  war,  he 
bought  a  farm  at  Winhall  and  carried  it  on 
for  one  season,  when  the  well-known  Dr. 
Ranney  farm  in  WestTownshend  was  thrown 
on  the  market,  and  he  sold  his  \\'inhall  inter- 
ests and  purchased  the  latter  place,  which 
he  successfully  conducted  until  1870,  when 
he  removed  to  Putney,  where  he  has  since 
resided  and  carried  on  farming,  as  well  as 
real  estate  business  and  the  shipping  of 
cattle  to  Brighton. 

Mr.  Phillips  has  served  the  town  of  Put- 
ney for  three  years  as  lister,  for  two  years  as 
selectman,  and  in  1S82  as  a  member  of  the 
Legislature. 

Mr.  Phillips  was  married,  Nov.  25,  1864, 
to  Helen  ^Iar,  daughter  of  Holman  and 
Lucretia  (Whipple)  Barrows. 

PHILLIPS,  WlNFlELD  Scott,  of  Arl- 
ington, son  of  Charles  and  Marietta  (Bennett) 
Phillips,  was  born  in  Silver  Creek,  N.  V., 
Dec.  9,  1841. 

\\'hen  he  was  six  years  old  his  father  re- 
mo\ed  to  Pawlet,  where  Mr.  Phillips  was 
educated  in  the  pubKc  schools.  After  a 
short  experience  as  teacher,  he  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Munroe  of  West  Pawlet, 
remaining  with  him  till  the  doctor's  death  ; 
he  then  put  himself  under  the  charge  of  I  )r. 
Mosely  of  Arlington.  He  attended  the 
Albany  Medical  College  in  1866,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  U.  V.  M.  in  1867.  After  a  brief  con- 
nection with  Dr.  Mosely,  he  took  a  special 
course  in  the  Burlington  Medical  College,  and 
soon  after  established  himself  at  Arlington 
where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  prosper- 
ous general  practice. 

He  has  confined  himself  very  closely  to  his 
professional  duties,  but  in  1890  was  sent  as 
representative  to  the  Legislature  by  the  Re- 
publican vote,  where  he  gave  his  attention 
to  special  committees  on  temperance,  and 
was  made  chairman  of  the  committee  on  the 
insane.  Dr.  Phillips  was  a  charter  member, 
and  for  three  or  four  years  censor,  of  the 
Union  Medical  Society,  and  now  holds  the 
office  of  president  of  the  Bennington  County 
Medical  Society.  He  is  also  associated  with 
the  Medical  Association  of  the  state,  and 
was  for  six  years  master  of  Red  Mountain 
Lodge,  No.  63,  F.  &  A.  M.,  member  of 
Adoniram  Chapter,  Manchester,  of  Taft 
Commandery,  No.  8,  Bennington,  and  for 
one  year  ser\ed  as  deputy  district  grand 
master.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church. 

On  Oct.  23,  1869,  he  was  united  in 
marriage   to   1  one,  daughter  of  Clark   and 


Sarissa  (White)  Parsons  of  Arlington.  Two 
children  are  issue  of  this  union  :  Hallie  Lone, 
and  Charles  Winfield. 

PHINNEV,  Truman  C,  of  Montpeher, 
son  of  Elisha  and  Priscilla  (Wentworth) 
Phinney,  was  born  in  Middlesex,  April  11, 
1827. 

At  the  age  of  .seventeen  he  left  his  father's 
farm  and  went  to  Brandon,  where  he  learned 
the  jeweler's  trade.  In  1849  he  came  to 
Montpelier  and  went  into  the  jewelry  busi- 
ness with  Capt.  A.  A.  iSIead,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Phinney  &  Mead.  This  firm  con- 
tinued in  business  until  1856,  when  Mr. 
Phinney  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner,  and 
started  alone  in  the  same  business.  Here  he 
continued  in  business  until    1S63,  when  he 


sold  out  to  Stephen  Freeman.  After  spend- 
ing a  year  in  California,  he  returned  to 
Montpelier  and  engaged  in  business  with 
Denison  Dewev,  under  the  firm  name  of  D. 
Dewey  &  Co.  In  1869  he  sold  his  interest 
to  Mr.  Dewey,  and  immediately  thereafter 
bought  the  Ballou  bookstore.  For  the  next 
sixteen  years  Mr.  Phinney  prosecuted  a  gen- 
eral book  and  stationery  business,  at  what 
became  known  as  the  I^hinney  bookstore, 
disposing  of  the  business  in  1885. 

Mr.  Phinney  was  elected  sergeant-at  arms 
by  the  Legislature  of  1870,  and  has  held  this 
office  continually  by  successive  elections  un- 
til twenty-three  years  have  been  passed  by 
him  in  this  office.  During  this  period,  and 
in  addition  to  his  customary  dutie.s,  he  has 


superintended  the  i)rei)aration  of  the  grovnul 
for  the  new  state  library  building,  the  intro- 
duction of  a  new  system  of  heating  and  ven- 
tilating the  Capitol  building,  and  the  several 
extensive  repairs  by  which  the  utility  and 
beauty  of  the  chief  public  buildings  in  the 
state  have  been  greatly  enhanced.  Since 
1885  Mr.  Phinney  has  devoted  his  whole 
time  to  state  service,  merging  with  the  duties 
of  sergeant-at-arms  those  of  deputy  secretary 
of  state,  to  which  position  he  was  appointed 
in  1 89 1. 

For  the  last  twenty-three  years  Mr.  Phin- 
ney has  served  the  interests  of  local  educa- 
tion upon  the  school  board,  and  for  several 
years  has  also  served  upon  the  board  of  ves- 
trymen of  Christ  Church.  He  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  local  Masonry 
for  nearly  forty  years,  for  seven  years  holding 
the  position  of  master  of  Aurora  Lodge,  and 
for  fourteen  consecutive  years  that  of  T.  I. 
Master  of  Montpelier  Council,  R.  and  S.  M. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

Mr.  Phinney  married  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Barnes,  daughter  of  \\'illiam  S.  and  Adeline 
P.  (Howe)  Barnes,  of  Albany,  111.,  Sept.  11, 
1 85 5.  Their  family  consists  of  three  daugh- 
ters and  one  son  :  Mary  A.,  Jennie  P.,  Anna 
\\'.,  and  Robert  T. 

PIER,  FREDERICK  Baldwin,  of  Rawson- 

ville,  son  of  Rev.  Orvis  and  Kunice  (Smith) 
Pier,  was  born  in  Westford,  July  26,  1847. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
common  schools  and  graduated  from  the 
Black  River  Academy,  at  Ludlow,  in  1864. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  a  car])enter  in 
Jamaica,  which  occupation  he  followed  for 
eleven  years.  In  1875  he  established  himself 
as  a  merchant  in  Rawsonville,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  1877,  through  the  unre- 
mitting labor  and  work  of  Mr.  Pier,  the  gov- 
ernment established  a  postoffice  in  the  place, 
and  he  has  since  been  postmaster.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-five  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  has  since  continuously  held 
the  positiion,  while  his  ability  and  energy  have 
called  him  to  various  other  posts  of  trust  and 
responsibility. 

Mr.  Pier  married,  Jan.  2.  1868,  at  Bond- 
ville,  Helen  A.,  daughter  of  Charles  R.  and 
Faustina  (Barrus)  Williams.  There  are  two 
children  living :  Gladys  M.,  and  Frank  W. 

PIERCE,  Charles  Alexander,  of 

Bennington,  son  of  James  and  Dorcas  Bayard 
Pierce,  was  born  in  Chester,  .August  22, 
1839. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  the  ofifice 
of  the  Brattleboro  Phoenix,  where  he  served 
his  apprenticeship.  In  1861  he  established 
the  Manchester  ( Vt.)  Journal,  which  he  con- 


tinued to  publish  for  nine  years,  but  finally 
purchased  the  Bennington  ISanner,  which  he 
now  owns,  and  in  connection  with  this  is 
the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  largest  job 
printing,  bookbinding  and  publishing  estab- 
lishments in  the  state.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Bennington  in  1S91  by  Presi- 
dent Harrison. 

He  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  14th  Regt.  Vt.  X'ols., 
of  which  company  he  was  ist  sergeant,  and 
on  account  of  an  accidental  injury  received 
his  discharge  in  May,  1863. 

Mr.  Pierce  wedded  .\bby,  daughter  of 
Isaac  \V.  and  Maria  Cibson,  of  Londonderry. 
Their  children  are  :  Charles  \V.,  Warren  A., 
and  Nettie  M. 

PIERCE,  George  W.,  of  Brattleboro, 
son  of  Nathan  G.  and  Roxana  (Reach) 
Pierce,  was  born  in  \\'estminster,  Dec.  3, 1854. 


He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
and  private  schools  of  his  native  town  and 
assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
the  emiiloyment  of  the  A'ermont  Asylum  for 
the  Insane  at  Brattleboro.  For  eight  years 
he  served  as  supervisor  of  the  male  depart- 
ment, and  at  the  expirati(m  of  that  time  he 
was  selected  for  the  management  of  the  farm. 
For  the  past  six  years  Mr.  Pierce  has  been 
the  manager  of  the  asylum  farm  department, 
a  position  which  he  still  holds. 

His  name  has  been  very  prominent  in  the 
agricultural  interests  of  the  town  and  of  the 


!'4 


PIERSON. 


PIERPOINT. 


State.  In  1892  he  received  the  appointment 
as  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, which  office  he  soon  resigned,  his  busi- 
ness relations  not  allowing  him  to  hold  the 
same.  In  the  same  year  he  also  refused  the 
candidacy  for  town  representative.  At  the 
present  time  he  holds  the  office  of  secretary 
of  the  Vermont  Dairyman's  Association  ; 
also  is  master  of  Protective  (Irange,  Brattle- 
boro.  Mr.  Pierce  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Universalist  church,  now  being  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  First  Universal- 
ist Society  in  Brattleboro. 

In  1884  Mr.  Pierce  married  Ida  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Alvah  and  Sylvia  AVeed  of  Saratoga,  N. 
v.,  by  whom  he  has  four  children  :  jNIilton 
W.,  George  E.,  Frederick  \V.,  and  Weed  K. 

PIERSON,  James  Smith,  of  Burling- 
ton, son  of  Smith  F.  and  Lydia  R.  (Tabor) 
Pierson,  was  born  in  Shelburne,  Iiec.  S.  1S40. 


it 


.After  attending  the  public  schools  of  Bur- 
lington until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Janesville,  Wis.,  where  he  found 
employment  as  a  clerk  in  his  brother's  store 
for  a  few  months  ;  then  returned  to  Burling- 
ton where  he  was  occupied  with  learning  the 
trade  of  a  machinist  till  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  C,  12th  Vt.  Vols., 
but  was  discharged  on  account  of  sickness 
before  his  term  of  service  expired.  For 
nearly  five  years  owing  to  disease  contracted 
while  in  the  army  the  state  of  his  health  pre- 
vented any  active  employment.  He  next 
removed  to  the  city  of  New  York  and  gave 


his  attention  to  the  development  of  Professor 
Lowe's  invention  of  water  gas,  the  success  of 
which  is  due  largely  to  the  improvements  he 
invented  and  perfected  in  the  apparatus  for 
manufacturing  the  gas,  which  is  now  univer- 
sally used  in  .America,  and  has  reduced  the 
cost  of  gas  to  the  consumers  in  the  United 
States,  millions  of  dollars  per  year.  He  was 
for  several  years  engaged  in  constructing  gas 
works  in  most  of  the  large  cities  in  this 
country  and  for  two  years  was  general  super- 
intendent of  the  United  Gas  Improvement 
Co.  of  Philadelphia,  the  largest  gas  cor- 
poration in  the  world.  After  accumula- 
ting a  fortune  he  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness in  1886  and  returned  to  Burlington, 
where  he  purchased  his  father's  old  farm 
and  has  since  occupied  himself  with  the  im- 
provement of  the  same.  He  is  a  director  in 
the  Burlington  and  Waterbury  (Conn.)  (las- 
light  companies  and  president  of  the  latter, 
also  a  director  in  the  Burlington  Electric 
Light  Co.,  and  has  official  connection  with 
various  other  water  gas  companies. 

Mr.  Pierson  married,  Dec.  7,  1872,  Lu- 
cille, daughter  of  James  and  Lienor  (Pellea- 
true)  Blake  of  Brooklyn,  N.  V.  They  have 
an  adopted  daughter  :  Constance. 

He  is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party  but  has  never  sought  or  held  any 
office.  He  belongs  to  several  social  organ- 
izations in  the  city  of  Burlington  and  attends 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

PIERPOINT,  Evelyn,  of  Rutland,  son 
of  Hon.  Pierpoint  and  Abigail  (Raymond) 
Pierpoint,  was  born  in  Rutland,  June  10, 
18 1 6.  He  is  descended  from  the  Rev.  James 
Pierpoint,  who  was  the  second  clergyman  of 
New  Haven,  Conn.  [For  a  sketch  of  his 
father.  Judge  Pierpoint,  see  Part  I  of  this 
work.] 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  the 
customary  education  in  the  public  schools 
in  Rutland,  followed  by  a  short  course  of 
study  in  Bennington  .Academy.  AVhen  twelve 
years  of  age  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in 
Rutland  post-office,  and  served  a  term  of 
years  as  clerk  in  a  general  merchandise 
store  in  that  place.  In  1837  he  took  charge 
of  the  store  of  the  Brandon  Iron  Co.,  and 
later  formed  a  partnership  with  William  Y. 
Ripley  at  Centre  Rutland.  He  was  for  a 
number  of  years  engaged  with  a  dry  goods 
jobbing  and  importing  house  in  New  York 
City,  and  was  engaged  in  trade  for  four  years 
in  Lansingburgh,  N.  Y.  He  then  returned 
to  Rutland,  and  after  engaging  in  business 
with  his  father-in-law  for  four  years,  erected 
in  Mendon  the  first  steam  saw  mill  in  Ver- 
mont, and  during  the  buiUling  and  operation 
of  the  Rutland  &  Burlington  R.  R.  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  and  bridge  building 
business.     In  1851  he  engaged  in  the  real 


estate  business,  and  has  been  directly  inter- 
ested in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  many  of 
the  prominent  transfers  in  his  growing  city. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Censors 
in  1854  and  1855,  and  was  one  of  five  dele- 
gates to  the  national  convention  in  Phila- 
delphia in  June,  1855. 


Politically  Mr.  Pierpoint  is  a  Republican, 
and  was  justice  of  the  peace  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  town  treasurer  ;  was  inspector  of 
finance  under  (Governors  \\'ashburn,  Hendee 
and  Stewart  :  was  one  of  the  directors  and 
cashier  of  the  National  Bank  of  Rutland  ; 
was  also  one  of  the  incorporators  and  direc- 
tors of  the  Merchants'  Bank  in  that  city. 

Mr.  Pierpoint  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Otter  Creek  Lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  the 
only  surviving  charter  member  of  that  body. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Lodge  of 
Rutland,  and  is  a  Congregationalist  in  his 
religious  preference. 

June  4,  1 84 1,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Limes  and  Miriam 
(Buttrick)  Barrett,  of  Rutland,  who  departed 
this  life  May  7,  1893.  Five  children  were 
the  fruit  of  this  union  :  Kate  Frances  (de- 
ceased), Alice  J.  (deceased),  Charles  E. 
(deceased),  Mary  K.  (deceased),  and  Annie 
Evelyn,  now  at  home  with  her  father. 

PIKE,  PaPHRO  D.,  of  Stowe,  son  of 
William  and  Nancy  (Hitchcock)  Pike,  was 
born  in  Morristown,  Dec.  i,  1835. 

He  passed  the  days  of  his  youth  in  labor 
on  the  i)aternal  acres,  and  gained  his  educa- 


tion in  the  common  schools  of  Morristown, 
and  later  at  Johnson  .Vcademy.  When  he 
had  arrived  at  man's  estate,  as  he  had  a  nat- 
ural taste  for  mechanical  ijursuits,  he  pur- 
chased a  saw  mill,  which  furnished  him  with 
employment  till  i860,  when  he  moved  to 
Stowe  and  engaged  in  a  similar  enterprise, 
constructing  a  mill  in  that  town. 

When  President  Lincoln  issued  his  callfor 
volunteers  he  enlisted  in  Co.  L),  nth  Regt. 
\'t.  Infantry,  and  followed  the  fortunes  of 
that  organization  during  its  entire  service, 
including  the  last  grand  advance  on  Rich- 
mond. During  this  period  he  was  constantly 
at  his  post,  with  the  exception  of  two  months 
spent  in  the  hospital,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  July,  1865. 

Mr.  Pike  wedded  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Luke  J.  and  Eunice  (Camp)  Towne,  of 
Stowe,  Nov.  7,  i860.  Three  sons  are  the 
issue  of  this  union  :  Arba  A.,  Lewis  A.,  and 
Fred  M. 

After  his  release  from  the  army  he  was 
variously  employed  as  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright for  several  years,  and  in  1871  he 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  butter  tubs. 
In  this  he  continued  for  fourteen  years,  when 
he  sold  the  business  and  went  to  Brooklyn, 
N.  v.,  and  was  employed  in  the  Hatters  Fur 
Cutting  Co.,  but  after  a  time  returned  to 
Stowe  and  again  purchased  his  old  mill, 
where  with  improved  machinery  the  firm  of 
P.  D.  Pike  &  Sons  are  now  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  butter  tubs,  making  use  of 
several  improvements  in  the  mechanical 
appliances  of  the  trade  which  have  been 
patented  by  himself,  and  from  small  begin- 
nings has  derived  an  increasing  and  prosper- 
ous business. 

Though  favoring  the  political  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  Mr.  Pike  has  not 
found  much  time  for  'official  life,  so  urgent 
and  various  have  been  the  demands  of  his 
private  affairs,  but  he  has  faithfully  discharged 
the  duties  of  those  town  offices  which  have 
been  conferred  upon  him.  He  was  elected 
to  a  seat  in  the  House  in  the  Legislature  of 
1880,  and  served  on  the  committee  on 
manufactures. 

PINGREH,  Samuel  E.,  of  Hartford, 
son  of  Stephen  and  Judith  (True)  Pingree, 
was  born  in  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  August  2, 
1832.  Moses  Pengre,  his  earliest  .American 
ancestor,  was  the  proprietor  of  salt  works  in 
Ipswich  as  early  as  1652,  was  selectman  of 
that  town,  deacon  of  the  First  Church,  and 
deputy  of  the  general  court  in  1665,  and 
from  this  worthy,  Samuel  E.  Pingree  is  the 
sixth  in  lineal  descent. 

After  the  usual  preliminary  studies  pur- 
sued in  the  academies  at  Andover  (N.  H.) 
and  Mclndoes  Falls,  he  entered  Dartmouth 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1857. 


;i6 


Selecting  the  profession  of  law,  he  studied  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  A.  P.  Hnnton  of  Bethel, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Windsor 
county  at  the  December  term  of  1859,  after 
which  admission  he  began  to  practice  at 
Hartford  with  fair  prospects  of  success. 

At  this  juncture  the  war  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union  commenced,  and  Mr. 
Pingree  promptly  responded  to  President 
Lincoln's  call  for  troojjs  by  enlisting  as 
private  in  Co.  F,  3d  Regt.  Vt.  \'oh.,  and  was 
soon  chosen  TSt  lieutenant  of  that  organiza- 
tion. In  August,  1 86 1,  he  w-as  promoted  to 
captain,  commissioned  major  27th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  for  meritorious  conduct,  and 
finally  received  the  grade  of  lieutenant- 
colonel  on  the  15th  of  January,  1863.  In 
his  first  important  engagement,  that  of  Lee's 
Mills,  ^'a.,  he  was  severely  wounded  and  con- 
fined for  ten  weeks  in  hospital  at   Philadel- 


SAMUEL    E.    PINGREE. 


phia,  but  returned  to  his  command  imme- 
diately upon  his  recovery,  and  was  present 
in  most  of  the  important  battles  in  which 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  engaged.  In 
the  second  day's  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Pingree  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  famous  2d  Vt.  Regt.  (all  the 
field  officers  of  that  regiment  having  been 
killed  or  wounded),  and  this  honorable  posi- 
tion he  retained  until  that  organization  was 
mustered  out  of  the  U.  S.  service.  After 
participating  in  the  battles  of  Spottsylva- 
nia  Court  House,  North  Anna  River,  Cold 
Harbor,  Petersburg,  and  in  the   sanguinary 


struggle  for  the  possession  of  the  Weldon  R. 
R.,  in  which  last  affair  he  narrowly  escaped 
capture  with  a  portion  of  his  command,  he 
concluded  his  military  service  by  assisting 
in  repulsing  the  movement  of  General  Early 
on  \Vashington,  arriving  with  his  comrades 
of  the  6th  Corps  just  in  time  to  save  the 
capital  of  the  nation  from  destruction.  He 
was  honorably  mustered  out  of  service  lulv 
27,  1864. 

After  his  return  to  civil  life  Colonel  Pingree 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Hartford.  In  1S6S  '69  he  was  state's  attor- 
ney for  Windsor  county  and  during  his  term 
of  office  Hiram  Miller  was  indicted  and  tried 
for  the  murder  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gowan,  and 
it  was  chiefly  owing  to  the  careful  preparation 
and  the  efficiency  with  which  Colonel  Pingree 
conducted  the  prosecution  that  the  accused 
criminal  was  duly  convicted  and  suffered  the 
extreme  penalty  of  the  law. 

Though  not  an  office  seeker  Colonel  Pingree 
has  never  shunned  responsibilities  of  official 
position.  He  has  been  town  clerk  of  Hart- 
ford for  thirty-four  years,  less  the  time  he  was 
in  the  war,  and  in  1868  was  chosen  delegate- 
at-large  to  the  national  Republican  conven- 
tion at  Chicago.  Two  years  subsequently  he 
was  made  president  of  the  Reunion  Society 
of  Vermont  Officers,  before  the  members  of 
which  association  he  delivered  an  excellent 
and  scholarly  address  in  1872.  In  the  fall 
election  of  1882  Colonel  Pingree  was  chosen 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state  by  the 
Republicans,  his  popularity  being  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  his  vote  was  the  largest  of 
an}'  cast  for  the  state  officials  and  two  years 
later  his  merit  was  still  farther  recognized  by 
his  election  to  the  office  of  Go\ernor.  His 
administration  was  characterized  by  the  same 
efficiency  and  zeal  which  he  has  ever  dis- 
played as  soldier,  lawyer  and  citizen.  LTpon 
the  establishing  of  a  state  railway  commission 
ex-Governor  Pingree  was  appointed  chairman 
of  the  board,  in  which  position  he  is  now 
serving. 

Governor  I'ingree  was  married  Sept.  15, 
1869,  to  Lydia  M.,  daughter  of  Sanford  and 
Mary  (Hinman)  Steele,  of  Stanstead,  P.  Q. 

PITKIN,  PerlEY  PEABODY,  late  of 
Montpelier,  son  of  I'ruman  and  Rebecca 
(Da\is)  Pitkin,  was  born  in  Marshfield, 
March  9,  1S26.  It  was  his  misfortune  to 
early  lose  his  mother,  Rebecca  (Davis)  Pit- 
kin, but  his  subsequent  good  fortune  to  be 
guided  in  his  future  conduct  and  studies  by 
his  grandfather.  Gen.  Parley  Davis  of  Mont- 
pelier Centre,  who  was  the  first  general  sur- 
veyor of  ^^'ashington  county,  and  with  his 
cousin.  Col.  Jacob  Davis,  first  permanently 
settled  in  Montpelier.  The  general's  grand- 
father was  Major  Stephen  Pitkin,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  Marshfield.     Through   these 


3i8 


ancestors  General  Pitkin  inherited  the  com- 
mon attributes  of  great  energy,  a  good  judg- 
ment, and  a  strong  mind,  a  kind  and  court- 
eous disposition. 

His  education  was  secured  at  the  district 
schools  and  completed  in  the  Washington 
count\-  grammar  school.  Until  the  war  he 
resided  at  East  Montpelier.  When  the  gold 
fever  struck  the  commu.nity  Mr.  Pitkin 
visited  California  and  for  three  years  was  em- 
ployed in  trading  and  mining. 

After  his  return  to  East  Montpelier  he 
represented  that  town  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly during  1859  and  i860  and  in  the  extra 
session,  convened  to  take  action  on  the  war. 
Mr.  Pitkin  very  soon  made  up  his  mind  as 
to  the  action  which  he  would  personally  take 
and  so,  on  the  6th  of  June,  t86i,  he  having 
meantime  \'olunteered  his  service,  he  was 
commissioned  quartermaster  of  the  2d  Regt. 
Vt.  Vols.  In  April,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to 
be  assistant  quartermaster  of  the  volunteers 
with  the  rank  of  captain,  and  July  8,  1864, 
to  the  rank  of  colonel.  In  November,  1864,  ■ 
obedient  to  the  wishes  of  his  Governor,  Col- 
onel Pitkin  resigned  from  the  army  to  assume 
the  ofifice  of  state  quartermaster  general, 
which  office  he  retained  for  a  period  of  six 
years.  During  that  time  he  had  charge  of 
the  state  arsenal  with  its  large  quantity  of 
military  stores,  the  major  part  of  which  he 
afterward  disposed  of  to  foreign  govern- 
ments, turning  the  proceeds  into  the  treasury 
of  the  state. 

Upon  his  return  from  the  South,  he  located 
at  Montpelier  in  business  with  Dennis  Lane 
and  James  \V.  Brock,  and  from  that  time  on 
exerted  a  large  influence  both  in  the  affairs 
of  that  company  and  the  town.  In  1872 
General  Pitkin  represented  Montpelier  in 
the  Legislature.  He  was  first  selectman  dur- 
ing i868-'7o;  i874-'77  ;  i879-'8o  ;  a  com- 
missioner of  Green  Mount  cemetery  from 
March  2,  i88o  ;  a  director  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  from  Jan.  9,  1866;  a  director 
of  the  National  Life  Insurance  Co.  and 
member  of  its  finance  committee,  from  Jan- 
uary, 1878;  a  trustee  of  the  Washington 
county  grammar  school  from  1868  ;  and  for 
some  years  president  of  the  Montpelier 
school  board. 

His  principal  business  was  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Lane  Manufacturing  Co.,  of 
which  corporation  (which  sends  its  saw- 
mills as  far  as  Japan)  General  Pitkin  was 
president,  from  the  death  of  Dennis  Lane  in 
1888,  to  his  death. 

Every  movement  in  town  or  village  mat- 
ters that  contemplated  a  true  and  probable 
progress,  received  his  encouragement,  his 
service,  and  his  support.  He  was  a  man  of 
fine  physique  and  commanding  appearance, 
and  his  presence  filled  the  eye.  His  own 
eye,  dark  and  clear,  beamed  with  kindness 


and  glowed  with  power.  His  personal  influ- 
ence, born  of  the  general  respect  which  was 
had  for  his  judgment  and  his  fairness,  was 
very  great — in  a  word,  it  was  a  commanding 
influence. 

His  work  in  the  war  was  such  that  to  enter 
upon  any  account  of  it  w'ould  be  idle,  with 
the  space  at  command.  In  the  memorable 
campaign  of  1S64  the  wagon  trains  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  were  under  his  direc- 
tion :  the  supply  of  food,  clothing  and  am- 
munition was  largely  under  his  management. 
General  Grant  wrote  his  memorable  "fight 
it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes  all  summer"  dis- 
patch while  Cleneral  Pitkin  waited  to  take  it 
to  Washington.  In  "Benedict's  Vermont  in 
the  Civil  War"  will  be  found  a  clear  sketch  of 
General  Pitkin's  military  service,  while  in  L. 
E.  Chittenden's  "Personal  Reminiscences"  is 
a  chapter  devoted  to  him — a  very  readable 
chapter,  too,  though  some  of  it  will  bear  a 
little  salting. 

Mr.  Pitkin  married,  April  14,  1848,  Caro- 
line M.,  daughter  of  James  Templeton,  of 
East  Montpelier.  Their  four  sons  are  :  Clar- 
ence H.,  Carroll  P.,  Fred  E.,  and  Frank  I. 
Mrs.  Pitkin  died  Dec.  11,  1883,  and  (ieneral 
Pitkin  married,  July  26,  1886,  Mrs.  Jennie 
(Dewey)  Poland,  daughter  of  Denison 
Dewey. 

PITKIN,  John  G.,  of  Fair  Haven,  son 
of  Joseph  and  Lucinda  (Smith)  Pitkin,  was 
born  in  Poultney,  Sept.  6,  1826. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Poultney,  and  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one removed  to  Fair  Haven  where  he  has 
since  resided,  with  the  exception  of  three 
years  (from  1852  to  1855),  which  he  spent 
in  California.  In  1855  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  provision  business  in  which  he 
continued  for  ten  years,  when  he  and  his 
brother,  W.  W.  Pitkin,  formed  a  partner- 
ship, under  the  firm  name  of  Pitkin  & 
Brother,  to  do  a  general  hardware  trade,  in 
which  enterprise  they  have  been  successful 
to  the  present  time. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Pitkin  has  always  been  an 
ardent  Republican.  He  has  held  nearly  all 
of  the  town  offices,  and  has  always  filled 
them  with  credit  to  himself  and  honor  to  the 
town.  In  1872  he  represented  Fair  Haven 
in  the  state  Legislature,  also  in  1886  and  in 
1892  was  elected  to  the  state  Senate  from 
Rutland  county. 

Mr.  Pitkin  is  a  member  of  Eureka  Lodge, 
No.  75,  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Fair  Haven,  and  has 
been  master  of  the  lodge  six  years.  He  has 
served  as  D.  D.  G.  M.  of  the  Fourth  Ma- 
sonic district  three  years.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  Poultney  Chapter,  No.  10; 
Morning  Star  Council,  No.  10,  of  Poultney; 
and  of  Killington  Commandery,  No.  6,  Rut- 
land. 


Mr.  Pitkin  was  married  in  Fair  Haven, 
Dec.  31,  1855,  to  Miss  Susan  [.,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Marinda  (ISrown)  Uowaal.     Of 


91^ 


this  union  only  one  child  is  issue,  a  daua;h- 
ter:  Hattie  M.  (Mrs.  \\.  H.  Childs  of  Xew 
York  City). 

PLATT,  Myron,  of  Larrabee's  Point, 
son  of  Elmore  and  Betsy  (Peck)  Piatt,  was 
born  in  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  on  August  15, 
1830. 

Until  eleven  years  of  age  he  attended  the 
district  schools  of  his  town  and  then  entered 
Glens  Falls  Academy.  In  1851  and  ]852 
he  took  a  special  course  at  the  Polytechnic 
Institute,  Troy,  N.  Y.  Shortly  after  he  went 
into  business  in  Glens  Falls  where  he  re- 
mained until  1858  when  he  moved  to  Shore- 
ham,  purchasing  a  large  farm  on  Lake 
Champlain  at  Larrabee's  Point.  Here  he 
has  remained  since,  devoting  himself  to  farm- 
ing and  stockraising. 

Mr.  Piatt  has  held  all  town  offices  which 
he  could  be  persuaded  to  accept.  He  was 
inspector  of  elections  in  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y., 
in  the  presidential  election  in  1856,  in 
which  campaign  he  supported  Fremont,  the 
Republican  candidate,  and  the  principles  of 
this  party  Mr.  Piatt  has  steadfastly  believed 
in.  He  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  since 
1868,  receiving  his  commission  from  each  of 
the  Governors  since.  For  the  last  twelve 
years  he  has  been  the  only  trial  justice  in 
Shoreham.     He  was  elected  assistant  judge 


i'll.mli:y.  310 

of  the  Addison  county  court  in  1886  and 
while  upon  the  bench  established  a  reputa- 
tion for  sound  sense  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties. 

Judge  Piatt  married  in  Shoreham,  August 
6,  1S56,  Sarah  i:iizabeth,  daughter  of  L.  D. 
and  Mary  Larrabee.  From  this  union  three 
children  have  been  born:  Mary  L.  (Mrs. 
Robert  O.  Kascom  of  Fort  Edward,  N.  Y.), 
Fred  Elmore,  and  Xellie. 


YRON   PLATT. 


Judge  Piatt  is  a  member  of  no  church  or 
society  but  known  throughout  the  county  as 
an  honorable  man  and  true  to  his  principles. 

PLUMLEY,  Frank,  of  Northfield,  was 
born  in  Eden,  Dec.  17,  1844. 

Reared  upon  a  farm  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  town  and  the  Peoijle's 
.Academy,  of  Morris\ille,  he  adopted  for  a 
time  the  profession  of  a  teacher,  but  in  1866 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law  with  Powers 
&  (ileed,  at  Morrisville,  and  a  year  after 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  I'niversity 
of  Michigan,  .Ann  .Arbor,  where  he  also  pur- 
sued a  selected  course  of  study  in  the  literary 
department.  .After  three  years  of  professional 
training  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
.May  term  of  the  Lamoille  county  court,  1S69, 
and  afterwards  came  to  Northfield,  and 
entered  the  office  of  Hon.  Heman  Carpenter. 
The  firm  of  Carpenter  &  Plumley,  formed  in 
1870,  was  disolved  by  mutual  consent  in 
1876.  Mr.  Plumley  has  attained  a  leading 
position  at  the  bar.  He  was  state's  attorney 
from  1876  to  1880  inclusive,  and  anions:  lii< 


important  cases  were  the  Carr  and  Meeker 
murder  trials.  He  was  appointed  in  1889  by 
President  Harrison,  United  State's  attorney 
for  Vermont. 

Mr.  Plumley  possesses  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  his  townsmen  in  every  walk  of  life. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  for 
twelve  years  has  been  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school. 


.^S"**"- 


FRANK    PLUMLEY. 


He  is  now  serving  his  fourth  consecutive 
term  of  three  years  each,  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Xorthfield  graded 
and  high  schools,  of  which  body  he  is  chair- 
man, and  for  several  years  has  filled  the  same 
position  on  the  board  of  village  trustees.  He 
is  also  a  trustee  of  Norwich  University,  and  a 
trustee  of  the  Northfield  Savings  Bank. 

He  was  married  August  9,  187 1,  to 
Lavinia  L.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Mary 
(Smith)  Fletcher  of  Eden.  They  have  two 
children  :  Charles  Albert,  and  Theodora  May. 

Mr.  Phmiley  is  a  Republican,  and  an 
ardent  temperance  man.  Elected  repre- 
sentative from  Northfield  to  the  Legislature 
in  1882,  he  served  with  ability  on  the  judi- 
ciary committee,  and  also  on  that  on  the 
insane.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican state  convention  in  1886,  and  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  delegates  from  Vermont 
to  the  anti-saloon  conference,  held  in  New 
Vork  in  the  spring  of  1888,  and  was  the 
fourth  delegate-at-large  to  the  Republican 
national  convention  of   1888,   in   which  he 


was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  the  plat- 
form, and  was  the  author  of  the  resolution 
presented  to  that  committee  pledging  the 
cordial  sympathy  and  moral  support  of  the 
national  Republican  party  to  all  well-directed 
efforts  to  tem]jerance  reform.  It  was  pre- 
sented on  the  floor  of  the  convention  by  Mr. 
Boutelle  of  Maine  and  adopted  with 
slight  verbal  alterations.  Mr.  Plumley  has 
a  national  reputation  as  an  interesting  and 
effecti\-e  campaign  orator,  and  in  the  strug- 
gle of  1884  he  was  sent  to  Michigan  by  the 
national  committee,  to  which  state  he  has 
been  recalled  at  each  successive  state  and 
national  campaign  since  that  time.  Mr. 
Plumley  has  served  four  terms  as  the  wor- 
shipful master  of  DeWitt  Clinton  Lodge,  No. 
15,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
Northfield  Lodge,  No.  19,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
of  Northfield  Lodge,  No.  175,  L  O.  G.  T., 
and  was  the  first  and  the  present  \\.  C.  of 
Northfield  Lodge,  which  contains  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  members. 

For  five  years  he  was  grand  secretary  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  L  O.  G.  T.,  and  represent- 
ative from  that  body  to  the  Right  Worthy 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  \\'orld  at  its  New  Vork 
and  Topeka  sessions.  For  three  successive 
years  he  filled  the  office  of  grand  chief 
templar  in  the  state.  He  is  a  lecturer  on 
constitutional  law  at  Norwich  L'ni\ersity, 
which  institution  conferred  on  him  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M.  at  its  commencement  in  1S92. 

PLUMLEY,  Frank  M.,  of  Sherburne, 
son  of  Adolphus  and  Lucy  (Dexter)  Plum- 
ley, was  born  in  Shrewsbury,  March  27, 
1840. 

He  received  his  early  educational  training 
in  the  common  schools  and  later  supple- 
mented this  by  a  course  of  general  reading. 
.A  lover  of  books  he  has  collected  a  small 
but  well  selected  library.  After  the  comple- 
tion of  his  schooling  he  followed  the  calling 
of  a  commercial  traveler  for  a  few  years  and 
then  settled  down  upon  a  farm  in  his  native 
town,  to  which  vocation,  after  a  short  time, 
he  added  a  lumber  business  which  he 
carried  on  successfully  for  thirty  years.  In 
1885  he  removed  to  Sherburne  and  engaged 
in  the  lumber  trade  in  that  town  until  1893 
when  he  purchased  an  estate  on  the  Wood- 
stock road  on  which  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Plumley  was  married  in  Shrewsbury, 
Nov.  30,  1862,  to  Eliza  N.,  daughter  of 
Curtis  and  Eliza  Hale.  To  them  have  been 
born  three  sons  :  Rush,  Ralph,  and  Albert. 

He  has  always  been  an  earnest  Republi- 
can ;  has  held  the  offices  of  selectman,  road 
commissioner,  justice  of  the  peace,  as  well 
as  other  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  and 
was  chosen  to  represent  Sherburne  in  the 
state   Legislature  of  1892,  where  he  ser\'ed 


with 

ures. 


credit  on  the  committee  on  manufact- 
Being  yet  in  the  prime  of  life  he  will 


>$ 


M.    PLUMLEY. 


probably  become  more  prominent  in  county 
and  state  affairs  within  the  next  few  years. 

POLAND,  JOSEPH,  of  Montpelier,  son 
of  Luther  and  Nancy  (Potter)  Poland,  was 
born  in  LTnderhill,  March  14,  1818.  His 
father,  Luther  Poland,  was  born  in  Brook- 
field,  Mass.,  March  11,  1790,  moved  to 
Vermont  in  1814,  and  died  at  Montpelier, 
June  16,  1880. 

The  family  moved  from  I'nderhill  to  \Va- 
terville  (then  Coit's  (lore),  in  1821,  and  till 
1835  Joseph  worked  on  the  farm,  meanwhile 
attending  the  district  school  and  Johnson 
Academy.  In  September,  1835,  he  came  to 
Montpelier,  and  as  an  apprentice  entered 
the  office  of  the  Vermont  A\'atchman,  where 
he  remained  until  1839.  He  was  confirmed 
in  anti-slavery  opinions  by  witnessing  the 
riotous  conduct  of  those  who,  in  October 
1835,  disturbed  the  meetings  at  the  State 
House  and  the  "Old  Brick  Church,"  at 
which  Rev.  Samuel  J.  May  lectured. 

January  i,  1839,  he  began  the  publication 
at  Montpelier  of  the  Voice  of  Freedom, 
the  first  distinctly  anti-slavery  periodical  of 
the  state,  but  in  less  than  a  year  was  com- 
pelled to  dispose  of  the  property  on  account 
of  broken  health. 

In  June,  1S40,  he  was  able  to  resume 
his  chosen  profession,  and  established  the 
Lamoille  Whig  at  Johnson.  \\'hile  residing 
there  he  served  as  assistant  clerk  in  the  state 


Legislature.  .After  four  years'  connection 
with  this  pajier,  Mr.  Poland  returned  to 
Montpelier  and  established  the  Oreen 
Mountain  Freeman  as  the  organ  of  the  new- 
ly-formed Liberty  party.  This  publication 
he  continued,  with  marked  success,  until  the 
close  of  the  presidential  campaign  of  1S48, 
during  which  period  the  vote  of  the  party  in 
the  state  increased  to  more  than  15,000, 
and  in  the  nation  to  300,000.  He  served  as 
chairman  of  the  state  committee,  and  large- 
ly as  general  organizer  of  the  party,  during 
a  large  portion  of  these  years— a  period 
made  ever  memorable  as  witnessing  the 
birth  of  that  wonderful  moral  and  political 
revolution  which,  a  few  years  later,  elevated 
.\braham  Lincoln  to  the  presidency,  and 
struck  the  fetters  from  every  .American  slave. 
About  1882,  the  late  Hon.  E.  P.  Walton 
jusdy  wrote  :  "Mr.  Poland  may  properly  in- 
dulge in  the  double  boast  of  him  thatgirdeth 
on  the  harness  and  of  him  that  putteth  it  off, 
having  lived  to  see  .American  sla\erv,  not 
only  forever  extinguished  bv  the  organic  law 


JOSEPH    POLAND. 


of  the  land,  but  remembered  only  with  such 
detestation  that  history  blushes  at  the  record." 
In  1S49  ^^^-  Poland  was  chosen  a  director 
and  secretary  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Co.,  positions  which  he  held 
during  the  entire  life  of  the  company,  more 
than  thirty  years.  In  i852-'53  he  ser\-ed  as 
judge  of  probate  for  Washington  county  ;  in 
i858-'6o  was  a  member  of  the  state  Senate, 
and    in    i87o-'7i    represented    the   town  of 


Montpelier  in  the  Legislature.  In  1861  he 
was  commissioned  by  Governor  Fairbanks 
(and  afterwards  by  President  Lincoln,  in 
connection  with  Hon.  John  B.  Page  and 
Hon.  John  Howe,  Jr.,  under  an  act  of  Con- 
gress providing  for  allotment  commissioners) 
to  visit  the  Vermont  regiments  in  the  field 
and  procure  from  each  soldier  an  allotment 
of  such  portion  of  his  monthly  pay  as  could 
be  spared  during  his  enlistment,  to  be  trans- 
mitted to  his  family,  or  any  depository  he 
might  select.  In  1863,  under  a  commission 
from  Governor  Smith,  Mr.  Poland  purchased 
what  was  then  denominated  the  "Fair 
Ground,"  but  now  "Seminary  Hill,"  in  Mont- 
pelier, and  erected  thereon  the  buildings 
constituting  "Sloan  Hospital,"  which  was 
maintained  for  many  years,  first  by  the  state 
and  subsequently  by  the  general  government, 
as  a  rendezvous  for  invalid  soldiers.  He  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  Vermont  State  Library 
since  Nov.  i,  1859.  From  1861  to  1869  he 
held  the  position  of  collector  of  internal  reve- 
nue for  the  First  Congressional  District  of 
Vermont.  In  March,  1868,  Judge  Poland  in 
connection  with  his  son,  J.  Monroe,  purchased 
the  \'ermont  Watchman,  which  he  continued 
until  1882,  when  he  permanendy  retired  from 
active  business.  He  left  the  paper  with  far 
more  than  double  the  circulation  it  had  when 
he  assumed  it.  Mr.  Poland  was  also  favor- 
ably known  to  the  Congregational  churches 
of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  as  the  pub- 
lisher and  proprietor  of  both  the  Vermont 
Chronicle  and  the  New  Hampshire  Journal. 
Of  Mr.  Poland's  long  service  in  the  editorial 
field,  space  allows  us  only  one  or  two  brief 
expressions  of  his  brethren  on  his  retirement. 
The  Rutland  Herald  said  :  "The  Watchman 
and  Journal,  under  his  hands,  has  always 
hewed  straight  to  the  line  on  all  great  ([ues- 
tions  of  deep  public  concern  in  morals  and 
politics.  A  man  of  excellent  ability  as  a 
thinker  and  writer,  of  discreet  action  and 
sagacious  judgment  in  politics,  Mr.  Poland 
has  acted  well  his  part  in  ^'ermont  journal- 
ism. His  influence  has  been  large,  and  it  has 
been  uprightly  exerted."  The  St.  Albans 
Messenger  said  :  "But  it  is  not  so  much  in 
relation  to  the  public  as  an  able  and  con- 
scientious journalist  that  we  feel  mo\ed  to 
write,  but  rather  in  his  relations  to  the  editors 
and  publishers  of  the  state.  In  these  rela- 
tions Mr.  Poland  has  been  most  exception- 
ally free  from  the  petty  jealousies,  the  spirit 
of  detraction  and  disparagement,  the  rancor 
and  unwarranted  personal  abuse  which  have 
prevailed  too  generally  among  the  editors  of 
the  state,  and  in  this  respect  he  leaves  to  his 
professional  brethren  a  very  worthy  example." 
Mr.  Poland  became  a  communicant  of 
Bethany  Church  in  1S39,  and  has  been  since 
the  death  of  Hon.  E.  P.  Walton  its  senior 
deacon  ;  also  served  as  superintendent  of  its 


Sunday  school,  which  relations  he  sustained 
to  the  Congregational  church  in  Johnson, 
during  his  residence  there. 

Judge  Poland  has  been  for  half  a  century 
by  \oice,  pen  and  earnest  work  an  untiring 
friend  and  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause. 

During  his  long  residence  in  Montpelier 
Judge  Poland's  political  and  personal  influ- 
ence has  been  far-reaching  and  effective,  and 
has  been  freely  sought  and  acknowledged  in 
connection  with  most  of  the  public  men  and 
measures  of  his  time.  Proverbially  public- 
spirited,  he  has  ever  moved  far  in  advance 
of  men  of  much  larger  means  in  encourag- 
ing every  business,  benevolent,  or  social 
enterprise  in  his  community  ;  the  sick  and 
the  suffering  have  always  found  in  him  a 
friend  and  benefactor,  and  the  worthy  young 
men  are  by  no  means  few  whom  he  has  en- 
couraged and  assisted  to  enter  upon  a 
successful  business  career  for  themselves. 

July  7,  1840,  Mr.  Poland  married  Mary  Ann, 
daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  Rowell.  Of  their 
seven  children,  but  one,  Edward  R.,  is 
living  ;  three  died  in  infancy  :  Clara  A.,  an 
accomplished  daughter  of  twenty-one,  died 
in  1865  :  Charles  F.  died  in  1875,  in  early 
manhood,  and  J.  Monroe  formerly  adjutant 
of  the  15th  Vermont,  died  Sept.  16,  1891. 
Mrs.  Poland  died  in  1862,  and  Feb.  8,  1873, 
Judge  Poland  married  Julia  M.  Harvey, 
"daughter  of  James  K.  and  Carohne  (Coburn) 
Harvey,  of  Barnet. 

PORTER,  Charles  Walcott,  son  of 

Judge  John  and  Jane  Francis  (Foster)  Por- 
ter, was  born  in  Hartford,  July  11,  1849. 

His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  Hartford  and  the  Kimball  Union 
Academy  of  Meriden,  N.  H.  He  then  en- 
tered upon  a  course  of  study  at  Phillips 
Academy,  .\ndover,  Mass.,  graduating  in 
1870.  'Two  years  afterwards  he  was  settled 
in  Montpelier  and  began  the  study  of  law  in 
the  ofificeof  Hon.  B.  F.  Fifield.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1S74,  at  which  time  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  C.  H.  Pitkin,  Esq., 
and  his  former  instructor,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Fifield,  Pitkin  &  Porter,  and  later  a 
new  firm  was  organized  under  the  title  of 
Pitkin  and  Porter,  which  arrangement  re- 
mained unchanged  until  1S80,  when  Mr. 
Porter  withdrew  from  the  concern  and  con- 
tinued to  practice  his  profession  without  a 
partner  until  the  time  of  his  death,  .-Xugust  i, 
1891. 

He  was  always  a  Republican,  and  in  1872 
he  received  the  appointment  of  deputy  sec- 
retary of  state  and  held  that  position  for 
twelve  years.  He  also  was  made  deputy  in- 
surance commissioner.  In  1SS4  he  was 
elected  secretary  of  state  and  by  successive 
re-elections  was  continued  in  that  office  for 
six  years.     Mr.  Porter  was  president  of  the 


Berlin  Granite  Co.  from  its  organization  in 
1887  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  was  married  July  16,  1885,  at  Mont- 
pelier,  to  Florence,  only  daughter  of  Charles 
W.  and  Olive  (Eaton)  Bailey. 

POWERS,  HEMAN  a.,  of  Braintree,  .son 
of  Heman  and  Isabel  (Nash)  Powers,  was 
born  in  East  Montpelier,  June  22,  1827. 

Mr.  Powers  obtained  his  education  in  the 
schools  and  academy  of  Montpelier.  .-\t  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  Milford,  Mass., 
entered  a  shoe  manufactory,  and  soon  be- 
came an  expert  in  bottoming  boots,  which 
occupation  he  pursued  in  thirteen  different 
states,  traveling  for  his  employer,  Mr.  Whit- 
ney, who  challenged  the  country  to  produce 
his  equal  in  skill  or  rapidity.  .\t  the  age  of 
twenty-five  he  returned  to  \'ermont  and 
commenced  farming  in  the  town  of  Plain - 
field,  but  some  quarter  of  a  century  since  he 
purchased  the  "Judge  Waite"  estate  in  Brain- 
tree  and  has  made  it  his  residence  from  that 
period.  Mr.  Powers  believes  that  Vermont 
is  the  best  state  in  the  Union  for  farmers  and 
proves  his  faith  by  his  works,  for  he  most 


iEMAN    A.    POWERS. 


successfully  cultivates  one  of  the  best  farms 
in  the  state.  He  has  a  large  herd  of  cows, 
mostly  graded,  but  generally  selected  for  in- 
dividual merit,  and  has  sent  about  $4,000 
worth  of  butter  to  the  Narragansett  Hotel  of 
R.  I.  annually  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  has  not  failed  in  making 
his    regular   four   shipments  a   week.       i'"or- 


POWERS.  323 

merly  his  farm  was  considered  the  most  pro- 
ductive one  in  Orange  county,  but  Mr.  Pow- 
ers has  doubled  its  capacity,  obtaining  enor- 
mous crops  of  hay,  oats,  corn,  and  potatoes. 

.Although  a  Democrat  in  a  strongly  Re- 
publican community,  he  has  been  entrusted 
with  many  local  public  offices  of  importance, 
and  represented  Braintree  in  1884.  He  is 
a  man  of  jovial  disposition,  keen  insight,  and 
remarkably  sound  judgment,  who  is  highly 
respected  and  very  po])uIar  in  the  commun- 
ity. He  was  formerly  much  interested  in 
checkers,  of  which  game  he  was  a  champion 
player. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  1850  to 
.Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Shubeal  P.  and  Betsy 
(Sanborn)  Short,  of  East  Montpelier.  Eight 
children  have  been  issue  of  this  marriage, 
five  of  whom  survive:  Bettie  M.  (.Mrs.  C. 
B.  Ford  of  Idaho),  Laura  (deceased),  Sadie 
(Mrs.  .\I.  Bruce),  .Alice,  Elsie,  and  Herman 
Earl. 

POWERS,  Horace  Henry,  of  .Morris- 

ville,  son  of  Horace  and  Love  E.  (Oilman ) 
Powers,  was  born  on  the  29th  of  May, 
1835,  in  Morristown,a  descendant  of  Walter 
Powers,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  in 
the  early  part  of  the  i  7th  century. 

He  prepared  for  his  college  course  by 
study  in  the  People's  Academy  at  Morris- 
town,  entered  the  University  of  A'ermont, 
and  graduated  therefrom  in  1855.  The  two 
years  immediately  following  his  graduation 
were  passed  in  teaching  school  at  Hunting- 
don, Canada  East,  and  in  Hyde  Park. 
During  this  period  he  began  the  study  of 
law  under  the  direction  of  Thomas  (Jleed  of 
Morristown,  and  subsequently  continued  it 
under  that  of  Child  &  Ferrin  of  Hyde  Park. 
.Admitted  to  the  bar  of  Lamoille  county  in 
May,  1858,  he  settled  in  Hyde  Park,  and 
there  practiced  his  profession  until  March, 
1862.  He  then  formed  a  law  partnership 
with  P.  K.  Gleed  at  Morri-sville,  and  con- 
tinued with  him  until  December,  1874,  when 
he  was  elevated  to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  Throughout  the  whole  of  these  years 
his  firm  enjoyed  a  large  and  comparatively 
lucrative  practice  in  the  counties  of  Lamoille, 
Orleans,  Caledonia,  and  Franklin.  His  pro- 
fessional standing  was  fully  equal  to  that  of 
the  best  in  northern  Vermont. 

Independently  of  his  high  judicial  posi- 
tion, judge  Powers  has  worthily  and  satis- 
factorily filled  many  other  public  offices.  He 
represented  Hyde  Park  in  the  \'ermont  Leg- 
islature of  1858,  and  had  the  distinction  of 
being  the  youngest  member  of  the  House. 
In  the  session  of  1872  he  represented  I^- 
moille  county  in  the  Senate,  served  on  the 
judiciary  committee,  and  officiated  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  railroads.  In  the 
vears  1861  and  1862  he  was  state's  attorney 


H.  HENRY  POWERS. 


for  Lamoille  county.  In  1S69  he  was  mem- 
ber of  the  last  Council  of  Censors,  and  in 
1870  made  his  personal  intluence  powerfully 
felt  in  the  state  Constitutional  Convention 
which  effected  the  change  from  annual  to 
biennial  sessions  of  the  Legislature.  He 
acted  as  chairman  in  committee  of  the 
whole.  His  sole  connection  with  financial 
institutions  is  that  of  director  of  the  Lamoille 
County  National  ISank,  an  office  he  has  held 
since  1865. 

In  1S74  he  represented  Morristown,  was 
chosen  speaker  of  the  House  and  received 
his  first  election  to  the  bench.  In  1890 
Judge  Powers  was  elected  to  the  Fifty-second 
Congress  from  the  first  Vermont  district,  and 
in  1892  was  chairman  of  the  Vermont  dele- 
gation to  the  Republican  national  conven- 
tion at  Minneapolis,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Fifty-third  Congress. 

As  lawyer,  legislator,  or  jurist.  Judge 
Powers  has  always  commanded  the  admira- 
tion of  his  fellow-citizens. 

Judge  Horace  H.  Powers  was  married 
Oct.  II,  1858,10  Caroline  E.,  daughter  of  V. 
W.  and  Adeline  Waterman  of  Morristown. 
Two  children  are  the  issue  :  Carrie  L.,  and 
George  M. 


PRAi-r.  325 

dent  that  a  radical  change  must  ensue  in  the 
manner  of  conducting  their  business,  as  the 
trade  demanded  that  the  different  lines  of 
goods  should  be  carried  in  greater  variety 
and  in  separate  stocks.  His  brother,  O.  J. 
Pratt,  assimied  the  dry  goods  and  millinery 
de]jartment,  which  he  has  carried  on  for 
nearly  thirty-five  years,  while  the  firm  of  D. 
S.  Pratt  &  Co.  conducted  a  custom  and 
ready  made  clothing  business.  In  i860 
this  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  that  of 
Pratt,  ^^"right  &  Co.  was  formed,  which  con- 
tinued in  the  general  clothing  trade  till 
1873.  In  addition  to  the  above  lines  of 
business  Mr.  Pratt  has  been  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  the  breeding  of  horses. 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  Southdown  sheep,  and 
it  is  very  doubtful  if  there  is  a  man  in  the 
state  who  has  received  higher  prices  for  his 
thoroughbred  stock.  The  adjoining  country 
has  been  much  benefited  by  the  large  num- 
ber of  fine  animals  which  he  has  bred,  and 
while  his  Shorthorn  cattle  have  been  largelv 


PRATT,  Daniel  Stewart,  of  Brattle- 

boro,  son  of  Rufus  and  Maria  (Estabrook) 
Pratt,  was  born  in  Pjrattleboro,  August  3, 
1826.  He  is  of  Scotch  and  L^nglish  de- 
scent. His  namesake  and  maternal  great- 
grandfather. Col.  Daniel  Stewart,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army  in  which 
he  served  as  captain,  and  after  his  retire- 
ment to  private  life  held  many  important 
positions.  His  grandfather,  IVIaj.  James 
Estabrook,  was  born  at  \\'arren,  R.  I.,  in 
1775,  came  to  Brattleboro  with  his  parents 
"when  he  was  four  years  of  age,  and  was 
both  conspicuous  and  popular  in  the  local 
militia,  in  which  he  obtained  the  rank  of 
major. 

The  early  boyhood  of  Daniel  Stewart 
Pratt  was  spent  upon  a  farm,  and  his  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  public  schools  of 
Brattleboro.  From  the  age  of  fifteen  to  the 
time  he  attained  his  majority,  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  market  established  by  his 
father  in  the  town.  He  then  entered  as  a 
clerk  the  store  of  Wheeler  &  Pratt,  who  did 
a  general  dry  goods  and  grocery  business, 
and  continued  in  their  service  till  the  firm 
was  dissolved  in  1850.  He  then  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Pratt,  Wheeler  & 
Co.,  of  which  his  brother,  Lucius  G.,  was  the 
senior  partner.  This  concern  continued  to 
do  business  most  successfully  for  four  years, 
doing  a  general  dry  goods,  millinery  and 
grocery  trade,  their  sales  the  last  year 
amounting  to  Sioo.ooo.  At  the  expiration 
of  the   lime  of  partnershi]!,  it  became  evi- 


JiEL    STEWART    PRATT. 


sold  to  go  South  and  West,  he  has  even 
exported  a  few  head  to  the  mother  country. 
He  has  the  credit  of  selling  to  Robert  Hal- 
loway  of  Illinois,  the  finest  cow  that  ever 
stood  in  that  state,  while  for  one  bull,  which 
he  owned  in  connection  with  the  Messrs.Wins- 
low,  he  obtained  the  sum  of  S9000.  Mr.  Pratt 
was  made  chairman  of  the  board  of  select- 
men in  1879,  which  was  the  year  of  the 
great  freshet,  when  the  bridges  and  roads  in 
the  town  were  nearlv  all  destroved,  but  under 


326 


his  energetic  and  skillful  management  they 
were  repaired  and  rebuilt  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  satisfactory  manner.  He  has 
been  a  director  for  the  last  thirty  years  in 
some  bank  in  town,  and  at  present  is  serv- 
ing as  one  of  the  board  of  investment  of  the 
Vermont  Savings  Bank,  where  his  counsel 
and  advice  are  influential  from  his  knowledge 
of  the  value  of  property  in  the  West,  where 
he  has  had  a  wide  experience  in  the  hand- 
ling of  real  estate,  both  for  himself  and  other 
people.  He  became  interested  with  others 
in  the  Vermont  Live  Stock  Co.  in  1884,  and 
has  filled  the  office  of  vice-president  and 
president  of  this  organization. 

During  the  war  Mr.  Pratt  rendered  valua- 
ble service  in  recruiting  Co.  B,  i6th  Regt. 
Vt.  Vols,  several  of  the  enlisted  men  receiv- 
ing substantial  aid  from  him  in  obtaining 
their  outfit,  while  he  liberally  contributed  to 
the  support  of  their  families  during  their 
absence.  He  sent  a  paid  substitute  to  the 
front,  and  after  the  close  of  the  struggle  was 
made  quartermaster  of  the  ist  Vt.  Regt.  of 
the  National  Guard,  in  which  capacity  he 
creditably  served  until  honorably  discharged. 
He  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican, 
though  declining  all  offers  of  political  pre- 
ferment, as  his  tastes  do  not  run  in  this 
direction. 

Mr.  Pratt  was  united  in  marriage  Feb.  14, 
1850,  to  Caroline  Pamelia,  daughter  of  Ed- 
mund and  Betsey  (Wright)  Hoar  of  Bedford, 
Mass.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Charles  Stewart  (deceased),  Edmund  Rufus, 
Mary  .Alice,  Carrie  Maria  (deceased),  Jennie 
S.  (deceased),  and  Walter  Stewart. 

PRAY,  RUFUS  M.,  of  South  Woodbury, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Polly  (King)  Pray,  was 
born  in  Calais,  .\pril  8,  1S44. 

His  father's  calling  was  that  of  a  carpen- 
ter and  joiner,  who  was  a  long  time  resident 
of  the  town,  in  the  schools  of  which  Rufus 
received  his  education.  The  latter,  a  mere 
lad  of  seventeen,  did  not  resist  the  patriotic 
impulse  that  moved  him  to  enter  the  ranks 
of  the  Union  army,  and  enlisted  in  the  2d 
N.  H.  Regiment,  which  for  three  months 
garrisoned  at  old  P'ort  Constitution  on  the 
seacoast  of  that  state.  On  his  journey  home- 
wards, he  stopped  at  St.  Johnsbury,  where 
Co.  K,  of  Calais,  3d  Regt.  Vt.  Vols,  were 
engaged  in  their  daily  drill,  and  such  was 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  young  volunteer,  that 
he  at  once  re-enlisted  without  even  bidding 
farewell  to  the  loved  ones  at  home  or  cross- 
ing the  paternal  threshold.  Mr.  Pray  shared 
the  fortunes  of  the  gallant  third  in  all  its 
numerous  engagements  from  Lewinsville 
and  Lee's  Mills,  to  the  bloody  battles  of  the 
Wilderness,  where  he  was  wounded  in  foot 
and  forehead,  and  was  sent  to  the  S.  A. 
Douglas  hospital  at  Washington,  from  thence 


transferred  to  the  U.  S.  General  Hospital  at 
Montpelier,  from  which  he  boldly  returned 
to  active  duty  before  his  wounds  were  wholly 
healed.  He  then  experienced  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  Sheridan's  Shenandoah  campaign, 
and  at  Cedar  Creek,  while  on  the  skirmish 
line,  received  a  dangerous  wound  in  his  hip, 
which  was  traversed  by  a  minie-ball.  He 
was  carried  twelve  miles  in  an  army  wagon 
to  Sheridan  Hospital,  then  sent  to  Frederick, 
Md.,  and  later  to  Montpelier,  where  he  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge  after  a  gal- 
lant service  of  four  years,  one  month  and 
twenty-six  days,  during  which  time  he  was. 
not  excused  from  duty  a  single  hour,  except 
when  wounded. 

Since  his  return  from  the  army,  though 
for  more  than  a  year  a  cripple,  he  has  beerk 
able  to  labor  a  little  at  his  trade  of  carpen- 
ter and  joiner,  and  to  cultivate  with  effort  a 
small  farm. 

Mr.  Pray  was  married  August  8,  1864,  to 
Nellie  A.,  daughter  of  David  and  Sabrina 
(Chase)  Whitham  of  Woodbury.  One  child 
has  been  the  fruit  of  this  wedlock  :  Lillian 
^L  (Mrs.  Robert  B.  Tassie  of  Montpelier). 

Mr.  Pray  is  still  a  member  of  that  party 
for  whose  political  principles  he  fought  and 
bled.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
South  Woodbury,  July  12,  1889,  under 
President  Harrison,  and  held  that  position 
till  his  resignation  on  being  elected  to  the 
Legislature  of  1892  by  an  unusual  majority. 
He  was  town  treasurer  in  i89i-'92. 

PRIME,  Merrill  Foster,  of  Barton, 

son  of  Dr.  Thomas  M.  and  Amity  (Paige) 
Prime,  was  born  in  Brome,  P.  <  >.,  Sept.  26, 
1859. 

His  earlier  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  and  academy  of  Knowlton,  Canada. 
.After  matriculating  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  in  Toronto,  he  entered 
McGill  Medical  School,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  till  the  spring  of  1878.  The  fol- 
lowing fall  he  entered  the  L'niversity  of  the 
City  of  New  York.  From  this  institution  he 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1879.  Returning 
to  McGill  he  took  his  fourth  year  in  special 
work,  and  the  year  following  passed  before 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
Montreal,  receiving  the  degree  of  L.  C.  P.  S. 
Dr.  Prime,  while  in  New  York,  took  private 
lessons  in  diseases  of  women  and  physical 
diagnosis.  He  began  practice  with  his 
father  in  Knowlton,  P.  Q.  Early  in  1882  he 
settled  in  Barton,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained and  built  up  a  large  and  profitable 
practice. 

He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  faith,  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church  and  also 
of  the  State  Medical  Society.  Has  been, 
health  officer  for  the  town  of  Barton  for 
three   years.      In  August,  1893,  he  was  ap- 


PRICHARD. 

pointed  pension  examining  surgeon  for  the 
liureau  at  Newport.  oo       <-  a 

He    married,    May    25,    1882,    Cora   A 
daughter  of  Elbridge  G.  and  Amanda  (Ball) 
Shaw,  of  Waterloo,  P.  Q.     Their  two  chil- 
dren are  :  Lucile,  and  Hazel  W  inifred. 

PRICHARD,  JOHN  B.  W.,  of  Bradford, 
was  the  son  of  George  XN".  and  Elizabeth 
(Pearson)  Prichard,  and  was  born  in  brad- 
ford,  Sept.  26,  1839. 

His  educational  acquirements  were  limited 
to  the  town  schools  and  a  course  of  study  at 
Bradford  Academy. 

He  commenced  his  active  life  as  clerk  for 
his  father,  who  was  a  merchant,  and  also 
served  his  brothers  in  a  similar  capacity. 

When  the  slave-holding  aristocracy  at- 
tempted to  secede  from  the  Union  Mr. 
Prichard  was  a  member  of  the  noted  Brad- 
ford Guards,  a  company  of  the  ist  \  t  Regt 
and  accompanied  them  when  hey  left  the 
state  at  the  outset  of  the  struggle.  He  vvas 
present  at  the  battle  of  Big  Bethel,  and  wa. 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment  upon  their 
return  from  the  f^eld  in  August    186 1. 

He  was  married,  Jan.  21.  1862,  to  Oris.a 
T.,  daughter  of  Sargent  and  Melissa  (Green- 
ief )  George.     Two  children  have  been  the 
St  of  thit  union  :  Fred  K.,  and  Warren  H 
When   discharged   from  the   service    Mr. 
Prichard  returned   to  Bradford  and  bought 
out  his  brother's  stock  and   store,  which  he 
continued  to  carry  on  for  three  years-  Jhen 
he  went  to  Massachusetts  and  was  engaged 
In  trade  until  1869,  when  he  agam  returned 
to  his  birthplace  and  formed  a  partnership 
^th  Barron  Hay  to  engaged  m  a  genera 
mercantile  business,    and  this  arrangement 
has  lasted  till  the  present  time 

The  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  a  a  bu s  - 
ness  man  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  tha^ 
he  was  elected  town  clerk  m  1870,  and  with 
Se  exception  of  a  single  year  he  has  been 
the  incumbent  of  that  oftice  ever  since  He 
has  thrice  been  honored  by  the  position  of 
selectman  and  was  elected  as  a  Republican 
to  represent  Bradford  in  the  state   Legisla- 

^"MJ^PrTchard  has  filled  all   the  chairs  of 
Charity   Lodge,  No.  ,3,  and   t«- terms    ha 
nresided    in   the    east.     He    was    a  charter 
Inember  and   has  been  adjutant  and  com- 
mander of  Washburn  Post,  ^o.  17,  G.  A.  K. 

PROCTOR,  REDFIELD,  of  Proctor,  son 
of  Jabez  and  Betsy  (Parker)  Proctor,  was 
born  in  ProctorsviUe,  June  1,1 831. 

The  American  branch  of  the  P/o^tor 
fan'ify  springs  from  an  excellent  Lnghsh 
stock!  The  first  ancestor  ^'^  ^^  ^  "I^ 
was  Robert  Proctor,  who  as  early  as  1045 
was  living  at  Concord,  Mass. 


PROCTOR. 


327 


Redfield  Proctor  received  an  excellent 
preparatory  education,  and  was  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College  in  1851.  Ihree 
vears  later  he  received  the  degree  of  .\.  M. 
from  the  same  venerable  institution.  Select- 
in'^  law  as  his  profession,  he  pursued  the  pre- 
liminary studies  at  the  Albany  Law  School  in 
New  York.  After  graduation  in  1859  he  was 
admitted  to  the  New  York  bar  at  .Mbany, 
and  also  at  Woodstock,  Vermont.  During 
a  portion  of  the  years  i860  and  1861  he 
practiced  his  profession  in  the  office  of  his 
cousin.  Judge  Isaac  F.  Redfield,  the  eminent 
iurist,  at  Boston,  Mass. 

Upon  the  outbreak   of  the   rebellion   in 
1 86 1  he   immediately  returned   to  Vermont 
and  enlisted  in  the  3d  Vt.  Regt.,  was  com- 
missioned as  lieutenant  and  quartermaster, 
and  repaired  to  the  front.     In  July  of  the 
same  year  he  was  appointed  on  the  staff  of 
Gen.  William  F.  ("Baldy")  Smith,and  mOc- 
tober  was    promoted  and  transferred  to  the 
cth  Vt  Vols.,  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
maior.    With  this  regiment  he  served  nearly 
r;iar  in  the  neighborhood  of  \N  ashington 
and  on  the  Peninsula.     ^  October    1862 
Maior  Proctor  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy 
of  the   isth  Vt.  Vols.,  and  in  the  memor- 
able and  decisive  engagement  at  (.ettysburg 
this  command  was  stationed  on  the  famous 
Cemetery  Ridge  during  a  part  of  the  second 
dav's  struggle.  , 

Redfield  Proctor  was  married  May  20 
X858,  to  Emily  J.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Salmon 
F.  and  Sarah  J.  Button  of  Cavendish  Five 
children,  four  of  whom  ^^^  /tvmg,  are  U,e 
issue  of  their  union  :  Arabella  G.,  Fletcher 
n    Fmilv  D.,  and  Redfield,  Jr. 

Xfter  his  return  to  Vermont,  Colonel  Proc- 
tor established  himself  i".R"'|t^d,  entering 
nto    law    partnership    with   )^  heelock    G. 
Veazey,  afterwards  a  judge  of  the  Vermont 
Supreme  Court,  and  now  a  member  of  the 
U^S     Interstate    Commerce    Commission. 
Thrown  into  the  conduct  of  business  matter, 
in  settling  the  affairs  of  a  concern  of  whK:h 
he  had   been   appointed   receiver    Colonel 
Proctor  found  that  it  was  more  to  his  taste 
to  do  things  than  to  talk  about  them.      1  he 
amaction  that  business  life  has  for  a  man  of 
;"onounced  executive  ability  -o..  withdrew 
Lm    from   active    practice    of  law,  and   in 
^^869  he  became  manager  for  the  Sutherland 
Falls  Marble  Co.     In  r88o  the  Sutherland 
Falls  and  Rutland  Marble  compames  were 
consolidated  under  the  name  of   Ihe  \er 
mont  Marble  Co.,  with  Governor  Procto    as 
;  president,     l-'^der  his  manageme.  t  th^ 
company  enlarged  and  so  mcreased  its  busi 
ness  as  to  become  the  largest  concern  of  the 
'^^■^^;;:^r'icial    career    of   RedfieM 
Proctor  began  in  1866  as  a  selectman  of   he 
Town  of  Rutland.     In  1867  he  represented 


/ 


^  c^  H--^-^ 


his  town  in  tlie  state  Legislature,  serving  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  elections  of 
the   lower  House.     Again  a  member  of  the 
House  in  1868,  he  served  as  a  meniber  ot 
the  committee  on  ways  and  means.    Elected 
to  the  state  Senate  in  1874,  he  was  chosen 
president  pro  tempore  of  that  body.    In  1876 
he  was   elected  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the 
state    and   in    1878  was  nominated  by  the 
Republicans  and  elected  Governor  of  \  er- 
mont.     He  was  delegate-at-large  to  the  Re- 
publican national  convention  in    1884,  and 
also  in    1888,  and   in    the   latter  year  was 
chairman  of  the  Vermont  delegation.      In 
18S8  the  Legislature  of  Vermont  unanimously 
recommended   him  for  a  cabinet  position, 
and   in   March,    1889,    President   Harrison 
appointed  him  Secretary  of  ^^'ar.      Senator 
Proctor  won  national  reputation  by  his  con- 
duct of  the  war  portfolio,  and  his  adminis- 
tration is  considered  one  of  the  ablest  m  the 
history  of  the  department. 

On  the  retirement  of  Senator  George  f . 
Edmunds  from  the  United  States  Senate, 
Governor  Page  appointed  Secretary  Proctor 
to  fill  the  unexpired  term,  and  Oct.  ib, 
1802,  he  was  elected  by  the  Vermont  Legis- 
lature to  fill  both  the  unexpired  and  full 
terms,  the  latter  ending  March  4,  1899. 

Senator  Proctor  speaks  well  and  always  to 
the  point,  but  is  best  known  as  a  strong  man 
who  does  things-a  man  of  action,  guided  by 
wisdom.  He  has  long  had  the  full  confidence 
of  the  people  of  Vermont,  and  his  abihty  and 
experience  will  enable  him  to  digmfy  the 
high  office  to  which  they  have  called  him. 

PROCTOR,  FLETCHER  DUTTON,  of 
Proctor,  son  of  Hon.  Redfield  and  Emily  J. 
(Dutton)  Proctor,  was  born  m  Cavendish, 
Nov.  7,  i860.  J  ,      ■ 

His  early  education  was  followed  by  in- 
struction at  the   Rutland  Military  Institute 
and  the  Middlebury  high  school.     He  then 
entered  Middlebury  College,  but  soon  alter 
matriculated  at  Amherst  College,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1882      After  the 
completion   of    his    educational   course    he 
entered    the    employment   of    the  Vermont 
Marble  Co.,  and  commenced  his  busmess 
career  by  learning  the  trade  of  a  machmist, 
and  after   this   occupied   various   positions, 
until    in    1885    he    became    the     superin- 
tendent of  the  company.     From  that  time 
he  has  been  active  in  its  management  and 
in  1889  he  was  elected  president,  which  po- 
sition he  now   holds.     In  September  of    he 
same  year  he  was  chosen  to   fill  a  similar 
office  in  the  Clarendon  &  l^>"sford  R.  R-, 
which  corporation  operates  some  Af  een  or 
twentv  miles  between  the  towns  of  1  ittstord. 
Proctor,  Rutland,  and  West  Rutland.     I  pon 
the  organization  of  the  Proctor  Trust  Co.   in 
1891,  he  was  made  director  and  president. 


PROCTOR.  329 

Since  he  has  had  charge  of  the  affairs  of 
the  \ermont  Marble  Co.  that  corporation 
has  purchased  the  marble  business  of  (lilson 
&  Woodfin,  Ripley  &  Sons,  and  made  a 
thirty-year  lease  of  the  property  of  the 
Sheldon  Marble  Co.,  so  that  now  the  V  er- 
mont  Marble  Co.  has  in  its  employ  over 
eighteen  hundred  men,  and  is  by  far  the 
largest  producer  of  marble  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Proctor  was  a  member  of  the  \  ermont 
National  Guard,  enhsting  in  Co.  A  m  1884, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  grades  of  2d  and 
ist  Lieut.  He  resigned  in  1886,  and  was 
appointed  inspector  of  rifle  practice  on  the 
staff  of  Colonel  Greenleaf,  which  position  he 
resigned  in  1887.  In  1S83  he  waselecte.l  the 
first  permanent  colonel  of  the  Vermont  divi- 
sion of  Sons  of  Veterans  and  during  his 
administration  the  division  increased  from 
three  to  twenty-seven  camps. 


FLETCHER    DUTTON    HRu^- i  ori. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  May  26.  1886, 
to  Minnie  E.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Asher  C. 
and  Erminnie  Robinson  of  Westford.  Iwo 
children  have  been  born  to  them:  Emii>, 
and  Mortimer  Robinson. 

Mr  Proctor  has  ser^•ed  numerous  terms  as 
selectman,  both  in  Rutland  and  i;'-octor  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
Jhelattervillage  since  1883..  He  was  sec- 
retary of  civil  and  mihtary  affairs  under  Gov. 
oJmsbee,  was  elected  to  the  I.eg>slature  frcni^ 
the  town  of  Proctor  in  1890,  and  wa.  chosen 
a  senator  from  Rutland  county  in  1892. 


33°  PUTNAM. 

PUTNAM,  Christopher  C,  Jr.,  of 

Putnamsville,  is  the  son  of  Christopher  C.  and 
Eliza  (Stone)  Putnam,  and  was  born  in  Mid- 
dlesex, August  26,  1839.  His  grandfather  emi- 
grated to  Middlesex  in  17S4,  and  here  his 
father  was  born  in  1810,  and  for  fifty  years 
has  been  an  extensive  lumber  dealer  and 
manufacturer. 


C.  C.  Putnam,  Jr.,  obtained  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  the  town,  at  the 
Washington  county  grammar  school  and  at 
Newbury  Seminary.  For  several  years  he 
divided  his  time  between  teaching  and  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  management  of  his  affairs. 
The  latter  has  invested  very  largely  in  the 
timber  lands  of  Middlesex,  ^Vorcester,  Calais 
and  Elmore,  and  from  these  a  vast  quantity 
of  boards  and  other  finished  products  are 
distributed  through  New  York  and  the  New- 
England  states.  The  father  and  son  are  prob- 
ably the  most  extensive  dealers  in  lumber  in 
central  Vermont,  having  formed  a  partner- 
ship after  the  latter's  return  from  the  army. 

In  1862,  Mr.  Putnam,  Jr.,  joined  Co.  I, 
13th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  as  a  private,  was  promo- 
ted to  sergeant,  was  present  at  the  memorable 
charge  of  Gettysburg,  and  was  discharged 
when  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  the  U. 
S.  service. 

In  connection  with  their  business  the  Put- 
nams  operate  three  saw  mills,  a  planing  mill, 
a  store,  and  a  farm. 

Mr.  Putnam  was  united  in  marriage,  Octo- 
ber, 1868,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Abel  and 


Mary  Whitney,  of  Middlesex,  who  died  four 
years  after  their  union.  P"or  his  second  wife 
he  wedded,  Sept.  22,  1874,  Jennie,  daughter 
of  Medad  and  Mary  Jane  (Mclntyre)  ^^'right, 
of  Montpelier.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :   Ralph  W.,  and  Eula  W. 

He  is  a  man  of  industry,  energv,  and  good 
judgment  and  has  often  been  called  upon  to 
act  as  referee  and  commissioner  of  important 
and  weighty  matters.  Mr.  Putnam  has  held 
many  town  offices.  He  has  always  been  a 
Republican,  and  in  1886  r'epresented  Middle- 
sex in  the  Legislature. 

PUTNEY,  Charles  Edward,  of  St. 

Johnsbury,  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Prown) 
Putnev,  was  born  in  Bow,  N.  H.,  Feb.  26, 
1S40. 

He  recei\"ed  his  primary  instruction  in 
the  public  schools  of  Bow,  fitted  for  college 
at  New  London,  N.  H.,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  classical  department  of  Dartmouth 
in  1870,  having  attained  high  rank  in  his 
class. 


CHARLES    EDWARD    PUTNEY. 

With  the  exception  of  three  years  service 
in  the  army,  Mr.  Putney's  life  has  been  that 
of  an  educator  of  the  highest  type.  He  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  while 
yet  an  undergraduate,  teaching  in  various 
schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  college 
and  also  in  Massachusetts.  For  three  years 
after  the  completion  of  his  college  course  he 
was    the    principal   of   the    Boys'    Boarding 


331 


School  of  Norwich,  then  came  to  St.  Johns- 
bury  as  assistant  in  the  academy  at  that 
place,  and  was  finally  chosen  ]3rinci]ial  of 
the  institution,  which  position  he  still  oc- 
cupies. He  has  been  state  examiner  of  the 
Randolph  and  Johnson  Normal  Schools  and 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Caledonia 
county  board  of  education. 

Mr.  Putney  was  united  in  marriage,  July 
26,  1876,  to  Abbie,  daughter  of  Rev.  Jonathan 
and  Phebe  Fo.xcroft  (Phillips)  Clement  of 
Norwich.  They  have  two  daughters  :  Marv 
Phillips  (Wood),  and  Ellen  Clement. 

From  purely  patriotic  motives  and  at  great 
personal  sacrifice  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  13th 
Regt.  N.  H.  Vols.,  in  which  he  rose  to  the 


rank  of  sergeant.  His  regiment  ser\ed  with 
the  armies  of  the  Potomac  and  James,  and 
he  jiarticipated  in  eight  regular  engagements, 
ha\ing  the  good  fortune  never  to  be  wounded 
or  taken  prisoner. 

He  is  a  member  of  Chamberlin  I'ost,  No. 
I,  G.  A.  R.  of  St.  Johnsbury  :  has  always 
taken  much  interest  in  the  St.  Johnsbury  V. 
M.  C.  .A. ;  is  affiliatetl  with  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  has  always  a  class  of 
students  in  the  Sunday  .school. 

Probably  no  man  in  \"ermont  has  exerted 
a  greater  or  more  beneficial  influence  u]Jon 
young  people,  for  his  aim  has  e\er  been  not 
only  to  train  their  intellects,  but  to  broaden 
their  whole  lives. 


RAMSAY,  George  Lafayette,  late  of 

Lemington,  was  the  second  son  of  Robert 
and  Jane  (Morgan)  Ramsay,  being  born  in 
the  town  of  Wheelock,  Oct.  3,   1829.     His 


GEORGE   LACAYETTE   RAMSAY. 

father,  who  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  largest 
sheep  owners  in  the  state,  came  to  the  green 
hills  of  the  new  state  from  his  native  town  of 
Londonderry,  N.  H.,  and  settled  in  Wheel- 
ock, in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  place 
still  known  as  "Ramsay  Corners"  about  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century. 

George  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  Wheelock  and  firownington,  and  at  the  old 
stone  academy  of  the  latter  town,  under  the 
discipline    of    Professor    Twilight,    received 


what  was  at  that  time  a  far  better  education 
than  the  average  farmer  thought  necessary  to 
bestow  upon  his  son. 

About  the  year  1850,  when  the  gold  fields 
of  California  had  become  known,  the  young 
Vermonter  had  reached  his  majority  and  the 
next  two  years  were  spent  amid  the  rocky 
hills  Of  the  "Golden  State  ;"  returning  east 
he  began  work  in  the  "Old  Faneuil  Hall 
Market"  at  Boston,  afterwards  entering  the 
employment  of  Briggs,  Guild  &  Co.  With  the 
exception  of  a  short  time  spent  on  the  road 
as  traveling  salesman  for  the  firm,  he  remained 
till  i860  with  these  same  employers,  during 
the  last  few  years  as  confidential  business 
clerk.  About  a  year  previous  to  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  Mr.  Ramsay's  health,  which 
had  been  gradually  failing,  gave  way  from 
overwork  and  confinement  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  city  and  return  to  his 
native  state,  purchasing  in  the  town  of  Lem- 
ington, five  miles  south  of  Colebrook,  N.  H., 
one  of  the  finest  meadow  farms  in  Vermont. 
Here  he  settled  and  lived  contentedly  in  the 
possession  of  a  typical  Vermont  home,  dis- 
l)ensing  hospitality  with  a  liberal  hand  to  all 
who  called  upon  him,  until  the  date  of  his 
death  in  1892. 

He  was  married  Feb.  20,  1862,  to  .Vn- 
nette  Eugenia,  daughter  of  Col.  George  C. 
and  Jane"(Royce)  Dyer,  of  .Sutton,  P.  Q., 
and  rarely  has  a  man  been  more  blessed  in 
the  choice  of  a  life  companion.  His  married 
life  was  blessed  with  six  children  :  Eugene  I )., 
lane  IVL,  Jeanette  R.,  Gertrude,  (leorge  R., 
and  Mary  M.,  who  with  his  widow  survive 
him. 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he 
entered  more  extensively  into  the  lumber 
business  and  for  the  five  years  preceding  his 
death  manufactured  annually  about  S3,ooo 
worth  of  last  blocks  from  the  hard  wood  of 
his  forest. 

In  politics  Judge  Ramsay  was  a  Repub- 
lican.    Casting  the  onl\-  vote  for  Abraham 


332 


Lincoln  in  his  town  in  the  fall  of  rS6o  he 
was  subjected  to  many  disjjaraging  remarks, 
and  in  reply  to  the  taunt  of  a  neighbor  re- 
plied proudly,  "My  vote  will  shine  like  a 
golden  eagle  amid  a  lot  of  rusty  coppers." 
He  was  a  prominent  figure  at  county  conven- 
tions, and  in  1883  and  1884  held  the  office 
of  assistant  judge  of  Essex  county  court. 

Through  life  he  was  a  man  of  the  finest 
principle,  a  strong  temperance  advocate, 
ever  practicing  what  he  preached.  During 
his  stay  in  Boston  he  joined  St.  Johns  Lodge 
of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  oldest 
lodge  in  the  Bay  state,  and  was  during  his 
life  a  working  member  and  a  regular  attend- 
ant at  the  meetings  of  the  order. 

In  personal  appearance  Judge  Ramsay  was 
a  man  who  would  attract  attention  among  a 
gathering  of  men  :  fully  six  feet  in  height, 
erect  and  well  proportioned,  of  fine  personal 
appearance  and  great  courtesy.  Men  whom 
he  had  antagonized  by  his  outspoken  adher- 
ence to  what  he  believed  was  right,  were 
forced  to  admire  him  and  recognize  at  once 
his  ability,  and  the  superior  manhood  which 
characterized  his  life. 

His  death,  which  occurred  on  Dec.  29, 
1S92,  after  only  an  hour's  illness  from  valvu- 
lar disease  of  the  heart,  was  a  great  loss  both 
to  his  family,  town  and  county. 

RANDALL,  ElIAS  ORLANDO,  of 
Greensboro,  son  of  Erastus  and  Caroline  M. 
(Smith)  Randall,  was  born  in  Greensboro, 
Sept.  16,  1833. 

.\fter  an  attendance  at  the  public  schools 
of  Greensboro  and  Craftsbury  Academy,  and 
some  experience  in  teaching  in  Craftsbury 
and  Glover,  from  1S50  to  1852  he  labored 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
the  latter  year  purchased  a  saw  mill  in 
Glover.  He  continued  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  carpentering  and 
the  construction  of  buildings  till  1866,  and 
then  purchased  a  general  merchandise  store 
in  West  Glover,  which  he  carried  on  in  con- 
nection with  an  extensive  produce  business 
for  twenty-three  years.  During  this  time  he 
was  also  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
owning  and  operating  farms  in  Glover  and 
Greensboro  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  In  1890  he  removed  to 
Greensboro  where  he  now  remains,  having 
entered  into  partnership  with  J.  A.  Crane  to 
engage  in  general  trade,  and  at  the  same 
time  continuing  his  farming  business. 

Mr.  Randall  married,  Sept.  13,  i860, 
Eleanor  R.,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  A. 
(Lyman)  Clark  of  Glover.  They  have  one 
adopted  daughter  :    Lila  A.  Tucker. 

For  over  a  score  of  years  he  filled  the 
offices  of  postmaster  and  justice  of  the  peace 
in  Glover,  and  was  the  incumbent  of  many 
other  positions  of  trust  and   responsibility. 


For  two  successive  terms,  18S4  and  1886,  he 
represented  that  town  in  the  Legislature, 
giving  his  services  to  the  committees  of  ag- 
riculture, state  prison,  Bennington  battle 
monument,  and  joint  rules.  Mr.  Randall  is 
a  strong  Republican,  and  has  always  labored 
for  the  interests  of  that  party.  During  the 
war  he  acted  as  recruiting  officer  and  filled 
out  the  quota  required  from  the  town.  For 
many  years  he  served  on  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Congregational  church  in 
Glover,  of  which  church  he  was  an  active 
member  and  a  liberal  supporter. 

RANDALL,  George  W.,  of  Waterbury, 
son  of  Oliver  C.  and  Electa  (Coffin)  Ran- 
dall, was  born  in  Waterbury,  Sept.  18,  1825. 


GEORGE  W.   RANDAuL. 


He  was  bereft  of  paternal  guidance  when 
five  years  of  age  and  by  this  sad  loss  was 
thrown  on  his  own  resources.  Having  re- 
ceived such  instruction  as  was  afforded  by 
the  common  schools  of  Waterbury,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  was  apprenticed  for  three 
vears  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade,  during 
which  engagement  in  the  intervals  of  labor 
he  still  continued  his  educational  course  and 
later  at  Stowe  and  Bakersfield  academies, 
paying  his  expenses  as  he  advanced.  After 
teaching  successfully  for  a  short  period,  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Paul  Dilling- 
ham of  Waterbury,  but,  attracted  by  the 
newlv  discovered  golden  wealth  of  California, 
he  departed  in  August,  1849,  to  seek  his  for- 
tune in  that  remote  quarter  of  the  I'nion,  and 


after  running  the  gauntlet  of  yellow  fever  in 
his  passage  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
and  meeting  with  lively  adventures  at  Aca- 
pulco,  he  finally  reached  San  Francisco,  paid 
50  cents  for  sleeping  on  a  pile  of  shavings, 
and  next  day  received  ^55  for  striking  five 
hours  at  a  blacksmith's  forge.  He  then 
went  to  the  mines  and  seventeen  months 
after  returned  to  Waterbury  with  S6,ooo 
worth  of  gold-dust.  Two  years  later  he  again 
returned  to  California,  contracted  yellow  fe\er 
and  was  the  only  survivor  of  a  company  of 
thirty.  Mr.  Randall's  health  did  not  permit 
him  to  remain,  and  again  returning  to  his 
native  state  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming  and  dealing  in  real  estate  and  lum- 
ber. Besides  being  possessed  of  large  tracts 
of  timber  land,  he  owns  and  operates  saw- 
mills both  in  Bolton  and  Waterbury. 

Mr.  Randall  is  a  Republican  and  has  been 
repeatedly  called  upon  to  serve  the  town  in 
almost  every  official  capacity.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  in  1872  he  was  influ- 
ential in  securing  appropriations  for  the  re- 
form school,  and  in  1S82,  while  again  serv- 
ing in  the  House,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  railroads.  Washington  county 
elected  him  in  1890  to  the  Senate  and  he 
did  good  service  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  claims  and  chairman  of  that  of  the 
insane. 

Mr.  Randall  was  married  June  21,  1S54, 
to  Leefie,  daughter  of  John  White,  who  died 
in  1874.  He  then  was  united  to  Bell,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Betsey  (Woodward)  Glea- 
son,  of  which  union  there  are  two  children  : 
Pearl,  and  George  W.,  jr. 


president  of  the  associations  of  the  Berkshire 
County  (Mass.)  Teachers,  of  the  Alumni  of 
Bates  College,  and  of  other  bodies.  He  has 
always  taken  great  interest  and  an  active 
part  in  the  educational  meetings  held  in 
Vermont  under  the  state  superintendent  and 
other  officials,  and  in  1891  was  president  of 
the  Vermont  State  Teachers'  .Association. 

Mr.  Ranger  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov. 
25,  1S79,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Capt.  William 
Snowman,  of  Portland,  Me.,  of  whom  he  was 
bereft  in  August,  1 885.  She  left  two  children, 
neither  of  whom  survive.  July  30,  1889,  he 
married  Mabel,  daughter  of'  Ira  W.  and 
Laura  (Day)  Bemis,  of  Lyndonville.  P>y 
her  he  has  one  son. 


RANGER,  Walter  Eugene,  of  Lyndon 

Centre,  son  of  Peter  and  Eliza  M.  (Smith) 
Ranger,  was  born  in  Wilton,  Me.,  Nov.  22, 

1855- 

He  received  his  early  instruction  in  the 
public  schools  and  Wilton  Academy,  was 
graduated  from  Bates  College  in  1S79,  ^nd 
four  years  after  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
from  his  alma  mater.  During  his  collegiate 
course  he  commenced  the  practice  of  the 
profession  to  which  he  has  since  devoted 
himself.  Commencing  his  career  by  serving 
as  principal  of  the  Nichols  Latin  School  at 
Lewiston  and  of  the  Lenox  high  school  at 
Lenox,  Mass.,  in  1883  he  was  appointed 
principal  of  the  Lyndon  Institute,  which 
position  he  still  retains.  During  his  admin- 
istration the  number  of  students  has  been 
trebled,  the  standard  has  been  raised,  and 
extensive  additions  have  been  made  to  the 
buildings  of  the  institute.  Mr.  Ranger  has 
devoted  some  attention  to  newspaper  writ- 
ing, done  a  great  deal  of  literary  work,  both 
in  verse  and  in  prose,  chiefly  in  connection 
with  educational  matters,  and  has  also  de- 
livered many  addresses  before  social,  religious 
and  political  organizations.      He  has  been 


WALTER  EUGENE  RANGER. 

Mr.  Ranger  is  a  strong  Republican,  and 
has  been  delegate  to  both  district  and  state 
conventions  of  that  party. 

He  fills  the  chair  of  junior  warden,  Cres- 
cent Lodge,  No.  66,  F.  cSf  A.  M.,  and  is 
affiliated  with  Haswell  Chapter  and  Palestine 
Commandery.  He  is  the  senior  past  sachem 
of  Wannalancet  Tribe,  No.  11,  I.  O.  of  R. 
M.,  and  is  D.  G.  S.  at  present  for  the  same. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  a  number  of 
other  social,  fraternal,  scientific  and  educa- 
tional organizations,  both  state  and  national. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Free  Baptist  Church, 
and  has  often  preached  in  the  churches  of 
Lyndon  and  of  many  other  towns. 

RAYMOND,  Albert  C,  of  Stowe,  son 
of  .\sa  and  Jane  (Lovejoy)  Raymond,  was 
born  in  Stowe,  Feb.  10,  1842.     His  father  is 


334  RAYMOND. 

a  prominent  and  lifelong  resident  of  Stowe 
and  has  arrived  at  four-score  years  after  a 
busy  and  successful  career. 

.\lbert  C.  studied  in  the  public  schools  and 
in  Barre  Academy,  then  under  the  charge  of 
Professor  Spaulding.  Immediately  after  the 
completion  of  his  educational  career  in  1862 
Mr.  Raymond  enlisted  in  Company  E,  13th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  July  3,  1863,  helped  to 
stem  the  tide  of  Pickett's  charge  at  Gettys- 
burg. Never  absent  from  duty  a  single  day, 
at  his  discharge  he  re-enlisted  in  the  17th 
Regt.  and  was  in  every  general  engagement 
from  the  Wilderness  to  Appomato.\.  On 
July  26,  1864,  Lieutenant  Raymond  was 
wounded  in  the  face  and  temporarily  lost  the 
use  of  his  eyes,  but  he  rejoined  his  com- 
mand in  October.  His  company  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Petersburg  Mine  was  reduced  to  a  cor- 
poral and  eight  men,  and  it  was  as  captain 
of  this  gallant  little  band  that  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  mustered  out  at  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  service. 

On  his  return  from  these  e.xciting  scenes 
he  determined  to  push  his  fortune  in  the 
West,  and  for  eight  years  made  his  residence 
in  the  state  of  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  Here  his  children  were  born  and 
here  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  their  ex- 
cellent mother.  Soon  after  this  sad  event  he 
returned  to  his  native  town  and  engaged  in 
various  occupations  including  the  care  and 
labor  involved  in  a  small  farm,  while  in  addi- 
tion he  has  given  his  attention  to  the  settle- 
ment of  estates  and  has  acted  as  guardian 
and  trustee. 

He  married,  June  11,  1865,  Priscilla, 
daughter  of  John  and  Louisa  (Town)  Moody 
of  Stowe.  Their  union  was  blessed  with  three 
children  :  Louis  H.,  Louise  (Mrs.  Fred  Fogg 
of  Enfield,  N.  H.),  and  Maud  B.  Mrs.  Ray- 
mond died  in  1872,  and  Mr.  Raymond  later 
espoused  Martha,  daughter  of  Hiram  Smalley 
of  Greensboro,  who  departed  this  life  in 
April,  1882.  Mr.  Raymond's  third  alliance 
was  contracted  in  1883  with  Alice,  daughter 
of  Medad  and  Patty  (Miller)  Hitchcock.  Of 
this  union  three  sons  were  issue,  one  of 
whom,  Paul,  alone  survives. 

Mr.  Raymond  for  many  years  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  selectman  and  town 
clerk,  was  made  postmaster  in  1889  and  still 
holds  that  position.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  General  .Assembly  in  1886  and  served 
on  the  special  committee  on  the  division  of 
the  town  of  Rutland. 

He  belongs  to  the  order  of  the  Loyal  Le- 
gion and  is  past  commander  of  H.  H.  Smith 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Stowe.  Thirty  years  since, 
he  became  a  Free  Mason,  and  has  repeat- 
edly filled  the  master's  chair  in  Mystic 
Lodge,  No.  56,  which  hokls  its  communica- 
tions in  his  native  town. 


READ,  Levant   Murray,  of  Bellows 

Falls,  son  of  Charles  and  Olive  C.  (Willard) 
Read,  was  born  in  Wardsboro,  Dec.  26,  1842. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  in  Leland  and  Gray 
Seminary,  Townshend.  He  then  studied  law 
with  Hon.  H.  H.  Wheeler,  then  of  Jamaica, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1869,  at  the 
.\pril  term  of  Windham  county  court.  He 
began  practice  at  Jamaica,  entering  in  part- 
nership with  Hon.  Hoyt  H.  Wheeler.  In 
1872  Mr.  Read  removed  to  Bellows  Falls, 
continuing  to  practice  his  profession,  and 
was  elected  judge  of  probate  for  Westmin- 
ster district  in  1876,  which  office  he  has  con- 
tinuously held  to  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Read  was  state's  attorney  of  Windham 
county  in  1880  and  1882. 

In  politics  Judge  Read  is  a  staunch  Re- 
publican, and  while  closely  identified  with 
the  interests  of  his  party,  has  been  too 
busily  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion to  admit  his  acceptance  of  political 
honors  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  the 
town  of  Rockingham  in  September,  1892. 

He  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  2d  Vt.  Vols., 
in  1863,  was  in  the  battles  of  Rappahanock 
Station  and  Mine  Run,  and  the  bloody 
struggle  of  the  Wilderness,  in  which  contest 
he  was  wounded,  and  was  discharged  August 
20,  1865. 

He  was  the  first  commander  of  E.  H. 
Stoughton  Post,  No.  34,  G.  A.  R.,  and  was 
afterwards  twice  re-elected.  Also  a  member 
of  the  Mount  Lebanon  Lodge,  F.  &  .A.  M., 
of  Jamaica,  of  which  he  was  master  for  four 
successive  terms.  He  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
in  1878,  and  held  that  eminent  position  till 
1 88 1.  He  was  first  dictator  of  the  subordi- 
nate lodge  of  K.  of  H.,  and  also  grand  dic- 
tator of  the  Grand  Lodge. 

He  married,  Dec.  13,  1876,  Sarah  A., 
daughter  of  Jared  R.  and  Sarah  A.  Perkins 
of  Bellows  Falls.  They  have  one  daughter  : 
Mary  .\lice. 

Judge  Read  has  served  upon  the  commit- 
tee appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court  upon 
admissions  to  the  bar,  and  was,  in  1892, 
elected  president  of  the  Vermont  Bar  Asso- 
ciation. 

READ,  CaRLETON  W.,  son  of  Orrin  and 
Julia  (Powell)  Read,  was  born  in  Charlotte, 
Oct.  21,  1834.  He  is  of  EngHsh  lineage 
and  his  earliest  ancestors  in  this  country 
date  back  to  John  Read,  1598,  who  settled 
in  Rehoboth,  near  Boston.  His  family  was 
afterwards  scattered,  emigrating  to  different 
parts  of  the  country,  John  Read,  ancestor 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  related  by 
marriage  to  Governor  John  Winthrop.  He 
possessed  a  large  estate,  and  acted  as  referee 


and  commissioner,  and  was  high  sheriff  of 
his  county  for  several  years. 

Carleton  \V.  Read  received  a  common 
school  education  at  Charlotte,  and  supple- 
mented this  by  a  course  of  study  at  Bakers- 
field  Academy,  Bakersfield,  under  the  tutor- 
ship of  J.  S.  Spaulding,  principal. 

Mr.  Read  was  married  at  Charlotte,  Oct. 
31,  1855,  to  Vienna  M.,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Homer  and  Alvirah  Clark.  Of  this  union 
there  were  two  daughters:  i-ldna  I.  (deceas- 
ed), and  Carlotta  C. 

Mr.  Read  is  a  Republican  and  has  been 
unusually  honored  by  his  town  and  county, 
and  yet  he  is  of  a  retiring  disposition.  He 
has  always  taken  an  acti\e  part  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  best  interest  of  the  town, 
county,  and  state  in  which  he  resides.  In 
1882,  he  had  the  honor  of  a  seat  in  the  state 
Senate  and  acted  on  the  committees  of  rail- 
roads and  agriculture.  He  was  also  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Republican  national  convention, 
held  in  Chicago,  in  June,  1888,  and  cast  his 
vote  for  Benjamin  Harrison.  He  has  been 
town  treasurer  since  1884.  His  social  and 
business  connection  with  prominent  men, 
throughout  the  state,  as  well  as  his  extensi\e 
dealings  in  wool,  stock,  etc.,  make  him  favor- 
ably and  widely  known. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  interested  in  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank  at  Vergennes,  having 
been  a  director  for  ten  years,  and  is  at  this 
time  its  president. 

Mr.  Read  is  quite  liberal  in  all  his  views, 
both  religious  and  political,  believing  Ameri- 
can ])eople  should  have  free  thought  and  a 
free  ballot,  thus  enabling  them  to  act  upon 
their  own  convictions  of  right  and  wrong. 
His  father's  advice  to  him  when  a  boy  was  to 
be  a  farmer.  Therefore,  he  moved  to  Addi- 
son in  1858,  and  shouldered  a  debt  of  $7,000, 
on  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  has  been 
paid,  and  more  property  added  to  the  orig- 
inal purchase.  i\Ir.  Read  belie\es  that  farm- 
ing will  pay. 

REED,  Marcus  L.,  of  West  Concord, 
son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Louisa  ( Joslin)  Reed, 
was  born  in  Kirby,  Feb.  5,  1839. 

Mr.  Reed  received  an  excellent  common 
school  education  in  Kirby  and  Concord,  to 
which  town  his  father  removed  when  Marcus 
was  seventeen  years  old.  As  soon  as  he 
arrived  at  his  majority  he  went  to  Burlington, 
where  his  brother  was  extensively  engaged  in 
business  pursuits.  Here  he  remained  a  short 
period  and  then  returned  to  engage  in  the 
shoe  trade. 

Thinking  that  his  country  had  need  of  all 
her  sons,  he  enlisted,  Feb.  24,  1864,  in  Co. 
Ci,  17th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  which  suffered 
heavier  losses  for  its  time  of  service  than 
any  other  organization  that  left  the  (ireen 
Mountain  state,  and  in  its  ranks  fought  in  the 


«EEU.  335 

fierce  struggle  of  the  Wilderness,  and  at 
.S])ottsylvania,  where  he  was  wounded.  Sent 
to  Washington,  he  soon  returned  to  the 
front,  only  to  be  stricken  down  by  sickness 
while  in  camp  at  the  Weldon  R.  R.  .Again 
he  was  transferred  to  Washington  and  de- 
tailed to  take  charge  of  the  ordnance  and 
knapsack  room  of  Harwood  Hospital,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  which  duty  he  performed  till 
his  discharge  as  acting  orderly  in  July,  1865. 
Mr.  Reed  was  married  at  Concord,  Sept. 
13,  1866,  to  i'',mily  C,  daughter  of  Theophilus 
and  Hannah  Chick  Crout.  They  have  two 
children  ;  William  Livingston,  and  George  W. 


MARCUS    L.    REEO. 

When  he  returned  from  the  South  he 
moved  to  (Iranby,  where  he  occupied  himself 
in  farming  till  1878,  when  he  remo\ed  to 
West  Concord  and  from  thence  in  1886  to 
the  excellent  farm  he  now  occupies. 
^While  residing  in  (Iranby  Mr.  Reed  was 
elected  to  all  local  offices,  and  represented 
that  town  in  1869  and  1870.  In  1892  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Con- 
cord. He  is  an  excellent  presiding  officer, 
a  man  of  dignified  yet  genial  manners  and  of 
excellent  judgment. 

For  thirty  years  he  has  belonged  to  the 
Masonic  brotherhood.  Four  terms  he  has 
served  as  worshipful  master  of  Moose  River 
Lodge  of  West  Concord  and  he  is  a  Sir 
Knight  of  Palestine  Commandery.  .After 
his  return  from  the  war  he  also  became  a 
member  of  \\oodburv  Post,  G.  A.  R. 


33(> 


ROBERTS,  Daniel,  of  Burlington,  the 
son  of  Daniel  and  Almira  Roberts,  was  born 
at  Wallingford,  May  25,  181 1.  Daniel  Rob- 
erts, senior,  was  the  son  of  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  and  after  serving  a  seven  years' 
apprenticeship  to  the  cloth  dresser's  trade, 
became  a  wandering  schoolmaster,  and  with 
his  young  wife  came  to  Wallingford,  where 
be  pursued  his  regular  vocation  for  thirty 
years  or  more  and  then  removed  to  Man- 
chester. Here  he  purchased  and  cultivated 
a  farm. 

Both  parents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
were  more  than  usually  intelligent  and  noted 
for  their  musical  ability,  a  talent  which  their 
son  naturally  inherits.  He  entered  Middle- 
bury  College  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  gradu- 
ating in  the  class  of  1829.  He  then  studied 
law  with  Hon.  Harvey  Button,  of  Walling- 
ford, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
Rutland  county  court  at  the  September  term, 
1832. 


DANIEL    ROBERTS. 

In  the  following  November  he  started  out 
to  seek  his  fortune,  with  ninety  dollars  in  his 
pocket,  and  after  various  adventures  in  New 
York  and  Ohio  finally  reached  Grand  Gulf 
and  Natchez,  Miss.,  in  which  latter  place  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  public  examina- 
tion in  court.  After  a  short  sojourn  in  New 
Orleans  the  young  traveler  took  passage  up 
the  Mississippi  on  the  steamer  Yellowstone, 
which  made  an  annual  trip  in  the  Indian  fur 
trade.  He  endeavored  to  secure  a  chance 
of  employment  in  that  trade  during  the 
spring  voyage,   but  was  unsuccessful.     His 


disappointment  was  his  good  fortune,  as  was 
probably  his  departure  from  New  Orleans, 
for  the  cholera  prevailed  there  during  the 
season  of  1833  and  made  sad  havoc  on  the 
steamer.  He  then  sought  out  and  visited 
his  kinsfolk  in  \\'inchester,  111.,  where  he 
spent  the  summer  of  1833  in  the  woods 
shooting  squirrels  and  wild  turkeys  and  con- 
tracting the  ague  as  compensation.  He  then 
went  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  and  formed  a  busi- 
ness connection  with  Murray  McConnell. 
In  the  summer  of  1S35  Mr.  Roberts  returned 
to  his  native  state,  in  which  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  He  took  the  office  and  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business  of  Milo  L.  Bennett, 
of  Manchester,  afterwards  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  remained  in  practice 
there  for  twenty  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Burlington,  where  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Lucius  E.  Chittenden,  afterwards  regis- 
ter of  the  treasury.  It  is  now  more  than 
sixty-one  years  since  Mr.  Roberts  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  fifty-eight  years  of  which 
period  he  has  been  in  active  practice  in  this 
state.  His  name  first  appears  in  the  state 
reports  in  the  case  of  Kimpton  vs.  Walker, 
9th  Yt.  Reports,  191,  February  Term,  1S37, 
and  can  be  found  in  every  volume  from  the 
ninth  up  to  the  present  time. 

His  earliest  politics  were  strongly  anti- 
sla\ery,  and  as  a  Liberty-party  man, free  soiler 
and  the  like,  in  the  then  prevailing  state  of 
public  opinion,  offices  did  not  seek  him  ;  for 
two  years,  however,  he  was  bank  commis- 
sioner, and  from  the  spring  of  1865  to  that 
of  1866  he  was  a  special  agent  of  the  L'nited 
States  Treasury  Department.  In  1868  he  was 
elected  state's  attorney  for  Chittenden, 
county,  and  during  the  first  term  of  Presi- 
dent Grant's  administration  he  was  offered 
the  position  of  solicitor  of  the  United  States 
Treasury  Department,  but  declined  the  honor. 
He  has  served  the  city  of  Burlington  as  city 
attorney  for  three  terms.  Although  never  in 
the  Legislature,  Mr.  Roberts  has  had  marked 
influence  in  guiding  the  legislation  of  the 
state.  His  hand  is  clearly  seen  throughout 
the  general  statutes  by  those  familiar  with 
their  history  and  development.  In  particu- 
lar he  has  been  instrumental  in  securing  by 
the  statute,  simplification  of  the  ancient  rules 
of  criminal  pleading,  and  enlarging  the  prop- 
erty rights  of  married  women.  His  views 
upon  law  reform  he  developed  at  length  in 
an  address  before  the  Vermont  Bar  Associa- 
tion as  president  thereof  in  1880.  Two  years 
previous,  under  a  contract  made  with  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  by  authority  of 
the  Legislature,  he  completed  a  digest  of  the 
decisions  of  that  court  down  to,  and  includ- 
ing, volume  48  of  the  Vermont  Reports,  en- 
titled "Roberts'  Vermont  Digest."  This 
work  is  accepted  among  the  profession  in 
Vermont  as  a  model  digest  for  its  terseness 


accuracy  of  statement  and  for  bringing  out 
the  very  point  of  the  decision.  In  1889  he 
published  a  supplement  to  this  digest,  em- 
bracing volumes  49  to  60  inclusixe. 

At  the  Vermont  centennial  celebration  at 
Bennington,  August  16,  1877,  he  was  the  ap- 
pointed orator  of  the  occasion.  His  dis- 
course is  inserted  among  the  ])ublished  pro- 
ceedings of  the  day,  is  a  \aluable  historical 
document  and  a  good  s])ecimen  of  Mr.  Rob- 
erts' impressive  and  scholarly  style.  In  1879 
at  the  semi-centennial  gathering  of  his  college 
class  he  received  the  degree  of  I..  I,.  1).  from 
his  alma  mater. 

Mr.  Roberts  was  united  in  marriage,  July, 
1837,  to  Caroline,  daughter  of  Rev.  Stephen 
Martindale,  of  Wallingford.  She  died  on 
the  14th  of  June,  1886.  Four  children  are 
the  issue  of  this  union  :  Mary,  Caroline  M., 
Stephen  M.,  and  Robert. 

Besides  his  engagements  in  the  U.  S.  Cir- 
cuit Court,  the  practice  of  Mr.  Roberts  has 
been  mainly  in  the  counties  of  Chittenden, 
Rutland,  Addison  and  Bennington.  Among 
the  criminal  cases  in  which  he  has  appeared 
which  possess  some  dramatic  interest  or 
involve  some  intricate  principle  of  the  law, 
may  be  named  that  of  the  State  vs.  .Archi- 
bald Bates,  Bennington  county.  Mr.  Rob- 
erts and  Harmon  Canfield  were  assigned  by 
Chief  Justice  Williams  to  defend  Bates  for 
the  crime  of  murdering  his  brother's  wife. 
In  spite  of  their  strenuous  efforts  the  jury 
brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty,  and  Bates  was 
hung  on  Bennington  Hill  on  the  8th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1839.  This  was  the  last  public  execu- 
tion in  S'ermont.  Since  that  time  all 
executions  have  been  within  the  walls  of 
the  state  prison.  Mr.  Roberts  has  said  of 
this  trial  that,  although  he  defended  the  pris- 
oner with  all  the  earnestness  possible,  he 
never  spoke  to  him  before,  during,  or  after 
the  proceedings,  nor  even  went  to  see  him 
hung.  State  vs.  McDonald,  3 2d  Vt.  Reports, 
491,  is  a  leading  case  involving  the  law  of 
homicide.  Mr.  Roberts'  brief  in  the  case  is 
particularly  pointed  and,  as  well  as  the  opin- 
ion of  Chief  Justice  Redfield,  is  worth  study. 
On  a  second  trial  McDonald  was  very  prop- 
erly convicted  of  manslaughter  and  sentenced 
to  state's  prison  for  life,  where  during  his 
confinement  he  died  of  consumption.  Such 
of  the  ci\il  causes  in  which  Mr.  Roberts  has 
been  engaged  as  have  been  sent  to  the 
Supreme  Court  are  to  be  found  scattered 
through  nearly  sixty  volumes  of  the  state 
reports.  He  still  continues  busily  engaged 
in  his  professional  labors. 

ROBERTS,  Ellis  G.,  of  Fair  Haven, 
son  of  Robert  and  Janette  (Griffith)  Roberts, 
was  born  in  Bontnewydd  near  Carnar\on, 
North  Wales,  August  25,  1850. 


ROBERTS.  ^^-j 

F.ducated  in  National  and  British  schools 
of  that  country  he  came  to  America  in  1873, 
settled  in  Scranton,  I'a.,  being  associated 
with  a  prominent  physician  in  a  drug  store. 
Returning  to  Wales  in  1878,  he  entered  the 
Royal  University,  Belfast,  Ireland,  as  an 
undergraduate,  studying  medicine  and  sur- 
gery during  the  years  i878,-'79-'8o.  Return- 
ing to  .\merica  in  1883,  he  entered  the  Uni- 
\ersity  of  Pennsylvania,  graduating  in  the 
course  of  medicine  and  surgery,  in  May,  1 884. 

Engaging  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 


in  Fair  Haven,  immediately  after,  he  has  ac- 
quired a  large  and  successful  practice  and  is 
well  known  as  a  genial  associate  and  a  phy- 
sician of  sterling  ability  and  character.  He 
was  appointed  health  officer  in  1891,  which 
position  he  now  holds,  and  is  the  accredited 
medical  examiner  of  all  the  leading  life 
insurance  associations.  He  has  tra\eled 
extensively  in  this  and  foreign  countries. 

In  politics  a  staunch  Republican,  he  is 
active  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the 
state  and  nation. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  ; 
Eureka  Lodge  No.  75,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  of 
Poultney  Chapter,  No.  10,  R.  A.  M.  :  Killing- 
ton  Commandry,  No.  6,  Rutland  ;  Noble  of 
Mt.  Sinai  Temple  .■\.  .\.  O.  N.  S.,  Montpelier, 
and  various  other  organizations. 

He  was  married  to  Jennie,  daughter  of 
F\an  D.  and  Winifred  Humjjhrey,  at  Fair 
Haven,  .April  18,  18S9. 


338 


ROBERTSON. 


ROBERTSON. 


ROBERTS,  Elbert  James,  of  jackson- 

sonville,  son  of  Benjamin  Franklin  and  Cor- 
sanda  ( Brown )  Roberts,  was  born  in  Whit- 
ingham,  May  9,  1866.  He  belongs  to  a 
family  of  purest  New  England  stock,  and  one 
long  and  honorably  connected  with  the  town, 
being  a  great-grandson  of  the  Hon.  James 
Roberts,  who  was  one  of  its  original  settlers. 

His  education  was  acquired  in  the  schools  of 
Jacksonville,  and  from  three  years  attendance 
at  Arms  Academy,  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass. 
For  a  while  after  leaving  this  institution  he 
taught  school,  but  soon  entered  the  employ- 
ment of  \V.  A.  Brown  as  a  clerk  in  his  store 
at  Jacksonville.  In  the  fall  of  1889  Mr. 
Roberts  started  for  himself  purchasing  the 
Porter  grist  and  saw  mill,  where  he  has  done 
a  prosperous  and  flourishing  trade.  To  this 
occupation  he  has  added  a  widely  spread 
traffic  in  fertilizers,  all  kinds  of  farming  im- 
plements and  machinery,  and  also  conducts 
a  large  business  in  vehicles  and  a  livery 
stable.  He  is,  besides,  a  speculator  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  wool  and  all  kinds  of 
live  stock. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  March  11, 
1891,  to  Clara,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Sawyer  of 
Sadawga.  Mr.  Roberts  is  an  active  Demo- 
crat and  most  loyal  to  his  party.  He  takes 
a  very  active  interest  in  all  village,  town  and 
county  affairs.  For  three  years  he  has  been 
the  first  constable  of  his  town,  and  has  acted 
as  the  treasurer  of  the  North  River  Manu- 
facturing Co. 

He  belongs  to  the  Universalist  church, 
and  has  also  joined  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  an  active  member  of  Unity  Lodge, 
No.  89,  of  Jacksonville. 

ROBERTSON,  JOHN,  of  Bellows  Falls, 
son  of  William  and  Christian  (Ross)  Rob- 
ertson, was  born  in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
Oct.  4,  1824.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Robert- 
son came  from  Scotland  and  settled  and  for 
a  time  lived  in  Putney,  but  afterward  re- 
moved to  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  where  they 
remained  about  three  years.  When  he  was 
about  a  year  old  his  parents  returned  to  Put- 
ney, where  his  father  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  paper. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Putney  and  in  the  larger  school  of  life, 
which  so  eminently  qualifies  men  for  its 
duties  and  responsibilities.  He  entered  upon 
the  paper  maker's  trade  with  his  father  at  an 
early  age,  and  by  hard  work  and  diligent 
study  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
methods  and  management  of  the  business 
and  was  fully  qualified  for  his  after  life.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  given  his  time, 
and,  in  connection  with  a  brother,  began  the 
manufacture  of  paper  on  his  own  account  in 
Putney.  In  1872  he  began  business  in  Bel- 
lows   Falls,  under  the  firm    name   of  Rob- 


ertson, Moore  &  Co.  In  1882  this  co- 
partnership was  dissolved  and  the  firm  of 
John  Robertson  &  Son  was  formed  and  con- 
tinues to  the  present  time.  In  18S2  their 
spacious  factory  which  they  now  occupy  was 
built.  The  same  year  he  moved  to  Bellows 
F'alls,  still  continuing  to  hold  a  large  interest 
in  the  Putney  mills  in  addition  to  the  Bel- 
lows Falls  concern. 

Mr.  Robertson  is  a  consistent  advocate  of 
Republican  principles,  and  was  elected  reji- 
resentative  to  the  General  Court  from  Putney 
in  1867  and  1868,  serving  on  the  committee 
of  manufacturing  and  corporations.  Upon 
his  becoming  eligible  in  1884,  he  was  chosen 
by  his  fellow-citizens  of  Rockingham  to  re]i- 
resent  them  in  the  Legislature. 


•1% 


^.gpKB**  ^ 


JOHN    ROBERTSON. 

Mr.  Robertson  is  a  member  of  the  Golden 
Rule  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  filled  the 
offices  of  J.  W.,  S.  AV.  and  Master,  and  is  a 
firm  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  order. 

He  was  married,  Oct.  5,  1846,  to  Nancy 
J.,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Smith) 
Black.  Of  this  union  were  ;  Mary  C.,  Charles 
E.,  Helen  C.  (deceased),  Jennie  M.,  and 
Jennie  C.  (deceased).  Mrs.  Robertson  died 
August  15,  1886.  On  Oct.  10,  1888,  he  was 
again  married,  to  Stella  M.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Chilson)  Dana.  One 
child,  Marion  D.,  was  born  to  them.  Mrs. 
Robertson  died  June  11,  1892. 

ROBERTSON,  WILLIAM,  of  Putney,  son 
of  George  and  Margaret  (Benson)  Robertson, 
was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  June  15,  1822. 


ROBERTSON. 

His  jiarents  moved  to  Putney  in  1823, 
-where  he  received  his  early  ethication.  After 
locating  in  Putney  his  father  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother  for  the  manu- 
facture of  writing  paper,  which  continued 
until  1828,  when  he  put  u])  a  mill  in  the  vil- 
lage for  the  manufacture  of  the  same  by 
hand.  No  sooner  was  this  completed  than 
a  freshet  carried  it  away  but  he  soon  erected 
a  new  mill  and  operated  it  until  1837,  when 
he    commenced    the    manufacture   of   straw 


ROBINSON.  339 

He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  belonging  to 
the  (lolden  Rule  Lodge,  of  Putney,  and  the 
Brattleboro  Commandery  and  Chapter. 

ROBINSON,  George  Wardsworth, 

late  of  Bennington,  son  of  Cajn.  Heman 
and  Betsey  (Wardsworth)  Robinson,  was 
born  in  Bennington  Centre,  Jan.  14,  181 9. 
Grandson  of  Cen.  David  Robinson,  w^ho  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Bennington.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  academy 
of  Bennington,  and  when  he  arrived  at  man's 
estate  he  took  his  departure  for  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  emjiloyed  as  a  clerk  in  a 
carpet  store,  but  at  the  solicitation  of  his 
grandfather  returned  to  Bennington  in  1843, 
taking  charge  of  the  general's  estate.  Later 
he  became  proprietor  of  the  Walloomsac 
House,  and  was  also  employed  as  an 
auctioneer. 

Politically  Mr.  Robinson  was  a  Democrat 
and  was  formerly  postmaster  at  Bennington 
Centre.  He  was  a  charter  memlier  and  the 
first  president  of  the  Bennington  Historical 
Society,  to  which  he  devoted  much  time  and 


ROBERTSON. 


paper,  young  Robertson  working  with  him 
until  1840  w^hen  on  account  of  serious  re- 
verses hisfatherandhefailed.  Young  Robert- 
son without  a  dollar  bought  the  mill  and  fol- 
lowed the  business  until  1865,  when  he  began 
the  manufacture  of  tissue  paper  with  fresh 
machinery  and  a  new  mill  and  is  now  carry- 
ing on  the  business. 

At  the  time  of  the  St.  Albans  raid  the  state 
militia  was  organized  and  Mr.  Robertson  was 
made  captain  of  Co.  B.  This  force  was 
maintained  for  several  years,  but  was  never 
called  on  for  service. 

Captain  Robertson  is  a  Republican  and 
has  represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature, 
doing  creditable  service  in  that  body. 

Captain  Robertson  was  married  in  Mont- 
pelier,  Oct.  2,  1834,  to  ,\bbie  .\.,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Amore  and  .Abigail  (Drown)  Benson,  of 
Landgrove.  Of  this  union  are  three  chil- 
■dren  :   Frederick  E.,  Frank  M.,  and  Helen. 


GEORGE    WARDSWORTH    ROBINSON. 

labor.  He  was  also  much  interested  in  tlie 
erection  of  the  Bennington  battle  monument, 
and  he  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of  a  very 
fine  collection  of  relics  relating  to  the  battle 
which  are  of  much  historical  interest. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  united  in  marriage, 
.Vjiril  8,  1840,  to  Jane  L.,  daughter  of  Joseph 
X.  Hinsdill,  of  Hinsdillville.  To  them  nine 
children    were    born  :    David,    Mrs.    Fannie 


340  ROBINSON. 

Harrison  of  San  Francisco,  Chester  H., 
Heman,  Agnes  J.,  Sarah  Fay  (Mrs.  Samuel 
B.  Hall),  Carrie  H.,  Jennie  E.,  and  George  A. 

ROBINSON,  John  C,  of  Jamaica,  son 
of  John  P.  and  Mary  R.  (Cheney)  Robin- 
son, was  born  in  Jamaica,  Sept.  12,  1840. 

He  pursued  the  usual  educational  course 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  supplemented  this  by  study  at  the  Ice- 
land and  (iray  Seminary  at  Townshend  and 
the  Methodist  Seminary  of  Springfield. 

.\fter  leaving  school,  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
he  opened  a  photographer's  establishment, 
in  which  he  was  employed  for  five  years ;  he 
then  closed  out  his  business  and  gave  his 
services  to  the  West  River  National  Bank  of 
Jamaica  as  teller,  remaining  there  until  1875. 
He  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  Jamaica  Sav- 
ings Bank  in  1S73  and  has  since  held  that 


position.  When  the  charter  of  the  national 
bank  expired  in  1885  the  savings  bank 
bought  its  building  and  has  since  carried  on 
a  business  which  has  greatly  prospered  under 
the  able  management  of  Mr.  Robinson. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  wedded  June  10,  1878, 
to  Ella  J.,  daughter  of  John  and  Maria 
(Stowell)  Cheney.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :  John  S.,  Carroll  C.  (who  was 
a  messenger  in  the  Legislature  of  T892  ),  Roe 
E.,  and  Mary,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

He  has  been  the  incumbent  of  several 
official  positions,  was  made  collector  of  taxes 
in  18S2,  and  was  superintendent  of  schools 


for  several  years  ;  also  justice  of  the  peace, 
town  agent  and  town  grand  juror. 

Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Republican  and  was 
postmaster  from  1877  to  1885,  and  in  1892 
he  was  elected  to  represent  Jamaica  in  the 
General  Assembly. 

ROGERS,  Nathaniel  Sewall,  of  New- 
port, son  of  Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Smith) 
Rogers,  was  born  in  Moultonboro,  N.  H., 
June  7,  1840.  When  he  was  five  years  of 
age  his  father  moved  to  Newport  Centre, 
where  he  commenced  to  clear  and  cultivate 
a  farm,  in  the  labor  of  which  his  son  assisted, 
while  pursuing  his  studies  at  the  public 
schools.  The  father,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven,  entered  the  army  Oct.  i,  1862,  in  Co. 
H,  15th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  fighting  in  defence 
of  the  Union.  On  ^[arch  g,  1S63,  was  taken 
prisoner  by  Mosby,  at  the  time  General 
Stoughton  was  taken,  and  confined  in  Libby 
Prison  and  finally  exchanged,  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  completely  broken  in 
health. 

During  this  period  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  took  his  father's  place,  supporting  the 
family  during  his  absence,  .\fter  his  father's 
return,  prompted  by  a  conscientious  desire 
to  serve  his  country  ( having  been  prevented 
up  to  this  time  by  illness),  he  enlisted  Sept. 
15,  1S63,  as  a  private  in  Battery  M,  ist  Vt. 
Heavy  Artillery.  Having  been  mustered 
into  service  in  Brattleboro,  Mr.  Rogers  first 
sen'ed  in  the  defences  of  Washington,  and 
subsequently,  in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania, 
was  the  first  man  wounded  in  his  regiment, 
in  consequence  of  which  disaster  he  lost  his 
right  leg,  and  was  discharged  from  the  Mont- 
pelier  Hospital  Sept.  14,  1865. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  Newport  Centre,  and,  having  previously 
purchased  his  father's  farm,  continued  to 
carry  it  on  till  the  death  of  his  parents.  In 
1880  he  moved  to  his  present  village  resi- 
dence. 

He  was  naturally  a  Republican,  and  as 
such  has  held  many  positions  of  trust.  Was 
justice  of  the  peace  for  fourteen  years  ;  and 
in  September,  1892,  was  elected  assistant 
judge  of  Orleans  county. 

judge  Rogers  was  united  in  marriage 
Sept.  25,  1866,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
Rufus  and  Philinda  (Oaks)  Whipple  of 
Newport  Centre.  Three  children  were  the 
issue  of  this  marriage  :  Elmer  C,  Ernest 
S.,  and  Jennie  G. 

judge  Rogers  has  been  adjutant,  chaplain, 
and  commander  of  T.  B.  .Alexander  Post, 
No.  26,  G.  A.  R.,  and  for  the  past  year  held 
the  office  of  assistant  inspector  department 
Vt.  G.  A.  R.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the  executive  committee,  and  teacher  and 
member  in  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Free 


Will  Baptist  .Church,  with  which  he  united 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 

ROONEY,  Michael  F.,  of  Mendon, 

son  of  Thomas  and  Ellen  (McLaughlin) 
Rooney,  was  born  in  West  Rutland,  Dec.  27, 
1863. 


payment  bill,  which  measure  became  a  law 
of  the  state.  He  was  largely  influential  on 
the  committees  on  highways  and  bridges. 
Two  years  afterward  he  again  received  the 
same  compliment,  though  ojjposed  by  one 
of  the  strongest  and  ablest  Republicans  of 
the  town.  In  this  Legislature  he  also  dis- 
played the  same  vigor  as  at  first,  doing  duty 
again  on  the  same  committees  as  before. 

In  his  religious  preferences  Mr.  Rooney 
is  a  Catholic,  but  he  has  always  been  a 
hearty  and  liberal  supporter  of  all  Christian 
institutions. 

ROOT,  Henry  Green,  of  Bennington, 
son  of  Klisha  and  Betsey  (Moseley)  Root, 
was  born  in  flreenfield,  Mass.,  Sept.  nS, 
iSiS. 

His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Greenfield,  and  this  was 
supplemented  by  a  course  of  study  at  Fellen- 
burg  and  Deerfield  academies. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Boynton  &  Whitcomb,  atTem])le- 
ton,  Mass.,  to  learn  the  manufacture  of  tin- 
ware. Four  years  later  he  formed  a  partner- 
shii.)  with  Luther  R.  Graves  and   soon  after 


Receiving  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic and  private  schools  of  West  Rutland  and 
Clarendon,  he  has  later  devoted  much  at- 
tention to  study  and  reading,  especially  in 
matters  relating  to  state  legislation.  In 
1888  he  settled  in  the  town  of  Mendon, 
■where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  lumber- 
ing. His  business  has  steadily  increased  in 
magnitude  and  prosperity,  and  he  is  now 
running  a  steam  saw  mill,  which  employs  a 
large  force  of  hands.  Though  yet  a  young 
man  and  living  in  a  rural  community,  he  has 
met  with  unusual  success  financially  and  po- 
litically. 

A  Democrat  in  political  faith,  and  a  resi- 
dent of  a  strongly  Re]iublican  town,  he  has 
been  the  recijiient  of  many  responsible  posi- 
tions at  the  hands  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and 
has  always  discharged  these  trusts  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents. In  1890  he  was  elected  the  rep- 
resentative from  Mendon,  an  ample  proof  of 
his  popularity  and  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  all  his  friends  and  neighbors. 
In  his  first  legislative  experience  he  showed 
himself  an  active  and  conservative  member 
of  the  House,  securing  an  ap])ropriation  for 
his    town,  also    introducing   the   fortnightly 


thev  established  themselves  in  Bennington, 
imder  the  firm  name  of  Graves  &  Root,  which 
firm  existed  more  than  fifty  years,  and  for 
many  years  they  were  the  largest  producers 
of  tinware  in  Vermont.  They  established 
the  second  National  bank  in  Vermont,  of 
which    Mr.  Gra\es  was  president,  and   Mr. 


342 


Root  \  ice-president,  which  offices  they  hold 
at  the  present  time. 

He  was  a  director  of  the  board  of  the  Ben- 
nington Battle  Monument  Association,  and 
chairman  of  the  executi\e  committee  at  the 
centennial  celebration  at  that  place. 

He  has  been  for  more  than  thirty  years  a 
director  of  the  Vermont  State  Agricultural 
Society,  serving  three  years  as  its  president. 

Formerly  a  whig  he  is  now  a  staunch  ad- 
herent of  the  Republican  party,  was  for  se\- 
eral  years  member  and  chairman  of  the  state 
committee  and  represented  Bennington  in 
the  Legislature  in  1850  and  1857.  In  i860, 
as  elector  at  large,  he  voted  for  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  six  years  later  he  served  two 
successive  terms  as  senator  from  Bennington 
county. 

Since  1857  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  of  which  for  several 
years  he  has  been  a  trustee. 

Mr.  Root  married,  Dec.  23,  1846,  Cath- 
erine L.,  daughter  of  Samuel  H.  and  Sylvia 
(Squires)  Blackmer,  of  Bennington,  who 
died  in  September,  1887.  Two  children 
were  the  fruit  of  the  union  :  Samuel  H.,  and 
Catherine  K.  (Mrs.  William  A.  Root).  On 
Ian.  23,  1889,  Mr.  Root  married  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Dr.  Nathan  and  Esther  (Conkey ) 
(;ale,  of  Orwell. 

ROPES,  Arthur,  of  Montpelier,  son  of 
George  and  Miriam  (Johnson)  Ropes,  was 
born  in  Newbury  May  5,  1837. 

He  obtained  his  early  educational  train- 
ing in  the  common  schools  and  St.  Johns- 
bury  Academy,  and  was  for  a  time  a  member 
of  the  class  of  1864  in  Dartmouth  College. 
He  became  a  teacher  in  the  common  schools 
of  Vermont,  then  was  assistant  in  St.  Johns- 
bury  Academy  and  afterwards  promoted  to 
be  the  principal  of  the  high  school  of  that 
village.  Impaired  health  induced  him  to 
spend  a  year  in  outdoor  life  in  the  Lake  Su- 
perior region.  He  then  gave  his  attention 
to  business  affairs  and  was  employed  as  tel- 
ler in  the  Passumpsic  National  Bank,  which 
he  quitted  to  become  the  cashier  of  the 
Northfield  National  Bank  of  Northfield.  He 
next  engaged  in  manufacturing  at  Waterbury 
and  Montpelier  and  in  1880  he  entered  the 
business  office  of,  and  soon  became  a  writer 
upon  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Vermont 
Watchman.  During  Mr.  Prescott's  owner- 
ship of  the  Watchman  Mr.  Ropes  was  its  ac- 
tive editor.  In  18S6  he  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Rural  ^'ermonter  at  Montpelier, 
and  in  1888  his  enterprise  and  energy  dis- 
played itself  in  the  formation  of  an  associa- 
tion of  business  men  in  Montpelier  and 
Washington  county,  entitled  the  Watchman 
Publishing  Co.,  for  the  purpose  of  purchas- 
ing the  Watchman  and  uniting  with  it  the 
A'ermonter.       This  was  accomplished    and 


Mr.  Ropes  has  since  filled  the  editorial  chair 
of  the  Watchman  and  is  the  business  mana- 
ger of  the  company,  of  which  he  is  a  direc- 
tor and  the  clerk. 

Though  a  Republican  he  holds  no  politi- 
cal office  and  his  ambition  does  not  run  in 
that  direction,  but  in  that  of  conducting  a 
newspaper  influential  in  advancing  the  ma- 
terial and  moral  welfare  of  the  people  of  the 
state. 


ARTHUR    ROPES. 

Mr.  Ropes  was  married  June  28,  1864,  tO' 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  George  \\'.  and  Char- 
lotte (McNider)  Hutchins.  They  have  twO' 
daughters  :  Charlotte,  and  Laura  L. 

ROSS,  JONATHAN,  son  of  Royal  and 
Eliza  (Mason)  Ross,  was  born  April  30,. 
1826,  at  Waterford.  Jonathan  Ross,  the 
grandfather  of  the  judge,  moved  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  Waterford  in  or  about  the  year 
1795.  There  he  cleared  away  the  forest  and 
cultivated  a  farm  on  which  he  supported 
himself,  wife  and  family  of  six  children,  of 
whom  Royal,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  second  son. 

Jonathan  Ross  received  the  excellent  ed- 
ucation ordinarily  imparted  in  the  common- 
schools  of  Vermont,  and  fitted  for  college  in 
the  academy  at  St.  Johnsbury.  Matriculating 
at  Dartmouth  College  in  1847,  he  graduated 
from  that  institution  in  1851. 

L'p  to  the  close  of  his  twenty-first  year 
Mr.  Ross  had  a  practical  acquaintance  with 
agricultural  labor  on  his  father's  farm.  His 
summers    were  occupied  in   the  cultivation 


343 


of  its  acres,  and  his  winters,  between  the 
ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-five,  in  teaching 
'n  the  pubHc  schools  of  Vermont,  New 
Hampshire,  and  Massachusetts.  In  this 
pursuit  he  achieved  unusual  and  decided 
success. 

.After  graduating  from  college  he  taught  in 
Craftsbury,  and  was  principal  of  the  academy 
at  Chelsea.  While  residing  in  the  latter 
town  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
William  Hebard,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Orange  county  Jan.  i8,  1856. 

In  1S56  Mr.  Ross  contracted  a  legal  co- 
partnership with  A.  J.  Willard,  Ksq.,  of  St. 
Johnsbury,  which  continued  for  nearly  two 
years.  After  that  he  practiced  by  himself 
until  1865,  when  he  was  associated  with  G. 
.\.  Burbank,  Esq.  This  connection  lasted 
for  twehe  months,  and  was  succeeded  in 
i86g  by  partnership  with  Mr.  \\'.  P.  Smith. 
The  latter  relation  existed  until  the  follow- 
ing year,  in  which  Mr.  Ross  was  elected  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Judge  Ross  has  taken  an  active  and  influ- 
ential part  in  the  public  affairs  of  Vermont. 
From  1858  to  1868  he  was  treasurer  of 
the  Passumpsic  Savings  Bank.  Under  his 
fiduciary  management  the  corporation  never 
lost  a  dollar.  In  i862-'63  he  was  state's 
attorney  for  Caledonia  county.  In  1S65, 
1866,  and  1867  he  was  sent  to  the  Legisla- 
ture as  the  representative  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
and  served  effectively  on  the  judiciary  and 
other  committees.  He  was  for  some  years 
before  1870  an  active  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  state  board  of  education.  In 
1869  he  was  a  member  of  the  last  Council 
of  Censors  held  in  the  state.  In  1870  he 
was  returned  by  Caledonia  county  to  the 
state  Senate,  and  in  the  same  year  was 
elected  sixth  assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  In  1890  he  was  elected  chief  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  position  he 
now  worthily  fills. 

Mr.  Ross  was  married  on  the  22d  of  No- 
vember, 1852,  to  Eliza  Ann,  daughter  of 
Isaiah  and  Caroline  (Bugbee)  Carpenter. 
Eight  children  were  born  to  them  :  Caroline 
C,  I'>lizabeth,  Helen  (deceased),  Julia  (Mrs. 
Yh.  Aldrich,  of  Somerville,  Mass.),  Martha, 
Edith,  Edward  Harlan,  and  John.  Mrs'.  Ross, 
who  was  a  sister  of  Judge  .-Monzo  P.  Carpenter 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Supreme  Court,  died 
some  years  since,  and  Judge  Ross  married 
for  his  second  wife.  Miss  Helen  Daggett. 

ROWELL,  George  Barker,  of  Bar- 
ton Landing,  son  of  .Adoniram  Judson  and 
Lucy  A.  (Richardson)  Rowell,  was  born  in 
North  Troy,  March  30,  1846. 

After  the  usual  course  of  instruction  in  the 
common  schools,  his  educational  training 
was  pursued  in  the  Missisquoi  Valley  and  St. 
lohnsburv  .Academies,  and  subsecpiently  he 


graduated  from  the  liurlington  Medical  Col- 
lege, June,  1872,  as  a  practitioner  of  the 
homoeopathic  school.  For  some  time  he 
was  em])loyed  as  a  teacher  in  the  Richford 
graded  and  public  schools,  but  soon  after  his 
graduation  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  his  native  town.  He  removed 
to  Irasburg  in  1873,  where  he  continued  in 
the  same  occupation  till  1891,  when  he 
came  to  Barton's  Landing.  Here  he  be- 
came a  general  dealer  in  horses,  cattle,  wag- 
ons and  other  articles.  In  connection  with 
a  partner  he  purchased  a  large  farm  at  Iras- 
burg. 

During  the  war  Mr.  Rowell  served  as  a 
clerk  in  the  quartermaster's  department  un- 
der Captain  Dunton,  at  City  I'oint,  Va.,  in 
1864.  For  four  years  he  discharged  the 
duties  of  town  superintendent  of  Irasburg. 

In  his  political  creed  he  inclines  to  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  is  a 
Congregationalist  with  respect  to  his  relig- 
ious preferences. 

He  is  a  master  Mason  in  good  standing 
and  unites  with  Missisciuoi  Lodge,  No.  9,  at 
Richford. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock  Jan.  i,  1873,  to 
Isadore,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Susan  (Per- 
kins) Darling  of  Masonville,  P.  <■)■,  who  died 
August  20,  1876.  Mr.  Rowell  contracted  a 
second  alliance  Sept.  i,  1891,  with  Etta, 
daughter  of  Hugh  and  Jennie  (Rowan) 
Grant  of  Pembroke,  Ont.,  the  fruit  of  which 
union  is  one  son  :  Hugh  Grant. 

ROWELL,  JOHN  W.,of  Randolph,  was 
born  in  Lebanon,  X.  H.,  June  9,  1835.; 

The  early  education  of  Judge  Rowell  was 
received  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
West  Randolph  .Academy.  There  he  was 
thoroughly  prepared  for  admission  to  college 
a  year  in  advance.  Circumstances,  however, 
conspired  to  prevent  his  graduation.  Choos- 
ing the  profession  of  law,  he  entered  in 
i8'56  upon  its  study  in  the  office  of  Jefferson 
P.  Kidder,  ex- Lieutenant  Governor  of  Ver- 
mont, afterwards  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Dakota,  and  a  delegate 
to  Congress  from  that  territory.  From  1857 
to  the  winter  of  1858  he  studied  in  the  office 
of  judge  Edmund  Weston,  and  also  attended 
a  course  of  lectures  in  the  law  college  es- 
tablished by  Judge  Hayden  and  other  gen- 
tlemen at  Poland'',  Ohio.  At  the  June  term 
in  1858  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Orange  county.  Mr.  Rowell  at  once  asso- 
ciated himself  in  partnership  with  Judge 
John  B.  Hutchinson.  This  connection  con- 
tinued until  the  latter  part  of  1859,  when 
Judge  Hutchinson  accepted  the  position  of 
cashier  of  the  Northfield  Bank,  which  he 
held  until  1861.  He  then  returned  to  Ran- 
dolph and  again  entered  into  partnership 
with  his   old  business  associate.     'I'his  new 


344 


relation  lasted  until  iS66,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved by  reason  of  the  ill-health  of  Judge 
Hutchinson.  Mr.  Rowell  removed  to  Chi- 
cago in  February,  1870,  and  entered  into 
business  connection  with  John  Hutchinson, 
formerly  U.  S.  Consul  at  Nice.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1S71,  he  returned  to  Randolph,  re- 
sumed legal  practice  in  his  old  home,  and 
has  since  made  it  his  permanent  residence. 

During  the  legislative  sessions  of  1861  and 
1862,  Mr.  Rowell  represented  Randolph  in 
the  General  Assembly,  and  was  distinguished 
as  the  youngest  member,  except  one,  of  the 
House.  He  served  both  sessions  upon  the 
judiciary  committee.  He  also  rendered  ex- 
cellent service  on  other  committees.  In 
1862  and  1863  he  efficiently  filled  the  office 
of  state's  attorney  for  Orange  county. 

In  1874  he  was  elected  a  state  senator 
from  Orange  county  and  served  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  the  asylum  for  the  insane 
and  also  on  the  committee  on  the  judiciary. 
From  1872  he  was  for  eight  years  reporter  of 
the  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Mr. 
Rowell  had  by  his  learning  in  the  law  and 
his  great  skill  in  active  practice  become  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  Vermont  bar  when  Gov- 
ernor Farnham,  fan.  11,  1882,  appointed  him 
sixth  assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
The  appointment  was  to  fill  a  \acancy  on  the 
bench  occasioned  by  the  promotions  conse- 
quent on  the  death  of  Chief  Judge  Pierpoint. 
Judge  Rowell  now  holds  the  position  of 
second  assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Judge  Rowell  was  formerly  a  director  of 
the  Northfield  Bank,  and  has  been  a  director 
and  vice-president  of  the  Randolph  National 
Bank  since  its'organization. 

He  was  married  on  the  ist  of  August,  1858, 
to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Leonard  and 
Hannah  (Gilman)  \\'heeler,  of  Randolph. 

ROYCE,  George  Edmund,  of  Rut- 
land, son  of  Alpheus  and  Harriet  (Moore) 
Royce,  was  born  in  Orwell,  Jan.  t,  1829.  He 
is  the  seventh  in  lineal  descent  from  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice,  who  emigrated  to  America 
from  Birkhamstead,  Hertfordshire,  England, 
in  1638,  and  settled  in  Sudbury,  Mass.  His 
great-grandfather,  .\donijah  Rice,  was  the 
first  white  child  born  in  Worcester,  Mass., 
and  here  resided  until  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  when  he  moved  to  Bridport.  He  served 
in  several  campaigns  in  the  old  French  and 
Indian  war,  and  was  one  of  the  celebrated 
band  of  scouts  known  as  Rogers'  Rangers. 
His  grandfather,  Jonas  Rice,  held  a  commis- 
sion as  first  lieutenant  in  the  regular  army 
under  General  Washington,  was  present  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Delaware,  the  battles  of 
Trenton  and  Princeton,  and  shared  in  the 
misery  and  privations  of  Valley  Forge.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  Orwell  and 
was  united  in  marriage  to   Elizabeth  Carver, 


a  direct  descendant  of  John  Carver,  first 
(Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony.  His  father, 
Alpheus  Royce,  bore  the  name  of  his  ances- 
tors until  middle  life,  when  he  changed  the 
orthography  of  the  appellative  to  Royce,  al- 
leging as  his  reason  for  the  alteration  that 
the  family  of  Rice  was  becoming  too  numer- 
ous and  would  soon  be  likely  to  outnumber 
the  Smiths. 

(ieorge  Edmund  Royce  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  followed  by  two 
terms  at  the  Troy  Conference  Academy.  .As- 
sisting his  father  in  the  labor  of  the  farm 
until  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  was  then  em- 
ployed in  the  store  of  John  Simonds  as  clerk 
at  Watch  Point,  Shoreham,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  From  there  he  removed 
to  New  York  in  1850  and  labored  for  one 
year  as  salesman  for  Dibble,  Frink  &  Co., 
wholesale   dry  goods  dealers,  then  gave   his 


■wW*    T^'^V 


3EORGE    EDMU 


services  to  Lathrop,  Ludington  &  Co.,  who 
were  in  the  same  line  of  business,  and  with 
whom  he  remained  about  seven  years.  In 
1S59  he,  with  others,  organized  the  firm  of 
Robbins,  Royce  &  Hard,  wholesale  dry 
goods  dealers,  and  two  years  after  the  con- 
cern was  changed  to  Robbins,  Royce  & 
Acker,  which  arrangement  continued  until 
Jan.  I,  1S64,  when,  although  the  business 
was  very  successful  and  satisfactory,  the 
partnership  was  dissolved  on  account  of  the 
failing  health  of  Mr.  Royce  and  he  removed 
to  Rutland,  where  he  still  resides.  In  1865 
he  became  interested  in  the  ^\■ardvvell  stone 


345 


channelling  machine,  which  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  the  Steam  Stone  Cutter  Co.,  of 
which  corporation  he  became  and  has  con- 
tinued one  of  the  trustees  and  treasurer,  also 
being  its  general  manager. 

Mr.  Royce  was  first  married  to  Meriam 
E.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  I\I.  (Bot- 
tom) Brewer,  of  Orwell,  Feb.  5,  1857  ;  she 
died  March  2,  1S66  ;  he  then  wedded  Mar- 
tha A.  Brewer,  sister  of  his  first  wife,  Sept.  6, 
1866  ;  he  contracted  a  third  alliance  with 
Ellen  C.  White,  of  Orwell,  Nov.  4,  1875.  His 
children  by  his  first  wife  were  :  Fannie  E. 
(Mrs.  Charles  N.  Drowne),  George  B.,  Julia 
M.  (died  in  infancy),  Kate  M.  (Mrs.  C.  H. 
Hyde,  of  Rutland).  By  his  second  wife  he 
had  :  Jane  M.,  Robert  S.  (died,  in  Naples, 
Italy,  Jan.  27,  1890),  Julia  E.  (Mrs.  Freder- 
ick Forest  Dowlin,  of  North  Adams,  Mass.  ; 
died  Oct.  13,  1893).  From  his  last  mar- 
riage there  are  issue  :  Edmund  W.,  Thomas 
I.,  Pauline  M.,  Albert  A.,  Henry  M.,  Richard 
H.,  and  John  C. 

Mr.  Royce  was  one  of  the  original  incor- 
porators and  directors  of  the  True  Blue 
Marble  Co.,  and  since  1887  has  been  its 
treasurer  and  manager.  Since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Baxter  National  Bank  he  has  also 
been  a  director  of  that  institution. 

He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  prefer- 
ences and  a  bi-nietalist,  and  has  five  times 
been  elected  to  the  position  of  selectman  in 
the  town  of  Rutland,  besides  holding  many 
other  local  offices.  He  has  large  real  estate 
interests  in  Rutland  and  the  West.  He  is  a 
Universalist  in  his  religious  creed,  and 
one  of  the  trustees  of  St.  Paul's  church,  Rut- 
land, and  a  sustaining  member  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.A. 

RUGG,  David  Fletcher,  of  Hartland, 

son  of  William  \\'.  and  Rachel  (Dodge)  Rugg, 
was  born  in  Londonderry,  Dec.  15,  1852. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  West 
River,  Chester  and  Black  River  Academies, 
and  from  the  early  age  of  fifteen  was  a 
teacher  during  the  winter  terms  in  the 
schools  of  Winhall,  Shaftsbury,  Ludlow  and 
Weathersfield.  While  thus  engaged  he  still 
found  time  to  pursue  the  study  of  medicine, 
to  which  profession  he  had  resolved  to  de- 
vote the  labors  of  his  life.  Commencing  his 
researches  in  the  office  of  Dr.  W.  F.  Eddy, 
of  Londonderry,  he  became  a  student  in  the 
medical  department  of  U.  V.  M.,  and  after- 
wards entered  the  same  department  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  finally  graduated  from 
the  U.  V.  M.,  1876,  as  valedictorian.  He 
received  the  faculty  prize  for  best  thesis. 
In  the  same  year  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Hartland,  and,  occupied  in  practicing  his 
profession,  has  continued  to  make  this  town 
his  residence. 


Dr.  Rugg  was  united  in  marriage,  Dec. 
28,  1 88 1,  to  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Albert  D. 
and  Sarah  (C.oddard)  Hagar.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  them  ;   Harold  Goddard. 

.•\n  active  Republican,  Dr.  Rugg  has  been 
for  years  a  member  of  the  town  committee. 
He  has  been  chairman  of  the  State  Board  of 
Censors,  town  superintendent  of  schools,  and 
also  served  on  the  County  School  Board. 
For  manv  vears   he   has  been  a   member  of 


the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  he  is  enrolled  in  the 
Aermont  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was 
vice-president  in  1883,  and  in  the  American 
Medical  Association,  White  River  Valley  and 
Connecticut  River  \'alley  Societies.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Ninth  International 
Congress  of  Physicians,  held  at  Washington, 
D.  C.,  in  1SS7.' 

RUSSELL,  Chandler  Miller,  of  Wil- 
mington, son  of  Jordan  H.  and  Harriet  L. 
(Partridge)  Russell,  was  born  in  Wilming- 
ton, Dec.  7,  1842. 

His  earlv  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  and  he  fitted  for  college  at 
Wesleyan  Academy,  graduating  in  1865. 

In  1862,  while  pursuing  his  academic 
course,  he  returned  to  his  native  state  and 
enlisted  in  Co.  F,  i6th  Vt.  \ols.,  and  partici- 
pated with  this  regiment  in  the  batde  of 
Gettysburg,  being  mustered  out  of  service 
August  10,  1863. 

Subsequently  he  creditably  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  principal  of  the  \Vilmington  high 
school,  and  in   1867  engaged  in  mercantile 


346 


business  in  that  town,  which  pursuit  he  fol- 
lowed until  1878.  Three  years  later  Mr. 
Russell  again  resumed  the  profession  of 
teaching,  and  in  1882  entered  the  National 
College  of  Elocution  and  Oratory  at  Phila- 
delphia, graduating  in  18S4.  In  connection 
with  Mrs.  Russell  he  then  traveled  through 
New  England  and  New  York,  giving  public 
readings,  which  were  received  with  marked 
favor.  For  the  last  six  years  Mr.  Russell 
has  traveled  extensively,  lecturing  upon  pop- 
ular subjects,  in  which  enterprise  he  has 
been  unusually  successful. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  in  June,  1877, 
to  Gertrude  E.,  daughter  of  Lorenzo  and 
Beulah  (Blanchard)  Bowen  of  Readsboro. 
Of  this  union  one  child  was  born  :  Blanche 
Leone. 

Mr.  Russell  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Mount  Vernon  Institute  of  Elocution 
and  Languages  of  Philadelphia,  and  at  pres- 
ent holds  the  position  of  director.  He  has 
held  many  important  local  offices,  always 
discharging  faithfully  and  conscientiously 
the  trusts  reposed  in  him.  In  1891  he  was 
elected  a  councillor  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Civics,  New  York  City.  He  is  a 
frequent  contributor  to  the  columns  of  vari- 
ous newspapers  and  periodicals,  and  is  now 
collecting  material  for  a  history  of  the  1 6th 
Vermont  Regiment,  and,  with  the  aid  of  an 
excellent  private  library  and  his  own  per- 
sonal endeavor,  keeps  well  informed  with 
rearard  to  all  matters  of  current  interest. 


For  nearly  thirty  years  Mr.  Russell  has 
been  a  Free  Mason,  holding  various  honora- 
ble positions  in  the  order,  and  he  is  promi- 
nent in  the  G.  A.  R. 

He  is  the  manager  of  an  extensive  insur- 
ance business,  but  still  devotes  some  time  to 
filling  engagements  on  the  platform. 

RUSSELL,  George  Kendal,  of  Bel- 
lows Falls,  son  of  \\'illard  and  Abigail  E. 
(  Ward)  Russell,  was  born  in  Cabot,  .April  1 1, 
1841. 

Having  received  his  early  education  at  the 
common  schools  and  the  Franklin  (N.  H.) 
Academy,  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Law- 
rence, Mass.,  and  from  thence  to  Exeter,  N. 
H.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
paper  with  his  father,  commencing  his  busi- 
ness career  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen. 

Like  so  many  of  our  youth,  he  felt  the 
martial  ardor  of  the  time  and  in  1862  enlisted 
in  Co.  E,  15th  N.  H.  Regt.,  and  served  till 
that  organization  was  mustered  out  of  service. 
In  1870,  he  purchased  the  interest  of  his 
father  in  the  Exeter  mill  and  continued  by 
himself  till  1873, when  he  disposed  of  the  prop- 
erty and  removed  to  Bellows  Falls,  where  he 
again  entered  into  a  business  connection  with 
his  father,  buying  a  paper  mill  which  the  firm 
operated  till  1879,  when,  the  father  selling 
his  interest  to  the  son,  the  latter  erected  a 
pulp  mill.  Twelve  years  afterwards  he  sold 
this  to  the  Fall  Mountain  Paper  Co.,  and, 
after  disposing  of  his  other  manufacturing 
property  to  the  Robertson  &  Coy  Paper  Co., 
retired  from  active  business  life. 

Always  a  Republican  he  held  many  official 
positions  in  the  towns  of  Brentwood,  N.  H., 
and  Exeter,  and  has  also  devoted  much  time 
to  Free  Masonry,  being  a  member  of  King 
Solomon's  Lodge,  No.  45,  of  Bellows  Falls, 
Abenaqui  Chapter,  and  Beauseant  Com- 
mandery,  of  Brattleboro,  while  his  name  is  on 
the  roll  of  Mt.  Kilborn  Lodge,  K.  of  H.,  and 
E.  H.  Stoughton  Post,  No.  34,  G.  A.  R. 

Mr.  Russell,  Nov.  9,  1863,  espoused  Annie 
A.,  daughter  of  Mark  and  Elizabeth  ( Flagg) 
Colbath.  Of  this  union  there  are  three  living 
children  :  WillardT.,  Lizzie  \\'.,  and  Grace  L. 

RUSSELL,  Julius  W.,  of  Burhngton, 
son  of  William  P.  and  Lydia  (Miner)  Rus- 
sell, was  born  in  Moira,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  i,  1846. 

Receiving  his  early  instruction  at  the 
academies  of  Williston  and  Shelburne,  he 
entered  Wesleyan  LTniversity,  Middletown, 
Conn.,  September  1864,  where  he  remained 
two  vears,  then  changed  to  Yale  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1S68.  He  was  then 
principal  of  Hinesburg  Academy  until  De- 
cember, i86g,when  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  Judge  William  G.  Shaw  of  Burlington, 
continuing  with  him  till  1870,  when  he  went 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  attended   the 


RrTHERFclRII 


kriHEKKOKI) 


Columbia  I-aw  School.  During  the  summer 
of  187 1  he  was  in  the  office  of  L.  K.  Mngles- 
by,  Esq.,  of  Burlington,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Chittenden  county  at  the  Sep- 
tember term  of  the  same  year.  He  has  made 
Burlington  his  home  since  that  time,  and 
has  made  a  specialty  of  commercial  law. 

Mr.  Russell  married,  Dec.  31,  1872,  Kate, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Elmer  and  luneline  (Dud- 
ley) Beecher  of  Hinesburg.  Their  children 
are  :  Flora  E.,  William  J.,  and  Elmer  B. 

For  two  years  he  was  state's  attorney  and 
was  city  attorney  of  Burlington  from  1SS9  to 
1891.  He  has  served  as  grand  juror  and 
also  school  commissioner,  and  for  twelve 
years  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Eodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  FJurlington.  His  religious  pro- 
fession is  Congregational,  and  he  is  a 
member  of  the  V.  M.  C.  A. 

RUTHERFORD,  JOSEPH  C,  of  New- 
port, son  of  Alexander  and  Sally  (Clifford) 
Rutherford,  was  born  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
Oct.  I,  1818.  His  parents  came  to  Vermont 
in  1826,  and  settled  at  Burlington  in  1830. 
It  was  in  the  high  schools  at  Burlington  he 
received  the  principal  share  of  his  education. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  started  out  in 
the  world  for  himself.  He  early  expressed 
the  desire  to  study  medicine,  but  his  cir- 
cumstances were  such  that  he  was  unable  to 
do  so  until  1S42,  when  he  entered  the  office 
of  Dr.  Newell,  then  of  Lyndon  and  after- 
wards of  St.  Johnsbury. 

In  May,  1843,  he  located  at  Derby,  and 
in  December  of  that  year  was  married  to 
Hannah  W.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Jacob  Chase. 
( )f  this  union  were  five  children,  three  of 
whom  are  still  living :  Dr.  Jacob  C.  of 
Providence,  R.  I.,  Mrs.  John  S.  Colby  of 
Chicago,  and  Mrs.  George  S.  Woodward  of 
Chicago. 

In  1844  he  resumed  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  the  office  of  Dr.  Moses  F.  Colby, 
Stanstead,  P.  (J.,  and  graduated  at  Woodstock 
in  1849.  In  1 85 1  he  went  to  Blackstone, 
Mass.  In  1857  he  returned  to  Derby,  from 
where  he  removed  to  Newport  in  i860, 
which  place  has  been  his  home  since  that 
time. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  re- 
bellion in  1 86 1,  he  was  commissioned  sur- 
geon by  Governor  Fairbanks,  and  examined 
recruits  for  enlistment.  He  held  this  posi- 
tion until  commissioned  by  (lovernor  Hol- 
brook  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  loth  Vt. 
Vols.  Mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service,  he 
immediately  started  for  the  front,  where  the 
regiment  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  defences 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  stationed 
near  Edwards  Ferry,  Md.  The  regiment 
remained  here  and  in  this  vicinity  about  nine 
months.     When  the  armv  of  the   Potomac 


was  ordered  to  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  the  loth 
Vt.  was  sent  to  Monocacy  Station,  Md.,  to 
guard  the  rear  of  the  army  and  the  supplies. 
After  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  the  loth  Vt., 
joined  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  and  was 
enrolled  in  the  3d  division  3d  army  corps. 
His  first  experience  on  the  battlefield  was 
Nov.  26,  1863,  at  Locust  Grove,  Ya.,  where 
he  received  an  injury  that  nearly  cost  him 
his  life,  and  which  resulted  in  a  broken  con- 
stitution and  a  crippled  frame.  Notwith- 
standing its  serious  character,  he  remained 
at  the  post  of  duty,  and  was  in  every  battle 
in  which  his  regiment  participated,  until 
near  the  close  of  the  war.  In  March,  1865, 
he  was  promoted  to  be  surgeon  of  the  17th 
Vt.  Vols.,  which  regiment  had  but  one  battle 
after  he  joined  it,  that  of  Petersburg,  .April 
2,  1865.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  L.  S. 
service  with  the  17th  Vt.  Vols,  in  July,  1865, 
after  having  served  within  a  few  days  of 
three  years.  His  relations  with  the  two 
regiments  were,  and  with  their  survivors 
have  been  to  the  present  time,  of  a  very 
pleasant  character.  He  won  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  both  officers  and  men,  and 
the  ties  of  friendship  that  were  there  ce- 
mented with  blood  and  hardship,  have  be- 
come stronger  and  stronger  as  time  has  sil- 
vered the  locks  of  the  surviving  comrades. 
And  today,  nearly  thirty  years  after  the  war, 
his  comrades  speak  of  Surgeon  Rutherford 
with  deep  feelings  of  gratitude  and  respect. 

Directly  after  being  mustered  out  of  the 
service  he  returned  to  his  home  in  New- 
port, where  he  has  since  resided,  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  medicine  in  civil  life. 
In  1866  he  was  commissioned  examining 
surgeon  for  pensions,  which  place  he  has 
held  to  the  present  time,  1S93. 

He  joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  1844,  was  made  a  Free  Mason  in 
1866,  and  has  taken  all  the  degrees  up  to 
and  including  that  of  the  Knight  Templar. 

At  an  early  day  the  doctor  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  anti-slavery  cause,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  first  convention  held  by  that 
faction  in  Vermont.  His  first  vote  for  pres- 
ident was  cast  for  William  Henry  Harrison, 
and  when  the  Republican  party  was  organ- 
ized he  joined  it,  and  has  voted  with  it  ever 
since.  In  1S80  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legis- 
lature a  supervisor  of  the  insane,  which  office 
he  held  for  two  years. 

.After  a  busy  life  of  hardship  and  toil  for 
the  relief  of  the  sulTerings  of  others,  he  has 
retired  from  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  is  now  living  in  his  quiet  and 
pleasant  home  in  the  peaceful  enjoyment  of 
the  fruits  of  his  labors.  His  kindness  to  the 
poor  and  destitute  is  limited  only  by  his 
means,  and  he  is  ever  ready  by  kindly  words 
and  deeds  to  cheer  and  solace  the  woes  he 
cannot  altogether  heal. 


348 


RYTHER,  Fred  E.,  of  Dover,  son  of 
Eaton  and  Mary  A.  (Morse)  Ryther,  was 
born  in  Dover,  August  26,  i860. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Dover 
and  has  followed  the  vocation  of  farming 
since  early  manhood,  with  the  exception  of 
some  time  spent  in  teaching. 

An  ardent  Democrat  in  political  faith,  he 
has  been  honored  by  his  townsmen  with 
many  positions  of  honor  and  represented 
Doxer    in    the    (leneral  Assembly  of   i8go. 


He  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
Democrat  to  represent  the  town  since  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
has  also  served  the  town  as  selectman  for 
two  terms  and  as  superintendent  of  schools. 
Mr.  Ryther  is  an  energetic  and  popular 
young  man,  who  has  a  life  of  much  useful- 
ness before  him,  and  that  he  is  meeting  the 
expectations  of  his  friends  is  evidenced  by 
his  career. 


SANBORN,  ISAAC  Wheeler,  of  l.yn- 

donville,  son  of  Deacon  Benjamin  and  Abi- 
gail B.  (Stanton)  Sanborn,  was  born  in  Lyn- 
don, Feb.  16,  1833.     His  grandfather  came 


ISAAC    WHEELER    SANBORN. 


to  Wheelock  from  Sanbornton,  N.  H.,  which 
was  named  in  honor  of  the  Sanborn  family. 

Isaac  W.  Sanborn  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Lyndon,  the  Lyndon  and 
St.  Johnsbury  academies  and  Newbury  Sem- 
inary, finishing  his  school  studies  in  1855. 
He  has  ahvays  been  an  extensive  farmer, 
owning  originally,  with  his  father,  the  land 
on  which  the  village  of  Lyndonviile  stands, 
and  has  large  interests  in  real  estate  and 
banks.  He  isl^resident  of  the  I^yndon  Sav- 
ings Bank,  of  the  Caledonia  County  Publish- 
ing Co.,  and  of  the  board  of  school  direc- 
tors of  the  town  of  Lyndon.  He  has  been 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty  years. 


Politically,  Mr.  Sanborn  is  a  Republican 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  John 
C.  Fremont  in  1856.  For  thirty-five  years 
he  has  discharged  the  duties  of  the  town 
clerk  and  treasurer.  For  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury he  acted  as  secretary  of  the  Caledonia 
County  Agricultural  Society  and  served  the 
Young  Men's  Temperance  Society  of  that 
county  in  the  same  capacity. 

He  has  always  been  identified  with  the 
cause  of  education  :  was  one  of  the  incorpor- 
ators and  is  at  present  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Lyndon  Institute  and  Commer- 
cial College,  to  which  he  has  been  a  liberal 
contributor,  so  much  so  that  the  Sanborn 
Student's  Home,  a  fine  boarding  house 
erected  in  1891,  was  named  in  his  honor. 
To  his  financial  ability  have  been  entrusted 
the  funds  of  the  village  of  Lyndonviile  since 
its  organization,  and  for  several  years  he 
acted  as  town  superintendent  of  schools.  In 
1870  and  1872  he  represented  Lyndon  in 
the  Legislature,  serving  on  the  committees  on 
education,  the  standing  joint  committee  and 
on  the  House  committee  on  rules.  He  was 
assistant  clerk  of  the  House  for  two  sessions, 
and  in  1870  delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention. 

Mr.  Sanborn  has  decided  literary  tastes,  is 
a  regular  correspondent  of  the  St.  Johnsbury 
Republican,  and  in  his  earlier  days  was  a 
frequent  contributor  to  several  leading  New 
York  and  Boston  periodicals.  At  the  cen- 
tennial celebration  of  the  organization  of  the 
town  of  Lyndon,  July  4,  1891,  Mr.  Sanborn 
was  chairman  of  the  executive  committee. 
In  his  religious  belief  he  adheres  to  the  Bap- 
tist denomination,  and  is  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor to  all  benevolent  enterprises. 

SARGENT,  Caleb  Gushing,  of  Cor- 
inth, son  of  Jonathan  and  Sarah  (Marston) 
Sargent,  was  born  in  Candia,  N.  H.,  Dec. 
24,  1835.  His  ancestors  in  each  family 
branch  were  of  English  extraction.  His  pa- 
ternal ancestor,  WilHam  Sargent,  son  of  Rich- 
ard Sargent  of  the  Royal  Na\y,  was  born  in 
England,  in  1602,  and  came  to  America,  it  is 
said,  on  the  Mayflower  and  landed  at  Ipswich, 


349 


Mass.,  about  1630.  He  was  one  of  the 
twelve  men  who  commenced  the  settlement 
of  Ipswich,  in  1633,  and  afterwards  heljjed  to 
form  settlements  in  Newbury  and  Hampton, 
and  in  1640  was  one  of  the  eighteen  original 
proprietors,  or  commoners,  who  settled  New 
Salisbury,  now  known  as  Amesbury,  Mass. 
His  great-grandfather,  Moses  Sargent,  of 
Candia,  N.  H.,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion and  one  of  the  original  proprietors  and 
leading  men  of  the  early  days  of  that  town. 

The  early  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  spent  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
about  eighteen  years  of  age,  when,  under  the 
inspiration  of  his  mother's  counsels,  he  re- 
solved upon  the  attainment  of  a  liberal  edu- 
cation ;  but  the  accomplishment  of  his  pur- 
pose lay  along  the  way  of  hardships  and  amid 
difficulties  whose  solution  seemed  at  times 
uncertain  and  disappointing  to  his  youthful 
aspirations.  However,  by  the  dint  of  unmit- 
igated industry  and  perseverance,  and  by 
resources  deri^'ed  from  his  intiividual  effort, 
mainly  directed  in  the  line  of  school  teaching, 
he  was  enabled  to  attain  the  purpose  of  his 
early  ambition.  He  pursued  his  preparatory 
studies  at  Blanchard  .Academy,  Pembroke,  N. 
H.,  and  entered  Dartmouth  College  in  1856, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  class  of  i860. 

Immediately  after  completing  his  college 
course  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Clark  &  Smith,  of  Manchester,  N. 
H.,  and  in  1861  came  to  Corinth,  and  for 
the  completion  of  his  legal  studies  entered  his 
name  in  the  law  office  of  Robert  Ormsby,  of 
Bradford.  In  1857,  Mr.  Sargent  was  as- 
sistant at  Blanchard  .\cademy,  and  for  four 
years  next  previous  to  1864,  was  principal  of 
the  Corinth  .\cademy,  at  Corinth  ;  and  a 
trustee  and  prudential  officer  of  that  institu- 
tion until  its  union  with  the  Cookville  graded 
school  in  1876. 

In  1863,  being  compelled  by  inauspicious 
circumstances  to  defer  for  a  time  his  life 
purpose  of  the  legal  profession,  he  devoted 
himself  to  trade,  and  since  then  has  been 
engaged  chiefly  in  mercantile  and  general 
business  pursuits,  with  agriculture  as  a  col- 
lateral avocation,  and  under  different  business 
associations,  but  mainly  in  Corinth. 

In  i878-'79  Mr.  Sargent  discharged  the 
duties  of  assignee  of  the  Union  Mining  Co. 
of  Corinth,  and  later  was  paymaster,  clerk 
and  treasurer  of  the  Vermont  Copper  Mining 
Co. ;  also  of  the  Vermont  Copper  Co.,  in 
their  several  business  operations  at  Pike  Hill 
and  Vershire,  until  their  suspension  in  1883. 
The  noted  Ely  riot  of  July  2,  1883,  which 
necessitated  the  calling  out  the  state  militia 
to  accomplish  its  suppression,  was  conse- 
quent upon  this  suspension.  At  its  early 
inception  it  appeared  to  involve  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  the  company's  valuable  works,  if 
not  the  life  of  some  of  its  officers,  so  intense 


and  uncontrollable  was  the  maddened  furor 
of  the  men  on  the  morning  of  its  first  out- 
break. While  much  of  truth  antl  considera- 
ble of  conjecture  has  been  written  relative 
to  the  causes,  scenes,  and  affairs  of  that 
disastrous  occasion,  yet  one  fact  remains — 
on  the  afternoon  of  that  ominous  Monday, 
when  the  infuriated  mob  had  taken  the 
control  of  affairs  into  their  own  hands,  and 
had  surrounded  the  residence  of  the  sick 
president,  left  unprotected  by  police  or 
sheriff,  and  were  howling  threats  of  violence 
and  devastation  in  every  window  and  door- 
way, and  the  lives  of  the  inmates  seemed  to 
hang  on  the  doubtful  mercy  of  the  frantic 
assailants,  that  it  was  very  largely  due  to  the 
heroically  cool,  frank,  and  conservative 
action  of  the  treasurer,  in  his  conciliatory 
efforts  with  the  men  on  that  occasion,  and 
unaided,  that  peace  and  order  were  tempo- 
rarily restored  and  the  backbone  of  the  riot 
partially  broken,  which  doubtless  saved  the 
great  property  from  destruction  that  in  the 
councils  of  the  frenzied  rioters  was  to  have 
been  destroyed  in  early  morning. 

For  five  years  subsequent  to  1863  Mr. 
Sargent  held  the  position  of  captain  in  the 
state  militia  and  became  early  in  life  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  officiating  as  mas- 
ter of  Minerva  Lodge  for  twel\-e  years. 

In  the  cause  of  temperance  reform  he  has 
taken  an  active  interest,  both  in  town  and 
state,  having  filled  the  offices  of  counselor 
and  treasurer  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Cood 
Templars  and  represented  that  grand  body 
in  the  Right  Cirand  Lodge  at  Madison,  \\"is., 
in  1872,  and  has  since  been  a  grand  officer 
in  the  order  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance. 

Judge  Sargent  is  a  Republican  in  his  po- 
litical proclivities  and  was  a  member  of  the 
first  state  Republican  convention,  at  Con- 
cord, N.  H.,  in  1855,  and  has  served  as 
member  and  chairman  of  the  Orange  county 
republican  committee  for  several  years.  In 
matters  of  town  he  has  occupied  responsible 
and  conspicuous  positions ;  was  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  justice  of  the  peace,  town 
agent  and  selectman  for  several  years  in  suc- 
cession. For  nineteen  years  he  discharged 
the  duties  of  postmaster,  was  delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1870,  and  was 
representative  from  Corinth  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  1878,  where  he  was  an  influential 
member  of  the  House,  serving  as  chairman 
of  one  of  its  larger  committees.  In  1886  he 
was  elected  assistant  judge  at  the  county 
court  and  re-elected  in  188S,  and  in  1S90 
and  1891  discharged  the  duties  of  county 
auditor. 

In  his  religious  preferences  Judge  Sargent 
is  a  Congregationalist  and  has  been  an  ac- 
tive member  and  officer  of  that  society  in 
Corinth  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 


350 


He  married,  May  28,  1861,  Cordelia  Viva, 
daughter  of  Theodore  and  Ruth  Allen 
(Tenny)  Cooke  of  Corinth.  Four  children 
were  born  of  this  union  :  Carl  Theodore, 
Edward  Hou£;hton,  Carrie  Delia,  and  Jennie 
I!ell. 

SAWYER,  Edward  Bertrand,  of 

Hyde  Park,  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary  (  Keeler) 
Sawyer,  was  born  in  Hyde  Park,  April  16, 
1S28. 


EDWARD    BI^rRiND    SAV 


His  education  was  obtained  in  public  and 
private  schools,  to  some  extent  under  the 
care  of  a  tutor,  and  during  one  term  at  the 
People's  Academy.  His  father  was  his  first 
instructor  in  the  law,  the  study  of  which  he 
commenced  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  reading 
also  in  the  office  of  Hon.  \V.  W.  White,  then 
of  Johnson.  Appreciating  the  defects  of  his 
early  schooling,  he  adopted  a  system  of  self- 
education,  taking  Fowler's  "  Self  F>ducation, 
Complete  "  for  a  guide  and  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin for  his  model. 

'I'hree  years  of  his  early  life  he  spent  with 
a  brother  who  was  engaged  in  trade  in  the 
Province  of  Quebec,  and  while  with  him  he 
received  a  somewhat  varied  business  train- 
ing, but  he  had  a  fixed  inclination  to  the 
practice  of  the  law,  and  after  the  preparatory 
study  above  referred  to,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Lamoille  county,  at  the  June  term  of 
1849,  ^rxi  immediately  commenced  to  prac- 
tice with  his  father.  The  same  year  he  was 
appointed  clerk  of  the  court,  which  office  he 


held,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  until 
September,  1861,  when  he  resigned  to  enlist 
for  the  war.  He  again  held  this  appointment 
from  1868  to  1875,  when  he  a  second  time 
resigned,  and  since  then  has  continued  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession. 

In  1865  he  interested  himself  in  the  arti- 
ficial breeding  of  trout,  and  was  probably  the 
first  man  in  the  state  to  engage  in  this  enter- 
prise. Two  years  after  he  abandoned  this 
undertaking,  to  purchase  the  Lamoille 
Newsdealer,  a  paper  which  he  revivified 
and  edited  for  three  years,  devoting  a  large 
share  of  its  columns  to  the  advocacy  of  the 
Portland  &  Ogdensburg  R.  R.  In  1870 
he  sold  this  journal  and  varied  his  experi- 
ence by  becoming  the  proprietor  of  the 
American  Hotel,  and  after  seven  years'  man- 
agement of  this  concern,  retired  to  resume 
his  professional  labors,  and  since  1877  has 
given  these  his  exclusive  attention. 

Mr.  Sawyer  devoted  all  his  time  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  war  to  the 
service  of  his  country.  He  enlisted  Sept. 
14,  1 86 1,  having  first  raised  and  organized 
Co.  D,  5th  Vt.  Regt.,  and  raised  Co.  I,  ist 
Vt.  Cavalry.  Upon  the  organization  of  this 
body  he  was  unanimously  elected  captain, 
and  in  the  retreat  of  General  Banks  down 
the  Shenandoah  Valley  received  a  severe 
injury  by  a  fall  off  his  horse.  Having  been 
previously  promoted  to  major,  though  dis- 
abled, he  did  not  suffer  his  energy  to  remain 
idle,  but  recruited  two  hundred  men  for  the 
regiment  at  large,  and  in  addition  organized 
Co.  L  and  Co.  M,  forming  the  sixth  squad- 
ron of  the  regiment,  of  which  he  was 
colonel,  when  not  in  charge  of  a  brigade  or 
detached  on  special  service,  until  he  resigned. 
He  was  placed  in  the  command  of  the  2d 
brigade  of  Kilpatrick's  division  when  that 
general  made  his  raid  upon  Richmond,  and 
upon  that  occasion  and  many  others  was 
complimented  for  his  efficient  services  by  his 
superior  officers,  though  no  record  can  be 
found  of  his  asking  for  promotion.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  he  was  wounded  in  the  cheek 
by  a  rebel  sharpshooter,  and  though  in  no 
great  battles  during  the  war  was  more  than 
forty  times  under  fire.  Colonel  Sawyer  or- 
ganized and  was  the  first  commander  of 
Aaron  Keeler  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  which  was 
named  in  honor  of  his  maternal  grandfather, 
a  veteran  of  the  American  Re\olution. 

Colonel  Sawyer  was  married  in  June,  1849, 
to  Susan  Almira,  daughter  of  Hon.  Isaac 
and  Dorcas  (Titus)  Pennock.  Of  this  mar- 
riage four  children  were  issue  :  Mvra  Ellen 
(M^rs.  F.  N.  Keeler),  Edward  B.',  Mattie 
Helen,  and  Bertha  Mary  (deceased).  In 
August,  1866,  he  wedded  Helen  M.  Pennock, 
the  sister  of  his  first  wife,  by  whom  he  had  : 
.■\lma  Dorcas,  Clarence  Parsons,  and  Lucy 
Etta. 


Colonel  Sawyer  came  from  old  Federal 
and  whig  stock,  and  sang  Harrison  songs  in 
the  political  campaign  of  1840.  He  was  in 
the  convention  which  instituted  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  Vermont,  and  in  that  of  iiS56, 
which  nominated  Ryland  Fletcher  forCiov- 
ernor  of  the  state.  He  advocated  Fremont's 
election,  and  spoke  in  his  favor  in  every 
town  in  the  county.  An  incident  which 
fell  under  his  observation  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Canada,  attracted  his  attention  to 
the  subject  of  .American  slavery,  and  he  be- 
came a  most  bitter  opponent  of  that  institu- 
tion. He  was  privileged  to  hear  some  of 
the  joint  debates  of  Douglas  and  Lincoln, 
and  ever  after  remained  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirer of  the  latter.  He  was  the  junior 
member  and  secretary  of  the  Vermont  dele- 
gation to  the  national  convention  of  i860, 
and  an  uncompromising  advocate  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  nomination.  He  represented  Hyde 
Park  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1870,  and  favored  the  change  to  the  bien- 
nial session.  He  is  now  a  firm  believer  in 
the  theory  that  law,  and  law  only,  makes 
money,  and  that  the  government  can  make 
a  dollar  out  of  any  material. 

SCARFF,  Charles  WaYLAND,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Emanuel  H.,  and  Mary 
(Bowen)  Scarff,  was  born  in  Pella,  Iowa, 
June  3,  1858. 


His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  town,  and  he  gradu- 
ated  from   the   Iowa   Central  L'niversity  in 


1878,  four  years  afterward    receiving  from 
his  alma  mater  the  degree  of  A.  M. 

Commencing  his  active  life  as  a  teacher 
in  the  Marion  county  public  schools,  he 
soon  after  located  on  a  tract  of  government 
land  near  (Irand  Island,  Xeb.,  where  he  was 
employed  as  a  book-keeper  in  a  wholesale 
hardware  firm  till  1885,  when  he  went  into 
the  real  estate  business.  .As  secretary  of  the 
Crand  Island  Koard  of  Trade  he  was  largely 
iniluential  in  securing  the  location  of  the 
Baptist  L'niversity  for  that  place,  and  for  this 
institution  he  raised  nearly  thirty  thousand 
dollars  while  on  a  visit  to  the  East,  which 
he  made  for  that  purpose.  He  was  also  en- 
gaged in  the  erection  of  a  business  block 
and  a  fine  hotel  of  his  own  in  Grand  Island, 
and  in  1887  organized  its  Street  Railway  Co. 
He  has  been  a  liberal  benefactor  to  the 
Baptist  L'niversity,  having  contributed  ten 
acres  of  land  for  the  building  site,  as  well  as 
a  large  amount  of  time  and  money  to  supply 
its  various  needs. 

Mr.  Scarff  was  married,  June  3,  1882,  to 
Lestina,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Emily  Shep- 
ard  Lebatt,  of  Grand  Island,  Neb.  They 
have  had  four  children:  Emanuel  (de- 
ceased), Eleanor  May,  Lestina  Meda,  and 
Walter  Tahnage. 

In  the  spring  of  1S91  Mr.  Scarff  came  to 
Burlington,  where  he  has  extensively  engaged 
in  real  estate  and  manufacturing  operations, 
mainly  in  developing  and  building  up  the 
Scarff  addition  to  Burlington.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  his  political  views,  but  has  never 
accepted  any  office. 

SCOTT,  OLIN,  of  Bennington,  son  of 
Martin  Billings  and  Mary  Ann  (Olin)  .Scott, 
was  born  in  Bennington,  Feb.  27,  1832.  He 
derives  his  lineage  on  his  father's  side  from 
Landlord  Fay,  of  the  historic  Catamount  Tav- 
ern, General  Safford,  Major  Samuel  Billings, 
and  Jonathan  Scott,  while  among  his  moth- 
er's ancestors  were  Capt.  Moses  Sage  and 
Giles  Olin,  all  of  whom  were  pioneers  in  the 
early  settlement  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state  and  identified  with  the  disputes  concern- 
ing the  New  Hampshire  Grants  as  well  as 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

The  early  educational  ad\antages  of  Mr. 
Scott  were  limited  to  the  district  school,  and 
at  the  age  of  eleven  he  found  employment  as 
clerk  in  Troy  and  Albany,  N.  V.  In  1846- 
'47,  he  attended  the  L'nion  Academy,  at 
Bennington,  supporting  himself  by  his  own 
exertions.  He  then  served  an  api>rentice- 
ship  of  three  years  to  learn  the  trade  of  mill- 
wright, at  the  same  time  pursuing  a  systematic 
course  of  study  in  engineering,  and  to  increase 
hisjiroficiency  in  this  science  lie  attended  the 
North  Bennington  .Academy  for  a  year,  then 
worked  at  mill  building  until  he  became  lore- 


man  of  the  Eagle  Foundry  and  Machine 
Shops  in  Bennington.  Here  he  remained 
till  1S58,  when  he  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  Hon.  S.  H.  Brown,  of  that  i)lace,  to 
operate  the  Bennington  Machine  Works. 
This  arrangement  continued  until  1863,  when 
he  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner  and 
in  1864  purchased  the  business  and  plant  of 
the  Kagle  Foundry  and  Machine  Shops.  In 
1865  after  purchasing  a  property  suitable  for 
that  purpose,  he  erected  thereon  new  build- 
ings, to  which  he  transferred  the  plant  of  the 
Eagle  Foundry  and  also  that  of  his  own  es- 
tablishment thus  consolidating  the  business 
of  both,  carrying  on  the  concern  from  that 
time  in  his  own  name.  A  large  part  of  the 
machinery  used  in  the  manufacture  of  gun 
powder  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion  and 
since,  was  built  by  Mr.  Scott,  who  has  also 
exported  machines  for  this  purpose  to  various 
parts  of  the  world.     In    1869  he  built   the 


agent  for  the  Lafiin  &:  Rand  Powder  Co.,  of 
New  York,  and  the  DuPont  Powder  Co.,  of 
Wilmington,  Del. ;  which  jjosition  he  still 
holds,  at  the  same  time  operating  the  Ben- 
nington Machine  Works.  His  next  venture 
was  the  establishment  of  a  company  for  mak- 
ing machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  wood 
pulp  into  paper  stock  and  his  improved  New- 
England  pulp  grinder  has  acquired  great 
popularity  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  In  1892,  he  was  chosen  to  and 
still  holds  the  presidency  of  the  Lasher  Stock- 
ing Co.,  organized  at  Bennington,  for  the 
manufacture  of  men's  half  hose.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  other  business  operations  named, 
he  has  continuously  operated  the  Benning- 
ton Machine  Works,  to  the  management  of 
which  he  still  gives  his  personal  attention. 

Mr.  Scott  was  united  in  marriage  in  1856 
to  Celeste  E.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Lydia 
Gilbert  of  Salem,  N .  Y.  'I'wo  daughters  and 
one  son  were  the  fruit  of  this  union,  none  of 
w-hom  survive. 

He  has  been  for  many  years  a  member 
and  trustee  of  the  Second  Congregational 
Church,  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, in  which  latter  he  has  taken  the  de- 
gree of  Kt.  Templar.  He  was  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  plan  for  building  the  Ben- 
nington battle  monument,  is  a  director  and 
recording  secretary  of  the  Monument  .Asso- 
ciation and  has  ever  taken  an  active  part  in 
carrying  out  their  designs.  In  this,  as  in 
many  other  enterprises,  Mr.  Scott  has  well 
served  the  interests  of  the  community  in 
which  he  dwells. 

For  many  years  he  was  town  auditor  and 
has  also  served  the  village  graded  schools 
and  savings  bank  in  the  same  capacity  and 
has  acted  as  a  trustee  of  the  graded  school, 
being  for  two  years  chairman  of  the  board. 

Mr.  Scott  for  four  years  held  the  commis- 
sion of  captain  of  Co.  K.,  ist  Regt.,  N.  G. 
v.,  and  served  two  years  on  the  staff  of  Gov- 
ernor Farnham  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 


OLIN    SCOTT. 

Lake  Superior  powder  mills,  at  Marquette, 
Mich.,  and  became  a  stockholder  in  the  same 
and  four  years  later  became  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  Laflin  &  Rand  Powder  Co.,  of 
New  York.  In  1882  Mr.  Scott  formed  the 
Ohio  Powder  Co.,  at  Youngstown,  Ohio,  of 
which  company  he  was  for  several  years  vice 
president  and  director.  In  1884  he  organ- 
ized the  Pennsylvania  Powder  Co.,  Limited, 
at  Scranton,  Pa.,  of  which  company  he  was 
president  and  director.  In  1887,  he  sold  his 
interests  in  the  above  named  powder  com- 
panies and  became  consulting  engineer  and 


SENTER,  JOHN  Henry,  of  Montpelier, 
son  of  Dearborn  Bean  and  Susan  C.  (Ly- 
ford)  Senter,  was  born  in  Cabot,  Nov.  11, 
1848. 

Having  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  high  school  of  Concord, 
N.  H.,  he  for  many  years  was  a  school 
teacher,  having  taught  forty-three  terms.  He 
studied  law  with  Clarence  H.  Pitkin,  Esq., 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Montpelier 
at  the  March  term  of  1879.  Subsequently 
he  practiced  his  profession  in  Warren,  but 
in  1885  moved  to  Montpelier  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  Harlan  W.  Kemp,  the  firm 
doing  both  an  insurance  and  law  business, 
which  arrangement  continued  until  1891.  In 
1 88s  he  was  elected  a  director  and  secretary 


SHATILCK. 


of  the  Union  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.  at 
Montpelier,  which  position  he  still  retains. 

For  some  years  Mr.  Senter  has  been  the 
attorney  for  Montpelier  village  and  he  is  now 
secretary  of  the  Montpelier  Board  of  Trade. 
In  1888  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
United  States  circuit  and  district  courts  in 
Vermont. 

Mr.  Senter  was  married  at  Plattsburgh,  N. 
Y.,  Nov.  30,  1876,  to  Addie  (;.,  daughter  of 
Carlos  and  Mary  (Ainsworth)  Martin.  They 
have  five  children  :  Frank  (iinevra,  Clarence 
Hiram,  Mabel  Addie,  John  Henry,  and  Clara 
May. 


JOHN    HENRY    SENTER. 


He  is  a  Democrat  and  for  twenty-one 
years  has  been  secretary  and  assistant  sec- 
retary of  the  Vermont  Democratic  state  com- 
mittee, has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  superintendent  of  schools  and  other 
minor  positions.  Mr.  Senter  was  appointed 
national  bank  examiner  under  the  first  ad- 
ministration of  President  Cleveland.  August 
24,  1 886,  he  was  made  United  States  cir- 
cuit court  commissioner  for  the  district  of 
Vermont,  being  appointed  thereto  by  Judge 
H.  H.  Wheeler.  In  January,  1894,  Mr.  Sen- 
ter was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland 
and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  United  States 
district  attorney  for  the  district  of  \'ermont. 

He  is  a  member  of  I.  O.  O.  F.,  affiliating 
with  Vermont  Lodge,  Thomas  Wildey  En- 
campment and  Canton  Montpelier. 

While  in  Warren  he  was  an  untiring  and 
persistent  advocate  of  the  town  system  of 
schools   and    after   vears   of    effort    saw   its 


adoption  in  that  town  many  years  before  it 
l)ecame  in  1S92,  by  general  law,  the  svsteni 
for  the  state. 

SHATTUCK,  Martin,  of  Eden,  son  of 
Randall  and  Mary  Ann  (Thomas)  Shattuck, 
was  born  in  Belvidere,  Feb.  5,  1S42. 

Mr.  Shattuck  received  his  intellectual 
training  at  the  common  schools  of  Belvidere, 
but  his  practical  education  was  derived  from 
hard  labor  upon  his  father's  farm  where  he 
remained  till  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  when  he  entered  his  cousin's  store  at 
\\'aterville  as  clerk.  .After  two  years  at 
Waterville  he  married  and  went  home  to 
reside. 

Having  decided  to  engage  permanently  in 
trade  he  returned  to  Waterville,  first  enter- 
ing business  with  his  father-in-law,  but  soon 
buying  him  out.  .After  continuing  alone  for 
more  than  a  year,  in  May,  1871,  he  moved  to 


MARTIN    SHATTUCK. 

Eden  and  with  a  very  limited  capital  to  start 
with  for  twenty-two  years  has  conducted  a 
general  country  store  with  a  constantly  in- 
creasing volume  of  business.  He  is  also 
engaged  in  farming  and  the  production  of 
maple  sugar.  He  is  recognized  where 
ever  known,  as  a  safe  and  successful  finan- 
cier and  a  liberal  donor  to  ])ublic  and  re- 
ligious enterprises. 

Mr.  Shattuck  married,  Jan.  31,  1S66, 
Meribah  Esther  Hyde,  daughter  of  William 
and   Betsey    (Fuller)    Wilbur  of  Waterville. 


354 


They  have  two  sons  :  Merton  Carroll,  and 
Harlan  William. 

He  has  always  favored  the  Republican 
party  in  his  political  inclinations  and  while 
at  Waterville  was  made  assistant  postmaster, 
and  after  his  removal  to  the  town  of  Eden 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  which  position 
he  continued  to  fill  for  a  period  of  about 
twenty-two  years.  He  has  been  made  select- 
man, auditor  and  trustee  of  public  money 
and  in  1880  was  sent  to  the  Legislature, 
being  ajipointed  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  ways  and  means. 

He  has  also  knelt  at  the  altar  of  Free 
Masonry,  being  a  member  of  Mt.  Norris 
Lodge  of  Eden,  No.  69,  and  of  Tucker 
Chapter  R.  A.  M. 

SHAW,  ALBERT  J.,  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Harriman)  Shaw, 
was  born  in  Barnet,  March  2,  1830. 

His  educational  advantages  were  confined 
to  the  district  and  high  school  of  Stephens- 
ville,  followed  by  a  course  of  study  in 
Peacham  Academy. 

He  naturally  turned  to  those  business  pur- 
suits in  which  his  earlv  life  had  been  passed, 
and  has  devoted  his  attention  to  agriculture 
and  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  He  re- 
sided in  Victory  from  1859  to  1890,  when  he 
moved  to  St.  Johnsbury. 

His  political  record  commenced  in  1868, 
when  he  was  made  justice  of  the  peace. 
Two  years  later  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  from  Victory,  and 
was  the  Republican  representative  of  that 
town  in  1876  and  1884.  For  twenty  years 
he  filled  the  position  of  town  clerk  and 
treasurer,  and  then  declined  re-election, 
while  he  manifested  his  interest  in  the  cause 
of  education  by  acting  for  nine  successive 
terms  as  the  town  superintendent  of  schools. 

Mr.  Shaw,  actuated  by  patriotic  zeal,  en- 
listed in  Co.  1,  3d  Regt.,  and  was  mustered 
in  at  Burlington  and  immediately  afterwards 
dispatched  to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  where  he 
contracted  a  severe  cold  while  on  guard 
duty,  which  was  followed  by  hemorrhage  of 
the  lungs,  which  trouble  necessitated  his 
discharge  Nov.  24,  1864,  and  from  which  he 
has  never  fully  recovered 

For  three  years  he  held  the  office  of  chap- 
lain in  ^Voodbury  Post,  G.  .A.  R.,  of  West 
Concord,  but  on  his  removal  to  St.  Johnsbury, 
he  transferred  his  membershijj  to  Chamberlin 
Post  of  the  latter  place. 

He  was  married,  June  16,  1S59,  to  Francis 
J.  M.,  daughter  of  N.  S.  and  Sarah  M. (Story) 
Damon,  of  Kirby.  Four  sons  have  been 
issue  of  this  alliance  :  Albert  H.,  F^dward  C, 
William  O.,  and  Herbert  J. 

SHAW,  HENR^'  HaTRIC,  of  West  Brat- 
tleboro,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Harri- 


man)  Shaw,  was  born  in  Barnet,  Dec.  21, 
1842. 

His  education  was  obtained  at  the  Cale- 
donia grammar  school  and  Middlebury 
College,  and  he  afterward  pursued  a  course 
in  theology  under  the  private  instruction  of 
President  Lord.  For  nearly  three  years  he 
also  gave  his  attention  to  the  study  and 
practice  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Hale, 
of  Barnet.  Resolving  to  devote  his  life  to 
the  profession  of  teaching,  he  prepared  him- 
self for  his  occupation  by  mastering  the 
Oswego  Normal  course.  He  had  some  ex- 
perience in  his  profession  while  preparing 
for  and  during  his  college  course,  and  acted 
as  principal  for  the  New  Haven  Academy 
for  a  year  before  his  graduation.     During  a 


period  extending  from  1S65  to  18S1  he  was 
successively  principal  of  the  Chester  Acad- 
emy, the  Springfield  high  school,  the  Burr 
and  Burton  Seminary  of  Manchester,  and  of 
the  Northfield  graded  school.  In  T88r  he 
was  called  to  the  charge  of  the  Glenwood 
Classical  Seminary,  in  West  Brattleboro, 
where  he  still  remains. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  united  in  marriage,  August 
20,  1867,  to  Lucy  F.,  daughter  of  John  (i. 
and  Frances  Whiting,  of  Saxtons  River. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  three 
children  :  Harry  \Vhiting,  Anne  \\'hiting 
(died  in  infancy),  and  Minnie  \\'hiting. 

In  1870  Mr.  Shaw  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Springfield  and  the  Claremont  Asso- 
ciation for  the  term  of  four  vears,  and  two 


years  subsequently  received  the  same  pri\i- 
lege  for  life  from  the  Rutland  and  Benning- 
ton County  Association  of  Congregational 
Ministers  and  Churches. 


SHAW,  Wilfred  C,  of  Granville,  N. 
Y.,  son  of  James  M.  and  Helen  (Carver) 
Shaw,  was  born  in  Pawlet,  Oct.  25,  1852. 

His  education  was  acquired  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Pawlet  and  also  at  the  acad- 
emy of  that  jilace.  After  the  completion  of 
his  studies  he  engaged  in  the  occupation  of 
farming  on  the  place  where  he  was  born,  and 
to  this  he  devoted  the  efforts  of  his  life. 
From  the  careful,  methodical  manner  in 
which  he  has  pursued  his  vocation  he  has 
met  with  merited  success.  His  ]3erce])tive 
powers  and  sound  judgment  backed  by  un- 
questioned integrity  and  indomitable  energy 
have  placed  him  in  the  ranks  of  the  leading 
men  in  his  community  and  have  secured  to 
him  many  offices  of  lionor  and  trust  at  the 
hands  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  including  that 
of  selectman  and  justice  of  the  peace. 

He  was  married  at  Middle  Granville,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  14,  1874,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Benja- 
min and  Margaret  (Parry)  Williams.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  one  of 
whom,  Helen,  is  living. 

SHEDD,  WILLIAM  R.,  of  Wells  River, 
son  of  Timothy  and  Susan  (Reed)  Shedd, 
was  born  in  Newbury,  August  23,  1816. 

His  educational  acquirements  were  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools  of  Newbury  and 
at  Kimball  Union  Academy.  His  father, 
who  was  a  tanner,  came  from  Rindge,  N.  H., 
to  \Vells  River  early  in  the  present  century, 
"bought  an  estate  in  that  village,  erected  a 
tannery  and  followed  his  trade  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years  He  was  a  man  of  marked 
sagacity  and  unusual  business  ability,  and 
his  ambition  increased  with  his  opportuni- 
ties. He  soon  became  engaged  in  farming, 
lumbering,  and  general  trade. 

William  R.  Shedd  was  the  fourth  of  a  fam- 
ily of  seven,  and  has  always  lived  in  Wells 
River  with  the  exception  of  twenty  years' 
residence  in  the  adjacent  village  of  Newbury 
prior  to  1892.  He  remained  with  his  father 
till  the  time  of  the  death  of  the  latter  in 
1857,  assisting  him  in  the  varied  details  of 
his  business,  and  after  his  decease  was  for 
some  time  employed  in  the  administration 
of  the  estate.  About  this  time  Mr.  Shedd 
transferred  the  tannery  into  a  grist  mill,  and 
after  running  this  for  a  few  years,  sold  it,  as 
well  as  the  mercantile  establishment,  about 
i860. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  May  28,  1850, 
to  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Peter  Buder,  of 
Oxford,  Mass.  She  died  .\pril  12,  1885, 
leaving  one  daughter  :   Ruth  Annie. 


SHEi.nnx.  355 

Mr.  Shedd  has  been  for  forty  years  offi- 
cially connected  with  the  National  Bank  of 
Newbury  as  director  and  president.  For 
five  years  he  was  a  director  of  the  state 
prison,  and  under  his  management  and  that 
of  his  colleagues  the  institution  was  made 
remunerative. 


.■V  loyal  Republican  from  the  outset,  he 
has  been  called  to  fill  various  positions  of 
public  trust  Serving  as  lister  repeatedly,  he 
was  selectman  for  many  years  and  chairman 
of  the  board  during  the  trying  period  of  the 
civil  war.  His  good  judgment,  faithfulness, 
and  ability  in  public  afilairs  are  evidenced  by 
his  representing  his  town  in  the  Legislatures 
of  1863  and  1864  and  his  election  to  the 
Senate  from  Orange  county  in  1S72. 

SHELDON,  Charles,  late  of  Rudand, 
son  of  Medad  and  Mary  (Bass)  Sheldon, 
was  born  in  Rutland,  July  i,  18 14. 

His  early  education  was  limited  to  the 
district  schools  of  the  period,  and  at  the 
completion  of  his  studies  he  labored  for  two 
years  upon  his  father's  farm  at  Waddington, 
N.  Y.  He  then  entered  a  cabinet  shop  and 
learned  the  trade,  but  finding  this  occupa- 
tion uncongenial  to  his  tastes,  sought  and 
obtained  employment  as  a  clerk  in  a  coun- 
try store,  but  afterwards  went  to  Montreal, 
where  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  became 
captain  of  a  steam  craft,  and  was  afterwards 
the  master  of  a  fine  vessel  plying  on  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  Ottawa  rivers.     He  next  en- 


CHARLES  SHELDON. 


357 


gaged  in  the  lumber  trade  with  varied  suc- 
cess in  Troy  and  New  York  ("ity.but  in  1850 
returned  to  his  birthplace  where  he  com- 
menced the  marble  business,  forming  a 
partnership  with  David  Morgan,  Jr.,  and 
Lorenzo  Sheldon.  After  sundry  changes  in 
the  concern,  in  1865  he  associated  with 
himself  his  sons,  Charles  and  John  .\.  Shel- 
don. Subsequently  a  third  son,  William  K., 
was  admitted  as  a  partner,  and  in  1889  the 
firm  was  incorporated  as  the  Sheldon  Marble 
Co.  Their  business  has  been  uniformly 
successful,  and  though  tw'ice  temporarily 
suspended  by  fire,  on  each  occasion  the 
works  were  rebuilt  on  a  more  extensive  plan 
than  before,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Sheldon  they  consisted  of  three  large  mills 
fully  equipped,  constituting  one  of  the 
largest  marble  producing  concerns  in  extist- 
ence,  which  is  well  known  throughout  the 
world.  Mr.  Sheldon  has  ever  been  the 
practical  head  of  this  immense  business, 
and  to  his  able  management  is  chiefly  ow- 
ing the  prosperity  which  it  has  enjoyed. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  June  13,  183S, 
to  Janet,  daughter  of  John  and  Janet  (Som- 
erville)  Reid.  To  them  were  born  seven 
sons  and  one  daughter  :  John  A.,  Charles 
H.,  James  S.  (died  in  mfancy),  George  P., 
Richard  K.,  Janet  S.(died  in  infancy),  Archie 
L.,  and  William  K.  Mrs.  Sheldon  departed 
this  life  in  February,  1859,  and  on  Jan.  i, 
1862,  he  was  united  to  Harriet  D.  Pierce, 
daughter  of  Hon.  George  Redington  of 
Waddington,  N.  Y.,  who  survives  him. 

While  Mr.  Sheldon  was  a  resident  of  the 
state  of  New  York  he  was  an  active  partici- 
pant in  political  affairs,  being  a  staunch 
whig,  and  at  one  time  an  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  whig  state  committee.  He  was 
the  political  associate  and  friend  of  Horace 
Greeley  and  Thurlow  Weed,  and  was  later 
identified  with  the  Free  Soil  party.  He  was 
a  warm  admirer  of  James  G.  Blaine,  and 
his  admiration  for  the  brilliant  statesman 
was  intensified  by  a  somewhat  intimate  per- 
sonal acquaintance.  After  his  return  to  Rut- 
land, though  frequently  urged,  he  would 
never  accept  public  office,  devoting  himself 
•exclusively  to  his  extensive  business  inter- 
ests. He  died  of  pneumonia  Nov.  3,  1889, 
and  was  buried  in  the  family  vault  in  Fver- 
green  cemetery.  He  was  a  pleasant  and 
kindly  master,  and  as  thorough  a  workman 
as  any  of  his  subordinates.  That  he  always 
commanded  their  esteem  and  respect  is  a 
fact  amply  demonstrated  by  the  presence  of 
the  five  hundred  men  who  came  to  partici- 
pate in  the  closing  scenes  of  the  drama  of 
their  employer's  life,  and  the  loss  which  the 
community  sustained  by  his  death  w-as  em- 
phasized by  the  closing  of  all  places  of  busi- 
ness during  the  hours  of  the  funeral,  out  of 
.respect  for  the  deceased. 


SHHPARL),  John  Franklin,  of  South 

Royalton,  son  of  Isaac  Stevens  and  Lucy 
(Wheat)  Shepard,  was  born  in  Sharon,  Sept. 
4,  1835.  His  great-grandfather  was  Moses 
Shepard  who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  came 
from  Connecticut  and  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Sharon.  On  his  mother's  side  his 
ancestors  were  English. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  public 
schools  and  at  Royalton  .\cademy.  His 
father  moved  from  Sharon  to  Royalton  in 
1848  and  this  town  has  been  his  home  since, 
with  the  exception  of  the  years  1S58  and 
1859  when  he  went  West,  but  returned  to 
Royalton  before  the  breaking  out  of  the 
rebellion. 


He  enlisted  in  September,  1861,  in  the 
2d  Regt.  Co.  E,  of  Berdan's  U.  S.  Sharp- 
shooters from  Vermont,  and  was  one  of  the 
few  men  of  that  company  who  carried  his 
own  rifle.  In  the  winter  of  1862  he  con-, 
tracted  rheumatism  and  for  that  reason  was 
discharged  from  Judiciary  Square  Hospital, 
\Vashington,  D.  C",  April  19,  1S62.  Return- 
ing to  Royalton  he  ]iartially  regained  his 
health,  and  in  .April,  1863,  bought  of  his 
father  a  part  interest  in  the  home  farm  (Mill 
Brook  Farm)  and  mill  property,  and  in  1866 
bought  out  the  entire  property  of  his  father 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  manufacturing 
lumber. 

Mr.  Shepard  is  a  staunch  Republican  and 
represented  Royalton  in  the  Legislature  of 
1886.  He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  town 
affairs,  has  held  various  official  nositions  and 


358 


SHEPARDSON. 


at  present  is  chairman  of  the  board  of  school 
directors.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
Orville  Bixby  Post,  Xo.  93,  G.  A.  R.,  and  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  that  order.  He  is 
also  an  energetic  Patron  of  Husbandry  and 
in  1891  and  1892  was  Master  of  White  River 
Valley  Pomona  Grange. 

November  25,  1863,  he  married  Mary 
Flynn,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Ann  (Havens) 
Button.  They  have  five  children  :  Charles 
F.,  Lucy  A.  (Mrs.  A.  B.  Fowler),  George  S., 
John  C,  and  Fred  J. 

SHEPARDSON,  SAMUEL  C,  of  West 
Fletcher,  son  of  Joel  and  Huldah  (Good- 
rich) Shepardson,  was  born  in  Fairfax,  Dec. 
20,  1824.  His  father,  Joel  Shepardson,  was 
a  man  of  excellent  business  ability,  but  his 
principal  vocation  was  farming. 

Samuel  was  brought  up  at  home,  receiving 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  Fairfax  and 
Fletcher,  and  when  he  was  fourteen  years 
old  moved  with  his  family  to  the  farm  which 
he  now  occupies.  Possessed  of  a  powerful 
frame,  quick  perceptions  and  unusual  en- 
ergy, he  soon  developed  a  great  capacity  for 
shrewd  and  skillful  farm  management.  He 
has  also  been  a  successful  financier,  and 
ranks  among  the  most  wealthy  citizens  of 
the  town.  Dairying  and  the  production  of 
maple  sugar  are  his  chief  resources.  He 
has  an  orchard  of  1400  trees,  and  manufact- 
ures a  most  excellent  and  remunerative 
grade  of  sugar.  He  has  solved  the  vexed 
labor  question  by  rearing  two  sons,  who  with 
his  assistance  are  fully  capable  of  carrying 
on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Shepardson  was  united  in  marriage, 
Oct.  3,  1850,  to  Emily,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Junia  (Montague)  Robinson  of  Fletcher. 
Of  their  four  children,  Joel  A.  died  at 
twenty-three,  Mary  in  infancy,  and  Willie  S. 
and  Herbert  D.  survive,  being  associated 
with  their  father.  Willie  is  quite  promi- 
nently connected  in  town  affairs,  having 
been  lister,  and  is  at  present  a  selectman 
and  one  of  the  school  directors. 

Mr.  Shepardson  is  a  Republican,  and  was 
elected  to  the  House  in  1884,  where  he 
served  efficiently  on  the  committee  on  agri- 
culture and  federal  relations. 

His  widely-known  reputation  for  impartial 
judgment  and  strict  integrity  has  often  called 
him  to  the  settlement  of  estates,  but  he  has 
not  accepted  town  offices  though  many  times 
urged  to  discharge  their  duties. 

SHERMAN,  Oscar  L.,  of  Williamsville, 
son  of  Nathan  and  Mary  (Howard)  Sher- 
man, was  born  in  Dover,  Nov.  20,  183 1. 
The  common  schools  furnished  him  with 
his  education.  Leaving  school  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  labored  for  some  time  upon 
his   father's   farm,  and   then  mo\ed  to  Will- 


iamsville, where  he  was  employed  for  two- 
years  as  clerk  in  a  general  store.  .Attracted 
by  the  reports  of  the  golden  wealth"  of  Cali- 
fornia, he  emigrated  to  that  state  and  was  a 
successful  miner.  Returning  to  ^^'illiams- 
ville  in  1855,  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  G.  L.  Howe  to  do  a  general  country 
trade,  and  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Howe,  in 
1865,  Mr.  Sherman  continued  the  business 
alone. 

In  i860  and  1861  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  as  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  In  this  body  he  served  cred- 
itably during  that  important  and  critical 
period.  For  four  years  he  was  postmaster 
under  the  administration  of  President  Buch- 


OSCAR   L.   SHERMAN. 


anan,  which  office  he  resigned  at  the  end  of 
his  term.  He  is  now  vice-president  and 
director  of  the  People's  Bank  of  Brattleboro, 
and  the  latter  position  he  has  held  ever  since 
the  organization  of  that  institution.  He 
was  also  a  trustee  of  the  \\indham  County 
Savings  Bank  for  six  years.  Mr.  Sherman 
has  been  in  his  present  store  for  thirty-seven 
years,  and  is  well  known  and  respected  as 
an  upright  business  man,  and  a  generous 
and  kind-hearted  neighbor. 

He  was  married  Sept.  10,  1856,  to  Betsy 
C,  daughter  of  Captain  .Aaron  C.  and  Betsy 
(Crosby)  Robinson  of  Newfane.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom 
two  now  survive  :  Robinson  M.,  and  Al- 
bert N. 


SHERMAN,  Sidney  Harvey,  of  Brattie- 

boro,  son  of  Joseph  and  Chloe  (Howard) 
Sherman,  was  born  in  Dover,  May  ii,  1828. 
His  ancestors,  originally  from  Germany, 
emigrated  to  the  neighborhood  of  London, 
whence  thev  came  to  Connecticut,  at  length 
removing  to  Shrewsbury,  Mass.  His  great- 
grandfather, Joseph  Sherman,  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  his  grandfather, 
Nathan  Sherman,  after  participating  in  Shay's 
rebellion,  emigrated  to  Vermont  and  settled 
in  the  eastern  part  of  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Dover  about  1790. 


ARVEY    SHERMA 


Mr.  Sherman  enjoyed  the  common  advan- 
tages of  the  district  schools,  and  only  three 
short  terms  in  the  village  academies,  and 
commenced  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in 
the  store  of  P.  F.  Perry,  in  Dover  Center,  in 
1847,  but  being  dissatisfied  with  his  limited 
opportunities  went  to  the  city  of  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  as  book-keeper  for  the 
New  York  Wire  Mills.  A  year  later  he  went 
to  .Amherst,  Mass.,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  for  the  next  six  years.  .After  this 
he  engaged  in  trade  on  his  own  account  at 
Williamsville,  but  sold  out  to  his  cousin,  O. 
L.  Sherman,  and  went  to  Illinois,  locating 
on  Fox  river,  in  the  town  of  Geneva,  where 
he  remained  about  two  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Dover  and  erected  a  store  in  the 
village  of  Rock  River,  and  was  instrumental 
in  establishing  the  postoffice  at  that  place, 
called  East  Dover,  where  for  many  years  he 
held  the  office  of  postmaster.     At  the  com- 


SHKRMAN.  359 

mencement  of  the  war  he  was  elected  first 
selectman  of  the  town,  and  became  actively 
interested  in  filling  the  required  quota  of 
soldiers  and  in  raising  the  requisite  share  of 
the  war  ex])enses,  in  which  he  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  no  debt  was  left  against  this 
small  township,  which  raised  no  less  than 
Si 6,000  in  a  single  year,  although  the  popu- 
lation was  but  little  more  than  600  individ- 
uals. In  the  spring  of  1869  he  associated 
with  himself  in  business  Mr.  \..  H.  (lould, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Sherman  &  (iould, 
and  in  1870  was  chosen  a  delegate  from  the 
town  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  at 
Montpelier.  He  was  for  several  years  town 
clerk  of  the  town,  and  for  eight  years  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  at  one  time  or  another  has 
filled  all  the  prominent  offices  in  the  gift  of 
his  town.  He  was  elected  to  represent 
Dover  in  the  Legislature  of  the  state  for  the 
biennial  term  of  i872-'74. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  always  actively  interested 
in  the  growth  of  the  village  of  East  Dover, 
erecting  new  houses,  a  parsonage,  remodel- 
ling the  Baptist  church  and  purchasing  the 
mills  in  that  place,  investing  therein  several 
thousand  dollars  and  running  the  first  circu- 
lar board  saw  ever  used  in  the  town,  where 
he  carried  on  a  very  successful  business  in 
the  manufacture  of  lumber,  chair  stock,  sap 
buckets  and  pails,  giving  employment  to  a 
nimiber  of  men.  He  also  put  in  the  first 
portable  grist  mill  in  town. 

In  1875  he  sold  most  of  his  real  estate  in 
1  )over  and  moved  to  Bratdeboro.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  hardware  store  of  C.  F. 
Thompson  &:  Co.  for  one  year,  when  he 
bought  uut  the  insurance  business  of  B.  R. 
Jenne,  taking  into  partnership  Clarence  F. 
R.  Jenne,  who  became  his  son-in-law. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators 
of  the  Brattleboro  Savings  Bank  and  at  one 
time  its  vice-president,  and  has  held  for  sev- 
eral terms  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
which  he  holds  at  the  present  time.  He  has 
always  been  identified  with  the  social,  relig- 
ious, and  business  interests  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Sherman  is  by  faith  a  Baptist  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  raising  the  funds  with 
which  to  liquidate  the  debt  incurred  by  the 
erection  of  the  present  Baptist  church  struct- 
ure in  Brattleboro,  and  served  as  one  of  the 
building  committee  when  that  edifice  was 
remodeled  in  1889.  He  is  now  and  has  been 
for  se\eral  years  the  clerk  and  treasurer  of 
the  Windham  County  Baptist  .Association. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  chosen  treasurer  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Muttial  Fire  Insurance 
Co.  at  a  time  when  it  had  become  financially 
embarrassed,  and  by  his  arduous  and  judicious 
labors  the  affairs  of  the  company  were  set- 
tled upon  a  satisfactory  basis  and  its  debts 
liipiidated. 


;Co 


In  addition  to  his  own  numerous  business 
interests,  his  services  have  been  frequently 
sought  after  in  the  settlement  of  estates  and 
other  business  relations. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  first  married  at  Dover, 
July  20,  1854,  to  Artie  H.,  daughter  of  Aaron 
P.  and  Hannah  Perry.  Of  this  union  there 
was  one  child,  which  died  in  infancy  at 
Geneva,  111.  Mrs.  Sherman  died  at  Dover, 
Feb.  16,  1858.  Mr.  Sherman  again  married 
at  North  Leverett,  Mass.,  Jan.  2,  1859,  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Nichols) 
Farnsworth,  of  Halifax.  Of  this  union  were 
three  children  :  Ida  May  ( Mrs.  Clarence  F. 
R.  Jenne),  Delia  M.,  and  Clifton  L.  (editor 
of  the  Hartford,  Conn.,  Courant). 

SHIPMAN,  Elliot  Wardsworth,  of 

^'ergennes,  son  of  William  W.  and  Elizabeth 
(Reed)  Shipman,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N. 
v.,  July  12,  1862.  Both  his  paternal  and 
maternal  descent  are  from  old  and  well- 
known  families  who  early  settled  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Connecticut,  and  he  is  directly 
decended  from  the  daring  Wardsworth  who 
concealed  the  charter  of  the  province  in  the 
old  oak  to  preserve  it  from  the  clutches  of 
the  tyrannical  Governor,  Sir  Edmund  An- 
dres. 

Mr.  Shipman  received  a  most  thorough 
and  exhaustive  education  and  after  the  usual 
preliminary  training  entered  the  University 
ol  New  \'ork  from  which  he  graduated  in 
18S3  having  devoted  his  attention  to  a  classi- 
cal course.  He  then  entered  the  college  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York  and 
received  a  special  diploma  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont,  where  he  graduated  in  1SS5, 
being  honored  with  second  prize  as  a  reward 
for  an  essay  upon  a  subject  connected  with 
his  profession.  He  then  served  a  year  of 
active  apprenticeship  in  the  Charity  and 
other  hospitals  of  New  York  City,'  after 
which  he  practiced  in  New  York  City  for  a 
year  and  then  took  up  his  residence  in  Ver- 
gennes,  where  he  has  been  a  practicing 
physician  up  to  the  present  time,  making  a 
special  study  and  practice  of  diseases  of  the 
eye  and  ear.  In  this  specialty  he  is  the  only 
practitioner  between  Rutland  and  Burling- 
ton. In  order  to  increase  his  skill  and  keep 
up  with  all  modern  improvements  in  the 
manner  of  dealing  with  these  diseases  he 
spends  a  portion  of  the  winter  in  New  York, 
where  he  has  established  a  connection  with 
a  New  York  specialist  in  eye,  ear,  nose  and 
throat  work. 

Dr.  Shipman  though  taking  a  deep  interest 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  wel- 
fare, is  so  entirely  devoted  to  his  professional 
life  that  he  cannot  give  much  of  his  valuable 
time  to  discharging  the  duties  of  any  public 
office,  but  he  is  nevertheless  health  officer  of 
the  city  and  secretary  of  the  board  of  trade. 


is  a  member  of  Vermont  State  ^Medical 
Society  and  Burlington  Clinical  Society.  He 
has  been  prominently  connected  with  the 
Lake  Champlain  \'acht  Club  and  is  one  of 
the  executive  committee  of  that  institution. 
He  is  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
church  of  ^'ergennes. 

He  married,  Nov.  15,  1889,  Martha  T., 
daughter  of  Charles  O.  and  Mary  E.  (Par- 
ker) Stevens. 

Dr.  Shipman  ranks  high  among  the  pro- 
fession of  \'ermont,  as  well  as  in  his  own 
community. 

SHORES,  Ethan  PRESCOTT,  of  Granby, 
son  of  Levi  P.  and  Sarah  (Prescott)  Shores, 
was  born  in  Victory,  Feb.  7,  1842.  His 
father  who  still  survives  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  town  and  t^than  was  from  boy- 
hood inured  to  hardship  and  privation, 
but  this  severe  training  developed  Hercu- 
lean frame  and  iron  constitution. 

He  remained  at  home  till  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, dividing  his  attention  between  labor  and 
such  schooling  as  in  rare  intervals  he  could  ob- 
tain, but  when  the  Rebellion  came  he  resolved 
to  devote  that  strength  and  manhood  to  the 
service  of  his  country.  He  enlisted  in  Co. 
K,  8th  Regt.  Vt.  \'ols.,  and  remained  with  it 
during  the  entire  time  of  service,  except  thirty 
days  which  he  spent  in  the  hospital  recover- 
ing from  a  wound,  which  he  had  received  in 
action. 

At  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  the  colors 
of  the  regiment  were  nearly  captured,  for 
the  standard  bearer  had  been  shot  and  the 
regiment  was  in  full  retreat.  Shores  seized 
them,  but  too  late,  and  with  one  comrade  was 
cut  off  and  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  who  de- 
manded the  immediate  surrender  of  the  flag. 
He  shot  one  and  bayonetted  another  of  the 
rebels,  while  his  comrade  likewise  stretched 
still  another  on  the  field,  then  breaking 
through  the  ranks  around  them,  they  rejoined 
their  regiment  which  had  formed  in  battle 
line  a  short  distance  in  the  rear.  Here  Ser- 
geant Shores  delivered  the  colors  to  the  proper 
officer,  who  in  five  minutes  was  shot  dead, 
and  then  their  former  brave  defender  bore 
them  throughout  the  remainder  of  that  bloody 
fight. 

At  another  time,  though  severely  wounded 
and  made  prisoner,  he  contrived  to  break 
from  his  guards  and  after  two  nights  and 
three  days  of  weary  travel  and  perilous  ad- 
venture, reached  the  L-nion  lines.  After 
more  than  three  years  of  brave  and  con- 
stant service  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge. 

Mr.  Shores  settled  upon  the  farm  which  he 
now  occupies,  then  but  an  uncleared  lot,  and 
has  devoted  that  energy  and  courage  so  sig- 
nally displayed  upon  the  tented  field  to  the 
subjugation  of  the  \-irgin  soil. 


SHURTI.KFK. 


^,6l 


He  was  wedded,  Feb.  7,  1867,  to  Susan 
Maria,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Harriet 
(Silsby)  (Ileason.  Their  union  has  Ijcen 
blessed  with  four  children  ;  i-ltta  I';.,  I-lhvin 
P.,  ^^'inifred  J.,  and  Maud  K. 

Mr.  Shores  has  been  a]ipointcd  to  many 
posts  of  honor  and  influence,  and  was  se- 
lected to  represent  the  town  of  (iranby  in 
the  Legislatures  of  1876  and  1878.  He  is  a 
])roniinent  member  and  has  been  W.  C.  T.  in 
the  (Iranby  Lodge  of  L  ().  G.  T. 

He  is  blunt  and  outspoken,  of  strong 
convictions  and  prejudices,  but  with  his 
heart  in  the  right  place,  he  is  always  to  be 
found  on  the  side  of  temperance  and  right 
living. 

SHUMWAY,  John  QUINCY,  of  Jamaica, 
son  of  Lewis  and  Sally  (Mason)  Shumway, 
was  born  in  lamaica,  ^[ay  19,  1835. 


He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town.  At  nineteen  years  of  age 
Mr.  Shumway  began  his  business  career,  and 
established  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of 
butter  tubs.  He  continued  this  business 
until  1870,  when  he  sold  out  and  took  the 
position  of  foreman  in  a  boot  and  shoe  man- 
ufactory, the  first  and  only  establishment  of 
the  kind  in  Windham  county. 

In  1878  he  received  the  appointment  of 
deputy  sheriff  and  resigned  his  position  to 
accept  it.  He  also  took  the  agency  of 
several  leading  insurance  companies  and 
devoted  his  entire  attention  to   his  official 


duties  as  deputy  sheriff  and  his  insurance 
business.  He  continued  in  this  line  until 
the  fall  of  1888,  when  he  recei\ed  the  nomi- 
nation of  sheriff  of  Windham  county  at  the 
hands  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  since 
that  time  held  the  position,  being  twice  re- 
elected. .Mr.  Shumway  has  been  justly 
popular  in  his  own  town,  and  has  been 
chosen  to  perform  many  of  the  important 
public  duties.  He  was  first  constable  and 
collector  of  the  taxes  from  1881  to  1889.  In 
i89i-'92-'93  he  was  elected  first  selectman, 
has  served  as  auditor,  and  represented  his 
town  in  the  Legislature  of  1886,  refusing  a 
renomination  in  1888,  preferring  to  serve 
his  county  as  sheriff.  Since  1886  Mr.  Shum- 
way has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Jamaica  Sav- 
ings Bank,  one  of  the  successful  financial 
institutions  of  the  state. 

He  is  also  very  prominent  in  social 
circles,  and  has  twice  been  elected  worship- 
ful master  of  Mt.  Lebanon  Lodge,  No.  46,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  for  ten  years  sec- 
retary. 

Mr.  Shumway  was  married  .August  13, 1858, 
to  Miss  Olive  Ann,  daughter  of  Chandler 
and  Polly  J.  Waterman.  ()(  this  union  there 
were  three  children  :  M.  .Agnes,  Arthur  Iv, 
and  Olive  K. 

SHURTLEFF,  JOHN  Taylor,  of  Pen- 
nington, son  of  Jonas  and  Illizabeth  (I'ay- 
lorTshurtleff,  was  born  in  Williamsport,  N. 
v.,  Dec.  31,  1834.  Mr.  Shurtleff's  great- 
grandfather, having  a  plantation  near  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.,  furnished  cattle  for  the  Revolu- 
tionary army  in  camp  near  Philadelphia, 
and  General  Washington  was  godfather  to 
the  planter's  son.  h'is  grandfather,  Benoni, 
served  in  both  land  and  naval  battles  of  the 
Revolution. 

'Phe  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Pridgewater  and  Phillipsbury,  Penn.,  and 
afterward  pursued  a  course  of  studies  in  the 
Waterville  Institute  in  the  state  of  Maine, 
and  in  St.  Mary's  Academy,  P.  Q.  In  1851 
he  came  to  Woodstock,  where  he  entered 
the  medical  college.  In  1857  he  found  em- 
plovment  as  prescription  clerk  in  the  store 
of  kageman,  Clark  &  Co.,  New  York  City, 
and  later  took  a  medical  course  in  the  Ann 
.Arbor  Medical  College. 

For  two  years  he  was  employed  in  drug 
stores  at  Ottumwa,  la.,  and  Springfield,  111., 
and  in  1859  established  himself  in  the  drug 
business  in  Bennington,  where  he  has  built 
up  one  of  the  largest  trades  in  this  line  and 
has  patented  several  \aluable  remedies  of 
his  own. 

He  has  filled  many  minor  public  positions 
and  in  1886  was  sent  as  representative  from 
Bennington  to  the  Legislature,  serving  on 
the  general  committee  and   that  on  banks. 


362 


SHURTLEFF. 


He  is  a  director  of  the  Bennington  Count}' 
National  Bank  since  first  organized,  trustee 
and  formerly  treasurer  of  the  Bennington 
County  Savings  Bank,  and  a  member  of  the 
Bennington  Monument  Association,  which 
organization  he  has  served  as  director  and 
one  of  the  finance  committee. 

Mr.  Shurtleff  has  been  actively  associated 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  for  twelve  years 
presided  over  Mount  Anthony  I.odge,  No. 
13,  for  many  successive  terms  has  filled  the 
positions  of  High  Priest  of  Temple  Chap- 
ter, No.  8,  and  past  Grand  King  of  the 
Grand  Chapter  of  Vermont.  He  is  also  past 
commander  of  Taft  Commandery,  No.  8,  and 
for  many  years  has  acted  as  senior  warden 
and  treasurer  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church 
of  Bennington. 

June  26,  1862,  Mr.  Shurtleff  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Maria  E.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Julia  Mower,  of  Woodstock.  She  departed 
this  life  in  September,  1S81,  leading  two  sur- 
viving children  :  George  Henry,  and  Mary 
Elizabeth. 

SHURTLEFF,  STEPHEN  CURRIER,  of 
Montpelier,  son  of  Abial  and  Rebecca  (Cur- 
rier) Shurtleff,  was  born  in  Walden,  Jan.  13, 
1838.  He  is  descended  from  W'illiam  Shurt- 
leff, the  first  of  the  name  in  the  United 
States,  who  was  killed  by  lightning  at  Marsh- 
field,  Mass.,  June  23,  ifi'Se. 


STEPHEN  CURRIER  SHURTLEFF. 

He  received  his  early  educational  training 
in  the  common  schools  of  AValden,  and 
farther  pursued  his  studies  at  the  academies 


of  Glover,  Newbury  and  Morrisville.  Re- 
solving to  follow  the  profession  of  the  law, 
he  studied  at  Plainfield  with  C.  H.  Heath, 
Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wash- 
ington county  at  the  March  term,  T863.  In 
the  following  May  he  commenced  to  practice 
at  East  Hardwick,  but  in  September  of  the 
same  year  removed  to  Plainfield,  where  he 
practiced  until  1876.  In  this  year  he  estab- 
lished himself  at  Montpelier,  where  he  has 
since  resided. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  April  28,  1868, 
to  Elizabeth  M.,  daughter  of  John  .Augus- 
tine and  .Arminda  M.  Pratt,  of  Marshfield. 
By  her  he  has  had  two  children  :  Harry  C, 
and  Maud  L. 

Mr.  Shurtleff  has  always  been  a  Democrat, 
and  in  1874  he  represented  Plainfield  in  the 
Legislature,  and  in  1886  and  1888  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  Governor. 

Self-reliant  and  strong,  Mr.  Shurtleff,  from 
the  first,  has  steadily  advanced  to  his  present 
enviable  position  at  the  bar.  He  has  been 
for  many  years  the  counsel  of  the  Montpe- 
lier &  Wells  River  R.  R.,  and  his  practice 
extends  well  over  the  state.  He  also  has  a 
good  practice  in  the  L'nited  States  courts, 
especially  as  a  patent  lawyer.  In  i8go,  in  a 
Legislature  strongly  adverse  politically,  he 
received  an  almost  successful  support  for  a 
seat  on  the  supreme  bench  of  the  state. 

SILSBY,  Wendell,  of  West  Burke,  son 
of  Harvey  and  Celia  (Bloss)  Silsby,  was  born 
in  Lunenburg,  March  28,  1846. 

After  attending  some  of  the  public  schools 
of  Westmore  until  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
enlisted  as  private  in  Co.  E,  nth  Regt.  \t. 
Vols.,  in  which  command  he  was  one  of  the 
youngest  soldiers.  Though  a  mere  youth  he 
did  his  duty  manfully  in  the  batdes  of  Spott- 
sylvania  and  Cold  Harbor,  and  having  been 
seriously  wounded  he  was  transported  to  the 
hospitals  at  Annapolis  and  Montpelier, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  honorably 
mustered  out  of  the  U.  S.  service,  May  22, 
1865.  After  his  recovery,  for  some  time  he 
united  with  his  brother  in  the  manufacture 
of  lumber,  and  he  has  been  engaged  in  this 
occupation  more  or  less  since  that  time.  In 
1872  he  purchased  an  estabhshment  of  his 
own  in  \\'estmore,  which  he  operated  until 
1890.  In  1884  he  added  to  his  possessions 
a  shingle  mill  of  large  capacity,  and  two 
years  later  a  saw-mill,  finally  constructing  a 
dressing  mill  in  1892.  Mr.  Silsby  has  acted 
as  lister  in  Westmore  and  Burke,  and  for 
six  years  has  discharged  the  duties  of  justice 
of  the  peace  in  the  latter  place.  He  has 
represented  both  towns  in  the  Legislature, 
serving  on  the  committee  of  manufactures  in 
both  sessions.  For  two  years  he  was  the 
commander  of  D.  Rattray  Post,  No.  9,  G.  A. 
R.,  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  has  no  marked 


religious  preference,  yet  attends  and  sn])- 
ports  the  Methodist  church. 

April  II,  1873,  Mr-  Silsby  married  Ada, 
daughter  of  Elbridge  and  Sarah  (Marshall) 
(laskell.  Three  children  have  been  born  of 
this  marriage  :  Charles  E.,  Harvey  W.,  and 
Mabel. 

SILVER,  William  Rillv,  of  uioomfield, 

son  of  Arad  and  Sophie  (Nichols)  Silver,  was 
born  in  Bloomfield,  March  27,  1820. 

Arad  Silver  came  to  Bloomfield  (then 
called  Mine  Head)  in  1805,  and  William  R. 
remained  with  him  on  his  large  farm  until 
his  majority.  The  latter  was  one  of  a  family 
of  ten  children  and  enjoyed  only  the  most 
limited  educational  advantages,  walking  to 
school .  two  and  one-half  miles,  journeying 
over  the  state  line  to  Columbia,  N.  H.,  but 
he  carefully  improved  the  limited  opportun- 
ities afforded  him.  His  first  essay  in  active 
life  was  a  passage  down  the  river  to  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  on  a  lumber  drive  and  raft,  and 
for  five  years  he  labored  in  the  woods  near 
the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  river.  When 
he  returned  to  ESloomfield  he  purchased  a 
fine  estate  on  the  Connecticut  river,  which 
ever  since  he  has  made  his  place  of  resi- 
dence. He  has  been  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  for  fourteen  consecu- 
tive years  has  won  the  first  premium  for  seed 
corn  at  Upper  Coos  and  Essex  county  fairs. 
He  has  made  sheep  husbandry  a  specialty. 
He  is  remarkably  vigorous  and  well  pre- 
served for  his  years,  and  can  read  without 
glasses.  He  signed  the  temperance  pledge 
at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  has  never  drank 
a  glass  of  liquor  in  his  life. 

His  political  record  has  been  that  of  a 
Republican,  for  which  party  he  with  two 
others  deposited  the  first  ballot  in  town. 
Representing  Bloomfield  four  terms  in  the 
Legislature,  he  always  served  on  the  com- 
mittee on  agriculture.  In  1876  he  received 
the  appointment  of  associate  judge  of  Essex 
county  court.  Judge  Silver  is  recognized  in 
the  community  as  a  man  of  benevolent  im- 
pulses, keen  judgment  and  prudent  foresight, 
possessing  the  respect  and  good-will  of  all 
his  acquaintances  and  friends. 

In  1849  he  was  married  at  Bloomfield, 
to  Relief,  daughter  of  .Adin  and  Nancy 
(Clough)  Bartlett.  By  her  he  has  had  issue 
eight  children:  George,  Louisa  (deceased), 
Elvira,  William  R.,  Henry,  Fayette,  Bernice, 
and  Alice  (Mrs.  F'dson  Holden). 

SIMON DS,  David  Kendall,  of  Man- 
chester, son  of  David  and  Anna  (Byam) 
Simonds,  was  born  in  Peru,  .April  5,  1839. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Peru,  Burr  and  Burton  Seminary, 
Manchester,  and  was  graduated  from  Middle- 
bury  College  in  July,  1S62,  ranking  fourth  in 


SKIN.NKK.  363 

his  class.  In  order  to  defray  his  ex])enses 
during  his  collegiate  career  he  taught  in  the 
Westfield  grammar  school,  in  North  Troy 
village  and  for  two  years  was  principal  of 
Champlain  .Academy,  N.  V.,  at  the  same 
time  keeping  up  his  studies  with  his  college 
class.  In  June,  1863,  he  visted  Tennessee 
and  Mississippi  as  correspondent  of  the  Chi- 
cago Tribune,  Missouri  Republican,  and  the 
New  York  World.  Later  he  studied  law  with 
("rane  and  Bisbee,  at  New])ort,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Orleans  county  in  1865. 
Here  he  practiced  his  profession  for  four 
years  during  which  time,  in  connection  with 
Royal  Cummings,  he  organized  the  Newport 
F^xpress,  which  he  edited  for  some  time,  and 
then  he  removed  to  St.  Johnsbury.  There 
he  founded  and  took  charge  of  the  St.  Johns- 
bury  Times,  and  soon  after  accepted  a  simi- 
lar position  from  C.  A.  Pierce,  proprietor  of 
the  Bennington  Banner.  In  187 1,  he  trans- 
ferred his  labors  to  Manchester,  where  he 
bought  the  Journal  of  that  place,  which  he 
still  owns  and  edits.  Mr.  Simonds  has  been 
the  author  of  several  books  and  pamphlets. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  .August  7, 
1873,  to  Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  Rev.  .Asa  and 
Mary  (Simonds)  Clark,  formerly  of  Peru. 
Two  children  are  the  fruit  of  this  union  : 
Louise,  and  Clark. 

For  three  months  during  the  war  Mr. 
Simonds  served  in  the  3d  Tennessee  Regi- 
ment, and  as  correspondent  he  followed 
Grant  and  Sherman  to  .Atlanta. 

Republican  in  his  political  views,  he  has 
held  many  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  people  in 
both  Newport  and  Manchester  and  represen- 
ted the  latter  towruin  the  Legislature  in  1886, 
giving  his  services  in  that  body  as  chairman 
of  the  educational  committee.  Two  years 
later  he  was  chosen  senator  from  Bennington 
county,  where  he  was  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  federal  relations  and  a  member  of  the 
committees  on  education  and  military  affairs. 

Mr.  Simonds  has  taken  the  Masonic  vows 
in  .Adoniram  Lodge,  .Adoniram  Chapter,  and 
Taft  Commandery.  In  18S8  he  was  Grand 
Patron  of  Vermont  for  the  order  of  the  ICast- 
ern  Star,  and  he  has  taken  much  interest  in 
the  Vermont  Press  Association,  belongs  to 
the  Manchester  Congregational  Church,  and 
is  one  of  the  executive  committee  of  the 
^\'estern  \'ermont  Congregational  Club.  He 
is  also  a  trustee  of  Middlebury  College,  and 
of  Burr  and  liurton  Seminary. 

SKINNLR,  ELIAB  Reed,  of  Montpelier, 
son  of  Simeon  and  .Abigail  (Reed)  Skinner, 
was  born  in  Brookfield,  Dec.  25,  18 19. 

He  received  a  common  school  education 
in  Brookfield  and  Chelsea,  to  which  latter 
place  his  parents  had  removed  in  1826,  and 
he  also  attended  a  private  school  under  the 
tuition  of  Rev.  Mr.  Dow,  a  noted  divine  of 


364 


the  period.  When  he  arrived  at  man's  estate 
he  commenced  active  business  as  a  butcher, 
in  which  occupation  he  remained  until  1852, 
when  he  commenced  at  Chelsea  a  wholesale 
traffic  in  staple  and  fancy  goods,  moving  to 
Montpelier  in  1858,  then  extending  his  trade 
through  the  entire  northern  part  of  the  state. 
In  this  he  continued  till  1875,  ^ver  increas- 
ing the  business,  and  employing  many  four- 
horse  teams  to  travel,  not  only  in  this  state, 
but  also  through  northern  New  York.  At 
this  time  he  resigned  the  personal  superin- 
tendence of  the  business,  which,  however, 
he  still  continues  to  transact  by  means  of 
traveling  agents.  In  1880  he  purchased  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  Montpelier  Gas- 


light Co.,  to  which  he  devoted  his  principal 
attention  till  1892,  when  the  plant  was  pur- 
chased by  the  Standard  Light  and  Power  Co. 

Mr.  Skinner  was  married,  March  27,  1848, 
to  Laura  A.  Bean,  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  Wilson  of  C'helsea. 

He  is  a  good  type  of  the  old-time  mer- 
chant, one  who  always  minded  his  own  busi- 
ness and  minded  it  well,  and  who  enjoys 
with  the  ample  competence  it  has  given 
him  the  good-will  and  respect  of  his  towns- 
men. 

SKINNER,  Richard  Baxter,  of  Bar- 
ton, son  of  Dr.  Jonathan  Fitch  and  Sophia 
(Stevens)  Skinner,  was  born  in  Barnet,  May 

I,  1834- 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools 
of    Barnet,  Brownington  Academv  and   the 


Lyndon  and  Peacham  .Academies.  After  his 
graduation  from  these  institutions  he  at- 
tended a  course  of  lectures  in  Castleton 
Medical  College  and  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  Harvard  University,  from  which 
latter  he  graduated  in  1858  with  the  highest 
honors  in  his  class.  The  following  summer 
he  began  in  Barton  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession with  his  father,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained till  1 87 1,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  by  himself.  Dr.  Skinner  has  an  ex- 
tensive practice  all  over  Orleans  county  and 
is  in  great  demand  as  a  consulting  surgeon 
in  doubtful  and  critical  cases.  For  the  sake 
of  recreation  he  has  purchased  a  small  farm 
and  was  one  of  the  earliest  breeders  of 
Jersey  cattle  in  the  county. 

In  i860  he  received  a  commission  as 
surgeon  of  the  Third  Militia  Regiment  of 
Vermont  from  Governor  Hall. 

He  has  been  a  staunch  Republican  since 
the  formation  of  that  party,  and  in  1880 
represented  Barton  in  the  Legislature.  He 
was  chairman  of  House  committee  on  the 
house  of  correction  rendering  efficient  ser- 
vice on  that  committee. 

For  several  years  he  was  one  of  the  trus- 
tees of  Barton  Academy  and  town  superin- 
tendent of  schools.  He  was  one  of  the 
early  members  of  the  C)rleans  County  Medi- 


RICHARD     BAXTER    SKINNER 


cal  Association  and  also  a  member  of  the 
Vermont  State  and  White  Mountain  Medical 
Associations.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Newport   board  of  examining  surgeons  for 


pensions  at  Newport  for  the  four  years  of 
President  Harrison's  administration. 

From  his  early  manhood  he  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Dr.  Skinner  was  married,  Feb.  24,  1864, 
to  Marcia  A.,  daughter  of  Amos  C.  and 
Eliza  E.  Robinson  of  Barton,  who  died  Nov. 
27,  1882. 

SMALLEY,  Bradley  Barlow,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Judge  David  A.  Smalley,  was 
born  in  fericho,  Nov.  26,  1836. 


BRADLEY    BARLOW    SMA 


His  father,  David  A.  Smalley,  was  one  of 
the  most  eminent  citizens  of  Vermont,  and 
when  Bradley  was  four  years  of  age  he  re- 
moved to  Burlington.  There  the  son  dili- 
gently availed  himself  of  the  excellent  op- 
portunities afforded  him  to  obtain  a  good 
common  school  and  academical  education. 
This  completed,  he  decided  to  adopt  the 
legal  profession,  beginning  the  requisite 
studies  in  the  office  of  his  father,  where  he 
also  finished  his  professional  education  under 
the  super\ision  of  that  admirable  expositor 
of  the  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Chittenden  county  in  1863.  Two  years  prior 
to  the  latter  event  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  clerk  of  the  United  States  courts  in 
Vermont,  which  position  he  held  till  1885 
when  he  was  appointed  collector  of  customs 
by  President  Cleveland.  He  was  collector 
till  1889  and  was  again  appointed  to  the 
same  office  in  1883  and  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 


SMILIE.  365 

Mr.  Smalley's  political  affiliations  are  with 
the  national  Democratic  party.  That  or- 
ganization seems  to  be  in  the  permanent 
minority  in  \'ermont,  but  notwithstanding 
this  Mr.  .Smalley  wields  much  influence  and 
has  made  his  mark  on  the  legislative  history 
of  the  state.  In  1874  and  again  in  1878  he 
represented  Burlington  in  the  Legislature, 
and  established  his  reputation  as  a  practical 
working  member.  He  has  also  held  muni- 
cipal offices  in  the  city  of  Burlington.  In  the 
councils  of  the  Democratic  \>a.ny,  both  na- 
tional and  state,  Mr.  Smalley  has  been  and  is 
an  influential  participant.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  national  Democratic  commit- 
tee since  1873,  and  since  1876  has  been  a 
member  of  the  national  executive  commit- 
tee. As  such  he  has  devoted  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  time  to  the  service  of  his  party, 
during  the  later  presidential  campaigns  hav- 
ing charge  of  one  of  the  departments.  He 
has  been  a  delegate  from  the  state  of  Ver- 
mont to  nearly,  if  not  all,  the  national  Demo- 
cratic conventions  for  twenty  years.  He  is 
in  possession  of  the  fullest  confidence  of  his 
fellow-Democratic  leaders,  and  exhibits  al- 
most unlimited  power  for  active  political 
work. 

Mr.  Smalley  was  one  of  the  \\'orld's  Fair 
Commissioners  from  Vermont. 

Mr.  Smalley  has  manifested  much  and 
most  intelligent  interest  in  the  railroad 
affairs  of  the  state,  and  was  a  director  of  the 
Central  Vermont  R.  R.  up  to  the  time  of  its 
reorganization.  He  is  now  one  of  the  direc- 
tors of  the  Southeastern  system  of  railroads, 
and  is  also  a  director  of  the  Burlington 
Trust  Co. 

Thorough  and  diligent  in  business,  excel- 
lent in  civil  life,  and  efficient  in  all  things  by 
him  undertaken,  he  is  respected  equally  by 
political  friends  and  political  opponents. 

Bradley  B.  Smalley  was  married  on  the  4th 
of  June,  i860,  to  Caroline  M.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Carlos  Baxter,  late  of  Burlington. 
Five    children  have  been  the  fruit  of  their 


SMILIE,  Melville  Earl,  of  MontpeL 

ier,  son  of  Flarl  and  Matilda  B.  (Thurston) 
Smilie,  was  born  in  Canbridge,  August  21, 
1844.  His  father  moved  to  Madison,  Wis., 
in  1852,  where  he  died  in  1855,  and  Mel- 
ville returned  to  Vermont  in  September, 
1856. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  at 
the  common  schools  and  L^nderhill  Acad- 
emy, and  in  i86r  entered  the  L^niversity  of 
Vermont,  but  left  that  institution  at  the  end 
of  his  sophomore  vear  on  account  of  failing 
health.  After  leaving  college  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  a  store  until  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  Shortly  afterward  he  mo\ed  to 
Montpelier,  where  he  continued  to  read  law 


366 


and  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  barof  \\'ashington  county 
March  15,  1866,  and  acted  as  the  reporter  of 
the  Senate  during  the  session  of  that  year. 
\V'hen  that  body  adjourned  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  ^^■aterbury, 
where  he  remained  se\en  years,  during  two 
of  which  he  was  employed  as  principal  of 
the  high  school  of  that  place. 

Mr.  Smilie  was  elected  state's  attorney  for 
Washington  county  in  1868,  and  served  for 


LE    EARL   SMII 


two  successive  terms.  He  was  also  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  ^^'aterbury.  In  1874 
he  made  his  residence  at  Detroit,  but  the 
following  year  returned  to  Montpelier,  taking 
charge  of  the  county  clerk's  oflfice  during 
the  last  year  of  Clerk  Newcomb's  life.  He 
was  appointed  county  clerk  the  27th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1876,  and  has  discharged  excellently 
the  duties  of  the  position  to  the  present 
time.  He  was  made  president  of  the  village 
corporation  of  Montpelier  in  1890,  and  for 
the  last  eight  years  has  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  For  many  years  Mr.  Smilie  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Montpelier  school 
board.  He  is  a  director  and  a  member  of 
the  executive  board  of  Vermont  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Co. 

He  has  entered  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
af^liating  with  Winooski  Lodge,  No.  49,  of 
Waterbury,  in  which  he  has  filled  the  mas- 
ter's chair  ;  he  also  unites  with  the  chapter 
and  council. 

Mr.  Smilie  was  married  in  Waterbury,  May 
26,  1870,  to  Ellen,  daughter  of  Heman  and 
Beulah  (Demmon)  Pinneo.  They  have  one 
son  :   Melville  E. 


SMITH,  Charles  Carroll,  was  born 

in  Sharon,  Conn.,  June  11,  1830,  the  sixth 
in  a  family  of  eight  children  of  Ransom  and 
Lydia  (Burtch)  Smith. 

His  boyhood  was  spent  on  a  farm  under 
circumstances  adverse  to  acquiring  a  liberal 
education,  though  he  had  longings  in  that 
direction.  From  the  age  of  eight  to  eighteen 
years,  a  three-months'  winter  school  in  his 
native  district  was  his  annual  allowance,  but 
he  so  improved  his  meagre  opportunities 
that  he  taught  successfully  the  remaining 
winters  till  he  reached  his  majority. 

He  then,  for  a  short  time,  attended  the 
State  Normal  School  at  New  Britain,  Conn., 
the  better  to  fit  himself  for  limited  teaching 
in  the  common  schools,  but  his  early  long- 
ings for  an  academic  education  so  followed 
him,  that  he  finally  took  a  preparatory  course 
at  the  Green  Mountain  Liberal  Institute  of 
South  Woodstock,  and  the  full  course  at 
Middlebury  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  August,  1862. 

His  patriotic  impulses  at  once  led  him  to 
enter  the  Union  army,  as  secession  was 
then  elated  with  victories  won.  He  accord- 
ingly enlisted,  August  30,  in  Co.  E,  14th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  with  a  creditable  record 
ser\ed  out  his  time,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged when  his  regiment  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

Deciding  to  devote  his  life  to  the  healing 
art,  he  began  its  study  with  Prof.  Walter 
Carpenter  of  Burlington,  and  received  his 
diploma  from  the  medical  department  of  the 
L'niversity  of  Vermont,  in  June,  1865  :  but 
wishing  for  further  opportunity  to  study  dis- 
eases before  starting  in  private  practice,  he 
obtained  a  position  on  the  staff  of  physicians 
attached  to  the  Citizens'  Hospital  of  Flat- 
bush,  L.  I.,  where  he  remained  about  a  year. 
He  then  settled  in  the  village  of  Gaysville, 
in  Stockbridge,  and  has  been  favorably  re- 
ceived as  an  intelligent  and  faithful  medical 
practitioner  in  that  community.  He  is  a 
ntember  of  the  \\'hite  River  Medical  Associa- 
tion, and  the  choice  for  its  presidency  has 
more  than  once  fallen  to  him,  which  shows 
his  standing  in  the  profession.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Vermont  Medical  Society. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs,  and  has  served  faithfully  and 
acceptably  in  various  ofifices  in  the  town 
where  he  resides. 

In  politics  he  is  a  firm  Republican,  and  as 
such  represented  his  town  in  the  state  Leg- 
islature in  1872  and  1884.  In  1890  he  was 
a  senator  from  Windsor  county,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  education  and 
of  several  other  committees,  rendered  im- 
portant service. 

Dr.  Smith  belongs  to  the  G.  .\.  R.  ;  he 
was  a  member  of  Daniel  Lillie  Post,  No.  61, 
located  at  Bethel,  at   its  organization  ;   was 


its  first  commander,  and  had  several  re-elec- 
tions to  that  position.  But  the  veterans  of 
his  town  desiring  to  meet  nearer  home,  in 
1891,  Gen.  H.  H.  Baxter  Post,  No.  iii,  was 
organized  at  Gaysville,  of  which  he  was  a 
charter  member. 

October  17,  1862,  he  married  Mary  L., 
daughter  of  I5ela  R.  Perry  of  Hancock.  To 
them  three  children  have  been  born  :  Ran- 
som Perry  (deceased),  Mabel  Gertrude,  and 
Leda  Florian. 

SMITH,   Clement  F.,  of  Morrisviiie, 

son  of  Daniel  and  Betsey  (Pike)  Smith,  was 
born  in  Morristown,  July  29,  1856. 

Mr.  Smith  is  one  of  the  best  known  and 
energetic  young  farmers  in  this  vicinity.  He 
was  brought  up  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides.  After  having  availed  himself  of 
such  educational  advantages  as  were  offered 
by  the  common  schools  and  People's  Acad- 
emy of  Morrisviiie,  he  purchased  his  father's 
farm  and  stock,  paying  $10,500  with  only 
$500  to  pay  down.  Besides  having  his  pay- 
ments to  meet,  he  has  greatly  improved  the 
farm  and  buildings,  and  has  now  one  of  the 
best  Jersey  dairies  in  Vermont.  He  keeps 
about  forty  cows,  mostly  pure  bred,  which 
average  to  produce  nearly  four  hundred 
pounds  of  butter  each  per  annum.  He  keeps 
abreast  of  the  times  in  using  all  modern 
machinery,  usually  being  the  first  one  in  his 
vicinity  to  try  the  merits  of  a  new  machine 
or  device  that  comes  upon  the  market.  He 
has  been  agent  for  and  sold  a  large  amount 
of  farm  and  dairy  machinery  in  his  county. 
His  was  the  third  silo  that  was  built  in  Ver- 
mont. He  was  the  first  master  of  Lamoille 
Grange  and  has  held  several  town  offices. 
Laport  Dairy,  as  he  calls  his  farm,  is  pleas- 
antly situated  about  three  miles  from  Mor- 
risviiie on  the  road  to  Stowe. 

Since  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  has 
been  continuously  a  steward  of  the  M.  E. 
Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  temperance 
Republican. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  Sept.  25,  18 78,  Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  Mark  P.  and  Rhuhamah  A. 
(Stevens)  Burnham  of  Enfield,  N.  H.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  six  children  :  Mabel 
C.,  Lily  A.,  Grace  B.,  Ramy  M.,  Alice  B., 
and  Mark  B.,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

SMITH,  Charles  F.,  of  Topsham,  son 
of  Edmund  H.and  Huldah  (Kidder)  Smith, 
was  born  in  Topsham,  Dec.  11,  1854. 

He  was  early  made  acquainted  with  agri- 
cultural labor,  being  bred  upon  his  father's 
farm,  and  thus  gaining  an  amount  of  experi- 
ence that  proved  largely  of  benefit  in  his 
after  life.  He  gleaned  such  education  as  he 
could  in  the  schools  of  Topsham,  and  before 
he  had  attained  his  majority  he  found  his 
way  to  Boston.     There  he  went  to  work  first 


567 


in  a  shoe  store,  then  as  a  butcher,  after  which 
he  carried  on  the  business  of  a  sale  stable 
for  about  six  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Topsham  and  his  original  occupation,  devot- 
ing much  attention  to  the  raising  of  poultry, 
and  also  entered  to  some  extent  into  the 
butter  trade.     Soon  he  purchased  a  stock  of 


'     ^      «?       ' 


groceries  and  general  merchandise,  and 
never  omitting  a  favorable  chance  to 
buy  or  sell  a  horse  when  opportunity  offered, 
carried  on  the  business  of  a  country  mer- 
chant, and  in  addition  ran  the  village  saw- 
mill. In  the  fall  of  1892,  seeing  a  better 
opportunity  to  realize  a  competency,  he 
purchased  the  good-will  and  stock  of  the 
preparation  styled  the  "  Green  Mountain 
Liniment  and  Cough  Elixir,"  and  to  this  he 
added  the  well-known  Green  Mountain  Sar- 
saparilla,  with  a  wholesale  drug  line.  His 
expectations  appear  to  have  been  realized, 
and  he  is  laying  the  foundation  of  a  widely- 
extended,  reputable  and  lucrative  trade. 

.A  man  of  so  much  energy  could  scarcely 
escape  the  responsibilities  of  public  oflfice, 
and  as  the  natural  consequence  of  his  exec- 
utive ability  he  has  been  chosen  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  constable,  collector  and  deputy 
sheriff.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  was  for 
five  years  assistant  in  the  post-office,  and 
postmaster,  and  was  in  1890  elected  repre- 
sentative from  Toj^sham  to  the  (General  .As- 
sembly.   He  is  now  sheriff  of  Orange  county. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married,  June  17,  1877,  to 
R.  Augusta,  daughter  of  James  and  Rachel 


(Anderson)  Perkins,  of  Boston,  Mass.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  a  son  and 
daughter  :  Bessie  May,  and  Bradley  P. 

Sheriff  Smith  is  a  member  of  Hiawatha 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Barre. 

SMITH,  Cyrus  H.,  of  Townline,  son  of 
Elisha  and  Ellen  (Whitford)  Smith,  was  born 
in  Addison,  March  5,  1855.  His  education 
was  obtained  at  the  common  schools  of  Ad- 
dison, at  Ft.  Edward  Institute,  Fort  Edward, 
N.  Y.,  and  at  the  Vermont  Methodist  Sem- 
inary at  Montpelier.  But  more  important 
than  this  school  training  was  that  of  kindly 
discipline,  regularity  and  self-culture,  which 
he  received  in  the  home  circle.  Always 
taught  to  regard  the  interests  of  business 
rather  than  the  pursuits  of  idle  pleasure,  the 
result  of  the  inculcation  of  these  principles 
has  rendered  Mr.  Smith  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  and  most  energetic  business  men  in 
his  native  town.  He  is  both  intelligent  and 
conservative  and  strictly  attends  to  his  own 
private  affairs.  He  has  especially  devoted 
himself  to  the  breeding  of  Merino  sheep  and 
now  owns  an  excellent  flock.  He  is  some- 
what interested  in  horses  and  advocates  the 
raising  of  the  Black  Hawk-Morgan  breed  as 
best  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  community. 

He  was  wedtledin  Bridport,  Jan.  31,  1877, 
to  Alma  E.,  daughter  of  John  O.  and  Char- 
lotte (Sanford)  Hamilton.  Their  marriage 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children  :  Mary 
H.,  Carroll  C,  Mabel  E.,  and  Herman  E. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  strong  Republican,  and, 
although  a  comparati\ely  young  man,  has 
been  called  upon  to  fill  many  of  the  town 
offices,  including  selectman,  auditor,  lister, 
and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  at  present  is 
serving  as  one  of  the  school  directors  of  the 
town.  He  is  a  progressive  and  substantial 
citizen. 

SMITH,  Elisha,  of  Townline,  son  of 
Hiram  and  Anna  (Starkweather)  Smith,  was 
born  in  Bridport,  Dec.  i,  182S.  His  grand- 
father, Nathan  Smith,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Bridport.  He  was  twice  taken 
prisoner  in  the  war  and  carried  to  Canada, 
but  made  his  escape  each  time,  and  after 
many  perilous  adventures  and  great  priva- 
tions, finally  succeeded  in  reaching  the  town 
of  Pittsford. 

Elisha  Smith  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion at  the  common  schools  of  Bridport, 
followed  by  a  course  of  study  at  the  acade- 
mies of  Williston  and  Bakersfield,  obtaining 
what  was  considered  at  that  time  a  liberal 
education. 

He  was  married  in  Panton,  Dec.  18, 1851, 
to  Ellen  Whitford  ;  four  children  have  been 
issue  of  this  union  :  Anna  L.  (Mrs.  Edward 
T.  Gough,  of  Addison),  Cyrus  H.,  Benjamin 
\\'.,  and  Cora  E. 


After  his  marriage  he  moved  from  Brid- 
port, and  settled  on  one  of  the  lake  farms 
in  Addison  county,  and,  in  1864,  he  pur- 
chased and  made  his  home  upon  the  estate 
which  he  now  possesses  in  the  valley  of 
Lake  Champlain,  where  he  devotes  his  at- 
tention to  general  farming,  stock  raising  and 
wool  growing. 

Mr.  Smith  is  one  of  the  sturdy  representa- 
tive yeomen  of  the  state,  never  seeking 
office  or  personal  distinction,  but  a  strict 
man  of  business  and  true  worth,  one  hon- 
ored and  respected,  who  despises  the  profes- 
sional politician.  He  originally  belonged  to 
the  old  whig  party,  but  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  Republicans  in  1856.  He  was  select- 
man during  the  crisis  of  the  civil  war  and 
represented  Addison  in  the  state  Legislature 
in  1872,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  mileage  and  debentures.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  a  believer  in  the 
efficacy  of  the  law  of  prohibition.  He  be- 
longs to  no  secret  societies,  and  though  he  has 
not  lived  for  the  sake  of  show  or  distinction, 
is  very  influential  in  his  town  and  county. 

SMITH,  Emery  L.,  of  Barre,  son  of 
Alvin  and  Susan  (Lewis)  Smith,  was  born  in 
Northfield,  Oct.  11,  1842. 

His  mother  died  in  his  early  boyhood  and 
the  family  was  broken  up  in  consequence  of 
this  sad  loss,  but  Emery  was  fortunate  enough 
to  find  a  comfortable  home  in  the  household 
of  Mr.  Joseph  ( lold,  of  Roxbury.  He  ap- 
plied himself  diligently  to  labor  on  the  farm, 
receiving  in  the  intervals  of  toil  such  instruc- 
tion as  the  common  schools  afforded,  and 
after  his  return  from  his  military  service  he 
managed  to  attend  two  terms  at  the  Orange 
county  grammar  school  at  Randolph. 

Before  he  had  arrived  at  his  majority  he  list- 
ened to  the  call  of  patriotic  duty  and  enrolled 
himself  a  member  of  Co.  G,  6th  Vt.  Vols., 
and  before  his  first  year  of  active  service  had 
expired,  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  Rich- 
mond where  he  languished  in  captivity  some 
months,  was  then  paroled  and  immediately  re- 
joined his  comrades.  With  this  exception  and 
a  brief  service  as  recruiting  officer,  on  which 
he  was  detached  as  a  mark  of  appreciation  of 
his  meritorious  conduct,  he  was  constantly  at 
the  front  during  his  term  of  service  of  three 
years. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married,  Oct.  11,  1866,  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  Eliphalet  and  Lucy  (Par- 
ker) Hewitt,  who  bore  him  four  children: 
Alice  L.,  and  Corrie  A.,  then  twins  who  died 
in  early  infancy.  Mrs.  Smith  died  Nov.  22, 
1875.  He  married  Martha,  daughter  of 
Clark  and  Emily  (Carter)  Day,  April  12, 
1887,  by  whom  he  has  had  one  child  :  Harry 
D.  (deceased). 

When  Mr.  Smith  removed  to  Barre,  for 
more  than  a  year  he  worked  for  his  father- 


in-law,  I'.liphalet  Hewitt,  who  was  the  pion- 
eer stone  cutter  of  the  place,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1868  he  began  business  on  his  own 
account,  and  has  continued  till  the  present 
time  a  stone  cutter  and  granite  dealer,  ha\- 
ing  during  that  period  been  a  jiartner  in 
several  firms.  He  was  the  first  to  quarry 
granite  in  the  winter  season,  also  to  use  a 
permanent  derrick,  for  which  he  invented  a 
special  capstone  to  increase  the  power.  He 
was  first  to  see  the  advantages  of  the  steam 
drill  and  the  electric  battery,  and  introduced 
their  use.  His  present  ])artners  are  John  K. 
and  Donald  Smith,  and  the  firm  possesses 
one  of  the  best  plants  in  New  England, 
employing  a  large  number  of  men. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  man  of  independent  polit- 
ical convictions  and  has  the  courage  to  live 
up  to  them.  Of  late  he  has  acted  with  the 
Democratic  ])arty.  He  has  been  village 
bailiff,  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  who  has 
always  predicted  a  prosperous  future  for  the 
town  of  Barre,  and  does  his  utmost  to  real- 
ize his  anticipations,  ^^'hen  he  came  here 
there  were  about  a  dozen  men  engaged  in 
quarrying  and  stone-cutting,  but  now  in  its 
various  branches  there  are  a  hundred  firms, 
employing  a  working  force  of  over  eighteen 
hundred  laborers. 

For  nearly  thirty  years  Mr.  Smith  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  he  is  also  a  member  of  R.  B.  Crandall 
Post,  No.  56,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Barre.  He  joined 
many  years  ago  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and 
still  continues  to  affiliate  with  that  society. 

SMITH,  Frederic   Elijah,  of  Mont- 

pelier,  son  of  Elijah  and  Anna  (Robertson) 
Smith,  was  born  in  Northfield,  June  11, 
1830.  His  grandfather  served  in  Thomas 
Barney's  Co.,  in  Col.  Ira  Allen's  regiment 
during  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Mr.  Frederic  Smith  pursued  his  studies 
in  the  common  schools  until  sixteen  years 
of  age,  then  entering  Newbury  Seminary, 
graduated  from  that  institution,  and  in  1848 
became  a  clerk  in  Loomis  &  Camp's  dry 
goods  store  in  Montpelier.  In  1853  he 
established  himself  in  Montpelier  as  a  drug- 
gist, which  occupation  he  was  pursuing  with 
great  success  when  the  civil  war  broke  out. 
Leaving  the  concern  in  charge  of  his  clerks 
he  entered  the  service  of  his  country,  to 
which  he  had  been  summoned  by  Gov. 
Erastus  Fairbanks  to  take  charge  of  the 
arming,  equipping  and  subsistence  of  the 
6th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  With  this  regiment  he 
was  sent  by  the  Governor  to  the  front  in 
order  to  settle  with  several  quartermasters 
who  had  left  the  state  with  their  accounts  un- 
adjusted. While  in  discharge  of  this  duty  he 
was,  Nov.  23,  1 86 1,  appointed  quartermaster 
of  the  8th  Vt.  Vols.,  and  immediately  re- 
turned to  commence  his  new  duties,  assist- 


SMITH.  369 

ing  Col.  Stephen  Thomas  in  enlisting  men, 
and  afterwards  taking  charge  of  them  while 
rendezvoused  at  Brattleboro.  He  accom- 
])anied  the  regiment  which  had  been  ordered 
to  join  the  command  of  Major-General  But- 
ler to  Ship  Island,  and  later  to  New  Orleans. 
Soon  afterwards  he  was  stationed  at  .Algiers, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  .Mississippi,  where  he 
was  post  quartermaster,  and  made  provost 
judge  by  appointment  of  the  department 
commander.  He  next  served  as  commissary 
of  subsistence  on  the  staff  of  Cien.  Godfrey 
Weitzel  in  the  department  of  the  Gulf,  till 
December,  1863.  [jrovidingfor  thearmy  in  the 
field  during  all  of  its  marches  till  they  finally 
arrived  at  Port  Hudson. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Montpelier 
where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  ]nirsuits  till 
1869,  when  he  moved  to  New  York,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years.  In  1872  he 
returned  to   Montpelier,   where  he  became 


FREDERIC    ELIJAH    SMITH. 


engaged  in  manufacturing,  establishing  fac- 
tories in  different  towns,  and  having  stores 
in  several  places  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married,  Oct.  12,  1852,  to 
Abba  Morrill,  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Bet- 
sey (Dole)  Hale  of  Danville.  Three  sons 
were  the  issue  of  this  union  :  two  died  in 
infancy,  the  third,  Walter  Joseph,  was  born 
May  9,  1862,  and  died  May  9,  1S81,  one 
whose  bright  and  lovely  youth  had  given 
promise  of  a  noble  manhood. 

Colonel  Smith  is  now  president  of  the 
Watchman   Publishing  Co. ;   of  the    Mont- 


pelier  Public  Library  (from  its  foundation)  : 
the  Colby  ^^'ringer  Co.,  of  Montpelier ;  the 
Maplewood  Improvement  Co.,  of  Tennesee  ; 
and  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Diocese 
of  Vermont :  he  is  vice-president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Montpelier ;  of  the  Ver- 
mont Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.  ;  and  the 
Bowers  (Iranite  Co. ;  a  director  in  the  Na- 
tional Life  Insurance  Co.,  and  a  member  of 
its  finance  committee  ;  in  the  Vermont 
Quarry  Co.,  and  in  the  Wetmore  &  Morse 
Granite  Co.  Colonel  Smith  was  for  four 
years  prior  to  1891,  president  of  the  Vermont 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  an  office  which 
the  pressure  and  importance  of  private  inter- 
ests compelled  him  to  resign.  Since  the  war 
Colonel  Smith  has  maintained  in  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  Loyal  Legion  his 
military  associations,  and  for  many  years 
has  been  secretary  of  the  Vermont  Officers 
Reunion  Society.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the 
educational  interests  of  the  state,  and  is  a 
trustee  of  the  Norwich  L'ni^ersity  and  ^^■ash- 
ington  county  grammar  school,  and  was  for 
some  years  president  of  the  Montpelier 
school  board.  He  has  long  been  junior 
warden  of  Christ  Episcopal  Church  in  Mont- 
pelier, a  trustee  of  the  Vermont  Episcopal 
Institute,  Bishop  Hopkins'  Hall,  a  member 
of  the  board  of  investment  of  the  aged  and 
infirm  clergy  fund,  and  has  been  a  delegate 
to  the  triennial  conventions  of  his  church  in 
New  Vork  and  Baltimore. 

In  1876  he  was  appointed  aid  to  Gov- 
ernor Fairbanks  with  the  rank  of  colonel, 
and  in  1S86  and  1888  served  two  terms  as  a 
senator  for  ^^'ashington  county.  In  1892  he 
was  made  delegate-at-large  to  the  Republi- 
can National  Con\-ention  at  Minneapolis. 

SMITH,  Myron  W.,  of  Fairlee,  son  of 
Grant  and  Rebecca  (Swift)  Smith,  was  born 
in  Fairlee,  July  26,  1834. 

His  educational  advantages  were  limited 
to  the  common  schools  of  Fairlee  and  Thet- 
ford,  but  he  has  always  been  a  most  diligent 
and  judicious  reader  of  books,  and  may  fairly 
lay  claim  to  the  title  of  a  self  educated  man. 
The  cares  of  the  family  devohed  upon  him 
at  nineteen  years  of  age  on  account  of  the 
death  of  his  father,  compelling  him  to  forego 
his  cherished  desire  to  obtain  a  liberal  edu- 
cation. From  1850  to  1868  he  lived  in 
Thetford,  but  since  the  last  date  he  has 
passed  his  time  upon  his  farm  in  Fairlee,  de- 
voting himself  to  the  congenial  employment 
of  an  agriculturist,  to  reading  and  to  the  dis- 
charge of  the  many  official  duties  which  his 
appreciative  fellow-townsmen  have  intrusted 
to  his  charge. 

Mr.  Smith  has  acted  with  the  Republican 
party  from  the  time  of  Fremont  to  the  ad- 


ministration of  Benjamin  Harrison.  He  has, 
at  various  times,  held  many  of  the  offices  in 
his  town,  acting  for  nine  consecutive  years 
as  superintendent  of  schools.  He  was  elected 
to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature  in 
1S80  and  again  in  1890 ;  in  both  these 
bodies  earnestly  advocating  reform  in  the  in- 
terest of  equal  taxation. 

Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage,  Dec. 
28,  1859,  to  Anna  A.,  daughter  of  Johona- 
than  and  Mary  (Colcord)  Bryant.  The 
grandfather,  Daniel  Bryant,  served  for  three 
years  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children  :  Irving 
G.  and  Carrie  M. 

The  great-grandfather  (Swift)  on  the 
mother's  side,  was  also  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution for  several  years  and  a  United  States 
pensioner. 

Several  generations  of  this  family  have 
made  their  name  a  synonym  for  bravery  and 
patriotism.  David  Smith,  in  the  eighth  gen- 
eration, emigrated  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
and  settled  in  New  Boston,  N.  H.,  where  he 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  but  set  a 
neighbor  and  himself  free  from  two  Indian 
guards  the  first  night  by  a  sudden  act  of  des- 
perately determined  bravery.  The  grand- 
father of  Mr.  Smith  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain of  the  Fairlee  militia  in  1778,  and  served 
as  a  minute  man,  also  as  scout  in  the  Cham- 
plain  Valley.  Grant  Smith,  though  exempt 
from  military  serxice  by  reason  of  his  offi- 
cial position,  went  with  the  Fairlee  company 
at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Plattsburg.  New- 
ton W.,  a  younger  brother,  died  in  the  LTnited 
States  service  Feb.  5,  1864,  a  member  of  the 
3d  Vt.  Battery,  Light  Artillery.  Myron  W. 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  15  th  Regt.,  Col. 
Redfield  Proctor,  in  1862,  served  his  time, 
and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  original  and 
also  of  the  reorganized  Washburn  Post,  No. 
17,  G.  A.  R.,  and  was  also  a  member  of  Val- 
ley Grange  P.  of  H.  of  Fairlee.  He  has  been 
an  active  member  of  the  Congregational  So- 
ciety and  church  for  many  years. 

SMITH,  Walter  PeRRIN,  of  .St.  Johns- 
bury,  son  of  John  S.  and  Sophronia  M. 
(Perrin)  Smith,  was  born  in  Hardwick,  Nov. 
4,  1841. 

ludge  Smith  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Hardwick  and  Morrisville  academies  and 
graduated  from  the  L^niversity  of  Vermont 
in  1867.  He  studied  law  at  the  L^niversity  of 
Michigan  and  with  Powers  &  Gleed  at  Mor- 
risville, and  was  admitted  to  the  Lamoille 
county  bar  at  the  May  term,  1869.  The  fol- 
lowing autumn  he  removed  to  St.  Johnsbury 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Jona- 
than Ross.  He  continued  the  practice  of 
his  profession  until  elected  to  the  office  of 
judge  of    probate  for  the  district  of  Cale- 


donia  in  1882,  which  position  he  now  holds. 
He  was  state's  attorney  for  Caledonia  county 
from  1874  to  1876  :  represented  the  town  of 
St.  Johnsbury  in  the  Legislature  of  r88o, 
and  has  been  superintendent  of  schools! 
He  was  for  several  years  a  director  in  the 
Merchants  National  Bank  of  St.  Johnsbury  ; 
is  at  present  a  director  in  the  First  Xatioriai 
Bank,  and  a  trustee  and  one  of  the  board  of 
investors  in  the  Passunipsic  Savings  Bank, 
and  president  of  Carrick  Bros.  Granite  Co! 


WALTER    PERRIN    SMITH. 

August  15,  1S76,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Susan  A.  Holbrook  of  Lyndon,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Perley  R.  and  Louise  I\L  (Lawrence) 
Holbrook,  and  they  have  one  son  :  Robert  H. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can, and  in  religious  faith  aCongregationalist. 

SPAFFORD,  Henry  W.,  of  Rutland, 
son  of  William  H.  and  Eliza  (Rumrill)  Spaf- 
ford,  was  born  in  Weathersfield,  Nov.  2, 
1840. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  Cavendish, 
and  in  Springfield  Seminary  and  Chester 
Academy.  .\t  the  outset  of  his  active  life  he 
was  employed  as  station  agent  at  Danby, 
and  North  Iknnington. 

Enlisting  in  Co.  A,  4th  Regt.  Vt.  \ols., 
Sept.  4,  1861,  he  was  promoted  to  commis- 
sary sergeant,  and  after  being  confined  in  a 
rebel  prison  in  Richmond  for  seven  months 
he  was  mustered  out  of  service,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  his  three-vears'  enlistment,  at  Brattle- 


boro.  He  again  sought  service  in  the  same 
regiment,  was  promoted  to  ist  Lieut,  and 
quartermaster,  and  appointed  a  member  of 
the  staff  of  (Jen.  (Jeorge  P.  Foster,  and  (ien. 
Lewis  A.  {'.rant.  He  was  acting  quarter- 
master of  the  Vermont  Brigade  during  the 
last  part  of  its  service,  and  when  the  com- 
mand left  the  field  for  \'ermont,  he  was 
again  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  at 
Burlington. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
employed  as  bookkeeper  in  the  large  hide 
and  leather  house  of  Lapham  &  Clarendon 
in  New  York  City,  but  impaired  eyesight 
caused  by  exposure  in  the  army  compelled 
him  to  give  up  his  position.  On  Jan.  16, 
1 86  7,  he  again  entered  the  service  of  the 
Bennington  and  Rutland  Railway  Co.  as  sta- 
tion agent  at  North  Bennington.  He  was 
successively  promoted  to  general  freight 
agent  and  to  general  passenger  agent,  both 
of  which  offices  he  holds  at  the  present  time. 


I 


4gi^.    ?*H,' 


^-  m- 


HENRY    W.    SPAFFORD. 


Mr.  Spafford  was  married,  Oct.  5,  1864,  to 
Mattie  E.,  daughter  of  William  and  Fanny 
(Spring)  Kingsbury,  of  Chester.  Mrs.  Spaf- 
ford died  June  3,  1877,  leaving  four  children. 
He  was  again  married,  Dec.  5,  1879,10  Lydia 
Ella,  daughter  of  Jared  and  .Xlmira  (Eaton) 
Marsh,  of  Chester,  of  which  union  there  are 
fi\e  children. 

Mr.  Spafford  lived  in  North  Bennington 
from  January,  1867,  until  .April,  1882,  when 
he  removed  to  Rutland,  where  he  now 
resides. 


372 


SPEAR,  Victor  1.,  of  Braimree,  son  of 
Jacob  A.  and  Caroline  (Flint)  Spear,  was 
born  in  Braintree,  Sept.  20,  1852. 

His  preparatory  education  was  received 
in  the  schools  of  Braintree  and  at  the  West 
Randolph  Academy.  He  then  entered  Dart- 
mouth College,  where  he  pursued  the  usual 
course  of  study,  and  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  B.  S.  from  that  institution  in  1S74. 


He  is  a  strong  Republican,  and  as  such 
represented  Braintree  in  1880,  and  was 
chosen  a  senator  from  Orange  county  in 
1886.  Four  years  later  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Page  a  member  of  the  board 
of  agriculture,  and  discharged  his  duties 
with  great  devotion  and  efficiency,  acting  as 
secretary  in  the  laborious  task  of  collecting 
statistics  of  the  unemployed  resources  of 
the  state.  He  was  reappointed  to  the  board 
in  1892,  chosen  statistical  secretary,  and 
prepared  the  illustrated  booklet  on  Vermont, 
of  which  40,000  copies  were  distributed 
from  the  ^'ermont  building  at  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition,  Chicago.  He  secured  re- 
turns of  dairying,  sheep  husbandry  and 
maple  sugar  products  in  the  state  for  1892, 
and  has  in  charge  the  general  matter  of  col- 
lecting statistics  and  publishing  lists  of  un- 
occupied real  estate  that  is  on  the  market. 

Mr.  Spear  is  well  and  favorably  known 
throughout  the  state,  and  was  a  prominent 
candidate  for  Governor  before  the  Republi- 
can state  convention  in  1892.  He  is  a  gen- 
tleman of  unassuming  manners,  undoubted 
integrity  and  excellent  judgment,  combined 
with  genuine  public  spirit  and  quite  exten- 
sive experience  of  men  and  affairs. 

STANLEY,  Albert  E.,  of  Leicester, 
son  of  Silas  W.  and  Electa  (Eastman)  Stan- 
lev,  was  born  in  Leicester,  June  4,  1833. 


Having  a  strong  natural  aptitude  for 
mathematics,  he  ardently  desired  to  adopt 
the  profession  of  a  civil  engineer,  but  yield- 
ing to  the  wishes  of  his  parents,  after  some 
time  spent  in  the  profession  of  teaching,  he 
returned  to  the  paternal  farm.  Here,  in 
connection  with  his  father,  he  has  combined 
various  branches  of  business  with  farming  and 
stock  raising,  their  specialty  being  registered 
Merino  sheep,  of  which  they  usually  keep 
about  two  hundred.  In  1884  he  began  the 
business  of  shipping  sheep  to  Montana,  and 
the  venture  proving  successful,  he  has  sent 
one  or  more  carloads  of  sheep  annually  to 
that  locality.  He  usually  purchases  on  com- 
mission from  fifty  to  one  hundred  thousand 
pounds  of  wool  every  year,  and  is  quite  an 
extensive  land  owner.  He  is  also  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  orchard  pro- 
ducts. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Dec.  29,  18S6, 
to  Mrs.  Abbie  M.  Davis,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
James  and  Maria  E.  (Slack)  Welch,  of 
Randolph. 


His  education  commenced  in  the  common 
schools   in   Leicester.     At  an   early  age  he 


373 


went  to  Haverliill,  Mass.,  where  he  lived 
durhig  his  minority,  enjoying  the  benefits  of 
the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  that  noted 
town.  He  contemplated  a  collegiate  career, 
and  entered  Kimball  Union  Academy,  at 
Meriden,  N.  H.,  to  complete  his  preparatory 
course.  Failing  health  not  permitting  him 
to  carry  out  his  intention,  he  returned  to 
Leicester,  where  he  has  since  resided.  For 
thirty-six  years  he  has  been  clerk  and  treas- 
urer of  the  town,  and  for  twelve  years  was 
postmaster.  For  thirty-five  years  he  has 
been  an  active  and  efficient  agent  of  the 
Vermont  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  and 
for  ten  years  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Queen  City  Park  .Association,  while  he  is 
constantly  acting  as  administrator  in  the 
settlement  of  important  estates. 

.\s  a  Republican  he  represented  Leicester 
in  the  Legislature  of  1872,  and  was  the  only 
member  of  the  county  who  received  the 
compliment  of  a  re-election  in  1874.  He 
was  again  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1882, 
and  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Senate 
from  .\ddison  county  in  1886,  and  served 
on  the  special  committee  on  the  division  of 
Rutland.  He  was  also  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  the  insane  as  well  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  general  committee  and  the  joint 
committee  on  the  library. 

In  his  doctrinal  belief  Mr.  .Stanley  is  a 
Spiritualist  in  the  proper  sense  of  that  word, 
though  holding  no  less  the  essential  tenets  of 
the  Unitarian  faith.  He  has  widely  lectured 
upon  religious  themes  and  performs  accept- 
able service  on  funeral  occasions  throughout 
the  state. 

June  3,  i860,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Ada,  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Amanda 
McCanon,  of  Bennington,  N.  V.  Two  sons 
have  been  the  offspring  of  this  union  :  Ned 
A.,  and  Fred  D.,  both  located  in  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass. — one  a  dentist,  the  other  an 
attorney-at-law. 

STANTON,  Zed  S.,  of  Roxbury,  son 
of  George  B.  and  Lucretia  (Sulloway)  Stan- 
ton, was  born  in  Roxbury,  May  i,  184S. 

.After  attending  the  district  schools  of  the 
vicinity  he  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the 
Northfield  graded  school.  He  afterwards 
worked  on  the  railroad,  then  taught  school 
and  while  teaching  resolved  to  adopt  the  law 
as  his  profession  and  enrolled  himself  as  a 
student  in  the  offices  of  A.  R.  Savage  and 
Frank  Plumley  of  Northfield,  and  subse- 
quently in  the  office  of  L.  L.  Durant  of 
Montpelier.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
the  Washington  county  court,  March  15, 
■1880.  In  18S2  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  the  Supreme  Court,  and  in  the  U.  S.  Cir- 
cuit Court  in  1892. 

Since  1873  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
Judge  Stanton  has  continuously  held    town 


office,  and  has  occupied  the  ])ositions  of 
selectman,  lister,  agent,  constable,  moder- 
ator, superintendent  of  schools  and  school 
director  and  trustee.  He  represented  Rox- 
bury in  the  General  .Assembly  during  the 
sessions  of  1884  and  1886  and  in  legislative 
work  and  debate  became  a  leading  member. 


ZED    S.    STANTON. 

In  1884  and  18S6  he  was  elected  an  assist- 
ant judge  of  Washington  county  court  and 
has  since  1890  served  most  efficiently  as 
state's  attorney  for  Washington  county, 
which  office  he  still  holds. 

Judge  Stanton  was  married,  May  31,  1880, 
to 'Mrs.  Jennie  S.  (Smith)  Walbridge  of  Rox- 
bury. They  have  one  child :  Jessie  Lu- 
cretia. 

START,  HENR>-  R.,  of  Bakersfield,  son 
of  Simeon  Gould  and  Mary  Sophia  (Barnes) 
Start,  was  born  in  Bakersfield,  Dec.  28,  1S45. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  in  Bakersfield  and  Barre  academies,  and 
served  in  the  army  as  a  member  of  Co.  .A, 
3d  Regt.  Vt.  Vols. 

.After  the  close  of  the  war  he  studied  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Franklin  county 
bar  in  .April,  1867,  and  began  practice  the 
same  year  in  Bakersfield.  From  1876  to 
187S  Mr.  Start  was  state's  attorney  for 
I'ranklin  county.  Forming  a  partnership 
with  .A.  P.  Cross,  of  St.  Albans,  he  retained 
his  residence  in  Bakersfield,  and  the  firm  of 
Cross  &  Start  had  a  large  ])ractice.  The 
active  conduct  of  the  trial  of  cases  largely 


374 


fell  on  Mr.  Start,  and  when  he  was  elevated 
to  the  bench  it  was  at  once  noted  that  his 
wide  experience  as  a  trial  lawyer  had  given 
him  good  preparation  for  the  right  conduct 
of  trials  as  presiding  judge  in  the  county 
courts. 

In  iSSo  Mr.  Start  was  elected  a  senator 
from  Franklin  county,  and  served  on  the 
judiciary  committee  and  as  chairman  of  the 
joint  standing  committee  on  the  reform 
school.  From  1880  to  1888  he  was  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Vermont  reform  school, 
and  was,  the  last-named  vear,  one  of  the  pres- 
idential electors  who  cast  the  vote  of  Ver- 
mont for  Harrison  and  Morton. 

In  1890  he  was  elected  representative 
from  Bakersfield,  and  at  the  beginning  of 
the  session  of  that  year  was  chosen  speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  at  its 
close  was  without  opposition  elected  fifth 
assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  His 
service  on  the  bench,  which  he  continues  by 
unanimous  re-election  in  1892,  has  com- 
mended itself  to  the  entire  bar  of  the  state 
as  excellent  judicial  work. 

Mr.  Start  married,  June  10,  1869,  Ellen  S. 
Houghton,  daughter  of  Stillman  S.  and  Sarah 
E.  Houghton.  Their  children  are  :  S.  (lould, 
Guy  H.,  Mabel  S.,  and  Bennett  H.  Mrs. 
Start  deceased  July  12,  1S90. 

START,  Simeon  Gould,  of  Bakers- 
field,  son  of  Moses  and  Margaret  (Gould) 
Start,  was  born  in  Bakersfield,  July  28,  1805. 
Capt.  Moses  Start  emigrated  to  the  state  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  last  century,  and  was 
an  active  and  prominent  figure  in  the  town. 

Simeon  G.  was  one  of  a  large  family,  and 
spent  his  youth  in  the  labors  of  the  farm. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools,  but  to  this  he  added  a  wide  fund  of 
general  information  in  his  maturer  years. 
His  early  life  was  devoted  to  agricultural 
labor,  and  a  clerkship  in  a  country  store, 
but  he  soon  invested  his  modest  savings  in 
a  farm  in  BakeVsfield,  where  he  remained 
till  1865,  when  he  moved  into  the  village, 
and  until  the  last  few  years  has  been  chiefly 
engaged  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Start  was  formerly  a  Democrat,  but 
acted  with  the  Republican  party  during  the 
war,  and  since  1872  has  been  an  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  views.  Honorably 
discharging  the  duties  of  manv  town  offices, 
he  has  been  the  principal  trial  justice  of  the 
place  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature 
of  1872,  and  was  ever  considered  a  man  of 
marked  and  original  personality. 

He  married,  Oct.  2,  1833,  Mary  Sophia, 
daughter  of  Comfort  and  Sophia  (Corse) 
Barnes.  Of  this  marriage  there  were  born  : 
Rolla  N.,  Ozro  G.  (assistant  judge  of  Frank- 
lin county  court),  Charles  N.  (formerly  at- 


torney-general of  Minnesota,  and  now  judge 
of  district  court  at  Rochester,  Minn.), 
Lorenzo  B.,  Merritt  L.,  Henry  R.  (judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Vt.),  and  Ella  S.  (de- 


js^  r- 


ceased).  Mrs.  Start  died  April  22,  1862,, 
and  he  married  Mrs.  Betsey  Perkins,  April 
10,  1865. 

STEARNS,  Charles  H.,  of  Johnson,  son 
of  Otis  \V.  and  Mary  S.  (Carpenter)  Stearns, 
was  born  in  Johnson,  Feb.  7,  1S54. 

After  preliminary  instruction  at  the  com- 
mon schools  he  received  the  balance  of  his 
education  at  the  Normal  School  at  Johnson 
and  the  \'ermont  M.  E.  Seminary  at  Mont- 
pelier.  His  father  was  a  manufacturer  of 
butter  tubs  and  an  inventor,  and  the  son 
spent  much  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his 
father's  shop,  where  he  became  acquainted 
with  every  detail  of  the  business  and  had  en- 
tire charge  of  the  establishment  before  he 
arrived  at  man's  estate.  In  1875  O.  W. 
Stearns  &  Son  built  the  mill  now  owned  by 
the  latter  at  Johnson.  The  senior  partner 
in  the  firm  possessed  considerable  inventive 
genius  and  has  devised  and  applied  nearly 
all  of  the  machinery  now  used  by  them, 
especially  a  contrivance  for  smoothing  the 
outside  surface  of  the  staves  lengthwise  with 
the  grain,  thereby  avoiding  the  use  of  sand- 
paper and  giving  a  finer  and  more  delicate 
finish,  also  a  labor-saving  device  for  splitting 
and  rossing  blocks.  Since  18SS  Mr.  C.  H. 
Stearns  has  been  sole  proprietor  of   the  con- 


STEARN'S. 


375 


cern,  and  nmv  runs  a  large  hniiber  business 
in  connection  with  the  factory,  getting  out 
about  1,000,000  feet  of  liHiiber  annually.  The 
company  manufactured  7,000  tubs  during 
their  first  year's  experience  and  in  1892  had 
the  satisfaciton  of  turning  out  the  enormous 
total  of  320,000.  Five-pound  butter  boxes 
and  packing  crates  are  extensively  manu- 
factured and  sold.  In  1890  Mr.  Stearns,  in 
company  with  his  cousin,  Mr.  M.  L.  Stearns, 
erected  an  extensive  plant  at  Lyndonville  for 
the  manufacture  of  butter  tubs  and  lumber, 
shipping  the  stock  for  this  factory  from  their 
mill  in  Canada.  In  addition  to  these  different 


CHARLES    H,    STEARNS. 

branches  of  the  Itnnber  trade  Mr.  Stearns  is 
also  extensively  interested  in  granite,  owning 
and  operating  a  quarry  and  cutting  sheds  at 
Hardwick,  employing  in  all  these  different 
lines  of  business  from  seventy-five  to  one 
hundred  men. 

He  was  married  Dec.  28,  1876,  to  Viola 
.■\.,  daughter  of  fessie  A.  and  Rebecca  (Mc- 
Laren) Hall  of  lohnson.  Thev  have  one 
child:  C.  Arthur." 

Mr.  Stearns  has  been  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican Lamoille  county  committee  for  the 
last  four  years  and  has  also  served  on  that  of 
the  town.  He  was  seven  years  town  treas- 
urer and  was  in  1886  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  which  he  was  a  valuable  member  of 
the  general  committee.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Union  Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Co.  of 
Morrisville,  and,  for  a  man  of  his  age,  is 
widely  known  in  business  and  political 
circles. 


He  has  ibeen  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  old, 
has  filled  all  the  chairs  of  the  lodge,  and  in 
1892  was  elected  G.  J.  D.  of  the  (Irand 
Lodge  of  \'ermont.  He  also  claims  member- 
ship in  the  I.  O.  ().  F. 

STEARNS,  JOHN  C,  of  Bradford,  son 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Chandler)  Stearns, 
was  born  in  Chelsea,  Feb.  11,  1831. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  Bradford  .'\cademy,  and  he 
commenced  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in 
a  general  store  in  Bradford.  For  six  vears 
he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Brooks"& 
Stearns,  which  was  engaged  in  trade  in  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  in  which  place  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  militia,  and  on 
his  return  to  Vermont  enlisted  in  the  Brad- 
ford Guards,  in  which  latter  organization  he 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  lieutenant. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Co.  D,  was  promoted 


JOHN  C.  STEARNS. 


to  the  rank  of  sergeant-major  of  the  1st  Vt. 
Vols.,  and  at  the  expiration  of  their  term  of 
service  was  appointed  ist  Lieut,  and  adjutant 
in  the  9th  Regt.,  but  was  compelled  to  re- 
sign, June  30,  1863,  on  account  of  disability. 
During  his  active  service  he  was  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  General  Trimble  of  Ohio, 
and  participated  in  engagements  at  Cloud 
Mills,  Winchester,  .Suffolk,  and  Harper's 
Ferry,  at  which  last  ])lace  he  became  a  ])ris- 
oner   upon    the    surrender   of   his  regiment 


3/6 


with  others  under  General  Miles,  and  after 
being  ]jaroled  was  sent  to  Chicago,  111.,  where 
he  did  guard  duty  till  May,  1863. 

After  his  return  from  the  war  he  employed 
himself  in  the  general  insurance  business 
and  farming,  in  which  occupation  he  has 
continued  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Stearns  was  a  whig,  and  has  been  a 
Republican  since  the  formation  of  the  latter 
party.  He  was  appointed  U.  S.  Assessor 
of  Internal  Revenue  of  the  Second  District 
of  Vermont  by  President  Grant,  and  U.  S. 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  state 
by  President  Garfield,  June,  1S81,  in  which 
office  he  continued  till  July,  1885.  Six  years 
subsequently  he  was  selected  by  Hon.  Red- 
field  Proctor,  Secretary  of  War,  as  a  commis- 
sioner to  mark  the  lines  of  battle  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  the  Confederate  .Army  of 
Northern  Virginia,  and  the  position  of  the  U. 
S.  Regulars  at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Confederate  General  Harry 
Heth  of  Virginia,  and  he  is  now  engaged  in 
that  work.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  colo- 
nel and  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gov. 
John  B.  Page,  and  he  also  held  the  position 
of  I  St  Lieut,  and  adjutant  of  the  ist  Regt. 
V.  N.  G.  Colonel  Stearns  represented  Brad- 
ford in  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
1886,  and  served  in  1878  as  a  senator  from 
Orange  county.  He  was  appointed  delegate 
to  the  national  Republican  conventions  held 
at  Chicago  that  nominated  U.  S.  Grant  and 
Benjamin  Harrison.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  trustees  of  the  Vermont  Soldier's 
Home,  and  in  1890  was  elected  its  treasurer. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Vermont  Com- 
manderv  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  of  Washburn 
Post,  G.' A.  R.,  and  Charitf  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Colonel  Stearns  married,  Sept.  12,  1863, 
Martha  F.,  daughter  of  John  Barron  and 
Martha  (Tilton)  Pecket,  of  Bradford. 

STEVENS,  ALONZO  JACKSON,  of 
Winooski,  son  of  Alonzo  and  Susan  (Sin- 
clair) Stevens,  was  born  in  lissex,  April  i, 
1828. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Flssex, 
and  after  reaching  his  majority  engaged  in 
the  occupation  of  carpenter  and  joiner.  In 
1855  he  came  to  Winooski,  and  there  was 
employed  as  a  millwright  by  the  firm  of 
Edwards  &  White.  Soon  after  the  death  of 
the  junior  partner,  Mr.  White,  the  shops 
were  destroyed  by  fire,  and  in  185 8  the  land 
on  which  they  had  been  erected  was  pur- 
chased by  A.  B.  Edwards  in  conjunction  with 
Mr.  Stevens,  and  under  the  designation  of  Ed- 
wards &  Stevens,  these  two  gentlemen  built 
up  an  extensive  business.  The  firm  remained 
unchanged  until  186S,  when  Mr.  Frank 
Jubell  was  admitted  to  the  concern.  Under 
the  title  of  Edwards,  Stevens  *&  Co.,  they 
largely  manufacture  mill-gearing  and   shaft- 


ing, iron  and  brass  castings  and  wood-work- 
ing machinery. 

In  1858,  ^Ir.  Stevens  was  married  to  Mary 
J.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Mary  (Shelden) 
Rood  of  Colchester.  Of  this  union  there 
are  issue :  Mary  Ella,  Charles  H.,  and 
Hattie  M. 

He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Winooski 
Savings  Bank,  and  has  been  a  director  of 
the  institution  since  its  organization. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Stevens  is 
thoroughly  Republican,  and  has  several 
times  been  elected  one  of  the  selectmen  of 
Colchester.  He  represented  that  town  in 
the  Legislature  in  1869  and  1870,  and  was 
elected  a  senator  from  Chittenden  county  in 
1886.  The  esteem  and  confidence  in  which 
he  is  held  by  his  fellow- townsmen  has  been 
manifested  by  the  many  ])ositions  of  trust 
and  confidence  to  which  he  has  been  called. 

STEVENS,  Charles,  of  Maidstone,  son 
of  Charles  and  Kmiline  (Batchelder)  Stevens, 
was  born  in  Maidstone,  Jan.  iS,  1842. 


LES    STEVENS. 


His  father  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  his  home, 
arriving  in  Boston,  Mass.,  with  two  dollars. 
He  first  found  employment  as  foreman  on  a 
farm  at  Chestnut  Hill,  then  was  engaged  as 
foreman  on  the  water  works  there  for  four 
years.  After  this  he  started  for  the  West 
where  he  visited  Omaha  and  Kansas  City  ; 
from  thence  he  made  his  way  to  Memphis 
on  a  flat  boat  and  then  on  foot  to  Jefferson 


in  Texas.  Here  he  was  employed  as  sub- 
contractor on  a  railroad,  but  his  health  fail- 
ing he  removed  to  Duvals  HlulT  where  he 
was  occupied  in  bridge  building  until  he  was 
compelled  to  return  to  his  native  town  by 
a  severe  attack  of  malaria.  After  his  re- 
covery he  made  New  York  the  scene  of  his 
labors,  building  a  section  of  the  Harlem 
railroad.  He  next  took  up  his  abode  in 
Boston  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  con- 
struction of  sewers.  In  1879  he  went  to 
Colorado  and  giving  his  attention  to  milling 
and  mining  operations  he  purchased  prop- 
erty of  the  latter  description  and  also  con- 
structed a  large  mill.  For  two  years  he 
continued  and  then  departed  to  explore  the 
country  three  hundred  miles  west  of  Roseita 
in  Gunnison  county  where  he  discovered 
and  started  nine  mines.  In  1884  he  re- 
turned to  the  farm  which  he  had  purchased 
in  Maidstone,  and  has  been  occupied  since 
in  improving  this  property. 

1  )emocratic  in  political  faith,  he  has  been 
selectman  several  times,  is  now  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  represented  the  town  in  iSpo-'gi. 

He  was  wedded,  March  30,  1876,  to 
Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  \\'illiam  M.  and  Ruth 
M.  (Jordan)  Perkins. 

STEVENS,  Charles  Phelps,  of  Troy, 

son  of  Charles  Deming  and  Murilla  (Cob) 
Stevens,  was  born  at  Huntington,  (ulv  9, 
1836. 

The  history  of  his  life  is  a  record  of  one  of 
the  most  successful  self-made  business  men 
in  Vermont.  Receiving  only  the  scant  edu- 
cation to  be  obtained  in  the  district  schools 
of  Duxbury,  yet  possessing  abundant  health 
and  indomitable  courage,  this  boy,  w-ho  was 
brought  up  in  a  saw  mill,  has  now  become 
one  of  the  largest  manufacturers  of  lumber 
in  the  state.  Brought  up  to  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  in  his  early  youth  he  secured  his 
first  financial  start  in  the  construction  of 
dwelling  houses  by  contract.  From  the 
profits  which  he  saved  he  purchased  a  lot  of 
timber  land  and  in  1862,  by  the  advice  of 
the  late  Leander  Hutchins,  president  of  the 
Waterbury  Bank,  who  furnished  the  neces- 
sary capital,  he  invested  largely  in  property 
of  the  same  nature  in  Duxbury.  This  ven- 
ture was  very  successful,  so  much  so  that 
in  1862  he  became  proprietor  of  a  lumber 
mill  in  Duxbury,  which  he  operated  till  1866, 
at  which  time  he  built  another  in  Bolton, 
Can.,  still  retaining  the  management  of  the 
first  for  two  years.  This  property  he 
sold  in  1868,  substituting  another  in  Jay 
devoted  to  the  same  business.  He  now 
made  Troy  his  place  of  residence,  and  from 
their  first  erection  operated  all  his  mills  night 
and  day  till  1870,  when  he  parted  with  those 
in  Jay  and  Bolton,  entering  into  ]jartnership 
with    D.  H.   Ruck   of  Troy,  with   whom  he 


STEVENS.  377 

commenced  a  general  merchandise  business 
and  in  connection  with  this  constructed  a 
cla])board  mill  at  Phelps  Falls  in  Troy,  Mr. 
Buck  retaining  the  management  of  the  store, 
and  Mr.  Stexens  of  the  mill.  C.  P.  Stevens 
and  D.  H.  Buck  then  formed  a  copartner- 
ship under  the  name  of  C.  P.  Stevens  &  Co. 
They  afterwards  erected  at  the  Falls  a 
large  saw  mill  and  the  first  factory  for  the 
manufacture  of  veneer  in  Orleans  county,  if 
not  in  Vermont,  which,  however,  was  soon 
transformed  into  a  large  feed  and  fiour 
mill.  In  1876  they  constructed  extensive 
mills  in  Richford,  around  which  a  village 
has  grown  up,  known  as  Stevens'  .Mills. 
He  is  a  partner  in  very  many  enterprises 
of  this    descrijation,   and   a    very   extensive 


owner  of  timber-bearing  real  estate  in  Bolton 
and  Jay,  beside  having  a  financial  interest 
in  several  manufacturing  concerns.  He 
also  possesses  three  farms  in  Troy  con- 
taining as  fine  tillage  land  as  can  be  found 
in  the  Missisquoi  valley,  which  under  his 
scientific  management  clearly  proved  that 
farming  can  be  made  to  pay  in  the  C.reen 
Mountain  state.  It  may  be  easily  imagined 
that  Mr.  Stevens  has  not  had  much  time  to 
devote  to  public  affairs,  although  soon  after 
he  arrived  at  man's  estate  he  was  appointed 
justice  of  the  ])eace,  his  commission  being 
signed  by  the  late  Gov.  Paul  Dillingham.  In 
1882  he  represented  Troy  in  the  Legislature, 
serving  on  the  committees  of  railways  and 
manufactures.    Six  years  later  he  was  chosen 


•^,78 


to  the  Senate  from  Orleans  county,  giving 
valuable  aid  to  the  committees  on  rules, 
manufactures  and  railways,  also  the  joint 
standing  committee  on  game  and  fisheries, 
while  he  was  actively  influential  in  passing 
the  $25,000  appropriation  for  the  Soldiers' 
Home.  In  the  Senate  as  in  private  life  his 
unusual  capacity  for  affairs  was  recognized. 

In  his  polilical  preferences  he  has  always 
been  an  ardent  and  loyal  Republican. 

Mr.  Stevens  has  been  twice  married.  He 
first  wedded,  February,  1862,  Francis  M., 
daughter  of  Truman  Morse,  who  departed 
this  life  after  their  union  had  lasted  ten  years, 
and  in  1873  he  married  Annette  C,  daughter 
of  Eli  Sherman,  by  whom  he  has  two  chil- 
dren :  Lena,  and  Charles  Sherman. 

Mr.  Stevens  is  liberal  in  his  religious 
creed,  but  has  always  attended  and  supported 
the  Congregational  church  in  Troy,  of  which 
society  for  twenty  years  he  has  been  the 
trustee. 

STEVENS,  JONAS  T.,  of  Hyde  Park, 
son  of  Amasa  and  Martha  (Smith)  Stevens, 
was  born  in  Eden,  June  3,  1S42. 

His  father,  Amasa,  was  a  long-time  resi- 
dent of  Eden,  was  prominently  connected 
with  public  affairs,  and  for  a  considerable 
period  was  associate  judge  of  the  county 
court. 

Jonas  T.  Stevens  obtained  his  education 
in  the  common  school,  and  for  a  time  gave 
his  services  to  neighboring  farmers,  being 
also  employed  in  mills  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
birthplace.  Acquiring  a  small  but  well- 
earned  capital,  he  invested  it  in  a  saw  mill, 
when  his  business  plans  were  suddenly  in- 
terrupted by  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil 
war.  He  was  too  good  a  patriot  to  remain 
behind,  when  so  many  of  his  countrymen 
were  thronging  to  the  field,  and  abandoning 
his  mill  he  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  ist  Vt.  Cavalry 
and  participated  in  nearly  seventy  engage- 
ments, in  which  that  gallant  corps  were 
engaged.  He  had  three  horses  shot  under 
him,  but  escaped  unhurt  and  was  only  pre- 
vented by  a  four  weeks'  sickness,  when  he 
was  sent  to  the  hospital,  from  being  always 
present  for  duty.  He  recovered,  however, 
in  time  to  be  present  in  the  Winchester 
fight,  where  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  rebel  C.eneral  Early  sent  "whirling 
down"  the  .Shenandoah  Valley,  and  April  i, 
1863,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be  taken 
prisoner  at  the  engagement  at  Broad  Run, 
and  sent  to  Libby  Prison,  but  was  fortunately 
paroled  and  rejoined  his  regiment  within 
less  than  six  months,  eager  and  ready  for  the 
fray.  He  was  discharged  after  almost  three 
years  service,  having  been  promoted  through 
every  grade  to  i  st  Lieut,  of  his  company. 

After  his  gallant  service  in  the  army,  he 
returned  to  the  vocation  he  had  deserted  at 


the  commencement  of  the  war,  and  for 
twenty-three  years  was  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  lumber  at  Eden  Mills.  Since 
that  period  he  has  occupied  himself  with 
farming  to  some  extent,  but  a  large  share  of 
his  time  has  been  devoted  to  public  affairs. 

For  eight  years  he  was  deputy  sheriff  and 
held  that  office  till  1878,  when  he  w-as 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county,  serving  two 
years,  and  again  he  discharged  the  duties  of 
a  deputy,  till  he  was  re-elected  to  sheriff  in 
1892.  He  has  been  entrusted  with  various 
offices,  and  was  elected  representative  in 
1872  and  1874  by  Republican  votes,  doing 
good  service  as  a  member  of  the  committees 
on  general  claims  and  corporations. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  united,  in  1867,  to  Emma, 
daughter  of  Charles  A.  and  Eunice  White  of 
Eden.  One  son  has  been  born  to  them  : 
Edson  M. 

Mr.  Stevens  is  a  member  and  past  com- 
mander of  Aaron  Keeler  Post,  No.  91,0.  .\. 
R.,  and  has  received  seven  degrees  in  Free 
Masonry,  affiliating  with  Mt.  Morris  Lodge, 
No.  69,  of  Eden,  and  Tucker  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M.,  of  Morrisville. 

STEVENS,  James  v.,  of  Waterville,  son 
of  \'alorous  and  Rebecca  K.  (Morse)  Stevens, 
was  born  in  Waterville,  Jan.  12,  1850. 

Commencing  his  education  at  the  common 
schools,  in  his  twelfth  year  he  served  a  short 
time  as  clerk  with  William  Wilbur,  of  \\'ater- 
ville,  then  returned  to  his  studies  and  con- 
tinued them  till  he  was  seventeen.  .\t  that 
age  he  entered  the  employment  of  Mr.  E.  H. 
Shattuck,  with  whom  he  remained  seven 
years,  when  he  was  admitted  as  partner  having 
an  equal  interest  in  the  business.  He  re- 
mained in  the  concern  five  years,  until  1880, 
when  he  left  Waterxille  and  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Boston,  but  soon  returned  to  his 
native  place,  which  since  has  been  his  resi- 
dence. 

Mr.  Stevens  is  attached  to  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party ;  has  held  all  the 
town  offices  in  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens 
and  is  now  town  clerk  and  treasurer  as  well 
as  trustee  of  U.  S.  surplus  money. 

He  is  a  member  of  \Varner  Lodge,  No.  50, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  44,  I. 
O.  O.  F. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  August  20, 
1874,  to  Ann,  daughter  of  Clark  and  Mary 
Jane  Wilbur. 

STEVENS,  Thomas  B.,  of  East  Mont- 
pelier,  son  of  Stephen  F.  and  Rachel  (Byrd) 
Stevens,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Monkton, 
Nov.  28,  1S33.  In  1790  Clark  Stevens,  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  came  to 
Vermont  from  the  town  of  Rochester,  Mass. 
He  finally  settled  on  a  farm  in  Montpelier 
upon  which  his  grandson,  Thomas  B.,  now 


resides.  Clark  Stevens  became  a  (Quaker 
preacher,  and  to  him  belongs  the  honor  of 
organizing  the  first  religious  society  and 
erecting  the  first  structure  for  public  worship 
in  Washington  county.  He  was  in  his  youth 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army  and 
afterwards  a  sailor.  D.  P.  Thompson  wrote 
of  him  as  "a  prince  in  appearance,  but  a 
child  in  humility,"  and  the  memory  of  no 
man  is  more  revered.  He  died  Nov.  20, 
1853,  having  lived  to  the  patriarchal  age  of 
eighty-nine  years,  and  departed  after  having 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
one,  Stephen  F.,  after  pursuing  his  trade  of  a 


STEVENS.  3-9 

generations  for  their  industry,  frugality, 
energy  and  sterling  worth. 

Such  a  man  must  have  naturally  been 
selected  by  his  fellows  for  every  official  posi- 
tion he  would  accept ;  and  besides  holding 
the  usual  town  offices  he  was  elected  by  the 
Republicans  to  represent  the  town  of  East 
Montpelier  in  the  Legislature  of  1872. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  married  in  December, 
1862,  to  Jane,  daughter  of  .Vllen  and  I.ydia 
(Edgerton)  Bliss  of  Calais,  who  bore  him 
one  daughter  :   I.enora  Rachel. 

STEVENS,  William  Blanding,  late  of 

Bradford,  was  born  in  Newbury,  .April  9, 
1822.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Caleb  and 
Mary  (Matthews)  Stevens,  and  received  his 
education  from  the  common  schools  and 
academies  of  the  vicinity. 

The  independent  and  self-reliant  spirit  that 
governed  his  whole  career  manifested  itself 
at  the  early  age  of  ten,  when  he  worked  for 
the  neighbors  at  a  shilling  a  day,  or  its 
einiixalent. 


cabinet  maker  at  Monkton  for  a  few  years, 
returned  to  the  old  homestead  in  Montpelier 
and  there  cared  for  his  parents  till  their 
decease.  This  faithful  son  was  honored  and 
respected  by  all  the  community. 

Thomas  B.  Stevens  purchased  the  paternal 
estate,  four  miles  from  the  state  capitol,  and 
has  devoted  a  useful  and  contented  life  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  improving  the  property 
and  adding  to  it  till  he  now  is  the  fortunate 
possessor  of  many  of  the  most  fertile  acres 
in  Washington  county  or  indeed  in  the  state. 
Constructing  a  commodious  dwelling  house 
with  ample  outbuildings,  which  are  models  in 
their  appearance  and  convenience  upon  a 
site  commanding  an  extensive  view,  he  has 
devoted  his  efforts  mainly  to  dairy  farming. 
He  is  no  unworthy  scion  of  a  family  which 
has  been  known  and  honored  durini;  three 


WILLIAV.    BLANDING    STEVENS. 

M  fifteen  he  commenced  his  business  life 
as  a  clerk  at  .South  Newbury,  with  James 
Chadwick,  and  afterward  entered  the  store 
of  F.  &  H.  Keyes,  at  Newbury  Street,  where 
he  continued  until  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  brother,  at  I'iermont  Crossing,  in 
185 1.  Here  they  developed  a  profitable 
trade,  and  a  few  years  later  they  removed  to 
the  village  of  Bradford,  where  the  firm  has 
remained,  with  several  changes  in  the  part- 


58o 


STEVENSON. 


nership,  until  the  day  of  Mr.  Stevens'  death, 
March  2,  1S93.  His  business  career  was 
upright  and  honorable,  receiving  the  hearty 
and  frank  approval  of  his  patrons  and  com- 
petitors. A  Boston  merchant  says  :  "  Mr. 
Stevens  I  have  known  for  over  forty  years  ; 
and  in  all  that  time  I  have  the  pleasantest 
recollection  of  his  manly  and  genial  presence 
and  strict  honor,  estimating  him  as  one  of 
the  noblest  gentlemen  and  merchants  that 
Vermont  has  had  the  honor  to  produce." 

In  the  many  improvements  and  enterprises 
of  IJradford,  Mr.  Stevens  was  always  one  of 
the  first  to  be  consulted,  as  he  was  looked 
upon  as  a  ready  and  safe  adviser.  In  the 
day  of  Bradford's  calamity,  when  its  business 
centre  was  swept  away  by  fire,  in  the  spring 
of  18S3,  Mr.  Stevens  proved  his  faith  in  the 
town  by  the  erection  of  a  brick  block  that 
still  stands  as  a  memento  of  his  confidence 
and  energy.  He  did  much  to  increase  busi- 
ness in  Bradford  these  later  years.  The  new 
hotel,  the  creamery,  the  grist  mill,  all  owe 
their  success  largely  to  the  influence  of  his 
liberal  spirit  and  financial  support.  Every- 
thing that  tended  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
town  had  from  Mr.  Stevens  hearty  and  sub- 
stantial aid. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stevens  was  a  Republican, 
and  held  many  town  offices.  He  was  a 
loyal  supporter  of  the  North  during  the  war 
and  of  the  loyal  veterans  since  the  struggle. 

In  religion  he  was  aCongregationalist,  and 
though  not  a  member  of  the  church,  he  gave 
its  business  interests  the  same  practical  at- 
tention that  he  did  his  own.  He  had  much 
to  do  with  thebuildingof  the  present  church 
structure,  and  his  religious  belief  was  a 
potent  factor  in  his  life. 

He  married,  in  1856,  Miss  Harriet  E., 
daughter  of  Austin  and  Miriam  Ladd, 
of  Haverhill,  N.  H.  They  had  four  children, 
one  of  whom,  Helen  Luella,  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  are :  Carrie  ( Mrs.  Albert  \V. 
Porter  of  New  York),  and  May  (Mrs.  O.  R. 
Baker  of  Bradford). 

The  home  of  Mr.  Stevens  was  one  of  the 
happiest  in  the  village,  with  all  that  love  and 
care  could  give  it. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Stevens  sought  to  live 
peacefully  with  all  men.  He  was  naturally 
kind  of  heart.  Those  that  worked  with  him 
as  partners,  and  for  him  as  assistants,  always 
found  him  pleasant,  agreeable  and  indulgent. 

Mr.  Stevens  departed  this  life  March  2, 
1893.  An  old  citizen  writes  of  him  that  he 
"  took  an  active  interest  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  village,  being  liberal  in  his  support  of 
both  churches  and  schools,  and  rendering  it 
one  of  the  most  thriving  communities  of  the 
state.  His  sterling  virtues  and  enterprising 
business  habits  endeared  him  to  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  and  made  him  one  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  the  town." 


STEVENSON,  IRVIN,  of  Lowell,  son  01 
Irvin  and  Eliza  ( Fletcher)  Stevenson,  was 
born  in  Lowell,  April  5,  1885,  and  is  one  of 
the  reliable,  substantial  young  business  men 
in  the  town.  Mr.  Stevenson  was  educated 
in  the  Lowell  and  Westfield  public  schools 
and  at  the  Kimball  L^nion  Academy,  Meri- 
den,  N.  H.  He  is  also  a  graduate  of  the 
National  Business  College,  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  and  taught  several  terms  in  the 
public  schools. 

Not  choosing  to  be  a  practical  farmer  like 
his  father,  in  the  fall  of  1885  he  went  into 
the  mercantile  business  in  Lowell  in  com- 
pany with  A.  A.  .Aseltine,  of  Enosburgh 
Falls.  A  year  and  a  half  later  he  became 
sole  proprietor  of  his  present  large  store,  and 
carries  a  fine  stock  of  general  merchandise. 

Politically  he  is  a  strong  Democrat  with 
conservative  tendencies,  and  was  postmaster 
during  Cleveland's  first  administration.  Mr. 
Stevenson  is  and  has  been  for  many  years 
town  superintendent  of  schools,  and  in  1892 
was  elected  town  treasurer.  He  is  also  quite 
actively  interested  in  town  affairs. 

He  has  been  for  eighteen  years  an  exem- 
plary member  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  is  an  energetic  promoter  of  the  welfare 
of  that  denomination  in  Lowell. 

November  13,  1879,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Henry 
Smith,  of  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  and  has  by  her 
one  daughter  :  Louise. 

STEWART,  JOHN  WOLCOrr,  of  Mid- 
dlebury,  son  of  Ira  and  Elizabeth  (Hubbell) 
Stewart,  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Nov.  24, 
1825.  The  first  ancestor  of  Governor  Stew- 
art's family  on  the  paternal  side,  whose 
record  has  been  preserved,  was  Robert 
Stuart,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Samuel, 
his  son,  emigrated  first  to  Londonderry, 
Ireland,  and  secondly,  from  thence  with  the 
historical  Scotch-Irish  colony  which  crossed 
the  Atlantic  and  settled  in  Londonderry, 
N.  H.,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  John  Stewart,  grandfather  of  John 
Wolcott,  familiarly  known  as  Captain  John, 
was  born  in  Londonderry,  N.  H.  He  was 
a  man  of  marked  characteristics,  full  of 
martial  energy,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
the  French  and  Revolutionary  wars.  At 
the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  first  killed  an 
Indian  in  a  notable  fight  in  the  forest. 
Subsequently  he  became  a  member  of  a 
courageous  band  of  frontiersmen  known  as 
Rogers'  Rangers.  He  accompanied  the  ill- 
fated  expedition  of  General  Montgomery 
against  Quebec,  and  was  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  that  gallant  officer  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  happened  to  be  in 
Bennington,  paying  his  addresses  to  the 
lady  who  afterward  became  his  wife,  when 
Burgoyne's  invasion  took  place,  and  he  at 


382 


once  volunteered  and  led  a  company  of 
[jatriot  soldiers  in  the  decisive  conflict  that 
followed. 

John  W.  Stewart  prepared  for  matricula- 
tion in  the  Middlebury  Academy,  entered 
Middlebury  College  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1846.  Adopting  the  legal 
profession,  he  began  to  qualify  himself  for 
practice  by  reading  law  in  the  office  of 
Horatio  Seymour,  in  Middlebury,  and  re- 
mained there  until  January,  1S50,  when  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Addison  county. 
Commencing  practice  at  Middlebury,  he 
conducted  it  alone  until  1854,  when  he  con- 
tracted a  copartnership  with  ex-U.  .S.  Sena- 
tor Phelps,  and  maintained  the  connection 
until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  .April,  1S55. 
His  association  with  Senator  Phelps  proved 
to  be  very  valuable  in  many  respects. 

Early  in  his  professional  career  Mr.  Stew- 
art identified  himself  with  the  political  affairs 
of  his  native  state.  In  the  years  1852,  1S53 
and  1854  he  held  the  office  of  state's  attor- 
ney for  Addison  county.  In  1S56  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  as  representative 
of  Middlebury,  and  served  therein  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  railroads.  His 
services  proved  to  be  so  acceptable  to  his 
constituents  that  he  was  again  elected  in  the 
following  year,  and  was  also  re-appointed  to 
his  former  position  on  the  railroad  commit- 
tee. In  January,  1857,  the  State  House  at 
Montpelier  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  a 
strong  movement  was  set  on  foot  to  make 
Burlington  the  capital  of  the  state.  This 
movement  Mr.  Stewart  resisted.  Although 
one  of  the  members  from  the  west  side  of 
Vermont,  he  was  influentially  active  in  the 
legislative  debates  on  the  question  of  re- 
moval, and  favored  the  retention  of  Mont- 
pelier as  the  capital.  His  logic  was  weighty 
and  powerful,  and  was  largely  instrumental 
in  carrying  the  point  in  favor  of  the  old 
location.  In  1861  Mr.  Stewart  was  returned 
to  the  state  Senate  from  Addison  county, 
and  served  on  the  judiciary  committee. 
Elected  for  a  second  term  to  the  Senate  of 
1S62,  Mr.  Stewart  again  served  on  the  judi- 
ciary committee  and  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  rules.  In  1864  he  was  re- 
turned to  the  House  from  Middlebury,  and 
served  on  the  committees  on  joint  rules  and 
judiciary.  In  1865,  1866  and  1867  he  was 
a  member  of  the  House,  and  at  each  session 
was  elected  speaker.  One  of  the  changes 
in  the  organic  law  of  the  state,  effected  by 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1870,  was 
that  bv  which  the  biennial  system  was 
adopted.  Mr.  Stewart  was  the  first  Gover- 
nor of  Vermont  elected  under  the  new  order 
of  things,  and  was  chief  magistrate  of  the 
state,  to  his  and  its  honor,  from  1S70  to 
1872.  He  was  in  1876  again  a  member  of 
the  House,  and  was  again  its  model  speaker. 


He  has  not  given  his  whole  time  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  but  has  devoted  a 
portion  of  it  to  the  management  of  financial 
institutions.  He  was  chosen  a  director  of 
the  Middlebury  Bank  in  1S58,  and  for  several 
years  prior  to  1881  he  served  as  president 
with  great  acceptability  and  gave  strong 
evidence  of  entire  fitness  for  the  position. 
In  1 88 1  the  pressure  of  other  engagements 
upon  his  time  forced  him  to  decline  a 
further  re-election. 

In  1882  Governor  Stewart  was  elected  by 
the  Republicans  of  the  new  First  Con- 
gressional District  to  the  Forty-eighth  Con- 
gress. His  long  service  in  both  branches  of 
the  Vermont  Legislature  and  his  excellent 
gubernatorial  administration  gave  promise 
that  was  amply  fulfilled  of  good  and  influen- 
tial service  in  national  legislation.  He  was 
re-elected  to  Congress  in  1884, 1886  and  1888. 
Since  the  expiration  of  his  eight  years  in  Con- 
gress Governor  Stewart  has  returned  to  the 
active  practice  of  law — to  the  work  of  a  pro- 
fession which  he  adorns  and  whose  members 
are  all  his  admirers  and  friends. 

John  Wolcott  Stewart  was  married,  Nov. 
21,  i860,  to  Emma,  daughter  of  Philip  and 
Emma  Hart  Battell  of  Middlebury,  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  late  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour 
of  Middlebury.  Five  children  were  the  fruit 
of  their  union.  Three  of  these,  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  are  still  liviing. 

STICKNEY,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON, 
of  Andover,  son  of  Joseph  and  Ann  (Hos- 
nier)  Stickney,  was  born  in  New  Ipswich,  N. 
H.,  Oct.  25,  1804.  Joseph  Stickney,  Sr.,his 
grandfather,  was  a  \eteran  ranger  in  the  old 
French  war,  and  Joseph,  Jr.,  his  father, 
served  with  credit  in  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle. George's  mother,  Ann  Hosmer,  had 
often  gazed  upon  Paul  Revere,  and  her  father, 
\\illiam  Hosmer,  rallied  with  his  comrades 
upon  the  green  at  Lexington. 

George  \V.  Stickney  was  of  the  third  of 
four  generations,  three  of  which  have  acted 
an  honorable  part  in  three  famous  wars,  for 
his  son  Cassias  was  a  brave  soldier  of  the 
L'nion  and  died  in  Libby  Prison  of  woimds 
received  in  battle.  George  W.  received  only 
the  limited  educational  advantages  of  the  dis- 
trict school,  but  is  a  man  of  remarkable  in- 
telligence and  force  of  character.  .At  the 
age  of  eighty-nine  his  mind  is  clear,  his 
memory  retentive,  and  he  still  labors  in  the 
field.  His  uncle,  Moody  Stickney,  cleared 
the  farm  in  1790  where  he  now  resides,  and 
this  property  for  more  than  a  century  has 
been  in  possession  of  some  member  of  the 
family,  where  to-day  four  generations  are 
sheltered  under  the  roof  tree  of  the  old 
homestead  and  gather  around  its  hospitable 
board.  Five  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  set- 
tled in  this  school  district  in  Andover,  and 


fifteen  sons  of  these  worthy  sires  served  in 
the  bloody  struggle  to  preserve  the  Union, 
six  of  whom  never  returned. 

Mr.  Stickney  was  united  in  marriage  Nov. 
22,  1832,  to  Roxillana,  daughter  of  Amos  and 
Roxillana  (Utley)  Burton.  To  them  have 
been  born  eight  children :  Nancy  (Mrs. 
Alonzo  C.  Gutterson,  deceased),  Warren  (de- 
ceased), Byron,  Jane  (deceased),  Cassius 
M.  (killed  in  the  war),  Eliza  (Mrs.  Warren 
Beard  of  Chester),  Preston  L.,  and  Eva  J. 
tIsMr.  Stickney  was  from  the  outset  a  pro- 
nounced abolitionist,  casting  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  John  Quincy  Adams  and  his 
last  for  Benjamin  Harrison,  and  deposited 
his  ballot  at  every  intervening  election.  He 
has  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  all  town 
offices,  has  acted  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
over  half  a  century  and  for  six  terms  repre- 
sented Andover  in  the  Legislature,  while  dur- 
ing the  civil  war  he  discharged  the  duties  of 
deputy  United  States  marshal  and  enrolling 
officer. 

STICKNEY,  JOSEPH  TREADWAV,  son 
of  Tyler  and  Laura  (Treadway)  Stickney, 
was  born  in  Shoreham,  on  the  28th  of  July, 
183:;. 


STILES.  383 

voted  great  attention  to  raising  Spanish 
Merino  sheep,  and  was  honored  with  the 
first  prize  for  the  best  flock  at  the  inter- 
national exhibition  in  Philadelphia,  in  1876. 
Like  all  Vermonters,  he  is  much  interested 
in  the  breeding  of  horses,  preferring  those  of 
the  Morgan  variety,  while  in  cattle  his  preju- 
dices are  in  favor  of  the  Durham  stock. 

Mr.  Stickney  adheres  to  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  very  deservedly 
represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature  of 
1886,  where  he  was  a  useful  member  of  the 
general  comnnttee.  He  has  been  the  choice 
of  his  fellow-townsmen  for  many  positions  of 
trust,  including  that  of  selectman  and  over- 
seer. For  three  years  he  served  on  the 
committee  on  pedigree  in  the  Vermont 
Sheep  Breeders'  Association.  He  has  a 
large  acquaintance,  and  is  a  man  of  exceed- 
ing popularity,  but  does  not  avail  himself  of 
this  advantage  in  office-seeking,  nor  does  he 
desire  promotion  in  the  management  of 
public  affairs,  but  quietly  works  for  the  good 
of  his  party,  enjoying  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Mr.  Stickney  has  never  entered  the  mar- 
ried state,  and  has  also  avoided  membership 
in  clubs  and  societies,  and  is  not  officially 
connected  with  anv  church  organization. 


SI 


^ 


JOSEPH    TREADWAY    STICKNEY. 

His  primary  educational  training  was  ob- 
tained at  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  he  afterwards  graduated  at  New- 
ton Academy,  in  Shoreham.  He  has  always 
devoted  his  life  to  agricultural  pursuits  and 
to  the  breeding  of  blooded  stock,  in  which 
he  has  met  with  great  success.     He  has  de- 


STILES,  FRANK  W.,  of  Springfield,  son 
of  William  L.  and  Betsey  A.  (Sargent)  Stiles, 
was  born  in  ^Vindsor,  Dec.  27,  1849. 

His  education  was  somewhat  limited,  being 
confined  to  the  public  schools  of  Windsor, 
but  during  his  youth  and  early  manhood, 
under  many  disad\antages,  he  pursued  quite 
an  extended  course  of  reading  and  study. 

His  father  being  subject  at  times  to  mental 
derangement,  the  support  of  the  family  de- 
\ol\-ed  largely  upon  the  son,  and  from 
necessity  he  early  acquired  habits  of  indus- 
try and  self  denial.  In  1864  the  family 
removed  to  Springfield,  and  Frank  entered 
the  employment  of  the  Novelty  Works  Co. 
and  other  business  houses.  .After  ten  years 
experience  in  this  vocation,  he  established  a 
job  printing  business,  and,  Jan.  4,  1878, 
issued  the  first  number  of  the  Springfield 
Reporter,  a  four  column  folio  devoted  to  the 
promotion  of  local  interests.  The  prospect 
of  success  was  not  very  encouraging,  as  seven 
difTerent  attempts  in  journalism  had  pre- 
viously failed  in  that  locality,  but  Mr.  Stiles 
persevered  and  through  his  energy  and  un- 
ceasing effort,  soon  saw  the  circulation  and 
influence  of  his  news]iaper  rapidly  increase 
till  it  reached  its  present  en\iable  position, 
resting  on  a  firm  financial  basis,  entirely  due 
to  the  business  and  editorial  ability  of  its 
founder  and  promoter.  From  this  success 
other  good  fortune  has  been  derived,  and 
Mr.  Stiles  is  now  the  owner  of  valuable  real 
estate  in  the  town  and  its  vicinit)'. 


384 


He  has  always  been  an  outspoken  and 
staunch  supporter  of  the  RepubHcan  party, 
but  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office. 

He  has  received  the  first  three  degrees  of 
Masonry  in  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  41,  of 
Springfield. 

Mr.  Stiles  was  united  in  marriage  June  5, 
1879,  to  Ann  S.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  (Boyle)  Hayes  of  Plymouth.  To 
them  have  been  born  :  George  Hayes,  Louise 
May  (deceased  in  infancy),  Bessie  Ann 
(deceased  in  infancy),  Harold  F.  W.,  and 
Russell  William. 

STILLSON,  Henry  Leonard,  of  Ben- 
nington, son  of  Eli  Bennett,  and  Eliza  Ann 
(Leonard)  Stillson,  was  born  in  Granville, 
N.  Y.,  Sept.  19,  1842. 

He  received  an  academic  education,  sup- 
plementing that  of  the  common  schools,  and 
has  de\'oted  his  life  chiefly  to  journalism  and 
literary  pursuits.  He  commenced  his  career 
by  lending  his  services  during  the  war  to  the 
Rutland  Herald.  After  four  years  thus  em- 
ployed he  embarked  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness, but  soon  resumed  his  original  vocation, 
and  since  1871  has  resided  in  Bennington, 
where  for  twenty  years  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Bennington  Banner. 


HENRY    LEONARD    STILLSON. 

This  is  a  very  brief  abstract  of  the  life  of 
a  man  whose  reputation  as  a  historian  is 
widely  extended  on  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic. He  was  the  editor-in-chief  of  the 
"History  of   Freemasonry  and   Concordant 


(_)rder,"  a  standard  work  which  has  gone 
through  several  editions,  and  had  the  un- 
precedented sale  of  33,000  copies  during  the 
first  year,  thus  making  his  name  a  familiar 
one  among  Masons,  both  here,  in  Canada 
and  in  Europe.  He  is  connected  with  a 
number  of  journals  devoted  to  interests  of 
Freemasonry,  and  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  a 
frequent  contributor  to  "Frank  Leslie"  and 
other  periodicals  of  that  description.  In 
1892  he  had  the  signal  honor  to  be  made  a 
member  of  the  correspondence  circle  of  the 
"Lodge  Quatuor  Coronati"  of  London,  Eng., 
a  select  circle  of  antiquaries,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  American  Historical  Associa- 
tion. His  ability  as  a  writer  in  his  chosen 
class  of  subjects  has  been  heartily  endorsed 
by  leading  journals  of  America,  England, 
and  those  upon  the  continent. 

Mr.  Stillson  has  consecrated  some  of  his 
best  literary  efforts  to  the  Masonic  fraternity 
in  which  he  holds  an  eminent  position,  and 
for  whose  welfare  he  has  exer  labored  with 
enthusiasm  and  energy.  He  is  affiliated  with 
Mt.  Anthony  Lodge,  No.  13,  of  which  he  is 
past  master  ;  Plattsburg  Chapter,  No.  39,  R. 
A.  AL  ;  Taft  Commandery,  K.  T.,  No.  8 ; 
Cyrene  Preceptory  and  Priory,  K.  T.,  No.  29, 
of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  Mt.  Anthony  Chap- 
ter No.  I,  O.  E.  S.  He  has  been  called 
upon  to  discharge  the  duties  of  grand  patron 
of  the  last  named  body,  is  an  honorary  Pre- 
ceptor of  the  Sovereign  Great  Priory  of 
Canada.  He  is  past  grand  master  and  past 
grand  representative  of  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  and 
has  also  written  the  history  of  that  order  in 
the  state  of  Vermont.  The  biography  of  Mr. 
Stillson's  works  occupies  two  pages  in  the 
annual  report  of  the  American  Historical 
Association  for  1893,  among  the  latest  of 
which  was  the  "Vermont  Centennial  History," 
issued  last  year. 

Mr.  Stillson  was  united  in  marriage,  August 
5,  1868,  to  Josephine  Sophia,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Maria  (Buckman)  Woodruff, 
of  Plattsburg,  N.  V.  Mrs.  Stillson  died  Feb. 
18,  1880,  leaving  one  daughter,  Frances 
Emily  Stillson,  now  living,  and  a  son,  Benja- 
min Leonard  Edward,  since  deceased.  Sep- 
tember 6,  1 88 1,  he  was  wedded  to  Helen 
Kenyon,  of  Manchester,  Vt.,  and  to  them 
four  children  have  been  born  :  Bessie,  Ruth 
Katherine,  Adah  Caroline,  and  Lee  Hascall, 
none  of  whom  survive. 

Mr.  Stillson  has  always  acted  with  the 
Republican  party  and  has  represented  Ben- 
nington in  state  and  county  conventions  but 
has  never  sought  for  or  held  any  other  politi- 
cal preferment.  He  is  the  present  health 
officer  for  the  village  and  town  of  Bennington 
and  North  Bennington  graded  school  district 
— the  executive  for  three  boards  of  health. 


STONE. 


385 


STONE,  Charles  Marshall,  son  of 

Charles  and  Sarah  (Wells)  Stone,  was  born 
in  Lyndon,  April  18,  1833. 

He  left  his  father's  farm  in  1849,  when  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  entered  the  office  of 
the  St.  Johnsbury  Caledonian  in  which  he 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  print- 
ing and  publishing  business,  having  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  the 
Lyndon  and  St.  Johnsbury  academ  es.  In 
1855  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the 
paper,  two  years  later  became  sole  editor 
and  proprietor  and  so  remained  to  the  last 
year  of  his  life  when  his  eldest  son  entered 
the  concern  as  assistant  editor. 

Mr.  Stone  was  married  in  1858  to  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Gov.  Erastus  and  Lois|  (Cross- 
man)  Fairbanks.  Four  children  were  born 
to  them,  three  of  whom  survive.  After  a 
short  illness,  Mr.  Stone  died,  Mfrch  12, 
1890,  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.  He  was  a  veteran 
in  Vermont  journalism,  having  conducted  the 
Caledonian  for  thirty-six  years.  Kver  de- 
voted to  his  caUing,  possessed  of  brijadth  of 
thought,  courage  of  utterance,  sincerity  and 
strength  of  conviction,  which  qualities 
marked  his  entire  life,  he  wielded  an  influ- 
ence that  was  felt  and  acknowledged  not 
only  in  his  own  state,  but  also  far  beyond  its 
borders. 

STONE,  Arthur  Fairbanks,  of  St. 

Johnsbury,  son  of  Charles  M.  and  Sarc\h 
(Fairbanks)  Stone,  was  born  in  St.  Johnsi 
bury,  Feb.  18,  1863. 

His  preparatory  education  was  the  usual 
one  received  in  the  public  schools  and  he 
fitted  for  college  in  the  St.  Johnsbury  .Acad- 
emy, where  he  was  graduated  in  1881.  He 
then  matriculated  at  Amherst  College,  Mass., 
from  which  he  received  his  diploma  as  a 
bachelor  of  arts,  in  1885. 

After  his  graduation,  he  resolved  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  profession  of  journalism 
and  as  his  first  essay,  was  employed  as  a 
reporter  on  the  staff  of  the  Northampton 
(Mass.)  Daily  Herald  for  two  years.  He 
then  changed  the  scene  of  his  labors  and 
served  in  the  same  capacity  for  a  year  in 
connection  with  the  F"all  River  1  )aily  News. 
In  18S9  he  purchased  a  half  interest  of  the 
Caledonian  at  St.  Johnsbury  and  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  1890,  continued  its 
publication,  discharging  the  duties  of  the 
editor-in-chief  of  that  newspaper. 

Mr.  Stone  was  united  in  marriage,  Jan.  i, 
1890,  to  Helen,  daughter  of  A.  J.  and 
Harriet  E.  Lincoln  of  Northampton,  Mass. 
They  have  one  daughter  :  Edith  L. 

He  is  attached  to  the  Republican  party, 
but  though  advocating  its  principles  has 
never  sought  official  preferment.  Mr.  Stone 
is  president  of  the  local  Natural  History 
Society,  is  the  present  clerk  of  the  village  of 


St.  Johnsbury  and  has  efficiently  served  as 
the  secretary  of  the  Vermont  Press  .Asso- 
ciation. 

STONE,  Mason  SERENO,  of  Mont- 
peher,  son  of  Orson  N. and Candace  (Mason) 
Stone,  was  born  at  Waterbury  Center,  Dec. 
14,  1859. 

His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
public  .schools  and  seminary  of  that  place, 
and  he  afterwards  attended  the  People's 
.Academy  of  Morrisville.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  classical  department  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  in  1883. 


MASON   SERENO   STONE. 

Having  had  some  experience  as  an  in- 
structor during  his  college  course,  he  resolved 
to  devote  his  life  to  the  cause  of  education, 
and  during  the  next  six  years  filled  the 
office  of  principal  of  the  W'illiston  .Academy, 
Bristol  high  school,  and  People's  .Academy, 
Morrisville.  In  1889  he  was  elected  sujier- 
visor  of  schools  in  Orleans  county,  and  in 
the  next  year  organized  the  first  summer 
school  in  Vermont.  In  1891  he  was  ap- 
pointed tutor  in  mathematics  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  to  fill  the  position  left 
vacant  by  the  absence  of  the  regular  in- 
structor. While  at  the  university  he  was 
apyjointed  chief  of  the  educational  division 
of  the  Indian  Bureau  at  Washington,  but 
declined  the  position,  jireferring  to  accept 
the  office  of  superintendent  of  schools  for 
the  district  of  Easthampton,  Mass.,  which 
post  he  resigned  a  year  later,  when  he  was 
elected  superintendent  of  education  for  the 


-,86 


STRANAHAN. 


State  of  ^'ermont,  the  duties  of  which  ofifice 
he  continues  to  discharge. 

Mr.  Stone  is  independent  in  his  politics. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church  in  Morrisville, 
and  has  always  manifested  a  lively  interest 
in  the  religious  work  of  the  young  people's 
societies.  Mr.  Stone  is  a  self-reliant  and 
energetic  man,  possessing  the  happy  faculty 
of  arousing  the  enthusiasm  and  interest  of 
those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  in  the 
professional  work  to  which  he  has  hitherto 
devoted  his  life. 

STOWELL,  JOHN  WESLEY,  of  Put- 
ney, son  of  Asa  and  Mary  (Colby)  Stowell, 
was  born  in  Putney,  Sept.  29,  1835. 


chairs,  continuing  until  1S83,  when  Mr. 
Stowell  bought  the  interest  of  his  partner 
and  continued  the  business  until  1885. 

Mr.  Stowell  has  given  much  of  his  spare 
time  to  inventions,  the  most  successful  of 
which  was  the  Gem  folding  table,  on  which 
he  received  letters  of  patent  in  1885,  and  for 
the  manufacture  of  which  he  organized  the 
Stowell  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  which  organi- 
zation he  was  elected  president  and  general 
manager. 

Mr.  Stowell  was  married  at  AMnchendon, 
Mass.,  May  6,  1856,  to  Helen  M.,  daughter 
of  James  and  Lydia  Hosley,  of  Marlow,  N. 
H.  Of  this  union  there  were  three  children. 
Mrs.  Stowell  died  .April  24,  1870.  Mr.  Stowell 
was  again  united  in  marriage,  Oct.  29, 
1873,  to  Miss  Olive  J.  Farley,  of  Coleraine, 
Mass. 

Mr.  Stowell  is  prominent  in  Masonic 
circles,  and  has  held  all  the  ofifices  of  his 
lodge,  as  well  as  that  of  deputy  grand  master 
of  the  8th  Masonic  district  of  Vermont  for 
two  years.  He  is  also  prominent  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 


^    1^ 


STRANAHAN,  Farrand  Stewart,  of 

St.  Albans,  son  of  Farrand  Stewart  and  Mary 
Caroline  (Curtis)  Stranahan,  was  born  in 
New  \"ork  Citv,  Feb.  3,  1^42. 


JOHN    WESLEY    STOV.ELL. 

He  receixed  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Putney,  and  at  eleven  years 
of  age  began  life  for  himself.  His  first  em- 
ployment was  in  a  chair  stock  factory  at 
Royalston,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years,  removing  thence  to  Ashburn- 
ham,  Mass.,  where  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  meet  Professor  Burrage  of  Amherst  Col- 
lege, who  took  an  interest  in  young  Stowell 
and  instructed  him  privately. 

In  April,  1861,  Mr.  Stowell  returned  to 
Putney  and  began  the  business  life  which  has 
led  him  to  success.  His  first  venture  was  in 
the  manufacture  of  chair  stock  with  J.  N. 
Underwood,which  business  he  continued"  until 
1873,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  R. 
C.    Hitchcock   for  the   manufacture  of  toy 


FARRAND    STEWART    STRA^ 


He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  01 
the  metropolis,  and  in  1859  came  to  Ver- 
mont. H  e  was  made  paymaster  on  the  Ver- 
mont Central  R.  R.  in  1865.     From  1867  to 


STURTEVAN'l'. 

187  I  he  was  engaged  in  business  in  Si.  Al- 
bans. At  the  close  of  this  period  he  was  ap- 
pointed treasurer  of  the  National  Car  Co., 
which  position  he  still  retains.  In  1886  he 
became  cashier  of  the  Welden  National  Hank 
of  St.  Albans,  of  which  institution  he  was 
made  vice  president  in  1892.  Mr.  Strana- 
han  is  also  a  director  in  the  Central  Vermont 
and  the  Ogdensburg  and  I,.  C.  R.  R.  Cos., 
and  is  vice-president  of  the  Missisquoi  road. 

Republican  in  political  i)reference,  he  has 
served  as  trustee  of  the  village  of  St.  Albans, 
and  represented  the  town  in  1884.  Four 
years  afterward  he  was  elected  to  the  state 
Senate,  was  a  trustee  of  the  state  reform 
school  from  1888  to  1892,  and  was  made 
Lieutenant-Governor  in  1892. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  August  26, 
1862,  to  Miranda  Aldis,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Lawrence  and  Fidelia  (Gadcomb)  Brainerd, 
from  which  alliance  two  children  were  born  : 
iSLibel  Fidelia  (deceased),  and  Farrand 
Stewart. 

Mr.  Stranahan  enlisted  in  the  L'nited  States 
service  in  August,  1862,  and  was  succes- 
sively promoted  from  the  grade  of  ist  ser- 
geant to  the  rank  of  2d  and  ist  lieutenant 
of  Co.  L.,  ist  Vt.  Cavalry  and  shared  in  all 
the  battles  in  which  that  regiment  partici- 
pated till  the  winter  of  1864,  when  he  was 
appointed  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gen. 
George  A.  Custer,  serving  in  every  engage- 
ment in  which  that  brilliant  general  took 
part  till  September,  1864,  at  which  time 
Lieutenant  Stranahan  received  an  honorable 
discharge  and  returned  to  his  ado])ted  home. 
He  is  a  member  of  A.  R.  Hurlbut  Post  G. 
.A.  R.,  of  which  he  has  been  commander, 
and  he  also  is  enrolled  in  the  military  order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion. 

STURTEVANT,  WiLBER  R.,  of  Hart- 
land,  son  of  Cullen  F.  and  Harriet  ( Morey ) 
Sturtevant,  was  born  in  Hartland,  Nov.  22, 
1844.  He  comes  of  Puritan  lineage,  being 
the  grandson  of  Friend  Sturtevant,  who  was 
born  in  Halifax,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  Hart- 
land  in  1804,  where  he  was  a  medical  prac- 
titioner. His  mother  was  a  near  relative  of 
Capt.  Samuel  Morey,  of  Fairlee,  whose 
claims  as  the  original  inventor  of  the  steam- 
boat have  been  lately  urged  with  so  much 
authority  and  force. 

Mr.  Sturtevant  received  the  customary 
course  of  school  instruction  in  the  town  of 
Hartland,  and  then  served  an  apprentice- 
ship in  his  father's  mill  to  learn  the  art  of 
woolen  manufacturing.  His  father  was 
widely  known  as  the  maker  of  the  Sturte- 
vant Sheep's  Grey,  an  article  noted  for  its 
extreme  durability.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  Mr.  Sturtevant  commenced  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  merchant  in  the  town  of 
Hartland,  where  he  has  continued  till  the 


SULLO\VA\-.  387 

present  time,  conducting  a  successful  and 
remunerative  trade,  and  winning  the  respect 
of  all  by  the  honorable  and  straightforward 
manner  in  which  he  has  dealt  with  the 
community. 

He  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1880, 
and  has  held  the  office  since  that  time, 
except  under  President  Cleveland's  admin- 
istrations. He  has  creditably  filled  the 
position  of  town  clerk  for  many  years  and 
been  called  to  various  other  offices  of  public 
trust,  in  which  he  has  never  disappointed 
the  expectations  formed  of  his  ability  and 
integrity.  In  1886  he  represented  Hartland 
in  the  Legislature. 


Mr.  Sturtevant  has  knelt  at  the  altar  of 
Free  Masonry  and  is  united  with  Vermont 
Lodge,  No.  18,  of  Hartland. 

He  was  wedded,  Oct.  t8,  i 871,  to  Lenora, 
daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Mary  (Pike) 
Robinson.  Their  children  are  :  Florence  H., 
Alice  R.,  and  Helen  R. 

SULLOWAY,  LORENZO,  of  St.  Johns- 
bury,  son  of  Lorenzo  and  Sabra  (Campbell) 
SuUowav,  was  born  in  Wheelock,  July  17, 
i8;,9. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  schools 
of  Wheelock,  and  he  commenced  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  commercial  tra\eler  for  a 
sugar  e\aporator  company.  Afterwards  he 
formed  a  partnership  for  general  trade  with 
1'..  F.  Taylor  in  his  native  town,  where  he  re- 
mained till  1873.     In  1867  he  was  appointed 


3SS 


deputy  sheriff,  which  office  he  held  till  1878, 
when  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Caledonia 
county,  and  removed  to  St.  Johnsbury.  This 
office  he  now  holds,  having  been  elected  in 
1878,  1880,  1882,  1884,  1886,  18S8,  1890, 
and  1892,  by  large  majorities.  In  1890,  he 
was  the  regular  nominee  of  both  the  contend- 
ing parties.  During  his  term  of  office  he  has 
ably  taken  charge  of  a  great  many  notorious 
criminals.  In  1876,  he  was  considered  a 
fitting  person  to  represent  Wheelock  in  the 
Legislature  where  he  served  on  the  general 
committee. 

He  married,  Nov.  2,  1870,  Lizzie,  daughter 
of  John  and  Jane  (Herron)  Ranney,  of 
Wheelock.  One  son  has  been  born  to  them  ; 
Ralph  C. 


DRENZO    SULLOV 


Mr.  SuUoway  is  a  member  of  many  secret 
and  social  organizations,  among  which  may 
be  named  :  Crescent  Lodge,  No.  56,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Lyndon,  in  which  he  has  filled  all 
official  positions  save  that  of  master  ;  Has- 
well  Chapter,  Palestine  Commandery,  No. 
5,  Mizpah  Lodge  of  Perfection,  Caledonia 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Olive  Branch  of  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  and  the  JMystic 
Club.  He  is  a  Methodist  in  his  religious 
belief. 

SUMNER,  HlRAM  S.,  of  Bristol,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Dorcas  (Fuller)  Sumner,  was 
born  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  May  24,  1834. 

He  was  an  only  son,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen    accompanied     his    parents,    who 


settled  upon  a  farm  in  Addison.  His  early 
education  was  chiefly  derived  from  the 
schools  of  Middlebury,  where  his  parents 
were  residing  in  1843.  In  1S60  he  pur- 
chased a  large  farm  in  Bristol  Flats,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  residence.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  successful  farming  operations 
he  has  been  actively  engaged  as  agent  for 
the  sale  of  farming  implements  and  ma- 
chinery. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Addison  in 
the  summer  of  1855  to  Olive  A.,  daughter  of 
Erasmus  and  Lucy  (Carpenter)  Gulley. 
Four  children  were  born  to  them  :  Charles 
E.,  Bertha  M.,  Henry  G.,  and  Maude  M., 
the  last  of  whom  died  after  a  short  illness, 
Feb.  18,  1891. 

Mr.  Sumner  is  a  Republican  in  his  politi- 
cal preferences,  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  selectman,  and  was 
on  the  board  of  listers  at  the  quadrennial 
appraisal  at  two  different  times,  and  has  held 
other  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Bristol.  He  is  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  faternity,  and  for 
nearly  thirty  years  has  affiliated  with  Libanus 
Lodge  No.'  47,  at  Bristol.  He  has  united 
with  Munsell  Council,  and  Gifford  Chapter 
No.  25,  at  Bristol,  and  is  a  Knight  Templar 
of  the  Mt.  Calvary  Commandery  at  Middle- 
bury. 


SWAIN,  Albert  Nathaniel,  of  Bel- 
lows Falls,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Lucia 
(Stow)  Swain,  was  born  in  Reading,  July  12, 
1828. 

He  received  his  literary  instruction  in  the 
common  schools,  but  his  practical  education 
was  derived  from  the  printing  office.  In 
this  latter  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years,  commencing  in  1847  in  the 
office  of  the  Vermont  Journal  at  Windsor, 
during  which  he  gave  some  attention  to  the 
study  of  Latin.  After  this  he  continued  for 
a  similar  period  as  journeyman  with  the 
same  employer,  when  seized  with  an  am- 
bition to  become  a  journalist  he  removed  to 
Krattleboro  and  there  found  a  position  as 
printer  and  assistant  editor  of  the  \'ermont 


3> 


ALBERT    NATH 


Republican  then  published  by  O.  H.  I'latt. 
In  1856  he  came  to  Bellows  Falls,  where  he 
became  editor  and  soon  after  proprietor  of 
the  Bellows  Falls  Times,  which  he  continued 
to  publish,  in  connection  with  conducting  a 
job  printing  establishment,  for  more  than 
thirty-two  years,  when  he  retired  from  active 
life  still  making  that  town  his  place  of  resi- 
dence. 

Mr.  Swain  was  married,  Nov.  i;,,  1856,  to 
Susan  W.,  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Phebe 
(Town)  Putnam  of  Brattleboro. 

He  was  an  early  member  of  the  anti- 
slavery  party  and  cast  his  first  ballot  for  the 
candidates  of  the  old  Liberal  party,  when  it 
could  poll  but  six  votes  in  his  town.  In 
1852  he  voted  for  John  P.  Hale,  and  after 


TArr.  389 

the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
gave  to  it  a  steady  and  loyal  adherence. 

In  1870  Mr.  Swain  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  by  the 
unanimous  vote  of  his  fellow-townsmen. 
This  assembly  he  regards  as  the  strongest  in 
ability  of  any  legislative  body  with  which  he 
has  been  connected,  being  composed  of  the 
strongest  men  in  the  state,  among  them  ex- 
(lovernors,  congressmen,  judges,  and  that 
eminent  lawyer,  Hon.  ]■;.  J.  Phelps.  The 
most  prominent  question  debated  and  de- 
cided in  that  con\ention  was  that  of  the  bi- 
ennial sessions  of  the  Legislature,  the  adop- 
tion of  which  measure  received  the  earnest 
support  of  Mr.  Swain.  He  was  also  a  rep- 
resentative in  the  .Assemblies  of  1872  and 
1876,  and  was  chosen  senator  from  his 
county  in  1886.  He  was  assigned  to  various 
committees,  including  those  on  education, 
printing,  joint  rules,  railroads,  and  federal 
relations.  ( )n  the  first  three  he  served  as 
chairman. 

Mr.  Swain  was  one  of  the  originators  as 
well  as  earliest  members  of  the  Vermont 
Press  Association,  and  for  four  years  acted 
as  president  of  that  body.  He  served  as 
])Ostmaster  of  Bellows  Falls  under  the  ad- 
ministrations of  Lincoln,  Johnson  and  (irant, 
giving  general  and  marked  satisfaction  in 
this  position  during  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
He  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Bellows  Falls 
Savings  Bank  since  1882,  president  of  the 
Rockingham  Free  Library  since  its  organiza- 
tion, and  has  held  many  other  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility,  in  all  of  which  he 
has  never  disappointed  the  expectations  of 
those  who  have  committed  these  duties  to 
his  care. 

TAFT,  ELIHU  Barber,  of  liurlington, 
son  of  Eleazer  and  Ellen  (Barber)  Taft,  was 
born  in  Williston,  March  25,  1847. 

After  the  advantages  of  a  good  home  edu- 
cation and  one  in  the  common  schools  and 
\Villiston  .Academy,  he  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont  in  1867,  graduating  in  1871. 
Four  years  after  he  received  the  degree  of 
A.  m!  from  his  alma  mater.  He  entered 
his  name  as  a  law  student  in  1870  with  the 
well-known  attorneys,  Messrs.  Wales  and 
I'aft  at  Burlington,  and  ]iursued  his  legal 
studies  with  them  during  his  last  year  in  the 
uni\ersity.  Being  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
bar  of  Chittenden  county  court  in  1873,  he 
took  u])  his  residence  in  Burlington  and  was 
admitted  some  time  after  to  practice  in  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  same  county.  On  the 
motion  of  Hon.  K.  J.  Phelps,  at  the  Febru- 
ary term,  1879,  he  was  admitted  as  an  attor- 
nev  in  the  United  States  district  and  circuit 
courts.  He  was  apjiointed  United  States 
(leputv  collector  of  internal  revenue  of  the 
third  district  of  \'ermont  in  1874  and  served 


|^/^^<?o^ 


until  he  resigned  in  1881.  Mr.  Taft  has 
been  a  successful  lawyer  for  o\er  twenty 
years  in  Burlington  and  his  professional  in- 
tegrity and  ability  have  never  been  (|ues- 
tioned. 

He  was  married,  April  t,  1875,  to  l.ucia 
A.,  daughter  of  Anson  S.  and  Agnes  (Stuart) 
Johnson,  who  died  Dec.  15,  1S75. 

Mr.  Taft  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
faith  and  has  been  honorably  recognized  by 
his  party  and  the  people.  He  has  served 
several  terms  as  school  commissioner  and  as 
one  of  the  board  of  aldermen,  being  presi- 
dent of  the  board  for  three  terras.  In  1888 
he  received  the  honor  of  an  election  as  a 
senator  from  Chittenden  county,  and  during 
the  session  of  that  year  was  made  chairman 
of  the  general  committee,  one  of  the  most 
important  in  the  Legislature.  He  is  a  life 
member  of  the  American  Society  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science.  His  life-long  study 
of  natural  history  entitles  him  to  rank  among 
the  foremost  of  amateur  naturalists,  to  which 
fact  his  large  private  cabinet  of  birds,  fos- 
sils, shells  and  minerals  will  bear  ample  tes- 
timony. 

He  has  been  a  most  extensive  traveler, 
not  only  in  the  New  but  also  in  the  Old 
A\'orld.  He  visited  the  Centennial  at  Phila- 
delphia, the  region  of  the  great  lakes  and 
copper  mines  of  Michigan,  is  familiar  with 
the  scenery  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  Yosemite  Valley,  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park  and  the  Pacific 
coast  from  San  Francisco  to  Puget  Sound. 
Nor  has  he  neglected  places  of  interest 
nearer  his  native  state  but  has  made  exten- 
sive tours  through  Canada,  sailing  down  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  up  the  gloomy  Saguenay. 
The  winter  and  spring  of  1887  he  spent  in 
the  South  and  Southwest,  seeing  New 
Orleans,  Galveston  and  the  City  of  Mexico, 
also  making  a  trip  to  the  top  of  the  volcano 
Popocatepetl,  to  the  petrified  forest  of 
Arizona  and  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Col- 
orado. 

His  last  and  most  extended  journey  was 
in  1889,  to  the  most  important  cities  and 
countries  in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere,  in- 
cluding Paris,  Rome,  Bombay,  Calcutta, 
Benares,  Cairo,  Jerusalem,  Smyrna,  Athens, 
Constantinople,  Vienna,  Venice,  Cologne 
and  cities  of  Denmark,  Russia,  Sweden  and 
Norway,  Scotland,  England  and  Ireland  and 
Holland,  concluding  with  a  visit  to  Paris 
where  ten  days  were  occupied  at  the  great 
exposition  before  he  turned  his  steps  home- 
ward. 

He  has  ever  been  a  zealous  Free  Mason 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  arrived  at  man's 
estate  received  the  obligations  of  .\ncient 
Craft  Masonry  in  Webster  Lodge,  No.  61,  of 
\\'inooski.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
Pkirlington  Lodge,  No.   100,  at   Burlington, 


'^91 


of  which  he  is  a  past  master.  He  i:,  past 
grand  recorder  and  jiast  grand  treasurer 
of  the  Cirand  Commandery  of  Vermont ;  a 
member  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
and  has  attained  the  3 2d  degree  in  the 
.\ncient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite.  In 
most  of  the  different  bodies  of  this  last 
order  he  has  worthily  presided. 

Mr.  Taft  has  ever  maintained  the  char- 
acter of  an  upright  man,  an  honest  and  able 
lawyer  and  a  good  ditizen. 

TAFT,  Russell  S.,  of  Burlington,  was 
born  in  Williston,  Jan.  28,  1835,  and  went 
to  Burlington  in  1853,  where  he  resided  until 
May,  1 88 1,  when  he  returned  to  Williston, 
but  is  now  living  again  in  Burlington.  He 
was  educated  at  the  common  schools  and 
academies ;  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Chittenden  county  in  November, 
1856  ;  was  selectman  of  the  town  of  Burling- 
ton from  1 86 1  to  1864,  and  alderman  of  the 
city  of  Burlington  from  1865  to  1S69  ;  was 
state's  attorney  for  Chittenden  county  from 

1862  to  1865  ;  a  senator  for  that  county  in 
1865  and  1866  ;  city  attorney  for  the  city 
of  Burlington  in  1871  and  1872  ;  register  of 
probate  in   the  district  of  Chittenden  from 

1863  to  1S80,  and  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
the  state  in  i872-'74.  In  1880  he  repre- 
sented the  city  of  Burlington  in  the  Legisla- 
ture ;  was  elected  sixth  assistant  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court.  He  has  since  been  bi- 
ennially re-elected  to  the  bench,  and  has 
been  since  1890  first  assistant  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court. 

Judge  Taft  is  especially  conversant  with 
Vermont  decisions,  and  in  disposing  of  cases 
is  much  more  inclined  to  apply  to  them  the 
law  as  it  is  in  Vermont  than  the  law  as  jt 
may  be  in  other  jurisdictions. 

T  A  P  L I N  ,  Merrick  Mansfield,  of 

Barton  Landing,  son  of  Richard  and  Susan 
(Ordway)  Taplin,  was  born  in  Irasburgh, 
June  8,  1851. 

.After  attendance  at  the  public  schools  of 
Irasburgh  and  (Orleans  Liberal  Institute  he 
decided  to  devote  himself  to  a  business  ca- 
reer and  in  1868  commenced  to  deal  in 
cattle  and  horses.  In  1884  he  added  to  his 
former  occupation  a  trade  in  wagons,  sleighs 
and  agricultural  implements.  At  the  same 
time  forming  a  copartnership  with  Dr.  Geo. 
1!.  Rowell  under  the  firm  name  of  Taplin  & 
Rowell,  and  they  own  and  operate  a  large 
dairy  farm  in  Irasburgh.  He  is  largely  inter- 
ested in  real  estate.  He  with  his  partner  have 
recently  taken  a  half  interest  in  the  St.  Johns- 
bury  Carriage  Co. 

Mr.  Taplin  is  a  strong  Republican  ;  was 
for  ten  years  lister  in  Irasburgh,  and  served  as 
selectman  and  lister  after  removing  to  Barton 
Landing. 


392 


His  religious  preferences  are  Congrega- 
tionalist  and  he  is  a  musician  of  ability.  He 
has  been  an  ardent  supporter  and  president 
of  the  Orleans  County  ^lusical  Association. 

Mr.  Taplin  married,  March  23,  1887,  Susie 
E.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Charles  and  Mary 
(Mehin)  Rogers. 

TAYLOR,  Giles  GalUSHA,  of  Fletcher, 
son  of  Giles  and  Cynthia  (Leach)  Taylor, 
was  born  in  Fletcher,  Feb.  11,  1813.  His 
father  was  the  first  blacksmith  of  the  town 
in  which  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers, 
and  was  a  veteran  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812. 

The  son  received  a  scanty  education  in 
the  district  schools,  and  at  the  early  age  of 
eighteen  married,  and  then  settled  upon  a 
section  of  land  near  Metcalf  pond,  a  lonely 
sheet  of  water  among  the  hills,  where  with  a 
woodman's  axe  he  cleared  a  farm  from  the 
native  wilderness.  By  dint  of  unceasing  toil 
he  slowly  increased  his  resources,  gradually 
purchasing  more  land,  until  he  is  now  the  pos- 
sessor of  an  estate  of  three  hundred  acres  and 
resides  upon  a  farm  adjoining  his  original 
homestead,  which  has  been  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  family  for  three-quarters  of  a 
century.  The  dairy  and  the  sugar  orchard 
are  the  principal  sources  from  which  he 
derives  his  income.  In  his  manufacture  of 
maple  sugar  he  uses  the  best  of  modern  ap- 
pliances with  successful  and  remunerative 
results.     Mr.  Taylor  has  also  a  fine  apiary. 

He  is  a  true-blue  Democrat  of  the  Jack- 
sonian  school,  and  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  Martin  Van  Buren.  For  more  than 
forty  years  he  has  been  moderator  in  town 
meetings,  and  has  always  presided  with 
dignity  and  impartiality.  Such  is  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him  that  though  a  mem- 
ber of  the  minority  party,  he  has  been 
elected  to  fill  various  town  oflices,  and  was 
called  upon  to  represent  Fletcher  in  the 
J^egislature  of  1890,  in  which  body  he  was 
the  oldest  member. 

Four  score  years  have  left  their  traces 
upon  his  form,  yet  his  mental  faculties  are 
nearly  as  active  as  in  his  youthful  days,  and 
he  still  enjoys  a  joke  and  hearty  laugh  as 
well  as  any  man  in  Franklin  county. 

Mr.  Taylor  married,  Feb.  15,  1831,  Lydia, 
daughter  of  James  and  Abigail  (Aldrich) 
Chase.  Five  children  were  issue  of  this 
wedlock:  Lorinda  (Mrs.  William  Leach, 
deceased),  James  B.  (deceased),  Eliza  (Mrs. 
A.  B.  Case  of  Cambridge),  Florilla  (de- 
ceased), and  Abbie  P.  (Mrs.  W.  J.  Spauld- 
ing). 

TAYLOR,  Herbert  Edward,  of  Brat- 

tleboro,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Mary  (  Edwards) 

Taylor,  was  born  in  Cuillord,  <_)ct.  13,  1837. 

He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 

of  Guilford,  at  the   Westminster  Seminary, 


and  Powers  Institute  of  Bernardston,  Mass., 
spending  his  vacations  on  the  home  farm, 
where  he  also  passed  the  early  vears  of  his 
life. 

In  1861  he  enlisted  with  Co.  F,  4th  Regt. 
Vt.  Vols.,  and  served  three  years,  receiving 
his  discharge  in  September,  1864.  He 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  battle-.,  of 
the  U'ilderness,  May  5,  1864,  and  was 
disabled  for  manual  labor,  and  has  since 
constantly  suffered  from  the  effects  of  his 
wounds.  Returning  from  the  battlefield  he 
located  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  early  spring  of  1865,  when 
he  removed  to  Brattleboro  and  engaged  in 
the  clothing  and  furnishing  business,  which 
he  continued  until  1875. 


ERBERT   EDWARD  TAYLOR. 


In  1879  he  was  appointed  deputy-collector 
of  internal  revenue  of  the  District  of  Ver- 
mont, in  which  capacity  he  served  the 
government  until  1885.  In  188  j  Mr.  Taylor 
was  elected  a  deputy-sheriff  and  also  tax 
collector  for  the  town  of  Brattleboro,  to 
which  position  he  was  re-elected  successively 
for  four  terms.  He  was  also  door-keeper  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  18SS. 

Mr.  Taylor  served  in  the  Vermont  National 
Guard,  from  1886  to  1888,  as  captain  and 
provost-marshal  of  the  ist  Regiment ;  and 
also,  from  iSSS  to  1S90,  as  colonel  and  aid- 
de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  William  P. 
Dillingham.  Colonel  Taylor  has  been  ac- 
tively and  prominently  identified   with   the 


G.  A.  R.,  and  in  1888  was  elected  com- 
mander of  the  Department  of  Vermont. 

In  social  matters  Colonel  Taylor  has  also 
taken  a  ])rominent  part.  He  is  a  member 
of  Columbian  Lodge,  No.  36,  V.  &  A.  M., 
and  a  member  of  Beauseant  Commandery 
of  Knights  Templar,  as  well  as  a  member  of 
the  Sons  of  .American  Revolution.    • 

Col.  H.  E.  Taylor  was  married,  Oct.  7, 
1867,  to  Emeline,  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Electa  (Sargent)  Button,  of  Dummerston. 
Of  this  union  is  one  son  :  Linn  Button  Tay- 
lor, of  Brattleboro.  Mrs.  Taylor  died  in 
1877. 

Colonel  laylor  was  appointed,  Nov.  23, 
1S89,  by  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Windom, 
to  the  position  of  special  inspector  of  cus- 
toms, with  official  station  at  St.  .Albans,  a 
position  which  he  held  till  Nov.  i,  1893, 
operating  upon  the  northern  frontier  and  in 
Canada,  and  was  instrumental  in  preventing 
and  detecting  smuggling  and  other  frauds 
upon  the  Treasury  Department.  .After  the 
termination  of  his  service  for  the  govern- 
ment, he  returned  to  his  home  in  Brattleboro 
and  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  with 
his  son. 

T.4YLOR,  Harvey  Edson,  of  West 

Cornwall,  son  of  Samuel  and  Brusilla 
(Briggs)  Taylor,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Jan. 

3i>  1839- 

He  commenced  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  finished  by  pursuing  a 
course  of  study  at  the  grammar  school  in 
Middlebury  and  at  Fort  Edward  Institute. 
In  early  life  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law,  but  forsaking  this,  became  interested  in 
breeding  and  selling  sheep  in  the  West.  For 
five  years  he  was  engaged  in  trade  in  \\'est 
Cornwall,  but  is  now  a  farmer  and  sheep 
breeder.  He  has  devoted  himself  particu- 
larly to  the  RambouUett  strain,  having  im- 
ported from  the  flock  of  Victor  Gilbert,  of 
France,  in  1884.  Mr.  Taylor  has  a  large 
trade  throughout  the  country. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Troy,  X. 
v.,  .Sept.  I,  1864,  to  Kathleen  Liola,  eldest 
daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Murray) 
Hanks,  of  .Addison. 

He  is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican  party 
and  received  the  compliment  of  an  election 
to  represent  Cornwall  in  the  Legislature  of 
1890.  He  served  with  credit  on  the  com- 
mittee on  claims,  and  introduced  the  bill  to 
abolish  the  commissioner  of  emigration,  in 
which  attempt  he  was  successful.  He  urged 
this  measure  because  he  was  firmly  con- 
vinced that  it  was  poor  state  policy  to  pa)- 
salaries  to  agents  to  decry  the  agricultural 
advantages  of  ^'ermont.  Mr.  Taylor  has 
ever  led  an  active  and  useful  life,  in  the  firm 
belief  that  it  is  better  to  wear  out  than  to 
rust  out.     He  has  never  become  a  member 


TEMI'LE.  393 

of  any  secret  society  or  organization,  since 
he  sees  no  benefit  resulting  from  such  con- 
nection. 

TEMPLE,  George  G.,  of  Lunenburg, 
son  of  Frank  G.  and  Lucy  (Stockwell)  Tem- 
ple, was  born  in  Concord,  .April  14,  1851. 

His  educational  advantages  were  restricted 
to  the  public  schools  of  Concord  and  when 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  removed 
to  Lunenburg,  where  he  jjurchased  the  prop- 
erty known  as  the  John  W.  Hartshorn  farm 
and  since  that  time  he  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  to  which  he 
has  added  stock  raising.  He  has  also  been 
busily  occupied  in  buying  and  selling  cattle. 
Mr.  Temple  is  a  man  of  strong  physique  and 
tireless  energy. 

f^He  has  always  been  successful  in  his  va- 
rious enterprises,  is  strongly  Republican  in 
his  political  preferences  and  has  sened 
several  terms  as  selectman  and  road  com- 
missioner. So  strong  is  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  by  his  fellow-townsmen  that  he 
was  sent  to  represent  them  in  the  lower 
branch  of  the  General  .Assembly  of  1886. 

TEMPLETON,  Horatio,  of  Worcester, 
son  of  Joel  H.  and  .Abigail  (.Austin)  Temple- 
ton,  was  born  in  Montpelier,  May  29,  1819. 


I 


HORATIO  TEMPLETON. 


He  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children  and 
came  to  \\orcester  with  his  parents  when  he 
was  six  years  old,  and  received  his  education 
in  the    i:ommon  schools  of  the  town.     His 


394 


father  was  not  in  affluent  circumstances  and, 
after  his  schooHng  was  completed,  Horatio 
worked  under  his  father's  supervision  at  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  As  soon  as 
his  resources  enabled  him  to  do  so,  he  rented 
a  saw-mill,  which  he  carried  on  for  several 
years  with  such  success  that  in  1849  he  was 
able  to  build  one  for  himself  and  soon  after 
to  purchase  an  adjacent  farm  which  he  still 
possesses.  Until  i860  he  was  busily  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  staves,  barrel  heads  and 
lumber,  but  just  before  the  war  he  rented  his 
property,  purchased  the  hotel  in  Worcester 
and  as  proprietor  conducted  it  for  about 
eight  years.  During  the  war  he  was  actively 
engaged  as  a  recruiting  officer  under  state 
authority.  For  a  considerable  period  subse- 
quently he  was  occupied  in  trade  with  his 
son-in-law  at  Worcester,  the  firm  being  Tem- 
pleton  &  Vail,  but  sold  his  interest,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  principally  employed  in 
the  affairs  of  the  town,  in  settling  estates  and 
as  agent  for  the  Vermont  Mutual  Fire  Insur- 
ance Co. 

He  was  married,  Sept.  i,  1839,  to  Rhoda 
S.,  daughter  of  Mathias  and  Elizabeth  (Stev- 
ens) Fulsom.  Seven  children  are  the  issue 
of  the  union  :  Horatio  M.,  Amanda  R.  (Mrs. 
E.  L.  Wright,  deceased),  John  S.,Abbie  Ann 
(Mrs.  H.  D.  Vail,  of  Worcester),  Emma  J. 
(Mrs.  H.  W.  Lilly),  Charles  F.,  and  Eillian 
M.  (Mrs.  J.  L.  Stone). 

Mr.  'I'empleton  was  formerly  attached  to 
the  Republican  party,  but  since  1872  has 
affihated  with  the  Democrats.  -  For  nearly 
thirty  years  he  has  discharged  the  duties  of 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  also  served  as 
treasurer  and  constable.  He  represented  the 
town  with  credit  and  fidelity  in  1858  and 
1859  and,  in  spite  of  his  political  views,  was 
again  representative  from  Worcester  in  1882 
and  1890.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of 
Aurora  Dodge,  No.  32,  F.  &  .-X.  ^L 

TENNEY,  JOHN  ALLEN,  late  of  Corinth, 
son  of  Dr.  Joshua  and  Susanna  (Allen)  I'en- 
ney,  was  born,  Feb.  21,  1815,  in  Corinth. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Corinth  and  at  Bradford  Academy.  Mr. 
Tenney  embarked  on  his  business  career  as  a 
salesman  of  paper  for  Mr.  Low  of  Bradford, 
and  afterward  formed  a  partnership  for  the 
sale  of  general  merchandise  with  Theodore 
Cooke  of  Corinth.  At  the  same  time  he 
also  engaged  in  farming.  In  1859  he  re- 
moved to  Indian  \'illage,  Tama  Co.,  Iowa, 
and  while  there  engaged  in  trade  and  also 
dealt  largely  in  real  estate,  .\fter  four  years 
experience  of  western  life,  he  returned  to 
Corinth  and  again  pursued  the  business  of  a 
merchant  combined  with  that  of  a  farmer. 
Here  he  made  his  abode  until  the  time  of 
his  death. 


He  was  a  Republican,  and  represented 
Corinth  in  the  Legislature  in  1848  and  1849. 
He  was  town  clerk  and  register  of  probate 
for  many  years.  For  nine  years  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  judge  of  the  probate 
for  Bradford  district,  and  held  the  position  of 
assistant  judge  of  Orange  county  court  for 
two  yeats  by  election,  and  one  year  by  ap- 
pointment to  fill  the  place  of  a  former 
incumbent  who  had  resigned.  While  in  Iowa 
he  was  made  county  supervisor. 

Judge  Tenney  belonged  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  occupied  a  high  position  in 
the  brotherhood. 

He  was  married  at  Corinth,  Jan.  i,  1844, 
to  Mary,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Jennie 
(McKeen)  Doe  of  Corinth,  who  died  May 
7,  1847.  His  second  wife  was  Lydia  Doe, 
who  died  Jan.  29,  1889,  by  whom  he  had 
one  child  :  Mary  I.  He  contracted  a  third 
alliance  with  Mary  Raymond,  June  23,  1892. 
Judge  Tenney  died,  regretted  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances,  Oct.  i, 
1892. 

TERRILL,  George  EdrICK,  of  Under- 
bill, son  of  Londus  F.  and  Susan  (Fernald) 
Terrill,  was  born  in  Underbill,  (uly  30,  1861. 


GEORGE    EDRICK   TERRILL. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  the  Green  Mountain 
Academy  at  Underbill  Centre.  After  leav- 
ing school  in  1876  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk 
in  the  mercantile  establishment  of  his  father 
where  he  continued  until  18S4,  when  he  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  and   remained   a  iiart- 


ner  until  1889.  He  then  bought  out  his 
father  and  has  since  successfully  continued 
the  business. 

He  was  married  in  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  June 
II,  1878,  to  Ida  J.,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and 
Lucy  (Mead)  Prior.  Of  this  union  are  two 
children  :  Efifie  A.,  and  Scott  E. 

He  is  a  member  of  McDonough  J.odge, 
No.  26,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  been  its  secre- 
tary for  six  years  and  also  its  junior  warden. 
He  joined  Burlington  Chapter  in  1882  and 
also  Burlington  Council  and  later  the  Com- 
mandery  of  which  he  was  standard  bearer. 
He  joined  Burlington  Chapter,  No.  3,  R.  A. 
M.,  and  Burlington  Council,  No.  5,  R.  eS; 
S.  M.,  in  1883;  Burlington  Commandery, 
No.  2,  K.  T.,  in  1884  ;  Mount  Sinai  'I'eniple, 
Ancient  Arabic  Order,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  Nov.  16,  1892  ;  Vermont  Consistory, 
A.  A.  S.  R.,  3 2d,  March  31,  1893.  He  also 
belongs  to  Green  Mountain  Lodge  (Odd 
Fellows),  No.  4.  He  is  a  member  of  Cen. 
George  A.  Custer  Camp,  No.  7,  S.  of  V.,  was 
its  first  captain  in  1884.  He  was  success- 
ively promoted  in  this  organization  to  the 
rank  of  major,  lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel 
of  the  Division  of  ^'ermont,  and  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  national  encampments  at  Min- 
neapolis, Minn.,  Helena,  Mont.,  and  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio. 

As  a  Republican  he  represented  his  town 
in  the  tSeneral  Assembly  of  1892,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  railroads,  and  has 
been  town  treasurer  since  18S5,  and  for  six 
years  past  has  been  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican town  committee. 

TEWKSBURY,  AMOS  BRADFORD,  of 
West  Randolph,  son  of  Amos  W.,  and  Annis 
(Campbell)  'I'ewksbury,  was  born  in  New 
Boston,  N.  H.,  April  11,  1832.  His  father 
removed  to  West  Randolph  from  New  Bos- 
ton in  1854.  He  was  widely  known  as  a  re- 
liable business  man  and  acted  in  the  official 
capacity  of  town  clerk  and  treasurer.  He 
engaged  in  general  trade  and  soon  possessed 
the  deserved  confidence  and  patronage  of  a 
wide  circle  in  his  neighborhood.  During 
the  twenty-eight  years  which  he  passed  in 
^^'est  Randolph  as  a  merchant  and  manu- 
facturer the  town  progressed  in  development 
with  great  rapidity,  and  Mr.  Tewksbury  con- 
tributed his  full  share  to  its  welfare.  He  died 
at  \\'est  Randolph,  August  16,  1883,  with  a 
high  reputation  for  liberality  and  strict  in- 
tegrity. 

The  son  inherited  his  father's  practical 
and  sterling  ([ualities,  and  after  receiving  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  New 
Boston  and  the  Merrimac  Normal  School  he 
entered  the  firm  with  which  his  father  had 
been  connected,  and  his  business  experience 
has  developed  a  keen  insight,  a  judgment 
both  ready  and  reliable,  and  an  ability  to  at- 


THAVER.  395 

tend  to  all  petty  and  various  details  in  his 
transactions  which  is  rarely  equalled  among 
business  men. 

The  trade  of  A.  ^V.  Tewksbury  &  Sons  is 
one  of  the  most  extensive  in  the  state.  They 
ha\e  extensive  sawmills  and  manufacture 
large  ([uantitiesof  lumber.  In  addition  they 
have  a  door,  sash  and  blind  factory,  besides 
an  establishment  for  making  adjustable  win- 
dow screens. 

Mr.  Tewksbury  has  deservedly  been  in- 
trustetl  with  many  official  positions,  and  in 
1882  he  was  chosen  representative  of  the 
town  of  Randolph  ;  but  he  has  best  served 
the  interests  of  the  place  by  therein  con- 
ducting a  large  and  jirofitable  business  on 
liberal  principles. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  July  19,  1S64, 
to  Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Abner  and  Hannah 
Dodge.  Of  this  marriage  there  are  two  chil- 
dren :  George  D.  ( deceased  ) ,  and  Kdward  W. 

THAYER,  LEWIS  PaIGE,  of  West 
Randolph,  son  of  W.  H.  H.  and  Sarah  A. 
(Lewis)  Thayer,  was  born  in  Barnard,  Oct. 

23,1851. 

In  his  earlier  years  he  pursued  his  studies 
at  the  academy  at  West  Randolph,  and  the 
Randolph  Normal  School.  Resolving  to 
devote  his  life  to  journalism,  he  commenced 
to  study  the  practical  part  of  his  profession 
in  the  office  of  the  Green  Mountain  Herald, 
then  owned  by  the  Re\-.  E.  Gerry.  Having 
mastered  the  printer's  trade  and  obtained 
some  knowledge  of  editorial  duties,  he 
purchased  the  paper,  and  from  a  list  of  275 
subscribers  w-orked  up  a  circulation  of  4000. 
In  1879  he  moved  to  Montpelier  where  he 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  Vermont 
Farmer,  and  after  about  two  years  sold  the 
journal  to  Mr.  George  H.  Richmond,  ha\ing 
made  the  paper  a  success.  He  then  returned 
to  the  Herald,  but  has  not  confined  his  at- 
tention to  this  sheet  alone,  having  been 
associated  with  the  Northfield  New.s,  Bur- 
lington Clipper,  and  other  papers. 

Mr.  Thayer  is  at  present  the  chairman  of 
the  executive  committee  of  Vt.  Press  .Associa- 
tion. He  has  never  desired,  sought  for,  or 
held  political  office. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  August  29, 
1879,  at  Yankton,  Dakota,  to  Alice  M., 
daughter  of  A.  A.  and  Betsey  .\.  Smith.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Maurine, 
and  Harrison  Smith. 

THOMAS,  HORACE,  of  Salisbury,  son  of 
Isaac  and  Matilda  (Hubbard)  Thomas,  was 
born  in  Salisbury,  .August  15,  1809.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  a  member  of  a  family  of  old  New 
England  stock,  which  was  one  of  the  first  to 
find  its  way  into  Vermont. 

He  took  advantage  of  the  scanty  course 
of  instruction  afforded  by  the   neighboring 


396 


schools,  and  when  he  came  of  age,  acceded 
to  his  father's  wish  that  he  remain  at  home 
and  assist  him  in  the  labors  of  the  farm.  At 
his  father's  death,  he  purchased  the  interest 
of  the  other  heirs,  and  still  remains  on  the 
old  Thomas  homestead. 

He  married,  Dec.  3,  1835,  Anna  B., 
daughter  of  William  and  Eunice  VVainwright, 
of  Salisbury.  Of  this  union  there  were  five 
sons  and  one  daughter:  William  W.  (who 
died  at  Middlebury  in  1879),  ^Villard  H. 
(who  died  at  Salisbury  in  1887),  Walter  J. 
(a  veteran  of  the  wa_r),  Robert  B.,  Delia  A. 
( Mrs.  Frederick  Emerson,  of  Adamsville, 
Mich.),  and  Edson  H. 

Mr.  Thomas  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  is  an  active 
promoter  of  the  interests  of  his  native  town, 
where  he  is  universally  honored  and  respect- 
ed. For  thirty-four  years  he  has  been  town 
treasurer,  and  has  enjoyed  many  successive 
terms  as  selectman.  He  was  chosen  as  rep- 
resentative to  the  Legislature  at  its  first 
biennial  session  in  1S70.  He  has  been  for 
many  years  an  active  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church  at  Salis- 
bury village,  and  has  long  served  as  a  trus- 
tee of  that  society. 

THOMAS,  Stephen,  of  Montpelier,  .son 
of  John  and  Rebecca  (Batchellor)  Thomas, 
and  grandson  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Vick- 
ery)  Thomas,  was  born  in  Bethel,  Dec.  6, 
1809.  His  grandfather  Joseph  served  in,  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  was  a  lieutenant  in  a 
New  Hampshire  regiment  in  the  Saratoga 
campaign,  and  his  father  John  was  a  soldier 
in  the  31st  Regt.,  U.  S.  Inft.,  in  the  war  of 
181 2,  and  died  from  exposure  in  service  at 
Pittsburgh. 

Stephen  was  but  four  when  his  father  died, 
and  his  widowed  mother's  circumstances 
were  such  that  he  had  to  go  to  work  when  a 
mere  boy.  He  went  to  district  school  in 
Thetford,  and  at  eighteen  was  apprenticed 
to  a  woolen  manufacturer,  and  followed  his 
trade  in  Thetford,  Strafford  and  West  Fair- 
lee.  He  started  manufacturing  for  himself 
at  Hartland,  but  was  burned  out  and  went  to 
work  in  Thetford,  and  finally  settled  in  West 
Fairlee.  Here  he  did  a  good  deal  of  sheriff 
business,  and  also  pension  business,  and  was 
soon  the  leading  man  of  affairs  in  town. 

He  represented  West  Fairlee  in  the  House 
in  1838,  1839,  1845,  1846,  i860  and  1861, 
and  was  a  state  senator  from  Orange  county 
in  1848  and  1849.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Constitutional  Conventions  of  1843  and 
1850;  register  of  probate  for  the  district  of 
Bradford  from  1842  to  1846,  and  judge  of 
probate  for  that  district  from  1847  'o  1849. 
Judge  Thomas  was  active  in  politics,  and  an 
earnest  Democrat  till  the  rebellion  began. 
He  was  an  alternate  to  the  Democratic  na- 


tional convention  of  1848,  and  a  delegate  to 
the  next  three  conventions,  those  of  1852, 
1856,  and  i860.  At  the  sessions  of  the 
convention  of  i860,  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  and 
Baltimore,  he  became  convinced  of  the  set 
design  of  southern  Democrats  to  break  the 
Union  if  they  could  not  control  it.  He  was 
the  rjemocratic  candidate  for  Lieutenant- 
Covernor  in  i860,  and  earnesdy  advocated 
the  election  of  Douglas. 

.At  the  special  session  called  by  (Governor 
Fairbanks  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion 
in  .April,  1861,  the  greatest  sum  proposed  to 
be  raised  for  war  purposes  was  half  a  million 
dollars,  but  Judge  Thomas  urged  with  energy 
that  it  be  a  million — and  his  fiery  zeal  carried 
the  appropriation  which  he  well  knew  would 
be  needed. 


STEPHEN   THOMAS. 

November  12, 1 86 1,  he  was  made  colonel  of 
the  8th  Vermont,  which  regiment  he  raised  and 
led  to  the  South,  remaining  its  colonel  till 
Jan.  12,  1865.  Feb.  i,  1865,  he  was  com- 
missioned brigadier-general  of  volunteers, 
and  served  as  such  till  .August  24,  1865.  He 
was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  in  1867 
and  1 868,  and  under  commission  from  Pres- 
ident Orant  was  pension  agent  for  Vermont, 
with  headquarters  at  Montpelier,  from  1870  to 
1877.  He  is  now  president  of  the  U.S.  Clothes 
Pin  Co.  of  Montpelier,  which  does  a  large 
jobbing  business  in  lumber  and  house  find- 
ings, and  not  only  extends  its  clothes-pin 
trade  over  the  whole  country,  but  does  a 
large  export  business.     The  corporation  now 


THOMPSON. 

employs  fifteen  hands.  He  is  also  iiresident 
of  the  North  Haverhill  (iranite  C'o. 

(General  Thomas  ser\ed  with  distinction 
in  the  department  of  the  ( lulf  till  t  CS64,  when 
his  regiment  was  ordered  North,  and  in  the 
summer  of  that  year  put  imder  Sheridan  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley.  His  services  at  the 
battles  of  \\'inchester,  Fisher's  Hill,  and 
Cedar  Creek  were  of  the  highest  order.  He 
was  commended  in  general  orders  for  ser- 
vices at  \\'inchester,  Sept.  19,  1864,  when  he 
charged  with  the  Sth  Vermont  and  12th 
Connecticut,  under  his  command  on  his 
own  responsibility.  It  is  not  unjust  to  other 
brave  oflficers  to  tell  the  truth,  that  at  all 
soldiers'  reunions  the  applause  always  gets 
to  its  highest  when  General  Thomas  appears. 
He  was  the  idol  of  the  common  soldier,  and 
the  veterans  seem  to  add  year  by  year  to 
their  enthusiasm  for  the  bluff — sometimes 
gruff  and  always  brave — old  general. 

General  Thomas  married  Ann  Peabody  of 
Reading,  who  died  at  West  Fairlee,  Jan. 
8,  1877.  They  had  two  children  :  Hartopp 
of  Junction  City,  Wis.,  and  Amanda  T., 
widow  of  Luther  Newcomb,  who  was  many 
years  county  clerk  at  Montpelier. 

General  Thomas  has,  since  the  death  of 
his  wife,  made  his  home  at  Montpelier  with 
his  daughter,  'Mrs.  Newcomb.  He  has  held 
the  highest  places  of  honor  in  the  gift  of  the 
various  veteran  associations  in  the  state,  the 
camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  at  the  capital 
is  "Stephen  Thomas  Camp,"  and  so  the 
sons,  like  the  fathers,  regard  him  as  the  type 
of.  the  American  citizen  soldier — exemplar 
by  descent  of  those  who  in  battle  founded 
and  defended,  and  in  person  of  those  who  in 
battle  preserved,  the  great  Republic. 

THOMPSON,  Laforrest  Holman,  of 
Irasburgh,  son  of  Levi  S.  and  Irene  (Hodg- 
kins)  Thompson,  was  born  in  Bakersfield, 
Jan.  6,  1848. 

His  father  moved  from  Bakersfield  to 
Cambridge  about  1855,  remained  there  one 
year  and  then  moved  to  Potton,  Canada, 
where  Laforrest's  mother  died.  The  boy 
worked  on  the  farm  until  1865,  having 
scant  schooling  but  reading  and  studying 
much  for  himself.  From  1S65  he  studied  at 
the  grammar  school  (now  the  Normal  school) 
at  Johnson,  and  at  Kimball  Union  .-Academy 
at  Meriden,  N.  H.,and  taught  school  himself. 
In  1869,  he  was  fitted  for  college  but  his 
health  was  not  such  as  to  permit  him  to 
enter.  He  taught  instead  at  Craftsbury  and 
Irasburgh,  and  studied  law  mostly  by  him- 
self. 

In  March,  1871,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Orleans  county  bar  and  at  once  began  prac- 
tice at  Irasburgh.  He  has  always  been  an 
indefatigable  worker  and  he  soon  fought  his 
way  to  the  front  rank  of  his  profession.     In 


THO.MPSON.  397 

1S74,  he  was  elected  state's  attorney  and 
from  1S76  to  1 88 1,  when  his  law  practice 
demanded  his  whole  time  and  caused  him  to 
resign,  he  was  judge  of  probate. 

In  1880  and  1882,  Judge  Thompson  rep- 
resented Irasburgh  and  was,  the  latter  year, 
chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee  of  the 
House.  In  1884  he  was  a  senator  from 
Orleans  county  and  president  />/v  tetnpore  of 
the  Senate. 

in  1890  Judge  Thompson  again  rejjre- 
sented  Irasburgh  in  the  House,  and  was 
again  chairman  of  its  judiciary  committee. 
.At  the  session  of  1890  he  was  elected  sixth 
assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which 
office  he  now  fills. 

His  election  brought  to  judicial  ser\ice  at 
once  the  ardent  student,  and  the  man  of 
affairs  giving  the  right  reason  for  the  right 
decision. 

Mr.  Thompson  married,  August  24,  1S69, 
Mary  Eliza,  daughter  of  Hon.  .\.  P.  Dutton 
of  Craftsbury,  who  bore  him  four  children. 
Mrs.  Thompson  died  March  29,  18S1,  and 
Judge  Thompson  afterwards  married  Harriet 
C.  Kinney,  by  whom  he  also  has  children. 

THOMPSON,  Sumner  Shaw,  late  of 

Lyndonville,  son  of  Jacob  and  Esther  (Shaw) 
Thompson,  was  born  in  Halifax,  Mass.,  .April 
T2,  1823.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Lieut. 
John  Thompson,  who  married  a  daughter  of 
Francis  Cooke,  one  of  the  Mayflower  pil- 
grims. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools  at  Plympton,  Mass.,  and  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  received  a  contract  from  his 
brother  to  build  a  part  of  the  New  Bedford 
&  Taunton  railway,  and  for  forty-seven  years 
until  his  death  he  devoted  himself  to  rail- 
road construction.  He  was  concerned  in 
building  the  Vermont  &  Canada,  Central 
Vermont,  New  Hampshire  Northern,  Atlantic 
&  St.  Lawrence,  New  London  Northern, 
Boston,  Concord  &  Montreal,  Newport  & 
Southeastern,  Passumpsic,  Frankfort  (.Mich.) 
&  Southeastern,  Montreal,  Portland  &  Bos- 
ton, Woodstock,  Somerset,  Saratoga  &  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor,  and  several  railways  now  incor- 
porated with  the  Old  Colony  &  Southeastern 
system. 

,\t  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  iiresident 
of  the  Frankfort  &  Southeastern  R.  R.  in 
Michigan,  a  director  of  the  ("onnecticut  & 
Passumpsic,  and  vice-president  of  the  Mont- 
pelier &  \\'ells  River  R.  R.,  of  which  latter 
he  was  appointed  receiver,  managing  the 
property  so  ably  that  it  increased  in  \alue 
while  in  his  hands.  He  was  also  a  director 
in  the  Lyndonville  Savings  Bank,  and  the 
First  National  Bank  of  St.  Johnsbury,  of 
which  latter  corporation  he  was  also  vice- 
president.  He  was  director  of  the  Vermont 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  and  one  of  the 


398 


founders  of  the  St.  Johnsbury  Republican. 
He  also  presided  over  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Lyndon  Classical  Institute,  to  which 
he  was  a  most  generous  contributor. 

He  was  staunchly  Republican  in  his  polit- 
ical views,  representing  Lyndon  in  1866  and 
1867  in  the  House,  in  which  he  did  efficient 
service  on  several  important  committees.  In 
1S76,  and  again  in  1878,  he  was  chosen  a 
senator  from  Caledonia  county,  and  in  1880 
was  made  a  presidential  elector. 

While  residing  in  Massachusetts  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Mayflower  Lodge,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  and  was  afifiliated  with  the  Christian  Bap- 
tist church. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage, 
April  10,  1847,  to  Harriet  Stark,  daughter  of 
America  and  Mary  (Chandler)  Wiley  of 
Frveburg,  Me.     Two  children  were  born  to 


SUMNER    SHAW   THOMPSON. 

them:  Ella  E.  (wife  of  Hon.  Samuel  W. 
McCall  of  Winchester,  Mass.),  and  Hattie 
W.  (Mrs.  Charles  S.  LeBourveau,  Jr.,  of 
Lyndonville). 

Mr.  Thompson  died  at  Frankfort,  Mich., 
Oct.  24,  1889. 

He  was  an  excellent  example  of  a  self- 
made  man,  and  though  deprived  of  a  colleg- 
iate education,  he  early  learned  its  value 
and  took  great  pleasure  in  aiding  young  men 
without  means  in  the  pursuit  of  their  studies, 
and  also  in  donating  large  sums  of  money  to 
institutions  of  learning.  L'nlike  many  men 
who  have  been  forced  to  make  their  own  way 
in  the  world,  he  was  very  generous  and  char- 


itable, never  neglecting  any  appeal  for 
assistance  which  came  from  a  worthy  per- 
son. His  benefactions  were  ever  unobtrus- 
ively offered  and  quietly  bestowed  without 
ostentatious  display. 

TIFFANY,  Eli,  of  Bennington,  son  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Marsden)  Tiftany,  was 
born  in  Horbury,  in  the  West  Riding  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  Nov.  9,  1830. 

He  attended  such  schools  as  were  provided 
at  that  time  for  factory  operatives  till  he  was 
fourteen  years  old.  He  then  worked  in 
woolen  mills  till  the  spring  of  1851,  when  he 
emigrated  to  this  country,  making  his  abode 
at  Waterbury,  Conn.,  to  operate  new  machin- 
ery for  the  Waterbury  Knitting  Co.  In 
1856  he  remo\ed  to  Meriden,  Conn.,  where 
he  remained  two  years  employed  in  a  similar 
capacity  by  the  firm  of  Powell  &  Parker.  He 
next  visited  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  where  he 
invented  an  automatic  rib  knitting  machine 
for  which  he  received  a  patent  May  i,  i860. 
In  185S,  pre\ious  to  the  issuing  of  the  above 
patents,  he  moved  to  Thompsonville,  Conn., 
and  there  connected  himself  with  George 
Cooper  in  the  manufacturing  of  the  above 
mentioned  machinery,  then  in  i865  he  re- 
moved to  Cohoes,  N.  Y.,  and  formed  a  co- 
partnership under  the  tide  of  William  Wood 
&  Co.,  for  the  purpose  of  producing  knit  cuff 
and  drawer  bottoms  for  the  knitting  mills  in 
general.  Finally  in  1870  he  removed  to 
Bennington,  where  the  firm  of  Tiffany  & 
Cooper  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
building  rib  knitting  machinery,  and  an  ex- 
tensive business  in  this  line  was  built  up. 
In  1874  his  original  patents  were  extended 
and  in  1880  he  started  a  new  industry 
with  his  brothers,  which  was  independent 
irom  the  firm  of  Tiffany  &  Cooper,  the  arti- 
'  les  produced  by  the  concern  of  Tiffany 
I'.ros.  being  knit  underwear,  the  quality  of 
\\  hich  has  built  them  up  a  very  flourishing 
.111(1  prosperous  business.  During  the  early 
|iart  of  1886  the  firm  of  Tiffany  &  Cooper 
was  dissolved.  Mr.  Tiffany  purchasing  the 
interest  of  his  partner  for  whom  he  substi- 
tuted his  son  Frank  M.,  and  continued  the  bus- 
iness under  the  firm  of  E.  Tiffany  &  Son 
until  1890,  when  Louis  L.  was  admitted  to 
the  firm  making  it  E.  Tiffany  &  Sons,  which 
are  now  conducting  a  very  large  and  pros- 
perous business  in  the  line  of  rib  knitting 
machinery,  and  have  not  only  thoroughly  in- 
troduced these  machines  in  the  LInited  States 
and  Canada,  but  have  also  sent  several  to 
South  America  within  the  past  few  months. 

Mr.  Tiffany  possesses  a  special  talent  for 
the  invention  of  knitting  machines,  no  less 
than  fifteen  different  patents  having  been 
issued  to  him  for  different  devices  in  this 
article.  During  the  last  year  he  has  made 
some  of  the  most  valuable  and  important  im- 


provements,  especially  in  circular  machines, 
for  which  aiijilications  for  patents  are  now- 
pending. 

In  1 888  he  jnirchased  an  interest  in  the 
Columbian  Navigation  and  Commercial  Co., 
of  which  he  is  vice-president,  and  which  is 
conducting  a  very  successful  business  in 
trading,  carrying  freight  and  passengers 
along  the  coast  and  up  the  rivers  of  "the 
United  States  of  Colombia,  S.  .A. 

He  is  a  public-spirited  man,  always  giv- 
ing liberally  to  any  cause  which  he  con- 
siders worthy,  and  which  will  tend  to  help 
his  fellowmen  ;  this  has  secured  for  him  the 
respect  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


Some  twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Tiiianj  visited 
his  old  home  in  England,  spending  se\  eral 
months  roaming  about  the  country  in  which 
he  spent  his  boyhood  days,  visiting  his  old 
friends  and  enjoying  himself  in  general. 
Then  during  the  summer  of  1893  he  made 
quite  an  extended  trip,  visiting  his  old 
home  once  more,  then  sailing  via  the  West 
India  Islands,  visiting  Carthagena  of  the 
United  States  of  Colombia,  where  his  busi- 
ness called  him,  and  returning  once  more  to 
his  adopted  and  beloved  home  in  .-Vmerica. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  .August,  1863, 
to  Phoebe  E.,  daughter  of  James  and  .Ann 
(Glover)  Cooper,  of  Thompsonville,  Conn., 
who  died  April  29,  1893,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren :  Frank  M.,  Louis  L.,  and  William  J. 

Though  holding  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican    partv,    Mr.  Tiffany    has    ne\er 


1  IN'KliR.  399 

sought  political  preferment.  For  the  past 
ten  years  he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Ben- 
nington graded  school. 

TIN  KHR ,  Charles  Francis  Orsamus, 

of  St.  |ohnsl)ury,  son  of  Francis  and  R. 
Elizabeth  (Hutchinson)  Tinker,  was  born 
in  .Ashby,  Mass.,  June  23,  1849. 

The  days  of  his  schooling  were  spent  in 
Leominister,  Mass.,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  removed  with  his  parents  to  South 
Dedham,  now  Norwood,  in  that  state.  He 
entered  the  drug  store  of  his  father  where  he 
remained  until  1870  when  he  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  medical  department  of  Harvard 
University,  completing  the  course  in  1873. 
Intending  to  engage  in  the  ])ractice  of  dent- 
istry, he  was  employed  in  the  office  of  E.  I). 
Gaylord,  Boston,  for  two  years,  then  after  a 
short  interval  in  Norwood,  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession  for  four  years,  ^^■hile 
in  that  place  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  District  Dental  Society  of  New  York. 
Returning  to  his  nati\e  state  Jie  still  pursued 


V 


CHARLES   FRANCIS   ORSAWUS  TINKER. 

the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Boston  and 
Norwood,  but  in  1885  came  to  \'ermont  and 
setded  in  St.  Johnsbury  where  he  still  re- 
mains. During  his  residence  in  this  state  he 
has  been  made  a  member  of  the  \'erniont 
State  Dental  .Society. 

In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
joined  .Apollo  Lodge,  No.  2,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  as  a  charter  member.  In  this  or- 
ganization he   has   been  actively  interested 


4O0 


and  exceedingly  prominent,  ha\ing  been 
elected  to  the  positions  of  Prelate,  Chancel- 
lor, Commander,  and  Sir  Knight  Captain. 
This  last  office  he  resigned  in  order  to  accept 
the  position  of  colonel  and  aid-de-camp  on 
the  personal  staff  of  Cen.  James  R.  Caran- 
hani,  who  commands  the  uniformed  ranks  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  the  world.  When 
the  ( Irand  Lodge  of  K.  of  P.  was  embodied, 
in  18S9,  he  served  two  successive  terms  as 
Grand  Chancellor  of  the  state,  at  the  expir- 
ation of  which  he  was  chosen  Supreme  Rep- 
resentative to  the  Supreme  Lodge  for  four 
years. 

Mr.  Tinker  is  affiliated  with  the  North 
Congregational  Church  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Club  of  that 
place. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  July  14,  1870, 
to  Ann  Eliza,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Martha 
W.  (Swain)  Wellington,  of  Ashby,  Mass. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  chil- 
dren :  Orra  Certrude  {deceased  at  the  age 
of  seven),  A\'ellington  Hutchinson,  and 
Earnest  Francis. 

TITUS,  Edward,  of  Wilmington,  son  of 
Alonzo  and  Mary  (Miller)  Titus,  was  born 
in  Wilmington,  Oct.  25,  1833,  and  he  has 
alwavs  resided  in  his  native  town. 


yi^W^ 


He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  completed  a  regular 
course  of  study  at  the  \\'ilmington  high 
school.  He  taught  a  number  of  terms  with 
marked  success. 


Mr.  Titus  married  Carrie  Bills,  adopted 
daughter  of  David  and  Harriet  (Palmeter) 
Bills,  May  i,  1859.  Of  this  union  there  was 
one  child  :  Frank  Edward,  born  Sept.  4, 
1864,  who  for  a  number  of  years  has  carried 
on  a  successful  business  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Soon  after  marriage  Mr.  Titus  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  various  articles  of  wooden 
ware,  which  occupation  he  successfully  fol- 
lowed for  over  twenty-five  years.  Since  1869 
he  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  for  the 
greater  part  of  this  time  the  principal  trial 
justice.  Many  important  and  difficult  cases 
have  been  heard  before  him,  but  his  decis- 
ions have  invariably  been  fair  and  correct, 
being  rendered  in  strict  accord  with  the  law 
as  understood  and  with  the  facts  of  the  case. 
In  addition  he  has  held  nearly  every  town 
office  in  the  gift  of  his  townsmen,  discharg- 
ing the  duties  thereof  with  scrupulous  fidel- 
ity. In  December,  1891,  he  was  elected 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Wil- 
mington Savings  Bank  and  constitutes  a 
member  of  the  finance  committee.  Recog- 
nizing his  competency  and  superior  ability 
in  the  consideration  of  legal  questions  and 
his  integrity  of  character  as  a  man,  he  was 
elected  assistant  judge  of  the  Windham 
county  court  in  1S92,  the  duties  of  which 
honorable  position  he  discharges  with  credit 
to  himself  and  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of 
the  public. 

Mr.  Titus  is  a  true  and  loyal  ^'ermonter, 
a  self-made  man,  an  upright,  active  and  en- 
terprising citizen.  He  has  ever  been  iden- 
tified with  public  improvements  and  enter- 
prises and  deservedly  enjoys  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

TOLMAN,  Henry  Stanley,  of  Greens- 
boro, son  of  Enoch  and  Abigail  (Cook) 
Tolman,  was  born  at  Greensboro,  Sept.  i, 
1825.  His  grandfather  (Thomas  Tolman), 
an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  town,  and 
was  appointed  first  town  clerk  and  assistant 
secretary  of  state. 

Mr.  Henry  Tolman  was  a  pupil  of  the 
public  schools  of  Greensboro  and  Peacham 
Academy.  At  his  father's  death,  which  oc- 
curred just  before  the  son  arrived  at  major- 
ity, he  took  charge  of  the  homestead,  to  the 
care  of  which  in  addition  to  several  other 
farms  he  has  devoted  the  efforts  of  his  life, 
making  a  specialty  of  dairy  products  and 
raising  horses  and  sheep.  He  has  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  lumber  firm  of  Tolman,  Simp- 
son &  Co.,  has  been  a  director  and  stock- 
holder in  the  St.  Johnsbury  &  Lake  Cham- 
plain  R.  R.,  and  president  of  the  Caledonia 
National  Bank  at  Danville. 

He  has  served  on  the  town  and  county 
Republican  committee,  was  for  twenty  years 
selectman,  and  held  numerous  other  official 


position  in  the  town  which  he  represented 
for  three  terms  in  the  state  Legislature  in 
1866,  1867  and  188S  ;  he  was  elected  senator 
from  Orleans  county  in  1874,  and  during  the 
war  discharged  the  duties  of  recruiting  offi- 
cer, also  drawing  the  money  due  to  soldiers' 
wives. 

For  forty  years  he  has  been  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Congregational  church,  serv- 
ing on  the  executive  committee. 

Mr.  Tolman  married  Martha  A.,  daughter 
of  f.  C.  and  Clara  (Livermore)  Jackson  of 
Greensboro,  who  died  May  11,  1862,  leav- 
ing one  son  :  .\lpha  E.  He  was  married  a 
second  time  to  Fannie  P.  Waterman  Eaton, 
daughter  of  Arunah  and  Mehittible  (Dodge) 
Waterman,  who  departed  this  life  March  5, 
1890.  By  his  second  wife  Mr.  Tolman  hacl 
one  daughter  :  Martha  A. 

TOWLE,  Edwin  RuTHVEN,  of  Franklin, 
son  of  Jonathan  and  Lorena  (Daines)  Towie, 
was  born  in  Franklin,  August  i,  1833.  His 
grandfather,  Reuben,  after  honorable  service 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  came  to  this 
part  of  the  state,  accompanied  by  his  son, 
from  New  Hampshire,  when  Franklin  county 
was  as  yet  comparatively  a  wilderness,  and 
here  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  a  farmer. 


EDWIN    RUTHVEN   TOWLE. 

The  education  of  Edwin  R.  was  obtained 
in  the  district  schools,  and  he  was  a  student 
at  the  Franklin  Academy  when  that  institu- 
tion was  under  the  charge  of  Hon.  Roswell 
Farnham,  afterwards  Governor  of  the  state. 
Although    anxious    for    greater   educational 


TRL'AX.  401 

atlvantages,  as  an  only  son  Mr.  TowIe  felt  it 
his  duty  to  remain  at  home  and  follow  the 
occui)ation  of  his  father.  He  did  not,  never- 
theless, neglect  any  opportunity  for  self- 
improvement,  but  devoted  all  his  leisure 
time  to  profitable  reading  and  also  gave 
much  attention  to  the  art  of  composition. 
This  probably  caused  him  in  early  life  to 
resolve  to  become  a  journalist.  In  1S70  he 
found  opportunity  to  exercise  his  talents  as 
the  agricultural  editor  of  the  St.  Albans 
Messenger.  This  he  still  remains,  laboring 
to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  render  his  efforts 
successful  in  the  occupation  to  which  he  has 
devoted  so  large  a  portion  of  his  life. 

February  14,  1856,  he  was  wedded  to 
Caroline  E.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(  Kirby)  Truax.  From  this  union  have  been 
born  two  sons  :  Herman  E.,  and  Edwin  J. 

In  1 88 1  he  received  the  honor  of  an  ap- 
pointment to  the  State  Board  of  .Agriculture 
at  the  hands  of  Governor  Farnham,  the 
duties  of  which  position  he  discharged  most 
satisfactorily  for  a  period  of  five  years.  In 
addition  to  the  usual  work  of  a  memlier  of 
this  body  he  prepared  reports  of  the  meet- 
ings for  the  use  of  the  press  and  of  the 
board.  Many  years  ago  he  wrote  a  histori- 
cal sketch  of  the  town  of  Franklin  for  Miss 
Hemenway's  Gazetteer  of  \'ermont,  and  a 
similar  paper  for  the  History  of  Franklin 
County,  published  in  1891.  In  1892  he  was 
the  editor  of  a  genealogy  of  his  family,  a 
work  which  required  much  time  and  labor. 
While  in  no  sense  a  politician,  he  has  always 
been  a  thorough  believer  in  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  held  several 
positions  of  trust  in  the  town  and  also  in  the 
Methodist  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
faithful  and  acti\e  member  for  nearly  half  a 
century. 

TRUAX,  ALBERT  B.,  of  Montpelier,  son 
of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Briggs)  Truax, 
was  born  in  Swanton,  Feb.  28,  1835. 

His  education  was  limited  to  the  district 
school,  followed  by  a  course  of  study  at 
Swanton  Academy,  but  by  industrious  appli- 
cation he  has  taken  ample  advantage  of  his 
opportunities  and  has  arrived  at  a  high 
degree  of  scholarship. 

His  father  was  a  blacksmith  and  he  was 
early  initiated  into  this  trade.  Albert  B.,  at 
seventeen,  became  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  under  the  ministrations  of  the  Rev. 
Orrin  Gregg,  of  the  Troy  Conference.  For 
a  year  he  labored  as  the  leader  of  a  young 
people's  class,  and  soon  after  was  called  to 
preach.  He  was  first  licensed  to  exhort  and 
then  permitted  to  act  as  a  local  preacher, 
which  privilege  was  granted  until  he  entered 
the  travelling  connection.  He  served  under 
Presiding  Elder  Morris  as  junior  preacher 
in  the  Cambridge  circuit.      He  joined  the 


402 


Troy  Conference  in  the  spring  of  185 8,  and 
two  years  later  was  ordained  deacon  by 
Bishop  Osmon  C.  Baker,  when  by  a  change 
of  boundaries  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Vermont  Conference,  in  which  he  was  or- 
dained elder  by  Bishop  Baker  in  1S62.  He 
looks  back  with  grateful  remembrance  upon 
thirty-five  years  of  effective  service  in  the 
church,  having  never  enjoyed  a  vacation  of 
more  than  two  weeks  at  any  time,  and  losing 
only  fi\e  Sabbaths  from  illness.  Serving  his 
fifth  year  as  presiding  elder,  he  has  not  failed 
thus  far  to  meet  every  appointment.  The 
following  charges  have  been  entrusted  to  his 
care  :  those  of  Winooski,  Johnson,  Under- 
bill,   Bakersfield,   Alburgh,  \Vest  Berkshire, 


^  0^ 


A.,  Ada  E.  (deceased),  Josephine  E.,  Car- 
lotta  May,  and  .\lbert  W." 

TRULL,  Daniel  N.,late  of  Lyndon, son 
of  Joel  and  Cynthia  X.  Trull,  was  born  in 
Burke,  June  12,  1835. 

In  1 84  7  the  family  removed  to  Lyndon, 
where  he  was  educated  at  the  academy  of 
that  place  till  1 85  2,  when  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Selim  Newell. 
After  the  usual  course  of  lectures  in  \\'ood- 
stock  and  Hanover,  he  graduated  at  the 
Dartmouth  Medical  College  in  1855.  He 
then  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
company  with  Doctor  Xewell  in  St.  Johns- 
bury,  but  owing  to  too  close  application  to 
business  his  health  failed,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  discontinue  his  chosen  profession 
after  two  years. 

On  the  1 6th  of  December,  1S60,  he  was 
married  to  Cornelia  C  ,  daughter  of  Hon. 
S.  B.  Mattocks,  and  they  spent  the  winter  in 
Virginia  for  the  benefit  of  the  doctor's 
health.  In  the  spring  of  1861  they  returned 
to  Lyndon,  where  the  doctor  accepted  the 
position  of  recruiting  officer,  in  raising  men 
for  the  army. 


ALBERT   B.    TRU 


W'aterbury,  Northfield,  Bradford,  Brattleboro 
and  Bellows  Falls.  Having  completed  a 
successful  six  years'  term  as  presiding  elder 
of  Montpelier  district,  he  was,  in  the  spring  of 
1893,  appointed  pastor  at  Enosburg  Falls. 

While  stationed  at  Bradford  he  served  as 
town  superintendent  of  schools.  He  has 
lectured  in  the  state  for  the  past  twenty 
years,  particularly  on  the  subject  of  temper- 
ance, and  has  delivered  many  memorial 
addresses  on  Decoration  Day.  Mr.  Truax 
was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Good  Templars  of  the  state,  in  which 
body  he  served  two  years  as  grand  chaplain. 

He  w^as  married,  Feb.  6,  i  S60,  at  Winooski, 
to  Sarah  D.,  daughter  of  Theron  and  Joseph- 
ine R.  (Kingsbury)  Winslow.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children  :   Wilbur 


'1 


From  1864  to  1869  he  was  engaged  in  the 
carriage  business.  L^pon  leaving  this  busi- 
ness he  made  several  changes  of  residence, 
spending  another  winter  in  the  South  hoping 
to  regain  his  health. 

Becoming  interested  in  banking,  he  was  a 
director  of  the  Lyndon  Bank  for  eight  years. 


and  served  several  terms  as  its  president.  In 
1890  he  removed  to  St.  Johnsbury,  where  he 
resided  till  a  few  months  before  his  death, 
which  occured  Dec.  31,  1892. 

Doctor  Trull  was  a  well-read  physician, 
and  had  health  permitted,  would  have  be- 
come eminent  in  his  profession.  As  a  busi- 
ness man  he  was  sagacious,  far-seeing,  cau- 
tious, and  prudent ;  as  a  counselor,  no  man 
was  more  frequently  consulted  by  neighbors, 
to  whom  he  ever  gave  intelligent  considera- 
tion, helpful  suggestions,  and  useful  advice. 
He  was  quick  to  respond  to  appeals  for 
charity,  and  always  ready  to  assist  the  de- 
serving poor. 

TRUSSELL,  Jacob,  of  East  Peacham, 
son  of  Joshua  and  Electa  (Curtis)  Trussell, 
was  born  in  Sutton,  Sept.  20,  1833. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools 
of  Danville,  supplemented  by  instruction  at 
Phillips  and  Caledonia  County  academies. 
After  some  experience  in  the  profession  of 
teaching,  he  studied  law  with  Mordecai  Hale 
and  Edward  Har\ey  of  Mclndoes,  and  for  a 
short  time  was  under  the  care  of  Judge 
Jonathan  Ross.  In  i860  he  was  admitted 
to  the  \'ermont  bar  and  immediately  began 
to  practice  at  Peacham. 

\Vhen  the  civil  war  commenced  Mr.  Trus- 
sell patriotically  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  ist  Vt. 
Ca\alry  and  ser\ed  mostly  with  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  participating  in  many  battles, 
raids  and  skirmishes.  He  was  severly  wounded 
in  Wilson's  raids,  June  23,  1864,  and  was  soon 
after  discharged  as  ist  lieutenant.  \\'hen  the 
I  St  Regt.  was  completely  routed  at  Broad 
Run,  JNIosby,  the  guerrilla,  pursued  Trussell 
eight  miles  to  the  picket  lines  and  nearly 
succeeded  in  capturing  him,  being  very  de- 
sirous to  obtain  possession  of  the  particularly 
fine  horse  which  Mr.  Trussell  bestrode.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  he  made  an  expedition 
to  Virginia  City,  Mont.,  driving  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles  across  the  plains.  He  then  turned 
his  steps  to  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  taking  charge 
of  a  gang  of  men  who  were  completing  the 
railroad  to  Omaha  ;  he  then  engaged  as  con- 
tractor on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  till  it  was 
completed  to  Ogden,  Utah,  when  he  returned 
to  Peacham  and  bought  a  large  farm  on 
which  he  remained  fourteen  years.  In  18S2 
he  returned  to  the  practice  of  law  at  Dan- 
ville and  ten  years  later  became  engaged  in 
trade  at  South  Peacham. 

A  Democrat  imtil  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  he  is  now  a  strong  Republican.  Re]jre- 
sented  his  tow-n  in  the  Legislature  of  1S84 
where  he  served  on  the   military  committee. 

He  attends  and  supports  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  is  a  member  of  Passum])- 
sic  Lodge,  F.  &  .A.  M.,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  and 
Stevens  Post,  G.  A.  R. 


lUCKER.  403 

Mr.  Trussell  was  united  in  wedlock  Oct.  4, 
1871,  to  Flora  M.  Blanchard  of  Peacham, 
who  died  August  16,  1886,  leaving  two  sons  : 
Nathaniel  H.,  and  William.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Nov.  9,  1888,  Mrs.  Marietta 
C.  Walbridge,  widow  of  Augustus  J .  Wall)ridge. 

TUCKER,  MELVIN  Ellis,  of  Hardwick, 
son  of  .Amasa  and  Diancy  (Ellis)  Tucker, 
was  born  in  Calais,  April  27,  1849. 

He  availed  himself  of  the  educational  ad- 
vantages offered  by  the  schools  of  Calais  and 
Hardwick,  followed  by  one  term  at  the  Ver- 
mont Methodist  Seminary  at  Montpelier. 
.As  his  mother  died  when  he  was  a  mere  lad, 
he  was  entrusted  to  the  care  of  Stephen  M. 
Richardson  of  Hardwick,  w-ith  whom  he  re- 
mained till  he  was  eighteen  and  after  this 
period  he  was  wholly  dependent  on  his  own 


'« 

»*'^i 


\ 


4r- 


resources.  He  first  served  an  apprentice- 
ship at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright, but  in  1873  commenced  as  a  dealer 
in  lumber  at  Eden  Mills.  Two  years  later 
he  removed  to  Hardwick,  where  he  operated 
a  saw  mill  in  connection  with  a  farm.  Mr. 
I'ucker  has  been  interested  in  seven  mills 
devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and 
has  a  financial  interest  in  several  others. 
He  is  now  busily  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  lumber  from  lands  he  owns  in  Eden 
and  Lowell.  His  remarkable  success  is  due 
to  his  untiring  industry  and  energetic  spirit, 
for  he  has  had  to  rely  on  his  own  unaided 


efforts  without  the  assistance  of  friends  or 
capital. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  12,  i<S7o,  to  Lizzie 
L.,  daughter  of  Marvin  and  Sally  Smith  of 
Calais.  They  have  had  six  children  :  Mary 
D.  (Mrs.  W.  S.  Bunker  of  Hardwick),  Alice 
B.,  lona  R.,  Vena  E.,  Florence  S.  (died  in 
infancy),  and  Earl  Bartlett. 

Mr.  Tucker  has  been  too  busy  a  man  to 
take  much  active  interest  in  political  move- 
ments, but  has  been  called  to  the  offices  of 
selectman  and  assistant  judge  of  Caledonia 
county,  the  duties  of  which  he  carefully  and 
conscientiously  discharged.  In  1890  he 
represented  the  town  of  Hardwick  in  the 
Legislature,  where  the  course  he  pursued 
was  satisfactory  to  his  Republican  constit- 
uents. 

judge  Tucker  has  taken  the  obligations 
both  of  Odd  Fellowship  and  Free  Masonry, 
is  treasurer  of  Caspian  Lake  Lodge,  No. 
87,  of  the  latter  body,  and  a  member  of 
Lamoille  Lodge,  No.  21,  L  O.  O.  F.  He  is 
a  Methodist  in  his  religious  preferences. 

TURNER,  Edwin  R.,  of  North  Con- 
cord, son  of  Henry  and  Charity  (Washburn) 
Turner,  was  born  in  Concord,  July  22,  1826. 
His  father  came  to  Concord  in  1810  and 
settled  on  the  farm  where  his  son  was  born. 
Here  he  remained  for  sixty  years,  dying  at 
the  age  of  eighty-nine. 

Edwin  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  place  and  then  set- 
tled on  the  homestead,  where  he  remained 
till  he  was  forty-two,  caring  for  his  aged 
parents  till  their  death.  He  then  removed  to 
Waterford,  where  he  resided  for  two  years, 
but  at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to 
North  Concord,  where  he  purchased  a  fine 
meadow  farm,  which  he  has  operated  with 
great  success,  carrying  an  excellent  stock  of 
cattle,  and  enjoying  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  best  farm  managers  in  his  county. 
By  his  intelligent  assiduity  he  has  amassed  a 
handsome  competence,  and  is  a  fine  speci- 
men of  the  sturdy  New  England  yeoman. 

A  Republican  in  his  political  creed,  he 
has  held  many  important  town  offices,  and 
has  served  two  terms,  from  1884  to  1888,  as 
assistant  judge  of  Essex  county  court,  and 
has  been  county  road  commissioner  four 
years,  from  1888  to  1892. 

Judge  Turner  is  regarded  as  a  prudent, 
careful  and  judicious  adviser  in  all  matters 
relating  to  finance  and  the  affairs  of  the 
town. 

E.  R.  Turner  was  united  in  marriage  at 
Concord,  Dec.  3,  1852,  to  Jane,  daughter  of 
Farewell  and  Mary  (Nichols)  Hutchinson 
of  Waterford.  Three  children  have  blessed 
their  union  :   Frank  H.,  Irvin,  and  Ina  D. 


TUTTLE,  Albert  Henry,  of  Rutland, 

son  of  George  A.  and  Susan  J.  (Cutter) 
Tutde,  was  born  in  Granville,  N.  Y.,  May 
25,  1838. 

He  is  a  direct  descendant  of  William 
Tuttle,  who  came  from  England  to  Boston 
in  1635,  soon  after  becoming  a  prominent 
settler  of  New  Haven,  Conn. 

The  education  of  Mr.  Tuttle  was  received 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Rutland, 
and  in  1854  he  began  the  business  of  life  as 
a  clerk  in  the  service  of  his  father,  who  was 
the  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Rutland 
Herald.     Here  he  remained  till  he  received 


^^   15^ 


ALBERT    HENRY  TUTTLE. 

an  appointment  from  President  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  the  New  York  naval  office  in 
1 86 1,  where  he  filled  various  responsible 
positions  until  he  resigned  in  1864  on  ac- 
count of  his  father's  ill-health. 

( )n  his  return  to  Rutland  he  became  one 
of  the  proprietors  of  the  Herald,  taking 
active  control  of  the  paper,  in  connection 
with  which  were  operated  a  book  store,  and 
a  book-publishing,  binding  and  job  printing 
establishment  for  the  next  ten  years.  In 
1S73  he  abandoned  these  employments  and 
took  sole  charge  of  the  daily  and  weekly 
Herald. 

He  was  appointed  postmaster  by  Presi- 
dent Grant  in  1874,  and  reappointed  1878, 
and  was  continued  in  office  by  President 
Arthur,  but  was  suspended  in  1885,  one 
year  before  his  commission  expired,  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  to  make  way  for  a  Demo- 


crat,  having  been  the  longest  incumbent  of 
any  postmaster  in  Rutland. 

Mr.  Tuttle  possesses  an  unusual  degree 
of  executive  ability,  and  always  familiarizes 
himself  thoroughly  with  every  detail  of  any 
business  which  he  undertakes.  In  1887  he 
sold  the  Herald  to  Mr.  P.  \V.  Clement,  but 
for  several  years  remained  its  business  man- 
ager. Subsequently,  in  company  with  his 
son,  he  purchased  the  Bates  House,  a  prom- 
inent hotel  in  the  city,  which  he  still  retains. 
He  was  largely  influential  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Rutland  Street  Railway,  and  for 
several  years  was  its  treasurer.  He  has  been 
president  of  the  village  of  Rutland,  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  village  trustees 
at  the  time  of  his  appointment  as  post- 
master, compelling  his  resignation  as  trustee  : 
has  been  a  director  of  the  Clement  Bank, 
and  a  member  and  clerk  of  the  village 
school  board. 

He  was  married  in  October,  1858,  to 
Emma  M.,  daughter  of  David  G.  and  Eme- 
line  S.  (Cluff)  McClure,  of  Rutland.  'I'wo 
children  ha\e  blessed  their  union  :  Cora  A. 
(iSIrs.  Frank  A.  Barnaby  of  Brooklyn,  de- 
ceased Feb.  I,  1889),  and  Ceorge  1).  (de- 
ceased). 

Mr.  Tuttle  belongs  to  all  the  Masonic 
orders,  having  taken  every  degree  from 
entered-apprentice  to  the  thirty-second  inclu- 
sive ;  is  treasurer  of  the  Rutland  Royal 
Arcanum  Council ;  treasurer  of  Protection 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor  :  treasurer  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  belongs  to  the 
Rutland  Congregational  Church.  He  has 
been  much  interested  in  the  Vermont  Press 
Association,  having  served  as  president  and 
■chairman  of  the  executive  committee.  He 
has  e\er  been  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the 
Republican  party,  giving  his  services  to  the 
town  or  county  committee  ever  since  his  re- 
turn from  New  York  to  the  present  time. 
For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  First  district  Republican  committee  in 
which  he  has  filled  the  office  of  secretary, 
treasurer  and  chairman. 

TYLER,  ERASTUS,  of  Vernon,  son  of 
Erastus  and  Harriet  (Johnson)  Tyler,  was 
born  in  \\'indham,  July  4,  1832- 

Afr.  Tyler's  educational  advantages  were 
limited  to  the  public  schools,  and  he  has 
always  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer 
in  his  native  town. 

He  is  a  strong  Republican  in  his  political 
preference  and  has  held  several  important 
official  positions,  having  been  elected  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  selectmen  for  the  years 
1880,  1 88 1,  and  1882.  In  1886  he  was 
called  upon  to  represent  the  town  in  the 
Legislature,  and   for  the  last  lour  years  has 


TVLER.  405 

discharged    the   duties  of  a  member  of  the 
board  of  listers. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Brattleboro, 
Nov.  lo,  1S58,  to  Martha  .\.,  daughter  of 
Edward  A.  and  Julia  (Hutterfield)  Gra\es. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  nine 
children  :  Anna  R.,  George  E.,  Charles  H., 
Julia  H.,  Edward  A.  (now  proprietor  of  the 
Brooks  Hou.se  at  Brattleboro),  Bert  I,.,  Will- 
iam J.,  F.  Leslie,  and  John  C. 

TYLER,  James  M.,  of  Brattleboro,  son 
of  Ephraim  and  Mary  (Bissell)  Tyler,  was 
born  in  U'ilmington,  .April  27,  1835. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Guilford,  to  which  town  his 
parents  moved  in  1840,  and  at  Brattleboro 
Academy  :  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Windham  county  bar  at  the  September 
term,  i860.  He  then  returned  to  \Vilming- 
ton  and  began  the  practice  of  his  jirofession 
in  partnership  with  Gen.  S.  P.  Flagg,  which 
connection  continued  until  December,  1864, 
when  he  removed  to  Brattleboro,  forming  a 
partnership  with  the  late  Hon.  C.  K.  Field, 
which  terminated  with  the  latter's  death  in 
1 880. 

In  i863-'64  and  at  the  special  session  of 
1865  Mr.  Tyler  represented  the  town  of 
Wilmington  in  the  General  .Assembly  and  in 
iS67-'68  was  state's  attorney  for  Windham 
county.  He  represented  the  Secon<l  District 
of  Vermont  in  the  sessions  of  the  Fort)'- 
sixth  and  Forty-seventh  Congresses,  where 
he  served  on  several  important  committees. 
His  most  notable  speeches  were  delivered 
upon  bills  relative  to  the  apportionment  of 
representatives  in  Congress,  internal  reve- 
nue, the  tariff,  education  in  the  South,  and 
Chinese  immigration. 

In  1887  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the 
board  of  commissioners  to  revise  the  school 
laws  of  the  state,  but  resigned  to  accept 
from  Governor  Ormsbee  the  appointment  of 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  ])osition 
he  still  holds  by  successive  elections  by  the 
I  .egislature. 

judge  Tyler  has  been  promoted  from  time 
to  time  until  he  is  now  third  assistant  judge. 
His  work  upon  the  bench  has  fully  demon- 
strated his  excellent  ([ualifications  for  this 
high  and  honorable  position. 

He  was  married  Dec.  11,  1861,  to  Ellen 
E.,  daughter  of  ^Villiam  F.  and  Sophia 
(Plummer)  Richardson,  who  died  Jan.  i, 
1871.  He  was  again  married,  Sept.  i,  1875, 
to  fane  P.,  daughter  of  Solomon  P.  and 
Sarah  E.  (.Apjileton)  Miles,  of  which  union 
there  was  one  son  :  Ajipleton,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

judge  Tyler  was  for  many  years  vice-i)resi- 
dent  and  trustee  of  the  N'ermont  Savings 
Bank  of  lirattleboro,  but  resigned  when  he 
received  his  appointment  to  the  bench.    He 


406  TYLER. 

has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Vermont  Retreat 
for  the  Insane  since  1875,  and  for  several 
years  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  Brooks  Library. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Rei)ubli- 
can  ;  in  religion  he  is  a  Congregationalist. 

TYLER,  RO^ALL,  of  Brattleboro,  son  of 
Chief-Justice  Royall  and  Mary  (Palmer) 
Tvler,  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  April  19, 
1812. 


He  was  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips 
.\cademy,  Exeter,  and  entered  Harvard  as 
a  sophomore  in    1831.      He    graduated   in 


VALENTINE. 

1834,  and  immediately  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  ofifice  of  Charles  C.  Loring,  a  very 
prominent  lawyer  on  Court  street,  Boston. 
Mr.  Tyler  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S37, 
and  in  the  following  spring  returned  to  Brat- 
tleboro. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Windham  county  on  a  certificate  from  the 
Massachusetts  courts  in  1840.  Within  a 
year  afterwards  he  entered  the  office  of  Asa 
Keyes,  the  firm  being  known  as  Keyes  & 
Tyler.  Shortly  after  this,  Mr.  Tyler  went  to 
Newfane  to  attend  to  the  business  of  Charles 
K.  Field  during  his  absence  in  the  West. 
tJn  the  latter's  return  a  year  later,  Mr.  Tyler 
resumed  his  practice  in  Brattleboro.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  been  elected  state's  attor- 
ney, a  position  which  he  ably  filled  for  two 
years,  though  he  still  devoted  himself  to  his 
private  practice.  In  1846,  having  then 
served  as  register  for  the  two  previous  years, 
he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  probate 
court  for  the  district  of  Marlboro.  He  was 
elected  county  clerk  in  185 1,  when  he  dis- 
continued his  practice  of  the  law.  The 
office  of  county  clerk  since  1851,  and  that 
of  judge  of  probate  since  1846,  Judge  Tyler 
has  conscientiously  and  ably  filled  to  the 
present  time.  He  has  also  represented  his 
town  in  the  Legislature.  He  has,  while 
clerk,  regularly  attended  every  session  of  the 
county  and  supreme  courts  in  Windham 
county  since  1851. 

In  1 84 1  he  married  Laura  B.,  daughter  of 
Asa  and  Sarah  B.  Keyes,  and  they  have  had 
three  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  elder  daughter  (Mrs.  Allan  D.  Brown) 
died  1S77,  while  the  younger  is  Mrs.  (i.  W. 
Piatt,  of  (Ireat  Barrington,  Mass. 

Judge  Tyler  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  and  if  there  are  any  gentlemen  of  a 
school  better  than  the  old  school,  he  is  one 
of  them. 

Judge  Tyler  is  a  prominent  member  of 
St.  Michael's  F^piscopal  Church. 


VALENTINE,  A.  B.,  of  Bennington, 
son  of  Joel  and  Judith  (Wells)  Valentine, 
was  born  in  Bennington,  April  i,  1830.  He 
is  descended  from  Richard  Valentine,  who 
was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  Hemp- 
stead, L.  I.,  where  he  settled  in  1647. 

The  educational  training  of  Mr.  Valentine 
was  received  in  the  Bennington  common 
schools.  Union  .Academy  and  at  Sufifield, 
Conn.  \\'hen  he  had  arrived  at  man's  estate 
he  commenced  business  with  his  father 
under  the  firm  name  of  Joel  Valentine  & 
Son,  but  later  attracted  by  the  gold  fields  of 
California,  he  emigrated,  in  1S52,  to  the 
Pacific  coast  where  for  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  mining  and  trade.     Then  he  re- 


turned to  Bennington  where  he  established 
a  grist-mill  in  the  building  formerly  occupied 
by  his  father. 

In  1856  he  was  united  to  Alma  L.,  daugh- 
ter of  Luther  W.  and  Cynthia  (Pratt)  Park. 
Five  children  are  issue  of  this  marriage  : 
May  ( Mrs.  A.  B.  Perkins  of  Bennington, 
deceased).  Park  (deceased),  Jennie  A., 
Wells  v.,  and  Lilian. 

July  31,  1862,  Mr.  Valentine  received  a 
commission  as  lieutenant  and  quartermas- 
ter of  the  loth  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  two 
years  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
captain  and  commissary  of  subsistence  and 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  old  ist  Vermont 
Brigade.     He    also   received  a   commission. 


4o8 


VALENTINE. 


as   brevet-major  given   for  meritorious   ser- 
vices. 

On  leaving  tlie  service  of  his  country 
Major  Valentine  returned  to  his  native  town 
where  he  purchased  his  father's  property 
and  converted  it  into  a  knitting  mill.  'I'his 
enterprise  met  with  success  and  though  the 
mill  was  destroyed  by  fire,  it  was  soon  re- 
built, and  the  business  reorganized  and  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  the  \'alentine 
Knitting  Co. 

He  was  actively  engaged  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  graded  schools  in  Bennington 
village  and  in  the  erection  of  the  fine  school 
building  of  which  Bennington  is  so  justly 
proud.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
celebration  of  the  centennial  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  Bennington,  being  chief  mar- 
shal on  that  occasion,  and  was  actively  in- 
terested in  the  Bennington  Battle  Monu- 
ment .-\ssociation  and  in  the  construction  of 
the  monument  itself.  It  was  largely  through 
his  efforts  that  the  Soldiers'  Home  was 
established  in  Bennington,  and  in  G.  A.  R. 
circles  he  is  well  known,  having  been  depart- 
ment commander  of  that  organization  for 
two  years  (in  1882  and  18S3). 

Though  politics  as  such  possessed  no  great 
temptation  for  Major  Valentine,  in  18S6  he 
was  prevailed  upon  to  represent  his  county 
as  one  its  state  senators.  In  the  session  of 
that  year  he  was  identified  with  many  im- 
portant measures  in  connection  with  the 
Soldiers'  Home  and  the  amendment  of  the 
laws  relating  to  the  National  Guard  of  Yer- 
mont,  which  latter  legislation  resulted  in 
great  benefit  to  that  body.  As  he  had  been 
especially  active  in  educational  legislation, 
he  was  appointed  by  Go\ernor  Ormsbee  one 
of  the  committee  of  three  to  select  text 
books  to  be  used  in  the  schools  of  the  state 
and  to  contract  for  the  purchase  of  the  same. 
Subsequently  he  was  selected  by  Governor 
Dillingham  to  fill  the  position  of  commis- 
sioner of  agriculture  and  manufacturing  in- 
terests of  the  state.  Major  Valentine  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  national  conven- 
tion in  1884,  was  one  of  the  original  incor- 
porators and  directors  of  the  Bennington 
County  .Savings  Bank  and  is  now  president 
of  that  institution.  He  was  for  many  years 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Bennington  graded  schools,  and  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Vermont  Commandery  of 
the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is  now  (1894)  presi- 
dent of  the  Vermont  Officers  Reunion  So- 
ciety. His  knit  goods  manufactory  is  the 
largest  in  the  state,  and  its  reputation  is 
second  to  none  in  the  country. 

In  his  religious  belief  he  is  an  agnostic, 
though  he  attends  and  supports  the  Congre- 
gational church,  contributing  liberallv  to 
religious  and  charitable  enterprises.  Major 
Valentine  has  tra\eled  much,  is  liberal  in  his 


ideas,  proud  of  his  \illage,  and  above  all 
things  desirous  of  its  prosperity,  being  ever 
ready  to  unite  with  his  neighbors  in  adding 
his  influence  to  any  scheme  which  tends  to 
the  improvement  of  his  native  town. 

VEAZEY,  WHEELOCK  Graves,  of  Rut- 
land, son  of  Jonathan  and  .Annie  (Stevens) 
^'eazey,  was  born  in  Brentwood,  N.  H.,  Dec. 
5,  1835.  Brentwood  was  the  home  of  his 
ancestors  back  through  many  generations. 

He  received  his  early  scholastic  education 
at  Phillips  (Exeter)  .Academy,  matriculated 
at  L)artmouth  College  and  graduated  there- 
from in  the  class  of  1859.  Having  selected 
the  practice  of  law  for  the  future  labor  of  his 
life  he  studied  in  law  offices  and  in  the 
law  school  at  .Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated 
there  in  i860.  He  began  practice  in  Spring- 
field in  November,  i860,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Vermont  bar  at  the  next  December 
term  of  the  Windsor  county  court. 

Mr.  Veazey  was  actuated  by  clear  convic- 
tion of  duty  and  animated  by  patriotic  en- 
thusiasm when  he  enlisted  as  a  pri\ate  in 
Co.  A  of  the  3d  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  When  the 
company  was  organized  in  the  month  of 
May,  1 86 1,  he  was  elected  to  the  captaincy, 
and  in  the  following  August  received  promo- 
tion to  the  ranks  of  major  and  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  continued  to  hold  the  latter 
rank  until  sent  home  to  bring  out  a  new 
regiment  in  the  fall  of  1S62.  On  the  27th 
of  September,  1862,  he  was  elected  colonel 
of  the  1 6th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  With  this  gal- 
lant body  of  men  he  continued  to  serve  until 
.August  10,  1863,  when,  with  his  regiment  at 
the  expiration  of  its  term,  he  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  of  the  L'nited  States. 
General  Hancock  then  assured  him  a  briga- 
diership  if  he  returned  to  the  service,  but  his 
health  would  not  permit.  During  his  mili- 
tary experience  Colonel  Veazey  took  part  in 
many  of  the  battles  of  the  .Army  of  the 
Potomac.  For  some  time  he  was  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  Gen.  A\'.  F.  (Baldy)  Smith,  and 
on  several  occasions  was  placed  in  command 
of  other  regiments  besides  his  own.  In  the 
seven  days'  battles  before  Richmond,  in 
1862,  he  was  a  participant,  commanding 
either  his  own  regiment  or  some  other  to 
which  he  was  temporarily  detailed.  .At  Get- 
tysburg the  1 6th  A't.  formed  a  part  of  the 
third  division  of  the  First  .Army  Corps  under 
General  Doubleday,  and  actively  shared  in 
the  sanguinary  encounters  of  the  three  days 
of  the  greatest  battle  of  the  war.  In  the 
battle  of  the  second  day,  near  its  close,  his 
regiment  was  in  the  fight  between  the  corps 
of  General  Sickles  and  the  rebel  forces  un- 
der General  Longstreet. 

'I'hat  evening  Colonel  Veazey  was  ordered 
to  take  his  regiment  and  others  and  establish 
a  picket  line  along  that  portion  of  the  field 


where  the  battle  of  the  second  day  had  been 
fought.  The  position  of  the  Sixteenth  in 
that  line  was  along  that  part  where  Long- 
street's  corps  made  the  famous  charge  of  the 
third  day.  This  is  popularly  known  as  Pick- 
ett's charge.  Veazey's  regiment  was,  there- 
fore, in  the  pathway  of  Pickett's  division, 
and  not  having  been  relieved  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  third,  on  account  of  the  difficulty 
of  doing  it,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  skir- 
mishing on  the  picket  line  during  the  morn- 
ing, was  the  first  to  be  struck  by  the  charg- 
ing column.  Under  Veazey's  order  the  men 
resisted  the  rebel  skirmishers,  but  when  their 
main  lines  approached,  Veazey,  instead  of 
falling  back  through  the  Union  lines,  moved 
his  men  to  the  left  just  far  enough  to  uncover 
the  rebel  front,  and  thereby  had  them  in 
position  to  attack  their  fiank  as  the  column 
passed  him.  About  that  time  General  Han- 
cock, then  commanding  all  that  portion  of 
the  Union  lines,  dashed  down  to  the  danger 
point  where  Pickett's  charge  was  aimed,  and 
was  there  wounded  and  bleeding  on  the 
field  as  Veazey  moved  his  regiment  back 
and  to  right  to  take  position  on  the  left  of 
the  Thirteenth  Vermont  in  the  deadly  as- 
sault made  by  these  regiments,  which  crushed 
Pickett's  right  flank.  In  this  movement 
^'eazey  passed  where  Hancock  was  bleeding 
and  refusing  to  be  taken  from  the  field.  The 
latter  watching  and  appreciating  the  move- 
ment, said  to  Veazey  :  "That's  right.  Colo- 
nel, go  in  and  give  'em  hell  on  the  flank." 
Veazey's  next  move  was  to  get  his  men  into 
line,  as  they  were  scattered  over  the  field 
gathering  in  prisoners,  and  again  change 
front  to  the  left  and  charge  the  flank  of 
Perry's  and  'Wilcox's  approaching  brigades, 
which  he  crushed,  capturing  many  hundred 
prisoners  and  two  stands  of  colors.  This 
was  the  substantial  close  of  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  This  young  officer's  feats  in 
the  battle  gave  him  a  national  reputation, 
and  secured  him  a  medal  of  honor,  under  a 
resolution  of  Congress,  having  upon  it  an 
inscription  as  follows :  "The  Congress  to 
Col.  Wheelock  G.  Veazey,  i6th  Vt.  Vols. 
For  Distinguished  Gallantry  at  the  Battle  of 
Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863." 

Colonel  Veazey  returned  to  Vermont  in 
1863,  and,  as  soon  as  health  badly  shattered 
in  the  service  would  permit,  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Rutland,  and 
continued  in  practice  until  October,  1879. 

From  1864  to  1S73,  by  virtue  of  eight  con- 
secutive elections,  he  served  as  reporter  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  in  this  capacity  pre- 
pared nine  volumes  of  the  Vermont  Reports. 

In  1872  and  1873,  he  represented  the  citi- 
zens of  Rutland  county  in  the  state  Senate, 
and  officiated  in  that  body  as  chairman  of 
the  commitee  on  military  affairs  and  also  in 
the  committee  on  the  judiciary.     In  1874  he 


recei\ed  the  appointment  of  register  in  bank- 
ruptcy, and  retained  it  until  the  repeal  of 
the  bankrupt  law.  In  1878,  he  and  Hon. 
C.  W.  Willard  were  appointed  commission- 
ers by  Governor  Proctor  to  revise  the  laws  of 
the  state.  The  revision  was  duly  made,  re- 
ported, adopted  by  the  Legislature  in  1880, 
and  is  now  in  force  as  the  revised  laws  of 
\'ermont.  In  the  same  connection  Judge 
^'eazey  also  made  a  searching  investigation 
and  report  to  the  Legislature  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  court  expenses,  which  resulted  in  a 
reduction  of  the  same  to  a  very  large  amount. 
The  elevation  of  a  lawyer  so  competent 
and  judicious  to  the  bench  was  simply  a 
iiuestion  of  time.  It  came  in  1879  by  his 
appointment  as  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation 
of  Judge  Dunton.  Beginning  with  1880, 
and  including  1888,  Judge  Veazey  was  at 
each  biennial  session  elected  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  This  position  he  resigned 
in  1889  to  accept  an  appointment  as  a 
member  of  the  interstate  commerce  commis- 
sion, the  duties  of  which  important  place  he 
continues  to  perform. 

In  the  educational,  financial  and  cor- 
porate institutions  of  the  state.  Judge  Veazey 
was  naturally  deeply  interested.  He  was 
one  of  the  trustees  of  Dartmouth  college 
from  1S79  and  until  his  resignation  in  1891  ; 
he  has  also  been  trustee  or  director  of  other 
educational  as  well  as  industrial  institutions 
in  and  out  of  the  state.  Before  going  upon 
the  bench.  Colonel  Veazey  was  active  in 
public  and  political  affairs.  He  was  a 
delegate-at-large  to  the  national  Republican 
convention  at  Cincinnati,  which  nominated 
Rutherford  P).  Hayes  for  President.  He  has 
always  taken  the  greatest  interest  in  his 
comrades  of  the  war,  and  been  connected 
with  them  in  their  organizations,  state  and 
national.  Colonel  Veazey  was  one  of  the 
early  department  commanders  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  in  Vermont,  and  has 
been  president  of  the  Reunion  Society  of 
\ermont  Officers.  In  1890  he  was  elected 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  a  position  than  which  there  is 
none  more  honorable  in  the  Union.  In  all 
the  high  places  held  by  him — in  military  and 
civil  life — he  has  kept  the  respect,  won  the 
admiration  and  had  the  affection  of  his  old 
comrades,  and  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He 
received  the  honorable  degree  of  LL.  13.  from 
Dartmouth  college  in  1887. 

He  was  married  on  the  22d  of  June,  186 1, 
to  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Albin  and 
Julia  A.  Beard,  at  Nashua,  N.  H.  They 
have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom   are 


VAIL,   HOMER   W.,   of  North   Pomfret, 
son  of  Joshua  and  Harriet   (\\'arren)   \'ail. 


was  born  in  I'omfret,  August  5,  1843.  -^ 
direct  descendant  of  Lieut.  Thomas  Vail, 
who  was  an  officer  in  the  old  French  and 
Indian  war,  and  fought  through  the  bloody 
struggles  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Niagara  and 
in  the  Montreal  campaign. 

Homer  W.  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Pomfret  and  the  select 
school.  For  five  years  after  his  majority  he 
was  employed  in  a  publishing  house  in  Bos- 
ton, but  was  summoned  home  by  the  failing 
health  of  his  father,  who  shortly  afterwards 
died  and  left  to  his  care  his  mother  and  her 
younger  children. 


Mr.  Vail  was  one  of  the  earliest  stock 
raisers  in  the  state  to  give  great  attention  )o 
the  breeding  of  Jersey  cattle.  He  has  made 
a  specialty  of  dairy  products,  and  at  the  Na- 
tional Food  Exposition  held  in  New  Vork  in 
1892,  he  obtained  the  gold  medal  sweep- 
stakes for  the  best  butter  on  exhibition. 

.After  holding  most  of  the  minor  offices  in 
his  native  town,  he  was  elected  by  the  Repub- 
licans to  represent  Pomfret  in  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1874  and  was  chosen  a  senator  from 
Windsor  county  in  1892.  He  is  president 
of  the  Windsor  County  .Agricultural  Society 
and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board 
of  agriculture  by  Go\ernor  Ormsbee  in  18S6 
and  has  served  continuously  in  this  capacity 
ever  since.  He  has  held  for  three  years  the 
position  of  New  England  director  of  the 
American  Jersey  Cattle  Club.  He  has  been 
associated  with  the  Banner  Crange  of  the  I'. 


of  H.  and  is  also  allied  with  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity as  a  member  of  Woodstock  Lodge, 
No.  31,  of  Ottaquechee  Chapter  and  a 
Knight  Templar  of  Vermont  Commandery.' 
He  married,  March  9,  1880,  Sarah  .A., 
daughter  of  Jackson  and  Sarah  (.Kngier)  Vail 
of  .Montpelier.  Four  sons  have  blessed  their 
union  :  Ralph  (deceased),  Solon  J.,  Henry 
G.,  and  Homer  J. 

VlALL,  George   Marcius,  of  East 

Dorset,  son  of  L  G.  and  Helen  .A.  (Roberts) 
Viall,  was  born  in  Dorset,  May  5,  1849. 

Of  mixed  English  and  Scotch  descent. 
His  early  educational  advantages  were  the 
customary  ones  given  in  the  public  schools, 
and  he  afterward  fitted  for  college  at  Elmwood 
Institute,  Lanesborough,  Mass.  Entering 
the  classical  department  of  Union  Univer- 
sity, Schenectady,  N.  V.,  he  graduated  at  the 
head  of  his  class,  in  18-4,  with  the  degree  of 
.A.  B.,  receiving  the  additional  honor  of  .A.  NL, 


GEORGE   MARCIUS  VIALL. 


in  1877.  Resolving  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
medical  profession,  he  commenced  his  stud- 
ies in  the  medical  department  of  the  same 
institution,  receiving  his  diploma  in  1876. 
For  a  short  time  he  practiced  in  Dorset,  but 
was  compelled  by  the  death  of  his  father  and 
grandfather  to  devote  himself  to  family  in- 
terests. .Accordingly,  he  took  the  manage- 
ment of  a  large  farm  on  which  he  has  since 
resided.  In  addition  he  has  acted  as  admin- 
istrator and  assignee  in  the  settlement  of 
many  imjiortant  estates,  and   has  held   the 


412 


offices  of  town  clerk,  treasurer,  lister,  and 
trustee  of  public  money. 

Politically,  Mr.  Mall  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Democratic  party,  was  elected  to  the  state 
Senate  from  Bennington  county  in  1882,  and 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  from  Dor- 
set in  1 886,  serving  on  several  important 
committees. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  February, 
1S76,  to  Lucy  E.,  daughter  of  David  E.  and 
Hannah  E.  (Curtis)  Deming,  of  Lanesbor- 
ough,  Mass.  Of  this  marriage  there  are  two 
children  ;  Lucy  Deming,  and"  Helen  P^liza. 

Mr.  Viall  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  but  believes  that  all  will  be  rewarded 
or  punished  according  to  the  deeds  done  in 
this  life  without  respect  to  creed  or  doctrine. 

VIALL,  William  B.,  of  West  Randolph, 
son  of  A.  Boynton  and  Lucy  (Newhall)  ^'iall, 
was  born  in  Dorset,  Oct.  19,  1842. 


Receiving  the  customary  education  of  the 
public  schools  in  1862  he  entered  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Vermont  Central  R.  R. 
Commencing  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  with 
the  position  of  brakeman,  he  soon  displayed 
qualities  suitable  to  a  higher  class  of  work. 
He  has  served  the  corporation  in  various 
capacities  and  is  now  holding  the  respon- 
sible position  of  adjuster  of  claims.  Though 
not  a  lawyer,  he  is  constantly  called  upon  to 
act  for  the  company  in  cases  involving  both 
business  and  legal  difficulties,  and  is  univer- 
sally recognized  as  a  man  of  quick  percep- 
tions, acute   judgment  and  wide  general  in- 


formation, while  from  his  pleasing  address  he 
is  deservedly  popular.  For  some  years  he 
held  government  contracts  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  Star  route  lines  of  the  AN'estern 
states,  besides  some  in  New  England. 

In  1878  he  took  up  his  residence  in  \\'est 
Randolph  where  he  served  as  postmaster 
during  President  Cleveland's  first  adminis- 
tration, and  in  1892  was  the  nominee  of  the 
Democratic  party  for  the  office  of  1  .ieutenant- 
Governor. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock,  Jan.  29,  1S68, 
to  Eunice  L.,  daughter  of  .'\lden  and  Clarissa 
(Rice)  Lamb  of  Granville,  and  thev  have 
one  daughter  :  Lucy  Clarissa. 

VINCENT.  Walter  H.,  of  Orwell,  son 
of  Horace  and  Cylinda  (Wing)  Vincent,  was 
born  in  East  Montpelier,  March  31,  1S5S. 
His  great-grandfather,  a  physician,  came  from 
New  Bedford,  Mass.,  when  his  grandfather 
Captain  Isaac  Vincent  was  thirteen  years  old, 
to  Montpelier,  at  a  time  when  there  was  only 
one  frame  house  in  what  is  now  Montpelier 
village,  having  an  ox  team  for  conveyance. 
Coming  to  the  end  of  the  road  it  then  being 
a  dense  forest,  he  cleared  the  timber  off  and 
located  his  future  home  and  Uved  there  until 
his  death.  The  farmhouse,  over  one  hundred 
years  old,  is  now  occupied  by  Horace  \"in- 
cent.  The  farm  proving  to  be  the  best  in 
that  part  of  the  state,  where  four  genera- 
tions have  thus  far  spent  their  lives.  It 
being  the  old  muster  grounds  for  June 
trainings  made  so  much  of  years  ago.  There 
has  been  a  physician  in  each  generation  of 
the  family  of  which  Walter  H.  is  the  present. 

Mr.  ^^'alter  Vincent  received  a  good  early 
education,  graduated  from  Goddard  Semin- 
ary in  the  college  preparatory  course,  June, 
iSSo,  afterwards  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  L^niversity  of  Vermont.  'Pook 
three  regular  courses  of  lectures  in  the  L'ni- 
versity  Medical  College  of  \'ermont.  In  the 
fall  of  18S3  he  removed  to  New  York  City, 
where  he  became  a  student  at  the  L-niversity 
of  New  York,  graduating  in  1884.  He  had 
also  profited  by  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Charles 
M.  Chandler,  of  Montpelier.  For  three 
months  he  wms  employed  in  the  nursery  and 
hospital  of  New  York  as  assistant  house 
physician,  and  then  settled  in  the  town  of 
Orwell,  July  28,  1884,  where  he  has  estab- 
lished a  profitable  practice. 

He  is  an  enthusiastic  Republican  and  true 
to  his  party  affiliations.  Recently  appointed 
for  three  years  as  health  officer  for  Orwell, 
Whiting  and  Leicester,  he  is  also  one  of  the 
board  of  school  directors  of  his  town. 

In  1889  he  was  appointed  delegate  from 
the  ^'ermont  State  Medical  Society  to  that  of 
the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  and  has  been  the  Ad- 
dison county  councilor  of  the  former  associa- 
tion.  In  1892  he  was  honored  with  the  office  of 


WADI.EIGH. 

vice-president  of  the  State  Medical  Society, 
and  was  one  of  two  delegates  chosen  to  be  jires- 
ent  at  the  examination  of  the  medical  students 
of  the  University  of  Vermont.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rutland  County  Medical  Society ; 
in  1893  he  was  appointed  as  a  delegate  from 
the  Vermont  State  Medical  Society  to  the 
American  Medical  Association  at  Milwaukee. 
Dr.  Vincent  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  is  at  present  worshipful 
master  of  Independence  Lodge,  No.  10,  of 


Orwell,  and  affiliated  with  Farmers'  ChajJter 
of  lirandon,  and  is  al.so  a  Sir  Knight  of  the 
.Mt.  Cahary  C'ommandery  of  Middlebury. 

He  is  a  thoughtful  and  considerate  man 
and  those  who  have  known  him  longest  speak 
of  him  most  highly  as  a  gentleman  and  phy- 
sician, a  kind  friend  and  generous  neighbor. 

He  was  married  at  Rutland,  Oct.  8,  1890, 
to  Kate,  daughter  of  A.  ^[.  and  Harriet 
Winchester.  One  son,  Paul  Winchester,  was 
born  August  23,  1892. 


WAD 
Concord, 
Wadleigh 
23,  1829. 


LEIGH,  Benjamin  F.,  late  of 

son  of  Eliphalet  and  Ruth  (  Pressey ) 
I,  was  born  in  Sutton,  X.  H.,  I  )ec. 


He  was  principally  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Kirby,  to  which  place  his  father 
had  removed  when  the  son  was  a  small  boy, 
and  the  latter  found  a  good  home  with  Hon. 
E.  W.  Church,  of  Kirby,  upon  whose  farm 
he  was  employed  until  he  attained  the  age 
of  twenty-three  years.  Forty  years  ago  he 
settled  in  Concord,  where  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  trade  and  was  also  the  proprietor  of 
a  hotel.  He  then  made  West  Concord  his 
place  of  residence,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death  in  September,  1S91.  For  a  time 
he  followed  various  occupations,  but  later 
engaged  in  insurance  business,  acting  as 
agent  for  the  Vermont  Mutual  Fire  Insur- 


ance Co.,  at  the  same  time  cultivating  a 
small  farm  near  the  village.  He  was  well 
known  and  universally  popular  in  the  com- 
munity, deservedly  possessing  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  all  his  acquaintances. 

He  was  married  at  West  Concord,  Feb.  6, 
1859,  to  Caroline  F:ivira,  daughter  of  Elmore 
and  Nancy  ('laggard)  Chase.  Six  children 
were  issue  of  the  marriage,  only  three  of 
whom  survive  :  F.  Eugene,  Elmore  E.,  and 
Marion  L 

Mr.  Wadleigh  was  affiliated  with  Moose 
River  Lodge,  No.  82,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in 
his  political  creed  was  a  Republican  with 
independent  tendencies.  He  had  been  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  several  years  ;  and  in 
1S72  was  elected  town  clerk  and  treasurer, 
which  position  he  ably  filled  until  his  death. 
In  1S82  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  as 
representative  from  Concord. 

WAITE,  HORACE,  of  Hyde  Park,  son  of 
Smith  H.  and  Lucinda  (Goodenough)  Waite, 
was  born  in  Fairfield,  May  16,  1826. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Sheldon  and  at  Bakersfield 
.Academy.  Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of 
five  he  found  a  home  with  .Asa  Grant  with 
whom  he  remained  till  he  arrived  kt  man's 
estate  and  for  whom  he  worked  seven  vears 
after  attaining  his  majority. 

In  1854  he  in\ested  his  carefully  saved 
earnings  in  the  purchase  of  a  large  farm  in 
Eden,  where  he  resided  until  1877  when  he 
removed  to  Morrisville  to  secure  better  edu- 
cational advantages  for  his  family.  He  has 
continued  to  give  much  attention  to  his  farm, 
making  the  dairy  its  principal  feature. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  I'eb.  16,  1853, 
to  I.ovisa  L,  daughter  of  lienjamin  H.  and 
Lydia  (McAllister)  Leach.  Four  children 
are  the  issue  :  Smith  B.,  .Abbie  L.  (deceased), 
Eva  B.  (Mrs.  Solon  Abbott  of  Hiddeford, 
Me.),  and  Martin  P. 

Mr.  Waite  has  always  been  a  member  of 
the  Republican  party,  has  often  been  called 
to  office  and  when  the  town  of  Eden  adopted 
the  town  system  of  schools  under  the  optional 
law,  Mr.  Waite  was  elected  chairman  of  the 


414 


WAKEFIELD. 


\VALBRIDGE. 


board.  In  1865  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Eden  in  the  General  Assembly  and  served 
on  the  grand  list  committee.  He  has  also 
served  as  county  commissioner  and  was 
assistant  judge  of  Lamoille  county  from  1S82 
to  1886. 

Since  the  death  of  his  wife  Judge  Waite 
has  resided  with  his  son,  Smith  B.  Waite,  at 
Hyde  Park.  The  judge  possesses  in  a  rare 
degree  the  confidence  of  his  townsmen  and 
has  been  often  called  upon  to  act  as  audi- 
tor, referee  and  guardian  in  the  settlement 
of  numerous  estates  in  his  vicinity. 

Mr.  Waite  is  an  ardent  votary  of  temper- 
ance, signing  the  pledge  at  eight  years  of 
age  and  keeping  it  inviolate. 

WAKHFIELD,  WILLIAM  WALLACE,  of 
Westfield,  son  of  .Alvah  and  Hannah  (Kimp- 
ton)  Wakefield,  was  born  in  Orleans  county, 
June  27,  1S44. 


f^ 


rades  he  had  the  good  luck  to  make  his 
escape  the  \ery  first  night  after  he  was  taken 
prisoner. 

.After  his  return  to  Lowell  he  engaged  in 
farming  till  1875,  when  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  lumber  business  at  Eden,  where 
he  remained  two  years  and  then  formed  a 
partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Hoyt  & 
A\'akefield,  to  engage  in  the  same  line  of 
trade  at  Westfield!  His  sterling  qualities, 
both  as  a  citizen  and  a  business  man,  have 
called  him  to  many  official  positions,  among 
which  may  be  enumerated  those  of  select- 
man, auditor,  lister,  first  constable,  and 
deputy  sheriff,  which  latter  position  he  holds 
to  the  present  time.  In  1892  he  was  elected 
high  bailiff  of  Orleans  county,  and  the  same 
year  was  sent  as  town  representative  from 
Westfield  to  Montpelier,  where  he  served 
creditably  on  several  general  and  special 
committees. 

Mr.  Wakefield  has  for  a  long  time  been  a 
member  of  Masonic  LInion  Lodge  No.  16, 
of  Troy,  and  twelve  years  since  passed 
through  the  Royal  Arch.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Baptist  church  in  Lowell,  and  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  Hazen  Post,  G. 
,\.  R.  He  has  always  been  a  strong  Re- 
publican, and  an  active  worker  in  the  party. 

February  11,  1866,  he  married  Ruth  E., 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  .Amanda  Newton  of 
Lowell.  Of  their  five  children  four  survive  : 
Emma,  Florence,  Helen,  and  Maude. 


JAVI    WALLACE    WA<EFIELD. 


He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
Lowell  public  schools,  and  during  his  third 
term  at  Johnson  .Academy  was  one  of  several 
students  who  went  to  Morrisville  and  enlisted 
in  Co.  M,  I  ith  Vt.  Vols.,  in  September,  1863. 
He  remained  with  his  command  to  the  close 
of  the  war,  receiving  his  discharge  in  Oc- 
tober, 1865,  was  engaged  in  all  the  battles 
from  the  Wilderness  to  Petersburg,  includ- 
ing Spottsylvania,  North  .Anna  River,  Cold 
Harbor,  and,  with  four  hundred  of  his  regi- 
ment, was  captured  in  the  engagement  near 
the  Welden  R.  R.,  but  with  forty  of  his  com- 


WALBRIDGE,  JOHN  HiLL,  of  West 
Concord,  son  of  Henry  and  .Almira  (Hill) 
Walbridge,  was  born  in  Plainfield,  June  30, 
1847. 

His  mother  dying  in  his  earliest  infancy, 
he  was  put  under  the  charge  of  his  maternal 
grand  uncle,  Chauncey  Hill,  an  extensive 
farmer  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Con- 
cord. Henry  moved  to  St.  Johns,  Mich., 
soon  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  established 
himself  there  as  a  successful  lawyer,  and 
during  the  civil  war  served  as  captain  in  the 
33d  Mich.  Vol.  Infantry. 

.After  having  received  his  early  education 
at  the  public  schools  of  Concord  and  St. 
Johnsbury  Academy,  Mr.  J.  H.  Walbridge 
graduated  from  Lombard  LTniversity,  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  in  the  class  of  1S70,  in  which  year 
he  returned  to  West  Concord,  and  at  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  his  foster  parents  de- 
cided to  remain  with  them  during  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  Soon  after  this  time  he 
met  with  severe  reverses  in  business,  from 
the  loss  by  fire  of  the  Essex  woolen  mills  at 
West  Concord,  and  subsequently  through  his 
liability  as  bondsman  and  by  the  failure  of 
debtors.  Since  these  losses  he  has  been 
principally  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  is  locally  well  known  as  a  successful 
breeder  of  sheep,  dairy  stock  and  colts. 


WALBRIDGK. 

He  was  wedded,  April  19,  1872,  at  \\'est 
Concord,  to  Cynthia  H.,  daughter  of  Ehiiore 
and  Cynthia  (Hill)  Chase.  They  have  three 
children  :  Henry  Chase,  Blanche  May,  and 
Winifred. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  ^Ir.  W'al- 
bridge  has  been  affiliated  with  Moose  Ri^■er 
Lodge,  No.  82,  V.  &  A.  M.,  and  for  three 
tertns  has  presided  in  the  I'last. 


\     ^: 


W.ALES.  4  I  5 

will  to  all,  and  genial  manners,  have  gained 
him  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

WALES,  TORREY  ENGLESBY,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Danforth  and  Lovisa  .S. 
Wales,  was  born  in  Westford,  June  20,  1820. 

He  graduated  from  the  I'.  \'.  ^L  in  the 
class  of  1 84 1  :  studied  law  with  Hon.  .Asahel 
Peck  of  Burlington,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Chittenden  county  in  1846,  and  soon 
after  commenced  the  jjractice  of  law  in  Bur- 
lington. In  1857,  he  formed  a  law  jjartner- 
ship  with  Judge  Russell  S.  Taft,  under  the 
name  of  U'ales  &  Taft,  which  continued 
twenty-one  years.  In  18S2,  he  and  his  son, 
George  W.  Wales,  became  law  partners  under 
the  name  of  Wales  &  Wales  ;  this  firm  was 
dissolved  by  the  death  of  George  W.  Wales, 
in  i8go. 


IILL    WALBRIDGE. 


He  has  conscientiously  and  honorably  tlis- 
charged  the  duties  of  many  official  positions, 
among  which  may  be  numbered  supervisor 
of  schools  for  Essex  county,  to  which  post 
he  was  almost  unanimotisly  elected.  He  has 
been  appointed  county  examiner,  justice  of 
the  peace,  grand  juror,  and  superintendent 
of  schools.  In  1888  he  was  elected,  by  the 
largest  Republican  majority  ever  given  in 
Concord,  a  member  of  the  state  Legislature, 
where  he  labored  actively  on  the  committee 
of  education,  and  was  recognized  as  an  in- 
dependent and  forcible  debater.  He  drew 
and  presented  a  bill  reducing  the  limit  of  ex- 
emption from  taxation  in  savings  banks,  and 
also  reducing  the  percentage  that  those  in- 
stitutions and  trust  companies  could  invest 
in  Western  securities,  this  last  measure  be- 
coming a  law.  He  also  drafted  and  pre- 
sented the  bill  which  became  the  present 
law  for  the  protection  of  horse  owners.  Mr. 
^^■albridge  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  John- 
son Normal  School.  He  is  an  interested 
student  of  history  and  of  current  political 
and  economic  questions.     His  hearty  good 


■'■•p-'^  .^"""^ 


TORREV   ENGLESBY   WALES. 


Judge  Wales  was  state's  attorney  for  Chit- 
tenden county,  in  i854-'55-'56 ;  mayor  of 
the  city  of  Burlington  in  i866-'67  ;  acting 
mayor  in  1870,  and  for  several  years  he  was 
one  of  the  aldermen  of  the  city.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from 
Burlington,  in  i868-'69, — 1876-'77.  In  1S62 
he  was  elected  judge  of  probate  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Chittenden  and  has  e\er  since  held 
the  office  by  continuous  re-elections. 

He  is  one  of  the  original  nine  incorjiora- 
tors  of  the  Mary  Fletcher  Hos|)ital,  chartered 
in  1876,  and  has  been  its  treasurer  from  the 
beginning.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Uni\ersity  of  N'ermont.  He 
is  president  of  the  Burlington   Law  Library 


4i6 


Association  ;  of  tlie  Burlington  Manufactur- 
ing Co. ;  of  the  Home  for  Aged  Women,  at 
Burlington ;  of  the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics' 
Savings  Institution  and  Trust  Co.,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Merchants'  National  Bank. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Elizabeth  C,  daughter  of  Silas  and 
Prudence  N.  Mason  ;  she  died  in  1868.  For 
his  second  wife  he  married  Mrs.  Helen  M. 
White,  of  Boston. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church. 

WALKER,  Daniel  C,  of  North  Cam- 
bridge, son  of  Lyman  and  Adeline  (Chase) 
Walker,  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Dec.  11, 
1841.  William  U'alker,  his  grandfather, 
came  here  from  Pirookfield,  Mass.,  in  1800, 
and  located  in  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
on  the  farm  where  Lyman  was  born,  and 
resided  there  to  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1879,  and  where  Daniel  still  resides. 

Receiving  the  customary  education  of  the 
public  schools,  and  afterwards  pursuing  his 
studies  at  Bakersfield  Academy,  Mr.  Walker, 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Co.  L^,  I  St  Vt.  Cavalry,  sharing  in  all  the 
numerous  engagements  in  which  his  regi- 
ment took  part.  Constantly  on  duty,  except 
six  weeks  when  he  was  confined  by  sickness 
in  the  hospital,  he  was  thrice  wounded,  but 
not  severely,  received  a  promotion  to  the 
grade  of  sergeant,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  June  21,  1865. 

After  his  return  from  the  war,  being  gifted 
with  considerable  mechanical  ingenuity,  Mr. 
Walker  was  employed  for  several  years  as  a 
carpenter  and  joiner,  but  his  principal  occu- 
pation has  been  that  of  an  agriculturist,  his 
chief  attention  having  been  given  to  the 
dairy  and  the  maple  orchard.  He  has  held 
many  of  the  offices  of  the  town,  was  lister, 
selectman,  justice  and  school  director  and 
was  appointed  postmaster  under  President 
tirant,  which  office  he  held  until  his  resig- 
nation in  1S92.  The  same  year  he  received 
the  honor  of  an  election  to  the  Legislature 
as  a  Republican,  serving  on  the  committee 
on  agriculture. 

He  joined  and  has  been  the  commander 
of  Post  10,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Cambridge.  Mr. 
Walker  is  a  modest  man  of  solid  worth,  who 
possesses  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his 
neighbors.  His  sterling  qualities  of  char- 
acter have  often  called  him  to  act  as  admin- 
istrator and  agent  in  the  settlement  of 
estates. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  April  16,  1S67, 
to  Kate  M.,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  ;\Iary 
(Stone)  Converse,  of  Bakersfield. 

WALKER,  Franklin  William,  of  Ben- 
son, son  of  Rufus  and  Susannah  (Raymond) 
Walker,  was  born  in  Sudburv,  June  23,  1812. 


In  1 81 7  his  parents  removed  to  Benson, 
where  most  of  his  life  has  been  spent.  His 
early  educational  advantages  were  limited  to 
the  district  school,  but  being  possessed  with 
a  love  for  study  and  a  strong  resolution  to 
have  all  there  was  for  him,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  the  improvement  of  his  mind  by  study 
and  reading  in  his  leisure  moments  while 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  his  brother's  store,  in 
Benson,  between  the  years  of  fourteen  and 
twenty-one.  \\'hen  he  arrived  at  his  majority 
his  enterprising  spirit  led  him  to  try  the 
perils  and  adventures  of  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness in  the  then  territory  of  Michigan.  He 
bought  land  of  the  government  in  Lenawee 
county  in  the  present  town  of  Morenci,  built 
a  log  hut  and  cleared  away  the  surrounding 
forest,  and  took  long  journeys  through  the 
thickly-wooded  country  in  company  with 
other  young  men  of  like  adventurous  spirit, 
undaunted  by  cold  or  fatigue,  the  experiences 


¥^ 


.^ 


.lAM    WALKER. 


of  which  tended  to  make  him  a  man  of  nerv'e 
and  courage.  Mr.  Walker  returned  East  in 
1836,  and  feeling  the  need  of  a  better  educa- 
tion before  entering  upon  business  for  life 
determined  to  spend  some  time  at  .school  in 
Castleton.  After  this  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  a  merchant  in  Benson, 
which  was  dissolved  in  1846,  after  which  he 
continued  as  sole  proprietor  till  1871.  'XS 
He  is  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the 
town,  esteemed  and  respected  by  all.  He 
enjoyed  to  such  an  extent  the  confidence  of 
the    communitv    that    he    was    sent   to    the 


House  of  Representati\es  in  1857  and  i<S5<S. 
He  was  a  staunch  Democrat  until  the  ques- 
tion of  slavery  was  agitated  when  he  joined 
the  Republican  ranks,  and  has  since  remained 
a  loyal  supporter  of  their  principles.  In 
1843  he  was  appointed  trtistee  of  the  U.  S. 
deposit  money  and  since  that  time  has  been 
honored  with  many  official  positions  of  re- 
sponsibility, and  is  the  present  town  treasurer 
(1S94)  and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace 
over  forty  years. 

He  is  one  of  the  seven  members  who  es- 
tablished the  M.  E.  Church  in  Benson  in 
1838,  and  is  still  a  loyal  member  of  the 
same. 

.\t  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  3,  1861,  Mr. 
Walker  was  married  to  Elvira  A.,  daughter  of 
-Albert  G.  and  Margaret  (Honsinger) Sherman 
of  Benson,  then  a  teacher  in  Lindenwood  Fe- 
male College,  St.  Charles,  Mo.  'I'hree  chil- 
dren ha\e  been  born  to  them :  William 
Franklin  (now  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Fair  Haven),  Susie  Sherman  (wife 
of  Dr.  C.  A.  Belden  of  Torrington,  Conn.), 
and  Rufus  Raymon  (merchant  in  Benson). 

WALKER,  William  Harris,  of  Lud- 
low, son  of  Ephraim  and  Lydia  (Harris) 
^\'alker,  was  born  in  U'indham,  Feb.  2,  1832. 

His  parents  removed  to  Londonderry  in 
1838,  w'here  he  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  the  town.  He 
fitted  for  college  at  Leland  and  Cxray  Semi- 
nary and  Black  River  Academy,  and  in 
1858  graduated  from  Middlebury  College. 
While  pursuing  his  studies  he  was  elected  as- 
sistant secretary  of  the  Vermont  Senate  in  the 
year  1857.  In  order  to  secure  the  necessary 
funds  to  complete  his  collegiate  course  he  was 
allowed  by  the  faculty  of  the  college  to  teach 
in  a  grammar  school  in  Orleans,  Mass.,  and 
served  one  term  as  principal  of  the  West  Ri\er 
Seminary  at  South  Londonderry.  Soon  after 
his  graduation  he  was  appointed  principal 
of  tlie  academy  at  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  during  which 
time  he  entered  his  name  as  a  student  at  law 
in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  Arphaxed  Loomis. 
In  i860,  resigning  his  position  as  instructor 
and  removing  to  Ludlow,  he  finished  his 
studies  with  Hon.  F.  C.  Robbins,  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  of  Windsor  county  at  the 
December  term,  1861,  and  immediately 
opened  an  otifice  at  Ludlow,  where  he  re- 
mained in  practice  until  he  was  chosen  an 
assistant  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  by  the 
Legislature  in  1884. 

Judge  Walker  represented  the  town  of 
Ludlow  in  the  Legislatures  of  1865  and  1866, 
and  1884,  serving  on  several  important  com- 
mittees, and  as  chairman  of  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee in  1884.  In  1867  and  1868  he  was 
elected  a  senator  from  Windsor  county, 
serving  on  the  judiciarv  and  other  comniit- 


WALKER.  417 

tees.  He  ably  filled  the  position  of  state's 
attorney  for  Windsor  county  for  two  suc- 
cessive terms.  In  1878  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Fairbanks  a  commissioner  to 
make  examination  of  the  insane  asylum, 
being  associated  with  Dr.  Goldsmith  of  Rut- 
land, and  Dr.  Fassett  of  St.  .Albans,  and  was 
a  supervisor  of  the  insane  for  two  years  end- 
ing December,  1880. 


I— 


JAM    HARRIS 


The  integrity,  ability,  and  judicial  fairness 
of  Judge  Walker  have  often  caused  his  ap- 
pointment as  referee  in  cases  pending  in  the 
courts  of  several  counties  in  the  state.  In 
187S  he  was  elected  judge  of  probate,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  that  office  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  the  people.  He  was  a  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  from  1884  until  Septem- 
ber, 1 88 7,  when  he  was  obliged  to  resign  on 
account  of  impaired  health.  He  has  always 
been  a  strong  Republican  in  his  political 
views,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot 
for  General  Fremont. 

He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Middlebury 
College,  and  president  of  Black  River  .Acad- 
emy. In  this  last  he  has  taken  an  active 
interest,  and  was  largely  influential  in  the 
construction  of  a  new  building  in  1888,  at  a 
cost  of  nearly  Si 6,000. 

In  1862  Judge  Walker  entered  the  patriot 
army  and  was  elected  captain  in  the  i6th 
Regt.  of  the  Vt.  Vols.,  but  was  obliged  to 
resign  this  honorable  position  on  account  of 
a  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever.  For  a 
quarter  of  a  century  he  has  belonged  to  the 
Masonic  order. 


4i8 


In  1859  Judge  Walker  was  united  to  Miss 
Ann  Kliza,  daughter  of  Dr.  Ardain  G.  and 
Ruth  (Pettigrew)  Taylor,  of  Ludlow.  One 
son  has  been  born  to  them  :   Frank  .Ardain. 

WALLACE,  Ja.MES  B.,  of  Concord,  son 
of  Hiram  and  Lavinia  (Pike)  Wallace,  was 
born  in  Concord,  Dec.  12,  1838. 

He  remained  on  the  old  homestead  with 
his  father,  who  was  a  re.spected  farmer,  until 
he  arrived  at  his  majority,  and  received  such 
education  as  the  schools  of  Concord  and  the 
Essex  county  grammar  school  could  afford. 


JAMES    B     WALLACE. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary,  daughter  of  James  and 
Jane  D.  (Hudson)  Kenyon,  by  whom  he  had 
the  following  children  ;  Jennie  (Mrs.  Free- 
man Hutchinson),  Hiram  J.,  and  Willie. 

After  his  marriage  he  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits,  purchasing  a 
large  estate  in  1864.  Soon  afterwards  exten- 
sive copper  mining  operations  were  com- 
menced on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  and 
Mr.  Wallace  was  engaged  as  manager  of  the 
property  and  the  boarding  house  thereon. 
In  this  business  he  remained  for  fifteen  years, 
and  was  then  engaged  by  R.  B.  Graves  to 
superintend  his  large  farm  in  the  town. 
When  this  property  was  sold  to  Mr.  L.  I). 
Hazen,  and  in  connection  an  extensive  lum- 
ber business  was  started,  Mr.  Wallace  was 
still  retained  as  superintendent  of  the  estab- 
lishment. 


In  iSSo  Mr.  Wallace  was  elected  trial  jus- 
tice of  peace,  a  position  which  he  filled  cred- 
itably until  his  election  to  the  judgeship.  In 
1888  he  was  elected  an  assistant  judge  of 
Essex  county  court  and  two  years  later  re- 
ceived a  similar  compliment. 

His  genial  face  and  rotund  figure  were 
familiar  in  the  Essex  county  Republican  con- 
ventions of  which  he  was  a  constant  and 
prominent  member  for  twenty  years. 

Judge  Wallace  has  held  the  usual  town 
offices,  was  for  ten  years  chairman  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Essex  county  gram- 
mar school  and  has  always  manifested  a 
marked  interest  in  all  educational  affairs. 
He  is  now  county  auditor  and  has  often  been 
called  upon  to  act  as  guardian  and  to  assist 
in  the  settlement  of  various  estates.  He  is 
well  and  fa\orably  known  in  the  county, 
where  he  enjoys  the  reputation  of  a  cordial 
and  hospitable  host,  extending  a  hearty  wel- 
come to  all  who  visit  him. 

For  about  twenty  years  he  has  been  an 
acti\e  member  of  Moose  River  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M. 

WARD,  Hiram  Owen,  of  Moretown,  son 
of  Earl  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Munson)  Ward, 
was  born  in  South  Duxbury,  Jan.  10,  1842. 


HIRAM  OWEN   WARD. 

His  education  was  obtained  first  in  the 
common  schools  of  Duxbury  and  Barre 
Academy,  while  later  he  took  a  course  at 
Eastman's  Business  College,  at  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y. 


WAKDUKl.l,. 

His  early  labor  on  his  father's  farm  proved 
a  severe  but  wholesome  training,  and  fitted 
him  well  for  the  duties  of  his  after  life.  In 
1878  he  sold  the  farm  which  he  had  inher- 
ited, and  moved  nearer  \\'aterbury,  where  he 
purchased  a  sawmill  and  box  factory.  Sell- 
ing his  boxes  at  cash  prices,  he  took  his  pay 
in  musical  instruments,  deriving  a  large 
profit  in  these  transactions.  In  18S9  he 
came  to  Moretown,  where  his  business  has 
constantly  expanded  till  he  is  now  a  large 
proprietor  of  plants  for  the  manufacture  of 
clapboards,  boxes  and  shingles,  as  well  as  a 
grist  mill  and  a  grocery  store. 

Mr.  Ward  married,  June,  1866,  May  A., 
daughter  of  Harrison  and  Caroline  (Canar- 
dy)  Smith.  Three  children  have  been  issue 
of  the  union  :  Clinton  H.,  Burton  S.,  and 
Clair  \V. 

Mr.  Ward  has  held  many  offices  both  in 
Duxbury  and  Moretown,  and  has  represented 
each  place  in  the  state  Legislature,  in  which 
he  served  on  the  committee  on  claims.  In 
business  matters  he  is  esteemed  both  shrewd 
and  prudent,  is  a  genial  companion  and  a 
public-spirited  and  intelligent  citizen. 

WARDWELL,  GEORGE  JEFFORDS, 
of  Rutland,  son  of  Joseph  H.  and  I.ydia 
(Howard)  Ward  well,  was  born  in  Runiford, 
Me.,  Sept.  24,  1827.  Mr.  Wardwell  traces 
his  descent  from  a  family  that  settled  in 
Salem  in  the  old  colonial  days.  One  of  the 
family  was  executed  during  the  witchcraft 
delusion  in  that  place,  and  another  was  an 
officer  in  the  Continental  Army  during  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

Mr.  Wardwell's  somewhat  limited  educa- 
tion was  received  from  the  public  and  private 
schools  of  Rumford,  Me.,  and  a  short  course 
of  study  at  Bridgeton  academy.  .\t  the  age 
of  thirteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  his  cousin, 
who  vvas  a  general  mechanic,  and  he  com- 
menced his  career  by  the  manufacture  of 
sleighs  in  Rumford  and  vicinity.  Later  he 
moved  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  constructing  looms.  He  then,  in 
partnership  with  his  brother,  took  a  contract 
to  build  forty  of  these  articles,  but  the  broth- 
ers had  the  misfortue  to  lose  their  shop  and 
its  contents  by  fire.  Still  they  fulfilled  their 
agreement,  and  after  fitting  up  a  small  shop 
in  Hanover,  Me.,  they  were  employed  in 
the  manufacture  of  sleighs,  and  sashes  and 
doors  for  the  California  market.  Here  they 
met  with  more  than  one  disaster,  and  in 
1852  the  partnership  was  dis.solved.  After 
carrying  on  the  business  for  some  time 
alone,  Mr.  Wardwell  moved  to  Andover,  Me., 
where  he  occupied  himself  in  the  various 
vocations  of  inn-keeper,  postmaster,  and 
manufacturer  of  furniture.  Always  posses- 
sing  great    mechanical    skill,    in    1854    he 


WAKUUKl.L. 


419 


inventeci  and  received  a  patent  for  the  first 
pegging  machine  for  making  boots  and 
shoes,  but  unfortunately  he  did  not  reap  the 
results  of  his  skill,  owing  to  the  dishonesty 
of  his  [jartner. 

After  a  short  sojourn  in  Hatley,  Can.,  he 
removed  to  Moe's  Ri\er,  again  forming  a 
partnership  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture 
and  sleighs,  then  changed  the  scene  of  his 
labors  to  Coaticook,  P.  ().,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  and  gave  much  attention  to  his 
various  inventions,  the  ])rincipal  one  of  which 
was  a  stone  channelling  machine,  for  which 
he  secured  a  patent  in  1S59.  The  first  one 
was  placed  in  Sutherland  Falls  quarry  in 
1 86 1,  where  it  worked  successfully,  but  owing 
to  the  depressed  financial  condition  at  that 
time,  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  the 
development  of  the  machine  and  continued 
working  at  his  trade  in  Canada  until  1863, 
when  he  obtained  a  new  patent  on  an  im- 
proved machine  which  accomplished  the 
work  of  fifteen  laborers,  cut  a  channel  from 
three  to  four  feet  deep,  and  was  employed  in 
the  Sutherland  Falls  quarry  for  seventeen 
years.  As  he  was  still  unable  to  reap  any 
practical  result  from  his  discovery,  he  con- 
tinued for  some  time  with  the  company  con- 
structing stone-boats.  Soon  after  he  received 
a  contract  on  somewhat  unreasonable  terms 
to  build  several  of  these  machines  for  various 
parties,  and  subsequently  was  enabled  to  dis- 
pose of  his  patent  to  the  Steam  Stone  Cutter 
Co.,  receiving  §1,500  in  cash  and  §33,520  in 
the  stock  of  the  corporation,  of  which  he  was 
made  superintendent.  One  of  the  machines 
was  exhibited  at  the  Paris  exposition  in 
1867  and  was  sold  in  F'rance.  The  .same 
year  he  parted  with  his  foreign  patents  to 
the  Steam  Stone  Cutter  Co.,  for  over  $17,000 
in  stock.  At  this  time  several  parties  con- 
structed machines  in  direct  violation  of  his 
patent,  the  validity  of  which  after  a  tedious 
litigation  was  established,  and  injunctions 
were  issued  against  the  sale  and  use  of  the 
illicit  machines.  The  invention  has  proved 
itself  of  immense  practical  value,  and  from 
calculations  made  up  to  1886,  it  has  been 
])ro\ed  that  over  §7,000,000  ha\e  been  saved 
to  the  stone  producers  in  the  working  of  their 
quarries.  As  a  testimonial  of  its  worth  Mr. 
Wardwell  received  a  gold  medal  from  the 
Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanics  Associa- 
tion in  1865  ;  and  its  value  was  recognized 
by  the  presentation  of  a  silver  medal  from 
the  Paris  exposition,  in  1867  ;  he  afterwards 
received  a  similar  recognition  from  the  Cen- 
tennial exhibition  at  Philadeli)hia.  In  1874 
he  invented  and  patented  two  different  forms 
of  valveless  steam  engines,  which  also  received 
medals  at  Philadelphia.  .At  present  he  is 
the  largest  stockholder  in  the  Steam  Stone 
Cutter   Co.,  at    Rutland,  having    taken    out 


^A?.    /,   (U^e^^-<:ZA^x.^l^ 


WAI  I.KMAN. 


421 


twenty-five  patents  for  the  channelling  and 
other  machines  in  this  country  and  Europe. 
October  4,  1850,  iMr.  W'ardwell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Margaret  (Dickey)  Moore  of  Hatley, 
Canada,  who  departed  this  life  Nov.  10, 
1883.  She  left  issue  four  children,  two  of 
whom  alone  survive :  Lizzie  Olina  (Mrs. 
Thomas  Mound  of  Rutland),  and  George 
Alvin.  .August  22,  1888,  Mr.  Wardwell  es- 
poused his  second  wife,  Kittie  C.  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  Hiram  W.  and  Mary  M.  (Huntoon) 
Lincoln  of  Danby.  To  them  one  child  has 
been  born  :  Charles  Howard. 

For  nearly  thirty  years  Mr.  Wardwell  has 
been  a  hard  and  laborious  student,  a  fact  to 
which  his  large  liljrary  amply  testifies,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  chemistry  and  geology. 
He  possesses  a  \-ery  large  collection  of  spec- 
imens relating  to  the  latter  science,  and  a 
well  fitted,  practical  laboratory.  He  has 
made  several  visits  to  Europe  for  the  pur- 
pose of  studying  the  geological  formation  of 
the  country,  especially  with  reference  to 
quarries.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  a  past  eminent  commander 
of  Knights  Templar,  and  lielonging  to  the 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  For  more  than  twenty  years 
he  has  been  affiliated  with  the  .\merican  and 
British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science.  He  is  an  adherent  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party ;  has  filled  various  official  posi- 
tions of  trust  in  Rutland  :  is  the  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  trade  in  that  city,  and 
one  of  the  committee  of  fifteen  who  framed 
its  charter.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank  of  Rutland,  and  at 
the  present  time  president  of  the  board  of 
school  commissioners  of  the  city  of  Rutland. 

Mr.  Wardwell  is  liberal  in  his  religiou> 
views,  and  has  been  a  generous  supporter  11 
the  Universalist  church.  He  is  eminently  .1 
self-made  man  and  possesses  great  inventi\e 
genius,  ha\ing  fully  overcome  the  defects  of 
his  early  education  by  a  long  course  of  ardu- 
ous study  and  able  and  successful  efforts  for 
self-improvement. 

WARREN,  Charles   Carleton,  of 

Waterbury,  son  of  Charles  \\'.  and  Julia 
(Perry)  Warren,  was  born  in  Hartland,  Feb. 
II,  1843. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the 
place  of  his  nativity  and  at  Kimball  Union 
Academy,  Meriden,  N.  H.  In  1862,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  joined  the  band  attached 
to  the  I  St  Brigade  \'t.  Vols.,  with  which  he 
remained  till  they  were  discharged  from  ser- 
vice. After  his  return  from  the  war  he  was 
for  some  time  employed  in  a  tannery  be- 
longing to  his  father,  but  in  1868  he  leased 
<L  large  establishment  in  Waterbury  which  he 
subsequently  purchased    and  where   he   has 


smce  conducted  an  e.xtensive  and  constantly 
increasing  business,  making  a  specialty  of 
manufacturing  harness  leather;  In  1887  Mr. 
Warren  e.xtended  his  operations  by  the  pur- 
chase of  a  large  farm,  which  he  successfully 
devoted  in  great  measure  to  dairy  products. 
This  he  afterwards  sold  to  the  state  as  a  site 
for  the  new  asylum  for  the  insane  at  Water- 
bury village.  He  holds  strong  Republican 
\iews,  and  in  1890  was  a]ipointed  a  member 
of  the  board  of  fish  commissions  that  estab- 
lished the  first  fish  hatchery  in  the  state. 
Though  hampered  at  first  by  insufificient 
appropriations  and  other  obstacles,  the  board, 
owing  largely  to  the  ])ersevering  efforts  of 
Mr.  Warren,  has  finally  met  with  great 
success. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  Dec.  15,  1873, 
to  Ella  F.,  daughter  of  Jerry  and  Florella 
(Broadwick)  McElmore  of  Middlesex.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Kate 
Cratre,  and  Charles  Carleton,  Jr. 

Mr.  Uarren  is  a  member  of  Edwin 
Dillingham  Post,  G.  .A.  R.,  of  Waterbury, 
and  has  also  taken  the  obligations  of  the 
Masonic  order,  uniting  with  Vermont  Lodge, 
No.  18,  of  Windsor. 

WATERMAN,  EleAZBR  L.,  of  Hrattle- 
boro,  son  of  Chandler  and  Polly  J.  \Valer- 
man,  was  born  in  Jamaica,  July  25,  1839. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and  at  I, eland  Seminary,  and,  adopting  the 
legal  profession,  studied  law  with  Butler  & 
Wheeler,  and   was  admitted   to   the   bar  of 


WATERMAN. 


^Vindham  county  at  the  September  term, 
1863.  He  commenced  practice  in  Wil- 
mington, from  which  town  he  was  sent  as 
representative  to  the  General  Assembly  in 
1867  and  1868.  Four  years  later  he  was 
made  state's  attorney  for  Windham  county, 
and  in  1876  was  elected  a  state  senator  from 
Windham  county,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
Senate  judiciary  committee.  In  1870  he 
moved  to  Jamaica,  and  afterwards  to  Brattle- 
boro,  still  continuing  his  professional  labors, 
and  is  now  the  senior  partner  of  the  law  firm 
of  Waterman,  Martin  &  Hitt.  In  1S91  he 
was  appointed  special  U.  S.  attorney  to  ap- 
pear for  the  government  in  claims  originat- 
ing from  the  late  war  of  the  rebellion. 

Mr.  W'aterman  was  united  in  marriage, 
May  15,  1S64,  to  Jennie  E.,  daughter  of 
Aaron  and  Julia  D.  IJemis  of  Windham.  By 
her  he  had  issue  three  sons  and  three 
daughters  :  Mabel  J.  (now  the  wife  of  Dr.  D. 
P.  Webster  of  Brattleboro ) ,  Halbert  L.  (now 
a  practicing  physician  at  Fitzwilliam,  N.  H.), 
Hugh  A.  (now  of  New  York),  f>nest  I., 
F.thel  I,.,  and  Alice  M. 

WATERMAN,  HEMAN  A.,  of  Johnson, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Kleanor  (Dodge)  ^Vater- 
man,  was  born  in  Johnson,  Nov.  3,  1830. 
His  family  is  of  mixed  Welsh  and  Scotch 
descent.  Araunah  Waterman  (grandfather) 
came  to  Johnson  in  the  first  year  of  the  cen- 
tury, purchasing  1,200  acres  of  land  where 
the  village  now  stands,  paying  4,000  Spanish 
silver  dollars  for  the  property.  About  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  that  purchase  is  now  owned  by 
Heman  A.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  was  an  intimate  associate  of  the  Chitten- 
dens,  and  for  many  years  represented  John- 
son in  the  General  Assembly.  Thomas",  who 
was  a  captain  in  the  militia  that  served  at  the 
battle  of  Plattsburg,  erected  the  first  hotel  in 
the  village  and  was  its  genial  host  for  forty 
years.  Politically  a  Henry  Clay  whig,  he  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Legislature  several 
years  and  a  judge  in  Franklin  county  court 
before  Lamoille  county  was  organized. 

His  youngest  son,  Heman  A.,  received  the 
customary  education  of  the  common  schools 
of  Johnson  and  afterwards  attended  the  La- 
moille county  grammar  school.  For  forty 
years  he  has  been  a  prominent  farmer  and 
real  estate  operator.  He  has  also  been  a 
practical  surveyor,  has  acted  as  trustee  and 
referee,  and  has  been  largely  identified  with 
the  business  interests  of  the  place. 

A  stalwart  Republican,  he  has  repeatedly 
held  every  office  in  the  gift  of  his  townsmen. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from 
Johnson  in  187S  where  he  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  general  committee.  For  several 
years  he  performed  the  duties  of  L'nited 
States  assistant  assessor  and  deputy  collec- 
tor.     From   his  various  official   positions  he 


has  acquired  and  maintained  a  large  acquaint- 
ance with  the  public  men  of  the  state.  t 
For  nearly  forty  years  he  has  been  a  Free 
Mason,  was  a  charter  member  and  for  several 


years  was  the  first  Worshipful  Master  of 
Waterman  Lodge,  named  in  honor  of  his 
father.  He  also  affiliates  with  'lucker  Chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M. 

Mr.  Waterman  was  married  Oct.  9,  1S55, 
to  Augusta  L.,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Tir- 
zah  (Lampson)  Hoxsie,  who  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Milton.  Their  three  children  are  : 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  W.  D.  Welch  of  Johnson), 
Frank  H.,  and  Thomas  .\. 

WATSON,  JOHN  HENRY,  of  Bradford,, 
son  of  Asahel  and  .\delpha  (Jackson)  Wat- 
son, was  born  in  Jamaica,  May  12,  1851. 

His  parents  were  of  limited  means  and 
the  education  which  he  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  academy  was  freely  inter- 
spersed with  active  labor  on  the  farm.  He 
commenced  his  life  career  by  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Grin  Gambell,  Esq.,  of 
Bradford,  where  he  continued  till  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Orange  county  bar  in  Decem- 
ber, 1S77.  He  immediately  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  instructor,  and  after  six 
months'  experience,  at  the  dissolution  of  the 
firm,  Mr.  Watson  assumed  the  full  control  of 
their  varied  and  important  business,  which 
he  has  ably  conducted  since  that  time.  He 
has  the  control  of  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  lucrative  practices  in  ( )range  county. 


423 


He  was  elected  state's  attorney  of  Orange 
tounty  in  iSS6,  and  in  1892  was  elected 
from  the  county  to  the  state  Senate,  where 
he  gave  his  services  to  the  judiciary  and 
general  committees,  and  was  chairman  of 
that  on  military  affairs.  He  is  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Bradford  Savings  Bank  and 
Trust  Co.,  and  also  of  Bradford  Academy. 
In  1 882  he  was  elected  captain  of  the  Brad- 
ford tniards,  and  was  afterwards  promoted 
to  the  post  of  major  of  the  ist  Regt.,  V.  N. 
G.  During  the  riot  at  the  Ely  Copper  Mine 
in  1883,  he  rendered  efficient  service  in 
quelling  the  mob  by  capturing  the  powder 
magazine  which  was  in  their  possession,  re- 
ceiving much  credit  for  the  gallant  manner 
in  which  he  performed  this  difficult  and 
arduous  dutv. 


homestead,  a  beautiful  place,  where  he  has 
resided  for  more  than  half  a  century.  Here 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pleasant  and 
historic  \illage  of  Guildhall  he  has  followed 
the  ])eaceful  hut  pros])er()us  jiursuit  of  agri- 
culture, respected  and  honored  by  all  who 
have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 

He  was  married,  Jan.  17,  1850,  to  I.ucre- 
tia  Gates,  daughter  of  'I'homas  F.  and  Sally 
(Duncan)  Webb.  Five  children  have  been 
born  to  them:  Charles  F.,  Isabel  I..  (.Mrs. 
Richard  Beattie),  George  \V.,  Sarah  F.,  and 
Mary  B. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  Mr.  Webb  has 
filled  the  office  of  town  clerk  ;  is  Democratic 
in  his  political  principles,  and  represented 
Maidstone  in  the  Legislature  in  the  years 
i86o-'6i-'7o,  and  at  the  special  session  of 
1 86 1.  He  carries  his  years  well  and  is  a 
most  interesting  and  agreeable  gentleman  of 
the  old  school.  His  home  circle  is  cheered 
by  the  presence  of  his  three  younger  children, 
who  are  the  prop  and  stay  of  the  declining 
years  of  their  parents. 

WEBSTER,  Dan  PEASLEE,  of  Brattle- 
boro,  son  of  Rev.  Alonzo  and  Laura  (Peaslee) 
Webster,  was  born  in  Northfield,  Dec.  7,  1846. 


Mr.  Watson  married,  March  25,  1S79, 
Clara  L.,  daughter  of  Darwin  A.  and  Laurette 
L.  (Fitts)  Hammond,  of  West  W'ardsboro  ; 
of  this  union  are  two  children  :  John  Henry, 
and  Hugh. 

WEBB,  JOHN  W.,  of  Maidstone,  son 
of  Azariah  and  Elizabeth  (Weeks)  Webb, 
was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Nov.  8,  1814. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Lunenburg,  Concord  Normal,  Lyndon  and 
Lancaster  Academies.  F^mployed  upon  his 
father's  farm  until  1840,  he  made  a  tour  of 
the  West  as  far  as  Iowa,  participating  in  the 
stirring  scenes  of  the  log  cabin  campaign. 
When  he  returned   he    settled    on    the   old 


^ "^m*^^- 


h'EASLEE    V.  EB 


His  preliminary  education  was  receved  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  Newbury  .Acad- 
emy. After  graduating  from  the  medical 
department  of  the  L'niversity  of  Vt.,  in  1S67, 
he  successfully  practiced  his  profession  in 
I'utnev,  for  sixteen  years,  when  he  mo\  ed 
to  Brattleboro  where  he  has  continued  till  the 


424 


present  time,  having  by  his  energy  and  skill 
secured  a  large  and  remunerative  business. 
In  1872,  and  again  in  1874,  Dr.  Webster 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature  to  represent 
the  town  of  Putney,  and  in  1878  he  was 
chosen  a  state  senator  from\\'indham  county. 
During  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  made 
railroad  commissioner,  discharging  the  duties 
of  this  office  till  1880.  He  was  surgeon- 
general  on  the  staff  of  (iovernor  Asahel  Peck 
and  again  holds  that  position  on  the  staff  of 
Governor  Levi  K.  Fuller,  and  for  a  long  time 
served  as  surgeon  of  the  Fuller  Light  Battery. 
During  the  civil  war  he  accompanied  his 
father,  who  was  chaplain  of  the  1 6th  Vt.  Regt., 
and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

Dr.  Webster  has  been  an  active  and  en- 
thusiastic Free  Mason,  having  served  as 
deputy  grand  master  of  the  Clrand  Lodge  of 
Vt.  from  1876  to  i88r,  and  he  is  at  present 
the  eminent  commander  of  Beauseant  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  of  Brattleboro.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  River  and  ^"er- 
mont  State  Medical  Associations. 

He  was  wedded,  Jan.  9,  1868,  to  Ada, 
daughter  of  Charles  H.  and  Maria  White,  of 
Putney,  ^"t.  Mrs.  Webster  departed  this  life 
in  South  Carolina,  March  14,  1887,  leaving 
three  surviving  children  :  Hattie  A.,  Harry 
A.,  and  Dan  C.  November  i,  1889,  he 
contracted  a  second  alliance  with  Mabel 
Julia,  daughter  of  Hon.  E.  L.  and  Jennie  E. 
Waterman,  of  Brattleboro. 

WEEKS,  John  E.,  of  Salisbury,  son  of 
Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (l^yer)  ^Veeks,  was 
born  in  Salisbury,  June  14,  1853.  He  is 
descended  from  early  New  England  stock, 
and  among  his  maternal  ancestors  was  John 
Alden  of  ^Layflower  fame.  His  grandfather 
came  to  Salisbury  when  it  was  yet  a  wilder- 
ness, and  his  father  was  prominent  in  both 
town  and  county  affairs. 

After  receiving  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Salisbury,  and  the  Middlebury  high 
school,  Mr.  J.  E.  Weeks  early  engaged  in 
stock  and  wool  buying  in  the  vicinity,  in 
which  business  he  is  still  interested.  He 
soon  settled  upon  the  farm  of  his  father,  of 
whom  he  has  been  the  successor  in  the  in- 
surance business,  acting  especially  for  the 
\'ermont  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of 
which  he  was  for  a  time  a  director.  In  1892 
he  became  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Ihomas  &  \\'eeks,  hay  and  grain  dealers,  at 
Middlebury. 

Mr.  Weeks  was  united  in  marriage,  Oct. 
17,  1879;  to  Hattie  J.,  daughter  of  Frank  L. 
and  Lucretia  (Graves)  Dyer  of  Salisburv. 

He  has  been  quite  prominent  in  political 
and  social  affairs.  He  was  appointed  as- 
sistant census  taker  in  1 880,  and  four  years 
later  was  elected  as  assistant  door-keeper  of 
the  Senate.     In  18S8  he  was  sent  to  Mont- 


pelier  to  represent  Salisbury,  and  served  on 
the  committee  on  manufactures,  and  on 
special  committee  in  the  matter  of  a  bridge 
between  North  and  South  Hero,  Grand  Isle 
county.     In  1S92  he  was  elected  an  assistant 


JOHN    E.    WEEKS. 

judge  of  Addison  county  court.  Judge 
Weeks  has  long  been  a  member  of  and  clerk 
and  treasurer  for  the  Congregational  church 
of  Salisbury. 

WELL  MAN,  Leigh  Richmond,  of 

Lowell,  son  of  Rev.  Jubilee  and  'Pheda 
((Jrout)  \^'ellman,  was  born  in  ^^"arner, 
X.  H.,  Jan.  4,  1S35,  and  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Warner, 
Westminster,  Cavendish  and  Proctors\ille. 
In  the  latter  he  was  a  classmate  of  Senator 
Redfield  Proctor.  He  pursued  a  further 
course  of  study  at  Craftsbury  and  Bakersfield 
academies.  His  family  removed  to  Lowell 
in  185 1,  where  his  father  was  the  first  settled 
Congregational  minister  in  that  town,  and 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  has  re- 
sided there  ever  since.  In  1858  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Greenville, 
Ala.,  returning  North  April  ti,  1S61,  the  day 
of  the  beginning  of  the  bombardment  of 
Fort  Sumter.  The  boat  ran  in  close  enough 
so  that  the  ruins  of  the  fort  and  the  steamer 
that  took  oft  the  garrison  after  the  surrender 
could  be  seen  with  a  glass.  In  1861  he 
commenced  a  mercantile  trade  in  Lowell, 
which  continued  for  eight  years,  when  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  lumber.     In  1872 


he  was  obliged  to  \  isit  the  \\'est  on  account 
of  his  health,  where  he  spent  nearly  two 
years  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  River  l''alls, 
Wis.  \\'hen  he  returned  to  Lowell,  in  1874, 
he  purchased  his  present  commodious  store, 
where  he  carries  a  large  stock  of  general 
merchandise. 

Mr.  \\'ellman  assisted  in  organizing  and  is 
a  member  of  Mount  Morris  Lodge,  No.  69, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  did  not  miss  a  single  meet- 
ing during  the  seven  years  he  occupied  the 
master's  chair.  He  also  lielongs  to  Tucker 
Chapter,  Morrisxille. 

In  1867  he  was  married  to  Bertie  L. 
•Cheney,  who  died  in  December,  1873,  lea\- 
ing  one  son  :  Leigh  B.  In  1878  he  married 
Mrs.  Emily  B.  Mustard,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children  :  Harry  R.,  and  Theda  G. 

Mr.  Wellman  although  a  strong  Democrat 
of  the  conservative  order  has  held  many 
town  offices,  was  for  fifteen  years  justice  of 
the  peace,  from  1868  to  1872  selectman,  and 
for  many  successive  terms  town  treasurer. 

WELLS,  Edward,  of  Burlington,  son  of 
William  Wellington  and  Eliza  (Carpenter) 
Wells,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  Oct.  30,  1835. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Waterbury  and  at  the  Bakersfield  Academy. 


ED'.VARD    v;£L_S. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  entered 
a  dry  goods  store  at  Montpelier  as  clerk, 
where  he  remained  one  year.  From  1856 
to  1 86 1  he  was  employed  in  his  father's 
stores  at  Waterburv  and  Waterbury  Center. 


WFSrf)N.  425 

He  enlisted  in  the  band  of  the  5th  Regt. 
Vt.  \'ols.,  Sept.  26,  1 86 1,  and  served  about 
six  months.  Mr.  Wells  held  the  position  of 
transijortation  clerk  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  under  Gen.  P.  I'.  Pitkin,  for  about 
three  years.  On  his  return  home,  in  1864, 
he  received  the  appointment  of  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  quartermaster-general  of  the 
state  of  Vermont,  which  office  he  held  until 
1866.  He  then  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
John  A.  Page,  state  treasurer,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1 868. 

In  March,  1S68,  he  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Henry  &  Co.,  wholesale  druggists, 
at  Waterbury,  who  had  just  transferred  their 
business  to  Burlington.  In  1872  the  firm 
name  was  changed  from  Henry  &  Co.  to 
Wells,  Richardson  &  Co.,  and  in  1883  was 
incorporated  und«r  the  name  of  Wells  & 
Richardson  Co.  He  is  president  of  the 
Wells  &  Richardson  Co.  and  the  Burlington 
Trust  Co.,  and  a  director  in  the  Burlington 
Cotton  Mills.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature in  1890,  and  served  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  banking,  and  also  on  the 
committee  on  ways  and  means. 

Mr.  Wells  married,  April  26,  185S,  Martha 
Frances,  daughter  of  I.ucius  Parmelee,  of 
\\'aterbury.  One  daughter  was  the  issue  of 
this  union.  Mrs.  Wells  died  Nov.  25,  1876. 
Mr.  \\'ells  married  as  his  second  wife,  Oct. 
14,  1879,  Effie  E.  Parmelee,  sister  of  his 
first  wife. 

WESTON,  Eugene  Sydney,  of  New- 
fane,  son  of  Freeman  F.  and  Sarah  L  (Evans) 
Weston,  was  born  in  Cavendish,  .\ugust  14, 
1S47. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  m  the 
district  schools  and  Chester  Academy.  Hav- 
ing decided  upon  the  medical  profession  he 
entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Z.  G.  Harrington  of 
Chester  as  a  student  and  attended  lectures 
in  the  medical  departments  of  Dartmouth 
College  and  the  Unix  ersity  of  \'ermont,  re- 
ceiving his  diploma  from  the  latter  in  1871. 

.\fter  graduation  he  first  located  in  Heath, 
Mass.,  but  soon  removed  to  Coleraine,  where 
he  had  a  large  practice  for  three  years.  In 
1874  he  moved  to  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  re- 
mained there  two  years  being  town  physician 
and  also  physician  at  the  house  of  cor- 
rection. In  1879  he  located  in  Newfane 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  both  the  Massachusetts  and  Ver- 
mont Medical  Societies. 

He  is  a  prominent  Free  Mason  and  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  an 
active  worker  and  has  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  order. 
He  has  served  three  terms  as  W.  .M.  of 
Blazing  Star  Lodge,  No.  23,  of  'iownshend  ; 
has  been  high  priest  of  Fort  Dummer  Royal 
Arch    ChayHer    in     Brattleboro  :    is    grand 


426 


lecturer  in  the  (Irand  Lodge  and  grand 
scribe  in  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Vermont. 
For  two  years  he  was  district  deputy  grand 
master  of  the  8th  Masonic  District,  and  has 
held  appointments  on  some  of  the  standing 
committees  in  Grand  Lodge  and  Chapter 
for  several  years. 

Republican  in  politics  he  was  elected  in 
1892  to  represent  Xewfane  in  the  General 
Assembly. 


the  establishment  of  Peck  Bros.,  where  he  re- 
mained for  eleven  years,  when  he  received 
the  appointment  of  assistant  postmaster  and 
served  in  this  capacity  till  his  term  of  office 
expired  in  1S87.  He  then  engaged  in  the 
retail  clothing  trade,  in  which  he  is  still  oc- 
cupied. In  1891  under  a  Republican  admin- 
istration he  w-as  appointed  postmaster  of 
Burlington.  This  is  the  only  first-class  office 
in  the  state,  doing  a  business  of  S8o,ooo. 
Mr.  ^^'heeler  has  never  held  any  other  offi- 
cial position. 

He  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  is  a  sustaining  mem- 
ber of  the  College  Street  Congregational 
Church,  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Burl- 
ington Y.  M.  C.  A. 


UGENE    SIDNEY    WESTON 


Dr.  Weston  enlisted  during  the  civil  war. 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  as  private  in  Co.  C, 
7th  ^'t.  Vols.,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the 
struggle,  when  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge. His  only  battle  was  at  the  siege  of 
Spanish  Fort  near  Mobile,  Alabama.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  matters 
pertaining  to  the  i\.  A.  R.,  and  is  a  member 
of  Birchard  Post,  Xo.  65,  of  which  he  is  a 
past  commander. 

Dr.  Weston  w-as  married,  June  6,  187 1,  to 
Eva  S.,  daughter  of  Richard  H.  and  Mary 
E.  (Crowley)  Hall  of  .Athens,  and  has  four 
children :  Lena  M.,  Alfred  F.,  Bertha  E., 
and  Clrace  F. 

WHEELER,  Charles  Frederick,  of 

Burlington,  son  of  Dr.  Frederick  P.  and  Mary 
.\.  (Doude)  Wheeler,  was  born  in  Bristol, 
Sept.  8,  1843. 

His  attendance  at  school  (in  the  district 
schools  and  academy  in  Bristol),  terminated 
in  1859,  and  for  five  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  a  country  store.  He  then 
moved  to  the  citv  of  Burlington  and  entered 


CHARLES   FREDERICK   WHEELER. 

He  was  married,  June  30,  1 884,  to  Louise 
M.,  daughter  of  Rev.  F.  W.  and  Mary 
(McCotter)  Olnistead.  Their  three  children 
are  :  Mary  Louise,  Frank  Olmstead,  and  Cora 
Marguerite. 

WHEELER,    Charles   Willard,   of 

Irasburgh,  son  of  Willard  and  !Maria  (Page) 
Wheeler,  was  born  in  Enosburgh,  April  13, 
1839. 

Obtaining  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  academy  at  Enosburgh,  he  first 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  St.  Albans, 
and  later  in  Burlington. 

In  obedience  to  his  patriotic  impulses,  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  I,  loth  Regt.  Vt.  A'ols.,  went 
at  once  to  the  field  in  the  summer  of  1862, 
beinc;  actively  identified  with  its  movements 


in  the  campaigns  of  1862  to  1865.  In  the 
midst  of  the  most  exacting  duties  of  field 
service,  which  had  become  to  be  attended 
with  great  privation  and  peril,  he  declined 
to  accept  the  proffer  of  a  year's  service  at 
home  as  a  recruiting  officer,  choosing  to 
remain  at  the  front. 

After  five  months'  service  in  the  adjutant- 
general's  office,  and  nine  months  in  the 
division  commissary  department,  with  offers 
for  a  discharge  from  the  service  and  employ- 
ment as  a  civilian  with  lucrative  pay,  he 
obtained  his  release  from  these  positions  and 


LLARD    WHEELER. 


joined  his  regiment  when  General  Grant 
took  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  from  the  commencement  of  that  officer's 
campaign  he  participated  in  every  battle  to 
the  close  of  the  war  ;  was  promoted  through 
the  grades  of  corporal,  sergeant,  orderly  ser- 
geant, second  lieutenant,  first  lieutenant,  to 
regimental  quartermaster.  He  was  wounded 
at  Gedar  Creek,  and  on  account  of  his  injur- 
ies was  absent  forty  days  from  military  duly. 
He  received  an  honorable  discharge  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  came  to  Irasburgh, 
where  he  opened  a  general  store,  in  which 
he  has  since  continued,  and  at  the  same  time 
operated  in  real  estate. 

He  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  for- 
mation of  the  party,  and  has  been  honored 
with  many  official  positions  in  Irasburgh. 

Mr.  Wheeler  represented  Irasburgh  in  the 
Legislature  in  1886,  and  in  1890  was  elected 
from  (Jrleans  county  to  the  Senate,  in  which 


WHEELER.  427 

body  he  introduced  the  secret  ballot  act, 
and  labored  hard  for  its  enactment. 

He  is  a  successful  man,  and  always  relied 
on  his  own  resources,  never  receiving  help 
from  others. 

He  is  a  Congregationalist  in  creed,  and  a 
member  of  George  G.  Post,  No.  99,  G.  A.  R. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  7,  1871, 
to  Louise  E.  Nichols,  daughter  of  I.evi  N. 
and  Klizabeth  Dow  of  Knosburgh.  The 
issue  of  this  union  were:  George  E.  (de- 
ceased). May  L.,  and  I.ucy  H. 

WHEELER,  HOYT  HENRY,  son  of  John 
and  Roxanna  ( Hall )  Wheeler,  was  born  in 
Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  on  the  30th  of  .\ugust, 
1833.  His  great-grandfather,  Peter  Wheeler, 
emigrated  from  Littleton,  Mass.,  in  1762,  and 
was  a  capenter  by  trade,  while  the  mother  of 
Judge  Wheeler  was  a  granddaughter  of 
Joseph  Titus,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Chesterfield.  His  father,  John  \\'heeler,  re- 
sided in  Chesterfield  until  1849,  when  he 
moved  to  his  present  residence  at  Newfane. 

Hoyt  H.  Wheeler  first  saw  the  light  on  the 
farm  where  two  generations  of  his  ancestors 
had  lived  and  died.  His  early  education  be- 
gan in  the  common  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood and  was  completed  at  the  Chesterfield 
Academy,  in  1853.  (Iraduating  from  this 
institution  he  taught  school  for  some  time, 
and  also  studied  law  as  opportunity  afforded 
in  the  office  of  Charles  K.  Field,  of  Newfane. 
Subsequently  he  studied  the  same  subject 
under- the  direction  of  Jonathan  I).  Bradley 
and  George  B.  Kellogg,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  September,  1859.  He  then  entered 
into  partnership  with  John  E.  Butler,  Esq., 
under  the  title  of  Butler  &  \\heeler.  'i"he 
new  firm  began  professional  practice  in  Ja- 
maica. Mr.  Butler  died  in  1867,  and  after 
that  Mr.  Wheeler  practiced  law  by  himself. 
Early  in  his  career  he  obtained  a  very  large 
practice  in  Southern  Vermont,  and  in  the 
county  and  Supreme  Courts  acquired  the 
reputation  of  a  thorough  lawyer  and  a  safe 
counselor. 

'  i  In  1867,  he  represented  Jamaica  in  the 
House,  and  served  on  the  judiciary  commit- 
tee. In  1868  and  1869,  he  was  returned  to 
the  state  Senate  from  M'indham  county,  and 
ser\ed  during  each  session  on  the  judiciary 
committee.  While  a  member  of  the  House 
he  secured  the  charter  of  the  West  River 
R.  R.,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Brattle- 
boro  &  Whitehall  R.  R.  In  the  following 
vear  what  was  designated  the  "enabling  act" 
was  adopted,  under  his  management,  by  the 
Legislature.  By  virtue  of  this  statute  the 
towns  along  the  route  were  permitted  to  in- 
vest municipal  funds  in  the  bonds  of  the  cor- 
poration, the  success  of  whose  undertaking 
was  thus  assured. 


428 


WHEELOCK. 


WHEELOCK. 


In  1869,  Mr.  \\'heeler  was  elected  an  as- 
sistant judge  of  the  Supreme  fourt,  was  re- 
elected in  1S70,  and  again  at  each  biennial 
election  until  and  including  1876.  Of 
judicial  temperament,  wise,  and  learned  in 
the  law,  he  made  a  model  judge.  Without 
solicitation  on  his  part  or  that  of  his  friends. 
Judge  ^^'heeler  was,  in  March,  1S77,  ap- 
pointed by  President  Hayes  district  judge 
of  the  United  States  for  the  district  of  Ver- 
mont in  place  of  Judge  David  A.  Smalley, 
deceased.  Resigning  his  seat  on  the  .Supreme 
bench  of  \'erniont,  Judge  Wheeler  at  once 
entered  upon  his  new  duties.  They  do  not 
wholly  call  him  to  work  in  Vermont,  and  a 
large  share  of  his  judicial  labors  are  per- 
formed in  New  "\ork  City,  where  he  has 
among  the  members  of  the  New  Vork  bar 
the  same  reputation  as  a  just  judge  of  pro- 
found learning  that  he  has  among  their 
brethren  in  Vermont. 

With  corporate  institutions  of  financial  or 
other  character.  Judge  Wheeler  has  held  but 
slight  connection.  For  several  years  he  has 
been  a  director  of  the  West  Ri\er  National 
Bank  of  Jamaica,  but  beyond  that  has  not 
accepted  any  official  position. 

Judge  Wheeler  was  married  on  the  24th 
of  October,  1861,  to  Minnie  L.,  daughter  of 
John  Maclay  of  Lockport,  N.  \'. 

WHEELOCK,  Edwin,  of  Cambridge, 
son  of  Samuel  and  Patty  (Adams)  Wheelock, 
was  born  in  Cambridge,  Nov.  17,  1822. 

His  maternal  grandfather  was  a  near  rela- 
tive of  President  John  Adams,  and  he  comes 
of  good  New  England  parentage  on  both 
sides  of  the  house.  After  an  attendance  at 
the  district  school  he  fitted  for  college  at  the 
old  Burlington  Academy,  entered  the  U.  V. 
M.  and  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1849.  For  four  years  he  was  employed  as  a 
teacher  in  the  Mountain  Academy  in  West 
Tennessee,  then  returned  to  Cambridge, 
where  he  commenced  and  has  continued  his 
ministerial  labors  in  the  Congregational 
church  of  that  community.  For  forty  years 
he  has  continued  his  pastorate  in  that  town, 
during  which  time  he  has  conducted  more 
than  1,200  funeral  services  and  officiated  at 
800  marriages.  He  was  an  original  member 
of  the  Lamoille  Association  of  Congregational 
Ministers,  and  is  still  an  influential  factor  in 
this  organization. 

For  fourteen  consecutive  years  Mr.  AVhee- 
lock  has  been  superintendent  of  schools  in 
Cambridge,  was  a  member  of  the  House  in 
i856-'67,  and  was  chosen  senator  from 
Lamoille  county  in  1876.  Four  years  later 
he  was  made  chaplain  of  the  Senate.  He 
has  been  an  honored  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  has  served  as  chaplain  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  since  1886  until  now  (1894), 
rarely,  if  e^■er,  having  missed  a  meeting  of 


the  Grand  Lodge  since  he  has  belonged  to 
the  order. 

He  was  married  July  30,  185 1,  to  Laura, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Lucy  Wheelock 
Pierce,  who  bore   him  six  children,  four  of 


whom  survive  :  Mary  Ella  (Mrs.  B.  R.  Holmes 
of  Cambridge),  Lucy  (of  Boston,  Mass.),  .^b- 
bie  Laura(Mrs.  C.  F.  Hulburd  of  Cambridge), 
and  George  L.  of  New  Vork. 

WHEELOCK,  Martin  W.,  of  Berlin, 
son  of  Joseph  W.  and  Laura  E.  (Phillips) 
Wheelock,  was  born  in  Montpelier,  March 
iS,  1853.  In  1854  his  parents  moved  to 
Berlin,  and  he  has  since  resided  there,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Montpelier. 

Employed  from  his  earliest  years  in  his 
father's  binderv,  it  was  but  natural  that  he 
should  follow  that  vocation,  and  upon  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  1876,  Mr.  Wheelock 
succeeded  him  in  the  business  of  the  Mont- 
pelier Bookbindery,  which  he  has  since  suc- 
cessfully conducted,  adding  to  his  force  from 
time  to  time,  until  he  now  employs  fifteen 
to  twenty  people.  After  Montpelier  estab- 
lished its  present  system  of  water  supply,  he 
introduced  and  placed  in  operation  the  first 
water  motor  in  town,  and  procured  the  first 
exhibit  of  electric  lighting  in  Montpelier 
from  power  derived  from  water  motors,  and 
caused  to  be  put  up  the  "  police  signal  light," 
so  called. 


At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  elected 
town  superintendent  of  schools  and  repre- 
sented Berlin  in  the  Legislature  of  i88o, 
and  has  held  minor  offices  of  responsibility 
and  trust,  and  for  the  last  eighteen  years 
has  been  town  clerk,  treasurer  and  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Berlin.  He  is  at  present 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  Montpelier  Board 
of  Trade,  was,  in  1893,  president  of  Vohni- 
teer  Hose,  No.  i,  and  is  still  a  member  of 
the  fire  department,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  New  England  Order  of  Protection  and 
of  Vermont  Lodge,  No.  2,  L  O.  O.  F. 

He  married  Julia  .A.  Miles,  of  Montpelier, 
daughter  of  Otis  G.  and  Mary  A.  (Smith) 
Miles,  March  16,  1878,  and  they  have  three 
daughters :  Mabel  E.,  Florence  M.,  and 
Winona. 

Mr.  Wheelock  is  deeply  interested  in  the 
prosperity  of  his  native  place,  and  is  an 
earnest  believer  in  the  investment  of  capital 
in  home  enterprises — a  course  that  experi- 
ence proves  is  not  only  for  the  good  of  the 
community,  but  as  safe — to  say  the  least — 
for  the  individual  invester. 

WHIPPLE,  Edward  O.,  of  Danby,  son 
of  John  and  Clarica  (Oakes)  Whipple,  was 
born  in  Athens,  June  20,  1821. 


WHirCOMH.  429 

also  for  a  time  in  attendance  at  the  Bellevue 
Hospital  in  New  ^■ork  City. 

Dr.  \Vhi])ple  took  up  his  residence  in 
Danby  in  1848  and  has  built  up  an  extensive 
practice  in  that  and  the  adjoining  towns.  A 
strong  Republican,  he  has  never  consented 
to  accept  any  political  office,  choosing 
rather  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  his  pro- 
fessional duties,  but  his  sterling  worth  and 
ability  have  gained  him  the  highest  esteem 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 

Dr.  \\'hipple  has  received  the  degrees  of 
Ancient  t'raft  Masonry,  affiliating  with 
Marble  Lodge,  No.  46,  of  Danby.  He  has 
also  taken  all  those  conferred  in  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Rutland 
County  Medical  and  Surgical  Society  and 
also  of  that  of  the  state. 

He  was  married  in  West  Townshend,  Sept. 
25,  1848,  to  Augusta,  daughter  of  Zadock 
and  Sarah  Sawyer.  They  have  one  son : 
Frank  E.,  a  physician  of  Danby. 

WHITCOMB,  ERVIN  JACKSON,  of 
Ludlow,  was  born  in  Ludlow,  Feb.  24,  1822. 


(iAf'-;:  :?:r^yaffi;y^^ ' 


^ 


EDWARD   O. 


He  received  his  schooling  in  ^Albany  and 
afterwards  studied  medicine  with  Doctors  P. 
D.  Bradford  and  Samuel  W.  Thayer,  subse- 
quently graduating  from  the  Castleton  Medi- 
cal  School   in   the  class  of  1847.     He  was 


'S 


He  lived  on  a  farm  most  of  the  time  dur- 
ing his  minority,  was  educated  at  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  Black  River  Academy,  and 
occasionally  was  occupied  in  teaching. 
In  1844  he  engaged  in  trade,  dealing  in 
general  country  merchandise,  in  which  oc- 
cupation he  remained  five  years.  After  a 
sojourn  of  three  years  in  Ontario,  where  he 
was  engaged  in   mercantile  pursuits,  he  re- 


43° 


turned  to  Ludlow,  where  he  dealt  in  horses, 
farm  produce  and  agricultural  implements 
until  1862.  He  then  formed  the  partner- 
ship of  Whitcomb  &  Atherton,  conducting  a 
wholesale  and  retail  feed,  flour  and  grain 
business  in  connection  with  a  grist  mill.  In 
187 1  the  firm  erected  Whitcomb  &  Atherton 
block,  and  added  a  bakery  to  their  business. 
In  1887  he  retired  from  active  business. 

He  wedded,  Sept.  29,  1846,  Elizabeth 
Goddard,  daughter  of  Hon.  Sewall  and 
Eunice  Howe  (Goddard)  Fullam  of  Ludlow. 
The  fruit  of  their  union  is  one  child  :  Belle  E. 

Mr.  \\'hitcomb  is  the  only  surviving  grand- 
son of  Jonathan  Whitcomb,  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  He  has  been  for  many  years  a 
member  of  Black  River  Lodge,  No  85,  F.  & 
A.  M.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  L'niver- 
salist,  has  taken  deep  interest  in  and  been  a  . 
liberal  donor  to  the  church.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  the  state  convention,  and  also  of  Goddard 
Seminary. 

He  was  formerly  a  whig,  but  is  now  a 
Republican,  and,  after  having  discharged  the 
duties  of  several  town  offices,  was  chosen 
representative  from  Ludlow  for  the  two  suc- 
cessive biennial  terms  of  1870  and  1872, 
and  four  years  later  was  elected  a  senator 
from  Windsor  county. 

WHITE,  Elliot  G.,  of  Cavendish,  son 
of  George  W.  and  Clara  M.  (Swift)  White, 
was  born  in  Cavendish,  June  8,  1S56. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Cavendish,  and  after  its 
completion  he  entered  the  service  of  his 
uncle,  Hon.  F.  E.  Swift.  Later  he  moved 
to  Boston,  where  he  entered  the  employment 
of  a  horse  car  company  and  next  was  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  in  a  hotel  near  Bar  Harbor, 
Me.,  but  soon  after  returned  to  Cavendish, 
where  he  married  and  engaged  in  trade. 
Commencing  business  during  a  period  of 
general  depression  caused  by  the  loss  by  fire 
of  the  woolen  mills  in  that  place,  by  his  un- 
tiring energy  and  good  management  he  has 
built  up  a  profitable  and  remunerative  busi- 
ness in  a  general  country  store,  dealing,  in 
addition  to  his  ordinary  trade,  in  feed,  grain, 
and  lumber.  He  is  also  interested  in  real 
estate. 

November  10,  1S80,  he  was  married  to 
Nella  C,  daughter  of  Peter  P.  and  Chloe 
(Adams)  Wheeler  of  Cavendish. 

For  fourteen  years  Mr.  ^Vhite  has  held 
the  positions  of  town  clerk  and  postmaster  ; 
for  several  terms  he  has  served  as  selectman 
and  is  now  the  chairman  of  the  board.  He 
is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Chester  Sav- 
ings Bank,  a  director  in  the  Chester  National 
Bank,  and  also  librarian  of  the  Fletcher 
Library  of  Cavendish.  He  has  always  voted 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  for  four 
years  discharged  the  duties  of  deputy  sheriff. 


He  is  a  member  and  jjast  master  of  La- 
Fayette  Lodge,  No.  53,  F.  ^:.  A.  M.,  of  Cav- 
endish, and  is  affiliated  with  Skitchewang 
Chapter  of  that  order. 

WHITE,  HEMAN  Allen,  of  Washington, 
son  of  Thaddeus  and  Rebecca  (Gleason) 
White,  was  born  in  Washington,  Sept.  21, 
18 1 7.  His  father,  Thaddeus,  joined  the  pa- 
triot army  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  served 
under  the  gallant  Lafayette,  and  after  the 
close  of  the  struggle  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  who  came  to  Washington,  threading 
his  way  on  horseback  through  the  dense  for- 
ests by  a  line  of  blazed  trees.  He  posted  the 
notice  of  the  earliest  Freemen's  meeting, 
Sept.  2,  and  in  1794  was  elected  the  first 
representative  to  the  Legislature.  He  died  in 
i8qi,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninetv-two. 


ALLEN    WHITE. 


Heman  was  the  youngest  son,  and  enjoyed 
only  the  advantages  of  the  common  school 
until  he  arrived  at  his  majority,  when  he  at- 
tended Newbury  Academy,  supporting  him- 
self while  pursuing  his  course  there.  In 
1 840  he  commenced  studying  law  with  Hon. 
John  Colby  at  Washington,  was  admitted  to 
the  Orange  county  bar  at  the  December 
term,  1843,  and  is  today  the  senior  practic- 
ing member  of  his  profession  in  that  county. 

Since  1848  Mr.  White  has  been  town 
clerk ;  he  represented  Washington  in  the 
General  Assembly  in  1S57,  '58,  '63,  '64,  '65, 
and  '76,  and  was  chosen  a  senator  from  Or- 
ange county  in   1S70.     In   1866  and  '67  he 


was  state's  attorney  for  Orange  county.  He- 
cast  his  first  and  last  presidential  vote  for  a 
Harrison  and  in  1S56  was  elected  judge  of 
probate  for  the  district  of  Randolph,  having 
previously  served  two  years  as  register. 
Judge  White  possesses  the  entire  confidence 
and  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov.  23,  1S51, 
to  Mary,  daughter  of  Ziba  and  F.  .A.  Spen- 
cer, by  whom  he  had  one  child:  Dora  M. 
(Mrs.  R.  G.  Spafiford,  deceased).  In  April, 
186 1,  he  contracted  a  second  alliance  with 
Mariette  A.,  daughter  of  Cutting  S.  and  Mar- 
tha H.  (Paine)  Calef. 

VVHITH,  H.  C,  of  North  Bennington, 
son  of  John  and  Clarissa  (Castle)  White",  was 
born  in  North  Bennington,  Dec.  25,  1847. 


])lantof  twice  the  cajwcity  of  the  one  burned, 
and  since  then  has  enjoyed  an  uninterrupted 
career  of  prosi)erity.  Mr.  White  has  inven- 
ted several  improvements  in  stereoscopes, 
which  he  has  patented,  giving  him  almost  a 
monopoly  of  the  stereoscope  business. 

Mr.  \\hite  married  .Margie  I..,  daughter 
of  William  Watson  of  Urooklyn,  X.  V.,  by 
whom  he  has  issue  four  children. 

WILCOX,  Henry  Clay,  of  Granby,  son 
of  iCdmund  W.  and  Matilda  (Farnsworth) 
Wilcox,  was  born  in  Cambridge,  .August  20, 
1842. 

.After  receiving  the  educational  advan- 
tages of  the  Cambridge  and  Johnson  public 
schools,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  found 
employment  in  the  L'.  S.  .Armory,  at  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  where  he  remained  till  the  close 
of  the  civil  war,  when  he  returned  to  Johnson 
and  for  three  years  labored  on  his  father's 
farm.  For  the  next  seven  years  he  was 
variously  employed  as  a  manufacturer  of 
butter  tubs,  clerk  of  a  hotel  in  Hyde  Park, 


/' 


y 


After  receiving  his  education  at  the  public 
schools  of  North  Bennington,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  removed  to  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
B.  G.  Surdam,  and  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  stereoscopes  and  lenses.  There  he 
remained  four  years  and  after  attaining  the 
necessary  skill  he  returned  to  his  native  town, 
where  he  started  in  the  same  line  of  business 
for  himself. 

In  1877,  he  removed  to  his  present  site 
and  erected  a  large  plant,  and  successfully 
carried  on  the  business  of  manufacturing 
lenses,  writing  desks,  and  stereoscopes.  In 
1S86,  his  entire  establishment  was  consumed 
by  fire,  but  he  immediately  erected  a  larger 


HENRY   CLAY    WILCOX. 

and  foreman  in  different  establishments  en- 
gaged m  the  lumber  trade.  In  1882  he 
assumed  the  general  superintendence  of  the 
Buck  &  Wilcox  Lumber  Co.,  a  very  impor- 
tant and  responsible  position,  the  duties  of 
which  he  satisfactorily  discharged  up  to 
1885,  when  they  sold  to  C.  H.  Stevens  & 
Co.,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in  the 
employ  of  C.  H.  Stevens  &  Co.  and  the 
Northern  Lumber  Co. 

Mr.  Wilcox  was  formerly  deputy-sheriff  at 


432 


Johnson,  and  since  his  removal  to  (Iranby 
has  been  the  incumbent  of  several  important 
offices,  serving  as  justice  and  selectman  : 
he  .was  the  Republican  representative  of 
Granby  in  1886  to  1890,  and  a  prominent 
candidate  for  senator  from  his  county  in  the 
convention  of  that  party  in  1S92.  Mr.  Wil- 
cox is  regarded  as  a  man  of  sound  business 
capacity  and  great  general  intelligence. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
has  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  has 
held  the  office  of  W.  M.  in  Eden  Lodge, 
No.  69,  H.  P.  of  Tucker  Chapter,  and  Dis- 
trict Deputy  G.  M. 

WILKINS,  George,  of  Stowe,  son  of 
Uriah  and  Nancy  (Kittredge)  Wilkins,  was 
born  in  Stowe,  Dec.  6,  1S17. 


and  in  1S56  a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Conxention.  He  was  chosen  senator  from 
Lamoille  county  in  1S59  and  was  subse- 
quently delegate  to  the  union  convention  at 
Philadelphia ;  a  presidential  elector  from 
the  Third  District  and  a  member  of  the 
national  Republican  convention  that  nomi- 
nated General  Grant. 

Mr.  Wilkins  is  everywhere  recognized  as 
an  astute  and  able  trial  lawyer,  a  graphic 
and  interesting  writer  and  an  earnest, 
thorough,  and  resolute  advocate.  .Always 
interested  in  educational  affairs  he  has  been 
a  liberal  donor  of  books  and  apparatus  to 
the  schools  in  his  vicinity.  The  manage- 
ment of  several  large  farms  purchased  by 
him  in  the  town  and  its  neighborhood  has 
recently  engrossed  the  chief  share  of  his 
time  and  attention. 

WILLARD,  ANDREW  Jackson,  of  Bur- 
lington, son  of  Nehemiah  Batchelder  and 
Hannah  (Emerson)  A\'illard,  was  born  in 
Harvard,  Mass.,  March  19,  1832.  .Among 
his  iirogenitors,  the  lineage  being  the  same 


.After  enjoying  the  educational  privileges 
of  the  common  schools  and  the  academies 
of  Johnson  and  Montpelier,  Mr.  Wilkins 
studied  law  with  Messrs.  Butler  and  Bingham, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Lamoille  county 
bar  at  the  December  term  of  184 1.  He 
then  formed  a  partnership  with  O.  AV.  But- 
ler, Esq.,  which  was  continued  till  1845, 
when  he  purchased  that  gentleman's  library 
and  alone  has  conducted  the  practice  of  the 
firm  since  that  time. 

He  espoused,  July  12,  1846,  Maria  N., 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Blanchard) 
Wilson  of  Hopkinton,  N.  Y.  They  have 
adopted  Charles  B.,  son  of  Capt.  J.  H.  Swift 
of  \Vashington. 

In   1852  he  was  elected  state's  attorney. 


as  Miss  Frances  Willard's,  he  numbers  Major 
Willard  of  colonial  fame,  and  President 
Willard  of  Harvard  College,  while  on  the 
mother's  side  he  is  a  scion  of  the  well- 
known  Emerson  family,  which  has  given  the 
country  so  many  eminent  teachers  of  re- 
ligion and  philosophy,  including  the  "Sage 
of  Concord,"  Ralph  Waldo.  The  Willards 
and  the  Emersons  seem  to  be  happily 
blended  in  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 


Ha\ing  lost  his  father  in  early  youtli,  Mr. 
\\'illard  was  placed  by  his  widowed  mother 
in  the  academy  at  Lancaster,  Mass.,  but  he 
finished  his  preparation  for  college  at  the 
\\'alnut  Street  high  school  of  Worcester, 
Mass.  .\t  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  Vale  college,  where  his  career  was 
in  every  way  creditable.  Though  his  studies 
were  to  some  degree  impeded  by  impaired 
health  and  eyesight,  he  took  many  prizes  for 
excellence  in  debate  and  English  composi- 
tion, and  he  graduated  with  high  honors  in 
the  "famous  class"  of  1853.  He  then  spent 
three  years  in  the  study  of  theology  at  the 
Yale  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  licensed 
to  preach  by  the  New  Ha\en  Association  of 
Congregational  Ministers.  After  a  brief 
residence  as  licentiate  at  Andover,  Mass.,  he 
was  called  in  January,  1S57,  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Upton, 
Mass.,  one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  in 
Worcester  county.  Here  he  spent  nearly 
nine  years  of  honorable  service,  when  he 
was  olsliged  by  failing  health  to  resign  his 
charge,  and  later  still  to  gi\e  up  entirely  the 
ministerial  profession. 

Rev.  Mr.  Willard  removed  to  Burlington 
in  1865,  and  for  about  five  years  he  supplied 
the  pulpits  at  Essex  Centre  and  Essex 
Junction.  In  1870  and  1871  he  was  the 
superintendent  of  the  public  schools  in  Bur- 
lington. While  trying  to  regain  his  shattered 
health  he,  as  it  were,  accidentally  attended  a 
medical  lecture  at  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, and  was  thereby  led  to  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  graduated  from  the  medical 
department  of  the  university  in  1877.  At 
this  time  he  was  appointed  valedictorian,  but 
declined  the  honor.  He  was  awarded  the 
prize  for  the  best  thesis,  the  subject  of  which 
was  "Medical  Chemistry,"  which  received 
the  unusual  compliment  from  the  medical 
faculty  of  a  recommendation  to  publish. 
Having  spent  several  months  in  special  study 
in  New  Vork  City,  he  had  just  commenced 
to  practice  medicine  in  Burlington,  when  he 
was  appointed  instructor  in  chemistry  and 
assistant  professor  in  that  science  in  the  U. 
V.  M.  Later  he  was  appointed  special  pro- 
fessor of  hygiene  and  sanitary  science. 
These  positions  he  held  til!  1890,  when 
increasing  professional  duties  connected  with 
his  specialty  obliged  him  to  resign  his  active 
connection  with  the  university,  but  he  has 
continued  to  retain,  up  to  the  present  time, 
the  honorary  position  of  adjunct  professor 
of  chemistry  in  that  institution. 

Soon  after  graduation  in  medicine  Dr. 
Willard  was  made  superintendent  and  resi- 
dent physician  of  the  Mary  Fletcher  Hospi- 
tal in  Burlington.  In  December,  18S6,  he 
retired  from  this  position  after  nearly  six  years 
of  unremitting  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  hospital.  There  can  be  no  question  that 
he  did  a   good  work  while    there,  to  which 


Wll.I.ARl..  433 

many  grateful  ])atients  bear  willing  witness. 
One  of  his  first  achievements  was  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Mary  Fletcher  Hospital  Train- 
ing School,  for  nurses,  which  is  still  in  suc- 
cessful operation.  He  early  saw,  when  at  the 
hospital,  the  need  of  special  treatment  for 
diseases  of  the  nervous  system,  and  therefore, 
for  this  purpose,  he  founded  an  institution  in 
Burlington,  known  as  "  Dr.  Willard's  Rest 
Cure  and  Nervine  Establishment."  Its 
present  name,  however,  is  the  "  Willard 
Nervine  Home."  In  many  respects  the 
success  of  this  institution  has  been  phenome- 
nal. In  addition  to  the  main  building  on 
North  Prospect  street,  a  summer  retreat  has 
been  established  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Champlain,  called  "The  White  Birches,"  to 
which  Dr.  Willard  frequently  takes  his  con- 
valescing patients. 

Dr.  Willard  was  married  May  19,  1857,  in 
Burlington,  to  Harriet  Buell,  daughter  of 
Henry  Pearl  and  Maria  (Buell)  Hickok. 
Five  children  have  blessed  their  union : 
Henry  Hickok,  Albert  Emerson,  Helen  Eliza- 
beth, Julia  Maria,  and  Frederick  Buell. 

In  politics  Dr.  Willard  has  always  been  a 
staunch  Republican.  In  religion  he  has  been 
a  Congregationalist,  until  quite  recently, 
when  he  joined  the  Episcopal  church. 

WILLARD,  George  F.  B.,  of  Ver- 
gennes,  son  of  George  and  Delana  D. 
(Lake)  Willard,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass., 
on  the  26th  of  July,  1853. 

He  received  a  liberal  education  for  his 
chosen  profession,  graduating  from  the  high 
school  at  Middlebury  in  1872,  and  from 
Middlebury  College  in  the  class  of  1876. 
He  later  pursued  a  course  of  study  at  the  St. 
Louis  Medical  College,  from  which  he  re- 
ceived his  diploma  of  M.  D.,  in  1883.  The 
same  year  Doctor  Willard  settled  at  ^'er- 
gennes,  where  he  has  deservedly  won  a  lead- 
ing position  among  the  physicians  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country. 

He  was  married  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
Dec.  26,  1883,  to  H.  .\da,  daughter  of  I.  D. 
and  S.  E.  Vedder,  of  Whitehall,  111.,  and 
from  this  union  there  are  issue  five  children  : 
Delana  E.,  .Ada  Hopkins,  George  Vedder, 
Lucy  Amelia,  and  Sarah  Lake. 

Doctor  \\'illard  has  always  strictly  devoted 
himself  to  his  professional  duties,  never  seek- 
ing publicity  or  political  office,  but  at  present 
fills  the  office  of  alderman  and  is  a  member 
of  the  school  board  of  Vergennes.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Vermont  Medical  Society,  and 
while  in  college  afifiliated  with  the  D.  U. 

Friendly  and  open-hearted,  he  is  very 
popular  with  all  classes  in  his  own  city, 
being  esteemed  by  all  who  come  in  contact 
with  him. 

On  account  of  the  illness  of  .Mrs.  Willard, 
the  doctor  gave  up  his  practice  in  ^'ergennes 
in   1893,  and  removed  to  Roodhouse,  Ills., 


WILLIAMS. 


where  he  is  at  present  building  up  a  good 
practice. 

WILLIAMS,  Frank  Clifton,  of  Cov- 
entry, son  of  Clifton  and  Mariette  (Loomis) 
Williams,  was  born  in  Glover,  May  12,  1853. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools  of  Glover,  in  the  Orleans  Liberal 
Institute  and  Goddard  Seminary.  Shortly 
before  he  arrived  at  man's  estate  he  was 
employed  as  clerk  in  several  mercantile  es- 
tablishments in  Glover  and  Coventrv,  and  in 


Mr.  Williams  was  wedded,  May  30,  1S77, 
to  Helen  Louise  Burbank,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Jane  (Coburn)  Bowles  Bur- 
bank  of  Coventry.  Five  children  have 
blessed  their  union  :  Grace  Helen,  Florence 
Eliza,  Sam  Clifton,  Kate  Mildred,  and 
Harold  Frank  (deceased). 

WILLIAMS,  George  ABNER,  of  Sax- 
tons  River,  son  of  Russel  H.  and  Mercy 
(Waters)  Williams,  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land, N.  v.,  July  10,  1S53. 

His  earlier  education  was  obtained  in 
\\'hitestown  Seminary,  Whitesboro,  N.  V. 
He  was  graduated  from  Colgate  University 
in  18S0,  and  afterwards  received  the  degrees 
of  A.  M.  and  Ph.  D.  from  the  same  institu- 
tion. While  in  college  he  specially  devoted 
himself  to  languages  and  mathematics,  and 


1877  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Homer 
Thrasher  at  Coventry.  Four  years  subse- 
quently he  bought  out  his  partner's  interest 
and  for  some  time  continued  alone,  when 
Mr.  Salmon  Nye  entered  the  concern  which 
continued  its  operations  till  1892,  building  a 
fine  block  for  business  purposes  on  the  main 
street  and  besides  his  regular  occupation 
Mr. Williams  has  engaged  in  lumbering,  farm- 
ing and  horse  breeding.  In  this  latter 
branch  he  has  been  very  successful,  having 
turned  out  a  large  number  of  fast  trotters, 
though  he  makes  a  specialty  of  roadsters  of 
the  Morgan  family. 

He  is  liberal  in  his  religious  opinions,  but 
attends  and  supports  the  Congregational 
church.  For  many  years  he  has  filled  the 
offices  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  town 
clerk  and  treasurer  of  Coventry,  which  town 
he  represented  in  the  Legislature  in  1884 
where  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  claims. 


GEORGE   ABNER    WILLIAMS. 

was  honored  with  the  valedictory  address 
upon  his  graduation.  In  1879  he  repre- 
sented his  alma  mater  in  the  intercollegiate 
contest  in  New  York  City,  winning  the 
highest  honors  in  the  Latin  language.  Mr. 
Williams  has  followed  the  profession  of 
teaching  since  1S73.  Immediately  after  his 
graduation  he  became  the  instructor  in 
mathematics  and  the  sciences  in  Whitestown 
Seminary,  and  subsequently  has  occupied 
positions  in  the  Hamilton  (X.  V.)  Union 
School  and  Cook  Academy,  at  Havana,  N. 
Y.  Since  1889  he  has  been  principal  of  the 
Vermont  .Academy,  at  Saxtons  River,  which 
position  he  occupies  at   the  present  time. 


He  has  always  displayed  great  ability  as  an 
instructor,  successfully  laboring  for  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  improvement  of  all 
pupils  who  have  been  entrusted  to  his 
charge.  His  services  have  always  been 
sought  for,  and  he  has  never  been  obliged  to 
make  an  application  for  any  post  which  he 
has  filled.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Instruction  and  of  the  American 
Philological  Association. 

\\'hile  in  college  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Delta  Upsilon  fraternity,  and  acted  both  as 
president  and  vice-president  of  the  Colgate 
Chapter.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  conven- 
tion of  the  fraternity  at  Schenectady  in  1879. 
At  graduation  he  was  chosen  a  member  of 
Phi  Beta  Kappa. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  30,  1880, 
to  Florence  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Eliphalet  and  Martha  (Spaulding)  Owen. 
Four  children  have  blessed  their  union : 
two  daughters,  Elbertine  and  Roberta,  and 
two  sons,  Maynard  Owen  and  Russel  Hill. 

Mr.  \Villiams  is  a  descendant  on  both 
sides  of  the  house,  from  Re\olutionary  sol- 
diers, and  is  a  Baptist  by  inheritance  and 
conviction.  He  is  the  author  of  a  book  on 
"Topics  and  References  in  American  His- 
tory," widely  used  in  schools,  and  is  actively 
interested  in  educational  problems  in  Ver- 
mont. He  was  a  member  of  the  legislative 
committee  of  the  Vermont  State  Teachers' 
Association,  which  appeared  before  the  ed- 
ucational committee  of  that  body  in  1892, 
■urging  the  adoption  of  the  town  system  of 
schools,  which  measure  was  finally  adopted. 
Since  1889  he  has  served  upon  the  state  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Though  always  taking  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs,  he  has  never  sought  or  ac- 
cepted political  office.  Hitherto  a  Republi- 
can in  his  preferences,  he  is  now  strongly 
inclined  to  independent  views  with  regard  to 
national  and  state  affairs. 

WILLIAMS,  James  Peter,  of  Sunder- 
land, son  of  Peter  and  F^meline  (Jordan) 
\\"illiams,  was  born  in  Auburn,  Me.,  April  5, 
1836. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools 
of  Auburn,  and  Fitzwilliam,  N.  H.  For 
some  time  after  he  arrived  at  his  majority  he 
was  employed  in  a  factory  for  the  manu- 
facture of  wooden  ware,  and  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Sunderland,  in  which  place,  in 
1858,  he  purchased  an  establishment  for  the 
manufacture  of  clothes-pins,  which  he  after- 
wards changed  to  a  turning  shop.  Mr. 
Williams  then  changed  the  scene  of  his 
labors  to  Manchester,  where  in  connection 
with  Dexter  Pierce  he  manufactured  spoons, 
and  in  1878  dissolving  his  partnership  he 
returned  to  Sunderland,  where  he  continued 


wn..so.v.  435 

in  a  similar  occupation,  cultivating  in  ad- 
dition a  farm  of  about  one  hundred  acres. 

August  29,  1866,  he  espoused  Delia, 
daughter  of  Cleorge  Newbury  and  Sarah  M. 
(Phillips)  (Mmsted  of  Fitzwilliam.  Four 
children  were  born  to  them  :  (Irace  Amanda 
(deceased),  Waldo  Frank,  .Anson  Streeter, 
and  Shirley  Olmsted. 

A  Republican  in  his  political  faith  Mr. 
\Villiams  has  never  assumed  any  official 
position,  and  in  regard  to  his  religious  views 
he  is  an  agnostic. 

WILSON,  James  DuNLAP,  of  Greens- 
boro, son  of  John  and  Margaret  (^■oung) 
\\'ilson,  was  born  in  (Greensboro,  Sept.  13, 
1848. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Cireens- 
boro  and  in  Morrisville  Academy,  and  for 
some  time  taught  in  the  public  schools  of 
Greensboro.  He  then,  for  five  years,  fol- 
lowed the  occupations  of  farmer  and  carpen- 
ter and  subsequenriy  was  employed  in  the 
Fairbanks  scale  works  of  St.  Johnsbury. 
Since  his  return  to  (jreensboro  in  1880  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  dairy  farming  and  the 
manufacture  of  maple  sugar  from  a  large 
orchard  of  1,200  trees. 

November  22,  1877,  he  wedded  Mariette 
T.,  daughter  of  James  J.  and  Lilias  (Miller) 
Lumsden  of  Greensboro.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Florence  Edith, 
John  P^rwin,  and  James  Harrison. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  been  selectman  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  several  years  ;  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  town  auditor,  was  dele- 
gate to  the  state  convention  in  1892  at 
Montpelier  and  represented  Greensboro  in 
the  Legislature  of  1892,  serving  on  the  com- 
mittee on  land  taxes  and  the  canvassing 
committee.  For  four  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  town  committee. 

He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  he  has  been  for  a  long  time  elder  and 
Sunday  school  superintendent. 

WILLSON,  MELVIN  a.,  son  of  Sydney 
and  Lucy  (Boutwell)  Willson,  was  born  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  July  31,  1847. 

He  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  children 
and  in  his  early  boyhood  was  thrown  u])on 
his  own  resources,  by  the  death  of  his  father. 
Removing  to  Mctory  at  the  age  of  eight,  he 
gleaned  a  scanty  education  from  the  schools 
of  Lunenburg  and  Lyndon,  meanwhile  con- 
tributing from  his  earnings  to  the  support  of 
the  family. 

He  enlisted  Sept.  13,  1864,  in  Co.  K,  8th 
Vt.  \'ols.  under  the  command  of  Col.  Stephen 
Thomas,  saw  service  in  the  Shenandoah  cam- 
paign and  was  honorablv  discharged  May  13, 
1865. 

After  his  return  from  military  service  Mr. 
\Mllson  settled  in  Granby,  where  he  purchased 


436 


WINSLOW. 


the  property  on  which  he  now  resides.  He 
has  been  extensively  engaged  in  general 
farming,  raising,  buying  and  selling  stock  and 
his  plain,  blunt  common  sense  and  shrewd- 
ness have  rendered  him  financially  success- 
ful in  all  these  enterprises,  making  him  an 
important  factor  in  the  business  affairs  of  the 
town.  For  the  last  tw^o  years  he  has  added 
to  his  other  occupations  a  trade  in  feed,  flour 
and  grain. 

Mr.  W'illson  is  a  Republican,  but  is  inde- 
pendent in  his  views,  and  has  been  elected 
to  nearly  all  the  responsible  offices  in  the 
town  of  (Iranby,  which  he  represented  in  the 
Legislature  of  1884. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  March  6,  1872, 
to  Jean,  daughter  of  Loomis  and  Adeline 
( Farr)  \\'ells,  of  w-hich  marriage  seven  chil- 
dren have  been  born  :  Addie  L.,  Sidney  I.., 
Leonard  H.,  Samuel  G.,  Oscar  M.,  John  H., 
and  Dora  M. 

WING,    George    Washington,    of 

Montpelier,  son  of  Joseph  A.  and  Samantha 
Elizabeth  (Webster)  Wing,  was  born  in 
Plainfield,  Oct.  22,  T843. 

He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
at  Barre  Academy,  at  the  Washington  county 
grammar  school,  and  at  Dartmouth  College, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1866.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Mont- 
pelier since  1858.  He  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  his  father,  Joseph  A.  W'ing,  Esq., 
and  was  admitted  to  \\"ashington  county  bar, 
March  term,  1868. 

He  was  assistant  state  librarian  in  1864, 
1865  and  1866,  and  a  deputy  secretary  of 
state  from  1S67  to  1873.  During  part  of 
this  latter  period  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  state  treasurer,  Hon.  John  A.  Page  of 
Montpelier.  Concluding  this  service,  he 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in 
which  he  has  become  distinguished,  both  for 
soundness  of  judgment  and  ability  as  an 
advocate.  He  was  elected  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  Montpelier  in  1882, 
and  rendered  important  service  to  the  state 
on  the  ways  and  means  and  the  grand  list 
committees.  He  had  an  important  part  in 
framing,  and  to  him  belongs  the  honor  of 
formulating,  the  corporation  tax  law  enacted 
at  that  session  of  the  Legislature — a  law  that 
was  distinguished  by  the  clearness  and  pre- 
cision of  its  phraseology  and  by  the  benefits 
its  well  considered  provisions  conferred  upon 
the  state  at  large.  As  a  member  of  the 
grand  list  committee  his  counsel,  practical 
judgment  and  peculiar  gift  in  so  formulating 
an  enactment  that  it  could  bear  but  one,  and 
the  right,  interpretation,  were  brought  into 
requisition  in  the  act  revising  and  consolida- 
ting the  tax  and  grand  list  laws.  In  advo- 
cating, explaining  and  defending  these 
measures  in  the  debates  in  the  House,  and 


in  his  legislative  duties  generally,  he  dis- 
closed the  qualities  of  a  wise  and  capable 
law-maker.  From  1S84  to  1888,  during  the 
administration  of  President  Cleveland,  al- 
though a  staunch  Republican,  he  held  the 
office  of  postmaster  at  Montpelier,  to  which 
he  had  been  elected  toward  the  close  of 
President  Arthur's  administration.  He  was 
a  capable  and  popular  administrator  of  the 
affairs  of  the  post-office,  judicious  and 
efficient.  In  1S90  he  was  elected  a  trustee 
of  the  Village  of  Montpelier,  and  in  1892 
was  chosen  president  of  the  corporation. 
He  is  treasurer  of  the  Farmer's  Trust  Co., 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Iowa,  and 
which  has  its  Eastern  office  at  Montpelier. 

Mr.  \Mng  is  a  member  of  Aurora  Lodge, 
No.  22,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  taken  the  32d 
degree  in  Scottish  Rite  Masonry. 

December  i,  1869,  he  married  Miss  Sarah 
E.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Orlando  P.  and  Millie 
(Hendee)  Forbush,  who  died  in  April,  1871, 
leaving  one  child :  Sarah  F.  October  i, 
1882,  he  married  Miss  Ida  I.,  daughter  of 
Stephen  F.  and  Caroline  C.  (Stone)  Jones. 

Of  Mr.  Wing,  a  brother  attorney  says  : 
"  He  entertains  and  instructs,  whether  be- 
fore the  jury  or  court,  or  on  the  stump.  He 
is  at  once  scholarly  and  practical,  and  has 
an  enviable  power  of  illustration  peculiar  to 
himself" 

WINSLOW,  DON  AVERY,  of  Westfield, 
son  of  Orlando  and  Salome  (Hitchcock) 
Winslow,  was  born  in  Westfield,  Oct.  25, 
1S24. 

He  is  the  seventh  in  lineal  descent  from 
Kenelm  Winslow,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  Plymouth  county,  and  also  through  his 
grandmother  \Mnslow,  a  descendant  of  the 
.\dams  family  of  Quincy,  Mass.  The  estate 
formerly  belonging  to  Daniel  ^^'ebster  in 
Marshfield,  Mass.,  was  the  original  Kenelm 
Winslow  homestead,  and  had  been  preserved 
in  that  family  till  its  purchase  by  the  great 
orator  and  statesman. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  attending 
the  public  schools  of  Westfield  and  Derby 
Academy,  did  not  care  to  follow^  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  who  was  a  farmer  and 
general  merchant  in  the  village,  and  in  1846 
found  his  way  to  Boston,  where  he  studied 
music  under  the  instruction  of  the  well- 
known  Lowell  Mason.  Mr.  Winslow  com- 
menced his  musical  career  as  tenor  in  an 
English  opera  in  the  Boston  Theater,  and 
also  in  a  quartette  in  the  Unitarian  church 
of  Bulfinch  street  in  the  city.  Subsequently, 
after  instruction  in  musical  composition  and 
in  piano  and  church  organ  playing,  he 
settled  in  St.  Albans,  where  he  was  employed 
as  organist  in  the  Congregational  church, 
and  as  professor  of  music  in  Swanton  x\c- 
adeniy.      During  this  period  he  composed 


both  secular  and  sacred  music,  and  many  of 
his  efforts  have  been  pubHshed  in  Kmerson's, 
Perkins',  Marshall's,  and  other  musical 
works. 

For  over  fifty  years  he  has  been  continu- 
ously connected  with  churches,  either  as 
leader  of  the  choir  or  organist.  .After  giving 
up  his  profession  he  was  employed  for  ten 
years  at  Johnson  as  station  agent  and  tele- 
graph operator.  In  icSSg  he  removed  to 
Westfield,  where  he  now  resides  on  the  old 
homestead. 


W  ^•s^ 


WINSI.OW.  437 

His  parents  moved  to  'I'ownshend  ten  years 
later,  and  he  there  received  the  usual  educa- 
tion of  the  common  schools,  completing  his 
studies  at  the  establishment  which  is  now 
styled  the  Leland  and  Cray  -Seminary,  of 
which  he  was  a  trustee  for  twenty-five  years. 
1  )uring  his  vacations,  as  was  then  customary 
for  all  farm-bred  boys,  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  management  of  his  jiroperty,  and  in 
the  winter  of  1S51  taught  school  iii  Athens. 
The  following  spring  he  went  to  Boston, 
Mass.,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a 
mercantile  establishment  for  more  than  three 
years.  He  ne.xt  turned  his  steps  to  Califor- 
nia, where  he  was  an  instructor  in  the  public 
schools,  but  in  the  fall  of  1858  he  returned 
to  Townshend  and  engaged  in  general  trade, 
in  which  he  continued  for  thirty-one  years. 
His  health  failing  him,  he  sold  out  his  busi- 
ness in  1 89 1,  removing  with  his  family  to 
-Amherst,  Mass.,  where  he  died,  Feb.  20, 
1893. 


DON    AVERY    WINSLOW. 

March  27,  1848,  he  married  Mary  S., 
daughter  of  Curtis  and  Mary  (DeW'olf) 
Newton  of  Greenfield,  Mass.  She  died  Jan. 
12,  1882.  Five  children  were  born  to  them  : 
Edward  \V.  (drowned  in  early  youth),  Helen 
M.  (now  president  of  the  Women's  Press 
Association,  Boston),  Mary  .\.,  Isabel  N. 
(Mrs.  Alexander  Conrad  of  Cooledge,  N. 
M.),  and  Harriet  P.  Mr.  Winslow  contracted 
a  second  marriage,  May  5, 1886,  with  .Amanda 
M.,  daughter  of  Bela  and  Ann  M.  Johnson, 
of  Whitfield,  N.  H. 

He  has  been  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Westfield,  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Handel  and 
Haydn  Society  of  Boston,  and  was  one  of  the 
organizers  and  early  presidents  of  the  Or- 
leans County  Musical  Association. 

WINSLOW,  Samuel  Dutton,  late  of 

Amherst,  Mass.,  son  of  Peleg  and  Nancy 
(Bowles)  Winslow,  was  born  in  Dummers- 
ton,  .April  17,  1S32. 


SAMUEL   DUrrON    V/INSLOW. 

He  married,  Dec.  6,  1S59,  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  David  and  Betsey  (Wood)  Wil- 
lis, of  East  -Alstead,  X.  H.  There  were  four 
children  born  to  them,  of  whom  the  young- 
est, Lotie  May,  alone  survives. 

Mr.  Winslow  was  quite  influential  in  town 
and  county  affairs,  but  generally  avoided  offi- 
cial positions.  He  was  for  nearly  twenty- 
one  years  president  of  the  Windham  County 
Savings  Bank,  and  was  very  active  in  pro- 
moting its  interests. 

He  contributed  most  liberally  both  time 
and   money  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 


438 


WITHERELI.. 


WOOIU'.URV. 


Congregational  church,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  for  thirty  years,  and  in  which  he 
served  from  1863  to  1S91  as  deacon,  Sunday 
school  superintendent  and  teacher,  doing  all 
in  his  power. to  advance  its  interests  and 
efficiency. 

He  was  a  typical  New  England  man  of 
active  and  energetic  character,  self-depend- 
ent, and  relying  solely  upon  his  efforts.  He 
possessed  superior  financial  ability,  was  very 
successful  in  his  business  enterprises,  and 
honorably  and  deservedly  amassed  consider- 
able wealth. 

WITHERELL,  JOHN  H.,  of  Bridport, 
son  of  James  and  Susan  (Willis)  Witherell, 
was  born  in  Bridport,  julv  31,  1841. 


townsmen  for  his  good  judgment  and  hon- 
esty. In  18S0  he  was  called  upon  to  serve 
in  the  I^egislature,  serving  on  the  standing 
committee  as  also  on  special  committees. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Bridport, 
Sept.  4,  1875,  to  Anna  L).,  daughter  of  Judge 
Henry  and  Eliza  Sollace.  Five  children 
were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  survive  : 
dertrude  S.,  Kittle  F".,  Herman  S.,  and 
Georgiana. 

For  four  years  Mr.  Witherell  was  Master 
of  the  Morning  Sun  Lodge,  No.  5,  F.  &  A. 
M.  of  Pkidporl,  and  he  is  a  Sir  Knight  of 
Mount  Calvary  Commandery  of  Middlebury. 

WOODBURY,  URBAN  ANDRAIN,  of 
Burlington,  son  of  Albert  M.  and  I.ucy  L. 
(A\'adleigh)  Woodbury,  was  born  in  Ac  worth, 
X.  H.,  July  II,  1838.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Cavendish,  and  returned  to  Ver- 
mont, after  a  temporary  residence  in  New- 
Hampshire,  when  Urban  was  two  years  old. 
The  latter  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Morristown  and  the  People's 
Academy  in  Morrisville,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont  in  1859. 


WITHERELL. 


He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
jchools  of  Bridport,  but  supplemented  this 
instruction  by  an  extended  course  of  reading 
and  practical  and  advantageous  study.  He 
has  always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, formerly  on  the  shores  of  Eake  Cham- 
plain,  but  later  in  the  village  of  Bridport, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  efforts  and  for  three  years 
has  acted  as  manager  of  the  Black  Hawk 
stock  farm.  He  makes  horses  a  specialty 
and  has  bred  already  some  fine  specimens 
of  the  \Vilkes  and  Morgan  strain. 

Though  not  one  who  seeks  preferment  Mr. 
Witherell  has  held  many  town  offices,  among 
them  those  of  selectman  and  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  has  always  been  a  constant  Re- 
publican and  is  held   in  high   repute  bv  his 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  the 
first  to  enlist  in  the  service  of  his  country  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war.  He  be- 
came a  member  of  Co.  H,  2d  Regt.  Vt. 
Vols.,  May  25,  1861  ;  was  immediately  ad- 
vanced to  the  grade  of  sergeant,  taken  pris- 
oner two  months  after  his  enlistment,  at  the 


WOOnwOR'lH. 

battle  of  Bull  Run,  in  \vhic:h  engagement  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  right  arm  ; 
was  paroled  Oct.  5,  1861,  and  discharged 
from  service  on  account  of  wounds  Oct.  18, 
1S61.  Undaunted  by  his  trying  experience, 
he  again  sought  to  defend  his  country's  flag, 
and  Nov.  17,  1862,  he  was  commissionetl 
captain  of  Co.  D,  nth  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  He 
was  transferred  to  the  \'eteran  Reserve  ('orps 
June  17,  1863.  In  March,  1865,  after  faith- 
fully discharging  the  duties  of  his  position, 
he  resigned. 

Captain  ^Voodbury  was  married,  Feb.  12, 
i860,  to  Paulina  L.,  second  daughter  of  Ira 
and  Sarah  Darling  of  Elmore.  By  her  he 
has  six  children:  Charles  Lincoln,  Minnie 
Stannard,  Gertrude  Frances,  Edward  Fhilo, 
Lila  Darling,  and  Mildred  Dorothy. 

.After  his  return  from  the  war  he  settled  in 
Burlington,  and  became  general  manager  of 
the  lumber  business  of  J.  R.  Booth.  His 
skill  as  a  financier  and  his  power  of  applica- 
tion have  made  this  concern  a  great  success. 
He  has  also  engaged  in  real  estate  opera- 
tions, and  for  twelve  years  has  been  the 
owner  of  the  Van  Ness  House  property. 

Mr.  Woodbury  is  a  Republican  in  his 
political  views.  He  was  elected  alderman 
from  the  second  ward  in  Burlington  in  iS8i 
and  '82,  and  the  latter  year  was  made  presi- 
dent of  the  board.  In  1885  and  '86  he  was 
chosen  mayor  of  the  city,  and  in  1888  he 
was  made  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state, 
serving  under  the  administration  of  Gover- 
nor \\"illiam  P.  Dillingham.  In  every  posi- 
tion, both  public  and  private,  he  has  made  a 
most  honorable  record,  and  one  that  justly 
entitles  him  to  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
all  his  fellow-citizens  to  whom  he  has  proved 
by  his  past  career  that  he  is  worthy  of  all 
honors  they  can  bestow. 

Lieutenant-Governor  Woodbury  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  which  he 
has  taken  the  obligations  of  the  32d  de- 
gree and  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  I.  0.0.  F.  and  the  G.  A.  R., 
the  Llnited  States  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  the  Sons  of  the  .American 
Revolution,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

WOODWORTH,  ARTHUR  WELLING- 
TON, of  Enosburg  Falls,  son  of  William  S. 
and  Patience  S.  (Stevens)  Woodworth,  was 
born  in  Berkshire,  May  7,  1823. 

.After  receiving  his  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Enosburg  he  was  instructed 
by  his  father  in  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  at  which  he  worked  till  he  arrived  at 
his  majority.  Soon  after  he  was  employed 
as  an  agricultural  laborer  by  Judge  .Aldis 
and  Lawrence  Brainerd  of  St.  .Albans.  .As  he 
was  prudent  and  industrious,  on  his  return 
to  Enosburg  he  was  enabled  to  invest  his 
well-earned  savings  in  a  farm,  to  which  he 


Wi)OI,S(.)N.  435 

has  given  most  of  his  attention  up  to  the 
present  time,  making  a  specialty  of  dairy- 
ing. When  the  railroad  reached  Enosburg 
he  was  elected  a  director,  and  j^urchasing 
some  timber  land  became  hea\ily  interested 
in  the  sale  of  wood  and  ties  to  the  corpor- 
ation. He  is  a  joint  owner  and  manager  of 
the  Lumber  Manufacturing  Co.,  at  Sampson- 
ville. 

Mr.  Woodworth  was  married,  Nov.  15, 
1848,  to  .Adaline  '1'.,  daughter  of  .Alpheus 
and  Jane  (French)  Ladd  of  Enosburg. 
One  daughter  has  been  born  to  them  :  Lin- 
nie  R.  (Mrs.  Walter  P.  Phelps). 


ARTHUR    'v'.  ELLINGTO:,     . 

He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  lor 
Henry  Clay,  is  an  ardent  Republican  and 
has  filled  many  responsible  positions.  .Al- 
ways active  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  town 
and  county,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture from  Enosburg  in  1858  and  1859  and 
in  rS8o  was  chosen  a  senator  from  Frank- 
lin county,  serving  on  many  important  com- 
mittees. 

He  was  a  director  of  the  St.  .Albans  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  Trust  Co.,  and  is  regarded 
by  all  as  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  un- 
doubted integrity,  and  as  one  who  by  his 
own  unaided  efforts  has  been  financially  suc- 
cessful and  has  lent  a  helping  hand  to  many 
a  fellow-man  in  need. 

WOOLSON,  AMASA,  late  of  Springfield, 
son  of  -Asa  and  .Ann  Woolson,  was  born  in 
Grafton,  .August  6,  181 1. 


440 


Receiving  a  common  school  education, 
Mr.  \\'oolson  early  displayed  remarkable 
mechanical  ability,  and  from  the  age  of 
fourteen  to  thirty-five  was  engaged  at  Man- 
chester and  Chester  in  manufacturing  and 
finishing  woolen  cloths  and  inventing  and 
making  machinery  suitable  for  this  purpose. 
In  1S46  he  removed  to  Springfield,  and  here 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Davidson 
&  Parks,  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of 
cloth  finishing  machinery.  Four  years  later, 
upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Davidson,  the  con- 
cern became  Parks  &  Woolson  thus  con- 
tinuing until  1 8 78,  when  it  was  made  a 
stock  company.  Mr.  Woolson  invented  and 
patented  the  most  effective  shearing  machine 
now  in  use,  with  a  set  of  twentv-two  revolving 


deacon  of  the  Congregational  church,  presi- 
dent of  the  Jones  &  Lamson  Machine  Co. 
and  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Spring- 
field. 

As  an  inventor  he  held  a  high  rank,  and 
was  awarded  seven  premiums,  consisting  of 
gold,  silver  and  bronze  medals,  at  different 
fairs  in  Boston  and  New  York,  as  well  as  at 
the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia. 

He  married,  Jan.  15,  1838,  Mary  L., 
daughter  of  John  Davidson.  Their  only 
child,  Helen  M.,  died'  in  infancy,  and  her 
mother  departed  this  life  a  few  months  later. 
He  was  again  united  to  Mary  E.,  daughter 
of  Aaron  and  Lettice  Baker,  July  i,  1863. 
Four  children  were  born  to  them,  two  of 
whom  survive  :  William  D.,  and  Charles  A. 


vlASA    WOOLSON 


blades.  In  1888  Mr.  Woolson,  in  connec- 
tion with  others,  purchased  the  stock  of  the 
Jones  &  Lamson  Machine  Co.,  of  Windsor, 
moved  it  to  Springfield  and  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  machinists'  tools  of  every 
description,  but  soon  devoted  their  efforts 
to  turret  machinery  exclusively,  using  for 
this  purpose  and  ])atenting  several  valuable 
appliances  invented  by  James  Hartness, 
superintendent  of  the  works.  The  company 
is  now  erecting  factories  which,  vi^hen  com- 
pleted, will  double  the  capacity  of  the 
business. 

Mr.  Woolson  never  aspired  to  political  pre- 
ferment, but  for  nearly  forty  years  was  iden- 
tified with  the  business  and  religious  life  of 
Springfield.    At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 


WOOSTER,  Jay,  of  Whiting,  son  of 
Benjamin  P.  and  Hannah  (\\'arner)  Woos- 
ter,  was  born  in  Whiting,  Oct.  23,  1847. 

His  educational  advantages  were  confined 
to  the  schools  of  the  town  and  he  resolved  to 
devote  himself  to  the  honorable  occupation 
of  a  farmer.  He  has  also  speculated  largely 
in  live  stock,  and  for  several  years  has  been 
extensively  engaged  in  purchasing  beef  cat- 
tle for  the  general  market. 

Mr.  Wooster  is  a  very  strong  Republican 
and  an  enthusiastic  upholder  of  the  national 
policy  of  that  party.  While  never  seeking 
office  he  has  had  all  the  public  positions 
thrust  upon  him,  which  he  cared  to  accept. 
For  seventeen  years  he  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  constable. 

He  was  married  'in  Whiting,  March  31, 
1875,  to  Mary  Pond,  daughter  of  Nelson  and 
Jane  Remeley.  From  this  union  two  chil- 
dren were  born  :  Robert  N.,  and  Egbert  R. 

Mr.  Wooster  is  a  typical  Yermonter  of  his 
class,  of  powerful  frame  and  of  more  than 
average  intelligence.  His  acquaintance  is 
extensive  and  his  friends  numerous  in  the 
county  in  which  he  resides. 

He  is  a  Free  Mason,  affiliating  with 
Simond  Lodge,  No.  59. 

WYMAN,  ANDREW  A.,  of  Athens,  son 
of  Thomas  and  Huldah  (Gilbert)  Wyman, 
was  born  in  Rockingham,  March  12,  1S30. 

After  receiving  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Rockingham,  followed 
by  several  terms  at  the  Townshend  and 
Thetford  .Academies,  he  taught  school  in 
the  surrounding  towns  during  the  winter 
and  was  employed  on  the  homestead  in  sum- 
mer. For  some  time  he  acted  as  salesman 
in  the  grocery  store  of  his  brother  at  Cam- 
bridgeport,  and  afterwards  purchased  a  farm 
in  Athens,  removing  in  1S71  to  the  old 
homestead. 

Mr.  Wyman,  at  Chester,  Oct.  27,  1857, 
was  united  to  Martha,  daughter  of  John  and 
Martha  (Davis)  Eastman.    One  child,  Stella 


441 


S.,  was  the  issue  of  this  alliance.  Mrs. 
Wyman  died  in  October,  1881,  and  he  was 
again  married  Nov.  16,  1882,  to  .\bbie  A., 
daughter  of  Everett  P.  and  Electa  Wellman. 
He  has  been  prominently  identified  in  the 
affairs  of  his  town,  for  a  long  time  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace  and  selectman,  and  was 
elected  assistant  judge  of  the  county  in  1878 
and  held  the  office  six  years.  For  four 
sessions  (1S64,  1865,  1S67  and  1872)  he 
represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature,  and 
in  1874  was  elected  a  state  senator  from 
Windham  county.  All  these  positions  he 
has  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  universal 
satisfaction  to  his  constituency.  In  1890 
Mr.  \\'yman  was  appointed  upon  the  board 
of  cattle  commissioners  by  Governor  Page, 
and  in  1892  he  was  elected  county  com- 
missioner. 

fi  He  is  a  public-spirited  man,  always  mani- 
festina;  liberal  ideas. 


compelled  him  to  withdraw  from  active  busi- 
ness. For  si.xteen  years  subsequently  he 
gave  his  services  to  the  lirattleboro  Savings 
Bank,  and  for  half  that  time  he  ably  acted 
as  treasurer  of  that  institution. 

As  religious  and  temperance  principles 
were  strongly  inculcated  in  his  early  youth, 
he  has  always  been  a  strong  advocate  of 
total  abstinence  and  prohibition. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Jan.  i,  1848, 
to  Charlotte  Maria,  daughter  of  James  and 
Elenor  Bruce.  Of  this  union  there  are  three 
children  :  Emma  F.  (wife  of  E.  C.  Crosby), 
Helen  M.  (wife  of  N.  I).  Allen),  and 
Annie  L. 

WYMAN,  Martin  L.,  of  Gaysville,  son 
of  Anson  and  Lydia  (Hannaford)  Wyman, 
was  born  in  Poultney,  May  ^  1836. 


WYMAN,  Cyrus  Warren,  of  Brattie- 

boro,  son  of  Thomas  and  Huldah  (Gilbert) 
Wyman,  was  born  in  Rockingham,  Dec.  18, 
1823. 


CYRUS    WARREN    WYMA 


In  the  intervals  of  his  labor  upon  a  farm 
he  received  his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  afterwards  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  instruction  in  a  seminary.  In 
early  life  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
merchant  in  his  native  town,  where  he  held 
for  six  years  the  position  of  postmaster.  He 
then  moved  to  Brattleboro,  and  for  a  long 
period  continued  in  trade,  until  failing  health 


t^ 


w 


MARTIN    L.    WYMAN. 


His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools  of  Stockbridge  and  in  the  public  and 
evening  schools  of  Boston,  Mass.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  commenced  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  machinist  at  Boston,  and  was  for  a  time 
in  the  employment  of  the  Vermont  and 
Massachusetts  R.  R.  He  spent  five  years  at 
Fitchburg  working  at  his  trade,  and  after- 
ward returned  to  Boston,  where  he  contin- 
ued till  1 86 1,  when,  with  Charles  E.  Moore, 
he  formed  a  copartnership  to  engage  in  the 
manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  e.vi)erimental 
machinery.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  en- 
gage in  the  construction  of  passenger  ele- 
vators for  hotels  and  office  buildings,  under 
the  patent  of  the  late  ( )tis  Tufts.    The  name 


of  Mr.  Wyman  often  appears  as  the  patentee 
of  many  useful  inventions,  more  especially 
those  appertaining  to  elevators.  He  retired 
from  active  participation  in  business  recent- 
ly, leaving  his  son,  Charles  E.,  to  occupy  his 
place  as  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Moore 
&  Wyman  Elevator  and  Machine  Works. 

An  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
has  been  selectman,  auditor,  grand  juror, 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  trustee  of  the  pub- 
lic money  of  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  from 
which  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in 
1892,  being  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
manufactures. 

He  married,  Feb.  12,  1856,  Lydia  B., 
daughter  of  Emerson  and  P21iza  (Barrett) 
Hardy,  of  Harvard,  Mass.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  \\alter  E.,  Charles 
E.,  George  R.,  Martin  L.,  and  Alice  M. 

Mr.  Wyman  is  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Charitable  Mechanics'  Association, 
and  has  been  allied  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  is  now 
W.  M.  of  White  River  Lodge,  No.  90,  of 
Bethel,  and  belongs  to  Whitney  Chapter,  R. 
A.  M.,  Haswell  Council,  and  Mt.  Sinai  Shrine. 
He  is  also  a  Knight  Templar  of  Mt.  Z  ion 
Commandery. 

YOUNG,  JOHN  STILLMAN,  of  Troy,  son 
of  John  and  Sophia  (Pike)  Young,  was  born 
in  Jay,  March  6,  1845. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  public 
and  grammar  schools  of  Jay,  \\'estfield,  and 
Troy,  after  which  he  taught  several  terms  of 
school ;  he  then  entered  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Fiusiness  College,  at  Burlington,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  a  shorter  time  than  any  pre- 
ceding pupil.  He  studied  law  with  his 
brother-in-law  at  Derby  Line  for  awhile,  but 
concluding  the  mercantile  business  would  be 
more  congenial,  he  went  to  Boston,  and  en- 


gaged in  book-keeping  for  about  two  years 
and  in  1 8  7 1  entered  into  partnership  with  L.P. 
James  in  a  general  store  in  Troy.  After  being 
in  business  one  year  he  sold  out  to  his  part- 
ner and  again  returned  to  Boston,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years,  but  on  account  of  ill- 
health  returned  to  Vermont.  After  a  short 
connection  with  the  Reed  ISoot  and  Shoe 
Manufacturing  Co.  in  Westfield  he  purchased, 
in  the  fall  of  1875,  a  general  mercantile  es- 
tablishment in  Troy,  which  he  has  operated 
to  the  present  time.  In  1891  his  store  was 
consumed  by  fire,  but  the  following  season  he 
erected  one  of  the  finest  buildings  for  the 
purpose  of  trade  in  Orleans  county.  He 
deals  in  agricultural  implements,  furniture 
and  undertakers'  supplies,  besides  carrying  a 
large  stock  of  general  merchandise.  He  has 
large  real  estate  interests,  and  owns  the  old 
homestead  in  Jay,  upon  which  he  was  born 
and  reared. 

Mr.  Young  married,  Jan.  25,  1883,  Ludelle, 
daughter  of  Albert  and  Dorcas  (Angier) 
Hodsden. 

Till  1886  Mr.  Young  was  a  Democrat,  but 
since  then  has  been  a  Republican.  He  has 
served  the  town  of  Troy  in  the  capacity  of 
selectman,  treasurer,  clerk,  and  auditor  for 
many  years,  and  from  1889  to  1893  was  the 
postmaster  of  Troy,  and  in  1893  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  board  of  school  directors. 

He  enUsted  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil 
war,  but  as  he  was  under  age  and  could  not 
obtain  his  father's  consent  he  remained  at 
home. 

He  is  a  member  of  Masonic  Union  Lodge, 
No.  16,  of  Troy,  and  in  his  religious  prefer- 
ences affiliates  with  the  Methodist  church. 

He  possesses  rare  executive  ability,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  successful  business  men  in 
( )rleans  count  v. 


PART  III 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  SONS  OF  VERMONT. 


ALLBEE,  Burton  H.,  of  Springfield, 
Mass.,  son  of  Hiram  S.  and  Biglovv  Allbee, 
was  born  at  Andover,  Feb.  9,  1866. 


His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  and 
in  acquiring  his  education  in  the  graded 
schools  of  Springfield.  His  journalistic  ca- 
reer began  with  local  work  upon  various 
state  newspapers  and  the  authorship  of  tren- 
chant articles  on  Vermont  and  her  advan- 
tages and  agriculture.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  the  earliest  advocate  of  a  State  Bureau 
of  Emigration,  and  became  the  proprietor  of 
the  Vermont  Monthly,  devoted  to  the  re- 
sources and  possibilities  of  the  state.  Later 
he  founded  and  disposed  of  the  Teachers' 
Journal,  the  only  educational  journal  in  the 
state.  From  18S9  to  1892  he  was  occupied 
in  local  work  and  corres]3ondence  upon  the 
Springfield  (A't.)  Reporter,  Bellows  Falls 
Times,  Boston  Journal,  Herald,  Globe  and 


Record,  the  Springfield  (Mass.)  Republican, 
Manchester  Union,  and  editing  the  Teachers' 
Journal.  In  November,  1S91,  he  began  con- 
tributions to  "Stone"  of  Indianapolis,  on  the 
mineral  resources  of  the  state,  a  subject  to 
which  he  had  given  considerable  attention, 
and  had  made  an  extensive  collection  of  the 
economic  minerals  of  the  state.  The  result 
of  this  work  brought  him  the  editorship  of 
"Stone  and  Milling,"  which  he  resigned  to 
assume  an  editorial  chair  on  the  Indianapo- 
lis Sentinel.  .After  fourteen  months'  service, 
ending  with  the  city  editorship  of  the  paper, 
he  was  called  to  the  city  editor's  chair  on 
the  Springfield  (Mass.)  Homestead,  and  also 
the  commercial  editorship  of  the  New  I'^ng- 
land  and  New  York  Homesteads  and  Farm 
and  Home,  which  position  he  still  occupies. 
Mr.  Allbee  was  married  Dec.  18,  i88g,  to 
Emma,  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Sarah  T- 
Goldsmith  of  Weathersfield  Center.  From 
this  union  was  one  child:  ^\'illiam  Gokl- 
smith. 

ABBOTT,  George  B.,  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  the  present  surrogate  of  Kings  county, 
N.  Y.,  was  born  at  Brookfield,  Sept.  27,  1S50. 

His  parents  removed  to  Brooklyn  in  his 
youth,  and  he  was  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Polytechnic  Institute  in  that  city.  His 
academic  education  was  completed  at  ^\"\\\- 
iams  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1872. 
He  then  traveled  in  Europe,  and  on  his  re- 
turn to  New  York  entered  upon  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Abraham  R.  Lawrence, 
now  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
that  city,  and  also  studied  in  the  law  school 
of  Columbia  College,  from  which  institution 
he  received  the  degree  of  L.  L.  B.  in  1S74. 
He  at  once  began  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  in  i88i,upon  the  retirement 
of  the  late  Henry  J.  Cullen,  Jr.,  from  that 
office,  he  was  appointed  public  administrator 
in  Kings  county,  and  received  a  re-appoint- 
ment to  the  same  position  in  1886. 

On  February  9,  1889,  Mr.  .\bbott  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Hill  to  the  office  of 
surrogate  of  Kings  county  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  bv  the  death  of  Surrogate  .Abraham 


<U^A^J9.    GUU-r^-iT^" 


],ott.  At  the  general  election  in  November 
of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  surrogate  for 
a  full  term  of  six  years,  beginning  on  Jan.  i, 
1890,  when  his  term  by  appointment  expired. 

The  amount  of  business  done  annually  in 
the  Kings  county  surrogate's  court  and  the 
value  of  the  property  administered  under  its 
direction  make  that  tribunal  the  most  im- 
portant probate  court  in  the  land,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  surrogate's  court  in 
New  York  City.  Speaking  of  Judge  .Abbott's 
character  as  a  judicial  officer,  "  The  Surro- 
gate," a  monthly  journal  devoted  to  subjects 
connected  with  the  probate  law,  said,  last 
year :  "  Even  the  limited  time  which  has 
elapsed  since  Mr.  Abbott's  promotion  to  the 
bench  has  been  sufficient  to  demonstrate  his 
exceptional  fitness  for  the  high  post  he 
occupies.  We  have  already  spoken  of  his 
mastery  of  the  peculiar  practice  and  pro- 
ceedure  of  courts  of  probate.  This  gives 
him  an  ease  and  facility  in  disposing  of 
routine  business  not  easily  acquired  except 
by  years  of  experience  on  the  bench.  In 
the  higher  qualities  of  the  judicial  office  he 
has  manifested  a  vigorous  industry,  a  degree 
of  painstaking  care,  a  perfect  fairness  and  a 
knowledge  of  legal  principles  and  how  to 
apply  them  which  has  already  won  for  him 
the  confidence  and  approbation  of  lawyers, 
litigants  and  the  public,  and  assure  him  a 
career  of  the  most  honorable  distinction 
among  the  surrogates  of  this  state." 

Judge  Abbott,  in  addition  to  his  city  resi- 
dence, is  the  owner  of  a  fine  cottage  at 
Shelter  Island,  where  he  spends  his  summer 
vacation ;  and  he  is  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  social  life  of  Brooklyn,  being  a  member 
of  the  Brooklyn,  Hamilton,  Excelsior  and 
Germania  Clubs  there  and  of  the  University 
Club  in  New  Votk. 

On  Nov.  20,  1878,  he  married  Miss  Eva 
T.  Reene  of  Brooklyn,  and  has  two  charm- 
ing children  :  a  girl  eleven  years  old  and  a 
boy  six,  to  whom  he  is  devoted. 

ALFORD,  ALONZO,  of  Brooklyn,  N. 
Y.,son  of  Ammi  and  Clarissa  (White)  Alford, 
was  born  in  St.  Albans,  Jan.  28,  1837. 

He  received  the  educational  advantages 
of  the  schools  of  St.  .\lbans,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty  took  a  position  with  A.  (1.  Strong, 
hardware  merchant  of  Burlington,  and  after 
four  years  removed  to  New  Haven,  Conn., 
and  engaged  in  the  flour  and  grain  business 
with  Wadhams  &  j\Ierwin.  In  1863  he 
located  in  New  York,  was  a  salesman  for  Mer- 
win  &  Bray,  predecessors  of  Merwin,  Hulbert 
&  Co.,  and  a  few  years  later  having  become 
interested  in  the  Ballard  Rifle  Manufactur- 
ing Co.,  was  chosen  treasurer  and  manager 
of  that  concern,  and  subsequently  organized 
the  house  of  .Alford,  Berkele  &  Clapp,  which 
firm,  besides  carrying  on  its  own  business  as 


jobbers  of  fire-arms,  was  the  New  York 
distributing  agents  of  E.  Remington  &  Sons, 
predecessors  of  the  Remington  Arms  Co.  In 
187 1,  when  the  Remingtons  opened  their 
New  York  warerooms,  Mr.  .\lford  was  placed 
in  charge  of  them  as  general  manager,  oc- 
cupying that  position  for  eight  years,  and 
then  purchased  the  business  from  the  then 
embarrassed  company,  and  conducted  it 
successfully  for  two  years,  when  he  sold  it 
back  to  the  Remingtons  and  resumed  his 
old  position  as  manager.  1 88 1  he  resigned 
this  position,  purchased  the  controlling  in- 
terest in  a  tool  and  cutlery  manufactory  in 
Massachusetts,  and  established  warerooms 
in  New  York  for  the  sale  of  these  wares. 
The  success  of  this  concern  began  from  the 


first,  and  in  1883  it  was  incorporated  under 
the  title  of  the  Alford  &  Berkele  Co.,  with 
Mr.  Alford  as  president,  a  position  which  he 
still  occupies.  In  1887  the  Alford  &  Berkele 
Co.  bought  out  the  Avery  Sewing  Machine 
Co.,  and  organized  the  Avery  Sewing  Ma- 
chine .\gency,  Mr.  Alford  being  elected 
president  and  holding  the  position  at  the 
present  time,  June  30,  1893. 

Mr  Alford  is  a  Republican,  and  since  his 
residence  in  Brooklyn  has  been  chairman  of 
the  Ward  Association,  member  of  the  gen- 
eral committee,  and  a  liberal  supporter  of 
his  party. 

He  is  a  member  and  one  of  the  deacons 
of  the  Central  Congregational  Church  of 
Brooklyn  ;  a  member  of  the  Congregational 


Club,  the  Sons  of  Temperance  ;  for  twenty 
years  a  member  of  the  directory  of  the  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  ;  a  director  of  the  Congregational 
Church  Building  Society,  and  of  the  City 
Mission  and  Tract  Society,  and  president  of 
the  Mercantile  Benefit  Association.  He  is  a 
prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow ;  was 
treasurer  of  the  Amateur  Rifle  Club  during 
its  existence,  and  a  life  member  of  the 
National  Rifle  Association,  out  of  which  was 
organized  the  American  Rifle  Team,  which 
distinguished  itself  at  Dollymount,  Wimble- 
don and  Creedmoor. 

Mr.  Alford  was  united  in  marriage  at  fSer-- 
nardston,  Mass.,  Feb.  i,  i860,  to  Chloe  Cor- 
nelia, daughter  of  Henry  and  Sylvina  A. 
(Hale)  Slate.  Mrs.  Alford  is  an  active 
Christian  worker,  and  is  treasurer  of  the 
National  N.  P.  \V.  C.  T.  U.,  and  for  many 
years  was  the  publisher  of  the  official  organ 
of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  Our  Union,  now  the 
Union  Signal,  and  at  present  pubhsher  of 
the  Temperance  Tribune. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written  Mr.  Alford 
has  retired  from  business,  and  has  taken  up 
his  residence  at  Bernardston,  Mass.,  where 
he  has  a  comfortable  country  home. 

ALFORD,  Albert  Gallatin,  of  Balti- 
more, Md.,  son  of  Ammi  and  Clarissa  G. 
(White)  Alford,  was  born  at  St.  Albans,  Oct. 
14,  1847,  and  afterwards  removed  to  ^^'ater- 
ville. 

Death  breaking  up  his  parents'  home 
while  he  was  yet  a  boy,  Mr.  Alford  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  having  had 
only  the  advantages  of  the  village  schools. 
After  a  short  time  spent  in  the  American 
Hotel  at  Burlington  he  went  to  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  to  learn  a  trade.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Engineer 
Corps  at  New  Haven,  Feb.  21,  1S65,  and 
served  three  years,  having  been  promoted 
an  artificer.  A  taste  for  military  life  has 
always  been  fostered ;  and  while  living  in 
Chicago  in  1874,  he  enlisted  in  ist  Regt.  111. 
N.  G.,  and  was  rapidly  promoted,  holding  a 
lieutenant's  commission  at  the  time  of  his 
resignation  when  he  moved  to  Baltimore ; 
and  from  1886  to  1893  held  the  office  of 
captain,  ordnance  officer  and  inspector  of 
rifle  practice  in  ist  Regt.,  Md.  N.  G. 

In  business  life  he  early  became  connected 
with  the  great  firm  of  gun  manufacturers,  E. 
Remington  &  Sons,  and  from  1874  to  1883 
was  their  manager  of  the  arms  department 
in  Chicago  and  later  general  manager  of 
their  entire  business  in  Baltimore,  when  in 
1883  he  established  the  great  sporting 
goods  house  now  known  as  the  A.  G.  Alford 
Sporting  Goods  Co. 

Mr.  Alford  has  occupied  a  leading  part  in 
social  organizations  and  societies.  From  the 
George  H.  Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Chica- 


go, he  was  transferred  to  Custer  Post,  No.  6, 
of  Maryland,  in  1879,  i"  which  post  he  served 
as  commander  ;  also  as  assistant  inspector 
general  ;  two  terms  on  commander-in-chiefs 
staff;  junior  vice-department  commander  of 
Maryland  in  1882  ;  and  has  served  continu- 
ously as  department  and  national  officer  from 
1880  to  1 89 1  in  positions  mentioned,  and 
also  as  chief  mustering  officer  and  A.  D.  C. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and 
U.  S.  Benevolent  Fraternity  :  of  the  latter  he 
is  one  of  the  supreme  officers. 


ALBERT    GALLATIN 


Mr.  Alford  has  never  sought  political  pre- 
ferment, but  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and  in  1893  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the 
Republicans  of  his  ward  for  first  branch  city 
council,  and  although  this  ward  was  over  five 
hundred  Democratic  the  year  previous,  was 
defeated  by  only  thirty-three  votes. 

In  1886  he  married  Clara  Augusta,  daugh- 
ter of  William  T.  and  Margaret  Robinson,  of 
Baltimore,  and  has  two  daughters  :  Delia  R. 
and  Bessie  P.  Mrs.  Alford  is  the  depart- 
ment treasurer  of  the  Women's  Relief  Corps, 
and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  department. 

ALLEN,  JOHN  Clayton,  of  Lincoln, 
Neb.,  son  of  John  H.  Allen,  was  born  in 
Hinesburg,  Feb.  14,  i860. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  Hines- 
burg Academy  and  graduated  from  the  New 
Haven  .Academy,  when  he  associated  himself 
with  his  father  in  the  lumber  and  harness  busi- 
ness in  his  native  town  and  there  continued 


until  1881.  Remoxing  to  Lincoln,  Xeb.,  in 
March,  1881,  he  entered  the  wholesale  grocery 
house  of  Raymond  Bros.  &  Co.,  representing 
that  firm  in  southwestern  Nebraska  and  east- 
ern Colorado,  where  he  remained  until  1886. 
In  that  year,  Mr.  .-Mien  entered  into  business 
on  his  own  account  at  McCook,  Red  Willow 
county,  Neb.,  and  built  up  one  of  the  largest 
wholesale  and  retail  general  merchandise 
houses  in  southwestern  Nebraska,  which  he 
continued  until  1892. 


JOHN    CLAYTON    ALLEN. 

Politically,  Mr.  .\llen  has  held  true  to  his 
early  training  and  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  was  elected  a  councilman 
in  the  city  of  McCook  in  the  fall  of  1886, 
and  served  two  terms  of  two  years  each, 
being  president  of  the  council  during  the  en- 
tire term  of  his  incumbency  and  acting  mayor 
for  six  months,  resigning  that  office  at  the 
time  of  his  election  as  secretary  of  state.  In 
1890,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican 
state  convention  for  the  office  of  secretary  of 
state,  and  was  elected  over  four  other  con- 
testants with  a  plurality  of  3,800. 

In  1892  he  was  renominated  by  acclama- 
tion by  the  Republican  state  convention  for 
a  second  term,  and  was  elected  by  21,209 
plurality  votes  over  four  others.  Mr.  Allen 
has  always  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 
stanchest  Republicans  and  one  of  the  best 
informed  politicians  of  Nebraska,  and  natur- 
ally has  a  large  following.  He  is  looked 
upon  as  a  representative  of  the  business  in- 
terests   of    Nebraska,    and    he    has    ahvavs 


enjoyed  the  confidence  and  support  of  the 
business  men  irrespective  of  political  opinion. 

He  is  a  member  of  Willow  Grove  Lodge, 
No.  42,  K.  of  P.,  McCook,  Neb.,  and  a 
member  of  the  Commercial  Pilgrims  of 
.\merica. 

Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
August,  1 88 1,  to  Abbie  Stapleford  of  Ver- 
mont, 111.,  a  niece  of  ex-Attorney  Ceneral 
C.  J.  Dilworth  of  Nebraska.  The  issue  of 
this  marriage  is:  Ralph  C,  born  Se])t.  i, 
18S3. 

ALLEN,  John  Clarence,  of  Brooklyn, 

N.  Y.,  son  of  Rufus  C.  and  Sabrina  (York) 
.Allen,  was  born  July  28,  184S,  at  Wallingford. 
Mr.  Allen  is  from  an  ancestry  distinguished 
in  religious  constancy.     His  mother  and  her 


CLARENCE    ALLEN. 


ancestors  for  generations  were  Baptists ; 
while  his  father  and  mother  were  active 
Christians  from  their  youth,  and  sang  to- 
gether in  church  for  thirty-five  years.  Love 
of  music  and  skill  in  it  are  family  charac- 
teristics, no  less  than  church  work.  Mr. 
Allen's  sister  Fanny  is  the  wife  of  T.  J. 
Whitaker  of  Brooklyn. 

He  was  educated  at  the  Wallingford  high 
school  and  Black  River  Academy  at  Ludlow, 
and  was  graduated  with  highest  oratorical 
and  other  honors  at  Madison  (now  Colgate) 
L'niversity  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  in  1874. 
Mr.  .Allen  entered  upon  his  first  pastorate  in 
Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1875.  Success  crowned 
his  efforts.     Following  this  work    he  served 


the  First  Church  (Baptists)  of  Elizabeth, 
N.  J.,  for  five  and  a  half  years,  performing 
loyal  work,  baptizing  many  and  raising  the 
church.  The  earnest  call  of  the  Hanson 
Place  Baptist  Church  drew  Mr.  Allen  to 
Brooklyn.  Here  his  tireless  devotion  and 
energy  found  wide  scope.  During  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  1885  he  remodelled  the 
main  audience  room  and  erected  lecture  and 
Sunday  school  rooms,  fitting  them  with  es- 
sential modern  appliances  for  church  work. 
In  the  first  year  of  the  pastorate  the  entire 
church  debt  was  pledged  and  paid  off, 
amounting  to  $40,000.  During  Mr.  Allen's 
ministry  thus  far  he  has  baptized  over  five 
hundred  souls,  and  has  been  the  means  of 
securing  over  $125,000  for  the  use  of  the 
Baptist  denomination,  and  has  borne  an 
honorable  part  in  the  formation  and  work  of 
the  Brooklyn  Baptist  Extension  Society. 

His  activity  in  temperance  and  other  re- 
form work  has  been  highly  commendable. 
At  the  national  Prohibition  convention,  at 
Cincinnati,  in  1S92,  he  was  a  delegate.  To 
many  social  organizations  he  has  lent  his 
earnest  support  and  membership.  Among 
them  are  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  of 
New  '\'ork  ;  the  American  Institute  of  Civ- 
ics ;  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  :  Brook- 
lyn Baptist  Social  Union  ;  Brooklyn  Society 
of  Vermonters  ;  and  the  New  York  Alumni 
Association  of  Colgate  University,  of  which 
he  is  president. 

Mr.  x'Vllen  was  married  in  1874  to  Julia  I., 
daughter  of  Rev.  Charles  T.  and  Irene 
(Buell)  Johnson. 

ANN  IS,    Jere    Wright,    of   Osage, 

Iowa,  son  of  A.  \\".  and  Laura  (Hodgkin) 
Annis,  was  born  in  AVestfield,  Jan.  22,  1844. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  the  Westfield 
.Academy. 

Upon  attaining  his  majoritv  he  removed 
to  Osage,  Iowa,  and  there  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  E.  O.  Hitchcock  in  the  mercantile 
business,  which  was  successfully  conducted 
until  1868,  when  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Judge  Hitchcock  and  J.  H.  Johnson, 
and  conducted  a  large  hardware  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Johnson  &  Annis, 
which  was  continued  until  1885,  when  he  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  assistant  cashier 
of  the  Osage  National  Bank,  which  was  fol- 
lowed in  1 89 1  by  his  promotion  to  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier,  a  position  he  still  holds,  as 
well  as  a  directorship  in  the  same  institution. 

Politically  Mr.  Annis  has  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  at  the  hands  of 
his  party  was  honored  by  an  election  to  the 
mayoralty  of  Osage  in  1881,  and  again  in 
1893,  being  the  present  mayor.  He  is  pre- 
sident of  the  Osage  Board  of  Trade,  presi- 
dent of  the  Mitchell  County  Farmers'  ]\Iutual 


Fire   Insurance    Company   and  Agricultural 
Society. 

He  is  a  member  of  Osage  Lodge,  No.  102, 
F.  &  .\.  M,,  and  Osage  Chapter,  No.  36,  and 
is  Eminent  Commander  of  Coeur  de  Leon 
Commandery,  No.  19. 


JERE    WRIGHT  ANNIS. 

Mr.  Annis  was  united  in  marriage  Nov.  24, 
1864,  at  \\'estfield,  to  Lucia  S.,  daughter  of 
Hiram  and  Harriet  Hitchcock.  Four  child- 
ren ha^•e  blessed  this  union  :  Franklin  W., 
Fanny,  Laura  L.,  and  Homer  B. 

ARTHUR,  Chester  .4.,  late  President 
of  the  L'nited 
States,  was  born 
in  Fa  i  r  fi  e  Id, 
Oct.  5,  1830, 
the  son  of  Rev. 
Dr.  William 
:  •*^"*'*  .Arthur.    The 

educational  an- 
tecedents and 
scholarly  tastes 
of  Dr.  Arthur 
induced  h  i  m 
to  give  his  elder 
son,  Chester  A., 
a  thorough 
course  of  in- 
struction in  the 
best  schools  of  L'nion  Milage  and  Schenec- 
tady, N.  V.  Classical  preparation  for  college 
he  made  his  own  especial  care,  and  with  such 
success  that  the  future  President  was  fitted  for 


matriculation  at  I'nion  College  when  only  fif- 
teen years  old.  Honorably  graduating  with 
the  class  of  184S,  young  Arthur  selected  the 
profession  of  law  for  his  future  activities,  and 
l)egan  the  requisite  studies  in  Fowler's  Law 
School  at  Ballston  Spa.  In  1853  he  re- 
paired to  the  city  of  New  York,  entered  the 
law  office  of  ex-Judge  K.  D.  Culver,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  the  same  year,  and  com- 
menced professional  practice. 

-Mr.  Arthur's  earliest  opportunity  of  legal 
distinction  was  in  connection  with  the  fa- 
mous slave  case  of  Jonathan  Lemmon  of  Mr- 
ginia.  Lemmon  had  attempted  to  carry 
eight  slaves  through  New  York  on  his  way 
to  Texas.  His  right  to  do  this  was  disputed 
on  the  ground  that  they  were  free  because  of 
his  voluntarily  bringing  them  into  free  ter- 
ritory. The  case  was  tried  on  a  case  of 
habeas  corpus  before  Judge  Payne  who 
ordered  the  slaves  to  be  released.  The  judge 
affirmed  that  they  could  neither  be  held  to 
servitude  in  New  York,  nor  relegated  to 
slavery  under  the  provisions  of  the  fugitive 
slave  act.  The  Supreme  Court  of  New  York 
sustained  his  decision,  as  did  the  Court  of 
Appeals.  Not  less  honorable  to  Mr.  Arthur 
■was  the  defence  of  the  legal  rights  of  the 
colored  people  in  1S56,  when  he  was  coun- 
sel for  Lizzie  Jennings,  a  colored  girl  who 
had  been  forcibly  ejected  from  a  street  car 
after  she  had  paid  her  fare.  A  verdict 
against  the  company  was  obtained. 

Mr.  Arthur's  genius  was  naturally  inclined 
to  the  science  and  art  of  politics — in  the  true 
sense  of  that  much  abused  phrase.  His  first 
active  associations  were  with  the  Henry  Clay 
Whigs.  Of  the  Saratoga  convention,  which 
founded  the  Republican  party  in  New  York, 
he  was  a  member.  Military  affairs  also  in- 
terested him.  Prior  to  the  outburst  of  the 
secessionist  rebellion  he  held  the  office  of 
judge-advocate  of  the  second  brigade  of  the 
state  militia.  Under  Governor  Morgan  he 
was  raised,  in  i860,  to  the  position  of  engin- 
eer-in-chief of  the  staff.  Subsequently  he 
was  made  inspector-general,  and  next  quar- 
termaster-general of  the  state  militia.  This 
latter  office  he  held  until  the  close  of  Gov- 
ernor Morgan's  magistracy  in  1863.  In  per- 
formance of  his  official  functions  he  equipped, 
supplied  and  forwarded  the  immense  number 
of  troops  demanded  from  his  state.  Intelli- 
gent, sagacious,  vigorous  and  always  incor- 
ruptible, his  military  administration  was 
notably  brilliant  and  successful. 

General  Arthur  returned  to  legal  practice 
in  1863.  His  business  was  largely  that  of 
collecting  claims  against  the  government. 
In  legislative  affairs  he  was  also  greatly  in- 
fluential. Many  important  enactments  were 
drafted  by  him,  and  to  his  labors  their 
adoption  at  Albany  and  Washington  was 
mainly  due.     For  a  brief  period  he  acted  as 


counsel  of  the  New  ^■ork  board  of  commis- 
sioners. In  local  politics  he  soon  became 
an  efficient  factor.  By  President  Grant  he 
was  appointed  collector  of  customs  at  the 
port  of  New  York  on  the  20th  of  November, 
187 1.  A  second  appointment  to  the  same 
office  followed  in  1875,  ^"d  ^^-s  at  once  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate,  without  the  customary 
formality  of  reference  to  a  committee.  Dif- 
ficulties between  himself  and  President 
Hayes  occurred  in  1877,  in  consequence  of 
an  order  issued  by  the  latter,  which  pro- 
hibited persons  in  the  civil  service  of  the 
general  government  from  personal  activity 
in  political  management.  This  injunction 
was  specially  onerous  on  General  Arthur, 
who  was  then  chairman  of  the  Republican 
central  committee  of  New  York  City,  and 
also  on  Naval  Officer  A.  B.  Cornell,  who  was 
chairman  of  the  state  central  committee. 
Both  refused  to  comply,  and  both  were  sus- 
pended from  office  in  July,  1878.  The  suc- 
cessor to  General  Arthur,  appointed  after 
his  suspension,  was  confirmed  in  the  ensuing 
session  of  the  L'nited  States  Senate.  A 
previous  attempt  to  eftect  Arthur's  removal 
had  failed,  through  refusal  on  the  part  of  the 
Senate  to  confirm  the  nominee  of  President 
Hayes.  No  oflncial  dereliction  could  be 
detected  by  either  of  two  special  committees 
who  investigated  the  administration  of  the 
office.  The  probity  of  his  official  acts  was 
unquestionable,  and  was  freely  acknowledged 
by  the  superiors  who  sought  to  oust  him 
from  office.  The  public  desired  his  reten- 
tion. All  the  judges  of  the  New  York  courts, 
most  of  the  leading  members  of  the  bar,  and 
nearly  all  the  mercantile  importers  in  the 
city  signed  a  petition  asking  that  he  might 
be  continued  in  office.  But  he  himself  sup- 
pressed the  petition.  The  only  accusation 
against  him  was  that  he  had  disregarded 
the  President's  injunction  to  refrain,  in  com- 
mon with  all  civil  servants  of  the  public, 
from  active  political  management.  In  a 
letter  addressed  to  Secretary  Sherman  he 
showed  that  during  the  six  years  of  his 
administration  as  collector  at  New  York  he 
had  removed  only  two  and  three-fourths  per 
cent,  of  the  whole  number  of  subordinate 
officials,  while  the  percentage  of  removals 
under  his  three  immediate  predecessors 
average  no  less  than  28  per  cent.  He  also 
showed  that  in  ninety-seven  out  of  one  hun- 
dred appointments  to  important  positions, 
having  a  salary  of  §2,000  or  more,  he  had 
raised  the  incumbents  from  the  lower  grades 
of  the  service  on  the  recommendation  of  the 
heads  of  the  several  bureaus.  His  fidelity 
to  the  best  interests  of '  the  public  could 
scarcely  have  been  more  apparent. 

Returning  to  pri\ate  life,  General  Arthur 
again  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  the  city 
of  New  York.     He  also  zealouslv  guided  the 


movements  of  his  political  associates,  and 
assisted  in  the  nomination  and  election  of 
Mr.  A.  B.  Cornell  to  the  gubernatorial  chair 
of  the  state.  He  and  Roscoe  Conklingwere 
closely  allied  in  the  effort  to  secure  the  nom- 
ination of  General  Grant  to  a  third  term  in 
the  presidency  of  the  national  Republican 
convention  held  at  Chicago  in  i<S8o.  Their 
lack  of  success,  singularly  enough,  prepared 
the  way  for  his  own  nomination  to  the  vice- 
presidency.  James  A.  Garfield  was  selected 
for  the  national  chief  magistracy,  and  Chester 
A.  Arthur  for  the  second  position.  The 
latter  was  nominated  by  acclamation.  In 
the  exciting  canvass  that  followed  he  was 
one  of  the  principal  managers.  In  his  own 
state,  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  central 
committee,  he  was  particularly  effective.  His 
presidency  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  during  the  special  session  which 
began  the  4th  of  March,  1881,  was  charac- 
terized by  great  personal  dignity.  In  the 
contest  between  President  Garfield  and  U. 
S.  Senator  Conkling  over  civil  appointments 
in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  particularly 
over  the  nomination  of  Judge  A\'illiam  H. 
Robertson  to  the  coUectorship  of  New  York, 
he  declined  to  participate.  He  did,  how- 
ever, in  harmony  with  that  faithfulness  to 
private  friendships,  which  was  one  of  his 
most  conspicuous  and  attractive  traits,  re- 
pair to  Albany  after  the  New  York  senators 
had  resigned,  in  order  to  co-operate  in  their 
re-election.  While  the  issue  was  yet  unde- 
termined. President  Garfield  was  assassi- 
nated. The  pistol  of  Guiteau  prevented 
further  electioneering  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Conk- 
ling. General  Arthur  was  o^•erwhel^led  by 
the  deepest  grief  over  the  terrible  tragedy. 

The  death  of  President  Clarfield  was  an- 
nounced to  General  Arthur  by  telegraph  at 
New  York.  The  members  of  the  cabinet 
expressed  the  wish  that  he  would  repair  to 
Long  Branch  on  the  following  morning. 
This  he  did.  But  before  his  departure,  and 
in  harmony  with  the  advice  of  his  friends,  he 
took  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the 
United  States  in  his  own  house,  about  2  a.  m. 
of  September  20,  before  one  of  the  judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York.  From 
Long  Branch  he  accompanied  the  remains 
of  his  deceased  predecessor  to  Washington. 
There  he  was  formally  sworn  into  office  be- 
fore the  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  on  the  22d  of  Septem- 
ber, and  briefly  stated  his  own  appreciation 
of  the  grave  possibilities  devolved  upon  him. 
His  first  official  act  on  the  same  day  was  to 
proclaim  a  day  of  general  mourning  for  the 
lamented  Garfield.  A  special  session  of  the 
Senate  was  convoked,  to  begin  on  the  loth 
of  October,  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  a 
presiding  officer  and  of  confirming  such  ap- 
pointments  as   might  be   submitted.      The 


members  of  the  cabinet  were  requested  to 
retain  their  portfolios  until  the  regular  meet- 
ing of  Congress  in  December.  All  of  them 
consented  to  do  so  with  the  exception  of 
Secretary  Windom  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment, who  insisted  on  resigning  in  order 
that  he  might  become  a  candidate  for  the 
Senate  from  Minnesota.  Ex-Gov.  E.  D. 
Morgan,  of  New  York,  was  nominated  and 
promptly  confirmed  as  his  successor.  On 
the  declinture  of  the  latter  gentleman  to 
serve.  Chief  Judge  Folger,  of  the  New  York 
Court  of  Appeals,  was  chosen  and  confirmed 
in  his  room. 

After  his  accession  to  the  presidency 
General  Arthur  made  official  changes  in  a 
gradual  and  cautious  manner.  Robert  T. 
Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  son  of  the  martyr  Presi- 
dent, was  retained  in  the  secretaryship  of 
war.  All  the  other  members  of  the  cabinet 
were  replaced  by  different  statesmen.  In 
February,  1882,  he  nominated  Roscoe 
Conkling  to  the  vacancy  on  the  bench  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  but  after  that  gentleman 
had  been  confirmed  by  the  Senate  he  re- 
spectfully declined  to  accept  the  elevation.  In 
August  President  Arthur  nominated  General 
U.  S.  Grant  as  one  of  two  commissioners  to  be 
appointed  to  negotiate  a  commercial  treaty 
with  Mexico.  In  all  the  legislation  of  that 
and  the  following  year  he  was  a  wise  and 
judicious  factor.  The  foreign  relations  of 
the  government  were  undisturbed  and  satis- 
factory. The  "Monroe  Doctrine"  was  again 
asserted  by  him  in  relation  to  the  canal 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama — the  neutral- 
ity of  which  naturally  and  rightfully  falls 
under  the  protectorate  of  the  United  States 
— in  correspondence  with  the  British  gov- 
ernment. On  May  9,  1883,  he  approved 
and  promulgated  the  rules  of  the  civil  ser- 
vice, under  which  demonstrated  fitness  is  the 
only  condition  of  continuance  in  office. 

President  Arthur's  administration  was  at- 
tended by  the  unexampled  prosperity  of  the 
people.  Whether  in  the  meetings  of  his 
cabinet,  at  his  weekly  receptions,  or  in  Sab- 
bath worship  at  the  church,  he  was  ever  the 
same  gentle  and  unobtrusive  gentleman. 
But  beneath  this  quietude  of  aspect  was  an 
enormous  reserve  of  power.  Holding  an 
office  to  which  he  was  only  indirectly  elected, 
he  exercised  its  functions  in  a  manner  that 
challenged  the  unfeigned  admiration  of  all 
observers.  None  of  the  fears  entertained  by 
some  at  the  epoch  of  his  accession  were 
realized.  He  fulfilled  the  highest  hopes  of 
those  who  knew  him  best.  The  respect  and 
gratitude  of  the  nation  were  justly  and 
freely  accorded  to  him.  The  simplicity, 
the  strength,  the  dignity,  the  wisdom  of  his 
patriotic  service  are  acknowledged  on  all 
hands. 


Chester  A.  Arthur  was  married  in  1859  to 
Ellen  Lewis,  daughter  of  Captain  William 
Lewis  Herndon,  of  Fredericksburg,  Va., 
Mrs.  Arthur  died  in  January,  1880,  leaving 
two  children,  viz. :  Chester  A.,  aged  fifteen, 
and  Ellen  Herndon,  aged  eight  years. 
President  Arthur  died  in  New  ^■ork  Nov.  18, 
1886. 

ARNOLD,  Lemuel  H.,  was  born  in  St. 
Johnsbury,  Jan.  29,  1792,  and  removed  to 
Rhode  Island  at  an  early  age.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Dartmouth  College  in  181 1,  was 
educated  for  the  bar,  but  turned  his  attention 
to  mercantile  pursuits.  In  1S31  he  was 
elected  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  and  re- 
elected in  1832  ;  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Governor's  council  during  the  Dorr  rebel- 
lion in  1842,  was  a  representative  in  Con- 
gress from  1845  to  184/1  and  died  in  Kings- 
ton, R.  I.,  June  27,  1852. 

ATWOOD,  Harrison  Henry,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  son  of  Peter  Clark  and  Helen 
Marion  (Aldrich)  .^twood,  was  born  in  North 
Londonderry,  .August  26,  1863. 


HARRISON    HENRY    ATWOOD. 

Soon  after  his  birth  his  parents  located  in 
Boston,  where  his  school  training  was  obtain- 
ed. He  graduated  from  the  Phillips  gram- 
mar school  in  1877,  and  immediately  entered 
the  law  office  of  Godfrey  Morse  and  John  R. 
Bullard.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  took  u]) 
the  study  and  practice  of  architecture  as  his 
chosen  profession,  and  became  a  student  of 


Mr.  Samuel  J.  F.  Thayer,  where  he  remained 
for  four  years,  and  after  spending  one  year  in 
the  office  of  .Mr.  (ieorge  A.  Clough,  ex-city 
architect,  he  began  practice  in  the  fall  of 
1886,  his  prize  designs  for  the  Suffolk 
county  court  house  and  the  public  library 
being  his  best  work  as  a  student.  Aiter  com- 
mencing practice  he  was  at  various  times 
employed  by  the  city  of  Chelsea,  on  public 
work,  and  established  a  reputation  for  thor- 
oughness and  care,  his  First  National  Bank 
building  in  Chelsea  being  the  finest  and 
most  expensive  building  in  the  city.  In  May, 
1889,  he  was  appointed  by  Hon.  Thomas  N. 
Hart,  mayor  of  Boston,  as  city  architect,  in 
which  position  he  served  during  Mayor  Hart's 
administration,  being  re-appointed  in  1890. 
\\'hile  city  architect  he  completed  the  legacies 
in  the  way  of  unfinished  public  buildings  left 
by  former  administrations,  viz. :  The  Horace 
Mann  School  for  Deaf  Mutes,  the  South  Bos- 
ton grammar  school,  the  Ro.xbury  high 
school,  and  several  minor  buildings  ;  and  the 
new  work  laid  out,  completed  or  placed  un- 
der contract  during  his  term  of  office  com- 
prise four  of  the  finest  public  school  buildings 
in  New  England — the  Henry  L.  Pierce  gram- 
mar school ;  the  Prince  primary  school  ;  the 
Bowditch  grammar  school,  and  the  Adams 
primary  school.  All  the  new  work  was  placed 
by  him  in  one  single  contract,  a  method  of 
doing  the  public  business  never  before  or  since 
adopted  by  the  architect  department.  Be- 
sides these  beautiful  school  buildings,  much 
work  was  accomplished  during  these  two 
years  for  the  fire,  police,  water,  sewer  and 
park  departments. 

Mr.  .■\twood  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  1887  from  the  eighth 
Suffolk  representative  district,  was  re-elected 
in  1 888,  and  honored  again  in  1889,  at 
which  election  he  received  the  highest  num- 
ber of  votes  ever  cast  before  or  since  for 
any  representative  candidate,  and  this  too, 
despite  the  fact  that  the  district  was  o\er  a 
thousand  Democratic  majority.  During  his 
service  in  the  Legislature,  his  committee 
appointments  were  among  the  most  im- 
])ortant.  His  work  upon  the  committees  on 
state  house  extension,  liquor  law,  mercantile 
affairs  and  cities  was  most  creditable,  and 
gained  him  much  in  character  and  reputa- 
tion. He  was  elected  an  alternate  delegate 
from  the  old  fourth  congressional  district  to 
the  national  Republican  convention  at 
Chicago  in  1888,  and  was  again  honored  by 
being  chosen  as  a  delegate  to  the  Repub- 
lican national  convention  at  Minneapolis  in 
1892.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican city  committee  of  Boston  since 
1884,  serving  as  its  secretary  for  four  years, 
and  for  the  years  i887-'88  was  a  member  of 
the  Republican  state  committee.  Septem- 
ber 14,  1892,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Re- 


publicans  of  the  new  tenth  Massachusetts 
congressional  district  as  their  standard 
bearer  in  one  of  the  hardest  fought  political 
campaigns  that  Massachusetts  has  witnessed 
in  many  years.  His  dignified  and  manly 
course  throughout  this  most  exciting  con- 
gressional canvass,  and  especially  towards 
those  of  his  own  party  whose  support  was 
given  to  an  independent  Republican  candi- 
date, was  such  as  to  win  even  the  plaudits  of 
his  political  opponents  and  make  even 
keener  the  regret  when  at  the  close  of  what 
was  at  first  considered  a  hopeless  task,  his 


election  was  defeated  by  only  six  hundred 
and  eighty-five  \otes  with  the  independent 
Republicans  attracting  the  support  of  over 
twenty-two  hundred  voters. 

Mr.  .Atwood  is  a  member  of  St.  John's 
Lodge,  F.  &  .\.  M.,  St.  Paul's  Royal  .Arch 
Chapter,  and  Boston  Commandery,  is  also  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  ().  F. 

He  was  married  in  Boston,  Sept.  ii,  1S89, 
to  Clara,  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  John 
.'\ugust  and  Sophie  ( Kupfer)  Stein ;  they 
have  two  sons :  Harrison  Henrv,  Ir.,  and 
.■August  Stein. 


BABCOCK,  JOSEPH  Weeks,  of  Nece- 
dah,  Wis.,  was  born  in  Swanton  Falls,  March 
6,  1S50  ;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Iowa 
in  1S56,  where  he  received  a  common  school 
education  ;  he  is  a  grandson  of  the  late  Hon. 
Joseph  Weeks  of  Richmond,  N.  H.,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  24th  and  25  th  Con- 
gress ;  is  by  occupation  a  lumberman  ;  set- 
tled at  Necedah  in  1S81,  where  he  has  since 
resided  ;  was  elected  to  the  Wisconsin  As- 
sembly in  1888,  and  served  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  incorporations,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1890:  was  elected  to  the  53d 
Congress  as  a  Republican. 

BALDWIN,  Melvin  R.,  of  Duluth, 
Minn.,  was  born  in  Windsor  county,  .April 
12,  1838  :  removed  to  ^\'isconsin  1847  '•  ^^' 
tered  Lawrence  Uni\ersity,  .Appleton,  Wis., 
1855,  remaining  through  the  sophomore 
year  ;  studied  law,  and  then  adopted  civil 
engineering  as  a  profession  ;  was  engaged 
on  Chicago  &  Northwestern  R.  R.  till 
.April  19,  1S61  ;  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany E.,  2d  Wis.  Infantry,  brigaded  with  the 
Iron  Brigade  ;  was  slightly  wounded  at  the 
first,  and  severely  wounded  at  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run  ;  promoted  to  captain  of 
his  company  ;  was  captured  at  Gettysburg 
and  confined  in  Libby,  ;\Iacon,  Georgia, 
Charleston,  and  Columbia,  South  Carolina  ; 
made  two  escapes,  but  was  recaptured,  and 
was  finally  exchanged  after  se\'enteen  months' 
imprisonment.  Engaged  in  operative  rail- 
road work  in  Kansas  after  the  war  ;  was  gen- 
eral superintendent  four  years  ;  removed  to 
Minnesota  in  1875,  and  has  re.sided  in  Du- 
luth since  1885  :  president  of  Duluth  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  since  1886  :  always  a 
Democrat ;  twice  declined  Congressional 
nomination ;  nominated  by  acclamation  in 
August,  1892,  and  was  elected  to  the  53d 
Congress. 

BARBER,  J.  ALLEN.was  born  in  Georgia, 
after  a  partial  course  of  studies  at  the  L^ni- 
versity  of  Vermont,  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted   to    practice    in    1833  ;    in    1837   he 


removed  to  the  then  territory  of  Wisconsin, 
and  settled  at  Lancaster,  where  he  has  since 
practiced.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Constitutional  Convention  of  AVisconsin  in 
1846;  was  elected  to  the  state  .Assembly  of 
Wisconsin  in  1852,  1853  and  1863,  serving 
the  last  year  as  speaker  :  was  elected  to  the 
state  Senate  in  1856  and  1857  :  was  elected 
a  representative  from  Wisconsin  in  the 
42d  Congress,  asa  Republican  :  was  re-elected 
to  the  43d  Congress. 

BARTO,  ALPHONSO,  of  St.  Cloud, 
Minn.,  was  born  in  Hinesburgh  May  27, 
1834,  and  was  the  son  of  AVilliam  R.  and 
Mary  (Gage)   Barto. 

He  was  educated  at  the  district  schools 
and  under  private  instruction.  .At  an  early 
age  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in 
farming,  which  vocation  he  followed  until 
his  enlistment  in  1861.  Upon  his  return 
from  the  war  of  the  rebellion  in  1 864  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  at 
Elgin,  111.  Desiring  to  lead  a  professional 
life  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1S70.  Removing  to  Sauk  Centre, 
Minn.,  in  1869,  he  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  and  has  since  followed  it  with 
great  success  both  there  and  at  St.  Cloud, 
where  he  novy  resides. 

He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  K,  5  2d 
111.  Inf.  Vols.,  in  i86i,andwas  successively- 
promoted  to  second-lieutenant  and  captain. 
Serving  three  years  he  was  mustered  out 
Oct.  25,  1864.  ' 

.A  Republican  in  his  political  beliefs  he  has 
held  many  positions  of  trust  within  the  gifts 
of  the  people  ;  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Kane  county,  111.,  for  three  years,  and 
treasurer  of  the  same  county,  i867-'69;  was 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  Minnesota,  1871  ;  re-elected  in  1872  and 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state  of 
Minnesota  in  1873,  serving  through  a  cred- 
itable administration  until  1S75  ;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  national  convention  which  nomi- 
nated Blaine  in  1884  :  has  held  many  local 
and  state  offices  and  is  now  re£;ister  of  the 


r.ATCHELDER. 


U.  S.  land  office  at  St.  Cloud  ;  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  St.  Cloud  Merchants 
National  Bank,  has  been  a  director  since  its 
organization,  and  is  now  its  vice-president. 

He  married  at  Middlebury,  in  1854,  Har- 
riet E.,  daughter  of  Allen  E.  and  Sarah 
Hitchcock,  of  Whiting.  The  issue  of  this 
union  were:  Mary  E.  (deceased),  Lyman 
R.  (now  judge  of  municipal  court  at  Sauk 
Centre,  Minn.),  and  Harriet  M.  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Barto  died  Oct.  13,  1866,  and  Mr. 
Barto  married  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  Ann  Allen,  of  Ferrisburgh, 
Oct.  17,  1S67.  Of  this  union  was  one 
son,  William  A.,  who  is  now  about  to  grad- 
uate from  the  University  of  Minnesota. 


ALPHONSO    BARTO. 

Governor  Barto  has  been  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  and  first  affiliated  with 
Geneva  Lodge,  No.  139,  at  fiene\a,  111.,  in 
1 86 1,  receiving  the  chapter  degrees  and  was 
exalted  to  a  Royal  .•\rch  Mason  in  Fox  River 
Chapter,  No.  49,  at  St.  Charles,  111.  ;  was 
knighted  in  Sycamore  Commandery,  Syca- 
more, 111.,  and  took  the  Scottish  rite  degrees 
to  the  32d  in  Occidental  Consistory, 
Chicago  ;  and  has  held  nearly  all  the  offices 
within  the  local  and  grand  lodges,  was  grand 
master  of  the  state  in  1 891 -'9 2  ;  is  prominent 
in  G.  A.  R.  circles  and  organized  one  of  the 
first  posts  in  Illinois  at  Elgin  in  1866  and 
was  its  first  commander  ;  has  been  past  dis- 
trict and  department  commander  in  Min- 
nesota :  a  member  of  the  Loyal   Legion,  de- 


partment of  Minnesota,  and  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 

BATCHELUHR,  GEORGE  W.,  of  Fari- 
bault, Minn.,  was  born  in  Danville,  Feb.  18, 
1S26,  the  son  of  John  and  Alice  (Kittredge) 
Batchelder. 

.\fter  the  usual  course  at  the  public  schools 
he  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips  .\cademy, 
Danville,  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Vermont  with  the  class  of  '51,  receiving  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  and  that  of  A.  M.  in  1854  ; 
was  a  member  of  the  Sigma  Phi  and  Phi 
Betta  Kappa  Societies. 

Upon  leaving  college  he  went  to  Windsor, 
where  he  took  charge  of  the  graded  schools 
and  began  the  study  of  the  law  with  the 
Hon.  Warren  Currier.  In  1852  he  removed 
to  Tazelville,  Tenn.,  where  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  Tazelville  Academy  for  a  year,  and 
the  following  year  was  at  the  head  of  Mc- 
Minn  Academy,  Rogersville,  Tenn.,  contin- 
uing his  law  studies  with  the  firm  of  Hall  & 
Walker.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1854  and  returned  to  Vermont  for  a  short 
visit.  Resolved  to  follow  the  advice  of 
Horace  Greeley,  he  "went  West"  and  for  a 


BATCHELDER. 


short  time  practiced  his  profession  at  Janes- 
ville.  Wis.,  but  later  in  1855  prospected  in 
Minnesota  (then  a  territory),  locating  at 
the  new  town  of  Faribault,  in  which  place  he 
has  made  his  home  and  built  up  a  lucrative 
practice.  His  first  partner  was  the  late 
Judge  John   M.  Berry  ;  from  1857  to  '80  he 


was  a  partner  of  Thomas  S.  Buckham,  now 
judge  of  the  fifth  judicial  district  of  Minne- 
sota :  and  his  present  associate  is  his  son, 
under  the  firm  name  of  G.  W.  &  C.  S. 
Batchelder. 

Mr.  Batchelder  has  always  affiliated  with 
the  Democratic  party  :  was  nominated  for 
Congress  for  the  Southern  District  of  Minne- 
sota in  1 868,  when  there  were  but  two  dis- 
tricts in  the  state ;  also  for  associate  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  1888  ;  was  elected  and 
served  as  state  senator,  i87i-'72  ;  was  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Faribault,  i88o-'8i  ;  has  been 
chairman  of  city  board  of  education  for 
twelve  years,  and  exerted  a  great  influence 
in  bringing  about  the  union  of  the  parochial 
and  public  schools  and  the  adoption  of  the 
"Faribault  Plan,"  which  was  so  widely  dis- 
cussed by  the  press  and  in  the  Protestant 
and  Catholic  churches  of  this  country  and 
Europe,  adopted  by  Archbishop  Ireland  and 
sanctioned  by  the  Pope  at  Rome. 

Having  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
the  affairs  of  Faribault,  Mr.  Batchelder  has 
been  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank 
for  twelve  years  and  a  director  of  the  Austin 
National  Bank  since  its  organization. 

Mr.  Batchelder  wedded,  in  Wisconsin, 
Julv  12,  1S58,  Kate  K.,  daughter  of  Cornelius 
and  Mary  Davis.  Of  this  union  are  three 
children  :  Georgia  L.,  Charles  S.,  and  John  D. 

BAXTER,  LUTHER  LOREN,  of  Fergus 
Falls,  Minn.,  son  of  Chauncey  and  Philena 
(Peet)  Baxter,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  June 
8,  1832. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town,  supplemented  by 
private  tuition,  a  year  at  Castleton  Seminary 
and  a  two  years  course  at  Norwich  Univer- 
sity. Commencing  the  study  of  the  law  at 
nineteen  years  of  age  under  I^indsley  & 
Beckwith,  and  concluding  his  studies  with 
Judge  Horatio  Seymour,  he  removed  to 
Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1853  and  was  there 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  March,  1854.  Loca- 
ting at  Geneva,  Wis.,  he  practiced  his  pro- 
fession successfully  until  1857  when  he 
removed  to  Carver  county,  Minn.,  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession  which 
he  continued,  except  during  his  enlistment, 
until  1885  ;  from  1876  to  1882  at  Minne- 
apolis and  since  1882  at  Fergus  Falls,  where 
he  still  resides. 

Judge  Baxter  enlisted  in  September,  1861, 
as  captain  of  Co.  A,  4th  Minn.  Vol.  Infantry 
and  was  assigned  with  two  companies  to  the 
command  of  Fort  Ridley  ;  remaining  there 
until  March,  1862,  he  rejoined  his  regiment 
at  Fort  Snelling  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major.  In  April,  1862,  he  was 
ordered  South  with  his  regiment,  where  he 
participated  in  many  battles,  but  owing  to 
sickness  was  compelled  to  resign  in  (Jctober, 


1S62.  Re-entering  the  service  in  Novem- 
ber, 1864,  as  major  of  the  ist  Minn.  Heavy 
.\rtillery,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel  in  February,  1865,  and 
coinmissioned  colonel  the  same  year  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Nashville.  He  was 
elected  to  the  state  Senate  in  the  fall  elec- 
tions and  was  granted  leave  of  absence  to 
take  his  seat.  Returning  to  the  army  in 
March,  1865,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
chief  of  artillery  of  Chattanooga,  remaining 
with  his  regiment  until  mustered  out  of 
service  in  October,  1S65. 


UTHER    LOREN    BAXTER. 


Judge  Baxter  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  and 
as  such  has  held  many  positions  of  honor 
and  trust :  was  judge  of  probate  for  Carver 
county  in  1858:  prosecuting  attorney  for  the 
4th  judicial  district,  1859;  county  attorney 
of  Scott  county,  1863  ;  senator  from  Scott 
county,  i865-'69  ;  member  of  the  House  from 
Carver  county,  1869;  senator  from  1869  to 
1876:  county  attorney  of  Carver  county, 
1 87 7-' 79,  and  member  of  the  Legislature, 
i879-'8i.  At  the  hands  of  the  Republican 
Governor  Hubbard,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  judge  of  the  7th  judicial  district,  in 
March,  1885,  to  fill  an  unexpired  term,  and 
was  elected  to  the  same  position  for  a  term 
of  six  years  at  the  elections  of  1S86,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  district  cast  a  Re- 
pubhcan  majority  of  3,500  ;  re-elected  at  the 
last  election  without  opposition,  he  still  holds 
the  position. 


13 


He  has  been  a  .Master  Mason  for  thirty- 
eight  years  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Scottish  Rites ;  affihated  with  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  is  prominent  with  the  local  G. 
A.  R.,  being  a  trustee  of  the  Soldiers'  Home. 

Judge  Baxter  was  first  united  in  marriage 
to  Phnma  ^Vard.  She  died  in  June,  1870. 
He  formed  a  second  alliance  with  Barbara 
Deuhs,  who  died  in  March,  1881.  He  again 
married  in  November,  1883,  Hilda  Emma, 
daughter  of  Lewis  and  Emma  M.  Child.  He 
has  only  two  children  :  Chauncey  Luther,  and 
Bertha. 

BEAMAN,  Fernando  C,  was  born  in 
Chester,  June  28,  1814;  removed  to  New 
York  when  a  boy,  and  left  an  orphan  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  ;  received  a  good  English  edu- 
cation at  the  Franklin  County  Academy, 
studied  law  in  Rochester  ;  removed  to  Mich- 
igan in  1838,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  his  profession  ;  was  for  six  years  prose- 
cuting attorney  for  Lenawee  county  :  was 
judge  of  probate  for  four  years  ;  was  a  presi- 
dential elector  in  1856  ;  in  i860  was  elected 
a  representati\e  from  Michigan  to  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Congress. 

BELCHER,  Isaac  Sawyer,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Anna  G. 
(Caldwell)  Belcher,  was  born  in  Stockbridge, 
Feb.  27,  1825. 


1^^    «gi 


age.  He  fitted  for  college  in  the  academy  at 
Royalton  and  entered  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont in  1842,  graduating  with  the  class  of 
'46.  Having  chosen  the  law  as  a  profession 
he  entered  the  office  of  J.  W.  D.  Parker  at 
Bradford  and  after  a  thorough  course  of 
legal  study  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
county  courts  in  1S49  and  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  state  three  years  later.  He 
continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Windsor  county  until  1853,  when  he  started 
for  California,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  on 
the  1 6th  of  June.  He  went  at  once  to  the 
mines  in  Yuba  county  and  there  practiced 
his  profession  until  March,  1855,  when  he 
settled  in  Marysville  in  that  county  and  soon 
acquired  a  lucrative  practice.  Mr.  Justice 
Field  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  LTnited 
States  and  other  distinguished  lawyers,  were 
then  practicing  at  the  same  bars.  His 
brother,  William  C.  Belcher,  now  a  leading 
member  of  the  San  Francisco  bar,  was  asso- 
ciated with  him. 

He  was  elected  to  the  position  of  district 
attorney  of  Yuba  county  in  1855,  and  held 
the  office  until  1858.  He  was  elected  judge 
of  the  tenth  judicial  district  in  1863,  and 
held  that  office  until  1870.  In  1872  he  was 
appointed  by  the  Governor  to  fill  a  vacancy 
in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term  declined  a  nom- 
ination to  succeed  himself  and  resumed  his 
practice  at  Marysville.  In  June,  1878,  he 
was  elected  a  member  and  served  as  vice- 
president  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
which  met  that  j^ear.  In  1880  he  was  elected 
by  the  Legislature  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Library,  which  position  he  held  for  eight 
years.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  a  com- 
missioner of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state, 
and  this  position  he  still  holds. 

At  the  founding  of  the  Leland  Stanford,  Jr., 
Uni\ersity  he  was  appointed  one  of  its  trus- 
tees and  since  that  time  has  acted  as  such. 
In  this  connection  a  local  paper  says  of  him  : 
"Judge  Belcher  is  a  man  of  remarkable 
strength  of  mind  and  soundness  of  judgment, 
and  his  fellow  trustees  will  find  in  him  a  val- 
uable coadjutor  in  administering  the  noble 
trust  confided  to  their  keeping." 

Mr.  Belcher  was  united  in  wedlock,  August 
12,  1861,  to  Adeline  M.,  daughter  of  William 
r.  and  Martha  (Tappan)  Johnson,  of  Augusta, 
Maine.  The  fruit  of  this  union  are  :  Martha 
.\.,  Richard,  William  J.,  and  Robert.  He 
now  resides  in  San  Francisco,  in  the  full  en- 
joyment of  the  fruits  of  an  upright,  honorable 
life. 


ISAAC  SAWYER   BELCHER. 


His  father  was  a  farmer  and  young  Belcher 
worked  upon  the  farm  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict  schools   until   he   was   fifteen  vears  of 


BELCHER,  William  C,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Samuel  and  Anna  G. 
(Caldwell)  Belcher,  was  born  at  Stockbridge, 
Dec.  12,  1S20. 


M 


He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont in  1843  ;  and  subsequently  tauglit 
several  years  in  the  Academy  of  Bradford. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  county 
in  1855. 

In  1856  young  Belcher  went  to  California 
and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  in  some  of 
the  most  important  law  suits  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  \\'hile  in  Marysville  he  was  a  part- 
ner of  his  brother  Isaac  S.  Belcher  who  is 
now  on  the  supreme  bench,  but  since  mov- 
ing to  San  Francisco  he  has  become  one  of 
the  firm  of  Mastie,  Belcher,  Van  Vleet  & 
Mastie. 


C.    BELCHER. 


He  has  never  held  any  political  or  judic- 
ial office,  or  been  associated  with  any  secret 
society  except  the  Masons.  Mr.  Belcher  is 
a  life  member  of  Pacific  Coast  Association 
Native  Sons  of  Vermont,  and  is  highly  es- 
teemed by  his  associates,  and  by  the  citizens 
of  the  commonwealth  in  which  he  resides. 

BEARD,  ALANSON  WILDER,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  collector  of  the  port  of  Boston,  was 
born  in  Ludlow,  August  20,  1825. 

Leaving  his  native  town  at  the  age  of 
seven  he  spent  the  years  preceding  his  ma- 
jority at  Stockbridge,  working  on  his  father's 
farm  during  his  boyhood,  receiving  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  in  addition 
private  instruction  from  the  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church,  Thomas  S.  Hubbard, 
who  was  a  man  of  liberal  culture. 

Early  inured  to  the  hardships  of  farm  life 
among  the  rugged  hills  of  Vermont,  we  find 


young  Beard  at  seventeen,  strong,  hardy,  of 
wonderful  vitality,  with  a  thorough  English 
education,  well  equipped  for  a  life  work, 
that  may  now  be  said  to  have  begun  when 
he  entered  the  school  room  as  a  teacher,  in 
which  occupation  he  continued  with  but 
little  intermission  until  his  twenty-first  year. 
In  the  spring  of  1847  Mr.  Beard  began  a 
mercantile  career,  opening  at  Pittsfield  in 
his  native  state  a  country  store,  which  he 
kept  for  six  years ;  during  the  time  he  was 
postmaster  of  the  town,  the  first  position 
under  the  national  government  he  ever  held, 
and  the  only  one  until  he  was  first  appointed 
collector  of  the  port  of  Boston.  Both  the 
postmastership  and  the  storekeeper's  life  he 
gave  up  to  come  to  Boston  in  September, 
1853,  entering  the  clothing  house  of  Whiting, 
Kehoe  &:  Galloupe,  as  salesman.  Less  than 
three  years  after  he  was  in  the  wholesale 
clothing  business  on  his  own  account ;  later 
under  the  firm  name  of  Beecher,  Beard  & 
Co.  His  Boston  business  was  continued 
until  1879  under  the  successive  firm  names  of 
C.  \V.  Freeland,  Beard  &  Co.,  Beard,  Moul- 
ton  &  Co.,  Beard,  Moulton  &  Bouve.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  had  the  management  of 
from  two  hundred  to  six  hundred  employes, 
the  manufacturing  being  under  his  personal 
supervision. 

On  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party, 
Mr.  Beard,  whose  early  associations  had  been 
with  the  Whigs,  gave  his  influence  to  the  new 
political  creed  and  has  held  that  allegiance 
ever  since.  The  year  1S64  brought  him  into 
the  Republican  state  committee,  there  to  re- 
main three  years.  Subsequently  he  was 
chairman  of  this  committee  in  1S75  ^^'^  '7^ 
and  again  in  1885.  In  1868  he  was  delegate 
to  the  national  Republican  convention  and 
again  in  1888  he  was  delegate-at-large  to 
the  national  Republican  convention.  Mr. 
Beard  was  also  a  member  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives for  Massachusetts  in  1870  and 
'71,  and  again  in  1884  and  '85.  Mr.  Beard 
served  as  collector  of  the  port  of  Boston, 
under  appointment  of  President  Hayes,  for 
the  full  term  beginning  March,  1878,  leaving 
the  office  in  May,  1882.  In  January,  1886, 
he  became  treasurer  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  and  that  office  he  held  for 
three  years.  In  1890  he  was  again  made 
collector  of  the  port  of  Boston,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  March,  1894.  In  every 
capacity  he  has  served  his  party,  his  state 
and  country  faithfully  and  well. 

Mr.  Beard  was  married  at  Wayland,  Mass., 
Nov.  27,  1848,  to  Mary  Calista  Morgan, 
daughter  of  Harvey  and  Sophia  Morgan,  then 
of  Rochester,  Vt.  To  them  have  been  born 
three  sons  :  James  Wallace,  Amherst  \\'ilder, 
and  Charles  Freeland,  of  whom  only  Charles 
Freeland  is  li\ing. 


l6  BELL. 

Although  in  his  sixty-eighth  year,  he  is 
strong  and  rugged  :  a  fine  speciman  of  phy- 
sical manhood,  six  feet  and  two  inches  in 
height  and  weighing  upward  of  200  pounds  : 
although  of  a  military  appearance  and  bear- 
ing, he  is  a  most  genial  and  companionable 
man. 

BELL,  Hiram,  was  born  in  \'ermont,  and 
was  a  representive  in  Congress  from  Ohio, 
from  1S52  to  1853. 

BENEDICT,  ROBERT  D.,  of  the  New 
York  bar,  was  born  at  Burlington,  Oct.  3, 
1828.  His  father  was  for  many  years  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  Vermont,  where 
R.  D.  Benedict  was  educated  and  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1S4S.  After  his  graduation 
he  removed  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  taught 
school  for  two  years  in  what  is  now  the 
Twenty-second  ward,  after  which  he  entered 
the  office  of  his  uncle,  Erastus  C.  Benedict, 
(afterwards  chancellor  of  the  University  of 
the  State)  in  New  York  City.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1851,  and  has  practiced 
law  ever  since. 

In  1S64  he  married  Miss  Frances  A. 
"Weaver,  of  Colchester,  and  settled  in  Brook- 
lyn, which  he  had  left  for  a  few  years  after 
concluding  his  school  teaching.  His  chil- 
dren are  two  sons  :  ^Vyllys  (also  a  lawyer  in 
New  York  City),  Edward  G.  (who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business),  and  a 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Evelyn. 

Mr.  Benedict  is  well  known  to  the  legal 
profession  as  the  editor  of  Benedict's  Re- 
ports, in  ten  volumes,  presenting  the  decis- 
ions of  the  United  States  district  courts. 
He  has  recently  prepared  a  new  edition  of 
Benedict's  Admiralty,  which  was  published 
many  years  ago  by  his  uncle,  and  has  been 
the  recognized  elementary  authority  on  this 
subject.  His  law  practice  is  largely  in  the 
-Admiralty  courts. 

From  the  foundation  of  the  New  York 
Times  till  the  death  of  Henry  J.  Raymond, 
its  founder,  Mr.  Benedict  was  connected 
with  that  newspaper  as  a  reporter  in  the 
United  States  courts  and  as  a  writer  of  edi- 
torials. 

.An  address  delivered  by  him  in  1891  on 
the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  granting  of 
the  charter  of  the  University  of  Vermont, 
was  published  by  the  University,  and  a  lec- 
ture on  "The  Hereford  Map  of  the  World 
and  the  Legend  of  St.  Brandon,"  was  pub- 
lished in  the  proceedings  of  the  .American 
Geogra])hical  Society  for  1892. 

He  was  for  twenty  years  a  member  of  Plv- 
mouth  Church.  For  the  last  eighteen  years 
he  has  been  a  member,  and  is  a  trustee  of 
the  Central  Congregational  Church.  He  was 
president  of  the  board  of  elections  in  Brook- 
lyn for  several  years  after  its  creation,  and 


BENJAMIX. 

was  the  last  president  of  the  Republican 
League  of  that  city.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  .\delphi  Academy  of 
firooklyn ;  is  a  director  of  the  Lawyer's 
Surety  Company  of  New  York  :  is  president 
of  the  New  England  Society  of  Brooklyn, 
and  has  been  president  of  the  Brooklyn 
Society  of  Vermonters,  and  of  the  Congre- 
gational Club  of  Brooklyn.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Kings  County  Club,  and  is 
now  connected  with  the  Hamilton  and 
the  Union  League  clubs. 

BENJAMIN,  ChaL'NCEY  E.,  late  of 
Maiden,  Mass.,  son  of  Josiah  and  Rebecca 
( Emerson)  Benjamin,  was  born  in  Berlin, 
Feb.  1,  1829. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  assisted  his  father  on  the 
home  farm  until  his  majority  when  he  re- 
moved to  Wakefield,  Mass. ;  remaining  there 
about  a  year,  he  located  at  Maiden  in  the 
same  state  and  made  that  place  his  home 
until  his  death  which  took  place  .\pril  i^, 
1892. 

During  the  first  year  of  his  residence  in 
Maiden  Mr.  Benjamin  worked  in  the  rubber 
factory,  afterwards  he  joined  his  brother-in- 
law,  E.  E.  Andrews,  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  continued  with  success  for 
several  years.  He  then  established  an  ex- 
press line  between  Maiden  and  Boston 
which  he  continued  for  a  year  when  it  had 
assumed  such  proportions  as  to  require 
additional  assistance  and  he  took  in  as  a 
partner  George  W.  Vaughn,  with  whom  he 
continued  the  business  until  his  death. 

He  took  a  deep  interest  in  Masonic 
matters  and  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  local  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Benjamin  was  married  in  January, 
1S56,  to  Lucy  J.  Stanwood  of  Maiden. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Carrie  S.  (deceased),  Georgiana,  and  Philip 
C. 

BENTON,  Jacob,  was  born  at  Water- 
ford,  .August  14,  1819  :  received  an  academic 
education  ;  engaged  in  teaching  for  several 
years,  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1843  and  commenced  practice  at  Lancas- 
ter, N.  H.  ;  was  a  member  of  the  state  Legis- 
lature in  1854,  1855,  1856;  was  a  delegate 
to  the  national  Republican  convention  in 
i860;  was  brigadier-general  commanding 
the  state  volunteers ;  was  elected  to  the  For- 
tieth Congress,  as  a  Republican,  and  was  re- 
elected to  the  Forty-first  Congress. 

BENTON,  Reuben  Clark,  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  son  of  Reuben  C.  and  .Almira 
( Fletcher)  Benton,  was  born  in  Waterford, 
Mav  1 1,  18-50. 


^^^5^     ^■pP'^v., 


J^C^  ^^^T^C^--^^-'^ 


i8 


In  1 84 1  he  removed  with  his  father's 
family  to  Lunenburg,  where  he  resided  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  During  that  time  bv 
study  at  home  and  at  such  schools  as  were  in 
Lunenburg,  and  two  terms  at  the  St.  Johns- 
bury  Academy,  he  was  fitted  for  college.  He 
entered  the  L"ni\ersity  of  Vermont  in  May, 
1 85 1,  and  was  graduated  in  1854. 

After  graduation  he  went  to  Johnson, 
where  he  took  charge  of  the  academy.  Pre- 
vious to  entering  college  he  had  read  law 
with  the  late  Jacob  Benton  of  Lancaster, 
and  with  William  Heywood,  then  of  Guild- 
hall. While  in  Johnson  he  read  law  with 
Whitman  G.  Ferrin  now  of  Montpelier,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  June,  1855.  He 
commenced  practice  in  1856,  remaining  in 
Johnson  until  1858,  then  removing  to  Hyde 
Park,  where  he  continued  until  1867. 


REUBEN    CLARK    BENTON. 

March  18,  1856,  he  was  married  to  .Sara 
M.  Leland.  They  have  had  four  children, 
all  of  whom  are  deceased. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  re- 
bellion he  entered  the  service  as  captain  of 
Co.  D,  5th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  at  the  organiza- 
tion of  that  regiment  in  September,  i86i, 
was  present  with  his  regiment  until  Tuly, 
1862,  and  was  wounded  at  Savage  Station  in 
June  of  the  same  year.  Upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  nth  Regt.  in  .\ugust,  1862,  he 
was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  that  regi- 
ment, in  which  position  he  continued  until 
the  last  of  June,  1864,  when  he  resigned  for 
disability. 


In  March,  1867,  he  removed  to  St.  Albans, 
where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  until  June,  1875,  when  he  re- 
mo\ed  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  he 
still  resides. 

He  was  in  the  years  1879,  1880  and  1881 
elected  city  attorney  of  the  city  of  Minne- 
apolis, which  office  he  resigned  December, 
i88t,  to  enter  the  employ  of  the  St.  Paul, 
Minneapolis  &  Manitoba  Railway  Co.,  as  its 
attorney  at  Minneapolis.  For  its  successor, 
the  Great  Northern  Railway  Co.,  Mr.  Benton 
and  his  firm  still  continue  as  attorneys,  having, 
besides,  a  general  practice. 

During  his  practice  in  Minneapolis,  he 
was  at  first  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
C.  H.  Benton,  also  a  Vermonter,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Benton  &  Benton  :  after  the 
dissolution  of  that  firm,  with  William  P.  Rob- 
erts, as  Benton  &  Roberts  ;  and  for  the  past 
two  years  with  Mr.  Roberts  and  Rome  G. 
Brown,  the  latter  a  Vermonter,  as  Benton, 
Roberts  &  Brown,  which  is  the  present  style 
of  his  firm.  Mr.  Benton  has  devoted  himself 
almost  exclusively  to  the  practice  of  law  since 
his  residence  in  Minneapolis,  and  has  won 
the  ]iosition  of  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  bar 
of  Hennepin  county,  and  of  the  state.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  no  re- 
ligious affiliations. 

BISBEE,  Lewis  H.,  of  Chicago,  111.,  son 
of  David  and  Sarah  Bisbee,  was  born  March 
28,  1S39,  at  Derby. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  (one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  gifted  members  of  the 
Chicago  bar)  was  born  and  reared  through 
boyhood  on  a  farm.  It  is  not  true  that  the 
broad,  stimulating  and  intense  conditions  of 
wealth  and  city  life  are  necessarily  suppress- 
ive of  marked  individual  force  and  character. 
It  is  true,  however,  that  much  of  the  brawn 
and  muscle,  the  life  and  brain,  the  refine- 
ment and  energy  which  lead  and  govern  the 
real  forces  of  society  are  developed  under 
the  more  quiet  and  rugged  conditions  of 
country  life.  It  is  a  most  hap])y  and  valu- 
able fact  that  the  real  strength  and  virtue  of 
society  are  being  constantly  replenished  from 
the  rural  and  agricultural  forces  of  the  coun- 
try. And  there  is  probably  no  source  from 
which  is  derived  a  stronger  and  better  rein- 
forcement of  manners  and  social  refinement. 
The  home  of  Hon.  Lewis  H.  Bisbee  is  in 
Hyde  Park.  It  is  one  of  the  most  refined 
and  elegant  in  the  country,  and  is  a  promi- 
nent center  of  healthful  and  refining  social 
influence  on  a  moral  and  intellectual  plane 
as  high  as  social  development  has  anywhere 
attained. 

Mr.  Bisbee's  advantages  in  the  common 
schools  while  a  lad  were  good.  But  he  early 
conceived  the  idea  of  obtaining  the  higher 
and  broader  education  afforded  in  the  acade- 


mies  of  Vermont.  In  summers  he  worked 
on  the  farm,  attending  school  in  the  winters 
until  the  age  of  sixteen.  At  this  age  he  fell  back 
on  his  own  resources  and  proved  himself  pos- 
sessed of  the  energy  and  tenacity  of  purpose 
requisite  to  overcome  the  obstacles  naturally 
in  his  way.  He  attended  the  academies  at 
Glover,  Derby,  and  Morrisville  in  Northern 
Vermont  and  took  a  course  at  St.  Hyacinth 
College,  near  Montreal,  Can.,  when  nineteen 
years  of  age.  The  course  of  instruction  there 
being  conducted  in  the  French  language,  he 
became  a  thorough  French  scholar.  Subse- 
quently he  read  law  with  J.  L.  Edwards, 
Esq.,  a  prominent  practitioner  at  Derby, 
paying  his  way  mainly  by  teaching  French, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  June,  1S62. 

The  same  month  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  E,  9th 
Vt.  Inf.,  and  was  afterward  promoted  to  the 
captaincy  of  Co.  H,  of  the  same  regiment. 
During  his  military  service  his  conduct  was 
marked  by  gallantry  and  faithfulness.  Through 
all  the  hardships  of  war  he  was  found  reso- 
lute and  cheerful,  and  in  battle  always  at  the 
front.  In  1863  he  resigned  on  account  of 
sickness  and  returned  to  Newport  and  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law,  soon  building 
up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business. 

In  1866,  Mr.  Bisbee  was  elected  state's 
attorney  of  Orleans  county,  where  he  then 
lived,  and  was  re-elected  in  1867,  but  soon 
after  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  deputy 
collector  of  customs,  which  of¥ice  he  filled 
till  1869,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  state.  He  was  again  elected  to 
the  Legislature  in  1S70.  He  proved  a  most 
valuable  and  efficient  member  of  that  body, 
was  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  the 
legislative  debates,  and  a  member  of  impor- 
tant committees.  In  extempore  debate, 
when  the  occasion  was  important,  he  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  vigorous  and  effect- 
ive speakers  on  the  floor. 

It  was  in  April,  187 1,  that  Mr.  Bisbee 
moved  to  Chicago,  but  scarcely  had  he  be- 
come well  started  in  business  when  the  great 
fire  occurred.  In  the  rebuilding  of  the  city, 
the  reorganization  and  re-establishment  of 
order  and  business,  Mr.  Bisbee  came  natur- 
ally and  directly  to  the  front  of  affairs.  He 
had  an  unwavering  faith  in  the  future  of 
Chicago,  and  the  ability  to  seize  and  hold 
the  front  position  which  he  has  ever  since 
occupied. 

Mr.  Bisbee  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
jury  and  chancery  lawyers  in  the  Northwest. 
His  practice  is  of  the  highest  and  most  lu- 
crative order.  His  management  of  the  case 
known  as  the  "  B.  F.  Allen  blanket-mortgage 
case,"  for  Hoyt  Sherman,  especially,  was  con- 
ducted with  extraordinary  ability,  and  was 
highly  complimented  by  courts  and  bar ; 
also    the    noted    Sturges    case,  with    many 


others,  might  be  adduced  as  confirming  his 
high  reputation  as  a  lawyer. 

In  1887  the  Illinois  Legislature  passed  a 
law  permitting  the  annexation  of  the  town  of 
Hyde  Park  to  Chicago.  Through  the  in- 
strumentality of  Mr.  Bisbee  the  annexation 
became  a  fact.  Mr.  Bisbee  was  elected  to 
the  common  council,  representing  the  town 
of  Hyde  Park,  but  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
state  declared  this  law  unconstitutional. 
Thereupon  in  1888-89  Mr.  Bisbee  secured 
the  passage  of  a  new  law,  which  resulted  in 
the  annexation  to  Chicago  of  the  town  of 
Hyke  Park,  Lake  Jefferson,  and  a  part  of 
Cicero,  containing  an  aggregate  population 
of  about  220,000  people.  This  great  work 
made  Chicago  the  second  city  in  population 
of  the  L'nited  States,  and  among  other  ad- 
vantages enabled  it  to  hold  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  within  its  corporate 
limits. 

-Mr.  Bisbee  is  the  author  of  the  well-known 
work  entitled  "The  Law  of  the  Produce  Ex- 
change," which  is  a  standard  text  book  on 
commercial  exchanges  in  England  and 
America. 

In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
of  Illinois,  receiving  nearly  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  district,  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lous and  intelligent  in  the  state.  In  that 
body  he  was  one  of  the  most  'prominent 
leaders  as  a  ready  and  able  debater  and  an 
influential  and  judicious  legislator.  He  is  a 
graceful  and  impressive  orator,  an  incisive 
and  logical  thinker  ;  and  being  possessed  of 
a  fine  and  commanding  presence  few  men 
are  his  equal  in  the  legal  or  legislative  de- 
bating arena.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican,  and  in  campaigns,  when  the 
principles  of  the  party  are  at  stake,  his 
voice  and  eloquence  are  always  conspicuous. 

Mr.  Bisbee  is  a  member  of  the  Oakland 
and  Hyde  Park  Clubs,  and  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  the  Society  of  Sons  of  Vermont  in 
Illinois,  of  which  he  has  been  president. 
He  is  also  a  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of 
the  St.  Bernard  Commandery. 

Personally  Mr.  Bisbee  is  a  genial  and  af- 
fable gentlemen  of  broad  and  generous 
nature,  dignified,  courteous  and  obliging. 
In  his  profession  he  is  honorable,  conscien- 
tious, painstaking  and  laborious.  Of  robust 
and  hardy  nature,  refined,  cultivated  and 
learned,  he  is  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term 
a  self-made  man.  And  the  most  of  his  life, 
as  the  lives  of  strong  men  generally  run,  is 
still  before  him. 

He  was  married  in  1S64  to  Jane  E.  Hin- 
man,  of  Derby,  Vt.,  a  member  of  a  prominent 
family  of  Orleans  county.  Their  two  children 
are  :  Hattie  Hinman,  born  at  Newport  in 
1867,  and  a  graduate  of  Cornell  University; 
and  Benjamin  Hinman,  born  in  1877  in 
Chicago. 


RI.ANCHARD, 


I'.LANCHARD 


BLANCHARD,  Charles,  of  Ottawa, 
111.,  son  of  Ralph  and  Maria  (Kellogg) 
Blanchard,  was  born  in  Peacham,  August  31, 
1829. 

He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
county,  his  education  being  principally  ob- 
tained at  the  district  schools.  For  three 
successive  falls  he  walked  from  his  father's 
farm  to  the  neighboring  village,  a  distance 
of  two  miles,  to  attend  a  school  which  in 
those  days  was  called  an  academy.  He  at- 
tended this  school  six  weeks  each  winter, 
part  of  the  time  tending  the  fires  and  ringing 
the  bell  to  pay  his  tuition. 


.\fter  working  on  his  father's  farm  he 
worked  for  the  neighbors  until  he  had  earned 
forty  dollars  and  in  the  fall  of  1850  started 
West  with  this  amount  in  his  pocket,  arriv- 
ing at  Peru,  111.,  with  but  five  dollars  cash  ; 
from  there  he  went  to  Granville,  111.,  and  en- 
gaged to  teach  school  for  the  winter  at  a  dol- 
lar per  day  and  board  himself.  The  follow- 
ing spring  he  went  to  Hennepin,  where  he 
taught  school  three  years,  and  during  vaca- 
tions and  other  leisure  time  he  studied  law. 
At  Springfield,  111.,  he  was  examined  by 
Judge  Treat  and  admitted  to  the  bar.  Hav- 
ing taught  school  to  earn  enough  to  pur- 
chase necessary  law  books,  he  opened  a  law 
office  at  Hennepin,  but  soon  removed  to 
Peru,  where  he  practiced  his  profession,  and 
in  December,  1861,  he  removed  to  Ottawa. 

In  November,  1S64,  he  was  elected 
state's  attorney  of  the  district,   composed  of 


La  Salle,  Ikireau  and  Kendall  counties,  and 
re-elected  in  1868;  his  term  expired  Dec.  i, 
1872.  Upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  (iood- 
speed  of  the  ninth  district,  August  1,  1884, 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Hamilton  to 
finish  the  unexpired  term,  and  in  the  June 
election  of  1885  he  was  elected  for  the  term 
of  six  years,  and  re-elected  in  i8gi. 

He  was  married  in  Hennepin,  Putnam 
county,  in  1852,  to  Sarah  H.,  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Sarah  (Hormel)  Gudgel.  They 
had  four  children  :  Sydney,  who  became  an 
attorney  at  law ;  Mae,  Herman  S.,  and 
Charles,  who  died  in  infancy.  The  wife  of 
Judge  Blanchard  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  She  died  April  16, 
1880,  and  Judge  Blanchard  again  married, 
Dec.  31,  1884,  Mrs.  Sylvia  A.  Bushnell, 
daughter  of  Jay  and  Jeannett  Garner  (now 
deceased)  formerly  of  Athens,  Pa. 

Judge  Blanchard  is  a  member  of  Occiden- 
tal Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Shabbona 
Chapter,  No.  37,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Ottawa 
Commandery,  No.  10,  and  of  the  Illinois 
.'Association  of  the  Sons  of  Vermont. 

BLANCHARD,  JOHN,  was  born  in  Cale- 
donia county,  Sept.  30,  1787. 

He  spent  his  boyhood  on  a  farm  ;  pre- 
pared himself  for  college,  and  graduated  at 
Dartmouth  in  181 2;  removed  to  Pennsyl- 
vania and  taught  school ;  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  practice ;  was  a  representative 
in  Congress,  from  Pennsylvania,  from  1845  to 
1849. 

He  died  in  Columbia,  Pa.,  March  8,  1S49. 

BLINN,  Charles  Henry,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Chauncy  and  Edatha 
(Harrington)  Blinn,  was  born  in  Burlington, 
Jan.  27,  1843. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  place, 
he  was  prepared  for  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, when  he  entered  the  army. 

Heenlisted,  August  21,  1861,  in  the  famous 
I  St  \'t.  Cavalry,  serving  three  years  and  four 
months.  He  was  attached  to  Sheridan's 
Cavalry  Corps  :  participated  in  the  batdes  of 
Gettysburg,  Chancellorsville,  Spottsylvania, 
Cold  Harbor,  Wilderness,  Winchester,  Cedar 
Creek,  and  twenty-six  skirmishes.  He  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Middletown, 
Va.,  May  25,  1862,  in  a  cavalry  charge  led 
by  General  Banks  ;  his  horse  was  killed  by  a 
cannon  ball  from  a  battery  stationed  within 
three  hundred  yards,  fell  with  sixteen  others 
and  was  ridden  over  by  a  company  of  the 
ist  Maine  Cavalry;  was  in  prison  at  Lynch- 
burg and  Belle  Island,  Va.,  from  May  25  to 
Sept.  17.  His  regiment  has  the  honor 
of  having  captured  at  Cedar  Creek  forty-two 
cannon,  the  largest  number  taken  by  anv 
regiment  during  the  war.  He  was  honora- 
bly discharged  at  Burlington,  Nov.  19,  1864. 


After  the  war  he  was  two  years  chief  clerk 
at  the  Weklen  House,  St.  Albans.  He  went 
to  California  in  1868,  and  for  six  years  was 
with  the  \\'ells-Fargo  Express  Co.  In  1S75 
he  became  an  editorial  writer  of  the  "  Alta 
California."  In  1878  he  was  appointed  chief 
permit  clerk  in  the  San  Francisco  Custom 
House,  which  position  he  still  fills. 

The  positions  he  has  occupied  in  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  are  too  many 
for  our  space  ;  suffice  it  to  say,  he  is  now 
quartermaster  and  secretary  of  Veteran 
Guard,  G.  A.  R.,  George  H.  Thomas  Post, 
etc.  For  five  years  he  has  been  secretary  of 
the  Pacific  Coast  Association,  "Native  Sons 
of  Vermont."  He  is  a  regular  attendant  and 
contributor  to  Simpson  Memorial  Methodist 
Church. 

He  was  married,  Dec.  15,  1870,  to  Nellie, 
daughter  of  Albert  and  Lucy  Holbrook,  of 
Salem,  N.  H.  She  is  (1894)  the  leading 
elocutionist  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  Mrs.  Blinn 
is  a  powerful  political  speaker,  and  took  the 
stump  for  Hayes,  Garfield,  Blaine,  and  Har- 
rison. Their  union  was  blessed  with  a  son  : 
Holbrook,  born  in  1872,  graduated  at  Boy's 
high  school,  spent  two  years  in  college,  and 
is  now  a  rising  young  actor. 

BLISS,  NEZIAH  W.,  of  Chicago,  111., 
son  of  Ellison  and  Mary  B.  (Worthen)  Bliss, 
was  born  in  Bradford,  Lin.  31,  1826. 

His  grandfather,  P^Uis  Bliss,  was  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  great- 
grandfather, Ellis  Bliss,  was  the  father  of 
seventeen  children.  His  great-great-grand- 
father. Rev.  John  Bliss,  graduated  from 
Yale,  then  located  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  in 
17 10,  and  was  ordained  first  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  in 
17 1 7,  was  dismissed  in  1734,  and  was  a  lay 
reader  in  the  Episcopal  church  until  his 
death.  Dr.  Neziah  Bliss,  our  subject's  name- 
sake, served  fourteen  terms  in  the  Colonial 
Legislature  of  Connecticut,  and  was  the 
father  of  our  "public  common  school  system," 
and  was  also  a  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Bliss. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  prepared  for 
college  at  Bradford  Academy,  and  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Vermont  with  high 
rank,  class  of  1846,  having  as  classmates 
ex-Chief  Justice  Jameson,  and  H.  R.  Steb- 
bins  of  Chicago,  Judge  Belcher,  Supreme 
Court  of  California,  Judge  Nelson,  U.  S. 
circuit  court  of  Massachusetts,  Judge  J.  W. 
May,  and  Hon.  H.  O.  Houghton  (Houghton, 
Mifflin  &  Co.),  Boston. 

He  taught  schools  in  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire,  after  which  he  studied  law  with 
R.  McK.  Ormsby  in  Bradford.  He  went 
West  in  1847,  located  in  Ohio,  and  there 
taught  school  until  1850,  then  went  to 
Warsaw,  111.,  continued  his  law  studies,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1854.    He  formed 


a  law  partnership  with  Judge  J.  ^V.  Marsh  in 
1856,  and  became  attorney  for  Doan,  King 
&  Co.  of  St.  Louis.  In  1S67  he  was  general 
superintendent  of  St.  Louis  Lead  and  Min- 
ing Co.,  and  conducted  a  large  business  in 
mining,  smelting,  merchandising  and  farm- 
ing. In  1882  he  located  at  Chicago,  and 
became  attorney  and  counsel  for  Marshall 
Field  &  Co.  :  among  the  many  important 
cases  he  has  managed  for  that  firm  was  one 
in  which  he  recovered  $40,000,  duties  illeg- 
ally exacted  on  cartons  and  coverings,  under 
the  tariff  act  of  1883,  the  litigation  as  to  the 
constitutionality  of  the  McKinley  bill,  etc. 


He  married  Jessie,  daughter  of  General 
and  Sarissa  (Wells)  Andrews,  at  Warsaw,  111., 
Dec.  I,  1852.  They  had  eleven  children: 
Mary  and  Stella  (twins),  Ellis  AVright,  Abby, 
Neziah  Wright,  Jr.,  Malcolm  A.,  Wyslys  K., 
George  W.,  Walter  E.,  Charles  K.,  Harry 
Staples,  Ralph,  P^ugene  B.,  and  Margaret  L. 
Mr.  Bliss  married  for  a  second  wife,  Louise, 
daughterof  James  W.  and  Catherine  (Troxell) 
Baugher,  and  by  her  had  three  children. 

Mr.  Bliss  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  ap- 
pearance, and  strong  constitution  which  his 
excellent  habits  ha\e  fostered  He  is  a  man 
decided  in  his  convictions  of  right,  of  per- 
fect integrity  and  truthfulness  ;  his  character 
is  above  reproach.  Possessed  of  a  pleasing 
address,  good  conversational  powers  and 
genial  temperament,  he  has  made  hosts  of 
friends. 


HOARI  I.MAN. 

He  is  an  Episcopalian,  was  senior  warden 
■of  St.  Bartholomew  Church  at  Englewood, 
where  he  resided  with  his  family  for  several 
years,  and  now  resides  at  Longwood,  a 
.suburb  of  Chicago,  located  on  the  highlands 
of  the  Blue  Island  ridge. 

BOARDMAN,  HENRY  ElDERKIN  JEW- 
ETT,  of  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  son  of  Rev. 
Elderkin  J.  and  Ann  (Gookin)  Boardman, 
was  born  in  Danville,  June  21,  1828.  He 
is  a  lineal  descendant  through  eight  genera- 
tions of  the  ancestor  Samuel  Boardman,  who 
emigrated  from  England  about  1635.  He 
removed  to  \\'eathersfield.  Conn.,  in  1641. 
The  name  is  first  found  in  the  records  of 
Ipswich,  Mass.,  1637-1639.  The  father  of 
Henry  E.  J.,  Rev.  E.  J.  Boardman,  w^as  one 
of  the  first  abolitionists  of  ^■ermont,  publish- 
ing in  1838  a  work  entitled  "Immediate 
Abolition  of  Slavery  Vindicated." 


HO.ARDMAN. 


23 


HENRY    ELDERKIN    JEWETT    BOARDMAN. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  educated  at 
Randolph  and  St.  Johnsbury,  and  Meriden, 
N.  H.,  academies.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth 
(JoUege,  class  of  1850.  He  spent  six  years 
in  Tennessee,  .'\labama  and  Maryland  as 
principal  of  academies,  becoming  professor 
of  languages  in  the  University  of  East  Ten- 
nessee at  Knoxville,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
practice  of  law  in  Tennessee. 

In  1856  he  removed  to  Marshalltown, 
Iowa,  and  has  since  been  a  practicing  law- 
yer in  that  place  and  one  of  the  largest  land 
owners  in  Iowa.  In  iSCg-'yg-'SS  he  tra\eled 
extensivelv  in  the  ( )1(1  World.     He  has  been 


|)resident  of  the  District  Bar  Association, 
president  of  the  Farmers'  National  Bank, 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  the 
City  Bank,  also  of  the  Central  Iowa  Railway 
Co.,  of  which  he  was  general  attorney  for 
many  years,  and  has  been  a  trustee  of  the 
Iowa  College  at  Grinnell.  Was  nominated 
for  supreme  judge  by  the  Democratic  party 
in  1877,  as  district  judge  in  1870  and  again 
in  1879,  was  nominated  for  congressman, 
July,  1879.  He  was  a  delegate  from  the 
sixth  congressional  district,  Iowa,  to  the  Na- 
tional Union  Convention  at  Philadelphia, 
.•\ugust  14,  1866  ;  also  a  delegate  to  the  Na- 
tional Democratic  Convention  held  in  New 
York,  July  4,  1868. 

July  6,  1893,  at  Des  Moines,  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution for  the  state  of  Iowa.  The  "  Historian 
of  Iowa"  says  of  him  :  "His  success  in  pub- 
lic and  private  undertakings  and  his  final 
recoveries  in  litigated  cases,  involving  ab- 
stract legal  principles,  are  marvelous.  This 
is  due  to  extraordinary  powers  of  generaliza- 
tion and  analysis,  and  an  industry  that  never 
tires.  He  is  solicitous  that  his  acts  of  benev- 
olence shall  be  known  only  to  himself,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  modest  and  retiring  of 
men." 

He  married  Miss  M.  E.  Williams  (now 
deceased)  Dec.  7,  1858.  Of  this  union 
were  three  children  :  Delia  Louisa,  Annette 
Gookin,  and  Clarence  Elderkin  Carver  (de- 
ceased). 

BOARDMAN,  HalSEV  J.,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Hunt) 
Boardman,  was  born  in  Norwich,  May  19, 
1834.  He  is  of  Puritan  ancestry,  a  descend- 
ant of  Samuel  Boardman  who  settled  in  Con- 
necticut in  1 63 1. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  and  at  Thetford  Academy, 
graduating  from  that  institution  in  1854  as 
the  valedictorian  of  his  class.  Entering 
Dartmouth  College  in  the  same  year  he  was 
graduated  in  1858  with  high  honors. 

.\fter  teaching  the  high  school  at  Leo- 
minster one  year  he  entered  as  a  student  the 
law  office  of  Norcross  &  Snow,  Fitchburg, 
Mass.,  and  later,  the  law  office  of  Phillip  H. 
Sears  of  Boston.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Suffolk  bar  in  i860  and  immediately  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  as  senior  part- 
ner of  the  law  firm  of  Boardman  &  Blodgett, 
this  partnership  continuing  until  the  junior 
l)artner,  Caleb  Blodgett,  was  made  a  judge 
of  the  Superior  Court ;  later  partners  have 
been  Stephen  H.  Tyng  and  Frank  Paul. 
During  the  past  few  years  Mr.  Boardman 
has  been  engaged  in  various  manufacturing 
and  railroad  interests  which  ha\e  necessi- 
tated frequent  and  prolonged  absences  from 
the  state.    He  is  president  of  the  Duluth  & 


24 


HOARDJIAN. 


BOUTIN. 


Winnipeg  Railroad  Co.,  and  a  director  of 
several  other  corporations.  He  is  also  presi- 
dent of  the  F^vans  Coal  Co.,  a  large 
producer  of  anthracite  coal  in  Pennsylvania, 
president  of  the  Commercial  Mining  Co.  of 
Colorado,  and  a  director  of  the  Boston  Ma- 
rine Insurance  Co. 


Mr.  Boardman  is  a  stalwart  Republican. 
From  1862  to  1S64  he  was  commissioner 
of  the  board  of  enrolment,  under  President 
Lincoln,  for  the  fourth  congressional  dis- 
trict. In  1874  he  was  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican ward  and  city  committee  of  the 
city  of  Boston,  also  a  member  of  the  com- 
mon council  and  in  1875  its  president,  and 
the  Republican  candidate  for  mayor  the 
same  year.  From  1883  to  1885  inclusive 
Mr.  Boardman  was  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts House  of  Representatives.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  railroad  committee  during 
his  entire  term  and  its  chairman  during  the 
last  two  years.  In  this  capacity  he  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  a  large  amount  of 
legislation  calculated  to  improve  the  railroad 
service  in  this  state,  including  provisions  for 
the  change  of  railroad  grade  crossings,  safety 
couplings  on  freight  cars,  regulations  against 
discrimination  in  freight  rates  and  for  im- 
provement in  signals  and  precautions  to  be 
enforced  against  color  blindness— all  matters 
involving  exhaustive  examination  and  sound 
judgment.  Mr.  Boardman  was  elected  to 
the  state  Senate  in  18S7  and  188S  and  was 
president  of  that  body  both  years. 


He  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Georgia 
Hinman  of  Boston.  Thev  have  two  daugh- 
ters. 

BOUTIN,  Charles  W.,  of  Hampton, 
Iowa,  son  of  Joachim  and  Martha  (Warner) 
Boutin,  was  born  in  Chester,  No\-.  8,  1839. 

Removing  at  an  early  age  to  \\'indham  he 
received  such  an  education  as  the  district 
schools  of  the  town  afforded  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer  until  1858.  He  then 
followed  carpentering  in  Andover  and  Ches- 
ter until  1865,  when  he  engaged  in  the  dry 
goods  business  in  Chicago.  This  venture 
was  of  short  duration,  for  in  December  of  the 


Ife  ^i'tfi^^ 


CHARLES    W.    BOUTIN. 

same  year  the  entire  building  and  stock  were 
destroyed  by  fire  and  he  was  left  without  a 
dollar.  Not  daunted,  however,  he  started 
out  and  accepted  such  employment  as  he 
could  find,  locating  at  \\'ebster  City,  Iowa, 
in  1867,  where  he  engaged  in  the  nursery 
business,  but  this  proving  uncongenial  he 
sold  his  interest  and  removed  to  Hampton, 
where  began  his  life's  business — that  of  an 
architect  and  builder,  in  which  profession  he 
stands  high. 

In  1 86 1  he  enlisted  as  corporal  of  Co.  E, 
I  St.  Vt.  Regt.,  and  in  the  following  May  went 
out  with  the  regiment ;  again  enlisting  Augtist 
20,  in  the  4th  Vt.  Regt.,  he  was  success- 
ively promoted  ist  lieutenant,  captain  and 
major.  Major  Boutin  was  on  duty  with  his 
regiment  and  participated  in  all  its  battles 
until  June  28,  1864,  when  with  others  of  his 


HRADFOKD. 


regiment  he  was  captured  by  the  rebels  and 
held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  until  March,  1865, 
being  confined  at  Libby,  Macon,  Sa^■annah, 
Charleston  and  Columbia.  After  being  ex- 
changed he  rejoined  his  regiment  and  was 
mustered  out  of  service  with  it  in  1865.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of 
the  Iowa  National  Guards  and  for  sixteen 
years  has  served  as  captain,  major,  lieuten- 
ant-colonel and  colonel  of  one  of  the  craclv 
regiments  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Boutin  married  at  Londonderry,  August 
25,  1861,  Marinda  A.,  daughter  of  Theodore 
and  Sarah  French.  She  died  in  1864,  while 
he  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  He  married  again, 
in  March,  1869,  Julina  A.  French,  a  sister 
of  his  first  wife.  She  died  in  April,  1886.  In 
November,  1888,  Mr.  Boutin  married  at 
Ripley,  Tenn.,  Elmma  S.  Kennedy.  Of  this 
union  is  one  son  ;  Charles  K. 

A  staunch  Republican,  he  has  never  evinced 
a  desire  for  public  ofSce.  He  has,  however, 
been  a  member  of  the  city  council,  and 
county  auditor  of  Franklin  county,  Iowa,  for 
two  terms  ;  and  twice  refused  the  nomination 
for  the  mayoralty  of  Hampton. 

He  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  matters 
Masonic  and  has  held  nearly  every  office  in 
the  gift  of  the  lodge  and  chapter  ;  as  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  and  Knight  Tempi  ir  he  has  knelt 
at  the  altar  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Assisting  in 
the  organization  of  the  local  post  G.  A.  R.,  he 
has  been  adjutant,  past  commander,  delegate 
to  department  encampment  many  limes  and 
a  national  delegate  twice.  Became  a  mem- 
ber of  Wisconsin  Commandery,  Loyal  Legion, 
and  assisted  in  organizing  the  Iowa  Com- 
mandery of  which  he  is  now  a  member. 

BRADFORD,  JaMES  HENRY,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  traces  his  ancestry  not  only 
to  Gov.  William  Bradford  of  Plymouth 
Colony,  but  three  or  four  generations  further 
back  to  Rev.  John  Bradford  who  after  having 
been  chaplain  to  the  Queen  was  burnt  at  the 
stake  at  Smithfield  by  Bloody  Mary  with 
John  Rogers,  Latimer  and  others.  His 
mother,  who  died  when  he  was  but  four 
years  old,  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
Dickinan,  the  first  postmaster,  printer  and 
editor  of  Greenfield,  Mass.  She  was  a 
woman  of  noble  character,  beloved  by  all. 

Henry  attended  the  district  school  and  at 
sixteen  mowed  his  turn  with  the  men  in  the 
hay  field  for  the  last  time,  for  that  autumn 
he  went  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  into  the  dry 
goods  store  of  his  brother-in-law. 

Three  years  at  Williston  Seminary  pre- 
pared him  for  Vale  with  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  others  to  make  the  class  of  '63. 
He  had  jumped  from  college  to  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  the  next  step  was  into 
the  army  as  chaplain,  having  received  the 
unanimous  vote  of  the  officers  of  the  1 2th  C. 


W,  for  that  position.  From  Hartford  to  Ship 
Island,  then  up  the  Mississippi,  the  first 
troops  to  land  at  New  Orleans,  where  they 
guarded  the  upper  defenses  while  General 
Butler  reigned  supreme.  L'P  the  far  famed 
Teche  to  the  Red  River,  thence  to  Port 
Hudson  for  a  forty-two  days  siege,  then 
down  the  river  to  the  old  camp  ground  at 
Brasier  City  ;  the  regiment  re-enlisting  re- 
ceived a  veteran  furlough.  Back  to  New 
Orleans  and  around  to  Bermuda  Hundred 
and  Washington  and  up  the  Shenandoah 
"  whirling  up  the  valley  "  with  Sheridan.  In 
bloody  work  at  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill, 
Cedar  Creek  and  on  up  to  Staunton  and 
return.  Mustered  out  of  service  with  the 
regiment,  completed  a  war  experience  of 
singular  freedom  from  sickness  or  wounds. 
He  then  went  as  a  home  missionary  to  Hud- 
son, Wis.,  on  the  St.  Croix,  for  two  years. 
Coming  East  for  reformatory  work  his  ser- 
vice in  \Vestboro  (Mass.)  State  Reform 
School  three  years  ;  Connecticut  Industrial 
School  four  years,  and  Masssachusetts  Pri- 
mary School  three  years  gave  him  a  broad 
experience  and  enabled  him  to  leave  his 
impress  upon  hundreds  of  young  lives,  that 
have  none  too  much  sympathy  and  care.  A 
few  months  at  Howard  Mission,  New  York, 
then  to  Washington  where  he  has  been  for 
twelve  years  a  part  of  what  is  called  The 
United  States  Government.  Preaching 
almost  every  Sabbath,  chaplain  in  Post  and 
Department  of  the  Grand  Army  and  the 
Loyal  Legion,  active  in  church,  temperance 
and  charitable  work,  he  has  lived  a  busy  life 
and  not  less  so  has  Mrs.  Bradford,  carrying 
all  over  the  country  the  fame  of  the  "  Ben 
Hur  Tableaux,"  her  own  creation  ;  and  train- 
ing her  two  girls  and  two  boys  into  a  model 
family. 

Chaplain  Bradford  is  ne\er  so  happy  as 
when  breathing  the  pure  air  of  Vermont, 
which  state  he  visits  with  delight  and  leaves 
with  regret,  for  her  hills  and  valleys  and 
people  are  very  dear  to  him. 

Chaplain  Bradford  was  married  August 
19,  1865,  to  Ellen  J.,  daughter  of  Sylvester 
and  J.  Sophia  Knight  of  Easthampton,  Mass. 
Their  children  living  are :  Mary  Knight, 
Harry  Bonnell,  Horatio  Knight,  and  Faith. 

BRIGHAM,  HOSEA  WHEELER,  of  Win- 
chester, N.  H.,  was  born  at  Whitingham, 
May  30,  1837,  the  son  of  John  and  Huldah 
(Wheeler)  Brigham. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  at  Barre  Academy  he  followed 
farming  until  1862  when  he  removed  to 
Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  187 1.  Resolving  to  follow  the  legal 
profession  he  entered  the  office  of  Judge 
Asa  French,  of  Boston,  in  1869,  and  com- 
pleted his  studies  under  H.  X.  Hix,  of  Sad- 


26 


awga.  Admitted  to  the  Windham  county 
bar  in  1872  he  practiced  his  profession  at 
Sadawga  until  1S81,  being  admitted,  in  the 
meantime,  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  and 
United  States  circuit  and  district  courts. 
Removing  to  Winchester,  N.  H.,  in  1881, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  New  Hampshire 
courts,  and  has  since  lived  at  that  place,  en- 
joying a  lucrative  practice. 

Mr.  Brigham  is  a  staunch  Republican, 
was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  con- 
stitutional convention  in  1889,  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  iS93-'94, 
postmaster  at  Sadawga  i872-'78,  justice  of 
the  peace,  chancellor,  and  four  years  a 
member  of  the  Winchester  board  of  educa- 
tion.    He  is  also  town  clerk. 

Prominent  in  Masonry,  he  is  a  member 
of  Philesian  Lodge,  No.  41  t,  and  of  the 
Royal  Arch,  Council    and  Knight  Templar. 

Mr.  Brigham  married  at  Whitingham, 
Sept.  14,  1858,  Florilla  R.,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Rebecca  Farnum.  ( )f  this  union 
are  three  children  :  Eva  C,  Ulric  U.,  anil 
Maud  F. 

BROWN,  Orlando  J.,  of  North 
Adams,  Mass.,  son  of  Harvey  and  Lucina 
(Fuller)  Brown,  was  born  in  Whitingham, 
Feb.  2,  1848. 

His  early  education  was  received  from  his 
parents,  people  of  sturdy,  representative 
New  England  stock,  and  at  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  later  supplemented 
by  several  terms  at  Powers  Institute,  Ber- 
nardston,  Mass.  He  began  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen. 
Successful  in  this  pursuit,  he  not  only  ai 
quired  an  education,  but  earned  the  mean^ 
for  fitting  himself  for  his  early  chosen  pro- 
fession, that  of  medicine. 

He  graduated  from  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1870. 
After  studying  in  the  hospitals  of  New  York 
for  the  remainder  of  that  year,  Dr.  Brown 
began  his  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery 
in  Adams,  Mass  ,  Jan.  i,  1871.  In  1872  he 
moved  to  North  Adams,  where  he  has  been 
an  honored  and  successful  practitioner  to 
the  present  time.  I  )etermined  to  keep  apace 
with  the  improved  methods  of  practice,  he 
has  taken  several  special  courses  of  study  at 
the  hospitals  and  medical  schools  of  New 
York  and  Chicago.  He  excels  particularly 
in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  women  and 
children. 

Dr.  Brown  is  prominent  in  the  political 
and  social  affairs  of  North  Adams,  and  has 
a  wide  reputation  throughout  the  state.  He 
was  appointed  one  of  the  state  medical  ex- 
aminers for  Berkshire  county  in  1882,  which 
position  he  still  holds.  In  1889  he  was  one 
of  the  Republican  nominees  for  representa- 
tive in  the  First  Berkshire   District  and  was 


elected.  In  the  House  he  was  vigilant  and 
actixe,  meriting  special  credit  for  his  work 
with  the  committee  on  public  health.  Dr.. 
Brown  is  a  member  and  officer  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts State  Medical  Society,  Massachusetts 
Medico-Legal  Society,  Medical  Association 
of  Northern  Berkshire,  and  Berkshire  Dis- 
trict Medical  Society.  He  has  been  a  health 
officer  of  the  town  most  of  the  time  since 
1880,  and  has  served  the  state  continuously 
since  1878  as  a  medical  officer  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Militia.  He  belongs  to 
the  order  F.  &  A.  M.  and  other  fraternal 
and  beneficiary  organizations,  and  is  a  mem- 


ORLANDO 


ber  of  the  First  Universalist  Church,  of 
which  he  has  been  deacon  since  1885,  and 
superintendent  of  Sunday  school  since  1872, 
was  member  of  the  building  committee  for 
new  church  in  1892,  besides  holding  other 
important  offices. 

Dr.  Brown  was  married,  Nov.  22,  1S71, 
to  Eva  M.,  daughter  of  William  and  Amelia 
(Blakeslee)  Hodskins,  who  died  Oct.  14, 
1873.  Of  this  union  there  was  one  child  : 
William  O.  (deceased).  Of  his  second  mar- 
riage with  Ida  M.,  daughter  of  Homer  and 
Martha  (Phelps)  Haskins,  which  occurred 
Sept.  13,  1876,  is  one  daughter:  Agnes  O., 
his  only  child  surviving.  The  mother  died 
at  the  birth  of  a  second  child,  Ida  M.,  in 
1881.  Dr.  Brown's  present  wife  is  Alice, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Celestia  (Stevens) 
Stowell,  to  whom  he  was  married  Dec.  16, 
1884. 


llUriKKFIEI.I) 


27 


BRUCE,  Eli  Mansfield,  of  Philadel- 
phia, son  of  Rev.  Mansfiekl  and  Grace 
'Cloddard)  Kruce,  was  born  in  \\'ilmington, 
April  25,  1825. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  and  by  hard  application  dur- 
ing his  leisure  time.  Fifteen  years  of  age 
found  him  teaching  and  his  aptitude  and 
ability  to  gain  the  good  will  and  esteem  of 
those  under  his  charge  soon  placed  him  in 
the  front  ranks  of  the  instructors  of  ^\  ind- 
ham  county,  and  in  after  years  when  he  was 
in  Ohio  and  Illinois  he  had  no  difficulty  in 
maintaining  the  reputation   of  the  ''N'nnkee 


right  Christian  life  since,  and  for  the  past 
twenty-eight  years  has  been  thoroughly  in 
earnest  in  his  efforts  to  jjursuade  his  fellow- 
men  to  turn  from  their  e\il  ways  and  in  his 
belief  that  nothing  less  than  entire  and  un- 
reserved consecration  is  required  of  every 
one  who  professes  Christianity,  his  energy 
and  money  have  been  freely  given  for  that 
purpose. 

Mr.  Bruce  united  in  mairiage  Sept.  27, 
1843,  to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Catherine  (Moore)  Snow,  of  \\"ilmington. 
Of  this  union  are  two  daughters  :  Kate,  and 
Ellen  H.  The  golden  wedding  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bruce  was  celebrated  Sept.  27,  1S93. 

BUTTERFIELD,  L.  ALONZO,  of  .Akron, 
Ohio,  son  of  Ezra  T.  and  Mary  (Leonard) 
Butterfield,  was  born  in  Wilmington,  July 
24,  1846. 


«tv 


ELI    MANSFIELD    BRUCE. 

School  Master."  In  1857  he  commenced  a 
business  life  by  engaging  with  the  late  Dea- 
con Estey — famous  the  world  o\er  as  the 
manufacturer  of  the  Estey  organs — and  he 
still  carries  a  gold  watch  taken  in  exchange 
for  one  of  the  melodeons.  In  the  winter  of 
i858-'5g  he  visited  in  the  East  and  was  in- 
duced by  Deacon  Estey  to  go  to  Philadel- 
phia and  open  a  market  for  the  Estey  or- 
gans, and  the  trip  proved  so  successful  that 
his  teaching  was  given  up  and  he  removed 
to  Philadelphia,  where  a  store  for  Estey  or- 
gans was  opened,  in  which  he  is  still  success- 
fully engaged. 

Mr.  Bruce  enlisted  and  served  three 
months  in  the  44th,  or  "Merchants'  Regi- 
ment" emergency  men,  about  the  time  of 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  but  has  never  taken  more  than  a 
voting  interest.  '  Uniting  w-ith  the  ISaptist 
church  in  1840,  Mr.    Bruce  has  led  an  u])- 


L.   ALONZO   BUTTERFIELD. 

He  was  educated  at  the  district  schools  of 
Wilmington,  Wesleyan  Academy  and  the  Bos- 
ton University.  Since  his  graduation  he  has 
devoted  his  entire  time  to  teaching,  ha\iug 
followed  that  profession  for  twenty  years  ;  one 
year  in  Wesleyan  Academy  and  several  terms 
in  the  Vermont  Methodist  Seminary,  state 
normal  school  and  the  New  Hampton  ( N.  H. ) 
Literary  Institution.  He  taught  for  three 
years  in  the  Boston  University  ;  was  instruc- 
tor in  the  Newton  (Mass.)  '["heological  In- 
stitution, and  for  several  years  at  Dartmouth 
College  ;  was  for  several  years  associate  prin- 
cipal of  the  Boston  School  of^"ocal  Physi- 
ologv,   with    Prof.   .Alexander  Graham   LSell. 


28 


CARPENTER. 


From  1 8 78  to  1SS3  Prof.  Butterfield  developed 
an  original  sj'stem  of  voice  culture,  and  has 
become  widely  known  as  a  specialist  in  voice 
culture  for  speakers  and  singers  and  in  the 
treatment  of  all  forms  of  defective  speech. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  professor  in  the 
Emerson  College  of  Oratory,  Boston,  Mass., 
resigning  in  June,  1891,  to  accept  a  call  to 
the  chair  of  rhetoric  and  oratory  at  Buchtel 
College,  Akron,  O.,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Dr.  Butterfield  has  been  prominently 
connected  with  summer  schools  and  institute 
work,  having  had  charge  of  the  department 
of  voice  culture  and  oratory  at  the  National 
Simimer  School  at  Saratoga  and  (ilens  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  for  five  summers,  beginning  in  1887. 
In  1883  he  was  elected  to  a  fellowship  in  the 
Society  of  Science,  Letters  and  Art,  of  Lon- 
don. He  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from 
the  thnerson  College  of  Oratory  in  18S8. 

Dr.  Butterfield  united  in  marriage,  Julv  3, 
1877,  to  Ruhamah,  daughter  of  Hiram  and 
Betsey  D.  (Canney)  Felker,  of  Barrington, 
N.  H.     Of  this  union  is  one  daughter  :  Alice. 


BUEL,  ALEXANDER  W.,  was  born  in 
Rutland  county,  in  1S13,  graduated  from 
the  Vermont  Lniversity  in  1831,  taught 
school  for  many  years  in  Vermont  and  New 
York,  during  which  time  he  prepared  him- 
self for  the  practice  of  law.  In  1834  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Michigan  ;  in  1836 
was  attorney  for  the  city  of  Detroit ;  in 
1837  was  elected  to  the  state  Legislature; 
in  1843  and  1844  was  prosecuting  attorney 
for  \Vayne  county  ;  in  1847  was  again  elec- 
ted to  the  Legislature:  and  from  1849  to 
1851  was  a  representative  in  Congress  from 
Michigan. 

BURKE,  Edmund,  was  born  in  West- 
minster, Jan.  23,  1809;  was  educated  by 
private  tutors,  studied  law^,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1829  :  removed  to  New  Hamp- 
shire in  1833,  where  he  established  in  Sulli- 
van county  the  New  Hampshire  Argus.  He 
was  a  representative  in  Congress  from  New 
Hampshire  from  1S39  to  1845,  and  by  Pres- 
ident Polk  was  ajjpointed  commissioner  of 
patents  in  Washington. 


CARPENTER,  MATTHEW  Hale,  son  of 
Ira  and  Esther 
.A.nn  (Luce) 
Carpenter,  was 
born  in  More- 
town,  Dec.  22, 
1834. 

When  he  was 
six  years  old, 
Paul  Dillingham 
told  him  to  be 
a  good  boy  at 
home,  and  the 
best  pupil  in 
school,  and 
when  he  was 
fourteen  to  come 
to  his  house  and 
he  would  make  a  lawyer  of  him.  The  boy 
then  bore  the  name  of  Decatur  Merritt 
Hammond  Carpenter,  and  changed  it  to 
Matthew  Hale  Carpenter  when  residing  in 
Beloit.  The  lawyer  forgot  the  promise,  but 
the  boy  did  not,  and  when  he  was  fourteen 
Merritt  made  his  appearance  as  requested, 
charmed  Mrs.  Dillingham,  as  he  had  her 
husband,  and  the  ])romise  w^as  kept. 

In  1843  Merritt  was  appointed  a  cadet  at 
West  Point,  remained  there  two  years,  re- 
signed in  August,  1845,  returned  to  \\'ater- 
bury,  resumed  the  study  of  law,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Washington  county  bar  at 
Montpelier  in  November,  1S47.  His  mother 
died  before  he  left  Moretown,  and  while  at 
Waterburv  he  had  a   home  in  Mr.  Dilling- 


ham's family,  as  well  as  a  student's  place  in 
his  office. 

L^pon  admission  to  the  bar  he  went  to 
Boston  to  continue  his  studies  in  the  office  of 
Rufus  Choate,  who  came  to  admire  and  love 
him.  In  1S4S  he  went  to  Beloit,  Wis., 
opened  an  office,  got  a  sign  painted  and 
didn't  ha\e  the  fifty  cents  to  pay  for  it,  but 
he  did  ha\e  a  good  library  which  Mr.  Choate 
had  enabled  him  to  buy  by  becoming  re- 
sponsible to  a  Boston  firm  for  payment. 

In  1849  Carpenter  was  stricken  by  what 
threatened  to  be  permanent  blindness,  found 
his  way  to  New  York,  where  he  remained 
sixteen  months  for  treatment.  Choate  loaned 
him  money  to  pay  his  expenses.  After  his 
New  York  sojourn,  and  a  few  weeks  spent  at 
Waterbury,  he  returned  to  Beloit.  There 
Matt  Carpenter,  as  he  was  called  by  every- 
body in  \Visconsin,  soon  won  distinction  in 
his  profession,  and  in  1858  he  moved  to 
Milwaukee,  which  was  thenceforward  his 
home. 

During  the  rebellion  he  was  one  of  those 
patriots  who  were  known  as  War  Democrats. 
His  services  as  a  soldier  were  not  permitted 
because  of  physical  disability,  but  he  was  a 
tower  of  strength  to  the  Union  cause  through- 
out the  Northwest. 

In  January,  1869,  he  was  elected  by  the 
RepubHcans  of  Wisconsin  to  the  United 
States  Senate.  In  January,  1875,  he  was  de- 
feated for  re-election,  but  in  January,  1S79, 
the  state  again  returned  her  first  citizen  to 


the  Senate  chamber,  but  he  was  then  in  de- 
cUning  heaUh  and,  Feb.  25  1S81,  he  died. 

He  married,  Nov.  27,  US55,  CaroHne  Dill- 
ingham, daughter  of  Paul  Dillingham.  Mrs. 
Carpenter  survives  him.  Of  their  four  chil- 
dren two  died  in  infancy,  and  two,  Lilian, 
and  Paul  D.,  are  living. 

Xo  attempt  is  here  made  to  even  outline 
the  work  of  the  most  brilliant  personality  of 
all  the  Sons  of  Vermont.  His  genius  was 
not  only  the  capacity  of  taking  infinite  pains, 
but  in  person,  in  voice,  in  grace  and  charm  of 
speech  he  had  no  rival.  The  light  of  the 
inward  fire  glowed  for  those  who  heard  and 
saw  him.  He  was  a  student,  as  the  midnight 
lamp  bore  witness  ;  profound  lawyer,  as  the 
highest  courts  of  the  land  recognized ;  a 
statesman,  who  gave  the  logical  ground  for 
his  party  to  stand  on  in  its  work  of  recon- 
struction, and  an  orator  who  mo\ed  not  only 
juries  and  courts,  but  was  the  idol  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  whose  winged  words  made  true  for 
him  what  he  once  said  when  asked  to  make 
a  political  speech,  that  the  only  ceiling  under 
which  to  do  that  was  "(lod's  blue  skv." 

CAMP,  ISAAC  N.,  of  Chicago,  111.,  son 
of  Abel  and  Charlotte  (Taplin)  Cam]),  was 
born  in  Elmore,  Dec.  iS,  1S31.  lioth 
parents  were  natives  of  Vermont.  His 
father,  a  farmer,  was  the  postmaster  and  a 
leading  man  in  town,  and  had  charge  of  a 
large  tract  of  land  left  to  the  University  of 
Vermont  by  Guy  Catlin,  who  gave  him  the 
disposal  of  a  scholarship  in  the  University  : 
the  father  died  Dec.  22,  1890,  aged  ninety 
years. 

Our  subject  prepared  for  college  at  Bak- 
ersfield  Academy,  paying  his  board  by 
teaching  music.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
entered  the  University  of  Vermont,  earning 
the  money  necessary  to  meet  his  expenses, 
graduating  in  1856. 

He  immediately  became  assistant  princi- 
pal of  Barre  Academy,  where  he  remained 
teaching  mathematics  and  music  until  1S60 
when  he  became  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Burlington,  a  position  which  he 
filled  until  his  removal  to  Chicago  in  1S68, 
forming  a  partnership  with  H.  L.  Story, 
firm  name  Story  &  Camp.  In  1884  the 
Estey  Organ  Co.  bought  Mr.  Story's  interest 
and  the  firm  became  Estey  &  Camp,  and 
has  continued  such.  Mr.  Story  received 
§250,000  for  his  interest ;  the  capital  of  the 
firm  today  is  close  to  $1,000,000,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  most  substantial  and  reputable  in 
Chicago. 

In  religion,  Mr.  Camp  is  a  Congregation- 
alist,  a  director  in  the  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary,  a  member  of  Union  Park  Congre- 
gational Church  and  president  of  its  board  of 
trustees. 


29 


In  politics,  he  is  a  thorough-going  Repub- 
lican. He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  and 
Union  League  clubs,  a  director  of  the  Chi- 
cago Guaranty  Life  Society  and  the  Royal 
Safety  Deposit  Co.  In  April,  1891,  he  was 
elected  a  director  of  the  World's  Columbian 
FIxposition,  and  was  a  member  of  its  com- 
mittee on  agriculture  and  liberal  arts. 


/ 


4 


ISAAC    N.    CAf* 


Mr.  Camp  is  a  man  of  fine  ])hysique, 
pleasing  address  and  genial  in  manner  ;  gen- 
erous to  church  and  charitable  enterprises  : 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortune ;  he  is 
highly  esteemed  in  the  city  of  his  adoption. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Jan.  i,  1862, 
to  Flora  M.,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Carlos 
Carpenter,  of  Barre.  The  fruit  of  this 
union  was  four  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living  :  The  daughter  is  Mrs.  M.  .\.  Farr; 
the  oldest  son,  Edwin  M.,  is  in  business  with 
his  father  ;  the  youngest,  William  C'.,  is  fit- 
ting for  college.  Mr.  Camp,  with  his  familv, 
has  travelled  e.xtensively  in  Europe  and  in 
the  L^nited  States. 

CARTER,  Ep.HUND  H.,  of  Wahpeton, 
N.  D.,  son  of  Rev.  Ira  and  Elizabeth  B. 
(Shedd)  Carter,  was  born  in  Springfield, 
.August  9,  184S.  He  is  a  descenilant  of 
Thomas  Carter,  who  came  over  in  the  ship 
Planter  in  1630  and  settled  at  Salisbury, 
Mass.  His  maternal  great-grandfather  was 
Col.  Jonathan  Martin,  an  ofific:er  in  the 
Revolutionary  army  and  a  member  of  the 
first  constitutional  convention  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. 


30 


Edmund's  education  was  begun  in  the 
district  schools  of  Springfield  and  com- 
pleted at  the  M.  E.  Conference  seminaries 
of  Springfield  and  Newbury.  He  learned 
mercantile  business  of  Robbins  &  White  of 
Cavendish  and  Tuxbury  &  Stone  of  Windsor, 
and  for  five  years  from  1874  was  in  the  dry 
goods  business  at  Felchville.  In  18S0  took 
up  a  government  homestead  in  the  Red 
River  Valley,  Richland  county,  Dakota  Ter- 
ritory, where   he   has  since  been  extensively 


engaged  in  farming.  He  owns  the  Cherry 
Hill  ranch  at  Mantodore,  N.  D.,  where  he 
raises  Clydesdale  horses  and  Exmoor  ponies. 

In  1884  formed,  with  Hon.  R.  N.  Ink,  the 
Farm  Loan  Co.  of  Ink  &  Carter;  in  i8go 
Mr.  Ink  withdrew,  leaving  Mr.  Carter  sole 
manager  of  an  extensive  loaning  business. 
It  is  his  proud  boast  that  no  investor  has 
ever  lost  a  dollar  through  him. 

Mr.  Carter  is  a  Republican  in  politics  ;  in 
religion  a  Methodist. 

CASWELL,  LUCIEN  B.,  of  Fort  Atkin- 
son, Wis.,  was  born  in  Swanton,  Nov.  27, 
1827.  At  three  years  of  age  he  removed  to 
Fort  Atkinson,  Wis.,  with  his  mother,  gradu- 
ated from  Beloit  College,  studied  law  with 
the  late  Matt.  Carpenter,  was  admitted  in 
185 1,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. Was  district  attorney,  i855-'56  ;  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  in  1863,  i873-'74  ;  was 
commissioner  of  the  Second  District  Enrol- 
ment Board  of  the  state,  i863-'65  ;  delegate 


to  national  Republican  convention,  1S80; 
elected  to  the  Forty-fourth,  Forty-fifth, 
Forty-sixth  and  Forty-seventh  Congresses." 

GATE,  George  W.,  was  born  in 
Montpelier,  Sept.  17,  1S25  ;  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845  ^t  Montpelier; 
removed  the  same  year  to  Wisconsin  and 
located  at  Plover  ;  was  elected  a  meinber  of 
the  state  Legislature  in  i852-'53  ;  was  elected 
judge  of  the  circuit  court  in  April,  t8s4,  and 
held  that  position  continuously  until  March 
4,  1875,  when  he  resigned  upon  being 
elected  a  representative  from  Wisconsin  in 
the  Forty-fourth  Congress  as  an  Independ- 
ent Reformer. 

GHAMBERLIN,  EDSON  J.,  of  Ottawa, 
( )nt.,  son  of  Joseph  M.  and  Roeann  (Abbott) 
Chamberlin,  was  born  in  Lancaster,  N.  H., 
August  25,  1852. 

His  early  education  was  accomplished  at 
the  high  school  of  Bethel  and  supplemented 
by  a  course  of  study  at  the  Montpelier  Metho- 
dist Seminary.  December  6,  1871,  Mr. 
Chamberlin  entered  the  employment  of  the 
Central  \'ermont  R.  R.  and  held  success- 
ively the  positions  of  time  keeper  in  the  car 
shops  at  St.  Albans,  clerk  in  the  paymaster's 
department  and  in  the  ofSce  of  superintend- 
ent of  transportation.  In  1875,  he  became 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  general  super- 
intendent, and  in  1877  the  private  secretary 
to  the  general  manager.  April,  1884,  to  Sep- 
tember, 1886,  he  acted  as  general  manager 
of  the  Ogdensburg  &  Lake  Champlain  R.  R. 
and  the  Central  Vermont  line  of  steamers 
running  between  Chicago  and  Ogdensburg. 
September  i,  1886,  he  assumed  the  position 
of  general  manager  of  the  Canada  &  .Atlantic 
R.  R. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  has  never  entered  politi- 
cal life  nor  has  he  held  town  or  county 
offices.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Engelsby 
Lodge  of  Burlington,  a  past  high  priest  of 
Champlain  Chapter,  No.  i,  and  a  Sir  Knight 
of  Lafayette  Commandery  and  of  the  su- 
preme council  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  G., 
daughter  of  James  and  Clarissa  Place,  of 
Highgate,  Sept.  18,  1876. 

GHANDLER,  ALBERT  BROWN,  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  West  Randolph, 
August  20,  1840,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of 
^\'illiam  Brown  Chandler,  a  man  whose  life, 
covering  almost  ninety  years,  was  marked 
by  an  eminently  Christian  spirit  that  em- 
bodied in  its  law  both  of  these  great  princi- 
ples that  were  declared  as  embodying  all 
the    law   and    the    prophets ;     and    whose 


CKANDLKR. 


CHANDLER. 


wife,  f^lecta  Owen,  was  a  woman  of  rare 
merit,  possessing  uncommon  intellectual 
endowments  as  well  as  high  character  ;  she 
lived  to  seventy  years  old,  and  both,  through- 
out their  long  lives,  were  sincerely  respected 
and  loved.  Albert  Chandler's  first  ancestor 
in  America  was  AVilliam  Chandler,  who 
settled  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in  1637.  From 
the  three  sons  of  this  man  came  the  New 
England  branches  of  the  family,  among  the 
members  of  which  were  several  men  who 
distinguished  themselves  in  civil  or  military 
life  in  colonial  times.  The  Hon.  Zachariah 
Chandler  of  Michigan,  United  States  Senator 
from  that  state  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
under  President  Grant,  was  a  descendant  of 
A\'illiam,  the  eldest  of  the  three  ;  the  Hon. 
William  E.  Chandler,  senator  from  New 
Hampshire,  who  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
under  President  Hayes,  and  Commander 
Benjamin  F.  Chandler,  an  officer  in  the 
navy,  are  descendants  of  Thomas  another 
of  the  three.  .Albert  B.  Chandler  is  a  de- 
scendant of  the  third  brother,  John,  and  he 
numbers  also  among  his  ancestors,  in  a 
direct  line,  Mary  Winthrop,  daughter  of 
John  Winthrop,  the  first  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  sister  of  John  Winthrop, 
founder  of  New  London  and  the  first  Gover- 
nor of  Connecticut. 

Of  studious  tastes,  Mr.  Albert  B.  Chandler 
made  effective  use  of  the  opportunities  af- 
forded him  for  securing  an  academic  educa- 
tion, and  in  the  intervals  between  school 
proved  his  native  industry  by  working  as  a 
compositor  in  a  printing  office  in  his  native 
town  and  in  Montpelier.  There  was  a  tele- 
graph office  located  in  a  bookstore  at  West 
Randolph  in  connection  with  the  printing 
office  in  which  he  worked,  and  this  enabled 
him  to  acquire  the  art  of  telegraphy.  For 
a  time  he  was  telegraph  messenger  and  oper- 
ator. In  October,  1858,  through  the  influ- 
ence of  his  brother,  AN'illiam  Wallace  Chan- 
dler, he  was  appointed  manager  of  the 
Western  Union  telegraph  office  at  Beliaire,  O. 
In  February,  1 85  9,  he  was  promoted  to  a  posi- 
tion in  the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  that 
Railway  Co.,  at  Pittsburg,  and  on  May  i  of  the 
same  year  he  was  appointed  agent  of  that  com- 
pany at  Manchester,  opposite  Pittsburg.  He 
occupied  this  position  with  much  credit  vntil 
the  end  of  May,  1863,  and  there  became 
familiar  with  the  various  branches  of  railway 
service.  On  the  istof  June,  1863,  he  entered 
the  U.  S  military  telegraph  service  as  cipher 
operator  in  the  War  Department  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he 
was  made  disbursing  clerk  for  Gen.  Thomas 
T.  Eckert,  superintendent  of  the  Department 
of  the  Potomac,  in  addition  to  his  duties  as 
cipher  operator.  Here  he  became  personally 
acquainted  with  many  officers  of  the  go\ern- 


ment,  and  particularly  with  President  Lincoln 
and  Secretary  Stanton. 

Early  in  .August,  1866,  before  the  general 
consolidation  of  the  several  telegraph  inter- 
ests into  one  company  had  become  fully 
organized,  he  removed  to  New  York  City 
and  became  chief  clerk  of  the  general  super- 
intendent of  the  Eastern  di\ision,  and  was 
also  placed  in  charge  of  the  trans-Atlantic 
cable  traffic,  which  had  then  just  com- 
menced. In  addition  to  these  duties  Mr. 
Chandler  was  apjjointed,  on  the  first  of  June, 
1869,  superintendent  of  the  sixth  district  of 
the  Eastern  division.  He  continued  in  this 
service  until  January,  1875,  when,  soon 
after  the  election  of  General  Eckert  as  pres- 
ident and  general  manager  of  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Telegraph  Co.,  Mr.  Chand- 
ler was  made  assistant  general  manager  of 
that  company.  In  June  of  the  same  year  he 
was  appointed  secretary,  and  the  following 
year  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  and  subsequently  treasurer  and 
vice  president.  In  December,  1879,  after 
the  resignation  of  General  Eckert,  Mr. 
Chandler  was  elected  president,  continuing 
in  that  position  until  the  complete  absorp- 
tion of  the  .Atlantic  and  Pacific  company  by 
the  Western  L'nion  in  1882.  The  property 
was  combined  with  that  of  the  Western 
L'nion,  as  to  its  operation,  in  the  spring  of 
1 88 1,  and  his  duties  in  connection  there- 
with, after  that  time,  were  only  such  as  were 
made  legally  necessary  by  its  separate  cor- 
porate existence.  In  the  summer  of  1881 
he  acted  as  treasurer  of  the  Western  L'nion 
company  during  the  absence  of  that  officer. 

In  October,  1881,  he  accepted  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Fuller  Electrical  Co.,  which 
was  one  of  the  first  to  undertake  the 
development  of  the  arc  system  of  electric 
lighting.  He  remained  acti\ely  in  that 
position  until  May,  1884.  During  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  that  year,  having  had  more 
than  twenty-five  years  incessant  service,  he 
spent  three  months  in  A'ermont,  but  per- 
formed during  this  period  of  relaxation,  a 
variety  of  services  for  the  Electrical  com- 
jiany,  and  also  for  the  Commercial  Cable 
Co.,  whose  system  was  then  in  course  of 
construction. 

Early  in  December,  18S4,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  counsel  by  the  Postal  Telegraph 
and  Cable  Co.,  at  the  instance  of  Mr.  John 
\\'.  Mackay,  and  acted  in  that  capacity 
until  June  i,  1885,  when  he  was  appointed 
receiver  of  the  property  of  that  company  by 
the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York,  and  had 
charge  of  the  operation  of  its  lines  and  the 
management  of  its  business  while  the  fore- 
closure suits,  which  resulted  in  the  sale  of 
the  property  in  January,  1886,  were  pend- 
ing. L^pon  its  reorganization  he  was  elected 
president  of  the   company.     In  connection 


CHANDLKR. 


CHANDLER. 


33 


with  his  care  of  the  iiropertj-  of  the  I'ostal 
'relegra]ih  Co.,  the  general  management  of 
the  newly  organized  United  Lines  Telegraph 
Co.,  was  assigned  to  him,  that  company  having 
purchased  the  lines  formerly  known  as  the 
Bankers  and  Merchants.  This  property  sub- 
sequently became  a  part  of  the  Postal.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  been  made  a  director, 
a  member  of  the  e.xecutive  committee  and  a 
vice-president  of  the  Commercial  Cable  Co., 
and  of  the  Pacific  Postal  Telegraph  Co.,  and  a 
director,  and  subsequently  president  of  the 
Commercial  Telegram  Co.  Mainly  through 
his  efforts  the  control  of  the  plant  of  the 
latter  company  was  sold  to  the  New 
York  Stock  E.xchange  for  the  purpose  of 
enabling  that  institution  to  make  simulta- 
neous distribution  of  its  quotations  to  its 
members,  and  Mr.  Chandler  became  vice 
president  and  general  manager  of  the  New 
York  (Quotation  Co.,  which  assumed  con- 
trol of  the  business  in  the  interest  of  the 
stock  exchange.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Brooklyn  IJis- 
trict  Telegraph  Co.,  of  which  he  was  presi- 
dent during  the  first  three  years  of  its 
existence. 

Immediately  after  the  Western  Union 
Co.  acquired  possession  in  October,  1S87, 
of  the  telegraph  system  which  had  been  built 
up  by  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railway  Co., 
^Ir.  Chandler  was  invited  by  reason  of  his 
well-known  views  on  the  subject  of  tele- 
graphic competition,  and  the  necessity  for 
it,  to  confer  with  certain  of  the  principal 
owners  and  officers  of  the  \\'estern  Union 
Co.,  the  conference  resulting  in  an  arrange- 
ment for  the  discontinuance  of  rate  cutting, 
rebating  and  other  destructi\e  methods  of 
competition  which  had  previously  prevailed 
whenever  any  telegraph  interest  attained 
considerable  extent.  This  condition  has 
ever  since  continued,  with  great  benefit  to 
the  telegraph  companies,  and  to  the  public. 
Under  it,  non-paying  rates  were  of  course 
discontinued  :  but  a  still  larger  number  of 
rates  were  reduced,  the  aim  being  to  equal- 
ize the  charges  and  place  the  public  on  a 
uniform  basis  as  to  telegraph  rates,  discrim- 
inating neither  for  nor  against  any  one,  and 
making  excellence  of  service,  in  speed  and 
accuracy,  the  means  of  influencing  patron- 
age. This  has  produced  a  telegraph  service 
which  is  far  superior  to  any  that  has  ever 
before  been  performed,  and  to  Mr.  Chandler, 
more  than  to  any  other  one  person,  the 
credit  of  establishing  such  conditions,  both 
in  connection  with  land  lines  and  trans- 
Atlantic  service,  unquestionably  belongs — 
negotiations  respecting  the  latter  having 
been  intrusted  to  him,  after  the  merit  of  the 
principles  involved  had  become  well  assured 
by  experience  on  the  land  lines.  An  authority 
on    the    history    of    the    telegraph    in    this 


country  fittingly  alludes  to  Mr.  Chandler  as 
"a  man  of  much  prudence  and  conservative 
judgment,  having  an  engaging  courtesy  and 
refinement." 

To  Albert  B.  Chandler  the  American  public 
is  very  largely  indebted  for  the  comparative 
inexpensiveness  of  telegraphic  communica- 
tion in  these  days,  when  the  most  sanguine 
ideas  that  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse  could  have 
indulged  in  have  been  more  than  realized. 
From  boyhood  Mr.  Chandler  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  telegraph  business,  and  for 
many  years  he  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  enterprises  and  movements  that 
have  been  fruitful  in  bringing  this  immense 
interest  into  its  present  profitable  and  useful 
condition.  During  the  last  five  years  that 
Professor  Morse  lived,  Mr.  Chandler  was 
well  acquainted  with  him,  and  he  has  had 
the  personal  friendship  of  almost  every  one 
of  the  prominent  promoters,  inventors,  own- 
ers, managers,  etc.,  of  telegraphic  interests 
and  of  electrical  enterprises  generally,  which 
have  revolutionized  the  modern  world.  He 
is  at  the  present  time  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Postal  Telegraph  Cable  Co., 
vice-president  of  the  Commercial  Cable  Co., 
and  president  of  several  local  companies  in 
different  cities  that  are  allied  to  those  inter- 
ests. The  magnificent  new  Postal  Telegraph 
building  erected  during  the  past  two  years, 
on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Murray 
streets,  opposite  the  New  York  City  Hall,  is 
the  most  recent  of  Mr.  Chandler's  important 
enterprises.  He  selected  the  site,  conducted 
the  negotiations  which  secured  it,  was  chair- 
inan  of  the  committee  which  had  charge  of 
its  construction  and  which  now  controls  it. 
The  building  is  of  limestone,  gray  brick  and 
terra  cotta,  fourteen  stories  in  height  over 
basement  and  cellar,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  handsomest,  as  well  as  most  com- 
modious, well-appointed  and  well-lighted 
office  buildings  in  the  world.  The  steam 
and  electrical  machinery  are  of  most  recent 
design,  of  the  highest  order  of  merit,  and  are 
so  extensive  and  complete  as  to  command 
the  admiration  of  experts  and  scientists  as 
well  as  less  skillful  critics.  The  value  of 
land  and  building  is  about  two  and  a  half 
millions  of  dollars. 

In  addition  to  these  important  trusts,  Mr. 
Chandler  has  been  called  upon  to  give  much 
time  and  careful  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  a  large  estate  in  Brooklyn  of  which 
he  is  the  executor. 

Mr.  Chandler  married  Miss  Marilla  Eunice 
Stedman,  of  West  Randolph,  Oct.  11,  1864, 
and  three  children  have  been  born  of  the  mar- 
riage. The  first,  a  daughter  named  Florence, 
died  in  early  childhood  ;  the  others  are  two 
sons,  Albert  Eckert  and  Willis  Derwin. 

Mr.  Chandler  ow-ns  a  handsome  residence 
on  Clinton  avenue,  Brooklyn,  and  has  a  com- 


34 


CHANDLER. 


CHANDLER. 


niodius  country  home  in  his  nati\e  town 
where  his  family  passes  the  summer.  He  i.-. 
a  man  of  extremely  pleasant  manner,  very 
approachable,  and  amid  his  many  cares  and 
responsibilities  finds  time  to  cultivate  the 
graces  of  social  life.  His  domestic  attach- 
ments are  strong  and  he  is  a  lover  of  music 
and  literature,  cultivating  his  tastes  quite 
freely  in  both  these  directions.  He  wields  a 
ready  pen  in  literary  and  historical  work,  and 
among  his  diversions  has  been  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  genealogical  record  of  his  family 
that  would  do  credit  to  a  professional  searcher. 
One  of  his  peculiar  faculties  is  a  remarkable 
memory  for  names,  faces  and  dates,  and 
this,  with  his  ease  in  conversation,  his  wide 
range  of  information  and  his  companionable 
ways,  makes  him  a  very  interesting  man  to 
meet  and  to  know. 

CHANDLER,  William  Wallace,  of 
Chicago,  was  born  at  \\'est  Randolph,  Jan. 
7,  1821.  He  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
eight  boys,  there  having  been  two  girls  older 
and  three  younger  than  himself.  Twelve  of 
these  thirteen  children  lived  to  become 
parents,  one  girl  having  died  in  infancy. 

His  parents,  William  Brown  and  Electa 
Owen  Chandler,  were  married  at  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  in  1816,  and  removed  immediately 
to  West  Randolph,  where  they  resided  to- 
gether for  fifty  years,  lacking  four  months, 
when  his  mother  passed  to  a  higher  life, — 
his  father  surviving  until  he  was  eighty-nine 
and  one-half  years  old  when  he  died  at  the 
residence  of  his  son  Frank  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. 

His  paternal  ancestor,  William  Chandler, 
came  from  England  to  Ro.Nbury,  Mass.,  in 
1637,  only  seventeen  years  after  the  landing 
of  the  Pilgrims. 

William  Brown  Chandler,  whose  birth 
dates  back  to  primitive  times,  learned  the 
manufacture  of  farming  and  carpenters' 
tools  and  other  branches  of  handiwork  in 
iron  and  steel,  from  a  horseshoe  to  articles 
and  implements  requiring  far  more  skill. 
He  also  owned  a  farm  (less  than  thirty 
acres),  where  this  large  family  were  reared, 
— the  small  farm  contributing  largely  to 
their  support.  .As  was  the  case  in  most 
Vermont  families  in  those  days,  industry 
and  economy  were  necessary,  and  as  soon 
as  the  Chandler  children  were  able  to  work 
their  services  were  utilized,  and  they  were 
never  idle,  although  never  overtaxed,  ^^'hen 
there  was  no  work,  their  mother,  who  was  a 
natural  and  competent  teacher,  managed  to 
keep  them  studying,  which  was  a  great  ben- 
efit, as  the  school  terms  were  limited  to 
three  months  in  summer  and  winter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  robust, 
hearty  boy,  and  his  services  on  the  little 
farm  and  among  the  neighbors  were  too  val- 


uable, after  he  was  nine  years  old,  to  allow 
him  to  attend  school  except  the  three  winter 
months. 

From  early  childhood,  he  manifested  an 
inclination  to  write  in  all  sorts  of  places 
where  letters  could  be  formed,  with  a  stick 
on  the  sand,  or  in  the  smooth  snow,  and  a 
new  shingle  was  a  delight  to  him.  .At  the 
age  of  fifteen,  with  very  little  instruction,  and 
without  the  aid  of  copies  of  any  merit,  he 
had  succeeded  in  formulating  a  system  of 
penmanship  which  attracted  much  atten- 
tion in  his  nati\e  town  and  throughout  the 
county. 

Soon  after  passing  his  fifteenth  birthday, 
he  was  induced  to  teach  an  evening  class  of 
thirty-eight  persons  in  the  village  near  his 
home.  Not  only  boys  and  girls  were  his 
pupils,  but  their  parents  also.  He  possessed 
the  rare  faculty  of  being  able  to  impart  to 
others  whatever  he  knew  himself.  His  suc- 
cess in  this,  his  first  school,  was  regarded  as 
almost  marvelous.  This  was  before  the  days 
of  steel  and  gold  pens,  and  he  provided  each 
pupil  with  three  quill  pens,  uniform  as  to 
quality,  which  they  used  alternately  for  each 
lesson.  The  next  day  the  pens  were  "mended" 
for  the  following  lesson. 

To  make  a  good  quill  pen,  and  hundreds 
of  them  alike,  was  "high  art" — not  one  man 
in  a  hundred  could  do  it,  but  he  could,  and 
afterwards  taught  thousands  to  follow  very 
closely  his  method.  In  the  autumn  of  1843, 
at  Montpelier,  he  taught  nearly  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  to  make  a  quill  pen, 
no  one  paying  him  less  than  one  dollar, 
and  some  voluntarily  paid  him  fi\e  dollars, 
and  one  senator  from  ^'ergennes  handed  him* 
a  ten  dollar  note,  remarking  as  he  did  so,  "I 
never  paid  any  money  for  anything  more 
cheerfully." 

The  spring  after  his  first  school,  he  at- 
tended a  term  at  Randolph  Academy,  or  as 
it  was  called,  "  The  Orange  County  Gram- 
mar School."  Soon  after  he  commenced  his 
studies  here,  the  preceptor  asked  him  to  call 
at  his  room  that  evening,  which  he  did.  He 
said  :  "  I  have  learned  of  your  wonderful 
success  as  a  teacher  of  penmanship  last  win- 
ter at  the  ^^'est  village.  Here  are  between 
one  and  two  hundred  students  at  this  acad- 
emy, very  few  of  whom  are  able  to  write 
even  tolerable.  They  have  no  system  what- 
ever, yet  many  of  them  are  teachers.  Now 
I  am  aware  that  if  you  should  have  classes 
in  writing,  you  would  be  able  to  do  very 
little  with  your  own  studies,  but  I  am  anxious 
to  have  these  students  instructed  and  will 
pay  whatever  we  can  agree  upon  for  each 
pupil,  relying  upon  myself  to  collect  from 
them  sufficient  to  reimburse  me.  You  pro- 
cure suitable  stationery,  keep  an  account  of 
what  you  pay  therefor,  which  shall  be  re- 
funded.    Make  three  classes — I  will  arrange 


.^,6 


CHANDLER. 


for  the  time  of  each, — one  in  the  forenoon, 
one  in  the  afternoon  and  one  in  the  evening, 
using  the  academy  hall.  If  you  find  you 
have  not  time  to  set  the  copies  in  each  book, 
limit  your  work  to  blackboard  illustrations." 
Suffice  it  to  say,  most  of  those  students  were 
his  pupils,  and  he  was  well  paid  for  his 
services,  albeit  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his 
studies.  When  that  school  term  closed  an 
extensive  farmer,  who  also  ran  a  brickyard, 
said  :  "  I  want  you  for  three  months  to  work 
as  I  may  direct,  and  will  pay  you  §15,00 
per  month.'  When  the  time  was  up  the 
farmer  said,  "Here  are  $45,  that  fulfils  the 
contract,  but  I  am  paying  some  of  the  others 
S20  per  month,  and  your  services  have  been 
more  valuable  than  theirs,  and  no  grumbling, 
therefore  I  gladly  make  you  a  present  of 
Si 5."  Farmers  of  that  class  are  now  nearly 
extinct. 

That  autumn  he  attended  another  academy 
for  three  months,  where  he  also  had  a  class 
in  penmanship, — not  so  large,  however,  but 
that  he  was  able  to  devote  more  than  half 
his  time  towards  perfecting  his  education. 
The  following  winter  he  taught  a  district 
school  in  a  village,  and  had  a  large  evening 
class  in  writing.  Thus  he  continued  to 
work  and  to  study  as  best  he  might  be  able 
until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
entered  Norwich  Military  Academy,  an  ex- 
cellent school,  especially  for  the  study  of 
mathematics,  of  which  he  was  especially  fond. 
This  school  he  attended  nearly  five  terms,  in 
the  aggregate,  teaching  more  or  less  between 
times,  and  this  was  by  far  the  best  opportu- 
nity he  ever  had  for  instruction.  From  that 
time  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
he  taught  penmanship  in  most  of  the  large 
towns  of  Vermont  and  some  in  the  state  of 
New  York,  in  academies,  seminaries,  col- 
leges, and  rooms  which  he  rented  outside  of 
schools. 

In  June,  1845,  he  was  persuaded  to  take 
a  position  as  advance  agent  for  a  concert 
troupe,  affording  him  an  excellent  opportu- 
nity to  learn  men  and  things,  especially  to 
study  geography  practically. 

In  September  following,  he  returned  to  his 
teaching  for  nine  months  at  Bakersfield 
Academy,  at  St.  .-Mbans,  and  other  towns  in 
Northern  Vermont. 

Having  had  experience  as  an  advertising 
agent,  the  Cheney  family  (the  famous  Ver- 
mont singing  masters),  who  had  organized 
as  a  concert  troupe,  sought  his  services  in  a 
similar  capacity,  making  him  a  very  tempt- 
ing offer,  which  he  accepted,  and  remained 
with  them  nearly  eight  months,  when  they 
disbanded  at  Albion,  N.  V.  Not  long  there- 
after he  engaged  with  another  concert 
troupe,  where  he  continued  until  February, 
1853,  during  which  ex])erience  he  visited 
twentv  states  of  the  Union,  traversing  some 


of  them  several  times  over,  traveling  a  great 
part  of  the  time  with  a  pair  of  horses  and 
buggy — a  good  way  to  see  the  country 
thoroughly. 

March  5,  1S53,  he  entered  the  employ  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  of  the  Cleveland,  Pittsburg 
&  \\'heeling  R.  R.,  as  fourth  clerk  in  a 
freight  office.  In  about  three  months  he 
was  promoted  to  first  clerk,  and  before  the 
end  of  three  years  he  was  advanced  to  the 
position  of  general  freight  agent  of  the  road, 
where  he  remained  nearly  nine  years,  when 
he  was  sent  to  Chicago  upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  "Star  Union  Line,"  the  pioneer 
of  the  through  freight  lines  of  this  country. 

From  that  time  until  the  present  date. 
May  10,  1893,  he  has  been  the  general  agent 
of  that  company  at  Chicago.  For  more  than 
forty  years  he  has  been  so  constantly  em- 
ployed by  the  Penna.  Co.  in  different  capac- 
ities as  to  have  received  his  pay  for  each 
and  every  day. 

April  I,  1893,  his  health  being  somewhat 
impaired,  he  was  retired  on  full  pay,  retain- 
ing his  rank  and  title,  whether  or  not  he 
ever  performs  any  further  service. 

Mr.  Chandler  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
having  invented  and  put  in  operation  the  first 
refrigerator  cars  ever  built  in  this  or  any  other 
country.  He  neglected  to  procure  a  patent, 
not  realizing  at  the  time  the  magnitude  of 
the  business  which  such  cars  would  attain  in 
a  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Many  thousands  of  such  cars  are  in  daily 
use  all  over  this  broad  land. 

Mr.  Chandler  has  been  married  three 
times,  his  first  wife  bearing  him  two  sons, 
both  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  two 
sons  of  his  second  wife  are  married  and  liv- 
ing in  New  York  City  :  William  W.  Jr.,  born 
Thanksgiving  Day,  1856,  and  Fred  Brown 
Chandler,  born  Thanksgiving  Day,  1859,  ^^ 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

He  married  his  third  wife.  Miss  Lavinia 
B.  Pendleton,  .\ugust  18,  1 881,  in  Boston, 
her  native  city,  where  for  several  years  she 
had  ranked  among  the  first  of  that  city's  fa- 
mous teachers.  She  is  a  lady  of  thorough 
education  and  refinement,  and  besides  being 
her  husband's  constant  companion  is  his 
amanuensis. 

CHASE,  LUCIEN  B.,  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and  was  representative  in  Congress 
from  Tennessee,  from  1S45  to  1847,  and  for 
a  second  term,  ending  1849.  He  was  the 
author  of  a  work  entitled  "History  of  Presi- 
dent Polk's  Administration." 

CHEEVER,  DUSTIN  GROW,  of  CHnton, 
Wis.,  son  of  Josiah  Rider  and  Candace  Grow 
(Bronson)  Cheever,  grandson  of  Nathaniel 
Cheever,   and    great-grandson     of    Willianv 


37 


Cheever,  who  were  pioneers  of  Hardwick, 
was  born  in  Hardwick,  Jan.  30,  1830. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  pubHc 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at  Derby 
Academy,  where  he  was  a  schoolmate  of 
Hon.  Redtield  Proctor.  Mr.  Cheever  was 
reared  on  a  farm,  but  spent  the  winters  either 
in  attending  school  or  teaching.  In  the 
spring  of  1851  he  emigrated  to  Wisconsin, 
and  settled  in  Clinton,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  at  once  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
with  marked  success,  and  has  made  that  his 
chief  occupation. 

Mr.  Cheever  has  ever  been  an  ardent  Re- 
publican, and  many  times  has  been  honored 
by  holding  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. During  the  years  1856  and  1858  he 
was  town  superintendent  of  schools  ;  in  1857 
he  was  elected  town  clerk;  1865  and  1875 
he  was  chairman  of  the  town  board  of  sup- 
ervisors, and  from  1865  to  1873  inclusive  was 
justice  of  the  peace.  During  the  war  of  the 
rebellion,  from  1861  to  1865,  he  was  enroll- 
ing officer  for  the  town,  was  chairman  and 
treasurer  of  the  recruiting  committee  to  keep 
filled  the  town  quota  of  volunteers.  He  was 
deputy  postmaster  from  1871  to  1877  and 
managed  the  Clinton  postoffice  mainly  dur- 
ing those  years. 

In  1872  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Wisconsin  Legislature,  and  re-elected  in 
1873  ;  in  1873  was  appointed  by  Gov.  C.  C. 
Washburn  a  member  of  the  committee  to 
visit  the  charitable  institutions  of  the  state 
and  make  reports  to  the  Legislature,  was 
chairman  of  the  committee,  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  claims,  and  was  frequently 
speaker  pro  fern  of  the  .Assembly.  From 
1876  to  1883  was  trustee  of  the  Wisconsin 
Deaf  and  Dumb  Institute,  located  at  Dela- 
van,  Wis.,  and  during  the  entire  time  was  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  ;  was 
also  a  member  of  the  building  committee, 
having  in  charge  the  construction  of  its  pres- 
ent fine  buildings,  erected  since  the  old 
ones  were  destroyed  by  fire,  Sept.  16,  1879. 

Early  in  life  he  became  connected  with 
the  Baptist  denomination  and  has  ever  had 
an  active  interest  in  its  welfare.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  to  erect 
their  present  fine  church  edifice  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Clinton  and  contributed  liberally  of 
his  time  and  means  to  its  completion  ;  has 
been  superintendent  of  Sunday  school  and 
for  many  years  teacher  of  a  Bible  class.  He 
is  a  member  of  Clood  Samaritan  Lodge,  No. 
135,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  the  first  man 
made  a  Mason  in  Clinton.  For  many  years 
he  served  the  order  either  as  senior  deacon, 
junior  or  senior  warden  and  has  been  dele- 
gate to  the  Grand  Lodge  :  is  a  member  of 
Beloit  Chapter  Xo.  9,  Royal  Arch  Masons. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Hope  Temple  of 
Honor  and  Temperance,  No.  ^t„  and  takes 


a  deep  interest  in  all  temperance  reform 
work.  In  years  past  when  business  cares 
were  less  pressing  he  vi'as  an  active  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Mr.  Cheever  was  married  Jan  4,  1853,  to 
Christiana,  daughter  of  Dustin  and  Sarah 
(  Lamson )  Grow.  Of  this  union  are  two  sons  : 
Ralph  \Vright  Cheever,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Clinton  Herald,  a  Republican  weekly  ; 
he  is  also  village  postmaster,  appointed  by 
President  Harrison.  The  other  son,  .\rthur 
Josiah,  is  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Cheever  died  Jan. 
I,  1873.  October  17,  1878,  he  married  Mrs. 
Dell  Louisa  (Shumway)  Bailey,  who  has  a 
daughter  by  her  first  husband,  Phebe  L. 
Bailey,  also  a  resident  of  Clinton. 

CHEEVER,  Silas  Grow,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Capt.  Josiah  Rider  and 
Candace  Grow  (Bronson)  Cheever,  was 
born  in  Hardwick,  June  23,  1838.  His  pa- 
ternal and  maternal  ancestors  were  from 
England.  His  great-grandfather,  William 
Cheever,  who  was  born  in  Chatham,  Mass., 
in  1745,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Vermont. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
education  at  the  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  from  private  lessons  from  professional 
instructors  in  the  \\'est  after  leaving  home. 
During  the  years  of  his  minority  he  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  until  1856,  when  he 
went  to  Wisconsin,  where  his  eldest  brother, 
Hon.  D.  G.  Cheever,  resides.  He  was  there 
engaged  in  farming,  teaching  school  and 
bagging  grain  for  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and 
Racine  markets.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he 
moved  to  Iowa  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
building.  From  there  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  Nevada,  where  he  was  interested  in  min- 
ing, and  as  contractor  and  builder,  until  De- 
cember, 1867,  when  he  went  to  California, 
arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  January,  1S68, 
where  he  still  resides.  He  then  purchased 
a  half  interest  in  the  Evangel,  the  organ 
of  the  Baptist  denomination,  and  was  for 
several  years  associated  with  Rev.  Stephen 
Hilton  as  assistant  editor  and  business  man- 
ager :  and  it  was  during  his  connection  with 
that  journal  that  it  saw  its  most  prosperous 
days.  Subsequently  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  that  paper  and  engaged  in  general 
advertising,  including  in  his  list  of  papers 
the  Daily  and  ^\'eekly  Call,  also  Bulle- 
tin and  several  of  the  leading  weeklies  of 
the  Pacific  coast. 

He  has  always  voted  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  sometimes  made  political 
speeches  at  club  meetings,  but  always  de- 
clined to  run  for  office. 

He  was  captain  of  Co.  Q,  of  the  Nevada 
state  militia,  and  was  afterwards  appointed 
assistant  adjutant-general,  with  the  rank  of 
major  and  served  on  Gen.  John   B.  \\'inter's 


^s 


staff  in  1867.  When  on  the  plains,  he,  at  the 
head  of  a  company  of  determined  men,  ar- 
rested and  disarmed  a  band  of  rebels  and 
half-breed  Indians  who  were  disturbing  and 
robbing  emigrants,  and  turned  them  o\er  to 
the  commander  at  Fort  Independence  on 
the  Sweetwater  ri\er. 

He  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  for  more 
than  twenty  \'ears  and  is  a  past  grand  of 
Unity  Lodge  of  San  Francisco  and  was  its 
representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  in  1877, 
and  its  permanent  secretary  and  organist 
since  1882.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Handel  and  Haydn  Society  and  held  the 
office  of  financial  secretary  and  trustee. 
Having  a  fine  and  well  cultivated  tenor  voice 
he  was  in  demand  for  church  choirs  and  he 
has  been  tenor  soloist  and  director  of  several 
and  also  superintendent  and  musical  director 
of  their  Sunday  schools.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  San  Francisco, 
and  also  the  Pacific  Coast  Association  Native 
Sons  of  Vermont  and  held  the  office  of  secre- 
tary in  1891  and  1892,  and  vice-president. 
He  is  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Maple 
Leaf,  which  he  publishes  in  the  interest  of 
the  Vermont  Association. 

He  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Anna 
Wells,  of  Wisconsin,  and  they  had  one  son  ; 
Edwin  Freemont  Cheever,  who  died  in  1863, 
and  his  wife  died  in  1885.  In  .April,  1887, 
Mr.  Cheever  was  married  to  Miss  Phoebe 
H.  Carr,  and  of  this  union  is  one  son  :  Earl 
Howard  Cheever,  born  Feb.  15,  1890.  Mr. 
Cheever  has  two  brothers,  D.  G.  and  E.  W. 
B.  Cheever,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  .Adaline  L. 
Mason. 

CHIPMAN,  John  S.,  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and  was  a  representative  in  Congress 
from  Michigan  from  1845  ^^  1847. 

CHITTENDEN,  L.E.,  of  New Vork City, 
was  the  son  of  Giles,  who  was  the  fifth  in 
descent  from  Thomas  Chittenden,  the  first 
Governor  of  Vermont.  He  was  born  at 
Williston,  May  24,    1824. 

Educated  at  the  Williston  and  Hines- 
burgh  academies,  he  studied  law  with  Nor- 
man L.  Whittemore,  of  Swanton,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Franklin  county, 
with  John  G.  Saxe  and  Croydon  Beckwith  in 
September,  1844.  Commencing  practice  in 
Burlington  in  the  spring  of  1845,  his  part- 
ners in  succession  were  Wyelys  Lyman,  Ed- 
ward J.  Phelps  and  Daniel  Roberts.  In  1861 
Mr.  Chittenden  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Fairbanks  a  member  of  the  Peace  Confer- 
ence, which  met  at  ^\'ashington  on  the  invi- 
tation of  the  Governor  of  Mrginia,  on  the 
third  of  February  in  that  year.  As  he  kept 
the  records  of  the  conference  he  afterwards 
published  them  in  1864.  At  the  request  of 
Salmon  P.  Chase  he  accepted  the  position  of 


Register  of  the  'I'reasurv,  which  position  he 
held  until  1864.  In  1867  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  Vork 
City,  where  he  still  resides.  Mr.  Chitten- 
den has  collected,  and  still  owns,  probably 
the  largest  collection  of  books  printed  in 
and  relating  to  Vermont.  He  has  published 
the  following  books  and  pamphlets  :  "."Ad- 
dress on  the  Centennial  Celebration  at 
Ticonderoga,"  "Address  on  the  Dedication 
of  the  Monument  to  Ethan  Allen  at  Bur- 
lington," "Recollections  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  his  .-Vdministration,"  "Reminis- 
cences from  1840  to  1890,"  and  several 
other  pamphlets  and  magazine  articles. 

He  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  for- 
mation of  the  party,  and  was  an  organizer  of 
the  Free  Soil  party  in  1848.  He  is  also  a  life 
member  of  the  N.  E.  Society,  of  the  Repub- 
lican and  Grolier  clubs,  and  the  Society  of 
Medical  Jurisprudence. 

CR  1ST Y,  AUSTIN  Phelps,  of  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  son  of  John  B.  and  Louisa  L. 
(Cooke)  Cristv,  was  born  in  Morristown, 
May  8,  1S50. 

Beginning  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town,  his  education  was  continued  in 
the  high  school  at  Reading,  Mass.,  and  the 
academy  at  Monson,  Mass.,  graduating 
from  Dartmouth  college  in  the  class  of  '73. 

In  1874  he  was  admitted  to  Hampden 
county  bar,  having  studied  law  with  Judge 
Chester  I.  Reed,  of  Boston,  and  with  Leon- 
ard and  Wells,  of  Springfield,  Mass.  He 
practiced  his  profession  in  Marblehead  and 
Worcester,  Mass. 

In  1884,  Mr.  Cristy  started  the  A\'orces- 
ter  Sunday  Telegram,  and  in  1886,  the  Wor- 
cester Daily  Telegram.  He  is  the  editor 
and  chief  owner  of  both  :  they  have  a 
larger  circulation  and  advertising  patronage 
than  any  other  newspapers  in  New  England, 
outside  of  Boston  and  Providence. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cristy  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  married  in  1876  at  Ware,  Mass., 
to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary 
Bassett.  Their  children  are  :  Horace  W., 
Austin  P.,  Jr.,  Mary  L.,  Rodger  H.,  and 
Edna  V. 

CLARK,  Chester  Ward,  of  Boston, 

Mass.,  son  of  .Amasa  F.  and  Belinda  (Ward) 
Clark,  was  born  in  (;io\er,  .August  9,  1851. 
Educated  at  Orleans  Liberal  Institute  and 
Phillips  Exeter  .\cademy,  he  began  the  study 
of  law  in  May,  1874,  with  B.  C.  Moulton,  of 
Boston.  .Admitted  to  the  bar  March  12, 
187S,  he  immediately  began  practice  in  Bos- 
ton, and  has  since  assiduously  applied  him- 
self to  his  chosen  profession,  in  that  city. 
He  has  attained  a  great  degree  of  success, 
having  established  a  lucrative  practice. 


His  residence  is  at  Wilmington  Mass., 
where  he  is  prominent  in  local  affairs,  having 
served  as  chairman  of  various  organizations. 
He  has  originated  and  forwarded  numerous 
public  improvements.  'I'he  high  standard  of 
Wilmington's  public  schools  is  greatly  owing 
to  what  he  has  done  for  them. 


CHESTER    WARD    CLARK. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  inember  of  the  following 
•organizations  in  Boston  :  The  Congregational 
Club  ;  the  Middlesex  Club  ;  the  Phillips  I':.\e- 
ter  .-Mumni  .'\ssociation  and  the\'ermont  .As- 
sociation. 

CLARK,  Ezra,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and,  having  removed  to  Connecticut, 
was  elected  a  representative  to  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Congress,  and  re-elected  to  the  Thirty- 
fifth  Congress,  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  elections. 

CLARK,  Frank  G.,  of  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  son  of  Theo.  F.  and  Mary  .A.  (Taylor) 
Clark,  was  born  in  Roxbury,  April  17,  1838. 

Fitted  for  college  at  South  Woodstock  and 
Barre  academies,  he  graduated  at  Middle- 
bury  College,  class  of  1864  ;  began  the  study 
of  law  in  the  otifice  of  (leneral  Hopkins, 
county  clerk  of  Rutland  ;  completed  his  legal 
course  with  Washburne  and  Marsh  of  Wood- 
stock, where,  December,  1866,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar. 

In  June,  1867,  he  opened  a  law  office  at 
Belle  Plaine,  Benton  county,  Iowa,  continu- 
ing in  practice  until  November,  1876,  when  he 


removed  to  Cedar  Rapids,  where  he  is  now- 
engaged  in  a  lucrative  practice. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Clark  taught  schools  in 
Bridgewater,  Pomfret,  Proctorsville,  Will- 
iamstown,  and  as  principal  of  an  academy 
at  Chester.  At.  Belle  Plaine,  Iowa,  he  or- 
ganized and  taught  the  first  graded  school, 
and  was  chairman  of  the  school  board  for 
several  years.  He  has  also  represented  his 
county  in  the  state  Legislature. 

Lawyer  Clark  has  an  enviable  war  record. 
He  enlisted  as  a  private  .August,  1862,  and 
was  elected  second  lieutenant  Co.  G,  six- 
teenth Vermont  Volunteers,  W.  G.  Veazey, 
colonel.  April  i,  1863,  he  was  promoted 
first  lieutenant  Co.  I.  He  took  part  in  the 
Ciettysburg  campaign,  and  actively  partici- 
pated in  the  movement  that  resulted  in  the 
repulse  of  Pickett's  famous  charge  on  the 
afternoon  of  July  3.  iMustered  out  soon 
after  and  returned  to  college,  graduating  the 
following  suiTimer ;  called  to  take  charge  of 
Chester  .Academy,  fall  of  '64,  he  contiuned 
there  till  Jan.  4,  '65,  when  he  again  enlisted, 
serving  on  the  Northern  frontier  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  in 
June,  1865. 

He  was  united  in  wedlock  at  Rochester, 
Sept.  5,  1S65,  to  Harriet  N.,  daughter  of 
1  )avid  and  .Sarah  Newton,  who  died  Sept.  28, 
1892,  leaving  six  children,  one  of  whom, 
Charles  Newton,  had  died.  The  living  chil- 
dren are  :  Charles  F.,  Paul  N.,  David  F., 
Robert  L.,  and  Maud.  Previous  to  her 
marriage  Harriet  N.  Newton  was  widely 
known  as  a  very  successful  teacher,  having 
taught  in  Rochester,  Ciranville,  Randolph 
\\illiamstown,  Barre,  Berlin,  and  the  acade- 
mies at  Barre  and  Chester. 

CLARK,  Jefferson,  of  New  York  City, 
son  of  .Amasa  F.  and  Belinda  (Ward)  Clark, 
was  born  in  Glover,  Oct.  3,  1846. 

He  fitted  for  college  at  Orleans  Liberal 
Institute,  and  Newbury  Seminary,  graduated 
from  .Amherst  in  1867,  took  his  legal  course 
at  Columbia  College  Law  School.  He  was 
principal  of  high  school  at  Needham,  Mass. 
two  years,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New 
A'ork  in  1872.  In  1875  he  formed  a  law- 
partnership  with  Sanford  H.  Steele  (brother 
of  the  late  Judge  Steele),  under  the  firm 
name  of  Steele  &  Clark.  In  1884  his  pres- 
ent partnership  with  Edw-in  W.  Sanborn 
(son  of  the  late  Professor  Sanborn  of  Dart- 
mouth College)  w-as  formed  under  the  name 
of  Clark  &  Sanborn,  with  offices  in  Mutual 
Life  building.  Lawyer  Clark  is  especially 
effective  as  an  advocate  before  a  jury,  and 
has  been  engaged  in  many  important  cases, 
both  in  state  and  in  L'nited  States  courts. 

Mr.  Clark  w-as  a  charter  member  of  the 
Republican  Club  of  New  York,  in  w-hich 
city  he  says  "It  takes  a  genuine  \'ermonter 


40 


to  be  a  Republican."     He  has  never  held  or 
sought  office. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  following  organiza- 
tions :  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  New  York  State  Bar  Association, 
New  York  Law  Institute,  University  Club, 
Union  League  Club,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  political  re- 
form ;  American  Geographical  Society,  life 
member  of  New  England  Society,  Alpha 
Delta  Phi  Club,  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Alumni  in 
New  York,  National  Sculpture  Society,  Mun- 
icipal Art  Society. 


JEFFERSON    CLARK. 

November  17,  1885,  Mr.  Clark  married 
Cynthia  Hawley,  daughter  of  the  late  Hiram 
C.  Bennett  of  New  York. 

CLARK,  William  Bullock,  of  Bahi- 

more,  Md.,  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  Dec.  15, 
i860.  He  is  the  son  of  f5arna  A.  and  Helen 
C.  (Bullock)  Clark.  His  paternal  and  ma- 
ternal ancestry  came,  the  former  to  Plymouth, 
the  latter  to  Salem,  Mass.,  during  the  first 
decade  of  the  colony's  settlement.  The  rec- 
ords show  them  to  have  been  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  those  towns.  A  few  generations 
later  his  paternal  ancestors  were  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Westminster,  his  maternal, 
of  Guilford. 

He  graduated  from  Brattleboro  high  school, 
class  of  1879  ;  Amherst  College,  class  of  1884, 
degree  of  A.  B.  ;  Royal  University,  Munich, 
Germany,  in  1887,  degree  of  Ph.D.:  after- 
wards studied  in  Berlin  and  London,  being 


absent  altogether  nearly  four  years  in  Eu- 
rope. Mr.  Clark  was  especially  fortunate  in 
receiving  instruction  at  Munich  from  the 
world  renowned  Professor  von  Zittel. 

In  1887  hewas  called  to  the  Johns  Hopkins 
University  to  organize  a  course  of  instruction 
in  stratigraphical  geology  and  palaeontology. 
He  has  continued  a  professor  in  that  university, 
making  Baltimore  his  residence,  and  holding 
the  chair  of  organic  geology. 

In  1S8S  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
V.  S.  geological  survey  and  requested  to  pre- 
pare one  of  a  series  of  reports  on  the  exist- 
ing knowledge  of  American  geology.  The 
volume  was  published  in  189 1.  In  1889, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  U.  S.  geological 
survey,  he  made  investigations  in  the  Caro- 
linas,  Georgia,  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
since  1890  has  conducted  work  for  the  state 
and  national  surveys,  in  Maryland  and  New 
Jersey,  publishing  a  work  on  American 
fossils. 

In  1891  Professor  Clark  became  interested 
in  establishing  a  state  weather  service  for 
Maryland,  which  was  formed  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Johns  Hopkins  L'niversity,  Mary- 
land Agricultural  College,  and  L\  S.  weather 
bureau  ;  the  organization  was  recognized  by 
the  Legislature  of  the  state  in  1892,  and 
he  was,  by  the  Governor,  appointed  the  di- 
rector. 

Professor  Clark  was  instrumental  in  form- 
ing, in  188S,  the  Brattleboro  Society  of  Nat- 
ural History,  one  of  the  objects  of  which 
was  to  form  a  natural  history  museum  to 
be  placed  in  the  Brooks  Library  building ; 
of  this  society  he  is  secretary. 

Professor  Clark  is  a  member  of  many 
scientific  societies  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Boston, 
Oct.  12,  1892,  to  Ellen  Clarke,  daughter  of 
Edward  A.  Strong. 

CLARKE,  ALBERT,  of  Boston,  Mass., 
son  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  (Woodbury) 
Clarke,  was  born  in  Granville,  Oct   13,  1840. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Rochester  and  at  West  Randolph 
and  Barre  academies.  He  studied  law  at 
Montpelier  and  began  practice  there  in  part- 
nership with  Hon.  W.  G.  Ferrin.  After 
practicing  there  and  in  Rochester  about  six 
years  (with  the  exception  of  a  year  in  the 
army)  he  removed  to  St.  .\lbans  and  en- 
gaged in  editorial  work  upon  the  Daily  and 
Weekly  Messenger.  He  bought  that  paper 
and  also  the  Transcript  in  1870,  consoli- 
dated them  and  published  until  iSSo,  when 
he  sold  out  to  S.  B.  Pettengill.  After  spend- 
ing a  winter  in  Washington  in  charge  of 
some  of  the  congressional  work  of  Hon. 
Bradley  Barlow,  he  removed  in  1881  to  Bos- 
ton, where  he  engaged  in  journalism,  attend- 


41 


ing  somewhat  at  the  same  time  to  railroad 
interests.  He  was  president  of  the  Vermont 
&  Canada  Railroad  Co.  and  assisted  in  con- 
solidating it  with  the  Central  Vermont.  Pre- 
vious to  this,  while  at  St.  .Mbans,  he  con- 
ducted a  memorable  controversy  on  "  rail- 
road i^olitics." 

He  was  on  the  staff  of  the  Boston  Daily 
Advertiser  when  that  paper  bolted  Blaine's 
nomination  in  1884,  but,  not  bolting  himself, 
he  resigned  and  became  assistant  to  the 
president  of  the  B.  &  L.  R.  R.,  but  he  re- 
signed this  position  to  accept  a  call  to  Rut- 
land as  editor  and  manager  of  the   Herald, 


ALBERT    CLARKE. 


where  he  remained  about  three  years.  He 
returned  to  Boston  and  was  elected  secretary 
and  executive  officer  of  Home  Market  Club 
and  has  been  annually  re-elected  since. 

In  1874  he  was  state  senator  from  Frank- 
lin county.  In  1892  was  delegate  from 
Massachusetts  to  Republican  national  con- 
vention in  Minneapolis,  and  an  active  sup- 
porter of  Harrison.  Enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Co.  I,  13th  Vt.  Vols.,  at  Montpelier, 
August,  1862,  promoted  to  first  sergeant  of 
that  company,  and  later  to  first  lieutenant 
Co.  G,  which  he  commanded  at  the  battle 
of  (Gettysburg.  He  was  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment  a  month  later ;  was  colonel  on 
the  staff  of  Gov.  Paul  Dillingham.  In  1887, 
'88  and  '89  he  was  secretary  and  executive 
officer  of  the  Vermont  Commission  to  build 
monuments  at  Gettysburg. 

Colonel  Clarke  has  given  the  Home  Market 
Bulletin  reputation,  influence  and  circulation 


second  to  no  other  economic  journal  in  the 
world.  He  has  delivered  many  public  ad- 
dresses and  spoken  in  campaigns  in  several 
states  ;  has  held  public  discussions  upon  the 
tariff  with  Edward  Atkinson,  Josiah  Quincy, 
\V.  L.  Garrison  and  others  of  note,  and  has 
written  upon  it  for  leading  magazines. 

He  was  commander  of  Post  Baldy  Smith, 
G.  A.  R.,  at  St.  .\lbans  ;  junior  vice-com- 
mander, Department  of  Vermont ;  belongs 
to  Massachusetts  Commandery,  Loyal  Legion 
of  LI.  S.  In  i8go  was  president  of  ^'ermont 
\'eteran  Association  of  Boston,  and  has  been 
four  times  elected  president  of  the  Wellesley 
Club. 

He  married,  Jan.  21,  1864,  Josephine, 
daughter  of  Hon.  ¥..  D.  and  Eliza  (Hodg- 
kins)  Briggs,  of  Rochester.  They  had  three 
children:  .Albert  Briggs  (deceased),  Josie 
Caroline  (deceased),  and  Mary  Elizabeth. 
His  twin  brother,  .Almon,  was  assistant  sur- 
geon loth  Vt.  Vols.,  and  surgeon  ist  Vt. 
Cavalry.     He  lives  in  Sheboygan,  Wis. 

CLEMENT,  Austin,  of  Chicago,  111., 
son  of  Ebenezer  and  Adoline  (Lamb)  Cle- 
ment, was  born  at  Bridgewater,  Sept.  19, 
1842. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  Hydeville, 
with  one  year  at  Black  River  .Academy,  Lud- 
low. From  fifteen  until  nineteen  he  was 
clerk  in  a  country  store  at  Hydeville,  when, 
in  1 86 1,  he  became  clerk  in  a  Hour  mill  in 
Illinois.  Through  the  illness  of  the  owner 
the  entire  responsibility  of  the  business,  for 
several  months,  fell  upon  this  boy  of  nine- 
teen and  so  well  did  he  discharge  the  varied 
duties  of  his  position  (buying,  manufactur- 
ing and  selling)  that  he  w-as  offered  a  better 
situation  by  several  business  men.  He  ac- 
cepted a  clerkship  in  the  leading  dry  goods 
store  of  the  town,  taking  "fourth  place"  and 
within  a  year  was  promoted  to  "first  place," 
having  the  management  of  the  business  dur- 
ing his  partner's  absence  ;  who,  upon  his  re- 
turn, made  him  junior  partner.  So  well  did 
he  apply  himself  to  business  that  within  two 
years  he  was  the  sole  owner.  He  was  for  a 
while  cashier  of  a  bank,  w-hich  position  he 
resigned  to  go  to  Chicago,  where,  with  an 
elder  brother  and  others,  he  founded  the 
clothing  firm  of  Clement,  Ottman  &  Co., 
which  has  continued,  with  a  change  or  two 
in  name  (Clement,  Bane  &  Co.  for  the  past 
fifteen  years)  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  and 
is  today  one  of  the  leading  firms  in  the 
United  States.  In  1885  the  business  was  in- 
corporated and  Mr.  Clement  was  elected 
president. 

In  1867  Mr.  Clement  married,  at  Adrian, 
Mich.,  Sarah  Montgomery.  They  have  two 
sons  :  Allan,  and  Arthur.  .Mian  graduated 
at    the    Chicago    Manual   Training    School, 


42 


learning  the  trade  of  a  cutter  in  his  father's 
factory,  and  now  occupies  a  responsible  po- 
sition, being  a  director  and  assistant  mana- 
ger.     Arthur    has     nearly     completed    the 


Native  Sons  of  \'ermont.  When  he  took  the 
office,  in  1887,  the  association  was  in  a  crip- 
pled condition  and  its  dissolution  expected, 
but  upon  his  retirement  it  was,  and  still  is,  a 
most  flourishing  and  prosperous  organization. 
Mr.  C'olton  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  and  A.  O.  F.  of 
America. 


chemical  engineering  course  at  the  Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  'I'echnology.  Father 
and  sons  are  members  of  the  Sons  of  Ver- 
mont of  Chicago,  and  often  visit  the  Green 
Mountain  state  to  enjoy  its  beautiful  scenery. 

COLTON,  AlRIC  OSWY,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Franklin  D.  and  S.  (Ras- 
kins) Colton,  was  born  at  West  Bolton,  Jan. 
23,  1852.  His  father,  who  studied  law  with 
Hon.  George  F.  Edmunds  at  Burlington,  was 
for  several  years  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Chit- 
tenden county,  and  at  one  time  a  member  of 
the  Assembly.  He  went  to  California  in 
1859,  and  was  for  several  years  one  of  the 
most  prominent  attorneys  of  Sonoma  county. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  taken  to 
Petaluma,  Cal,  at  the  age  of  ele\en,  and 
there  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
the  Baptist  College  of  California.  In  1874 
he  went  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  the  following  year,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  an  extensive  law 
practice,  with  office  in  the  Mills  building. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  an  ardent 
and  active  Republican.  He  has  held  sev- 
eral important  official  positions,  and  during 
i89i-'92  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  for 
the  city  and  county  of  San  Francisco. 

Mr.  Colton  was  for  four  consecutive  years 
president  of    the   Pacific  Coast  Association 


He  was  married  at  San  Francisco,  June  1 1 , 
1879,  to  Frances,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Margaret  Henry. 

CRAGIN,  Aaron  H.,  was  born  in 
Weston,  Feb.  3,  182 1  ;  adverse  circum- 
stances prevented  him  from  obtaining  a  col- 
legiate education ;  but  having  studied  law, 
came  to  the  bar  in  Albany,  N.  V.,  in  1S47, 
and  the  same  year  removed  to  Lebanon, 
N.  H.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Legislature  from  1852  to  1855; 
was  elected  a  representative  from  that  state 
to  the  Thirty-fifth  Congress,  and  re-elected 
to  the  Thirty-sixth  Congress.  In  1859  he 
was  again  elected  a  member  of  the  state 
Legislature.  In  1864  he  was  elected  a  sena- 
tor in  Congress,  from  New  Hampshire,  for 
the  term  of  six  years  from  1865. 

CROSBY',  Henry  B.,  of  Paterson,  N.  J.,, 
son  of  the  late  \Vatson  Crosby  of  \\est  Brat- 
tleboro,  was  born  in  Hrattleboro,  April  13, 
1S15.  His  father  was  from  Cape  Cod, 
moved  into  the  country  a  young  man,  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  Deacon  Joseph  Bangs. 


43 


of  Hawley,  Mass.,  and  lived  on  so  called 
"Tater  Lane"  West  Brattleboro,  where  they 
raised  a  family  of  ten  children  of  which 
Henry  was  the  sixth. 

He  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources. At  the  age  of  twelve  he  evinced  a 
taste  for  mechanics  and  followed  that  busi- 
ness until  he  became  a  master  of  mechanics 
and  in  the  year  of  1837  went  to  I'aterson 
and  took  charge  of  j\lr.  Colt's  factory  for  the 
manufacture  of  Colt's  patent  firearms,  and 
was  the  first  to  exhibit  them  before  Con- 
gress. After  the  failure  of  Mr.  Colt  Mr. 
Crosby  entered  into  the  grocery  business  in 
Paterson  with  a  small  capital  which   proved 


to  be  the  beginning  of  his  success,  and 
which  was  enlarged  from  time  to  time,  until 
it  became  the  largest  wholesale  and  retail 
store  in  that  line  in  the  county  of  Passaic, 
and  he  was  called  the  "  King  Grocer  of  New 
Jersey."  In  1876  he  took  his  son  in  busi- 
ness with  him,  and  they  continued  together 
until  1886,  when  he  retired  and  left  the 
business  to  his  son. 

He  was  a  staunch  Republican  and  cast  his 
first  vote  for  William  H.  Harrison  :  he  never 
aspired  to  political  promotion,  and  could 
not  be  called  a  politician. 

He  devoted  much  time  and  money  to  the 
growth  of  the  city  of  Paterson,  and  he  has 
the  credit  of  doing  most  of  any  man  by  way 
of  every  improvement,  giving  his  influence 
also  to  good  government,  good  morals  and 
the  general  welfare  of  the  city. 


He  is  one  of  the  first  stockholders  and 
directors  of  the  First  National  Kank  of 
Paterson,  also  is  vice-president  of  the 
.Savings  Bank.  He  is  the  president  of  the 
Cedar  Lawn  Cemetery,  also  a  member  of  the 
Paterson  Board  of  Trade.  He  was  the  in- 
stigator of  the  public  parks,  and  succeeded 
in  the  city  purchasing  two  large  tracts  of 
land,  each  side  of  the  city  for  public  parks, 
and  is  now  called  the  "  Father  of  Parks." 

His  business  relations  with  firms  in  New 
York  brought  him  into  prominence  there. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Produce 
Fxchange. 

.Since  his  retirement  from  business  he  has 
spent  much  time  in  travels  in  this  and  for- 
eign countries,  and  has  visited  nearly  all  of 
the  important  cities  of  the  Old  World. 

Mr.  Crosby  was  married,  Feb.  22,  1840, 
to  Pauline  S.  Hathorn,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children,  of  whom  Josephine,  .Annie  and 
John  Henry  are  still  living.  Mrs.  Crosby 
died  in  July,  1872.  He  married  a  second 
time,  in  December,  1875,  Harriet  Rogers  of 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  and  by  her  had  two 
children  :  Henry  Barry,  and  Florence. 

He  now  enjoys  the  pleasure  of  talking 
over  the  past  with  some  choice  friends,  and 
is  proud  to  say  that  he  has  been  in  business 
over  forty  years  and  never  had  a  note  pro- 
tested or  dishonored,  and  never  paid  less 
than  one  hundred  cents  on  a  dollar. 

He  lives  in  one  of  the  finest  establish- 
ments in  the  city  and  gives  himself  to  the 
enjoyment  of  all  he  can  find  in  life,  spend- 
ing his  winters  in  the  South. 

CULVER,  Marshall  Lyman,  of  san 

Francisco,  Cal.,  son  of  Isaac  H.  and  Mary 
E.  (Hatch)  Culver,  was  born  in  Montpelier, 
Dec.  4,  1844. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Lake  Village,  N.  H.,  where  his  parents 
mo\ed  when  he  was  a  mere  lad.  He  worked, 
at  intervals,  in  the  daguerreotype  business 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  army.  .After  his  discharge  he 
engaged  in  manufacturing  hosiery  until  1868, 
when  he  moved  to  Oregon,  and  under  the 
auspices  of  (lovernor  (afterwards  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator) Grover  built  a  hosiery  mill,  which  he 
superintended  for  the  next  five  years.  In 
1868  he  moved  to  San  Francisco  and  con- 
nected himself  with  the  Mission  Woolen 
Mills  as  Tiianager  of  the  hosiery  department, 
remaining  there  until  1882,  when  he  accepted 
a  position  in  the  San  Francisco  postoffice, 
where  he  remained  about  two  years.  \\'hen 
Postoffice  Station  D  (which  is  the  most  im- 
portant station  in  the  city)  was  built  Mr. 
Culver,  on  account  of  efficient  service,  was 
appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  that 
station,   which  position  he  now  holds.     In 


44 


CURTIS. 


1889  the  Inter  Nos  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation was  incorporated  with  Mr.  Culver  as 
its  secretary.  Much  of  the  success  it  has 
acquired  is  due  to  his  management. 

He  enlisted  in  the  8th  N.  H.  Vols,  in  1862, 
and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Georgia's 
Landing,  La.  A  portion  of  the  time  he  was 
under  the  command  of  (len.  B.  F.  Butler. 
He  is  a  ^2d  degree  Mason,  and  a  member  of 
the  G.  .A.  R. 


the  baking  business  with  his  two  sons,  Wil- 
bur E.  and  John  E.,  at  817  Sixth  avenue  and 
806  Third  avenue ;  two  years  after,  two 
other  sons,  Arthur  and  Nathan,  were  taken 
into  the  firm  which  then  had  two  more  stores, 
one  at  Fifty-eighth  street  and  Ninth  avenue, 
the  other  at  Eightieth  street  and  Amsterdam 
avenue.  In  189,^  another  establishment  was 
added  at  903  Eighth  avenue,  where  Mr. 
Cushman  now  resides.  They  are  doing  a 
prosperous  business. 

He  was  married  to  Emily  Scott  at  Wil- 
mington, and  by  her  had  three  children, 
one  of  whom.  Wells  S.,  is  living.  His  second 
wife  was  Clarina  A.,  daughter  of  Lewis  and 


May  10,  1865,  he  was  united  in  wedlock 
to  Henrietta  C.  Jackins,  of  Gardiner,  Me. 
Of  this  union  are  :  Charles  Marshall,  and 
Nancy  Bell,  both  of  whom  live  in  .Alameda, 
Cal. 

CURTIS,  Howard,  was  born  in  \er- 
mont,  graduated  at  I'nion  College,  New 
York,  and  practiced  law  in  New  York  City. 
He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  councils 
of  that  city,  and  was  a  representative  in  Con- 
gress, from  New  York,  from  1837  to  184T. 
He  was  appointed  Collector  of  New  York  by 
President  Harrison  and  removed  by  President 
Polk. 

CUSHMAN,  Sylvester,  of  New  York 

City,  was  born  in  W'ilmington,  April  14,  1824, 
the  son  of  Levi  and  Polly  Cushman.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Wilming- 
ton. 

He  began  business  in  his  native  town  as  a 
tanner.  In  January,  1866,  he  removed  to 
Genesee,  III,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising.  In  February,  1887,  he 
mo\ed    to  New  York  Citv  and  engasred    in 


'i/  t 


SYLVESTER   CUSHMAN. 

Sally  (Sage)  Bills.  Of  this  union  there  were 
ele\en  children,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living. 
They  are :  Wilbur  E.,  Katie  A.,  C.  Idell, 
John  E.,  L.  .Arthur,  Nathan  .A.,  Cilista, 
Larimer  .A.,  and  the  twins,  Merton  L.  and 
Millie  L. 

CUTTS,  MaRSENA  E.,  of  Oskaloosa,  la., 
was  born  at  Orwell,  May  22,  1833  ;  received 
an  academic  education  ;  removed  to  Iowa 
in  June,  1855,  and  has  since  resided  there. 
Was  prosecuting  attorney  of  Poweshiek 
county  ;  was  a  member  of  the  state  House 
of  Representatives  at  the  e.xtra  session  in 
INIay,  1 86 1  ;  was  a  state  senator  from  Janu- 
ary, 1864,  until  he  resigned  in  .August,  1866  ; 
was  a  member  of  the  state  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives 1 8 70-' 7 1  :  was  attorney-general  of 
the  state  of  Iowa  from  February,  1872,  until 
January,  1877,  and  was  elected  to  the  Forty- 
seventh  Congress  as  a  Republican. 


45 


DAVIS,  George  Warden,  of  Kansas 

City,  Mo.,  son  of  S.  J.  and  Rosanna  (Bray- 
ton)  Davis,  was  born  in  Alburijh,  Dec.  7, 
1851. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  schools  in  other  parts  of 
the  state,  his  education  was  completed  at 
the  Fort  Edward  (N.  V.)  Classical  Institute. 

Commencing  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1873  with  Dr.  M.  J.  Hyde  of  Isle  La  Mott, 
the  next  year  he  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  \'ermont,  attend- 
ing a  two-}ears'  course  of  lectures,  besides 
private  lectures  and  dissections  given  by 
various  members  of  the  college  faculty.  The 
fall  of  1875  found  him  a  matriculant  at  the 
University  Medical  College,  New  York  City, 
graduating  in  1876.  The  didactic  work  of 
college  instruction  was  immediately  supple- 
mented by  clinical  experience  in  the  out- 
door poor  department  of  Bellevue  Hospital, 
and  in  the  New  York  Dispensary.  Nearly 
a  year  was  then  passed  in  preparing  for  a 
competitive  examination  for  a  position  on 
the  house  staff  of  the  New  York  Hospital, 
and  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1878,  being 
successful,  a  year  and  a  half  was  passed  in 
that  institution.  Thus  was  passed  nearly 
six  years  in  actual  medical  experience  and 
study.  Immediately  on  leaving  the  hospital, 
the  position  of  assistant  to  the  chair  of 
clinical  surgery  at  the  University  Medical 
College,  New  York  City,  was  tendered  him 
by  Dr.  James  L.  Little,  then  professor  of 
clinical  surgery  in  that  college.  Flattering 
offers  were  also  made  to  take  charge  of  St. 
Vincent's  Hospital,  New  York  Cit}',  and  of 
the  Mary  Fletcher  Hospital,  Burlington,  \'t. 
But  tiring  of  the  big  city,  and  ha\ing  no 
further  desire  for  hospital  life,  none  of  these 
positions  were  accepted,  and  never  having 
seen  the  great  West,  his  footsteps  were 
turned  in  that  direction. 

After  a  winter  of  pleasure  travel,  and  be- 
coming impressed  with  the  unlimited  possi- 
bility of  that  section  of  country,  he  concluded 
to  locate  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  which  he  did 
in  the  spring  of  1880.  Being  interested  in 
medical  education,  soon  he  associated  him- 
self with  others  in  organizing  the  medical 
department,  L'niversity  of  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
now  the  University  Medical  College,  and  was 
also  one  of  the  founders  of  All  Saints  Hospi- 
tal. His  connection  with  these  institutions 
has  continued  ever  since  and  he  is  now  pro- 
fessor genito-urinary,  venereal  and  skin  dis- 
eases in  the  college  and  treasurer  for  the 
board  of  trustees. 

Much  time  has  been  gi\en  to  clinical  work 
and  experimental  research,  especially  in  the 
college  dis])ensary  and  city  hospital,  so  much 
so  that  little  attempt  has  been  made  to  con- 
tribute to  medical  literature. 


Interest  in  other  things  aside  from  medi- 
cine has  engrossed  his  attention.  He  has 
found  time  to  devote  a  little  leisure  to  horti- 
culture and  has  kept  up  a  liking  for  fancy 
poultry.  At  the  present  time  he  is  president 
of  the'  Mid-continental  Poultry  Association, 
an  organization  that  not  only  includes  breed- 
ers in  the  state  of  Missouri,  but  of  the  four 
adjacent  states. 

Dr.  Davis  was  married  Sept.  17,  1886,  to 
Alice  M.,  daughter  of  John  K.  Kiebler.  They 
have  two  children  :  a  son  and  a  daughter. 

DAVIS,  Park,  of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D., 
son  of  Elijah  and  Miriam  (Park)  Davis,  was 
born  in  Athens,  Sept.  24,  1837. 

He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm 
and  attending  the  district  school.  He  fitted 
for  college  at"  Leland  Seminary,  Townshend, 
entering  Middlebury  in  1858,  graduating  in 
due  course  in  1862.  He  studied  law  with 
Butler  and  Wheeler  at  Jamaica,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Windham  county  at  the 
September  term  in  1864.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  Feb.  3,  1865, 
at  St.  Albans,  with  Dana  R.  Bailey  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bailey  &  Davis.  In  the  fall  of 
1879,  with  Hiram  F.  Stevens  (who  was  then 
his  law  partner)  he  went  to  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
where,  under  the  firm  name  of  Davis  & 
Stevens,  he  continued  to  practice  his  pro- 
fession until  Sept.  I,  1881,  when  he  removed 
to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  provision  business  with  his  broth- 
er-in-law, A.  F:.  Gray  (firm  name  Gray  cV 
Davis)  where  he  remained  five  years.  Pre- 
ferring to  pursue  his  profession,  he  went  to 
Sioux  Falls,  S.  D.,  and  resumed  the  practice 
of  law  with  his  first  partner,  Dana  R.  Bailey, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  a  large  and  success- 
ful practice. 

He  cast  his  first  vote  at  a  presidential 
election  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Has 
since,  without  exception,  voted  the  Republi- 
can ticket.  He  represented  St.  Albans  in 
the  ^'ermont  Legislature  in  1874. 

In  college  Mr.  Davis  was  a  member  of  the 
Chi  Psi  fraternity.  He  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Blazing  Star  Lodge,  No.  23,  Townshend, 
Feb.  17,"  1859;  took  chapter  degrees  in 
Fort  Dummer  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No.  12, 
Bratdeboro,  March  5,  1863  ;  council  degrees 
in  Columbus  Council,  No.  3,  St.  Albans, 
1865  ;  commandery  degrees  in  LaFayette 
Commandery,  No.  3,  in  1868.  He  changed 
his  affiliation  from  the  Chapter  and  Com- 
mandery at  St.  Albans,  to  those  bodies  in 
Sioux  Falls,  still  retaining  his  lodge  mem- 
bership in  Vermont. 

He  held  many  official  positions  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  most  important  of 
which  was  that  of  grand  master  of  the 
Masons  of  Vermont  for   the   years  1872,  '73 


46 


and  '74,  and  grand  high  priest  of  the  Royal 
Arch  Masons  of  South  Dal^ota  in  the  years 
l8go-'gi. 

He  was  married  at  'lownshend,  Oct.  27, 
1863,  to  Delia  S.,  daughter  of  Alanson  and 
Sabrina  (Pool)  Gray.  Their  children  are  • 
Henry  Park,  and  May  Louise. 

DAVIS  Thomas  T.,  was  born  in  Mid- 
dlebury,  August  22,  1810;  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College,  New  York,  in  1831  ;  stud- 
ied law  at  Syracuse,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1S33  ;  in  1862  he  was  elected  a 
representative  from  New  York  to  the  Thirty- 
eighth  Congress,  and  re-elected  to  the 
Thirty-ninth  Congress. 

DELANO,  Columbus,  was  bom  in 

Shoreham  in  1809  ;  removed  to  Mount  Ver- 
non, Ohio,  in  181 7:  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1 83 1.  In  1S44  he  was  elected  a 
representative  from  Ohio  to  the  Twenty- 
ninth  Congress.  In  1 84  7  he  was  a  candidate 
for  c;overnor,  but  lacked  two  votes  of  a 
nomination.  In  i860  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Chicago  convention.  In  1861  was  ap- 
pointed commissary  general  of  Ohio,  and 
filled  the  office  until  the  General  Govern- 
ment assumed  the  subsistence  of  all  troops. 
In  1862  he  was  candidate  for  United  States 
senator,  but  again  lacked  two  votes  of 
nomination.  In  1863  he  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Ohio,  and  was 
a  prominent  member  of  that  body.  In  1864 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Baltimore  conven- 
tion, and  chairman  of  the  Ohio  delegation 
zealously  supporting  President  Lincoln  and 
Andrew  Johnson.  He  was  re-elected  to  the 
Thirty-ninth  Congress. 

DERBY,  Philander,  of  CJardner,  Mass., 
son  of  Levi  and  Sally  (Stratton)  Derby,  was 
born  June  iS,  18 16,  in  Somerset. 

His  career  is  one  which  should  encourage 
all.  It  is  a  lesson  of  industry,  sobriety  and 
perseverance.  Remaining  on  the  home 
farm  until  his  majority,  several  years  were 
spent  in  Massachusetts  and  at  Jamaica,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  learned  the  business  of 
chair  making,  when  opportunity  offered  to 
engage  in  the  business  for  himself  which  he 
quickly  embraced.  The  trying  period  from 
1857  to  1861  found  him  a  young  manufact- 
urer in  the  town  of  Gardner,  Mass.,  with  the 
burden  of  heavy  responsibilities  resting 
upon  him.  Nerving  himself  to  meet  the 
crisis  in  a  manly  way,  he  succeeded  in  going 
through  the  ordeal  without  serious  harm, 
meeting  his  obligations,  maintaining  his 
credit  and  his  honor  unimpeached  and  firm- 
ly established  before  the  world.  From  that 
time  to  the  present  he  has  gone  on  in  a 
career  of  exceptional  prosperitv,  due  chiefly 
to  himself  rather  than  to  fortunate  circum- 


stances,  his   untiring   energy  and   persever- 
ance. 

Mr.  Derby  though  closelv  confined  to  the 
building  up  and  development  of  his  business 
interests  has  not  been  disposed  to  ignore  his 
relations  to  the  public  nor  the  welfare  of  the 
community.  He  has  been  ready  and  happy 
to  do  his  full  share  in  supporting  the  institu- 
tions of  society,  to  contribute  to  benevolent 
and  charitable  objects,  and  to  help  in  enter- 
prises which  he  deemed  conducive  to  the 
good  order  and  enduring  welfare  of  the 
communitv. 


Declining  invitations  to  public  office,  he 
has  however  consented  to  act  as  director  of 
the  national  bank  and  is  trustee  of  the  sav- 
ings bank  in  his  own  town.  A  man  of  prin- 
ciple, he  shares  the  confidence  and  regard 
of  his  fellow-citizens  ;  a  friend  of  temper- 
ance, he  commends  the  cause  by  precept 
and  example. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  he  is  true  to  his 
convictions.  An  orthodox  Congregational- 
ist  in  religion,  he  is  tolerant  of  ah  faiths  and 
seeks  to  honor  his  Christian  profession  by  a 
Christian  life. 

Mr.  Derby  was  married,  Feb.  27,  18^9,  at 
Petersham,  to  Viola  Dunn,  daughter  of'john 
and  Abigail  Dunn.  Of  this"  union  were 
three  children  :  Mary  Augusta,  John  Baxter 
(deceased,  July  11,  1842),  Ella  Viola, 
and  .\rthur  Philander. 

DEXTER,   Daniel  Gilberl,   of  San 

Francisco,   Cal.,   son    of    David    and    Chloe 


47 


(Hazeltine)     Dexter,    was    born    in    Dover, 

March  29,  1833. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town,  the  Dover  high  school, 
and  Brattleboro  Academy.  When  nearly 
fitted  to  enter  college  business  pursuits  at- 
tracted his  attention.  He  was  always  a 
student,  and  e\  ery  leisure  hour  from  business 
was  employed  among  books,  and  leading 
periodicals  of  the  day.  At  an  early  age  he 
became  a  contributor  to  various  leading 
newspapers  and  magazines,  which  has  em- 
ployed many  happy  hours  through  life. 

\\'hile  in  his  teens  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store 
in  his  native  town,  and  before  reaching  his 
majority  was  a  partner  in  the  firm  under  the 
name  of  Perry  &  Dexter.  A  few  years  later 
he  removed   to  Wilmington,  and  was  con 


1lfc»i^ 


DANIEL    GILBERT    DEXTER. 

nected  with  the  mercantile  house  of  E.  &  C). 
J.  Gorham,  and  afterwards  became  sole.owner 
of  the  establishment.  For  a  time  he  con- 
ducted a  mercantile  house  in  Jamaica,  but 
returning  to  Wilmington  he  continued  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  name  of  U'alker  &  Dex- 
ter. In  1866  he  closed  a  most  successful 
business  career  in  his  nati\e  state  and  re- 
mo\ed  to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  business.  He 
was  the  financial  manager  of  Mellendy,  Dex- 
ter &  Co.  He  retired  from  mercantile  pur- 
suits in  1 87 1  with  large  property  interests, 
having  accumulated  a  fair  fortune.  Ihe 
great  Boston  fire  fell  heavily  upon  him.  The 
panic   of   1873   followed,  and   seriously  im- 


paired   his     fortune,    leaving    him    almost 
penniless. 

In  leisure  hours  he  has  devoted  much 
time  to  literary  pursuits,  his  mind  and  pen 
being  always  busy.  He  appears  in  Miss 
Hemmenway's  "  Poets  and  Poetry  of  Ver- 
mont"  and  has  been  a  contributor  to  the 
leading  magazines  and  periodicals  of  the  day. 
In  1878  through  the  urgent  solicitations  of 
leading  literary  and  business  friends  he 
founded  the  Cambridge  Tribune,  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  a  successful  journal  from  its  initial 
number.  The  list  of  contributors  was  un- 
surpassed. This  enterprise  stamped  the 
editor  and  publisher  with  ability  of  the  first 
order.  In  1885  Mr.  Dexter  sold  the  Tribune 
on  account  of  failing  health  and  a  few 
months  after  went  to  California.  The  genial 
climate  of  the  Golden  State  restored  him  to 
health  and  two  years  later  (1887)  he  re- 
moved his  family  to  Los  Angeles  with  the 
intention  of  making  California  his  home. 

He  has  been  connected  with  many  lead- 
ing enterprises  in  the  state  and  won  the 
esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been 
associated.  He  has  written  much  for  the 
press  since  his  residence  in  California.  In 
1 89 1  he  removed  from  Los  Angeles  to  San 
Francisco,  taking  charge  of  the  business  of 
the  Massachusetts  Benefit  (Life)  Associa- 
tion, Boston,  Mass.,  as  general  agent  for  the 
state. 

He  is  connected  with  the  leading  societies 
and  clubs,  secret  and  otherwise  ;  is  a  mem- 
Ijer  of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  San 
Francisco,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
deacons  ;  a  mason  and  a  K.  of  P. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  having  cast 
his  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont,  in  1856.  He 
has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office 
although  an  active  participant  in  political 
iffairs.  He  was  a  member  of  the  aldermanic 
hoard  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  for  two  years, 
dating  from  1869.  He  was  a  police  com- 
missioner of  Los  Angeles  for  several  years, 
which  office  he  held  until  his  removal  to  San 
Francisco. 

.'\t  the  time  of  the  civil  war  Mr.  Dexter 
was  engaged  in  active  mercantile  business. 
He  was  a  generous  contributor  in  many  ways 
to  help  put  down  the  great  rebellion.  He 
largely  aided  in  raising  two  companies  of 
Vermonters  for  the  army. 

Mr.  Dexter  was  married  Feb.  6,  1856,  to 
Ellen,  daughter  of  .\sa  and  Sophia  (Lyon) 
Simonds,  of  Peru,  Vt.  From  this  marriage 
two  children  have  been  born  :  Florence  Bell 
(wife  of  Prof.  Charles  H.  Wiswell,  of  Boston, 
Mass.),  and  David  Hazeltine. 
-(■^  He  is  a  man  of  untiring  energy — a  genial 
and  warm-hearted  friend  and  companion. 
Has  a  w^arm  hand  of  welcome  to  e\ery  w^orthy 
l^erson  and  his  charity  is  unbounded.  His 
home  is  always  open   to  friends  of  yore  and 


New  Englanders  enjov  his  hospitality  with- 
out stint. 

DEXTER,  Solomon  King,  of  Lowell, 

Mass.,  son  of  Parker  and  Betsey  (King) 
Dexter,  was  born  in  Topsham,  May  23, 
1839,  O"  the  old  homestead  which,  with  the 
then  adjoining  farms,  now  forms  the  summer 
residence  of  his  family. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools  of  ^\•est  Topsham.  For  the  past 
quarter  century  business  men  of  Lowell, 
Mass.,  have  numbered  Mr.  Dexter  among 
their  shrewdest  and  most  upright  produce 
merchants,  where,  at  360  Middlesex  street, 


he  early  developed  a  large  and  successful 
ousmess  of  wide  extent.  A  spendid  monu- 
ment to  Mr.  Dexter's  success  is  the  large 
and  elegant  building  erected  by  him,  for  the 
ise  of  his  business,  in  18S5.  It  is  a  four- 
story  brick  building,  trimmed  with  granite 
stone  and  terra  cotta,  measuring  forty  by 
one  hundred  feet,  and  equipped  with  every 
facility  for  handling  his  great  commission 
business. 

Political  honors  have  come  unsought  to 
Mr.  Dexter,  as  a  member  of  the  Lowell  city 
council  for  two  terms,  and  two  years  repre- 
sentative in  the  Massachusetts  Legislature 
which  office  he  filled  with  honor  to^'himself 
reflecting  the  worthy  confidence  reposed  by 
his  fellow-citizens.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
the  Traders'  National  Bank  and  of  the  Brad- 
bury &  Stone  Electric  Storage  Battery  Co 
both  of  Lowell. 


Mr.  Dexter  was  married  at  Montpelier, 
Feb.  24,  1863,  to  Mary  .Sophia  McCrillis,  of 
\\aits  River.  There  are  four  children  in 
the  family:  Nellie  May  (now  the  wife  of 
Fred  L.  Batchelder),  born  at  Waits  River, 
and  three  others  born  at  Lowell,  viz.,  Jennie 
v.,  now  deceased,  Daisy  B.,  and  Royal  K. 

.Mr.  Dexter  has  a  fine  residence  at  '343 
\\  ilder  street,  Lowell,  where  a  welcome  hand 
IS  always  extended  to  his  friends. 

DICKSON,  James  Milligan,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  L.wasbornatRvegate,  Feb.6, 1831. 
His  parents  were  from  Scotland.  His  father, 
Robert  Dickson,  son  of  an  early  settler', 
was  a  successful  farmer  and  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  for  years  town  trustee,  and  also  for 
many  years  an  elder  in  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Ryegate.  His  mother, 
who  came  from  a  suburb 'of  the  city  of  (ilas-' 
gow,  was  a  woman  of  great  refinement  and 
unusually  versed  in  the'Scriptures. 

James  was  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  who  have  all,  we  believe,  proved 
worthy  of  their  parentage.  His  rudimentary 
education  was  in  the  public  school,  but  at 
fourteen  he  was  sent  to  Peacham  Academy. 
Here  he  was  prepared  for  Dartmouth  Col- 


lege, but  instead  of  at  once  entering  he  went 
West,  where  he  spent  some  time  in  study 
and  travel,  and  taught  one  term  in  a  private 
school  at  Cincinnati.  Returning  to  Dart- 
mouth he  entered  an  advanced  class  on  ex- 
amination,   and     was    graduated     in     1853. 


DILLIN'iaiA-M. 


After  his  graduation  at  Dartmouth  he  was 
offered  a  Cireek  professorship  in  a  Western 
college,  but  choosing  another  course  he  went 
to  New  York  City,  where  after  teaching  one 
year  he  entered  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1857.  He 
was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry  that  same 
year,  and  has  since  been  constantly  engaged 
in  active  service,  resigning  one  position  only 
when  he  felt  he  was  called  to  another.  He 
has  been  pastor  of  churches  in  Brooklyn,  N. 
v.,  Newark,  N.  J.,  Montgomery,  N.  Y.,  and 
New  York  City,  and  is  now  pastor  of  the 
Pilgrim  Congregational  Church  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 

Shortly  after  going  to  New  \'ork,  in  1883, 
he  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity. 

From  an  editorial  sketch  of  Dr.  Dickson 
in  the  Treasury  (New  York)  of  May,  1889, 
we  quote  the  following:  "To  his  church 
here — the  Thirty-fourth  Street  Reformed 
Church,  New  York  City — he  was  called  on 
the  ground  of  his  ability  as  a  preacher  and 
his  previous  success  in  the  ministry,  and  for 
nearly  six  years  he  held  the  church  in  its 
down-town  west  side  location,  and  left  it 
stronger  than  he  found  it,  notwithstanding 
the  up-town  tendency  of  population  and  the 
lack  of  any  local  constituency  for  a  reformed 
church.  To  his  credit  be  it  said  that  his 
most  devoted  friends  are  among  the  people 
to  whom  he  has  ministered.  When  he  came 
to  New  York  our  attention  was  called  to  him 
as  a  remarkable  preacher,  and  as  we  have 
once  and  again  listened  to  him  we  have  ap- 
proved the  judgment  expressed."  The  fol- 
lowing is  taken  from  a  paper  read  before  the 
council  which  installed  him  at  Providence 
in  1889,  which  was  afterward  printed  :  "I 
entered  the  ministry  because  I  could  not  do 
otherwise.  I  was  consecrated  to  the  work 
before  I  was  born  by  a  pious  mother  who 
kept  her  hand  on  my  early  life  in  view  of  re- 
sults. I  planned  lots  of  other  courses,  and 
yet,  years  after  she  had  gone  to  her  reward, 
which  occurred  while  I  was  yet  in  college,  I 
marched  as  straight  into  the  service  as 
though  there  had  been  no  possible  alter- 
native, and  I  have  been  happy  in  it." 

Dr.  Dickson  has  written  considerably  for 
the  press.  Some  sermons  have  appeared  in 
pamphlet  form,  and  in  1880  he  prepared 
the  Goodwill  Memorial,  a  history  of  the 
original  Presbyterian  church,  at  Montgom- 
er}',  N.  Y.,  which  was  substantially  the  early 
history  of  the  town. 

Dr.  Dickson  has  been  twice  married,  first 
to  Miss  Agnes  Annot  jNForrison,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Nelson  of  Ryegate,  to  whom 
one  son  was  born.  Nelson  James  :  and  second 
to  Miss  Helen  Alzina,  daughter  of  William 
and  Alzina  (HoUey)  West  of  Dorset,  to 
whom    three  children  were   born  :    ^\'illiam 


West    (deceased),    Clarence 
Margarella  May. 


49 
Haines    and 


DILLINGHAM,  Frank,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  youngest  son  of  Paul  Dillingham, 
late  Governor  of  Yermont,  and  Julia  ( Car- 
penter) Dillingham,  was  born  in  Waterbury, 
Dec.  9,  1849. 

He  was  educated  in  the  \\'aterbury  gram- 
mar school,  Montpelier  high  school  and 
Milwaukee  College.  Young  Dillingham  after- 
ward lived  in  the  family  of  and  studied  law 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Hon.  Matthew  Hale 
Carpenter,  U.  S.  Senator  from  \\'isconsin. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  First  and  Seventh  districts  of  Mil- 
waukee, on  the  Republican  ticket,  receiving 
a  majority  of   two  hundred  and  thirty-eight 


votes  over  his  Democratic  opponent,  in  dis- 
tricts which  usually  gave  the  Democrats  a 
majority  of  about  fifteen  hundred,  and  was 
also  elected  chairman  of  the  Republican 
county  committee,  which  office  he  held  for 
some  time.  He  was  afterward  a]i]3ointed 
deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue  for  the 
first  district  of  Wisconsin,  which  office  he 
held  until  appointed  V.  S.  Counsel  to  Italy 
by  President  Grant.  In  1882  he  left  Wis- 
consin for  California,  and  has  made  San 
Francisco  his  home  a  greater  part  of  the 
time  since. 

He    organized  the   Consumers'    Ice    Co. 
of   San    Francisco,    and    was    elected    sec- 


50 


retary  and  general  manager  of  the  same,  in 
which  he  is  still  interested.  His  associates 
in  this  enterprise  were  ex-United  States 
Senator  A.  P.  Williams,  E.  J.  Baldwin,  one 
of  the  bonanza  kings  and  owner  of  the  cele- 
brated Baldwin  Hotel,  Hon.  R.  C.  Sneath, 
ex-president  of  the  Anglo  California  Bank, 
and  others. 

Mr.  Dillingham  is  now  vice-president  of 
the  Home  Benefit  Life  Association  of  San 
Francisco.  He  has  been  four  times  unani- 
mously elected  president  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  Association  Native  Sons  of  Vermont, 
the  largest  social  organization  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  still  holds  that  office. 

He  is  a  friend  of  his  native  state  and 
encourages  sociability  among  Vermonters. 
Clovernor  Fuller  appointed  i\Ir.  Dillingham 
one  of  the  honorary  commissioners  from 
Vermont  to  the  Mid-Winter  International 
Exposition  at  San  Francisco,  in  1S94,  where 
through  Mr.  Dillingham's  energy  and  push, 
A'ermont  Day  was  celebrated  in  a  manner 
most  befitting  to  that  state  and  which  re- 
flected great  credit  upon  its  promoter,  Mr. 
Dillingham,  to  whose  efforts  may  be  ascribed 
the  success  of  the  affair.  Vermonters  from 
all  sections  of  the  country  to  the  number  of 
over  three  thousand  were  present  on  the 
occasion. 

He  belongs  to  the  Plpiscopal  denomina- 
tion, and  in  church  work  holds  the  follow- 
ing offices  :  Junior  warden  of  the  Church  of 
St.  Mary  the  Virgin  ;  director  in  the  Church 
Club  of  San  Francisco  ;  delegate  to  the 
Episcopal  convention  of  California  in  1892 
and  again  in  1893,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
general  missionary  council,  coni]30sed  of 
the  clergy  and  laity  of  the  Episcopal  church 
of  America  which  met  in  Chicago  in  Octo- 
ber, 1893. 

Mr.  Dillingham  was  married  June  3,  1883, 
to  Miss  Minnie  Louise,  only  daughter  of 
Hon.  Richard  G.  and  Anne  Kathryn  (Myers) 
Sneath  of  San  Francisco.  Two  children, 
Matthew  Carpenter,  and  Julia  Louise,  bless 
their  union. 

Mr.  Dillingham  had  three  brothers,  two 
of  whom  are  living  :  Col.  Charles  Dilling- 
ham, president  of  the  Houston  &:  Texas 
Central  Railway  Co.,  and  William  Paul 
Dillingham,  ex-(jovernor  of  Vermont,  and 
Edwin  Dillingham,  major  loth  \'t.  Infantry, 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Opequan 
near  \N'inchester,  Va.,  on  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1864. 

DODGE,  HENR>'  Lee,  of  San  Francisco, 
Cal.,  was  born  in  Montpelier,  Jan.  31,  1825. 
He  traces  his  paternal  ancestry  back  to  the 
earlie.st  settlement  of  New  England.  He  was 
a  son  of  Nathan  Dodge  and  Hannah  Phin- 
ney,  who  were  also  natives  of  New  P2ngland. 


Both    parents    numbered    among    the    early 
settlers  of  Mont|)elier. 

Mr.  Dodge  recei\  ed  his  early  education  in 
the  schools  and  in  the  academy  of  his  native 
town.  For  his  higher  education,  he  entered 
the  University  of  Vermont,  in  1842,  when 
seventeen  years  old.  In  1847  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  Piatt  &  Peck  in  Burlington, 
where  he  continued  his  studies  until  the  out- 
break of  the  California  gold  fever  in  1849. 
Led  by  its  spell,  Mr.  Dodge  determined  to 
try  his  fortunes  in  the  mines.  He  quickly 
gathered  around  him  a  chosen  band  of  twelve 
associates  from  among  his  friends,  and  they 
entered  at  once  with  zeal  on  their  prepara- 
tion for  leaving  home.  They  decided  to  try 
the  unusual  and  hazardous  journey  across  the 


HENRY    LEE    DODGE. 


Republic  of  Mexico.  On  the  first  day  of 
June,  1849,  Mr.  Dodge  and  his  companions 
arrived  in  San  Francisco,  having  been  three 
months  and  a  half  on  the  way.  After  land- 
ing they  pushed  off  for  the  mines,  where 
they  soon  separated,  each  following  his  own 
inclinations.  Mr.  Dodge  soon  left  the  mines 
and  returned  to  San  Francisco,  seeking  em- 
ployment that  would  demand  something  else 
than  mere  animal  strength. 

In  .\ugust,  1849,  the  Alcade  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, John  W.  Geary,  appointed  him  clerk 
of  his  court,  and  in  the  following  December 
he  received  the  additional  appointment  of 
clerk  of  the  Ayuntamiento,  or  town  council. 
Mr.  Dodge  filled  both  of  these  positions 
until  the  Mexican  forms  of  government  were 


51 


dissolved  by  the  organization  of  California's 
state  government  and  her  admission  to  the 
Union.  The  duties  of  these  positions  were 
large  and  responsible.  It  was  the  time  of 
San  Francisco's  first  growth,  when  the  sale  of 
town  lots  and  of  beach  and  water  lots  aggre- 
gated more  than  a  million  dollars.  To  Mr. 
Dodge  fell  the  task  of  making  and  delivering 
the  deeds,  of  receiving  the  payments,  and  of 
turning  the  money  over  to  the  treasury. 
Difficult  as  the  demands  were,  he  discharged 
them  all  creditably  and  to  the  satisfaction  of 
everybody  concerned.  After  California  was 
admitted  to  the  Union,  in  September,  1850, 
the  government  of  San  Francisco  was  re- 
organized on  the  American  system.  Colonel 
Geary  was  elected  mayor  and  retained  Mr. 
Dodge  as  his  clerk,  under  the  new  order  of 
administration.  i\Ir.  Dodge  retained  the 
position  about  a  year  and  then  abandoned 
it  to  take  up  his  profession. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Dodge  returned  to 
his  native  state,  and,  in  Orwell,  was  married 
on  Dec.  2,  1S51,  to  Omira,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Roswell  Bottum  of  the  same  town. 

In  jMay,  1852,  Mr.  Dodge  was  admitted  at 
San  Francisco  to  practice  in  the  Supreme 
Court  of  California,  and  in  the  Federal 
Courts  of  the  United  States.  Throwing  him- 
self into  his  professional  work,  he  soon  built 
up  a  large  and  profitable  clientage,  showing, 
too,  that  he  had  mettle  to  make  a  lawyer  of 
no  mean  ability. 

But  mercantile  pursuits  seemed  to  promise 
more  lucrative  results  than  his  professional 
work.  Mr.  Dodge  therefore  closed  his  law 
office,  and  joining  his  brother,  L.  C.  Dodge, 
established  a  wholesale  provision  house.  The 
business  has  grown  for  thirty-five  years,  with 
some  slight  changes  in  the  firm,  being  now 
Dodge,  Sweeney  &  Co.,  and  has  established  a 
reputation  for  stability  and  honor,  second  to 
none  in  San  Francisco. 

In  1 86 1  Mayor  Teschemacher  appointed 
Mr.  Dodge  on  the  board  of  supervisors  of 
San  Francisco,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
of  a  member,  representing  the  sixth  ward  ; 
on  the  election  following  he  was  elected  to 
a  full  term.  He  was  subsequently  elected 
on  the  Union  ticket  to  the  Lower  House  of 
the  Legislature,  and  accordingly  resigned 
his  position  in  the  board  of  supervisors  in 
January,  1862,  and  took  his  seat  among  the 
lawmakers  of  the  capitol.  Having  served 
his  term  in  the  Assembly,  he  was  elected 
two  years  later  to  the  state  Senate  for  four 
years.  He  was  appointed  in  June,  1877,  on 
a  Treasury  commission,  with  F.  F.  Low  and 
H.  R.  Linderman,  director  of  the  mint,  as 
associates,  to  investigate  the  condition  of  the 
San  Francisco  Mint  and  the  Custom  House. 
They  performed  the  delicate  duty  with  rare 
skill  and  wisdom.  Indeed,  Mr.  Dodge's 
work  was  so  well  done  that,  in  the  following 


December,  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  U.  S.  Mint  at  San  Francisco.  For 
four  years  and  a  half  he  held  this  ])osition, 
and  when  he  relinquished  it  delivered  to  his 
successor  upwards  of  thirty-one  million  dol- 
lars, and  received  from  the  accounting  offi- 
cers, not  only  a  certificate  of  the  accuracy 
of  his  accounts,  but  also  the  unusual  com- 
pliment :  "  The  superintendent  of  the  Mint 
at  San  Francisco  has  been  and  is  distin- 
guished alike  for  ability,  fidelity  and  accuracy 
(having  returned  to  the  Treasury  about 
Sioo,ooo  of  the  appropriation  unexpended). 
This  is  an  example  worthy  of  commendation 
and  imitation."  He  was  invited  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland,  in  January,  1886,  to  serve 
on  the  United  States  Mint  .\ssay  Commission, 
which  was  to  meet  at  Philadelphia  in  the 
following  February.  He  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment and  served  on  the  commission. 
In  January,  1885,  he  was  called  to  the 
presidency  of  the  San  Francisco  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  on  the  following  January 
he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  position. 

Mr.  Dodge  has  long  been  connected  with 
the  Society  of  California  Pioneers,  being 
president  of  the  society  in  i879-'8o.  He  is 
also  a  life  member  of  the  San  Francisco 
Art  Union,  and  other  kindred  associations. 

Lastly,  we  may  state  that  Mr.  Dodge  was 
selected  as  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Leland  Stanford  Jr.  University.  This  mag- 
nificent endowment,  involving  property  to 
the  value  of  several  million  dollars,  is  one 
of  the  most  splendid  gifts  ever  bestowed  on 
a  people,  and  its  administration  will  require 
not  only  great  earnestness  and  ripe  judg- 
ment, but  also  eminent  executive  ability 
and  more  than  ordinary  familiarity  with  the 
varied  demands  of  an  educational  institution 
of  such  extraordinary  character. 

Since  the  organization  of  that  party,  Mr. 
Dodge  has  ever  been  a  staunch  Republican. 

With  a  moderate  taste  for  art  and  litera- 
ture he  has  accumulated  some  treasures  in 
each.  Of  a  quiet  and  unassuming  demean- 
or, he  follows  the  light  of  his  own  conscience 
with  an  inflexibility  that  no  influence  can 
swerve.  His  spotless  integrity  has  gained  a 
reputation  for  him  in  the  community,  of 
wich  any  man  might  well  be  proud,  but 
which  (ew  can  rival. 

DODGE,  Luther  C,  of  San  FrancLsco, 
Cal.,  son  of  Nathan  and  Hannah  (Phinney) 
Dodge,  was  born  in  Montpelier  Sept.  7, 
1821. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  and 
private  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  until  July,  1841,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  J.  &  J.  H.  Peck  & 
Co.  of  Burlington,  as  a  clerk.  In  1847  he 
was  employed  by  the  Troy  &  Canada  Junc- 
tion Telegraph  Co.  at  Burlington  as  operator. 


52 


A  year  later  he  was  elected  superintendent 
of  the  company,  remaining  in  this  position 
till  1853.  In  September,  1855,  he  went  to 
California,  where  he  was  engaged  in  trade 
(wholesale  provisions)  in  connection  with 
his  brother,  Henry  L.  Dodge,  till  1868,  when 
he  returned  to  Burlington,  remaining  there 
till  April,  1877,  serving  three  terms  as  mayor 
of  that  city  in  the  meantime.  He  then  re- 
turned to  California,  engaging  in  business 
with  E.  W.  Forsaith  under  the  firm  name  of 
Forsaith  &  Dodge.  In  1882  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  in  San  Francisco  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  sash,  doors, 
etc.,  in  northern  Idaho  with  his  two  brothers, 
O.  A.  and  N.  P.  Dodge.  In  the  winter  of 
i883-'84  the  mill  and  factory,  together  with 
a  large  stock  of  lumber,  sash,  doors,  glass, 
etc.,  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  following 
November  he,  with  his  wife,  returned  to  San 
Francisco,  where  they  still  reside. 

Mr.  Dodge  has  held  the  office  of  cashier 
in  the  U.  S.  internal  revenue  office  at  San 
Francisco  since  March,  1890. 

He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Association  Native  Sons  of  Vermont,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  first  lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows  organized  in  \'ermont. 

October  4,  1849,  he  married  Lucia  Ponie- 
roy,  a  native  of  Burlington,  and  daughter  of 
George  and  Oliva  (Sanger)  Moore.  One 
son,  George  Moore,  now  a  resident  of  San 
Rafad,  Cal.,  is  the  result  of  this  marriage. 

DODGE,  Willis  Edward,  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  son  of  William  B.  and  Harriet 
N.  (Baldwin)  Dodge,  was  born  in  Lowell, 
May  II,  1857. 

The  education  of  the  district  schools  of 
Lowell  was  supplemented  by  academical 
training  at  St.  Johnsbury  Academy,  where  he 
graduated  from  the  college  preparatory 
course,  class  of  1879.  Entering  the  law  of- 
fice of  his  uncle,  Hon.  F.  ^V.  Baldwin,  of 
Barton,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Iras- 
burg,  in  September,  1880.  He  immediately 
went  to  Fargo,  Dak.,  and  was  employed  in 
the  law  office  of  Roberts  &  Spaulding  until 
January  i,  when  he  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Jamestown,  law- 
firm  of  Allen  &  Dodge,  afterward  Dodge  cS: 
Camp,  where  he  remained  until  July  i,  18S7. 
During  this  time  he  was  attorney  for  the 
Northern  Pacific  R.  R.  Co.  and  secretary 
and  attorney  for  Northern  Dakota  Elevator 
Co.  July  I,  1887,  he  became  attorney  for 
St.  Paul,  M.  &  i\I.  R.  R.  Co.  for  Dakota, 
and  moved  to  Fargo.  September  i,  1892, 
he  moved  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  as  attorney 
for  the  Great  Northern  R.  R.  Co.,  which  po- 
sition he  now  holds,  doing  exclusively  a  cor- 
poration business. 

Mr.  Dodge  is  a  stalwart  Republican.  In 
1886   he  was  elected   to  the  Dakota  Senate 


from  the  Jamestown  district  with  a  plurality 
of  1,270,  out  of  a  total  of  4,800  votes,  over 
both  the  Democratic  and  Farmers'  Alliance 
candidates.  He  was  also  district  attorney 
for  Stulsman  county  in  1882  and  city  attor- 
ney for  Jamestown  in  1884,  '85  and  '86. ' 


.IS    EDWARD    DODGE. 


Mr.  Dodge  was  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Red  Cross  in  Jamestown,  Dakota,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  the  Minneapolis  Club,  a 
social  organization  of  a  high  order. 

He  was  married  March  27,  1882,  to  Hat- 
tie  M.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Crist, 
of  Vinton,  Iowa.  They  have  two  children  : 
Dora  May,  and  \\'illiam  P^dward. 

DORSEY,  Stephen  W.,  was  born  at 
Benson,  Feb.  28,  1842  ;  received  an  academ- 
ical education  ;  removed,  when  a  boy,  to 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  was  one  of  the  first  volun- 
teers in  the  L-nion  army,  in  which  he  served 
at  Shiloh,  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chat- 
tanooga, and  .\Iission  Ridge  in  1864,  and 
was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilder- 
ness and  of  Cold  Harbor,  serving  until  the 
close  of  the  war ;  returning  to  Ohio  he  re- 
sumed business  with  the  Sandusky  Tool 
Co.,  was  soon  chosen  its  president,  and 
on  the  same  day  he  was  elected  without 
his  knowledge,  president  of  the  Arkansas 
Central  Railway  Co.  Removing  to  Ar- 
kansas he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican county  and  state  committee,  was 
offered  a  seat  in  Congress   by  the  Republi- 


S3 


cans  of  the  first  district,  but  declined  and 
was  elected  almost  unanimously  United  States 
senator  from  Arkansas,  as  a  Republican,  and 
took  his  seat  March  4,  1873. 

DOUGLASS,  Stephen  A.,  was  born 

at  Brandon,  April  23,  1813.  He  lost  his 
father  while  in  infancy,  and  his  mother  be- 
ing left  in  destitute  circumstances,  he  en- 
tered a  cabinet  shop  at  Middlebury  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  the  trade.  After  re- 
maining there  several  months  he  returned  to 
Brandon,  where  he  continued  for  a  year  at 
the  same  calling,  but  his  health  obliged  him 
to  abandon  it,  and  he  became  a  student  in 
the  academy.  His  mother  having  married 
a  second  time,  he  followed  her  to  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  V.  Here  he  pursued  the  study 
of  the  law,  until  his  removal  to  Ohio  in  1831. 
From  Cleveland  he  went  still  further  west, 
and  finally  settled  in  Jacksonville,  111.  He 
was  first  employed  as  a  clerk  to  an  auction- 
eer, and  afterwards  kept  school,  devoting 
all  the  time  he  could  spare  to  the  study  of 
law.  In  1S34  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
soon  obtained  a  lucrative  practice,  and  was 
elected  attorney-general  of  the  state.  In 
1837  he  was  appointed  by  President  Van 
Buren  register  of  the  land  office  at  Spring- 
field, 111.  He  afterwards  practiced  his  pro- 
fession, and  in  1840  was  elected  secretary  of 
state,  and  the  following  year  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  This  ofifice  he  resigned, 
after  sitting  upon  the  bench  for  two  years,  in 
consequence  of  ill-health.  In  1S43  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  and  continued  a  mem- 
ber of  the  lower  House  for  four  years.  In 
December,  1847,  he  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate  for  the  term  ending  in 
1853,  was  re-elected  for  the  term  ending 
1859,  and  re-elected  for  another  term,  but 
died  in  Chicago,  June  3,  1861.  In  r86o  he 
was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  President 
but  was  defeated. 

DREW,  Charles  Aaron,  of  ciarinda, 

Iowa,  was  born  in  Kinsea  Falls,  Canada,  Jan. 
13,  1859,  son  of  Joseph  and  Emeline  (Ken- 
nedy) Drew. 

His  education  was  begun  at  Troy,  con- 
tinued in  Westfield  grammar  school,  and 
completed  at  Derby  Academy.  In  the  win- 
ter of  i877-'78  he  taught  his  first  school  at 
Morgan  Center  :  later  he  taught  in  Westfield, 
Coventry  and  Troy.  An  acquaintance  was 
formed  with  Rev.  Jacob  I'^vans,  pastor  of 
the  M.  K.  church  of  Troy,  into  which  church 
later  young  Drew  was  received  and  of  its 
Sunday  school  was  superintendent.  This 
acquaintance  was  especially  helpful  to  Mr. 
Drew  ;  it  helped  to  inspire  him  with  a  de- 
sire for  a  broader  and  more  useful  life.  \\'hen 
not  engaged  in  teaching  he  worked  for  the 
lumber  firm  of  C.  P.  Stevens  &  Co.     In  the 


sjjring  of  1880  he  entered  luistman's  Busi- 
ness College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  gradu- 
ating in  June  of  that  year.  After  a  short 
exjjerience  as  bookkeeper  and  salesman  at 
Springfield  he  returned  to  the  firm  of  C.  P. 
Stevens  &  Co.  In  the  winter  of  i88i-'82 
he  taught  in  Coventry  and  became  ac- 
(|uainted  with  Dr.  C.  F.  Branch  of  Newport, 
superintendent  of  schools.  He  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  I  )r.  liranch  and 
graduated  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  June,  1884. 
He  immediately  went  as  apothecary  to  the 
state  hospital  for  the  insane  at  Taunton, 
Mass. ;  here  he  was  made  third  assistant 
physician,  and,  excepting  a  six  weeks'  ab- 
sence to  attend  the  Berlitz  summer  school  of 
languages,  remained  in  continuous  service 
until  the  fall  of  1SS7. 


CHARLES   AARON    DREW. 


In  September  of  1887  he  went  to  New 
\'ork  to  pursue  a  six  months  course  of  spec- 
ial study  in  the  post  graduate  medical  schools 
and  hospitals.  There  he  gave  special  atten- 
tion to  the  eye  and  ear.  In  18S8  he  returned 
to  the  Taunton  hospital,  resigning  in  1890  to 
accept  the  position  of  assistant  physician  in 
the  government  hospital  for  the  insane  at 
\Vashington,  D.  C.  Since  18S8,  besides  gen- 
eral hos]Mtal  work,  he  has  done  much  ophthal- 
mic work  for  the  patients,  who,  gratuitously, 
have  had  the  benefit  of  his  skill.  In  the 
American  Journal  of  Insanity  for  October, 
1S92,  was  published  his  article,  "A  Plea  for 
Ophthalmic  Work  in  Institutions  for  the  In- 
sane," which  met  the  apjirobation  of  judges. 


54 


In  February,  1893,  he  became  first  assistant 
physician  of  the  Iowa  hospital  for  the  insane 
at  Clarinda,  Iowa. 

In"May,  1890,  he  married  Carrie,  daugh- 
ter of  ^Claudius  B.  and  Agnes  Somers. 

DUNN,  Charles  C,  of  Minneapohs, 
Minn.,  was  born  at  Ryegate,  Feb.  20, 
1 84 1.  He  is  of  direct  Scotish  descent  on 
his  father's  side,  his  grandfather  having  been 
born  across  the  water.  His  father,  John 
Dunn,  was  a  \'ermont  farmer,  one  of  the 
sturdy  class  who  clung  to  the  old  state 
through  all  the  excitement  and  temptations 
of  Western  emigration,  and  lived  and  died 
in  the  same  house  which  he  built  when  a 
young  man.  The  life  of  the  father  was  in 
striking  contrast  to  that  of  the  son.  Charles 
was  the  youngest  of  five  sons  (there  were 
also  two  daughters)  and  was  brought  up  on 
the  farm  with  limited  opportunities  for 
schooling. 


CHARLES   C.    DU 


When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  tw^enty 
years  old.  He  wished  to  enter  the  army  and 
enlisted  prom])tly,  but  was  rejected  on  ac- 
count of  his  health.  Trying  another  locality 
Mr.  Dunn  enlisted  again,  but  was  again  re- 
jected by  the  medical  examiner,  and  after  a 
third  failure  gave  it  up  and  engaged  with 
the  firm  Cramton  &  Dunn  of  Rutland.  For 
four  years  he  drove  a  tin  cart,  selling  tin 
and  japan  ware  from  house  to  house,  taking 
barter  in  exchange.  In  1865  he  went  into 
the  wholesale  and  retail  stationery  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Sawyer  &  Dunn,  his 


part  of  the  enterprise  being  to  dri\e  a  whole- 
sale cart  through  northern  New  York  and 
Vermont,  supplying  the  trade.  After  two 
years  the  business  had  greatly  increased,  and 
sales  were  made  only  by  samples,  after  the 
more  modern  style.  A  little  later  the  firm 
was  consolidated  with  Cramton  iv:  Dunn, 
dealers  in  sto\  es  and  hardware,  the  concern 
becoming  Dunn,  Sawyer  &  Co. 

Mr.  Dunn  maintained  a  very  prosperous 
business  connection  in  the  new  firm  until 
187 1,  when,  his  health  having  failed,  he  went 
West  and  invested  in  timber  lands  in  Wis- 
consin. This  was  the  beginning  of  his  suc- 
cess as  a  manager  of  Western  investment 
properties.  He  organized  the  Jackson 
County  Bank  of  Black  Ri\  er  Falls,  Wis.,  and 
became  one  of  the  directors.  Fx-Senator 
\V.  T.  Price  was  president. 

In  1878  Mr.  Dunn  went  to  St.  Paul, 
founded  a  company  under  the  name  of 
Dunn,  Thompson  &  Co.,  and  built  the  first 
refrigerator  and  cold  storage  house  in  that 
city.  Within  a  year  it  was  burned  out  with 
heavy  loss.  Mr.  Dunn  returned  to  Rutland 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  the  merchant 
tailoring  business,  but  the  attraction  of  the 
West  and  its  broader  field  for  his  abilities 
led  him  to  dispose  of  his  interests,  and  in 
1885  he  became  a  citizen  of  Minneapolis. 
Entering  the  real  estate  business,  Mr.  Dunn 
at  once  became  an  enthusiastic  "hustler" 
and  promoter  of  the  interests  of  the  city. 
He  has  always  been  loyal  and  hopeful.  One 
of  his  manifest  abilities  is  a  talent  for  organ- 
ization. In  1885  and  18S6  he  engaged  in 
the  mining  business  at  Neguanee,  Mich., 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Buffalo 
Mining  Co.,  of  which  concern  he  was  a 
director  and  vice-president;  the  mine  was 
sold  in  1 888.  Mr.  Dunn  then  organized  the 
Midland  Lumber  and  Manufacturing  Co.  of 
Wisconsin,  of  which  he  is  still  vice-president, 
and  in  1S92  formed  the  Minneapolis  Disin- 
fecting Co.,  and  the  Northwestern  Fuel  and 
Kindling  Mfg.  Co.,  of  both  of  which  com- 
panies he  is  general  manager.  During  his 
business  career  he  has  organized  some  twenty 
different  companies. 

On  account  of  ill-health  and  in  the  course 
of  his  business  ventures,  Mr.  Dunn  has  been 
an  extensive  traveler.  Soon  after  the  war  he 
spent  some  time  traveling  through  the  South, 
penetrating  on  horse-back  as  far  as  the  ever- 
glades of  Florida,  and  having  numerous  ad- 
ventures incident  to  the  unsettled  political 
conditions  during  the  Ku  Klux  times.  A 
few  years  later  he  joined  a  party  of  explor- 
ers in  the  Black  Hills,  and  saw  some  exciting 
Indian  campaigning. 

In  1869,  Mr.  Dunn  was  married  at  Bran- 
don, to  Miss  Anna  E.  Jones.  They  have  one 
daughter  :  Oce  J. 


55 


Mr.  Dunn  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  \'ermont  Association  of  Minneapolis.  At 
the  time  of  the  census  troubles  with  St.  Paul 
he  proposed  the  famous  indignation  meet- 
ing, and  was  largely  responsible  for  the 
successful  arrangements  for  the  occasion. 

DURKEE,  Charles,  was  born  in 
Royalton,  Dec.  5,  1807.      Was  a  merchant ; 


removed  to  Wisconsin,  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  of  that  state  in  1837  and  1838: 
a  Representative  in  Congress  in  i848-'5o 
from  Indiana,  and  a  L'nited  States  senator 
for  six  years,  commencing  March,  1855. 
He  was  a  delegate  also  to  the  peace  con- 
gress of  1861,  and  in  1865  was  appointed,  bv 
President  Johnson,  Governor  of  Utah. 


EDGERTON,  JOSEPH  KetcHUM,  was 
born  in  Vergennes,  Feb.  16,  1818;  spent 
his  youth  in  Clinton  county,  N.  Y.,  and  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  chiefly  at 
Plattsburg.  Read  law,  settled  in  New  York 
City  in  1835  and  came  to  the  bar  in  1839, 
and  removed  to  Fort  \\'ayne,  Ind.,  in  1844. 
In  1855  he  was  president  of  the  Fort  Wayne 
■&  Chicago  Railroad  Co.,  and  subsequently 
financial  agent  of  the  same  when  consoli- 
dated with  the  Pittsburg  road,  and  in  1862 
he  was  elected  a  representatixe  from  Indiana 
to  the  Thirty-eighth  Congress. 

ELDRIDGE,  CHARLES  A.,  was  born  in 
Bridport,  Feb.  27,  1821.  When  a  child  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  New  York ; 
studied  law  in  that  state  and  came  to  the  bar  in 
1846.  In  1848,  he  removed  to  Fon  du  Lac, 
Wis.;  in  1854  and  1855  he  was  a  member 
■of  the  state  Senate;  and  in  1S62  he  was 
elected  a  representative  from  Wisconsin  to 
the  Thirty-eighth  Congress  ;  re-elected  to  the 
Thirty-ninth  Congress. 

ELLIS,  George  Williams,  of  New 

York  City,  son  of  Zenas  C.  and  Sarah  B. 
(Dyer)  Ellis,  was  born  in  Fair  Haven,  Nov. 
2  7,  1848. 

t  His  education  was  acquired  at  the  Rut- 
land high  school  and  Middlebury  College, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1868,  and  Col- 
umbia College  (N.  Y.)  Law  School,  which 
he  attended  from  1868  to  1870,  when  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar. 

The  early  years  of  his  professional  life 
were  passed  as  a  student  and  clerk  in  the 
office  of  ex-Judge  Theron  R.  Strong,  and  ex- 
Judge  John  W.  Edmunds,  and  with  Tracy, 
Olmstead  &  Tracy  in  New  York  City,  em- 
bracing a  period  from  1868  to  1874.  He 
then  began  practice  of  the  law  at  119  Broad- 
way, and  later  at  155  with  JohnS.  Lawrence. 
This  association  continued  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Lawrence  in  1880,  since  which  time  Mr. 
Ellis  has  maintained  the  business,  which  is 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  city,  numbering 
among  its  clients  representatives  of  all  classes 
of  business. 

While  politics  have  never  actively  inter- 
ested Mr.  Ellis,  his  membership  in  social 
organizations  indicate  his  taste  and  varied 


acquirements.  Among  the  societies  who 
claim  his  membership  are  the  New  York 
state  and  city  bar  associations,  the  Univer- 
sity Club,  the  D.  K.  E.  Society  and  Club, 
the  Washington  Heights  Century  Club,  the 
New  York  Athletic  Club,  the  ^Ietropolitan 
Museum  of  Art,  the  American  Geographical 
Society,  and  the  American  Academy  of  Polit- 
ical and  Social  Science. 

ELLIS,  William  H.,  late  of  Greenfield, 
111.,  son  of  Barnabas  and  Belinda  (Kidder) 
Ellis,  was  born  in  Fair  Haven,  June  6,  1818. 


Educated  in  the  district  schools  and  the 
Castleton  Seminary,  he  went  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  to  Whitehall,  111.,  making  the  trip 
by  the  usual  conveyances  of  that  time,  by 
canal  from  Whitehall  to  Buffalo  and  by  lake 
to  Cleveland,  thence  by  canal  to  Portsmouth 
on  the  Ohio  river,  thence  steamboat  to  St. 
Louis  and  from  there  by  stage  to  his  desti- 
nation, taking  six  weeks  to  make  the  trip. 


56 


ELLSWORTH. 


For  several  seasons  Captain  Ellis  taught 
school  in  the  neighboring  towns,  and  drove 
cattle  to  Chicago  and  horses  to  St.  Louis 
and  New  Orleans,  and  later  made  entry  of 
some  government  land  in  Greene  county, 
111.,  and  since  1844  has  lived  on  his  farm 
now  comprising  over  one  thousand  acres. 

His  sterling  business  qualities  met  with 
public  recognition  in  the  election  for  two 
successive  terms  to  the  office  of  county  sur- 
veyor in  1849,  and  the  appointment  by  the 
county  to  survey  and  classify  lands  acquired 
from  the  government  by  the  state,  and  25,- 
000  acres  were  surveyed  by  him.  Governor 
French  commissioned  him  captain  of  the 
i8th  Regt.  Ills.  Vols.  Captain  Ellis  did 
active  work  in  obtaining  a  large  subscription 
to  the  stock  of  the  Rock  Island,  Alton  &  St. 
Louis  Railroad  Co.,  and  in  securing  the  right 
of  way  for  the  line,  and  was  afterwards 
elected  a  director,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
transfer  of  the  road  with  Judge  Green,  pres- 
ident of  the  Rock  Island,  Rockford  &  St. 
Louis  Railroad  Co.  In  acquiring  the  right 
of  way,  and  building  the  Litchfield,  Carroll- 
ton  &  Western  R.  R.,  of  which  he  was  a 
director,  vice-president,  and  member  of  the 
finance  committee.  Captain  Ellis  was  promi- 
nently engaged.  He  was  also  trustee  of  the 
Central  Hospital  at  Jacksonville,  receiving 
his  appointment  froni,  Governor  Beveridge. 

He  was  a  member  of  Greenfield  Lodge, 
No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Captain  Ellis  was  married  Nov.  6,  1S44, 
to  Maria,  daughter  of  I-'avid  and  Laura 
Wooley.  His  family  consists  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Julia,  Arthur,  Amy  M.,  and  Flora  L., 
all  of  whom  are  married. 

Captain  F211is  died  May  27,  1893,  at  hi;- 
home  at  Greenfield,  111.  'I'hrough  a  long  life 
he  had  won  and  held  the  respect  and  love  of 
a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 

ELLSWORTH,     CHARLES      C,     was 

born  at  Berkshire,  Jan.  29,  1824  ;  received 
a  common  school  and  academic  education  ; 
is  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  practice  ;  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Barry  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Livingston  county,  Mich.,  in 
1850;  removed  to  Montcalm  county,  Mich., 
in  185  I  :  was  a  member  of  the  state  House  of 
Representatives  in  1852  and  '54  ;  was  elected 
prosecuting  attorney  of  Montcalm  county 
at  two  successive  elections ;  was  appointed 
by  the  President  of  the  LInited  States  a  pay- 
master in  the  Union  army  in  1862  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war  and  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-fifth  Congress  as  a  Re- 
publican. 

ELLSWORTH,  Samuel  S.,  was  born 

in  Vermont  ;  was  a  member  of  the  NewVork 


Assembly  in    1840,  and  a  representative  in 
Congress  from  that  state  from  1845  to  1847. 

EMERSON,  Charles  Wesley,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  was  born  on  Nov.  30,  1837,  in 
Pittsfield.  His  parents  were  Thomas  and 
Mary  F.  (Hewitt)  Emerson.  His  boyhood 
was  passed  amid  the  picturesque  scenery  of 
his  native  place,  and  his  education  was 
much  better  than  boys  of  his  day  commonly 
received.  He  enjoyed  the  most  excellent 
instruction  of  a  father  whose  taste,  culture 
and  strong  intellectual  powers  developed  in 
the  youth  that  habit  of  independent  thinking 
and  original  research  which  have  so  marked 


CHARLES    WESLEY    EMERSON. 

his  life,  and  so  contributed  to  his  success. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  man  of  un- 
usual attainments  in  history  and  mighty  in 
the  Scriptures.  His  maternal  grandfather 
was  a  Methodist  minister.  It  is  of  interest 
to  know  that  he  came  from  the  same  stock 
as  Ralph  Waldo  F.merson,  the  Sage  of  Con- 
cord. Their  common  ancestry  goes  back  to 
one  Thomas  Emerson,  who  was  of  a  family 
knighted  by  King  Henry  VIII,  and  who 
emigrated  from  England  to  settle  in  Ipswich, 
Mass.,  in  163S,  to  become  the  progenitor  of 
a  famous  race. 

After  leaving  the  tutelage  of  his  sturdy 
father,  Wesley  took  courses  in  medicine,  law, 
oratory  and  theology  and  was  ordained  to 
the  ministry  in  the  Orthodox  Congregational 
church.  He  had  a  tremendous  power  as  a 
preacher,  and   his   churches   were  crowded 


57 


■with  eager  listeners.  He  made  liundreds  of 
■converts,  raised  churcii  societies  from  a  con- 
dition of  decay  to  one  of  flourishing  life. 
But  the  stock  of  vitality  which  he  had  in- 
herited from  his  sturdy  ancestors  was  ex- 
hausted under  the  strain  which  was  put 
upon  him,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  for 
rest  and  recuperation,  and  he  spent  the 
time  in  travel  on  the  continent.  Upon  his 
return,  with  health  much  restored,  he  was 
■elected  lecturer  on  physiology  and  hygiene 
of  the  voice  in  Boston  University  School  of 
Oratory. 

Upon  the  death  of  Professor  Monroe,  Mr. 
Emerson  opened  an  independent  school  of 
■oratory.  This  was  the  beginning  of  what 
proved  a  most  remarkable  career  in  educa- 
tional work.  Under  the  genius  of  its  presi- 
dent the  school  has  grown,  until  today  it  is 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  is  a 
chartered  college  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  Massachusetts.  Among  its  lecturers 
are  names  well  known  in  the  highest  literary 
and  educational  circles.  Its  course  embraces 
a  thorough  system  of  physical  culture  devel- 
oped by  President  Emerson,  the  results  of 
which  have  been  almost  miraculous  in  re- 
storing the  health  of  many  students  ;  a  sys- 
tem of  voice  culture,  largely  the  result  of  his 
personal  study  and  investigations  in  the  field 
of  vocal  physiology ,;  literary  and  scientific 
studies,  training  in  expression,  studies  in 
■classical  art,  etc.,  making  the  course  a  com- 
plete education,  physical,  mental  and  esthe- 
tic. President  Emerson's  work  has  become 
of  the  greatest  interest  to  leading  educators 
here  and  in  England. 

He  is  a  broad  scholar,  acquainted  with  the 
best  of  ancient  and  modern  learning.  He  is 
an  advanced  thinker,  bold  and  independent 
and  yet  withal  conservative  to  a  remarkable 
degree,  testing  every  theory  by  actual  work 
before  announcing  it.  His  success  is  the 
result  of  a  mind  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  ijrofoundest  principles  of  ]ihilosophy, 
reaching  from  old  Plato  to  the  modern  Sage 
of  Concord  ;  acquainted  with  the  largest  at- 
tainments of  modern  science  ;  saturated  with 
the  spirit  of  the  world's  liest  art  and  literature  ; 
illumined  with  a  lofty  faith  and  throbbing 
with  a  great  love  for  mankind  ;  and  pulsing 
with  a  tireless  energy,  which  knows  no  obsta- 
cle to  success.  His  power  is  that  of  a  great 
personality,  from  which  all  elements  of  mere 
individualism  have  vanished  in  the  light  of 
universal  truth.  He  is  beloved  by  all  his 
pupils,  in  every  one  of  whom  he  takes  the 
deepest  personal  interest.  His  aim  is  to  de- 
velo]j  not  merely  readers,  but  men  and  women, 
who  shall  give  to  the  public  not  simply  their 
acquirements,  but  themselves,  enriched  by 
all  the  culture  and  consecration  which  they 
achieve. 


In  his  college  work  President  Emerson  is 
most  ably  assisted  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss 
l^usie  Rogers,  of  I  )anvers,  Mass.  She  is 
hardly  second  to  himself  in  zeal  and  energy, 
and  stands  by  his  side  in  the  affections  of  the 
puj.ils. 

EWER,  Warren  Baxter,  son  of  Rev. 

Seth  and  Eliza  (Bourne)  Ewer,  was  born 
.■\pril  2  2,  1 8 14,  in  Windsor.  His  father  was 
a  Baptist  minister  and  a  native  of  Barn- 
stable, Mass.  His  mother  was  a  native  of 
Falmouth,  Mass.  The  Ewer  family  is  of 
Norman  descent,  and  originated  on  the  Ure 
river  in  the  north  of  France,  where  the 
ruins  of  the  "Eure  Castle"  are  still  to  be 
seen.  The  head  of  the  family  was  a  par- 
ticipant in  the  Norman  invasion  of  England, 
and  after  the  conquest  settled  there.  Dur- 
ing the  Cromwellian  war,  the  family  became 
divided,   one    portion    following   Cromwell, 


WARREN   BAXTER    EWER. 

the  mher  the  King.  So  bitter  was  this  polit- 
ical estrangement  that  the  former  changed 
the  spelling  of  the  family  name,  adopting 
the  Scotch  name  "Ewer."  Fourteen  years 
after  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth,  two 
brothers,  "Ewer,"  landed  with  a  colony  on 
the  north  shore  of  Cape  Cod,  and  founded 
the  town  of  Barnstable.  I''rom  those  two 
brothers  all  the  Ewers  of  the  United  States 
have  descended. 

Of  six  children  born  to  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  four  were  born  in 
Vermont.     Warren,  the  eldest,  attended  the 


58 


common  schools  until  ten  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  was  sent  to  the  high  schools,  and 
finally  finished  his  preparatorx'  studies  for, 
college  at  South  Reading,  Mass.  He  entered 
Brown  University  at  Providence,  in  the 
summer  of  1835.  At  the  close  of  his  first 
year  his  health  compelled  him  to  leave  his 
studies,  and  chance  led  him  to  Dedham, 
Mass.,  where  he  connected  himself  with  the 
Dedham  Patriot  newpaper.  The  opening  of 
the  Harrison  political  campaign  in  1840 
found  him  sole  proprietor  of  that  journal, 
and  under  the  advice  and  patronage  of 
Samuel  G.  Goodrich,  better  known  as  "Peter 
Parley,"  he  removed  his  paper  to  Roxbury, 
changed  its  name  and  entered  the  campaign 
as  a  supporter  of  Harrison.  He  also  started 
a  campaign  paper  which  he  called  "The 
Harrison  Democrat,"  taking  for  his  motto, 
"Things  by  their  right  names,"  claiming 
that  Harrison,  rather  than  his  opponent. 
Van  Buren,  represented  the  true  Democratic 
principles. 

The  first  political  song  of  that  famous 
campaign  was  introduced  at  the  suggestion 
of  Mr.  Ewer  and  Mr.  Goodrich  at  a  political 
meeting  in  the  Roxbury  town  hall,  and  made 
such  a  decided  hit  that  song  singing  in  pol- 
itical rneetings  soon  became  general,  and  to 
meet  the  want  thus  created  Mr.  Ewer  com- 
piled and  published  the  first  political  song 
book,  which  was  soon  after  republished  and 
enlarged  by  the  publishers  of  the  New  York 
Tribune. 

Mr,  Ewer  appears  to  have  been  a  very 
good  judge  of  character.  ']"he  writer  will  give 
two  instances  which  have  an  historical  as 
well  as  personal  interest ;  At  the  opening  of 
the  Harrison  campaign,  it  was  suggested 
that  some  good  and  well-known  speaker 
should  be  secured  to  canvass  the  towns 
throughout  the  district.  Mr.  Ewer,  on  the 
contrary,  thought  it  best  to  secure  some 
promising  young  man  direct  from  the  peo- 
ple, from  the  shop,  as  better  calculated  to 
arouse  enthusiasm,  and  suggested  his  friend, 
Henry  ^^'ilson,  a  shoemaker  of  Natick,  as  a 
man  possessing  the  requisite  qualities,  al- 
though he  was  then  unknown  out  of  his  own 
immediate  neighborhood.  After  many  ex- 
cuses and  protestations  of  unfitness  for  such 
services  Mr.  Wilson  consented,  and  was'  in- 
troduced through  the  pajjers  and  to  his 
audiences  by  Mr.  Ewer  as  "Henry  Wilson, 
the  Natick  cobbler,"  a  sobriquet  which  fol- 
lowed him  through  life.  This  engagement 
was  Mr.  Wilson's  first  special  effort  as  a  pub- 
lic speaker  and  it  led  him  finally  to  national 
fame,  to  the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  United 
States,  and  would  probably  have  given  him 
the  presidential  chair  had  his  life  been 
spared  two  years  longer. 

.Another  instance  of  Mr.  Ewer's  correct 
judgment    of  character    is  of  equal  historic 


interest,  and  occurred  in  the  life  history  of 
the  late  John  B.  Gough  ;  Mr.  Ewer,  while 
publishing  a  "Washingtonian"  temperance 
paper  in  Dedham,  was  anxious  to  secure  the 
services  of  a  good  speaker,  who  could  in- 
terest that  class  of  people  for  whose  good  the 
"Washingtonian"  movement  was  initiated. 
He  had  heard  of  a  reformed  man  near  Wor- 
cester who  was  creating  some  interest  in  that 
vicinity.  He  took  his  carriage  and  drove  to 
one  of  his  meetings  in  a  little. schoolhouse — 
listened  to  his  talk,  was  profoundly  im- 
pressed with  its  manner  and  matter,  and 
after  it  was  over  introduced  himself  to  the 
speaker  and  finally  took  him  home  with  him. 
In  the  quiet  of  that  home  he  subsequently 
persuaded  Mr.  Gough  that  he  could  do  a 
great  work  if  he  would  make  the  effort.  Mr. 
Gough  at  first  doubted  his  fitness  or  ability, 
but  was  finally  persuaded,  and  Mr.  Ewer 
traveled  with  him  for  some  time,  making  hi& 
appointments  and  looking  after  his  private 
wants.  Mr.  tlough's  personal  efforts  and 
the  notoriety  given  them  through  Mr. 
Ewer's  paper,  finally  attracted  the  attention 
of  Deacon  Moses  Grant,  at  that  time  one 
of  Boston's  most  wealthy  and  earnest  philan- 
thropists. Through  Mr.  Ewer  the  I  )eacon 
sought  an  interview,  which  finally  resulted  in 
a  year's  engagement  for  free  temperance 
lectures.  Deacon  (irant  to  pav  him  a  thous- 
and dollars  and  his  expenses,  with  an  agent 
to  travel  with  him.  .At  the  expiration  of  that 
engagement  Mr.  Gough  found  himself  fairly 
launched  upon  that  wonderful  career  of  use- 
fulness which  elicited  from  Daniel  Webster 
the  remark  that  "John  B.  Gough  had  proven 
himself  the  greatest  natural  orator  the  world 
has  ever  produced." 

We  next  find  Mr.  Ewer  in  Boston  printing 
a  paper  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  Lake 
Superior  copper  mines,  and  edited  by  a 
brother  of  l^lias  Howe,  the  inventor  of  the 
sewing  machine.  A\'hile  thus  engaged  the 
wonderful  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
was  announced  to  the  w-orld.  As  soon  as 
that  discovery  was  fully  verified  Mr.  P^wer 
made  arrangements  for  the  journey,  and  the 
spring  of  1849  found  him  on  his  way  across 
the  plains  in  the  first  great  company  of  gold 
seekers.  He  reached  the  mines  in  October, 
mined  for  gold  awhile,  but  soon  dropped  the 
pick  and  shovel  to  teach  others,  from  his 
editorial  chair,  how  to  mine  for  the  precious 
metal.  He  first  established  a  paper  at  Ne- 
vada City,  which  he-  soon  sold,  and  went  to 
Grass  Valley,  where  he  purchased  the  Grass 
Valley  Telegraph,  and  also  started  the  Cali- 
fornia Mining  Journal,  the  first  mining  paper 
in  California.  To  secure  a  larger  field  for  his 
work,  he  subsequently  went  to  San  Francisco, 
purchased  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press, 
and  brought  out  the  first  number  in  his  own^ 
name  Nov.  8,  1S62.     Mr.  .A.  T.  Dewey  sub- 


I'AIKCHILD. 


I'AIRClllI.l). 


59 


sequently  became  interested  in  that  publica- 
tion, and  continued  with  him  about  thirty 
years,  when  the  business  was  incorporated. 

In  1870,  when  agriculture  began  to  assume 
considerable  interest  in  California,  Mr. 
Ewer  added  an  agricultural  department  to 
the  M.  &  S.  Press,  which  attracted  so  much 
attention  that  the  State  Agricultural  ISoardof 
that  year  invited  him  to  go  to  Sacramento 
and  take  the  editorial  charge  of  an  agricul- 
tural paper  which  it  was  proposed  to  start  in 
that  city.  He  declined  the  offer,  but  the 
matter  finally  resulted  in  the  establishment 
by  Dewey  and  Ewer  of  the  Pacific  Rural 
Press  in  San  Francisco,  Jan  7,  1871.  lioth 
the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  and  the 
Pacific  Rural  Press  have  been  acknowledged 
from  their  start  as  the  two  leading  papers  in 
the  United  States  in  their  respecti\e  fields 
of  labor. 

Near  the  commencement  of  1893,  Mr. 
Ewer  retired  from  active  editorial  labor, 
having  been  thus  engaged  fifty-six  years, 
with  only  about  four  years  of  intermission. 
It  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any  other  person 
living  who  has  been  so  long  and  so  steadily 
engaged  in  active  editorial  work.  Though 
now  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  he  is 
well  and  hearty  and  has  never  experienced 
sickness.  He  has  left  editorial  work  simply 
to  get  more  time  to  attend  to  his  private 
business,  and  to  give  younger  men  a  chance. 

Except  during  the  Harrison  campaign  of 
1840,  Mr.  Ewer  has   never  taken  any  active 


interest  in  politics.  He  has  no  taste  in  that 
direction  except  as  a  citizen.  In  the  early 
fifties  he  was  appointed  county  school  super- 
intendent for  Sfevada  county,  unsolicited. 
He  was  also  once,  without  seeking  the  office, 
nominated  and  elected  school  director  for 
San  Francisco.  He  was  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  of  1867  commissioner  to  repre- 
sent California  at  the  Paris  International 
Exposition,  but  knew  nothing  of  it  until  he 
saw  the  announcement  in  the  papers.  Busi- 
ness compelled  him  to  decline.  He  was  ap- 
pointed by  C.overnor,  now  Senator  Perkins, 
to  represent  the  state  of  California  at  the 
first  Denver  mining  exposition. 

Mr.  Ewer  has  ever  been  social  in  his 
tastes  and  belongs  to  several  social  and  char- 
itable organizations.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  California  Pioneer  Association,  a  charter 
member  of  the  Bohemian  Club  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Native  Sons  of  Vermont.  The 
only  fraternal  association  with  which  he  is 
connected  is  the  Masonic,  in  which  he  has 
taken  the  Templar  degrees. 

He  has  been  three  times  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Miss  Hosapher  N.  Brush,  of 
Mneyard  Haven,  Mass.  His  second  wife 
was  Martha  D.  Luce  of  the  same  place.  He 
is  now  living  with  his  third  wife,  Martha,  the 
widow  of  Donald  McLennan,  the  projector 
and  for  many  years  superintendent  of  the 
Mission  and  Golden  Gate  woolen  mills  of 
San  Francisco. 


FAIRCHILD,  David  S.,  of  Ames,  Iowa, 
son  of  Eli  and  Grace  D.  Fairchild,  was  born 
Sept.  16,  1847,  at  Fairfield. 

He  was  educated  at  the  academies  of 
Franklin  and  Barre,  and  during  the  years 
1866  to  1868,  attended  medical  lectures  at 
.Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  graduated  from  the 
Albany  Medical  College  in  December,  1868. 
He  read  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  (). 
Cramton,  of  Fairfield. 

Dr.  Fairchild  located  first  in  High  For- 
rest, Minn.,  in  May,  i86g,  but  in  July,  1872, 
removed  to  Ames,  Iowa,  where  he  has  since 
been  continuously  engaged  in  his  practice. 
In  1873  he  was  prominent  in  the  organizing 
of  the  Story  County  Medical  Society  and 
was  its  first  president.  In  1874  he  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Central  District  Medical 
Society,  which  includes  the  central  counties 
of  his  state,  and  was  twice  elected  its  presi- 
dent. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Iowa 
State  Medical  Society,  the  American  Medical 
Association,  the  Western  Association  of 
Obstetricians  and  Gynecologists,  and  the 
National  Association  of  Surgeons.  In  1876 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  International  Medi- 


cal Congress  held  in  Philadelphia.  He 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Iowa  Academy  of 
Sciences,  and  was  chairman  of  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  State  Medical  Society  to 
prepare  a  history  of  medicine  in  Iowa,  which 
was  completed.  In  1877  he  was  appointed 
physician  to  the  Iowa  Agricultural  College, 
and  in  1879  was  elected  professor  of  physi- 
ology, comparative  anatomy,  and  pathology, 
of  the  same  college.  In  1882  he  was  elected 
professor  of  history  and  pathology,  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Des 
Moines,  and  was  transferred  in  1885  to  the 
chair  of  pathology  and  diseases  of  the  ner- 
vous system,  and  in  1887  to  the  chair  of 
theory  and  practice  of  medicine  and  pathol- 
ogy. In  1884  he  became  local  surgeon  for 
the-  Chicago  &  Northwestern  R.  R.,  and 
two  years  later  was  appointed  district  sur- 
geon, and  in  1892  consulting  surgeon  for  its 
Iowa  interests  extending  over  1,300  miles. 

For  sixteen  years  Dr.  Fairchild  w-as  en- 
gaged in  general  practice,  but  for  the  past 
eight  years  his  practice  has  been  almost  ex- 
clusively one  of  consultation,  particularly  in 
surgery-      Has  contributed  many  articles  to 


6o 


the  medical  journals,  and  to  the  transactions 
of  various  medical  societies. 

Outside  of  his  profession  he  has  had  no 
time  for  politics  or  other  matters  except  in 
educational  matters  and  he  is  at  present 
president  of  the  board  of  education  of  his 
citv. 


cepted  the  position  of  teller  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Chicopee,  Mass.  Upon  the 
organization  of  the  Peoples  National  Bank 
of  Brattleboro,  in  October,  1875,  he  was 
chosen  cashier  of  that  institution,  which  he 
successfully  conducted  until  October,  1886, 
when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  cash- 
iership  of  the  National  Hide  and  Leather 
Bank  of  Boston  ;  in  this  larger  field  he  was 
always  found  ready  to  serve  his  customers 
promptly  and  faithfully,  thus  making  for  him- 
self many  warm  friends. 

Becoming  deeply  interested,  and  a  large 
stockholder,  in  the  Traders  National  Bank  of 
Boston,  he  was  elected  its  president,  in  1890. 
By  his  energy  and  careful,  conservative  meth- 
ods the  business  of  the  bank  was  largely  in- 
creased. 


l:/jfeT 


He  is  a  member  of  the  .Arcadia  Lodge, 
three  times  three  (^x^)  chapter,  and  of 
Excaliber  Commandery  ;  also  of  the  order 
of  Elks. 

May  I,  1S70,  he  married  Welhelmina  t'., 
daughter  of  Hon.  W.  K.  Tattersall  of  High 
Forest,  Minn.,  and  has  three  children  : 
David  S.,  Gertrude  M.,  and  Margaret  T. 

FAULKNER,  William  A.,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  son  of  Shepherd  D.  and  Miranda 
(Greene)  Faulkner,  was  born  in  Whitingham, 
Sept.  14,  1848. 

Educated  at  the  district  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  and  Powers  Institute,  Bernardston, 
Mass.,  he  prepared  himself  further  for  a 
business  career  by  a  course  at  Eastman  Busi- 
ness College,  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  V. 

Mr.  Faulkner's  early  life  was  spent  upon 
the  farm  :  but  not  finding  that  congenial,  to 
his  taste  he  decided  to  enter  upon  a  business 
career  in  which  he  has  enjoyed  a  succession 
of  promotions. 

Beginning  in  .April,  1872,  with  a  clerkship 
in  a  dry  goods  establishment  in  Shelburne 
Falls,  Mass.  ;  in  April,  1873,  he  became 
bookkeeper  in  the  Shelburne  Falls  National 
Bank  ;    in  October  of  the  next  vear  he  ac- 


WILLIAM    A.    FAULKNER. 

Ill-health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the 
arduous  duties  of  this  position  in  January, 
1893.  Since  which,  his  time  has  been  spent 
in  travel  and  in  caring  for  his  personal  mat- 
ters and  those  intrusted  to  him  bv  others. 

Mr.  Faulkner  was  married  at  Brattleboro, 
Sept.  21,  1876,  to  Alice  H.,  daughter  of  Par- 
ley and  Clara  ( Blanchard)  Starr.  Mrs.  Faulk- 
ner died  in  March,  1891. 

FIELD,  RoswELL  Martin,  late  of  St. 
Louis,  was  born  in  Newfane,  Feb.  22,  1807, 
and  was  the  son  of  Gen.  Martin  Field  and 
Esther  S.  Kellogg,  his  wife. 

He  fitted  for  college  with  Rev.  Luke 
\\'hitcomb  of  Townshend,  and  entered  Mid- 


6i 


dlebury  College  with  his  brother,  Charles  K. 
Field,  late  of  Brattleboro,  graduating  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  in  1822.  He  studied 
law  with  Hon.  Daniel  Kellogg  of  Rocking- 
ham, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1825, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  practiced 
in  Windham  county  till  1839.  He  was 
elected  state's  attorney  for  said  county  for 
four  years  in  succession,  from  1832  to  1835. 
He  represented  the  town  of  Newfane  in  the 
Legislature  of  Vermont  for  the  years  1835 
and  1S36.  The  special  pleas  drawn  by  him 
in  the  libel  suit  of  Torrey  vs.  Field,  reported 
in  'I'enth  Vermont  Reports  were  declared 
by  Justice  Story  to  be  masterpieces  of  spe- 
cial pleading. 

In  1839  Mr.  Field  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  continued  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession ;  at  first  as  partner  of  Miron  Leslie, 
also  from  Vermont,  and  a  man  of  splendid 
talents  and  great  legal  attainments.  Mr. 
Field  at  once  took  high  rank  with  the  oldest 
members  of  the  St.  Louis  bar,  among  whom 
were  Henry  S.  Geyer,  successor  of  Thomas 
H.  Benton  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,  Fdward 
Bates,  attorney-general  in  the  cabinet  of 
President  Lincoln  during  his  first  term,  and 
Hamilton  R.  damble,  provisional  ("lOvernor 
of   Missouri  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 

After  a  few  years  the  partnership  of  Les- 
lie &  Field  was  dissolved,  and  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  Hfe  Mr.  Field  practiced  his 
profession  alone.  His  practice  was  large 
and  remunerative.  He  was  engaged  es- 
pecially in  numerous  and  important  land  suits, 
growing  out  of  conflicting  Spanish  and 
French  tides,  existing  before  the  United 
States  acquired  the  territory  of  Louisiana. 
Not  only  was  Mr.  Field  a  great  lawyer,  but 
he  was  a  fine  classical  scholar  and  exten- 
sively informed  in,  and  familiar  with,  the 
best  of  English  literature  and  general  sci- 
ence. In  addition  to  Greek  and  Latin,  he 
was  well  versed  in  the  Spanish,  French,  and 
German,  and  spoke  the  two  latter  languages 
with  great  facility.  He  brought  and  tried  in 
the  LTnited  States  Circuit  Court,  Missouri, 
the  celebrated  case  of  Dred  Scott,  which 
gave  him  a  national  reputation.  In  the  war 
of  the  rebellion  he  was  a  staunch  and  promi- 
nent defender  of  the  government  and  the 
L'nion,  and  co-operated  with  Generals  Lyon 
and  Blair  and  others  in  defeating  the  schemes 
of  the  secessionists  to  attach  Missouri  to  the 
fortunes  of  the  confederacy,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  preventing  the  state  from 
committing  the  folly  and  crime  of  secession. 
A  commission  as  judge  of  the  state  Supreme 
Court  was  sent  to  him  by  the  Governor  of  the 
state  in  1865,  but  he  declined  the  position, 
which  he  would  have  adorned  and  dignified, 
preferring  the  quiet  of  private  life. 

He  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  ])hysical 
manhood,  being  over  six  feet  in  height,  well 


proportioned  and  of  dignified  and  imposing 
presence.  In  his  social  relations  he  was 
genial  and  entertaining,  unstirpassed  in  con- 
versational powers,  delighting  in  witty  and 
epigrammatic  sentences,  was  elegant  in  his 
manners,  affable  and  refined  in  his  deport- 
ment, and  to  his  other  accomplishments  he 
added  that  of  the  skillful  musician. 

In  184S  he  married  Miss  Frances  Reed, 
a  beautiful,  cultured  and  lovely  young  lady 
from  Vermont,  richly  endowed  with  all  the 
domestic  virtues  and  graces  of  womanhood. 
Their  married  life  was  relatively  short,  as 
Mrs.  Field  died  in  1856,  and  he  himself 
died  in  1869  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  sixty-two  years. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  and  for  many 
years  before,  he  was  regarded  as  standing  at 
the  head  of  the  bar  in  the  state.  He  left 
two  sons,  both  of  whom  have  exhibited  in 
later  years  eminent  ability,  though  in  differ- 
ent lines  from  their  father,  they  having  selec- 
ted the  field  of  journalism  and  authorship. 
The  eldest,  Eugene  Field,  of  the  Chicago 
News  and  Record,  has  earned  and  deserves 
a  high  reputation,  as  a  wit  and  humorist, 
being  the  author  of  a  prose  work  entitled 
"Profitable  Tales,"  and  of  poems  entitled  a 
"Little  Book  of  Western  Verse,"  ".\  Second 
Book  of  Verse,"  and  "Tin  Trumpet  and 
Drum,"  and  with  his  brother,  Roswell  M. 
Field,  a  translation  of  certain  Odes  of  Hor- 
ace entitled  "Echoes  from  the  Sabine  Farm." 
The  younger  son  is  Roswell  M.  Field,  for  a 
number  of  years  employed  on  the  Kansas 
City  Times  and  Evening  Star,  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  and  latterly  on  the  New  York 
World.  As  a  journalist  he  has  won  a  favor- 
able name  and  has  published  a  volume  of 
sketches  entitled  "In  the  Sun  Flower  Land" 
which  show  marked  ability  and  give  prom- 
ise of  still  better  literary  work  in  the  future. 

This  brief  notice  of  the  life  and  charac- 
ter of  Roswell  M.  Field,  deceased,  cannot 
be  better  closed  than  by  quoting  the  re- 
marks of  Judge  Wagner,  chief  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  in 
response  to  the  resolutions  of  the  St.  Louis 
bar,  presented  to  said  court.  Judge  \Vag- 
ner  in  behalf  of  the  court  responded  as 
follows  : 

"  The  members  of  this  court  have  heard 
w'ith  the  deepest  regret  of  the  death  of  R. 
M.  Field,  and  the  warm  and  deserved  tribute 
which  has  just  been  paid  to  his  memory 
receives  an  assenting  response  from  the 
hearts  of  all  who  knew  him.  In  the  decease 
of  our  lamented  friend  and  brother,  the  bar 
of  Missouri  has  lost  one  of  its  brightest  orna- 
ments. To  a  naturally  keen,  vigorous  and  an- 
alytical iiiind  he  added  a  thorough  mastery  of 
legal  principles,  combined  with  high  scholar- 
ly attainments.  Perhaps  no  man  at  the  bar  of 
this  state  ever  brought  to  the  consideration 


62 


of  any  question  a  greater  amount  of  exact 
legal  learning,  or  clothed  it  with  a  more  im- 
pressive and  attractive  logic.  When  he  gave 
the  great  energies  and  powers  of  his  mind 
to  a  cause,  he  exhausted  all  the  learning  to 
be  had  on  the  subject.  He  studied  law  as 
a  science,  and  delighted  to  examine  its  har- 
monious structure  and  explore  its  philosophic 
principles.  So  deeply  w-as  he  imbued  with 
its  true  spirit,  and  so  great  was  his  reverence 
for  its  excellence,  that  he  maintained  them 
with  the  most  jealous  regard,  and  would 
sooner  have  failed  in  success  than  have  won 
a  case  by  trenching  upon  a  sound  legal  rule. 
He  made  no  parade  of  learning,  and  in  his 
social  intercourse  he  had  a  childlike  sim- 
plicity. With  his  professional  brethren  he 
was  full  of  courtesy  and  kindness,  and  his 
whole  conduct  was  marked  by  entire  integ- 
rity and  perfect  truth.  He  adorned  every 
circle  in  which  he  moved,  and  so  beautiful 
was  his  life,  in  all  its  relations,  that  he  won 
and  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  regard  of  all 
who  knew  him.  It  is  fit  and  proper  that  the 
death  of  such  a  man  should  be  marked  by 
all  the  honors  that  we  can  pay  to  his  mem- 
ory. It  is  just  that  we  should  pay  this  last 
tribute  as  an  evidence  of  our  appreciation 
of  his  great  abilities  and  exalted  virtues.  It 
is  therefore  ordered,  that  the  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  bar  which  have  been 
presented,  be  entered  of  record  on  the 
minutes  of  this  court,  and  out  of  respect  for 
his  memory,  it  will  be  further  ordered  that 
this  court  do  now  adjourn." 

FIELD,  WaLBRIDGE  .4BNER,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  son  of  Abner  and  Louisa  ((Iris- 
wold)  Field,  was  born  in  Springfield,  April 
26,  1833.  His  father  was  a  descendant  of 
the  Fields  of  Rhode  Island,  and  his  mother's 
ancestors  were  from  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Field  was  educated  at  private  schools 
and  academies  until  fitted  for  college,  when 
he  entered  Dartmouth  and  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1855.  He  was  tutor  in  the  college 
in  1856  and  1857  and  again  in  1S59.  He 
studied  law  in  Boston  with  Harvey  Jewell 
and  at  the  Harvard  Law  School  ;  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  Boston  in  i860,  and 
began  practice  with  Mr.  Jewell.  In  1865  he 
was  appointed  assistant  United  States  attor- 
ney for  Massachusetts  under  Richard  H. 
Dana,  and  remained  with  him  and  with 
George  S.  Hillard  until  1S69,  when  he  was 
appointed  by  President  (Irant  assistant  at- 
torney-general of  the  L'nited  States.  This 
office  he  resigned  in  August,  1870,  and  be- 
came a  partner  with  Mr.  Jewell  and  William 
Ciaston,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jewell,  Gas- 
ton &  Field,  and  after  Mr.  (laston  became 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  Edward  O.  Shep- 
hard  was  taken  into  the  partnership,  and  the 
firm  name  became  Jewell,  Field  &  Shephard 


and  so  remained  until  Mr.  Field  became  asso- 
ciate justice  of  the  Supreme  Judical  Court  in 
1881. 

Judge  Field  was  a  member  of  the  Boston 
school  board  in  1863  and  1864  and  of  the 
common  council  in  1S65,  1866  and  1867. 
In  1876  he  was  declared  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  Forty-fifth 
Congress  of  the  United  States  from  the  Third 
District  of  Massachusetts,  but  his  seat  was 
contested,  and  after  about  a  year's  service  he 
was  unseated.  He  was  again  a  candidate 
for  the  House  of  Representatives,  was  re- 
elected, and,  taking  his  seat  in  the  Forty- 
sixth  Congress,  served  without  contest. 

Judge  F'ield  was  married  in  1869,  to  Eliza 
E.  McLoon,  who  died  in  March,  1877,  and 
by  whom  he  has  two  daughters  :  Eleanor 
Louise,  and  F^lizabeth  Lenthal.  In  October, 
1882,  Judge  Field  was  married  to  Frances 
E.,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Nathan  A.  Farwell 
of  Rockland,  Me. 

FINNEY,  Darwin  A.,  was  born  at 
Shrewsbury,  August  11,  1 8 1 4  ;  removed  with 
his  family  to  Meadville,  Pa.,  when  a  lad  : 
received  a  classical  education  ;  graduated  at 
the  Meadville  College  ;  studied  law,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  practiced  at  Mead- 
ville ;  was  twice  elected  to  the  state  House 
of  Representatives,  and  once  to  the  state 
Senate  :  was  elected  a  representative  from 
Pennsylvania  in  the  Fortieth  Congress  as  a 
Republican,  and  served  from  March  4,  1S67, 
until  his  death  while  traveling  in  Europe, 
August  25,  1868. 

FISHER,  ALONZOG.,  of  Chicago,  III, 
son  of  Samuel  G.  and  Catherine  (Parker) 
Fisher,  was  born  in  U'est  Fairlee,  Oct.  10, 
1S39. 

Educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  Barre  .Academy,  he  found 
his  first  employment,  in  186 1,  with  Denison 
Derby,  driving  a  peddling  wagon,  and  seven 
years  later  he  engaged  with  N.  K.  Brown  & 
Co.,  of  Burlington,  as  a  traveling  salesman 
for  their  manufacture  of  patent  medicines, 
traveling  by  team  and  reaching  the  wholesale 
trade  of  New  England  and  some  of  the  mid- 
dle states. 

Mr.  Fisher  located  in  Chicago  in  iS76and 
established  himself  in  the  wholesale  patent 
medicine  business,  being  the  Western  dis- 
tributing agent  for  many  of  the  largest  con- 
cerns in  the  country,  and  his  business  has 
grown  to  be  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the 
West.  He  is  still  a  partner  with  N.  K. 
Brown  &  Co.,  of  Burlington,  and  spends  a 
portion  of  his  time  in  the  East  in  the  inter- 
est of  this  connection  and  at  his  elegant 
summer  home  at  Foster's  Point,  Me. 

Besides  his  regular  avocation  Mr.  Fisher 
has  been  a  large  and  successful  operator  in 
Chicago  real  estate. 


FLAGG. 


63 


Sociallv  he  is  verv  prominent  in  Chicago, 
being  a  member  of  the  Citizens'  Committee  : 
a  well  known  member  of  the  Illinois  Club, 
and  an  enthusiastic  attendant  in  the  Union 
Park  Church. 

A  member  of  the  Illinois  Society  Sons  of 
Vermont  says  of  him  :  "For  honesty  and 
integrity  in  business  matters,  he  has  few- 
equals  ;  for  his  kind  and  generous  impulses 
he  is  well  known  and  much  admired." 

Mr.  Fisher  has  been  twice  married.  He 
married  first,  August  i,  1861,  Lois,  daughter 
of  Horatio  Nye,  of  Barton.  Of  this  union 
were  three  children,  only  one  of  whom, 
Arthur  N.  (in  business  vyith  his  father),  is 
living.  He  was  married  a  second  time,  in 
1878,  to  Fannie  D.,  daughter  of  Moses  O. 
Crafts,  of  Bath,  Me.  They  have  two  sons  : 
Theo  M.,  and  Alonzo  G.,  Jr. 

FLAGG,  Fred  ALVIN,  of  Troy,  N.  v., 
youngest  surviving  son  of  Gen.  Stephen  P. 
and  Lucinda  (Brown)  Flagg,  was  born  in 
Wilmington,  June  19,  1837. 


his  position,  and  for  several  years  thereafter 
was  successfully  engaged  in  the  coal  trade  at 
North  Adams  under  the  firm  name  of  Rich- 
ardson &  Flagg.  During  his  business  resi- 
dence in  Massachusetts  he  was  repeatedly 
urged  to  become  a  candidate  for  political 
honors,  but  he  uniformly  declined  such  dis- 
tinction. Retiring  from  the  coal  business  in 
1888,  Mr.  Flagg,  who  inherited  a  fine  bass 
voice,  for  a  time  placed  himself  under  the 
training  of  his  lamented  brother,  Lyman, 
whose  musical  career  in  Europe  is  familiar 
to  most  Vermonters,  and  his  advancement 
was  such  that  his  merits  found  ready  recog- 
nition in  oratorio  and  concert  music,  which 
made  him  at  once  prominent  in  the  musical 
circles  of  New  England. 

Mr.  Flagg  became  connected  with  the 
Fidelity  and  Casualty  Co.,  of  New  York,  in 
1890,  and  vi'as  subsequently  promoted  to  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  agencies,  and 
is  now  manager  of  all  departments  of  the 
company  for  a  large  territory,  including  the 
state  of  Vermont,  with  his  headquarters 
and  general  office  at  Trov,  N.  Y. 


RED    ALVIN    FLAGG. 


He  received  a  classical  education  at  W'il- 
liston  Seminary,  Easthampton,  and  at  W'ill- 
iams  College,  l\Iass. 

In  1877  he  was  appointed  deputy  collector 
of  internal  revenue  for  the  Tenth  Massachu- 
setts District,  with  a  residence  in  Greenfield, 
Mass.,  and  three  years  subsequently  was  ap- 
pointed cashier  and  home  office  deputy  col- 
lector of  the  same  district,  with  residence  at 
North  Adams.  In    1882   Mr.   Flagg  resigned 


FLAGG,  John  Henry,  of  New  York 

City,  son  of  Gen.  Stephen  P.  and  Lucinda 
(Brown)  Flagg,  was  born  in  \\'ilmington, 
July  II,  1843. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  and  at  Wesleyan  Academy, 
Wilbraham,  Mass.  His  law  studies  were 
pursued  at  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  with 
the  firm  of  Flagg  &  Tyler,  \Vilmington.  The 
members  composing  this  firm  were  his 
father,  Gen.  Stephen  P.  Flagg,  and  the  Hon. 
James  M.  Tyler,  now  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Vermont.  Mr.  Flagg 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Windham  county 
at  the  September  term  in  1864,  practicing 
for  the  first  year  at  Wilmington,  and  subse- 
quently at  Bennington,  for  a  period  of  four 
vears. 

At  the  October  session  of  the  Vermont  Leg- 
islature in  1864,  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  was  unani- 
mously re-elected  to  the  same  office  for  the 
succeeding  four  years.  At  the  first  session 
of  the  Forty-first  Congress,  beginning  in 
December,  1S69,  he  was  appointed  principal 
clerk  of  the  U^nited  States  Senate,  which 
office  he  continued  to  hold  through  succeed- 
ing Congresses  until  the  spring  of  1878,  when 
he  resigned.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  L^nited  States  in 
1870,  and  on  terminating  his  connection  with 
the  United  States  Senate  resumed  his  law  prac- 
tice, both  in  Washington  and  New  York,  giv- 
ing special  attention  to  international  questions 
arising  under  treaties  between  the  United 
States  and  foreign  powers,  as  well  as  kindred 
subjects.  He  was  prominent  in  the  pro- 
longed  discussion   involved    in    the    earlier 


64 


FLETCHER. 


legislation  of  Congress,  defining  the  relation 
of  our  government  to  the  "Gene\a  Award 
Fund,"  and  the  method  of  its  distribution, 
and  subsequently  prosecuted  to  a  successful 
termination  a  large  number  of  claims  arising 
under  said  treaty. 

Removing  to  New  York  City  in  the  year 
1880,  he  has  not  only  continued  his  practice 
before  the  Federal  courts  and  departments  at 
Washington,  but  has  given  much  attention  to 
corporation  law,  receiving  a  lucrative  in- 
come therefrom,  being  steadily  employed  by 
various  corporations  prominent  throughout 
the  country.  He  is  an  accepted  authority 
on  the  law  of  parliamentary  procedure  as 
well  as  of  international  law,  and  has  had  for 
clients  several    foreign   governments  in  this 


HENRY    FLAGG. 


latter  branch  of  practice,  to  which  so  few 
lawyers  seem  to  have  given  special  attention. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  counsel  to  va- 
rious foreign  steamship  lines,  the  large  pe- 
troleum corporations  of  the  United  States, 
railroad  corporations  and  many  others. 

He  is  a  member  of  Union  League  Club, 
the  chief  Republican  organization  of  New 
York  City,  the  Metropolitan  Club  of  Wash- 
ington, a  life  member  of  the  New  England 
Society  of  New  York,  and  was  one  of  the 
promoters  of  the  Brooklyn  Society  of  ^'er- 
monters,  of  which  he  is  a  member  and  one 
of  the  executive  committee. 

Mr.  Flagg  was  married  in  June,  1889,  to 
Peachy  J.,  daughter  of  Frank  F.  and  Marion 
Jones  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


FLETCHHR,  RICHARD,  was  ,born  in 
Cavendish,  Jan.  8,  T78S  ;  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1S06  ;  served  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  Massachusetts  ;  was  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  from  1848  to  1853  ;  and  a 
representative  in  Congress  from  Massachu- 
setts, from  1837  to  1S39. 

FOLLETT,  JOHN  FaSSETT,  of  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  his 
father  removed  to  Ohio  in  1837,  and  settled 
in  Licking  county  ;  he  procured  for  himself 
a  classical  education,  entering  Marietta  Col- 
lege in  1 85 1,  and  graduating  in  1855  as  the 
valedictorian  of  his  class ;  he  taught  school 
two  years  ;  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1S58;  was  elected  to  the  Ohio 
Legislature  from  Licking  county,  in  1865, 
and  re-elected  in  1867  ;  was  elected  in  Janu- 
ary, 1868,  speaker  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives; in  September,  1868,  removed  to 
Cincinnati  to  engage  in  the  practice  of  the 
law,  and  on  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature 
resigned  the  speakership  and  his  commission 
as  representative  from  Licking  county  ;  in 
1880  was  nominated  at  the  Democratic  state 
convention  as  one  of  the  electors  at  large  for 
( )hio  on  the  Hancock  and  English  jiresiden- 
tial  ticket:  in  1879  received  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.,  from  Marietta  College;  and  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-eighth  Congress  as  a 
Democrat. 

FONDA,  Edmund  S.,  of  Osage,  lowa, 
son  of  Stephen  H.  and  Julia  (Harwood) 
Fonda,  was  born  June  3,  1839,  at  Rupert. 

Mr.  Fonda  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  l-"ort  Edward  (N.  Y.)  Insti- 
tute. The  usual  experience  of  a  farmer's 
son  was  that  of  Mr.  Fonda  until,  in  1S62,  he 
became  a  book-keeper  and  salesman  in  the 
general  store  of  F.  Wells,  Conslantine,  Mich., 
which  position  he  resigned  after  two  years, 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  G.  W. 
Waterson,  of  the  same  place,  selling  dry 
goods  and  groceries.  He  continued  in  the 
same  business  until  1S68,  when  he  removed 
to  his  present  home.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he 
sold  out  and  engaged  in  real  estate,  and  in 
1875  became  further  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
farm  machinery,  a  business  he  continues  in 
at  the  present  day. 

Mr.  Fonda  served  as  chairman  of  the  rail- 
way committee  of  the  Osage  Board  of  Trade 
for  five  years,  during  the  projecting  and 
building  of  the  Winona  &  Southwestern 
R.  R.,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  get- 
ting the  company  to  build  to  Osage. 

Educaiional  matters  have  had  a  strong 
interest  for  him.  He  was  engaged,  previous 
to  embarking  in  the  mercantile  business,  in 
teaching  district  winter  schools  in  Vermont, 
New  York  and  Michigan.  He  has  served 
many   years    on  the  city  school  board,  and 


65 


as  a  trustee  of  the  Cedar  \'alley  Seminary 
has  served  several  years,  and  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  board.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  Mitchell  County  Agricultural  Society, 
holding  that  honor  for  thirteen  years. 

In  politics  he  is  Republican  ;  has  served 
for  two  years  as  member  of  state  central 
committee.  Has  never  sought  office.  Was 
elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Osage,  in  18S9, 
receiving,  without  distinction  of  party,  every 
vote  cast  but  one.  Was  re-elected  mayor  in 
189T,  and  declined  a  re-election  in  1893. 
He  had  previously  served  as  city  council- 
man. 


EDMUND    S.    FONDA. 

In  1893  Mr.  Fonda  obtained  a  charter 
for  himself  and  associates  to  organize  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank  of  Osage,  of  which 
he  is  a  director.  He  is  now  comfortably 
situated  with  a  farm  of  nine  hundred  and 
ten  acres,  every  acre  of  which  is  tillable,  and 
which  is  situated  but  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Osage,  valued  at  $45,000.  Has  a  large 
implement  trade  and  other  interests. 

He  married,  August  iS,  1864,  in  Constan- 
tine,  Mich.,  I.oretta  E.,  daughter  of  Rulef 
and  Charlotte  A.  Crego.  'I'hey  have  three 
children  :    Lottie  J.,   Fannie  L.,  and  Kate  !'.. 

FOOTE,   Stephen    Miller,    United 

States  .Army,  son  of  Henry  William  and 
Rebecca  (Dunlap)  Foote,  was  born  Feb.  19, 
1859,  at  La  Salle,  Mich.,  and  came  to  \'er- 
mont,  his  father's  native  state,  at  fourteen 
years  of  age. 


His  early  education  was  receixed  at  Bee- 
man  Academy,  class  of  '79,  when  he  entered 
Middlebury  College.  'I'he  following  year  he 
entered  the  LTnited  States  Military  .Academy 
at  Went  Point,  graduating  in  the  class  of  '84. 
He  afterwards  graduated  at  the  L'nited  States 
.Artillery  School  at  Fortress  Monroe,  \'a.,  in 
the  class  of  '88. 

Junei2,  1884,  he  was  appointed  2d  Lieut. 
4th  .Artillery  U.  S.  A.,  and  ist  Lieut.  June  17, 
1889.  From  September,  1884,  to  Septem- 
ber, 1885,  he  served  at  Fort  .Adams,  New- 
port, R.  I.,  from  1885  to  1886  at  Fort  Trum- 
bull, New  London,  Conn.,  and  from  1886  to 
1888  in  the  artillery  school  at  Fort  Monroe. 
F^rom  September,  1888,  to  January,  1889, 
he  passed  traveling  in  Europe,  on  leave  of 
absence,  and  in  January,  1889,  became  as- 
sistant instructor  of  engineering,  and  in 
charge  of  non-commissioned  officers'  school 
at  the  artillery  school.  Fort  Monroe.  From 
March,  1891,  till  July,  1892,  he  was  on  duty 
with  the  Intercontinental  Railway  Commis- 
sion in  Washington,  I).  C.,  and  in  Central 


STEPHEN    MILLER    FOOTE. 

.America.  From  July,  1892,  to  February, 
1S93,  he  was  on  duty  at  Fort  Barrancas, 
Pensacola,  Fla.  His  last  service  at  present 
date  is  with  World's  Columbian  E.xposition. 

Lieutenant  Foote  is  a  member  of  the  Chi 
Psi  Society  of  Middlebury  College. 

He  was  married  at  Fort  Monroe,  Va., 
.April  24,  1889,  to  Sara,  daughter  of  Maj. 
John  Brooke  of  the  Medical  Department  U. 
S.  A.,  and  Esther  \\'illing  Brooke. 


66 


FREEMAN,  NELSON  ORLANDO,  of 
Freeport,  10. ,  was  born  in  Wolcott,  [an.  i, 
1836. 

Mr.  Freeman  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  village  school  and  the  academy  at 
Johnson,  and  prepared  for  college  at  Fort 
Edward  Institute.  Entering  Union  College 
at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  the  class  of  1863, 
he  later  was  transferred  to  the  University  of 
Vermont,  where  he  completed  the  course 
and  graduated  in  1869,  receiving  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  In  further  pursuance  of  a  thorough 
preparation  for  the  university  he  commenced 
a  course  at  the  Itoston  Theological  Seminary 
in  i86g. 

Mr.  Freeman  began  his  life  work  by  enter- 
ing the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  the  conference  held  at  St.  Albans. 
While  attending  college  he  was  pastor  at 
Winooski.  In  1870  he  went  westward  and 
transferred  to  the  Rock  River  Conference, 
and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  has  served 
at  various  places,  including  the  following 
churches  :  St.  Charles  and  Wheaton,  and  at 
Batavia  a  second  term,  four  years  at  Ottawa. 
He  is  now  pastor  of  P'irst  M.  E.  Church, 
Freeport,  111. 

While  ever  assiduously  applying  himself_to 
his  chosen  profession  and  making  no  effort 
for  distinction  in  social  organizations,  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of 
the  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Freeman's  first  wife  was  Francis  E. 
Richmond,  of  Woodstock,  Vt.,  daughter  of 
Baezillar  Richmond  and  Lodoisski  Brown. 
She  died  in  1867,  leaving  one  daughter  since 
deceased.  Mr.  Freeman  again  married  in 
1872,  Hattie,  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Catherine 
Samson,  of  Waterman,  111.  The  result  of 
this  union  is  three  children  :  Charles  S., 
Dwight,  and  Anna  Louise. 


ference  to  the  general  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  held  in  New 
York  City,  which  is  the  legislative  body  of 
the  church  and  meets  quadrennially. 


TIMOTHY    PRESCOTT    FROST. 

Mr.  Frost  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
the  War  of  181 2,  and  of  the  Brooklyn 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  \'ermont. 

He  married,  Jan.  23,  1876,  Carrie  M., 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Lavona  (Webster) 
Holt,  and  has  two  children:  Philip  Pres- 
cott,  and  Florence  Virtine. 


FROST,  Timothy  PRESCOTT,  of  Balti- 
more, Md.,  son  of  Timothy  M.  and  Mary  G. 
(Prescott)  Frost,  was  born  at  Mount  Holly, 
June  26,  1850. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  district 
schools  of  Weston,  the  Methodist  Seminary 
of  Montpelier,  and  the  Wesleyan  University 
at  Middletown,  Conn. 

Mr.  Frost  entered  the  itinerant  ministery 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1876 
and  served  full  terms  at  Thetford  Centre, 
Woodstock,  Bradford  and  Montpelier.  He 
was  chaplain  of  the  Vermont  Senate  in  1886. 
He  also  served  two  years  at  St.  Johnsbury, 
from  which  place  he  went  to  the  Summer- 
field  Church,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  May, 
1889.  In  April,  1893,  he  was  appointed 
pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  is 
located  at  present. 

In  1888  Mr.  Frost  was  chosen  one  of  two 
ministerial  delegates  from  the  Vermont  con- 


FRINK,  ALDEN,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  son  of 
Luther  and  Alvatina  (Childs)  Frink,  was 
born  in  Woodstock,  April  18,  1833. 

Receiving  a  limited  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  he  has  earned  his  own  living 
since  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  working  on  a 
farm  until  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  then 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  this  occu- 
pation he  followed  for  six  years  in  Windsor 
and  Worcester,  Mass.,  during  which  time  he 
learned  the  draughting  of  plans  and  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  began  the  study 
of  architecture  in  the  office  of  Elbridge 
Boyden,  Worcester,  Mass.  After  remaining 
there  three  years,  in  the  spring  of  1857  he 
removed  to  Boston  and  was  employed  by  the 
United  States  Government  as  a  draughts- 
man on  the  new  Minot  Ledge  Lighthouse. 
In  1859  he  visited  Europe,  travelling  through 
England,  Ireland  and  Scotland  as  well  as  on 
the  Continent.  In  i860  he  returned  to 
this  country  and  opened  an  office  at  28  State 


;aki'ii£L1ie. 


67 


street,  lioston,  where  he  has  been  located 
ever  since.  Mr.  Frink  has  built  over  fifty 
stores  ;  over  one  hundred  dwellings  ranging 
from  SSjOOo  to  $150,000,  and  a  number  of 
schoolhouses,  engine-houses  and  police  sta- 
tions for  the  city  of  Boston.  He  also  built 
the  New  England  Manufacturers  and  Mer- 
chants Institute  building  in  Boston,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1886. 

Within  the  past  eight  or  ten  years,  he  has 
built  ((uite  a  number  of  railroad  stations  for 
the  Boston  &  Maine,  Fitchburg,  and  Old 
Colony  Railroad  Companies,  at  Woburn, 
Sonierville  Highlands,  Winter  Hill,  Prospect 
Hill,   Wakefield,    Marblehead,    Lynn    Com- 


mon, Waverly,  Marlboro,  Athol,  Concord 
Junction,  Stoneham,  Wilton  and  other 
])laces.  He  has  also  made  extensive  ad- 
ditions to  the  Lowell  station  in  Boston. 

He  affiliates  with  St.  Andrew's  Lodge  of 
Masons,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of 
'I'remont  Lodge,  No.  15,  L  O.  O.  F. 

Mr.  Frink  was  united  in  marriage  at  Bos- 
ton, Jan.  29,  1859,  to  Ro.xana,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Charlotte  Folsom  of  Vienne, 
Me.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frink  have  two  children  : 
Leonard  Alden  Frink,  born  Sept.  22,  1870, 
entering  Harvard  College  in  1889  in  class  of 
1893,  3-nd  is  now  a  student  in  Harvard  Law 
School ;  and  Carrie  Roxana  Frink,  born 
April  16,  1876. 


GARFIELDE,  SELUCIUS,  was  born  in 
Shoreham,  Dec.  8,  1822;  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky in  early  life ;  finished  his  collegiate 
course  at  Augusta  College  ;  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1849  ;  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  to  revise  the 
state  constitution ;  spent  the  following  year 
in  South  American  travel ;  emigrated  to 
California  in  1851;  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  of  that  state  in  1852  and 
in  1853,  was  selected  by  that  body  to  codify 
the  laws  of  the  state  ;  returned  to  I-ventucky 
in  1854,  was  a  member  of  the  Cincinnati 
national  convention  in  1856  and  an  elector 
during  that  canvass  ;  removed  to  Washington 
Territory  in  1857,  where  he  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  receiver  of  public  moneys  to  i860; 
in  1 86 1  he  was  nominated  for  Congress,  but 
was  beaten  by  the  secession  wing  of  the 
Democratic  party ;  was  surveyor  general 
from  1866  to  1869,  when  he  was  elected  a 
delegate  from  Washington  Territory  in  the 
Forty-first  Congress  as  a  Republican  ;  was 
re-elected  to  the  Forty-second  Congress. 

GILFILLAN,  JOHN  B.,  of  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  was  born  at  Barnet,  Feb.  11,  1835, 
graduated  at  the  Caledonia  County  Academy 
in  1855,  then  removed  to  Minneapolis, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  studied  law,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  July,  i860,  and  has 
practiced  since ;  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education,  i86o-'68,  was  an  alderman  of 
the  city  of  Minneapolis,  i865-'69,  was  pros- 
ecuting attorney  of  Hennepin  county,  1863- 
'67,  and  i869-'73  ;  was  city  attorney,  1861- 
64,  was  a  member  of  the  state  Senate  of 
Minnesota,  i875'-85,  was  regent  of  the  State 
LTniversity  of  Minnesota  in  1880,  and  still 
holds  that  office,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Forty-ninth  Congress  as  a  Republican. 

GLAZIER,  Nelson  Newton,  of  Green- 
field, Mass.,  son  of  John  Newton  and  Phebe 


Cass  (Bourn)  Glazier,  was  born  Dec.  12, 
1838,  at  Stratton. 

His  education  was  acquired  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  Leland  Seminary,  .Amherst  Col- 
lege, i859-'6i,  and  at  ISrown  L^niversity, 
1864,  where  he  graduated  in  1866,  receiving 
the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  from  there  in  1869  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  Also  three  years,  i866-'69, 
were  spent  at  the  Newton  Theological  Insti- 
tution (Baptist).  In  1865  while  a  senior  at 
Brown  L'niversity  he  was  elected  representa- 
tive from  his  native  town,  and  served  on  the 
committee  on  education.  This  honor  was 
again  conferred  on  him  in  1867  and  he  was 
made  a  member  of  the  committee  on  elec- 
tions. 

Mr.  Glazier,  August  11,  1862,  enlisted  in 
Co.  G,  nth  Regt.,  afterwards  ist  Vt.  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  served  as  private,  corporal,  and 
for  a  time  acting  ordnance  sergeant  at  Fort 
Slocum,  and  in  recruiting  ser\ice  in  Vermont. 
He  was  made  2d  lieutenant  of  Co.  A,  Now 
2,  1863,  and  became  ist  lieutenant,  Jan.  21, 
1864.  He  lost  his  left  arm  at  Spottsylvania, 
May  18,  1864,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
Sept.  3,  1864,  on  account  of  wounds  received 
in  action. 

He  is  a  member  of  Edwin  E.  Day  Post, 
No.  174,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Greenfield,  Mass. 

October  21,  1869,  he  was  ordained  to  the 
work  of  the  gospel  ministry  (Baptist).  He 
was  pastor  at  Central  Falls,  R.  I.,  1 869-' 70, 
Montpelier,  iS72-'78,South  Abington,  Mass., 
i88o-'84,  Westboro,  Mass.  (acting  pastor), 
i884-'86,  and  in  1887  he  became  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Greenfield,  Mass., 
which  place  he  now  occupies. 

From  1872  to  1875  he  was  superintendent 
of  schools  at  Monti)elier.  From  1872  to 
1878  he  was  for  three  consecutive  terms 
chaplain  of  the  \'ermont  Senate.  His  in- 
terest in  religious  matters  generally  has 
always  been  great,  and  he  is  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  reli£;ious  and  benevolent  work 


68 


GOODNOUGH. 


of  the  Baptist  denomination,  especially  in 
Massachusetts,  and  is  deeply  interested  also 
in  educational  matters. 

GLEASON,  James  Mellen,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  was  born  in  ^^'ardsboro,  Oct.  6,  1833. 
His  parents  were  Josiah  and  Susan  Read 
(Morse)  Gleason,  excellent  representatives 
of  the  Green  Mountain  state — of  a  thrifty 
and  hardy  race  of  people. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  and  at  Springfield  Wesleyan 
Seminary  ;  for  three  years  he  was  an  effi- 
cient teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  state. 


The  1 6th  of  January,  1856,  he  went  to 
Boston  to  complete  his  education,  entering 
French's  Commercial  College  from  which  he 
graduated  in  due  course.  After  several 
years  service  as  a  book-keeper  he  became 
cashier  of  the  John  Hancock  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Co.,  March  i,  1870.  That  he 
has  carefully  and  conscientiously  discharged, 
in  an  efficient  manner,  the  duties  of  his  re- 
sponsible position,  no  stronger  testimony 
could  be  possible  than  twenty-three  years  of 
continuous  service  therein. 

The  politics  of  Mr.  ( Reason,  like  so  many 
"Men  of  Vermont,"  has  been  a  stalwart 
Republican.  He  has  never  sought  official 
position,  yet  he  has  not  escaped  being 
sought  after  by  the  office,  but  has  as  often 
declined,  having  no  desire  or  taste  therefor. 
Masonrv  has  the  allurements  for  Mr.  Gleason 


that  politics  has  for  so  many  others.  He  was 
made  a  Master  Mason  in  Joseph  Warren 
Lodge  of  Boston,  Feb.  25,  1868  :  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  in  St.  .Andrews  Chapter,  Boston, 
Jan.  20,  1871  ;  a  Knight  Templar  in  Bos- 
ton Commandery,  Nov.  20,  1872.  He  has 
also  received  the  degrees  in  the  Ancient 
and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  including  the 
32d  degree.  In  no  way  perhaps  has  Mr. 
Gleason  become  so  well  known  to  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  as  in  the  capacity  of  Grand 
Lecturer,  and  never  was  the  office  more 
effectively  filled  than  by  him,  in  the  years 
'82  to  '87.  Few  men  have  more  kindly  en- 
deared themselves  to  their  fellow-men  than 
Mr.  Gleason,  and  among  none  is  he  more 
highly  esteemed  than  by  his  brethren  of  the 
craft.  Masonry  has  given  his  life  abundant 
social  privileges,  which  his  kindly  and  gen- 
ial manner  has  enabled  him  to  improve. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  .'\ncient  and  Honor- 
able Artillery  Co.,  of  Boston,  in  reality,  to- 
day, Boston's  highest  social  organization,  by 
no  means  a  savage  war-waging  bodv  of  men. 

Mr.  Gleason  is  intensely  patriotic  ;  he  re- 
lates as  one  of  the  most  pleasing  experiences 
of  his  life  "that  he  attended  the  dedication 
of  the  Bennington  monument  with  the  Ver- 
mont Veteran  Association,  of  Boston,  and 
upon  their  return  they  elected  him  an  honor- 
ary member." 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  a  son  of  Vermont 
who  in  a  quiet  modest  way  has  done  credit 
to  his  native  state. 

GOODNOUGH,  ALGERNON  MOR- 
DANT, of  Redding,  Cal.,  was  born  in  Des 
Plaines,  Ills.,  on  the  i6th  of  March,  1838. 
His  parents  were  both  from  Vermont,  and 
his  mother  dying  soon  after  his  birth  the 
discouraged  father  returned  to  his  old  Green 
Mountain  haunts,  where  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  a  state 
he  has  ever  been  proud  to  call  his  home  and 
native  land.  He  was  the  son  of  Daniel 
Goodnough,  a  hard  working-farmer  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  and  Harriet  M.  Conant,  a 
woman  of  rare  intelligence  and  gentle  Chris- 
tian spirit,  whose  family  were  direct  des- 
cendants of  the  world  famous  Huguenots; 
they  and  their  ancestors  through  successive 
generations  gave  evidence  of  the  source 
from  vifhich  they  sprung,  not  only  in  their 
marked  intelligence  and  enterprise,  but  in 
the  fact  that  they  were  men, 

■•  Who  wore  the  while  lily  of  a  blameless  life." 

Mr.  Goodnough  graduated  at  Middlebury 
College  in  the  class  of  '61,  and  the  following 
year  was  married  to  Lucy  H.,  daughter  of 
Myron  Langworthy  of  Middlebury,  who  up 
to  the  time  of  her  death  in  1890,  proved  a 
true  helpmeet  and  affectionate  wife.  For 
manv  vears  an  invalid  with  rheumatism,  her 


Goi)DNiiri;H. 

patient,  uncomplaining,  Christian  spirit  won 
all  hearts.  Always  devoted  to  her  husband's 
welfare  it  is  not  strange  he  speaks  of  her  as 
"  the  noblest  woman  he  ever  knew,  and  the 
truest  friend  he  ever  had." 

Shortly  after  marriage  Mr.  Goodnough  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  his  last  school  being  in 
Barnstable,  Mass.,  after  which  he  pursued  a 
course  of  studies  in  Yale  Theological  Semi- 
nary, and  subseqently  was  installed  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  church  in  Mystic  Bridge, 
Conn.  Failing  health  induced  him  to 
resign  his  charge  in  1867,  when  he  went 
to  the  Pacific  coast  with  his  wife,  across  the 
isthmus,  under  the  auspices  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society,  and  was  for  sev- 
eral years  settled  in  San  Mateo,  Cal.,  where 
a  commodious  church  was  built  during  his 
pastorate  :  after  which  he  moved  to  Vallejo, 
Cal.,  and    after   some    years  of   ministerial 


labor  there,  his  iienltii  being  still  delicate,  he 
engaged  in  merchandising,  building  up  a 
large  trade,  by  strict  attention  to  business 
and  honorable  dealing  with  all,  in  musical 
instruments.  In  the  character  of  a  music 
dealer  he  is  now  well  and  favorably  known 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  As  a  singer  of  home 
songs  he  is  known  to  multitudes  in  Califor- 
nia, and  wherever  known  is  always  welcome. 
He  sings  over  four  hundred  songs  from 
memory,  without  the  sight  of  words  or  music, 
and  there  is,  perhaps,  not  another  man  in 
America  who  can  sing  as  many  from  recol- 
lection only. 

For  many  years  he  has  been  an  occasional 
contributor  to  various  magazines  and  news- 


coss.  69 

])apers,  both  secular  and  religious,  and  his 
articles  whether  in  ]irose  or  verse,  have 
always  been  recognized  as  possessing  a  high 
order  of  literary  merit.  Among  the  most 
notable  and  widely  circulated  of  his  writings 
we  may  mention  a  religious  tract  entiried 
"My  Dead  Mother,"  published  several  years 
ago  under  the  auspices  of  the  M.  E.  Tract 
.Society,  by  Nelson  &  Phillips ;  speaking  of 
this  tract  Bishop  J.  R.  Vincent  said  :  "It 
will  live  a  thousand  years"— a  high  compli- 
ment indeed,  coming  from  such  a  source. 
In  1872  he  came  East  on  a  lecturing  tour, 
delivering  in  Representatives  Hall  in  Mont- 
pelier,  and  in  many  other  important  towns,  a 
lecture  entided  :  "Five  Years  in  the  Sunset 
Land."  This  lecture  was  spoken  of  bv  the 
press  in  most  flattering  terms,  and  received 
by  large  audiences  with  marked  interest  and 
pleasure,  winning  for  the  lecturer  an  envi- 
able reputation  as  a  platform  orator  of  un- 
usual ability,  as  well  as  an  enthusiastic  Cali- 
fornian. 

In  addition  to  his  music  trade  Mr.  Good- 
nough has  quite  large  real  estate  interests, 
consisting  of  improved  and  unimproved 
properties  in  the  cities  of  Redding  and 
Vallejo,  Cal.,  and  a  large  acreage  property 
in  Shasta  county,  Cal.,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. 

( )f  unusually,  and  we  might  say  unreason- 
ably, retiring  disposition,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  desiring  no  preferment  political  or 
social,  has  steadfastly  refused  to  accept  any 
of  the  offices  which  have  frequently  been 
offered  him  in  the  various  political,  fra- 
ternal, social  and  religious  bodies  to  which 
he  has  belonged,  being  deeply  impressed 
with  the  emptiness  of  all  earthly  fame,  since 
"The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

In  1 89 1,  a  year  subsequent  to  the  death  of 
his  former  beloved  wife,  he  married  Miss  Ida 
May  Bloyd,  a  native  of  California,  an  amiable 
young  lady,  with  a  large  circle  of  friends, 
and  who  had  been  for  many  years  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  the  family.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  one  infant  daughter':  Elsie 
Alzette,  born  August  21,  1893. 

As  the  position  in  life,  financial  and  social, 
which  Mr.  Goodnough  has  acquired  is  due 
solely  to  his  unswer\ing  integrity  and  unaided 
efforts,  he  may  justly  take  pride  in  the  result 
of  his  labors  while  looking  cheerfully  toward 
the  sunset  of  life,  as  well  expressed  in  an 
original  stanza  from  his  pen  with  which  we 
close  : 


trust  when  this  Tast  fleeting  life  ri 
And  o'er  past  are  its  labors,  its  t 
'ond  the  dark  night  I  shall  gree 
^  iding  day  on  the  hcav< 


„e^o 


aubles  anil 
the  bright 
ily  hills. 


GOSS,  Ezra  C,  was  born  in  ^^"indsor 
county,  graduated  at  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont in  1806  ;  was  a  representati\e  in  Con- 
gress  from  New  York,  from    1819  to  1821; 


and  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  of  that 
state  in  1828  and  '29,  but  died  before  the 
close  of  his  second  term. 

GOULD,  Charles  Gilbert,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  son  of  James  and  Judith 
\\'hite  (Tenney)  Gould,  was  born  in  Wind- 
ham, May  5,  1S44. 

He  attended  the  common  schools  in  his 
nati\e  town  until  eighteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  entered  the  volunteer  army  of  the 
United  States  in  the  war  for  the  suppression 
of  the  rebellion,  his  subsequent  education 
having  been  received  from  private  tutors 
and  in  the  Columbian  University  at  Wash- 
ington, I).  C. 


f 


'J^  *'H 


CHARLES    GILBERT    GOU 


He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  G, 
nth  Vt.  Vols.,  August  13,  1862,  was  pro- 
moted corporal  Dec.  27,  1863,  sergeant- 
major  Feb.  12,  1864,  second  lieutenant  Co. 
E,  nth  Vt.  Vols.  June  30,  1864,  captain  Co. 
H,  5th  Vet.  Vols.  Nov.  10,  1864,  and  major 
by  brevet  April  2,  1865.  ^Vas  honorably 
discharged  June  ig,  1865.  During  his  mil- 
itary service  he  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Spottsyhania,  Va.,  May  15  to  18,  1864; 
Cold  Harbor,  June  i  to  12,  1864;  Peters- 
burg (four),  June  18,  1864;  Weldon  Rail- 
road, June  23,  1864 ;  Fort  Stevens,  D.  C, 
July  12,  1864;  Winchester,  Va.,  Sept.  19, 
1864  ;  Fisher's  Hill,  Sept.  21,  and  22,  1864; 
Cedar  Creek,  Oct.  19,  1864.  He  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  .\pril  2,  1865,  receiving,  after  en- 
tering the  enemy's  works,  a  dangerous  saber 


cut  in  the  head,  a  bayonet  wound  in  the  face 
and  a  second  bayonet  wound  in  the  back, 
besides  being  severely  beaten  with  clubbed 
muskets.  \\'as  ofificiaily  reported  as  the  first 
one  in  the  assaulting  column  to  enter  the 
enemy's  works,  and  for  distinguished  gal- 
lantry in  this  battle  was  breveted  major 
and  also  received  a  medal  of  honor  from 
Congress. 

Being  disabled  from  pursuing  the  more 
active  avocations  of  life  when  discharged 
from  the  army,  he  accepted  a  clerkship  in 
the  United  States  Pension  Office  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  in  January,  1866,  and  after  serv- 
ing in  various  grades  and  capacities  in  that 
office  until  October,  1871,  he  resigned  there- 
from to  accept  the  position  of  chief  clerk  in 
the  office  of  the  \\'ater  Registrar  for  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  from  which  he  resigned 
on  account  of  ill-health  in  1874. 

In  1S75  he  was  offered,  but  declined,  the 
appointment  as  U.  S.  Consul  at  Odessa, 
Russia.  In  1876  he  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  which  he  resigned  during  the  same 
year  to  accept  an  appointment  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  War.  This  appointment 
he  resigned  in  February,  1877,  to  accept  an 
appointment  in  the  Ufiited  States  Patent 
Office,  in  which,  after  promotion  through  the 
\'arious  intermediate  grades,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  principal  examiner  July  i,  1SS4, 
which  position  he  now  occupies. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can, but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  any 
political  office. 

He  is  a  member  of  West  River  Lodge, 
No.  57,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Londonderry,  and 
of  Columbia  R.  .A.  Chapter,  No.  3,  and 
Washington  Commandery,  No.  i ,  K.  T.,  of 
Washington,  1 ).  C,  and  of  the  Commandery 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  in  the  Military 
Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  LInited 
States,  but  has  always  declined  office  in  any 
of  these  organizations.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  G.  .\.  R.  from  October,  1866,  until 
1872,  in  which  organization  he  held  the 
offices  of  post  adjutant,  assistant  adjutant 
general  of  the  Department  of  the  Potomac 
and  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

He  was  married  Oct.  i,  1871,  to  Ella 
Cobb,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  and  Mary 
D.  (Cobb)  Harris,  of  Windham.  Two 
daughters,  Myra  Harris,  and  Ella,  were  born 
of  this  union,  but  neither  wife  nor  daughters 
survive.  He  was  again  united  in  marriage 
Sept.  12,  1893,  to  Frances  Lucy,  daughter 
of  Gen.  George  F.  and  kda.  R.  (Cobb) 
Davis,  of  Cavendish. 

GOULD,  Will  D.,  of  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.,  son  of  Daniel  and  Betsa  (Smith) 
Gould,  was  born  Sept.  17,  1845,  at  Cabot. 


Mr.  (iould  was  educated  at  high  schools 
and  academies  at  St.  Johnsbury  and  Barre, 
and  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he 
graduated  in  1871,  and  was  principal  of  the 
graded  schools  at  Passumpsic  Village,  Marsh- 
field,  and  Plainfield.  At  the  March  meeting 
next,  after  becoming  of  age,  he  was  chosen 
superintendent  of  schools  of  his  native  town. 
He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Charles 
H.  Heath,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Montpelier.  Removing  to  his  present  home 
in  1S72,  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  a 
large  practice,  having  the  oldest  lawofifice  in 
the  county.     He  is  a  close  student,  proud  of 


WILL   D.    GOU 


his  profession  and  scrupulously  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  duty.  Having  been  born  and 
raised  on  a  farm,  agricultural  and  horticul 
tural  pursuits  have  always  attracted  his  at- 
tention, and  his  thousand-acre  farm  in  the 
valley  and  foot-hills  of  La  Canada  and  Pasa- 
dena bears  witness  of  his  foresight  and 
energy. 

"  In  public  affairs,  local,  state,  and  national, 
he  has  taken  an  active  interest.  He  is  a 
Prohibitionist,  and  has  been  the  party's  can- 
didate for  superior  judge,  attorney  general, 
and  member  of  Congress. 

He  is  a  member  of  several  social,  frater- 
nal, and  commercial  organizations,  including 
temperance  and  Masonic,  and  Chamber  of 
Commerce. 

Mr.  Gould  was  married  at  Los  Angeles, 
June  26,  1875,  to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel and  Harriet  T.  Hait  of  Katonah,  N.  V. 


GRAY.  71 

GRAY,  ANDREW  Jackson,  of  Hamp- 
ton, Iowa,  son  of  Dr.  Henry  and  Margaret 
(Carpenter)  Gray,  was  born  in  Weston, 
Feb.  23,  1820.  Descended  from  the  Scotch 
on  the  paternal,  and  English  on  the  mater- 
nal side,  young  (Iray  was  well-equipped 
from  his  birth  to  cope  with  the  world. 

He  was  educated  at  the  district  schools 
and  at  Bennington  and  Chester  academies, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Weston  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  where  he  followed  the  life  of 
a  farmer  for  twenty  years,  removing  to 
Manchester  in  i860,  in  order  to  better  edu- 
cate his  three  sons.  He  was  chosen  a  di- 
rector of  the  Battenkill  Bank,  of  Manchester, 
in  1 86 1,  and  elected  vice-president  in  1870, 
and  president  in  1880,  and  continued  in 
this  position  until  the  close  of  the  institu- 
tion in  1885,  when  he  was  appointed  agent 
to  close  its  affairs,  which  he  successfully 
accomplished   and    paid    one  hundred  and 


,^'':' 


.      ^ 


ANDREW   JACKSON    GRAY, 

fifty  cents  on  the  dollar  to  the  stockholders. 
Mr.  Gray  removed  to  Hampton,  Iowa,  in 
1885,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  carries 
on  a  successful  real  estate  and  loan  business, 
besides  being  interested  in  many  other 
enterprises. 

Mr.  Gray  was  united  in  marriage  Nov. 
25,  1845,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  .'\aron  and 
Susan  Burton  of  Chester.  Their  children 
are  :   L.  B.,  L  B.>  and  Henry. 

When  Mr.  CIray  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  was  called  to  Woodstock  to  act  as  a 
juror  in  a  land  case.     On  repairing  to  the 


jury  room  he  found  that  the  eleven  other 
jurors  had  opinions  adverse  to  his,  and  after 
a  thorough  canvass  of  the  case  in  his  own 
mind  to  find  wherein  he  was  wrong,  he  was 
unable  to  change  his  opinion,  and  after 
being  out  twenty-tour  hours  the  jury  return- 
ed a  verdict  in  accordance  with  his  opinion. 

Always  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Oray  has  been 
the  recipient  of  many  public  positions.  He 
was  a  grand  juror,  assessor  and  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Weston  :  and  a  grand  juror,  assessor 
and  justice  of  the  peace  in  Manchester. 

He  has  been  prominent  in  Masonic  cir- 
cles, and  has  been  treasurer  of  Adoniram 
Lodge,  No.  42. 

.A  man  of  sterling  integrity,  he  has  always 
had  the  love  and  respect  of  all  whose  good 
fortune  it  was  to  be  numbered  among  his 
circle  of  friends. 

GRAY,  EDGAR  H.,  of  Oakland,  Cal., 
was  born  in  Bridport,  November,  18 13.  Of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage  on  the  paternal  side, 
his  father  being  Daniel  Gray,  a  graduate  of 
Middlebury  College  in  1805,  and  his  mother 
being  Amy  Bosworth. 


«i>>< 
r^- 


While  quite  young  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  and  thereafter  fitted  for  college,  partly 
at  select  schools  in  Bridport,  and  partly  in 
Brandon,  and  graduated  from  Waterville 
College  (Maine)  in  1838;  studied  for  the 
ministry  and  was  for  a  few  years  pastor  of 
a  Baptist  church  in  Freeport,  Me.,  having 
previously  married  Mary  J.  Rice  of  said 
state.     Sometime  between   1845   and   1850, 


he  was  settled  in  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass., 
and  labored  there  till  i860,  when  he  became 
pastor  of  the  E  Street  Baptist  Church,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  His  pastorate  at  Shelburne 
Falls  was  a  very  successful  one,  and  he  was 
much  loved  and  popular  among  his  people. 
In  1852  he  was  called  to  the  leading  Baptist 
church  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  but  his  people  so 
strongly  opposed  his  leaving  that  he  de- 
clined the  call.  In  i860,  however,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  Washington,  where  he 
officiated  till  about  1878.  He  was  chosen 
chaplain  of  the  V.  S.  Senate,  and  held  that 
position  at  the  death  of  President  Lincoln, 
and  officiated  at  his  funeral. 

He  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters  by 
his  first  wife,  who  died  during  his  residence 
in  Washington,  and  he  subsequently  married 
a  Mrs.  Carter,  who  had  interests  in  Califor- 
nia, and  he  removed  to  San  Francisco,  and 
became  first  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church  in 
that  city ;  afterwards  he  was  employed  to 
look  after  and  superintend  the  Baptist 
churches  in  that  state.  He  officiated  also 
as  pastor  of  a  church  in  Oakland,  where  he 
now  resides,  and  is  acting  as  dean  of  a  the- 
ological seminary  in  that  city.  In  1889  was 
the  anniversary  of  his  fifty  years  in  the  min- 
istry, and  his  church  in  Oakland  celebrated 
the  event  as  a  jubilee  occasion,  in  which 
other  denominations  joined.  Many  expres- 
sions from  persons  present  and  absent  in 
commendation  of  his  long,  faithful,  and  use- 
ful services  were  presented.  These  services 
and  labors  had  secured  for  him  a  large  circle 
of  admiring  and  affectionate  friends.  He 
had  been  honored  with  the  degree  of  1).  D., 
and' was  well  equipped  for  the  training  of 
young  men  for  the  ministry,  in  which  work 
(1893)  he  is  now  engaged  at  nearly  eighty 
years  of  age. 

Few  men  have  had  the  good  fortune  to 
work  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  as  long  and 
continuously  as  he,  and  yet  his  eye  is  not  dim 
nor  is  his  natural  force  abated. 

GRAY,  MELVIN  L.,  of  St.  Louis,  was 
born  in  Bridport,  July,  1815,  the  son  of 
Daniel  Gray,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and 
Amy  Bosworth. 

He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
town,  and  in  the  family  of  the  Re\-.  Increase 
Graves,  the  first  settled  minister  (Congrega- 
tional) of  said  town.  He  attended  district 
and  select  schools  in  the  winters  and  labored 
on  the  farm  during  the  summers,  and  in  that 
way  fitted  for  college  and  mastered  the 
studies  of  the  freshman  year  at  home,  with- 
out a  teacher,  in  the  winter  preceding  his 
entry  of  the  sophomore  class  in  August, 
1836,  of  Middlebury  College,  from  which  his 
father  had  graduated  in  1805.  He  defrayed 
the  expenses  of  his  college  course  by  teach- 
ing winters  and  graduated   in  August,  1839, 


73 


in  a  class  of  thirty-eight,  among  whom  were 
John  G.  Saxe,  the  poet,  and  the  Hon.  Will- 
iam A.  Howard,  at  one  time  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Michigan,  and  afterwards  ( 'ro\er- 
nor  of  Washington  Territory. 

He  taught  in  .Autauga  county,  .Ma.,  two 
years  and  in  Montgomery  county  of  said 
state  six  months,  and  then  located  in  St. 
Louis  in  September,  1842,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  that  city  in  May,  1S43,  after  a 
study  of  law  for  only  se\en  months,  supjile- 
menting  that  short  course  by  continued 
study,  after  admission.     In    February,  1844, 


he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  B. 
Lawrence,  a  native  of  Vermont,  afterwards 
for  many  years  on  the  Supreme  Bench  of 
the  state  of  Illinois.  .As  business  came 
slowly,  Mr.  Lawrence  removed  to  Illinois, 
and  in  1848  Mr.  Gray  formed  a  partnership 
with  Franklin  Fisher,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, who  came  to  St.  Louis  from  .Ala- 
bama where  he  had  been  in  practice,  and 
■on  his  death,  in  1849,  ^^^-  tlray  ever  after 
practiced  his  profession  alone. 

He  married  in  185  i  Miss  Rith  C.  Bacon, 
■of  Warren,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Rufus  F.  and 
Emeline  (Cutler)  Bacon,  but  no  children 
were  born  to  them,  and  his  wife  departed 
this  life  in  July,  1893. 

For  several  years  prior  to  1854  Mr.  Gray 
had  a  large  practice  in  steamboat  cases, 
under  the  Missouri  statute  regulating  steam- 
boats, but  in  that  year  Judge  Robert  \\'. 
Wells  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for 


Missouri  decided  that  the  L'nited  States 
courts  had  exclusive  jurisdiction  of  ad- 
miralty causes,  as  well  on  the  navigable 
rivers  as  on  the  sea,  and,  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  sustaining  this  view,  the 
state  statute  became  inoperative.  The 
practice  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
wholly  in  civil  cases,  and  embraced  the 
whole  range  of  legal  and  equitable  causes.  It 
is  beliexed  that  the  first  trade  mark  suits 
brought  and  tried  in  the  state,  were  brought 
by  him  in  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  for 
the  Eastern  district  of  Missouri  and  of  which 
cases  he  had  a  large  number,  one  of  which, 
McLean  vs.  Fleming,  96  United  States 
Supreme  Court  rejjorts,  is  a  leading  case  in 
that  branch  of  the  law.  He  has  also  acted  as 
executor,  administrator  and  curator  of  num- 
erous estates,  many  of  them  quite  large,  and 
having  labored  over  fifty  years  in  the  con- 
tinuous work  of  his  profession,  he  has  now 
withdrawn  from  the  same,  though  yet  vigor- 
ous, and  devotes  his  time  to  his  personal 
affairs  and  various  financial  enterprises. 

He  has  never  sought  or  held  ofifice,  unless 
acting  as  trustee  of  Drury  College  of  Spring- 
field, Mo.,  and  other  educational  institutions 
may  be  considered  such.  He  was  originally 
a  Whig,  then  a  Re])ublican,  and  during  the 
civil  war,  was  for  the  Union  and  his  country, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Home  Guards,  an 
organization  of  the  elder  citizens  of  St. 
Louis  for  its  protection  and  defense. 

GRAY,  Henry  William,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Nancy  Jane 
(Vance)  Grav,  was  born  in  Hardwick,  fan. 
18,  1837. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  nati\e  town,  and  the  academy 
at  Glover.  When  not  attending  school  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  imtil  he  had 
passed  the  years  of  his  minority. 

In  t86o  he  went  to  California,  and  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  San  Francisco  he  pro- 
ceeded to  the  mines,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  mining  and  milling  until  1876,  when  he 
located  at  San  Francisco,  and  engaged  in 
the  livery  and  boarding  stable  business, 
which  he  has  followed  ever  since,  being  at 
present  proprietor  of  the  Santa  Clara  Stables. 
Mr.  Gray  was  always  \ery  fond  of  horses,  and 
on  pleasant  afternoons  is  freqiiently  seen  driv- 
ing a  handsome  team  through  (lolden  Gate 
Park. 

He  is  president  of  the  Gray  F^agle  Gravel 
Gold  Mining  Co.,  located  at  Forest  Hill, 
Cal.,  and  one  of  the  proprietors  of  a  large 
timber  tract  in  Mendocino  county  ;  also  a 
large  shareholder  in  two  irrigation  com- 
panies in  San  Joaquin  county. 

He  is  a  Republican  :  a  member  of  the 
Red  Men ;  A.  ( ).  V.  W.  and  the  Pacific 
C'oast  .■\ssociation  Native  Sons  of  \"ermont. 


-Mr.  dray  was  married  in  San  Francisco 
thirty  years  ago  to  Miss  Catherine  Sophia 
Gerry.  Of  this  union  is  one  son  :  Frank 
John  (Iray,  aged  twenty-nine,  who  is  justice 
of  the  peace  in  San  Francisco,  having  been 
elected  for  the  second  term.  Mrs.  H.  W". 
Ciray  died  in  February,  1892. 

GREENE,  ROGER  S.,  of  Seattle,  Wash., 
son  of  David  and  Mary  Evarts  Greene,  was 
born  at  Ro.xbury,  Mass.,  Dec.  14,  1840.  He 
is  a  descendant  of  many  of  the  distinguished 
families  of  the  Atlantic  states,  and  in  his 
character  can  be  detected  some  of  the 
strongest  virtues  of  his  ancestry.  On  the 
maternal  side  he  is  the  great-grandson  of 
Roger  Sherman,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  the  Articles  of 
Confederation,  and  the  United  States  Con- 
stitution. His  mother,  Mary  Evarts,  was  a 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  Evarts,  and  a  sister  of 


HOGER    S.    GREENE. 


^\'illiam  M.  Evarts,  recently  United  States 
Senator  from  New  York.  His  father,  David 
Greene,  was  for  twenty  years  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions.  In  his 
eighth  year  the  family  removed  to  ^^'estbor- 
ough,  Mass.,  and  two  vears  later  to  Windsor, 
Vt. 

He  received  a  most  careful  education,  and 
after  completing  an  academic  course  entered 
Dartmouth  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1859.  During  his  college  life, 
being  largely  dependent  upon  his  own  exer- 
tions for  supjiort,  he  taught  school  in  \aca- 


tions  at  Windsor  in  the  winter  of  iS57-'58,. 
and  at  Falmouth,  Mass.,  in  the  winter  of 
i858-'59.  Soon  after  his  graduation  he  be- 
gan the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  F^arts, 
Southmayd  &:  Choate,  in  New  York  City,  a 
firm  composed  of  as  brilliant  men  as  e\er 
adorned  the  bar  of  the  metropolis  of  .America, 
each  of  w^hom  had  at  that  time  gained  national 
renown.  In  this  office  as  student,  and  after- 
ward as  managing  clerk,  he  had  an  excellent 
opportunity  of  gaining  a  valuable  preliminary 
legal  training.  In  May,  1S62,  in  New  York 
City,  he  was  admitted  to  practice,  but  his 
loyalty  to  his  country  induced  him  to  aban- 
don his  professional  career  and  to  enter  the 
Union  army. 

InSeptember,i862,  he  enlisted  under  com- 
mission as  2d  Lieut,  of  Co.  I,  3d  Missouri 
Inft.  :  in  March  following  he  was  promoted 
to  I  St  Lieut,  of  the  same  company,  and  still 
later,  in  1863,  was  made  captain  of  Co.  C, 
51st  U.  S.  Colored  Inft.,  serving  as  such 
until  honorably  discharged  by  acceptance  of 
his  resignation  in  November,  1865.  He 
also  served  during  this  period  as  judge  advo- 
cate of  the  District  of  Vicksburg  at  the  close 
of  1864  and  beginning  of  1865,  and  judge 
advocate  of  the  Western  Division  of  Louis- 
iana from  June,  1865,  until  retirement  from 
service.  He  receixed  a  gun-shot  wound 
through  the  right  arm  in  the  general  assault 
on  Mcksburg  while  in  command  of  his  com- 
pany. May  22,  1863.  Just  before  his  mili- 
tary service.  Judge  Greene  was  offered  the 
position  of  Assistant  I'nited  States  District 
.\ttorney  for  the  southern  district  of  New 
\'ork,  but  declined  the  otfice. 

In  January,  1866,  he  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Chicago,  occupying  the 
same  otfice  with  Perkin  Bass,  then  United 
States  attorney,  with  whom  he  was  associated 
in  practice. 

He  remained  in  Chicago  until  his  appoint- 
ment by  President  Grant,  in  July,  1870,  as 
associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Washington  Territory,  when  he  settled  at 
<  )lympia.  He  was  twice  re-appointed,  hold- 
ing the  office  until  January,  iSyg,  when  he 
was  commissioned  chief  justice,  at  which 
time  he  removed  to  Seattle,  where  he  has 
since  continued  to  reside.  In  1883  he  was 
re-appointed  chief  justice  and  served  until 
the  close  of  his  term  in  March,  1887.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  for  the  most  part  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In 
NIarch,  1887,  he  formed  a  professional  co- 
partnership with  Hon.  Cornelius  H.  Hanford, 
now  United  States  District  Judge  of  the 
District  of  \Vashington,  and  Hon.  John  H. 
McGraw,  now  Governor  of  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington, under  the  firm  name  of  Greene, 
Hanford  &  McGraw  ;  afterward,  in  .\ugust, 
the  firm  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of 
another  member,  Joseph  F.  McNaught,  Esq., 


GREKNLEAF. 


CRKKNI.KAK. 


75 


under  the  firm  name  of  (Ireene,  McNaught, 
Hanford  &  McGraw.  In  July,  i888,  the 
partnership  was  dissolved  by  mutual  con- 
sent, all  the  partners  retiring  from  jiractice, 
the  senior  partner  on  account  of  temporary 
ill-health,  Messrs.  McNaught  and  McGraw 
to  enter  other  pursuits  and  Judge  Hanford 
to  become  chief  justice  of  the  Su])reme 
Court  of  Washington  Territory.  In  i88g 
judge  Greene  resumed  the  practice  of  law, 
and  in  1890  formed  a  partnership  with  I.. 
Theodore  Turner  of  Seattle,  with  whom,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Greene  &  Turner,  he 
has  been  in  full  practice  ever  since,  hand- 
ling in  course  of  his  practice  many  of  the 
most  important  interests  in  the  state.  In 
i88g  he  was  trustee  and  secretary  of  the 
Seattle  Investment  Co.  From  1890  to  the 
present  time,  he  has  been  trustee  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Seattle  Trust  Co.,  $500,000  capi- 
tal. From  1S90  to  1893  he  was  trustee  and 
vice-president  of  the  Rainier  Power  and 
Railway  Co.,  capital  $500,000.  He  has 
been  successful  in  business. 

Judge  Greene  is  a  member  of  the  Seattle 
Stevens  Post  G.  A.  R.,  and  has  repeatedly 
been  the  selection  of  the  Posts  of  Seattle  to 
address  them  on  Memorial  Day. 

Politically,  he  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  until  the  year 
1 888,  when  he  joined  the  Prohibition  move- 
ment, to  which  he  has  ever  since  adhered. 
He  was,  in  1888,  the  candidate  of  the  Pro- 
hibition party  for  delegate  to  Congress  from 
U'ashington,  and  in  1892  was  the  Prohibi- 
tion candidate  for  Governor  of  the  state. 

Religiously,  his  parents  being  Congrega- 
tionalists,  his  first  church  connection  was 
with  the  church  of  that  denomination  in 
Windsor,  where  his  membership  remained 
until  after  the  war.  Then  he  united  with 
the  New  England  Congregational  Church  of 
Chicago.  Afterward  he  was  a  constituent 
and  prominent  member  of  the  Lincoln  Park 
Church.  On  removal  to  Olympia  he  joined 
the  Baptist  church,  with  which  denomina- 
tion he  has  ever  since  been  conspicuously 
and  influentially  identified. 

Judge  Greene  was  married  August  17, 
1 866,  at  Whitewater,  Wis.,  to  Grace,  daughter 
of  Jesse  and  Rhoda  (Pirockett)  \\'ooster  of 
Naugatuck,  Conn.  They  ha\e  four  children  ; 
.•\gnes  Margaret,  born  Oct.  18,  1868:  Roger 
Sherman,  born  Sept.  29,  1870  :  Grace 
Evarts,  born  Jan.  15,  1875,  and  Mary 
Rhoda,  l)orn  July  27,  1876. 

GREENLEAF,  Halbert  Stevens,  of 

Rochester,  was  born  in  Guilford,  April  12, 
1827.  The  descent  of  the  Greenleaf  family 
of  New  England  is  "undoubtedly  to  be 
traced,"  says  the  compiler  of  the  Greenleaf 
genealogy,  "from  the  Huguenots,  who,  when 
persecuted    for    their    religion,    fled    from 


France  about  the  midtile  of  the  sixteenth 
century."  The  name  was  originally  Fuille- 
vert,  anglicized  Greenleaf,  in  which  form  it 
occurs  in  England  toward  the  close  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  'I'he  common  ancestor 
of  the  Greenleaf  family  of  America  was  Ed- 
ward Greenleaf,  a  silk  dyer  by  trade,  who 
was  born  in  the  parish  of  P.rixham,  in  the 
county  of  Devonshire,  England,  about  the 
year  1600.  He  married  Sarah  Dole,  by 
whom  he  had  several  children  in  England, 
and  with  his  wife  and  family  came  to  this 
country,  settling  first  in  Newbury  and  after- 
ward in  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  died  in 
167  I.  A  number  of  the  family  ha\e  distin- 
g\ushed  themselves  in  New  England  by  their 
intellectual  attainments,  which  have  been  of 


HALBERT    STEVENS    GREENLEAF. 

a  high  order.  One  of  these,  Jeremiah  Green- 
leaf, the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  author  of  what  was  known  as  Green- 
leaf's  Grammar,  and  devoted  a  large  part  of 
his  life  to  study,  authorship,  and  instruction 
in  this  special  branch  of  education.  He  was 
also  the  author  of  Greenleaf's  Gazeteer,  and 
Greenleaf's  Atlas,  both  excellent  works  of 
their  kind,  and  highly  esteemed  at  the  time 
they  appeared.  True  to  his  instincts  and 
patriotism  as  a  "Green  Mountain  Boy," 
Jeremiah  Greenleaf  took  an  active  part  in 
the  war  of  1812,  enlisting  as  a  private  and 
winning  his  commission  as  an  officer.  He 
married  Miss  Elvira  E.  Stevens,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Simon  Stevens,  M.  D.,  of  Guilford,  "a 
true  and  noble  woman,  of  no  small  degree  of 
culture." 


76 


GRKENLEAF. 


Thus  the  subject  of  this  sketch  combines 
in  his  nature,  as  in  his  name,  the  elements  of 
two  characteristic  New  England  families  of 
the  old  school.  His  career  has  been  in 
many  respects  a  most  varied  and  remarkable 
one.  The  son  of  educated  parents,  it  was 
quite  natural  that  he  should  receive  a  good 
education,  which  was  received  in  part,  of 
course,  at  home,  and  in  part  at  the  common 
schools  and  academy  of  his  native  New 
England.  His  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent 
in  farm  life,  but,  from  his  nineteenth  to  his 
twenty-third  year,  he  taught  district  and  gram- 
mar schools  in  the  winter  months,  and  during 
one  season — so  as  to  add  as  much  as  possible 
to  his  funds,  worked  in  a  brickyard.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-three  he  made  a  six  month's 
sea-voyage  in  the  whaling  vessel,  Lewis  Bruce, 
serving  before  the  mast  as  a  common  sailor. 

(Jn  the  24th  of  June,  1852,  shortly  after  his 
return  from  sea,  he  married  Miss  Jeannie  F. 
Brooks,  the  youngest  daughter  of  John 
Brooks,  M.  D.,  of  Bernardston,  Mass.,  and, 
in  the  month  of  September  following,  removed 
to  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.,  where  he  obtained 
employment  as  a  day  laborer  at  the  bench,  in 
a  large  cutlery  establishment.  .\  few  months 
later  he  found  a  position  in  the  office  of  a 
neighboring  manufactory,  and  in  a  short  time 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Miller  & 
Greenleaf.  On  the  nth  of  March,  1856,  he 
was  commissioned  by  the  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts a  justice  of  the  peace.  In  1857,  a 
military  company  having  been  formed  in 
Shelburne  Falls,  the  young  men  composing 
it  selected  Mr.  Greenleaf  as  their  captain, 
and  he  continued  in  command  from  the  29th 
of  August  in  that  year,  until  the  3d  of  March, 
1859,  when  he  resigned  his  captain's  com- 
mission. The  same  year  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Linus  Yale,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  in 
Philadelphia,  and  went  to  that  city  to  live, 
remaining  in  business  thereuntil  1861,  when 
he  returned  to  Shelburne  Falls,  and  organized 
the  Yale  &  (ireenleaf  Lock  Co.,  of  which  he 
became  business  manager. 

Making  the  best  disposition  he  could  of 
his  business,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier 
in  the  Union  army  in  August,  1862,  enter- 
ing the  fifty-second  Massachusetts  regiment, 
to  the  organizing  and  recruiting  of  which  he 
devoted  both  his  money  and  energy.  He 
was  commissioned  captain  of  Company  E, 
Sept.  12,  1S62,  and  on  the  13th  of  October 
was  unanimously  elected  colonel  of  the  reg- 
iment, which  was  soon  afterwards  ordered 
into  service  under  General  Banks  in  the  de- 
partment of  the  Crulf.  During  Banks'  first 
Red  River  expedition  Colonel  Greenleaf  was 
commandant  of  the  post  at  Barre's  Landing, 
Louisiana,  and  for  a  brief  period  in  com- 
mand of  the  second  brigade  of  Grover's 
division.  At  the  head  of  his  regiment  he 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Indian  Ridge, 


and  performed  gallant  service  at  Jackson 
Cross  Roads,  and  in  the  grand  assault  on 
Port  Hudson,  June  14,  1863,  and  in  the 
subsequent  siege  operations  resulting  in  the 
surrender  of  that  important  confederate 
stronghold,  he  bore  a  conspicuous  part  and 
distinguished  himself  by  his  coolness,  judg- 
ment and  bravery.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  military  service,  Colonel  Greenleaf 
was  offered  and  accepted  the  command  of 
the  government  steamer.  Colonel  Benedict, 
on  the  lower  Mississippi. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  took 
charge  of  the  extensive  salt  works  of  Petite 
.\nse  Island,  St.  Mary's  Parish,  Louisiana. 
In  June,  1867,  he  removed  to  Rochester, 
N.  v.,  and  on  the  ist  of  July  following,  the 
firm  of  Sargent  &  Greenleaf,  of  which  he  is 
the  junior  member,  was  organized.  The 
firm  of  Sargent  &  Greenleaf  manufacture, 
under  patents  held  by  them,  magnetic,  auto- 
matic, chronometer  and  other  burglar  locks  ; 
combination  safe  locks,  padlocks,  drawer, 
trunk,  house,  chest,  store,  door  and  other 
locks,  night  latches,  etc.,  and  so  successful 
has  the  firm  been,  that  to-day  their  locks  of 
every  description  have  made  their  way  to 
every  part  of  the  civilized  world. 

In  the  presidential  campaign  of  1880 
Colonel  Greenleaf  devoted  himself  with 
energy  to  the  support  of  General  Hancock, 
the  Democratic  candidate,  and  organized 
and  commanded  the  "Hancock  brigade" 
a  political-military  organization  opposed  to 
the  Republican  organization  of  similar  char- 
acter, known  as  the  "  Boys  in  Blue."  In 
the  early  part  of  February,  1882,  he  was 
elected  commander  of  the  First  New  York 
veteran  brigade,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general,  and  unanimously  re-elected  to  that 
position  in  January,  1883.  Although  he  did 
not  seek  the  honor,  in  the  fall  of  18S2  the 
Democratic  congressional  convention,  for 
the  Thirtieth  District,  at  Rochester,  nomi- 
nated General  Greenleaf  for  Congress  as  a 
Democrat,  and  he  was  elected,  receiving 
18,042  votes,  against  12,038  for  John  ^'an 
Voorhis,  Republican,  and  1,419  for  (Gordon, 
Prohibitionist.  He  was  also  elected  to  the 
Fifty-second  Congress  from  the  same  Repub- 
lican district,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Rochester  Sav- 
ings Bank  ;  of  the  Rochester  park  commis- 
sion ;  of  the  St.  Lawrence  L^niversity  at  Can- 
ton, N.  Y.,  and  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Home  at  Bath,  N.  Y. 

GRINNELL,  JOSIAH  B.,  was  born  in 
New  Haven,  Dec.  22,  1821  ;  received  a  col- 
legiate and  theological  education  ;  went  to 
Iowa  in  1855,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
farming  ;  was  a  member  of  the  state  Senate 
for  four  years  ;  a  special  agent  for  the  gen- 
eral post  office  for  two  years,  and  was  elected 


GRISWOLD. 


77 


a  representative  from  Iowa  to  tlie  Thirty- 
eighth  Congress. 

GRISWOLD,  William  D.,  of  st.  l.ouis, 

was  born  Nov.  6,  1815,  in  Benson.  His 
father  and  mother  were  Isaac  and  Huldah 
(iriswold. 

'I'he  son  William  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  afterwards 
took  a  course  in  Middlebury  College.  In  his 
preparatory  studies  he  was  tutored  by  the 
late  Rev.  Dr.  Post,  of  St.  Louis.  Soon  after 
leaving  college,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years, 
Mr.  Griswokl  went  to  the  \Vest  and  began 
the  study  of  law  at  Indianapolis.  After  his 
admission  to  the  bar  he  located  in  the  town 
of  Terre  Haute  and  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  partnership  with  John  P.  Usher,  who  in 
after  years  was  made  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior in  President  Lincoln's  cabinet.  The 
law  firm  of  Griswold  &  L'sher  became  well 


.t^     nf!%5!*.'- 


WILLIAM    D.   GRISWOLD. 


and  widely  known  in  the  states  of  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  and  many  important  cases  were 
committed  to  its  charge.  In  the  practice  in 
Illinois  Mr.  (Iriswold  became  intimate  with 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  Judge  David  Davis, 
and  a  very  sincere  regard  marked  the  friend- 
ship as  long  as  their  lives  lasted.  Having 
located  at  Terre  Haute  in  1838  Mr.  Cris- 
wold  continued  his  residence  there  for  thirty- 
five  years. 

In  the  year  1842  he  married  Miss  Maria 
Lancaster,  of  Kentucky,  who  is  still  living. 
They  had  two  children  :     A  son,  who  is  the 


well  known  hotel  man,  owner  and  proprietor 
of  the  Laclede,  of  St.  Louis  ;  and  a  daughter, 
wife  of  Mr.  Huntington  Smith  of  St.   l.ouis. 

After  the  expiration  of  the  partnership 
with  Mr.  L'sher,  Mr.  Griswold  gradually  re- 
tired from  the  practice  of  law.  In  1858  he 
was  placed  by  a  state  convention  on  the 
Republican  ticket  with  three  others,  consti- 
tuting the  bench,  for  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  The  ticket  was  defeated  at  the  polls, 
whereupon  Mr.  Griswold  took  a  great  inter- 
est in  the  railroad  development  of  his  section 
of  the  country.  He  built  the  original  Evans- 
\ille  &  Crawfordsville  R.  R.,  and  operated  it 
for  a  period  of  three  years,  and  was  then 
called  to  take  charge  of  the  Terre  Haute, 
Alton  &  St.  Louis  line,  which  at  that  time 
was  much  involved,  badly  managed,  and  fast 
approaching  a  state  of  total  wreck.  .\s  pres- 
ident and  manager  of  this  road  he  demon- 
strated his  superior  organizing  and  adminis- 
trative ability.  Later,  in  the  year  1S64,  Mr. 
( Iriswold  took  hold  of  the  Ohio  (It  Mississippi 
R.  R.,  and  as  president  and  manager  brought 
order  out  of  chaos,  and  put  that  important 
line  into  the  prominent  place  which  it  has 
ever  since  occupied.  It  was  during  Mr. 
Griswold's  administration  of  seven  years 
that  the  change  of  the  gauge  of  the  road  was 
reduced  from  the  six  foot  to  the  standard 
width.  The  work  was  all  accomplished  in 
one  day,  and  without  any  injury  to  the  trans- 
l)ortation  of  the  line,  and  at  that  date  was 
considered  one  of  the  marvels  of  railroad 
building. 

Mr.  Griswold  removed  to  St.  Louis  in  the 
year  1872,  and  has  proceeded  to  invest 
within  it  and  near  the  borders.  He  was  an 
excellent  judge  of  real  estate  values,  and  has 
unbounded  confidence  in  the  growth  and 
extension  of  the  city.  It  was  this  good 
judgment  which  directed  him  to  the  pur- 
chase of  a  large  body  of  land  lying  on  the 
north  side  of  Forest  Park  between  Kings 
Highway  and  L^nion  avenue.  The  tract  was 
purchased  at  the  price  of  S  1,000  per  acre, 
and  lay  for  years  idle,  and  in  the  judgment 
of  many  business  men,  a  dead  piece  of  prop- 
erty. Time  worked  wonders  with  it,  how- 
ever, and  justified  all  of  Mr.  Griswold's  most 
sanguine  expectations.  Three  years  ago  it 
was  purchased  by  a  syndicate  of  well-known 
citizens  at  the  handsome  figure  of  i>5,ooo  per 
acre.  It  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  attractive 
residence  portions  of  the  city,  where  all  the 
improvements  are  made  upon  a  scale  of 
costly  elegance.  .\  home  in  Westmoreland 
Place  or  Portland  Place  implies  wealth  and 
taste,  fulfilling  Mr.  Griswold's  early  conceiJ- 
tion  of  the  ultimate  value  of  that  ])ortion  of 
the  city.  Mr.  Griswold  is  at  present  con- 
siderably interested  in  property  across  the 
river  in  East  St.  Louis.  He  is  owner  of  the 
eras   works  of  that  citv.     (}uite  recentlv  he 


78 


bought  a  thousand-acre  tract  of  land  in  the 
American  Bottom,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the 
Vandalia  Railroad,  about  six  miles  east  of 
East  St.  Louis.  He  has  divided  this  body 
of  rich  arable  land  into  four  farms  of  250 
acres  each,  upon  which  he  has  put  many  im- 
portant improvements.  In  this  particular 
enterprise  he  has  indulged  the  desire  of  his 
heart  to  provide  for  each  one  of  his  voung 
grandchildren  a  comfortable  and  complete 
farm  home,  which  is  to  pass  absolutely  to 
each  one  when  the  youngest  reaches  his  ma- 
jority. The  deed  of  trust  conveying  these 
lands  is  to  their  father,  Mr.  Huntington 
Smith,  who  at  present  manages  the  property. 


Mr.  Griswold  passes  his  winters  and  the 
cool  seasons  in  St.  Louis.  In  the  summer 
time  he  takes  his  family  and  repairs  to  his 
native  state,  Vermont,  where  at  the  hand- 
some town  of  Castleton  he  has  provided 
another  home,  which  lies  one  and  one-half 
hours  railroad  distance  north  and  east  of 
Saratoga,  near  Lake  Champlain,  where  the 
winds  are  cool  and  refreshing  under  the 
morning  shadows  of  the  beautiful  Green 
Mountains.  Here  he  finds  recreation  and 
pleasure  aniong  family  and  friends  and  in 
the  atmosphere  of  a  life  nearly  sjient. 


HALL,  ALFRED  Stevens,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  son  of  Edward  and  Frances  A.  (Tut- 
tle)  Hall,  was  born  in  West  A\'estminster, 
April  14,  iS^o. 


The  people  of  his  native  parish,  in  his 
boyhood  years,  were  generally  of  an  intel- 
lectual cast,  and  highly  appreciated  educa- 
tional advantages  and  attainments.  It  is 
not  strange  that  a  naturally  good  scholar, 
growing  up  in  such  surroundings,  should 
have  early  possessed  good  ambitions.  After 
some  preparation  for  college  in  the  home 
schools,  in  \\'est  \\'estminster,  and  at  the 
Williston  Seminary  and  Kimball  Union 
Academy,  Mr.  Hall  entered  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  I S69  and  was  there  graduated  in  1S73. 


It  was  necessary  for  him  to  earn  the  pe- 
cuniary means  of  his  education  in  the  main, 
and  to  do  this  he  taught  school  some  por- 
tion of  each  year  for  several  vears.  He  also 
taught  an  entire  year,  after  his  graduation 
at  Dartmouth,  in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  where 
also  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Cross  &  Burnham. 

In  the  fall  of  1874  he  went  to  Boston  to 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  a  law  school.  In 
1 8 75  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from 
Boston  L'niversity,  graduating  from  its  law 
school.  A  few  months  afterwards  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Suftblk  bar,  and  the  first  of 
January,  1876,  he  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  Boston.  He  has  an  excellent  clientage 
and  practice,  and  has  steadfastly  continued 
at  Boston  in  the  pursuit  and  exercise  of  his 
profession,  with  the  exception  of  about  one 
year,  since  he  there  began  his  life  work. 
L'pon  him  are  also  devolved  many  corpor- 
ate and  personal  trusts  in  the  line  of  his 
professional  work  and  practice. 

Mr.  Hall  was  married,  Oct.  18,  1876,  to 
Miss  Annette  M.,  daughter  of  Josiah  H.  and 
Martha  A.  (Chamberlain)  Hitchcock,  of 
Putney,  a  lady  of  exceptional  graces  and 
personal  worth.  She  died  Sept.  26,  18S7, 
but  is  survi\ed  by  a  son,  Francis  C,  and  a 
daughter,  Helen  A. 

Ever  since  his  marriage,  Mr.  Hall  has  had 
his  home  in  Winchester,  a  suburb  eight 
miles  out  from  Boston,  and  he  is  identified 
with  the  public  measures  and  responsibili- 
ties of  his  town  and  community. 

HALL,  Christopher  W.,  of  Minne- 

eapolis,  Minn.,  son  of  Lewis  and  Louisa 
(Wilder)  Hall,  was  born  Feb.  28,  1845,  at 
Wardsboro. 

The  Leland  and  Gray  Seminary  at  Towns- 
hend,  Chester  Academy  and  Middlebury 
College  were  the  sources  of  Dean  Hall's 
earlier  educational  acquirements,  and  occu- 
pied the  years  from  1864  to  1871.       He  was 


principal  of  tlie  Glens  Falls,  N.  V.,  Academy 
in  i87i-'72,  and  the  Mankato,  Minn.,  high 
school  the  two  following  years  and  superin- 
tendent of  city  schools  at  Owatonna,  Minn., 
from  1873  to  '75.  From  1875  10  i<S77  he  at- 
tended the  famous  University  of  Leipzig, 
Germany,  and  in  1878  he  was  called  to  the 
chair  of  geology  and  mineralogy  in  the 
University  of  Minnesota,  and  has  recently 
received  further  distinction  from  that  institu- 
tion, in  becoming  the  dean  of  the  College  of 
Engineering,  Metallurgy  and  the  Mechanic 
Arts. 

Dean  Hall  has  long  occupied  a  prominent 
and  active  position  in  his  chosen  field  and  is 
the  author  of  many  valuable  papers  on 
geological  and  educational  subjects.  iJuring 
the  winter  term  of  1878  he  lectured  on 
zoology  at  Middlebury  College  and  was  later, 
that  year,  and  up  to  1879,  an  instructor  in 
the  University  of  Minnesota.  From  1879  to 
1891  he  was  a  professor  of  geology,  mineral- 
ogy and  biology,  and  in  1891  became  the 
professor  of  geology  and  mineralogy.  From 
1878  to  1 88 1  he  was  assistant  geologist  of 
the  geological  survey  of  Minnesota  and  be- 
came assistant  geologist  of  the  United  States 
geological  survey  in  1883.  The  Minnesota 
Academv  of  Natural  Sciences  at  Minneapolis 
made  him  its  secretary  in  1882  and  in  1883 
the  editor  of  its  bulletins,  which  positions  he 
held  uninterruptedly  to  the  present  time. 

Such  a  busy  life  has  left  no  time  for  polit- 
ical work.  \VhiIe  at  college  he  was  active  in 
fraternity  life,  and  was  elected  on  graduation 
to  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Association  for  Advancement 
of  Science,  and  was  made  a  fellow  of 
that  association  in  1883,  and  also  of  the 
Geological  Society  of  .America,  of  which  he 
is  one  of  the  charter  members. 

Dean  Hall's  first  wife  was  Ellen  .A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Mark  H.  and  Sarah  B.  Dunnell 
of  Owatonna,  Minn.,  whom  he  married  July 
27,  1S75,  and  lost  while  in  Leipzig,  Germany, 
on  the  2ist  of  February,  1876.  He  married 
again,  I^ec.  26,  1883,  Mrs.  Sophia  L.  Haight, 
daughter  of  Eli  and  Sophia  Seely  of  Osh- 
ko.sh,  Wis.  Mrs.  Hall  died  July  12,  1891, 
leaving  an  infant  daughter  :  Sophia. 

HATCH,  EGBERT  Benson,  of  Salinas 
City,  Cal.,  son  of  Charles  P.  and  Lydia  M. 
(Taylor)  Hatch,  was  born  in  F^ast  Hard- 
wick,  Feb.  8,  1 83 1. 

The  Hatch  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
the  state  of  \'ermont.  The  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  subject  married 
Sarah  Richards  and  moved  from  Preston, 
Ct.,  to  Norwich,  in  i  768  ;  being  a  surveyor 
he  made  the  first  survey  of  that  town.  He 
raised  a  large  family.  The  youngest  son, 
fohn,  Jr.,  was  the  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  with  his  wife,  Waity  Ens- 


worth,  moved  to  Hardwick  in  1809.  Feb- 
ruary, 20,  1815  he  was  commissioned  ist 
Lieut,  in  the  31st  Regt.  of  the  Inft.,  and  the 
commission  is  in  the  possession  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  and  bears  the  signatures 
of  President  James  Madison  and  Secretary 
of  War  James  Monroe. 

Mr.  Hatch  prepared  himself  tor  the  minis- 
try, and  his  early  education  was  received  at 
the  academies  of  Williston  and  Johnson,  and 
in  the  .Academical  and  Theological  Institu- 
tion at  Fairfax,  Vt ,  while  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources,  teaching  school  winters 
and  working  summers  in  the  hayfield,  to 
provide  means  which  the  moderate  circum- 
stances of  his  parents  compelled  them  to 
denv  him. 


Mr.  Hatch  was  ordained  to  the  ministry, 
in  the  Baptist  denomination,  Jan.  3,  1856,  at 
Lowell,  and  his  whole  life  has  been  devoted 
to  his  chosen  profession.  During  these 
years  of  faithful  work  he  has  had  pastorates 
in  Clinton,  \\'is.,  Marcellus,  N.  V.,  Reno, 
Nev.,  Vallejo  and  Salinas  City,  Cal.,  having 
been  pastor  at  the  latter  place  for  nine  years. 
His  manner  of  preaching  with  the  greatest 
fluency  without  the  use  of  manuscript  has 
always  been  very  attractive  to  his  hearers. 
He  left  ^'ermont  in  1S57  going  thence  to 
Wisconsin  and  from  there  to  New  York  state 
in  1865,  taking  up  his  present  residence  in 
Califo'rnia  in  1S70.  Mr.  Hatch  has  always 
been  honored  bv  his  denomination.     In  1892 


■8o 


HAVWAKD. 


he  preached  the  anniversary  sermon  before 
■the  California  Baptist  State  Convention  at 
Santa  Cruz. 

Among  the  social  organizations,  the  Good 
Templars  have  no  more  active  faithful  worker 
than  Mr.  Hatch.  The  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  is  another  body  in  which 
he  has  done  much  good  work. 

Mr.  Hatch  was  married  in  Johnson,  to 
Laura  W.  Butterfield,  whose  parents  were  old 
settlers  of  the  town  of  Lowell,  having  moved 
there  when  there  were  only  seven  families  in 
the  township.  Mrs.  Hatch  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1884,  at  San  Francisco,  leaving  two 
daughters:  Mrs.  L.  H.  Cooke  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  Mrs.  A.  F.  Bellene  of  Salinas. 

HAWLEY,  David,  of  Vonkers,  X.  v., 
son  of  r)a\id  and  Bethiah  (Buck)  Hawley, 
was  born  at  Arlington,  Aiaril  14,  1S20. 


L'psilon  and  the  Skull  and  Bones  societies. 
In  the  spring  before  his  graduation  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Orsamus  Bushnell,  Esq.,  in  New  York  City, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1848.  In 
May,  1850,  he  formed  a  partnership  in  New 
York  with  John  H.  Glover,  a  classmate  at 
Yale.  This  partnership  continued  about 
twelve  years,  the  firm  doing  a  successful  busi- 
ness and  having  charge  of  some  important 
trust  estates,  .'\fter  the  dissolution  of  the 
firm  of  Hawley  &  Glover,  Mr.  Hawley  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  law,  and  having  become 
counsel  for  Isaac  M.  Singer,  the  sewing  ma- 
chine inventor,  went  to  Paris,  in  1870,  at  his 
request,  to  draw  his  will.  In  1873  he  relin- 
quished the  general  practice  of  law  to  take 
charge  of  Mr.  Singer's  large  business  inter- 
ests in  this  country,  representing  him  as  a 
director  in  the  Singer  Manufacturing  Co. 
After  Mr.  Singer's  death  in  1875,  Mr.  Hawley 
as  sole  surviving  executor  of  his  will  in  this 
country,  administered  on  his  estate,  and 
though  many  complications  arose  therein,  he 
successfully  arranged  them  all,  and  had  the 
estate  settled  and  ready  for  distribution  in 
the  shortest  time  allowed  by  law  for  that  pur- 
pose. He  was  testamentary  guardian  and 
trustee  of  the  minor  children  and  devoted  a 
large  share  of  his  time  to  the  management  of 
their  estates,  and  when  released  from  that 
trust  as  they  attained  their  majority  he  retired 
from  active  business. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has 
always  declined  public  office,  except  the 
positions  of  water  commissioner  and  school 
trustee  in  the  city  where  he  resides. 

In  August,  1 85 1,  Mr.  Hawley  married  Miss 
Maria  Louisa  \Vhiteside  of  Cambridge,  N. 
Y.,  who  died  in  1S60.  In  October,  1S61, 
he  married  Miss  Catharine  Ann,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Maria  Crosby  Brown  of  New 
York.  He  has  two  children  living :  Cath- 
erine S.,  and  Samuel  Brown. 

He  has  made  his  home  at  Yonkers  on  the 
Hudson  since  186^. 


He  remained  on  his  father's  farm  attend- 
ing the  district  school,  until  nearly  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  then  commenced  his  prepa- 
ration for  college  at  Burr  Seminary,  Man- 
chester, and  after  about  eighteen  months 
study,  entered  Yale  College  in  1841.  At  the 
end  of  the  freshman  year,  sickness  compelled 
him  to  leave  college,  and  he  spent  a  year 
reading  law  with  Harmon  Canfield,  Esq.,  in 
his  native  town.  He  returned  to  New  Haven 
again  the  following  summer,  joining  the 
sophomore  class  of  1846,  and  graduated  with 
that  class.  He  was  an  editor  of  the  Yale 
Literarv  Magazine,  and  a  member  of  the  Psi 


HAYWARD,  LEWIS  A.,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Lewis  and  Margaret 
(Smith)  Hayward,  was  born  in  Dalton,  N. 
H.,  Sept.  22,  1847,  but  claims  to  be  a  son  of 
^'ermont,  because  his  parents  moved  with 
him  to  St.  Johnsbury  before  he  was  a  month 
old,  and  all  his  love  centers  in  the  (ireen 
Mountain  state. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Vermont,  having  attended  school 
in  St.  Johnsbury,  St.  .-Xlbans  and  Bristol  and 
at  intervals  worked  on  his  father's  farm  dur- 
ing the  years  of  his  minority,  and  continued 
farming  in  partnership  with  his  father  in 
Kirby  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Hayward  removed  to  San  Francisco 
in  March,   1S77,  where  he  engaged   in    the 


HAZELTINE. 


81 


milk  business,  which  he  has  followed  to  the 
present  time.  He  became  the  junior  partner 
of  the  firm  of  J.  A.  Roy  &  Co.  in  18S4.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  members  and  directors  of 
the  firm  known  as  the  (uiadaloupe  Dairy 
Co.,  a  stock  company  formed  and  incorpor- 
ated in  1889,  and  holds  the  office  of  treasurer 
and  is  also  manager  of  the  city  dejiartment 
of  their  extensive  business. 


He  became  a  Free  Mason  in  1876,  having 
joined  Moose  River  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No. 
82,  in  West  Concord,  and  is  still  a  member 
of  the  same  lodge  in  good  standing.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Associa- 
tion Native  Sons  of  Vermont. 

Mr.  Hayward  was  married  in  San  Fran- 
cisco July  ig,  18S2,  to  Margaret  S.  Hender- 
son, daughter  of  John  and  Jean  (Knowles) 
Henderson. 

HAZELTINE,  Ira  S.,  was  born  in  An- 
dover  July  13,  182  i  ;  removed  to  Wisconsin 
at  an  early  age  ;  studied  law  and  lectured 
for  ten  years  upon  scientific  and  reformatory 
subjects  ;  in  1851  laid  out  the  town  of  Rich- 
mond Centre,  now  county  seat  of  Richland 
county  ;  received  a  colonel's  commission  in 
1852  at  the  hands  of  Governor  Farwell ; 
was  a  delegate  to  the  first  Republican  state 
convention  in  1854  ;  member  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin Legislature  in  1S67,  and  established  a 
newspaper  called  the  Live  Republican  at 
Richmond  Centre;  in  1868  removed  to 
Springfield,  Mo.,  and  engaged  in  farming  ; 
was  district  lecturer  of  the    grange    several 


years;  was  member  of  state  grange  execu- 
tive committee ;  was  delegate  to  the  first 
Creenback  state  convention  in  1876;  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-seventh  Congress  as  a 
National  Greenback  Labor  candidate.  He 
still  resides  at  Springfield. 

HAZEN,  ARTHUR  Herbert,  of  Sioux 
City,  Iowa,  son  of  Addison  and  Jane  (Hyde) 
Hazen,  was  born  at   North  Hero,   March  g, 

Mr.  Hazen  was  educated  at  the  Vermont 
Methodist  Seminary  at  Montpelier,  and  the 
Barre  Academy,  entering  the  University  of 
Vermont  in  1876,  and  prepared  himself  for 
the  practice  of  the  law  at  Montpelier.  At 
Fargo,  North  Dakota,  he  organized  the  law 
firm  of  Hazen  &  Clement  and  was  its  senior 
member  from  1S81  to  1885.  Mr.  Hazen's 
business  has  been  largely  in  banking  as  well 


^  f?5fc- 


ARTHUR    HERBERT 


as  in  the  law,  and  he  has  held  high  positions 
of  trust  in  successful  Western  institutions. 
From  1883  to  1885  he  was  the  treasurer  of 
the  Northwestern  Trust  Co.,  of  Fargo,  and 
from  the  time  of  the  original  organization 
of  the  Farmers  Trust  Co.,  of  Sioux  City, 
Iowa,  he  was  its  vice-president  and  Western 
manager  which  position  he  now  holds.  He 
is  also  president  of  the  Red  River  Valley 
Banking  Co.,  which  has  its  office  at  Fargo,^ 
and  a  director  of  the  Moorhead  National 
Bank,  of  Moorhead,  Minn.  Mr.  Hazen  re- 
sided in  Fargo  from  1879  to  1889,  and 
while    there  received    political  honors  as  a 


82 


member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  for  three 
years.  In  i88g  he  removed  to  Sioux  City, 
Iowa. 

Mr.  Hazen  was  married  at  Fargo,  (October, 
1880,  to  Ida  A.,  daughter  of  \\illard  and 
Sophronia  S.  Marsh,  of  I'lainfield,  and  has 
one  child  :  Ray  M. 

HIBBARD,    George   Lovictor,  of 

Portland,  Ore.,  son  of  Joel  Tyler  and  Lucy 
Elnette  (Cleveland)  Hibbard,  was  born  in 
Troy,  July  18,  1835. 

He  received  his  earlv  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  native  \illage  until  the 
age  of  sixteen  years.  In  iSji  or  1 85  2  he 
went  to  l^oston,  Mass.,  where  he  learned  the 


GEORGE    LOVICTOR 


trade  of  carpenter,  joiner,  and  ship-builder. 
This  accomplished,  he  became  a  contractor 
in  the  city  of  Boston  for  about  a  year.  When 
the  vast  western  country,  with  her  great  pos- 
sibilities, was  opened  to  the  world  the  spirit 
of  research  possessed  him,  and  in  June, 
1857,  he  turned  westward,  spending  about 
three  months  in  prospecting.  Satisfied  that 
he  did  not  like  well  enough  to  make  this  new 
country  his  home,  he  returned  to  Wellsville, 
N.  Y.,  and  became  interested  in  building 
until  the  spring  of  1859. 

The  Pacific  coast  at  this  time  allured  him 
to  her  shores,  so  embarking  in  an  Aspinwall 
steamer,  he  sailed  for  San  Francisco  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  after  a  long  and 
tempestuous  voyage,  cast  anchor  in  San 
Francisco  Bay.  Mr.  Hibbard  spent  a  month 
or  more  among  friends  in  San  Francisco,  and 


set  sail  for  Portland,  Ore.  The  upper  Col- 
umbia promised  good  results  in  the  building 
business,  consequently  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  trade,  with  sash  and  door  manufact- 
ory at  The  Dalles,  Ore.,  during  the  years 
i860  and  1 86 1. 

In  January,  1862,  he  sold  out,  and  taking 
a  stock  of  merchandise  went  to  the  Florence 
gold  mines  in  Idaho,  sold  out,  prospected 
awhile  then  returned  to  The  Dalles  in  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year  ;  bought  out  the 
hotel  "What  Cheer  House,"  ran  it  four 
months  and  sold  out.  He  became  again  in- 
terested in  building  enterprises  until  the 
spring  of  1863,  when,  with  Mr.  Lurchin,  he 
founded  and  built  up  the  town  of  Umatilla 
on  the  Columbia  River  in  Umatilla  county, 
Oregon.  He  sold  out  in  1863,  took  a  stock 
of  goods  to  Bannock  City,  Idaho,  engaged 
in  merchandise  a  year,  sold  out  and  in  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  settled  permanently  in  Portland, 
Ore.  In  1866  he  went  into  the  produce,  gro- 
ceries, and  general  commission  business 
until  1872,  when  in  the  great  fire  of  that 
year  he  lost  everything,  and  was  in  debt  to 
the  extent  of  Si 5,000,  which  he  afterwards 
paid  in  full  with  interest.  In  1873  he 
started  in  the  wholesale  produce  commission 
business,  also  consignments  of  boots  and 
shoes  from  his  brother,  C.  A.  Hibbard  of 
Burlington,  and  C.  M.  Hibbard  of  Newport, 
now  deceased.  In  1877  J.  W.  Brazee  be- 
came his  partner  as  manufacturers,  import- 
ers, and  wholesale  dealers  in  boots  and 
^hoes,  the  firm  name  being  O.  L.  Hibbard 
iV-  Co.,  until  Feb.  14,  1885,  when  he  sold  out 
to  Mr.  Brazee.  The  following  month  he 
went  to  Boston,  bought  a  stock  of  goods  in 
conjunction  with  his  brother,  C.  J.  of  New- 
port Vt.,  returned  in  eight  weeks  and  en- 
tered into  the  importing  of  boots  and  shoes, 
the  firm  name  being  Hibbard  Brothers. 
After  a  run  of  two  or  three  years,  he  as- 
sumed the  entire  business  and  still  continues 
in  the  importing,  wholesale  and  retail,  of 
boots  and  shoes. 

Mr.  Hibbard  is  a  "  pioneer  "  in  its  strict- 
est sense,  having  seen  Portland  grow  from 
an  infant  village  to  the  full  grown,  prosperous 
city  of  to-day  ;  and  by  his  untiring  zeal  in 
every  honorable  enterprise  has  contributed 
in  no  small  degree  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
metropolis  of  Oregon. 

Mr.  Hibbard,  in  1874,  was  one  of  the 
original  charter  members  of  the  Portland 
Board  of  Trade  which  was  subsequently  sub- 
merged into  the  chamber  of  commerce,  in 
which  he  has  continuously  been  a  member 
and  stockholder,  being  at  present  (1894)  a 
member  of  the  manufacturers  committee. 
Mr.  Hibbard  has  been  many  times  called 
upon  to  accept  public  positions,  but  being 
of  rather  a  retiring  disposition  he  has  as  often 
declined  overtures. 


83 


In  1892  he  built  the  Tremont  House,  one 
of  the  most  elegant,  complete,  and  commo- 
dious hotel  properties  on  the  coast. 

Mr.  Hibbard  was  married,  Sept.  17,  1867, 
to  Josephine,  daughter  of  Hon.  Josejih  and 
Sarah  (Hurford)  Jeffers.  She  died  May  30, 
1878,  and  he  married  Carrie  Jeffers  Harned, 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  Of  the  first  union 
there  were  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  two 
of  whom  are  living;  and  of  the  latter  union 
four  sons,  all  living. 

HIBBARD,  Harry,  was  born  in  Vermont ; 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1835  ; 
was  assistant  clerk  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives for  New  Hampshire  in  1839  ;  clerk 
of  the  same  from  1840  to  1843  ;  speaker  of 
the  House  in  1844  and  1845  ■  '"  the  state 
Senate  from  1846  to  1849  ;  officiating  two 
years  as  president ;  and  was  a  representative 
in  Congress  from  New  Hampshire  from  1849 
to  T855. 

HIGLEY,    Edwin    Hall,    of   Groton, 

Mass.,  son  of  Rev.  Harvey  O.  and  Sarah 
(Little)  Higley,  was  born  in  Castleton,  Feb. 
15,  1843. 

He  received  his  preparatory  education  at 
Castleton  Seminary,  and  then  entered  Mid- 
dlebury  College,  where  he  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1868.  For  the  next  four  years  he 
studied  music  and  philology  in  Boston  and 
Cambridge,  and  from  1882  to  1884  at  the 
Royal  Conservatory  of  Leipsic,  in  Germany. 

Though  scarcely  emerged  from  boyhood, 
he  was  inspired  with  the  enthusiasm  attend- 
ing the  early  outbreak  of  the  war  for  the 
Union,  and  in  1861  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K, 
I  St  Vt.  Cavalry.  During  his  service  he  was 
detailed  as  adjutant  and  as  regimental  com- 
missary and  in  the  latter  part  of  1863  acted 
as  brigade  ordnance  officer  on  the. staff  of 
Gen.  G.  A.  Custer.  During  Kiljiatrick's 
raid  he  commanded  a  section  of  I'.attery  C, 
3d  U.  S.  Artillery  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
shelling  the  rebel  capitol.  He  was  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  June  29,  1864,  after  hav- 
ing participated  in  most  of  the  cavalry  en- 
gagements of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in 
the  campaigns  of  Pope,  second  Bull  Run, 
Gettysburg  and  the  Wilderness.  Exchanged 
March  i,  1865,  he  was  commissioned  captain 
of  Co.  K,  and  soon  after  brevet  major  for 
gallant  and  meritorious  service  during  the  war. 

From  1868  to  1872  Major  Higley  taught 
music  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  then  accepted  a 
professorship  of  German  and  Greek  in  Mid- 
dlebury  College,  where  he  remained  ten  years. 
After  his  return  from  Europe,  he  was  teacher 
of  music  and  organist  in  Worcester,  Mass. 
In  1886  he  came  to  Groton  School  as  Greek 
and  German  instructor  and  as  choir  master 
and  organist,  which  position  he  holds  up  to 
the  present  time. 


He  married,  June  2,  1870,  in  Middlebury, 
Jane  S.,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Jane  (Shep- 
ard)  Turner.  They  have  one  daughter; 
Margaret  K. 

HOARD,  Charles  B.,  was  bom  in 
Springfield  June  28,  1 805  ;  he  was  a  mechanic 
and  for  se\eral  years  in  early  life  a  clerk  in 
a  private  land  office  at  .Antwerp,  N.  W  He 
was  postmaster  under  Presidents  Jackson 
and  Van  Buren  :  justice  of  the  peace  for  sev- 
eral years  ;  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
New  York  in  1S3S,  and  county  clerk  of  Jef- 
ferson county,  N.  V.,  in  1844,  '45  and  '46  ; 
was  elected  a  representative  to  the  Thirty- 
fifth  Congress  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
Thirtv-sixth  Congress. 


HOLABIRD,  William  HYMAN,  of  Oak- 
land, Cal,  son  of  Oscar  F.  and  .\delia  A. 
(Pierson)  Holabird,  was  born  in  Shelburne, 
Sept.  29,  1845. 

Mr.  Holabird  availed  himself  of  the  educa- 
tional advantages  afforded  by  the  schools  of 
Shelburne  and  the  academy  at  Williston,  and 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  went  to  Missouri,  His 
first  occupation  was  as  a  newsboy  on  the  Han- 
nibal &  St.  Jo  R.  R. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  \'ermont  and  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  12th  Vt. 
Vols,  and  served  out  his  term.  He  entered 
the  navy  as  first-class  fireman  on  theL'.  S.  S. 
Monadnock  in  September,  1S64.  In  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  he  was  promoted  to  acting 
assistant  paymaster.  He  was  in  the  great 
naval  engagement  at  Fort  Fisher  and  resigned 
from  the  ser\ice  in  1865  and  went  to  Indiana. 
Later  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  was  for  a  time 
in  the  employ  of  Marshall  Field  <S:  Co.,  and 
J.  ^'.  Far  well. 

Mr.  Holabird  began  his  railroad  work  in 
1876,  with  the  Penn.  &  Grand  Rapids  & 
Indiana  Co.,  as  general  travelling  agent.  In 
1880  he  went  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Sante  Fe  R.  R.,  as  special  agent  and  for  the 
past  three  years  has  been  confidential  agent 
of  President  Man\  el  of  that  system.  During 
his  connection  with  the  Atchison  system  he 
has  performed  much  important  work  in  rela- 
tion to  the  company's  lands  and  the  location 
of  new  railroad  lines. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holabird  has  been  an  act- 
ive Repubhcan  and  while  not  aspiring  to  pre- 
ferment has  generally  represented  his  party 
as  delegate  to  local  conventions.  He  has 
also  been  prominent  in  various  temperance 
organizations  and  Masonic  bodies,  including 
all  orders  of  the  Temple. 

He  married,  June  9,  1870,  Phebe  |.,  daugh- 
ter of  Russell  and  Emeline  (James)  l)orr,  of 
Middlebury,  whose  father  is  a  descendant  of 
the  Puritans.  They  have  three  children  : 
Russell  D.,  Emma  .\.,  and  Harrison  G. 


HOLMES,  ELIAS  B.,  was  born  in  Fletch- 
er, May  27,  1S07.  He  commenced  life  as  a 
teacher,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  emigrated 
to  Munroe  county,  N.  V.,  where  he  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  ;  in  Con- 
gress from  New  York,  from  1845  to  1849. 

HOPKINS,  Caspar  Thomas,  late  of 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  was  the  third  son  of  the 
Right  Reverend  John  H.  Hopkins,  first 
bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  Vermont,  and  of  Melusina  Muller,  his 
wife,  was  born  at  Allegany  Town,  Penn., 
May  18,  1826.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Dublin,  Ireland,  and  arrived  in  the  United 
States  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  His  mother 
was  born  in  Germany.  Her  father,  once  a 
wealthy  shipping  merchant,  having  been  im- 
poverished by  the  Napoleonic  wars,  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  18 12,  when 
his  daughter  was  thirteen  years  old,  and 
settled  at  Zelienople,  Penn.  In  1832  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  having 
been  elected  Bishop  of  Vermont,  took  up  his 
residence  in  the  beautiful  town  of  Burling- 
ton, and  there  his  family  of  thirteen  children 
were  educated. 

Bishop  Hopkins  will  long  be  remembered 
in  Vermont  for  his  indomitable  energy  and 
industry,  his  varied  talents,  his  peerless  ex- 
pression of  his  often  peculiar  opinions,  his 
unselfish  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to 
duty,  and  his  powerful  will.  In  no  respect 
were  his  opinions  more  peculiar  than  on  the 
subject  of  education,  and  all  his  children 
were  necessarily  deeply  impressed  by  those 
peculiarities.  They  were  never  sent  to  any 
public  school  until  the  boys  were  old  enough 
to  enter  college,  but  the  good  bishop  opened 
a  school  of  his  own,  embarking  his  entire 
property  and  all  he  could  borrow  in  the 
erection  of  the  old  Vermont  Episcopal  Insti- 
tute, which  was  located  just  south  of  the  then 
village  of  Burlington,  and  a  part  only  of 
whose  buildings  now  remain.  In  this  school 
there  were  no  vacations,  no  plays,  no  relax- 
ation from  alternate  study,  work,  and  church 
attendance,  except  on  Saturday  afternoon. 
Severe  discipline,  and  frequent  punishment 
with  the  rod  or  lalack  strap  were  the  only 
inducements  to  effort — emulation,  rewards, 
and  even  marks  being  strictly  excluded. 
The  teachers  were  nearly  all  theological 
students,  the  great  object  of  the  school  being 
to  train  up  clergymen  for  the  church.  For 
several  years  it  was  well  attended,  but  the 
hard  times  of  i838-'39  caused  the  with- 
drawal of  so  many  of  the  pupils  that  the 
school  closed  its  doors,  and  bankruptcy 
resulted. 

Caspar  was  then  fourteen  years  old  and 
had  been  fitted  to  enter  college  two  years 
previously,  besides  receiving  a  good  ele- 
mentarv  training  in  music  and  French.    But 


it  was  now  necessary  for  the  boys  to  go  to 
work.  A  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  of  rocky 
land,  now  known  as  Rock  Point,  and  the 
site  of  the  present  Vermont  Episcopal  In- 
stitute and  Bishop  Hopkins  Hall  was  bought 
for  the  bishop  by  an  old  Pennsyhania  friend. 
Here  the  boys  went  to  work,  learning  by 
daily  practice,  under  the  constant  lash  of 
the  severest  poverty,  all  those  varied  prac- 
tical lessons  which  have  pro\ed  New  Eng- 
land farm  life  the  best  of  preparations  for 
success  in  after  years.  Four  years  of  farm- 
ing, wood  chopping,  mechanical  work,  quar- 
rying, building,  and  boating,  while  the  even- 
ings were  devoted  to  solid  reading  (no 
novels  being  allowed  in  the  house)  and  Sun- 
days to  church  and  sacred  music,  laid  broad 
and  deep  the  foundations  of  a  hard-working, 
industrious  and  energetic  character.  The 
education  thus  begun  was  completed  by  the 
full  four  years'  course  in  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, during  which  Caspar  supported  himself 
by  playing  a  church  organ  Sundays,  tuning 
pianos,  and  lecturing.  He  was  graduated 
second  in  the  class  of  1847,  without  having 
cost  his  father  a  dollar,  and  entirely  free 
from  debt ;  the  S500  he  expended  for  board, 
clothing  and  college  bills  during  the  four 
years  having  been  earned  by  himself. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1848,  the 
California  fever  broke  out,  and  he  was  one 
of  the  first  Vermont  boys  to  catch  the  in- 
fection. On  New  Year's  morning,  1849,  he 
left  home  for  New  York  with  $5  in  his 
pocket,  and  found  himself  June  10,  1849,  in 
San  Francisco  without  a  dollar,  ragged,  badly 
afflicted  with  land  scurvy,  and  S600  in  debt. 
He  came  by  the  Mexican  route  as  a  member 
of  the  United  Pacific  Gold  Co.,  of  which  he 
was  elected  captain  while  at  the  City  of 
Mexico.  His  first  three  years  in  California 
were  marked  by  the  same  risks,  adventures, 
sudden  changes  of  fortune,  hardships,  and 
romantic  but  unprofitable  experience  com- 
mon to  the  great  majority  of  the  "Argonauts." 

In  1850,  in  connection  with  Herman  Win- 
chester and  H.  J.  Paine,  he  organized  the 
famous  "Samuel  Roberts  Expedition,"  which 
first  explored  the  Rogue  and  Umpqua  rivers 
in  Southern  Oregon.  Hopkins'  widely  pub- 
lished description  of  that  region  caused  its 
first  settlement  by  Americans. 

In  December,  185  i,  he  secured  a  position 
in  the  custom  house  which  he  held  three 
years.  Through  favorable  influences  and 
thrifty  habits  he  was  enabled  at  the  end  of 
this  time  to  return  to  New  York,  with  the 
view  of  raising  capital  there  to  undertake  fire 
and  marine  insurance  in  San  Francisco. 
Finding  it  impossible  however  to  get  the 
necessary  money  he  attempted  to  secure 
agencies  of  American  companies  to  compete 
with  the  few  F'.nglish  concerns,  then  doing 
business  in  California,  which  had  formed  a 


86 


close  monopoly.  New  York  companies  had 
not  then  learned  the  principles  of  scattering 
their  business  through  distant  agencies,  how- 
ever, and  he  returned  to  accept  employment 
at  Sacramento,  with  a  sub-agent  of  an  Eng- 
lish company.  After  two  years  of  remarkable 
success  he  returned  to  San  P'rancisco  and  ac- 
quired a  third  interest  in  the  insurance  firm 
of  McLean  &  Fowler,  who  had  represented 
some  old  Hartford  companies  with  indifferent 
success.  Mr.  Hopkins  developed  their  busi- 
ness at  once  to  large  proportions.  Finding 
a  great  opportunity  to  establish  a  marine  in- 
surance business  he  withdrew  from  the  firm, 
and  consummated  his  favorite  plan  by  organ- 
izing the  California  Mutual  Marine  Insurance 
Co.,  in  February,  1861,  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000,  of  which  he  was  secretary.  Suc- 
cess came  from  the  start,  and  in  1864  the  re- 
incorporation as  the  California  Insurance  Co., 
adding  fire  business  to  its  risks,  took  place. 
In  1866  Mr.  Hopkins  became  the  president 
of  the  company,  retaining  this  business  until 
his  retirement  from  active  business  life  in 
1885.  He  was  now  in  a  position  where  his 
natural  energies  and  varied  education  were 
directly  brought  to  bear  not  only  upon  the 
interests  of  his  company,  but  on  those  of 
Pacific  coast  underwriting  generally. 

His  good  judgment  brought  large  profits 
to  his  stockholders,  and  his  persistent  refusal 
of  F^astern  business  doubtless  saved  an  im- 
mense loss  in  the  conflagrations  of  Chicago 
and  Boston  in  1871,  which  ruined  so  many 
companies.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  a  moving 
spirit  in  the  organization,  in  1864,  of  the 
Board  of  Marine  Underwriters,  and  wrote 
the  "iron-clad"  constitution  of  the  Board  of 
Fire  Underwriters. 

In  1868  and  1869  he  was  secretary  of  the 
chamber  of  commerce  and  worked  out  its 
reorganization  on  the  present  basis.  His 
efforts  were  instrumental  in  securing  light- 
houses and  signals  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
advocated  and  drafted  the  law  creating  the 
office  of  insurance  commissioner  in  1866, 
and  for  many  years  he  worked  unceasingly 
to  establish  the  insurance  business  of  the 
Pacific  coast  on  a  firm  basis.  He  promoted 
the  Merchants  and  .Ship  Owners  Steam  Tug 
Co.,  which  destroyed  the  towage  monopoly. 
He  wrote  the  pamphlet  entitled  "  Sugges- 
tions to  Masters  of  Vessels  in  Distress  " 
which  was  reprinted  by  the  .\ustralian  un- 
derwriters, and  by  Lloyds  committee  in  Lon- 
don. Mr.  Hopkins  found  time  for  numer- 
ous tasks  in  the  broader  field  of  general 
good,  and  wrote  in  187 1  a  "Manual  of 
American  Ideas."  He  was  also  the  presi- 
dent of  the  California  Immigrant  LTnion  in 
1870  and  1 87 1,  the  precursor  of  the  efficient 
Immigration  Society.  He  promoted  and 
was  president  of  the  Pacific  Social  Science 
Association.     He  was  a  prominent  member 


of  the  famous  committee  of  one  hundred 
which  undertook  to  curb  the  power  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  R.  R.  He  was  a  valued 
contributor  to  local  periodicals  on  serious 
subjects.  Throughout  his  life  in  California 
he  was  an  ardent  member  and  worker  for 
the  L'nitarian  Church,  and  helped  to  organ- 
ize and  establish  the  now  flourishing  church 
of  that  denomination  in  Oakland.  He  raised 
$20,000  for  this  church,  and  his  personal 
influence  secured  also  a  fine  organ  for  it, 
which  he  played  gratuitously  for  five  years. 

The  above  is  but  a  faint  outline  of  Mr. 
Hopkins'  labors  for  public  good  and  far  from 
complete.  His  disposition  was  to  be  useful 
without  other  motive  than  to  be  a  power  for 
good  in  the  community  where  he  lived.  He 
never  pointed  out  evil  except  for  the  sake  of 
abating  it.  C)n  his  retirement  from  business 
and  from  San  Francisco  to  Pasadena  in  July, 
1S85,  both  branches  of  the  insurance  pro- 
fession tendered  him  a  handsome  acknowl- 
edgement of  his  great  services,  at  a  com- 
plimentary luncheon,  and  presented  him 
with  an  elegant  service  of  plate.  At  Pasa- 
dena he  soon  recuperated  his  waning 
strength  and  became  actively  engaged  in 
building  operations  and  the  culture  of  fruits 
and  in  town  matters.  He  contributed  large 
numbers  of  volumes  to  the  Library  Asso- 
ciation, as  well  as  a  large  amount  of  money 
for  its  building. 

Mr.  Hopkins  married,  in  1S53,  .\lmira 
Burnett,  daughter  of  Daniel  Burnett,  a  New 
York  capitalist.  Mrs.  Hopkins  died  in  1875, 
leaving  six  children.  In  1877  Mr.  Hopkins 
married  Mrs.  Jane  E.  Taylor,  of  Glaston- 
bury, Conn. 

He  was  indebted  for  his  success  to  his 
own  native  abilities,  assiduous  self  culture, 
indomitable  persistence  and  commendable 
self-reliance. 

He  knew  how  and  when  to  say  "No." 
In  early  life  he  made  his  choice  between 
popularity  and  usefulness,  and  armed  and 
equipped  with  innate  honesty  and  integrity  he 
fought  for  his  principles  with  good  courage. 
It  was  this  characteristic  above  all  others 
which  made  him  a  marked  man  in  a  com- 
munity where  wealth  was  God — and  where 
the  pubilic  did  not  question  methods,  so 
long  as  wealth  was  attained.  Mr.  Hopkins 
died  at  Pasadena,  Cal.,  Oct.  4,  1893.  Mrs. 
Hopkins,  three  daughters  and  a  son  survive 
him. 

HOPKINS,  George  Wesley,  of  San 

Francisco,  Cal.,  son  of  Enos  Daniel  and 
Sally  Knight  (Titus)  Hopkins,  was  born  in 
Bethel,  Oct.  18,  1852. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  the  St.  Johnsbury 
Academy.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  be- 
came  bookkeeper  for  E.  &  T.  Fairbanks  & 


87 


Co.,  which  position  he  held  four  years.  He 
then  engaged  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Frst 
National  Bank  at  St.  Johnsbury,  remaining 
there  one  year.  In  1875  he  moved  to  Cali- 
fornia and  for  two  years  was  an  accountant 
in  the  general  office  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
R.  R.  Co.  Subsequently  mercantile  and  fire 
insurance  business  occupied  his  attention 
until  1883,  when  his  health  failed  and  he 
was  compelled  to  leave  San  Francisco.  Mov- 
ing to  Los  Gatos,  he  engaged  in  fruit  grow- 
ing, and  after  two  years  regained  his  health. 
He  then  returned  to  San  Francisco  to  take 
charge  of  the  wholesale   produce  and  coni- 


GEORGE    WESLEY 


mission  business  of  Getz  Brothers  &  Co., 
occupying  this  position  for  two  years.  He 
ne.xt  formed  a  partnership  with  Nathan  C. 
Carnall  in  the  real  estate  business,  known  as 
the  Carnall-Hopkins  Company,  a  corpora- 
tion of  which  .Mr.  Hopkins  was  \ice-presi- 
dent.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  effecting 
some  of  the  most  important  transfers  in  both 
city  and  country  real  estate  known  in  the 
history  of  California.  F^arly  in  1894  Mr. 
Hopkins  withdrew  from  this  firm  and  has 
since  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business 
without  partners. 

In  December,  1878,  he  conceived  the  idea 
of  forming  a  society  of  the  sons  of  his  nati\  e 
state,  and  with  that  end  in  view,  inserted 
notices  in  the  daily  papers  inviting  native 
Vermonters  to  meet  at  the  Palace  Hotel. 
This  movement  resulted  in  the  organization, 
Jan.  6,  1879,  of  the  "  Pacific  Coast  Associa- 


tion, Native  Sons  of  Vermont,"  which  is 
to-day  one  of  the  most  nourishing  social 
societies  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  Hopkins 
was  the  first  secretary  of  this  association, 
and  held  that  ofifice  until  he  left  the  city,  on 
account  of  illness,  in  1883.  He  is  now  one 
of  its  vice-presidents.  Much  of  the  success 
of  this  association  during  its  early  history 
was  due  to  the  indefatigable  exertions  and 
good  management  of  Mr.  Hopkins. 

October  18,  1877,  Mr.  Hopkins  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Francisea  Amelia  Schafer, 
daughter  of  John  F.  and  Annie  M.  Schafer. 
They  have  had  four  children  :  Lillian  \'ida, 
Florence  Pearl,  George  Wesley,  Jr.,  and 
-Annie  F"rancisca  (deceased). 

HORR,  ROSWELL  G.,  of  East  Saginaw, 
Mich.,  was  born  at  Waitsfield,  Nov.  26, 
1830  ;  removed  with  his  parents,  when  four 
years  of  age,  to  Lorain  county,  O.,  where  he 
passed  his  early  years  ;  graduated  at  Antioch 
College,  the  fall  after  his  graduation  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas 
of  Lorain  county,  and  was  re-elected  in 
i860  ;  at  the  close  of  his  si.K  years'  clerkship 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  practiced 
law  two  years  at  Elyria,  O. ;  in  the  spring  of 
1866  removed  to  Southeastern  Alissouri, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  for  six 
years:  removed  in  the  spring  of  1872  to 
East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  where  he  now  resides  ; 
is  at  present  a  lumberman  and  has  been 
engaged  in  that  business  a  large  portion  of 
his  time  since  his  residence  in  Michigan ; 
was  elected  to  the  Forty-sixth  Congress  as  a 
Republican  and  received  other  elections  to 
Congress. 

MORTON,  Valentine  b.,  was  born  at 

Windsor,  Jan.  29,  1802  ;  was  educated  at 
Partridge's  Military  Academy,  and  after  that 
institution  was  removed  to  Middletown, 
Conn.,  he  became  a  teacher  therein.  He 
studied  law  at  Middletown,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1830,  after  which  he  removed 
to  and  practiced  his  profession  in  Pittsburg. 
He  removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1833, 
where  he  followed  his  profession  for  two 
years,  and  in  1835  removed  to  Pomeroy, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1850,  and  in  1854 
he  was  elected  a  representative  to  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
Thirty-fifth  and  Thirty-seventh  Congresses. 
In  1 86 1  he  was  a  member  of  the  peace  con- 
gress held  in  Washington. 

HOSFORD,  JEDEDIAH,  was  born  in 
\'ermont,  and  having  removed  to  New  York, 
was  elected  a  Representative  in  Congress 
from  that  state  from  1851  to  1853. 

HOUGHTON,  Henry  Oscar,  of  Cam- 
bridge,  Mass.,  son  of  William    and   Marilla 


HOUGHTON. 


(Clay)     Houghton,    was    born    at    Sutton, 
April  30,  1823. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  became  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  office  of  the  Burlington  Free 
Press,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his  future 
career  as  the  head  of  America's  greatest 
publishing  house,  the  Riverside  Press,  of 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.  His  brother  at 
this  time  (1836)  was  in  college  at  Burling- 
ton, and,  listening  to  his  advice,  he  deter- 
mined to  acquire  a  thorough  education.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont,  possessed  only  of  a  sub- 
stantial preparation  and  dauntless  resolu- 
tion. Graduating  after  four  years,  he  spent 
some  time  in  proof-reading  and  reporting 
on  the  Evening  Traveler  of  Boston,  before 
he  discovered  his  life  work  as  a  master 
printer.  In  1849  he  joined  Mr.  Bolles  in 
establishing  a  printing  office  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.  The  business  was  soon  removed  to 
the  present  site  of  the  Riverside  Press,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Charles   river,   and  from 


/  X  .■»?*^ 


■'"'$ 


the  first  Mr.  Houghton  was  its  controlling 
spirit.  The  business  continued  an  uninter- 
rupted career  of  success,  characterized  by 
the  publication  of  works  that  satisfied  artis- 
tic feeling  as  well  as  literary  sense,  and  be- 
came by  various  alliances  possessed  of  valu- 
able plates  and  the  literary  accumulations 
and  franchises  of  a  half  a  century,  collected 
by  leading  firms.  Among  these  treasures 
were  privileges  covering  the  works  of  an  un- 
equalled galaxy  of  the  "fixed  stars"  of 
American  literature. 


A  record  of  the  publications  of  the  River- 
side Press  will  show  a  greater  proportion  of 
the  works  which  make  up  the  best  literature 
of  .America,  than  can  be  found  in  the  publi- 
cations of  other  publishers. 

"  Do  it  well  or  not  at  all,"  has  long  been 
the  motto  of  Mr.  Houghton,  and  that  senti- 
ment is  built  into  the  very  corner  stone  of 
the  Riverside  Press.  It  is  hard  to  exaggerate 
the  influence  for  good  which  this  establish- 
ment has  exerted  upon  the  world  of  letters 
and  consequently  upon  the  world  of  men. 
A  high  purpose,  followed  through  a  series  of 
years,  does  not  fail  to  accomplish  high  re- 
sults. 

Mr.  Houghton's  social  life,  from  the  fact 
that  by  necessity  he  is  thrown  into  con- 
fidential relations  with  many  of  the  bright- 
est men  and  women  of  the  era,  is  most 
charming. 

He  was  president  of  the  Boston  Vermont 
.Association  for  eight  years. 

Mr.  Houghton  was  married,  Sept.  12, 
1854.  His  children  are  :  Henry  Oscar,  Jr., 
Elizabeth  Honis,  Alberta  Manning,  and 
Justine  Frances. 

HOWARD,  Charles  Webb,  was  bom 

in  Cabot,  Jan.  23,  1831.  His  father,  The- 
ron  Howard,  was  a  lawyer  of  good  repute 
and  for  some  time  district  attorney.  His 
mother  was  Calista  Webster. 

Mr.  Howard  had  the  usual  experience  of 
a  New  England  boy  of  that  period,  who  be- 
longed to  an  intelligent,  well-to-do  family, 
good  opportimities  at  school,  high  school 
and  academy,  with  genial  care  and  sym- 
pathy at  home.  His  early  inclination  to  af- 
fairs and  business  was  manifest.  Before  he 
was  of  age  he  had  a  more  than  common  ex- 
perience of  clerkship,  partnership  and  man- 
agement, and  in  1852  he  was  in  Galveston, 
Texas,  for  the  repair  of  broken  health,  hav- 
ing given  tip  business.  Health  restored,  the 
spirit  of  enterprise  awakened,  California 
offered  a  brilliant  field.  On  the  2  2d  of 
lanuary,  1853,  he  sailed  from  New  Orleans 
for  San  Francisco  via  Grey-Town,  the  San 
Juan  River  and  San  Juan,  Nicaragua.  On 
the  western  coast  he  was  washed  ashore 
from  a  burning  ship,  in  which  catastrophe 
more  than  two  hundred  lives  were  lost. 
After  tedious  delays  and  hardships  he  ar- 
rived in  San   Francisco  on  the  ist  of  April, 

Circumstances  brought  him  into  intimate 
relations  with  the  late  Oscar  L.  Shafter,  a 
nati\e  of  Vermont,  and  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  California.  He  married  Judge 
Shafter's  eldest  daughter,  Emma,  in  1862. 

The  Shafters  (the  Judge  and  his  brother, 
lames  McM.  Shafter)  owned  the  Point  Reyes 
ranch,  a  domain  of  about  70,000  acres,  in 
Marin    county,    Cal.       Mr.    Howard's    rela- 


90 


tions  with  Judge  Shatter  (luickened  his  mind 
and  kindled  his  ambition,  and  in  1865  he  re- 
tired from  trade  and  became  part  owner  and 
manager  of  the  ranch.  His  administration 
of  that  property  involved  many  interests 
public  and  private,  from  leasing  lands  to  the 
building  of  railroads.  It  was  a  field  for  or- 
ganizing and  executive  ability.  During  this 
period  Mr.  Howard  traveled  in  Europe.  On 
his  return  in  1874,  he  was  associated  with 
the  purchase  and  management  of  the  Spring 
Valley  water  works,  which  supplies  the  city 
of  San  Francisco.  Upon  the  transfer  of  this 
property  to  the  new  owners  in  January,  1874, 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  corporation 
and  has  held  that  office  continuously  since. 
The  administration  of  its  affairs  and  property, 
valued  at  §25,000,000,  requires  accurate 
knowledge,  a  faculty  for  general  oversight, 
careful  deliberation,  quick  decision,  patience, 
firmness  and  courtesy.  Mr.  Howard,  by 
natural  endowment  and  experience,  unites 
these  qualities  in  an  unusual  degree. 

More  than  is  common  among  men  of  busi- 
ness, he  retains  that  flexibility  and  teachable- 
ness, that  can  receive  suggestions,  modify 
opinions  and  carry  acquired  knowledge  and 
experience  into  new  circumstances  without 
that  rigidity  of  mind  that  in  so  many  men 
becomes  a  conceit  of  knowing  and  cannot  be 
taught. 

The  public  and  private  relations  of  the 
corporation  of  which  he  is  president  are  con- 
tinuously increasing,  affording  a  school  of 
wisdom,  discretion  and  honor,  and  a  theatre 
for  their  display.  In  the  first  Mr.  Howard 
has  been  an  apt  learner,  and  upon  the  last 
a  successful  actor. 

Mr.  Howard  was  united  in  marriage,  Jan- 
uary, 1862,  to  Emma,  daughter  of  Judge 
Oscar  L.  and  Sarah  R.  Shaffer.  Their 
children  are  :  Oscar  Shaffer,  Theron,  Maud, 
Charles  Webb,  Jr.,  Frederick  Paxson,  and 
Harold  Shafter. 

HOWARD,  Jacob  M.,  was  born  in 
Shaftsbury,  July  10,  1805  ;  was  educated  at 
the  academies  at  Bennington  and  Brattle- 
boro,  and  at  Williams  College  where  he 
graduated  in  1S50  ;  studied  law,  and  taught 
in  an  academy  in  Massachusetts  for  a  time  ; 
removed  to  Michigan  in  1832,  and  came  to 
the  bar  of  that  territory  in  1833;  in  1S38 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  that 
state  ;  from  1841  to  1843  he  was  a  represen- 
tative in  Congress  from  Michigan;  in  1854 
he  was  elected  attorney-general  of  the  state, 
twice  re-elected  and  serving  in  all  six  years  : 
and  in  1862  he  was  elected  a  senator  in 
Congress  ;  was  re-elected  a  senator  in  Con- 
gress for  the  term  commencing  in  1865. 

HOWARD,  William  a.,  was  born  in 
Vermont,  and  having  taken  up  his  residence 


in  Michigan,  was  elected  a  representative 
from  that  state,  to  the  Thirty-fourth  and 
Thirty-fifth  Congresses.  Having  contested 
the  seat  of  G.  B.  Cooper  in  i860,  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Congress.  In 
1 86 1  he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
postmaster  at  Detroit. 

HOWE,  Charles  M.,  of  Mellette,  So. 
Dak.,  son  of  Benjamin  C.  and  Sabra  (Wash- 
burn) Howe,  was  born  August  4,  1S28,  at 
\Voodstock. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools.  His  parents  died  when  he  was 
about  sixteen,  and  he  was  thrown  upon  his 
own  resources.  In  1846  he  left  Vermont 
and  passed  two  years  in  Massachusetts.  In 
1848  he  went  to  sea,  and  for  five  years  made 
several  voyages  in  the  Atlantic  and  Indian 
Oceans,  and  in  the  Arctic  upon  whaling 
ships. 

He  left  the  sea-  in  1855  and  went  west, 
locating  in  Rock  county.  Wis.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  few  years.  He  then 
engaged  in  trade  at  Fulton,  Wis.,  and  from 
there  went  to  Stoughton  in  1863.  He  again 
sold  out  in  1876,  and  went  into  business  at 
Maze  Manie,  Wis.,  as  a  general  trader.  In 
1881  he  went  to  Dakota,  then  a  territory, 
becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  what 
was  afterward  the  town  of  Mellette.  Here 
he  opened  up  a  general  store  and  lumber 
yard,  and  has  accumulated  a  large  property, 
including  a  farm  of  four  thousand  acres,  upon 
which  last  year's  wheat  crop  amounted  to 
thirty-five  thousand  bushels.  At  the  present 
time  his  business  is  that  of  a  farmer  and 
grain  dealer.  He  also  owns  an  elevator  of 
large  capacity  and  a  coal  yard.  Mr.  Howe 
has  become  a  leading  citizen,  though  not  a 
politician.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held 
the  office  of  chairman  of  the  board  of  sup- 
ervisors since  the  organization  of  the  town 
in   1884. 

In  social  organizations  Mr.  Howe  is  prom- 
inent. He  was  the  treasurer  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  until  elected  N.  G.,  and  is  a  Past  Grand. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W., 
and  is  a  Past  Master  of  L'nity  Lodge  No.  22 
of  Wisconsin  jurisdiction.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebecca. 

In  charitable  work  Mr.  Howe  is  a  leading 
worker,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Charities  and  Correction  upon  its 
organization,  and  in  189 1  was  elected  its 
president.  This  most  important  position  he 
still  holds,  the  board  having  charge  of  the 
hospital  for  insane  at  Yankton,  the  peniten- 
tiary at  Sioux  Falls,  the  reform  school  at 
Plankinton,  and  the  school  for  deaf  mutes  at 
Sioiix  Falls. 

Mr.  Howe  was  married  in  Cabot,  Feb.  5, 
1855,  to  iVfary  J.  Bickford,  and  has  had  two. 
children,  but  one  of  whom  is  now  living. 


91 


HOWE,  Thomas  M.,  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and,  having  settled  in  Pennsyixania, 
was  elected  a  representatixe  in  Congress 
from  185  I  to  1855. 

HUNT,    Richard    Morris,   of   New 

York  City,  was  born  in  I'.rattleboro  in  1828, 
the  son  of  Hon.  Jonathan  Himt,  M.  C,  and 
Jane  Maria  Leavitt.  After  his  father's 
death  his  mother  moved  to  New  Haven  and 
his  education  was  commenced  at  French's 
School  and  was  continued  at  the  Boston 
high  school  and  latin  school.      In   1843  he 


■  WH 


'^ 


RICHARD    MORRIS 


went  to  Europe  with  his  family  and  en- 
tered a  school  at  Geneva,  commencing  the 
study  of  architecture  with  Alphonse  iJarier. 
From  there  he  went  to  Paris  and  studied 
under  Hector  Lefuel,  entering  the  Ecole  des 
Beaux  Arts  in  1845  ^nd  remaining  until 
1S55,  with  intervals  of  travel  over  Europe, 
Egypt  and  Asia  Minor.  In  1854  and  1S55 
he  had  an  appointment  from  the  French 
government  as  Inspecteur  aux  Travaux  de 
la  Reunion  des  Tuileries  au  Louvre. 

He  returned  to  America  in  1855,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  by 
spending  six  months  with  the  late  Thomas 
U.  Walter  on  the  capitol  at  Washington.  He 
then  opened  an  office  in  New  York  with  an 
architectural  course  for  students  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  Paris  Ateliers.  Messrs.  George 
B.  Post,  Professor  William  R.  Ware,  Frank 
Furniss,  Henry  Van  Brunt,  Charles  Gam- 
brill  and  others  were  members  of  his  studio 
at  this  time. 


In  1867  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  art 
jury  at  the  Paris  Exposition  and  in  1876  he 
held  the  same  office  at  the  Centennial  Ex- 
hibition in  Philadelphia.  Received  the 
decoration  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  from  the 
French  Government  in  1882  and  was  made 
corresponding  member  of  the  Institute  of 
France  the  following  year. 

In  New  York  and  through  the  country 
generally  Mr.  Hunt  ranks  among  the  first 
architects.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Architectural  League  of  New  ^'ork,  the 
New  York  Chapter  of  the  .American  Institute 
of  Architects  and  other  similar  .American 
associations.  He  is  one  of  the  three  foreign 
architects  belonging  to  the  Society  of  St. 
Luke,  an  Italian  body  of  artists  which  has 
the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  society  of 
its  kind  in  the  world.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Institute  of  British  Architects,  the  Cen- 
tral Society  of  French  Architects,  and  the 
Architects  and  Engineers'  Society  of  Vienna. 
He  recently  received  the  gold  medal  of  the 
Institute  of  British  .Architects,  conferred  by 
Queen  Victoria,  being  one  of  seventeen 
foreigners  to  be  so  honored.  He  was  several 
years  president  of  the  New  York  Chapter  of 
the  .American  Institute  of  Architects,  and 
was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Insti- 
tute on  the  death  of  the  late  Thomas  V. 
Walter  in  1887. 

Among  Mr.  Hunt's  principal  works  are  : 
Lenox  Library  building,  New  York  City ; 
Presbyterian  Hospital,  New  York  City ; 
Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  building,  New 
York  City ;  Tribune  building.  New  York 
City  ;  residences  for  William  K.  Vanderbilt, 
Esq.,  New  York  City  and  Newport,  R.  I.  ; 
residence  for  Ogden  Goelet,  Esq.,  Newport, 
R.  I.  :  residence  for  C.  O.  D.  Iselin,  Esq., 
New  York  City ;  residence  for  Henry  G. 
Marquand,  Esq.,  New  York  City  ;  chateau 
at  Baltimore,  N.  C,  for  George  W.  Vander- 
bilt :  U.  S.  Academic  building,  West  Point, 
N.  Y. ;  U.  S.  Gymnasium  building.  West 
Point,  N.  Y. ;  U.  S.  Naval  Observatory, 
Washington,  D.  C.  ;  Yorktown  monument, 
Yorktown,  ^'a.  ;  Liberty  monument.  New 
York  harbor  and  Soldiers  and  Sailors  monu- 
ment, Portland,  Me. 

He  received  the  degree  of  LL.  1).  from 
Harvard  LTniversity  in  1892. 

The  New  York  Sun,  in  a  recent  editorial, 
says  of  him :  "We  congratulate  our  dis- 
tinguished fellow-citizen,  Richard  Morris 
Hunt,  the  architect,  upon  his  election  as  a 
foreign  associate  member  of  the  most  illus- 
trious body  of  artists,  the  .Academic  des 
Beaux-.Arts,  of  the  Institute  of  France.  It  is 
a  merited  honor.  He  is  a  worthy  member. 
Mr  Hunt  is  a  man  of  genius,  and  his  works 
bear  the  seal  of  it.  He  has  devoted  his  life 
to  the  noblest  of  all  the  fine  arts,  that  art 
which,    sufficient    unto    itsell",    takes    both 


HUNTINGTON. 


HUNTINGTON. 


sculpture  and  painting  as  its  adjuvants.  I'"or 
forty  years  he  has  stood  foremost  among 
American  architects.  He  has  rendered 
matchless  service  to  the  art  of  architecture 
in  our  country,  an  art,  which,  at  the  time  he, 
when  but  fifteen  years  old,  began  to  study  it, 
had  hardly  an  existence  among  us.  We  need 
not  sound  the  praises  of  the  artist  who  left 
the  Green  Mountain  state  in  his  boyhood, 
and  within  the  past  half  century  has  won  a 
name  of  pre-eminent  rank  among  the  archi- 
tects of  the  world,  and  now  modestly  wears 
the  honors  that  belong  to  a  member  of  the 
Institute  of  France,  as  well  as  those  that  ap- 
pertain to  the  membership  of  British,  Aus- 
trian and  Italian  associations  of  artists. 
Long  live  our  accomplished  and  amiable 
friend,  and  may  yet  other  honors  be  his." 

HUNTINGTON,  De  Witt  Clinton, 

of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  son  of  Ebenezer  and 
Lydia  (Peck)  Huntington,  was  born  in 
Townshend,  April  27,  1830.  His  parents 
were  from  Connecticut.  His  father  was  a 
member  of    the    Windham  countv  bar,  but 


owned  a  farm,  and  gave  each  of  his  sons  a 
practical  education  in  that  useful  industry. 
Dr.  Huntington  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  afterward  in  a  course 
in  ancient  and  modern  languages  at  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y. 

In  early  life  he  connected  himself  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  1853 
was  received  into  its  ministry.     During  his 


residence  in  \'ermont  he  served  churches  of 
that  denomination  in  Thetford,  Proctorsville, 
and  Brattleboro.  At  the  close  of  his  pastor- 
ate at  Brattleboro  he  was  transferred  to  the 
conference  which  included  the  western  part 
of  New  York  and  a  portion  of  Pennsylvania. 
Within  this  territory  he  has  spent  three  years 
in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  five  in  Bradford,  Pa.,  four 
in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  thirteen  in  Rochester. 
In  1868  the  Genesee  College  conferred  ipon 
him  the  degree  of  D.  D.  He  has  twice 
filled  the  office  of  presiding  elder,  and  has 
represented  his  annual  conference  in  the 
legislative  body  of  the  church  at  six  success- 
ive quadrennial  sessions.  In  1881  he  was 
appointed  a  delegate  to  the  Ecumenical 
Methodist  Conference  held  in  London,  dur- 
ing which  year  he  made  a  somewhat  ex- 
tended tour  through  the  different  countries 
of  Europe.  In  1891  he  accepted  the  invi- 
tation of  Trinity  Church,  in  Lincoln,  Neb., 
to  become  its  pastor,  which  church  is  his 
field  of  labor  at  the  present  time. 

Dr.  Huntington  has  written  largely  for  the 
religious  journals  of  his  denomination  and 
frequently  for  the  secular  press.  Quite  a 
number  of  his  sermons  ha^e  been  published 
in  pamphlet  form,  chiefly  upon  questions  of 
the  day.  Those  upon  "The  Death  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,"  "The  Wrongs  of  the  Liquor 
Traffic,"  "The  Cotton  King  and  the  Rum 
King,"  "Hell  Not  Reformatory,"  and  "Selfish 
Religion,"  have  been  widely  circulated  and 
extensively  quoted.  He  has  practiced  the 
theory  which  he  avows  :  that  the  pulpit  is  an 
educating  force,  and  that  all  subjects  which 
concern  vitally  the  well-being  of  man  belong 
to  its  discussions.  This  view  has  led  him  not 
only  to  a  wide  range  of  topics  in  his  own 
pulpit,  but  frequently  to  address  meetings 
upon  political  and  other  public  questions. 

He  began  his  citizen  life  by  voting  for  a 
Free  Soil  candidate  for  President,  and  from 
its  organization  to  1876  was  a  firm  adherent 
of  the  Republican  party.  At  that  time  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  Republican 
and  ga\e  his  influence  to  the  Prohibition 
party  believing,  as  he  said,  that  the  Republi- 
can party  would  never  take  up  the  temper- 
ance reform.  For  the  success  of  the  Pro- 
hibition party  he  has  since  labored  with  pen 
and  voice.  In  1886  he  was  placed  in  nom- 
ination for  Congress  by  the  Prohibitionists  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  Congressional  district  of 
New  York,  and  received  the  unprecedented 
support  of  something  more  than  5,500  votes. 
In  the  following  year  his  name  was  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  Prohibition  state  ticket  as 
secretary  of  state  and  received  nearly  42,000 
\otes.  Both  these  nominations  were,  how- 
ever, against  his  ad\ice,  and  the  latter  in  the 
face  of  his  positive  declinature. 

Mr.  Huntington  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Miss  Mary  E.  Moore,  daugh- 


HUTCHINSON. 


HCn  HINSON. 


93 


ter  of  Salmon  J.  and  l-',lisabeth  ^[oore,  of 
Chelsea,  by  whom  he  has  two  living  children  : 
Thomas  M.,  cashier  of  the  Maverick  iiank, 
Gordon,  Neb.,  and  Horace  1).,  a  merchant 
in  the  same  town.  His  second  wife  was 
Miss  Frances  H.  Davis,  daughter  of  Hiram 
and  Harriet  F.  Davis,  of  Rochester,  N.  V., 
by  whom  he  has  one  daughter :  Mary 
Frances. 

HUTCHINSON,  HENRY  E.,  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  was  born  at  Windsor  in  1S37.  He  is 
the  son  of  Rev.  Elijah  Hutchinson  and 
Laura  Manning  Skinner.  The  Rev.  Elijah 
Hutchinson  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church 
at  Windsor  for  many  years,  and  held  the 
offices  of  president  of  the  Vermont  Baptist 
Convention,  chaplain  of  the  state  prison, 
trustee  of  the  public  schools,  and  was  widely 
known  in  the  state.  Rev.  Elisha  Hutchin- 
son, the  grandfather  of  H.  E.  Hutchinson, 
was  a  member  of  the  first  class  which  took 
the  full  course  at  Dartmouth  College,  grad- 
uated in  1775,  was  a  chaplain  in  the  war  of 


m  m^. 


HUTCHINSON. 


1812,  and  preached  through  an  active  minis- 
terial life  in  the  states  of  New  Hampshire, 
Connecticut  and  New  York.  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son's grandfather  on  his  maternal  side,  John 
Payson  Skinner,  was  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  \Mndsor  in  the  first  half  of  the 
century,  owning  stage  lines  before  the  days 
of  railroads. 


Henry  E.  Hutchinson,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  fitted  for  college  at  the  Windsor 
high  school,  entered  Dartmouth  where  he 
remained  two  years,  and  was  transferred  to 
Amherst  where  he  graduated  with  honor  in 
1858.  He  went  to  .-Mabama  and  taught  for 
a  time  in  the  Franklin  .Academy  at  Mont- 
gomery, read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  Returning  to  the  North  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  Rufus  F.  Andrews,  in  New 
York,  and  was  admitted  to  the  New  York 
bar  on  examination,  in  1862.  Meanwhile 
he  had  been  made  assistant  to  the  notary  of 
the  Broadway  Bank,  and  was  soon  after  ap- 
pointed assistant  assessor  of  United  States 
Interna!  Revenue  for  the  fourth  district  of 
the  state  of  New  York.  Mr.  Hutchinson's 
residence  has  been  in  Brooklyn  since  he 
came  from  Alabama,  and  a  few  years  after 
he  went  to  that  city  he  became  secretary  of 
the  Mechanics'  Savings  Bank,  a  position 
which  he  filled  until  1877,  when  the  bank 
closed  its  business,  going  into  voluntary  lii|- 
uidation  and  paying  all  claims  in  full.  On 
Good  Friday,  1877,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  ap- 
pointed cashier  of  the  Brooklyn  Bank  and 
remaining  in  this  position  until  elected 
president  in  1S90,  upon  the  retirement  of 
Elias  Lewis,  Jr.  During  his  connection  with 
the  bank  it  has  greatly  prospered.  He  is 
also  a  trustee  of  the  Hamilton  Trust  Co., 
and  of  the  Long  Island  Safe  Deposit  Co. 

Mr.  Hutchinson  has  long  been  prominent 
in  the  social  and  musical  life  of  Brooklyn. 

In  1S63  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Staf- 
ford, a  daughter  of  J.  R.  Stafford  of  Brook- 
lyn. Of  this  marriage  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  living  and  four  children  have 
died. 

Mrs.  Hutchinson  is  a  trustee  of  the  Brook- 
lyn nursery  and  is  active  in  the  charitable 
work  of  the  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson 
are  communicants  in  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal church  and  for  thirteen  years  Mr.  Hutch- 
inson was  organist  and  choir-master  of  St. 
Peter's  Church.  He  was  also  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers and  first  musical  director  of  the 
Brooklyn  Amateur  Opera  Society,  organized 
in  1875,  whose  performances  have  achieved 
a  metropolitan  re])utation.  Mr.  Hutchinson 
has  been  treasurer  and  president  of  the 
Brooklyn  Choral  Society,  one  of  the  largest 
musical  societies  in  the  country,  and  owing 
its  honorable  position  largely  to  his  efforts. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  L'nion  League  Club 
of  Brooklyn  ;  joined  the  .Alpha  Delta  Phi 
secret  society  in  college  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Club  in  New  York  ;  is  a 
member  of  the  New  England  Society  of 
Brooklyn  ;  of  the  Brooklyn  Society  of  \'er- 
monters  :  a  trustee  of  the  Brooklyn  Dispen- 
sary, and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Union  Church  at 
Arveme-by-the-Sea,  Long  Island,  his  summer 
home. 


94 


IDE,  George  Henry,  of  Milwaukee, 

Wis.,  son  of  Joseph  A.  and  Lucretia  Ann 
(Fairbanks)  Ide,  was  born  Jan.  21,  1839,  at 
St.  Johnsbury. 

Mr.  Ide  was  a  farmer's  boy  and  li\ed  at 
his  birthplace  until  eleven  years  of  age  when 
the  family  moved  to  Newport,  where  they 
lived  eight  years.  In  the  meantime  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  and  Derby  Acad- 
emy. The  family  again  returned  to  St. 
Johnsbury,  and  he  was  fitted  for  Dartmouth 
College,  where  he  was  graduated,  and  in  iS6g 
graduated  from  the  Andover  Theological 
Seminary. 


dren  were  born  to  them  :  Carrie  Sanborn, 
and  Charles  Edward. 

In  1876  Mr.  Ide  was  again  married  to 
Kate  Emma,  daughter  of  Chandler  C.  and 
Hannah  (Cogswell)  Bowles  of  Newport. 

The  following  from  the  Chicago  Inter- 
Ocean  gives  an  insight  into  the  character 
and  personality  of  Mr.  Ide  :  "  Rev.  Dr.  Ide, 
the  pastor,  is  extremely  popular  out  of  his 
church  as  well  as  in  it.  He  is  a  scholar,  an 
orator,  an  all-round  athlete,  a  conscientious, 
hard-working  pastor,  and  a  genial  gentleman 
— a  fortunate  and  unusual  combination.  He 
is  reasonably  proud  of  his  church  and  people, 
as  his  people  are  of  him.  Mr.  Ide  may  be 
described  as  a  tolerant  theologian  rather  than 
a  liberal  theologian.  He  is  considered  to  be 
rather  conservative  in  a  doctrinal  way,  but 
there  is  none  of  the  intolerance  about  him 
which  distinguishes  many  who  are  more  lib- 
eral as  to  doctrine." 

INGALLS,  Daniel  Bowman,  of  Clin- 
ton, Mass.,  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Cass) 
Ingalls,  was  born  in  Sutton,  May  25, 1829. 


GEORGE    HENRY 


His  first  pastorate  was  in  Hopkinton, 
Mass.,  where  he  remained  seven  years.  At 
the  close  of  this  period  he  was  called  to  the 
Central  Church  in  Lawrence,  Mass.,  and 
labored  there  four  years,  when  he  was  called 
to  the  Grand  Avenue  Congregational  Church 
of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  his  present  pastorate, 
and  where  he  has  won  more  than  local  fame. 

Mr.  Ide  enlisted  in  1862  and  was  orderly 
sergeant  of  Company  K,  isth  Vt.  Regt., 
Col.  Proctor  commanding.  The  service  of 
this  regiment  was  mostly  confined  to  Vir- 
ginia. He  is  a  member  of  Wolcott  Post,  G. 
A.  R.,  of  Milwaukee.  He  is  a  trustee  of 
Beloit  College  and  a  corporate  member  of 
the  American  board. 

Mr.  Ide  was  married  March  16,  1871,  to 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  and  Har- 
riet Sanborn,  at  New])ort,  N.  H.     Two  chil- 


DANIEL    BOWMAN    INGALLS. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  upon  his  father's  removal  to 
Connecticut,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of 
machinist,  but  at  the  end  of  two  years  his 
employers  failed  and  he  removed  to  Clinton, 
Mass.,  where  Horatio  and  E.  B.  Bigelow  were 
starting   the  manufacture  of  ginghams  and 


inckaha.m. 


95 


carpets,  and  in  these  mills, Mr.  Ingalls  wiirked 
on  machinery  until  1849,  when  he  again 
changed  his  locality  to  \\'indsor,  \'t.,  where 
he  found  similar  employment  in  the  gun 
factory  of  Messrs.  Robbins  &  Lawrence. 
While  here  he  was  impressed  with  the  won- 
derful stories  of  the  California  gold  dis- 
coveries and  went  to  the  Pacific  coast  and 
for  two  years  he  labored  in  that  region, 
partly  in  the  mines  and  partly  at  his  trade  in 
Sacramento. 

On  his  return  to  Clinton,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  dentistry  and  later  graduated  at 
the  Boston  Dental  College.  His  profession 
has  engaged  his  attention  since  1S59,  and  as 
a  proof  of  his  success  may  be  mentioned  the 
fact  that  he  has  been  president  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Dental  Society  and  also  of  the  Mer- 
rimac  Valley  Dental  Association.  He  had  the 
honor  of  being  a  member  of  the  state  World's 
Fair  committee,  which  prepared  for  the  great 
dental  congress  held  in  Chicago  Sept.  10, 
1893. 

Mr.  Ingalls  was  married  in  Newbury,  Oct. 
22,  1850,  to  Rebecca  Nelson,  daughter  of 
Mason  and  iNIary  (Nelson)  Randall.  They 
have  had  six  children,  all  of  whom  have 
passed  into  the  silent  land. 

A  staunch  Republican,  Mr.  Ingalls  was  a 
member  of  his  town  committee  when  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  first  elected.  He  was  sent 
to  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  1880  and  to  the  Senate  in  1 881 -'8 2, 
serving  upon  the  public  health  committee 
and  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
claims. 

For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  investment  committee  of  the  Clinton 
Savings  Bank,  and  was  a  director  in  the 
Lancaster  National  Bank,  Clinton,  to  within 
one  year  of  the  time  that  bank  was  wrecked 
by  its  president,  and  at  the  time  of  his  re- 
tirement from  office  he  made  a  written  state- 
ment to  the  stockholders  in  relation  to  the 
irregularities  of  that  officer,  who  at  the  time 
held  the  office  of  cashier.  Mr.  Ingalls  is  now 
president  of  the  Clinton  Co-operative  Bank. 

For  thirty  years  Mr.  Ingalls  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Clinton, 
and  for  more  than  that  period  a  Free  and 
Accepted  Mason,  having  served  as  Master 
ofTMnity  Lodge  of  that  town  and  twice  ap- 
pointed D.  D.  O.  M.  under  the  Crand 
Lodge  of  Massachusetts. 

Though  an  adopted  citizen  of  the  old  l!ay 
state,  Mr.  Ingalls  still  retains  an  ardent  affec- 
tion for  his  native  hills  and  this  motive  led 
him  more  than  a  decade  ago  to  take  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  organization  of  a  Vermont 


society,  of  which  for  many  years   he  was  the 
honored  president. 

INGRAHAM,  William  H.,  of  Water- 
town,  Mass.,  was  born  in  Peacham  in  iSiS, 
the  son  of  Paul  and 'I'hankful  (Sears)  Ingra- 
ham.  His  father  came  from  New  Bedford, 
where  the  Ingrahams  are  well-known  settlers. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  Cale- 
donia county  grammar  school,  where  he 
was  fitted  for  college.  Instead  of  continuing 
a  collegiate  course  he  went  to  Framingham, 
Mass.,  to  work  for  his  older  brother,  who 
owned  a  store.  Here  he  remained  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Six  months 
later,  in  company  with  his  second  brother, 
he  bought  out  the  store,  and  they  carried  on 
the  business  for  several  years.  Later  they 
branched  out  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes, 
and  at  one  time  employed  fifty  men.  The 
firm  prospered  until  the  well-remembered 
financial  difficulties  in  1848,  when,  with 
numerous  other  small  houses,  they  were 
crippled  and  obliged  to  sell  out.  Mr.  In- 
graham  then  went  to  \\'atertown,  where  he 
has  since  lived,  and  was  engaged  in  various 
pursuits  until  1879,  when  he  opened  an 
insurance  office  in  W'atertown,  which  he  still 
conducts. 

Mr.  Ingraham  is  a  highly  respected  citizen 
of  Watertown,  and  as  such  has  been  honored 
by  nearly  every  office  in  the  gift  of  the 
people.  In  i848-'i852  and  i88o-'93  he 
served  as  one  of  the  assessors  ;  1874,  1875 
and  1879  as  selectman  ;  town  clerk,  184S- 
'62  and  i88o-'9o;  he  was  a  representative 
from  his  town  for  two  terms,  1879  and  1880, 
in  the  General  Assembly  ;  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Watertown  Savings  Bank,  being  at 
the  present  time  a  member  of  its  board  of 
investment. 

Mr.  Ingraham  was  married  at  Wayland, 
Mass.,  in  1S43,  to  Caroline  C,  daughter  of 
F^phraim  and  Caroline  (Hubbard)  Brigham. 
Their  children  are  :  Ralph  \\'aldo,  Francis, 
and  .-Mice  Choate. 

Socially  Mr.  Ingraham  has  been  very 
prominent.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Water- 
town  L'nitarian  Club  connected  with  the 
First  Parish  Church,  was  its  treasurer  in 
1 88 1  and  is  at  present  a  trustee  of  the 
ministerial  fund  ;  is  a  member  of  the  Water- 
town  Historical  Society  and  has  been  a 
prominent  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  for 
forty  years.  A  recent  article  in  the  Boston 
Herald  says  of  him  :  "  He  is  kind  and 
generous  and  never  fails  to  act  when  charity 
so  demands.  He  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
spected and  honored  men  in  the  vicinity." 


96 


JOHNSON,  Harvey  A.,  was  bom  in 
Vermont,  and  having  removed  to  Ohio  was 
elected  a  representative  in  Congress  from 
that  state  from  1S53  to  1855. 

JONES,  Gamaliel  Leonard,  of  Audu- 
bon, Minn.,  son  of  Norman  and  Elizabeth 
(Gibbs)  Jones,  was  born  April  11,  1S43,  in 
Hubbardton. 


LEONARD   JONES- 


Mr.  Jones  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  Castleton  Seminary,  and  Middlebury 
College,  graduating  from  college  in  1868,  at 


the  age  of  twenty-five.  Since  that  time  he 
has  almost  constantly  been  occupied  in 
teaching,  passing  many  years  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  becoming  principal 
of  Winchester  (Ohio)  Union  School  in  1873. 
Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1S74  he 
went  to  Lake  Eunice,  Minn.,  purchasing  a 
large  tract  of  land,  which  he  carried  on  while 
attending  to  his  great  work  as  a  teacher  in 
the  vicinity.  For  four  years  he  was  princi- 
pal of  Lake  Park  graded  school,  and  was 
afterwards  principal  of  the  Audubon  graded 
school,  at  the  same  time  doing  much  work  of 
a  public  nature  as  town  clerk  and  justice  of 
the  peace,  county  superintendent  of  schools, 
member  of  a  committee  for  selecting  text- 
books for  the  schools  of  his  county,  and  as 
president  of  the  temperance  association,  and 
secretary  of  his  church  for  the  Northern 
Minnesota  district. 

Social  and  political  organizations  have  also 
taken  his  attention  to  some  extent  and  his 
work  for  the  grange  in  its  early  days  was 
prominent.  In  1882  he  was  made  an  honor- 
ary member  of  Lake  Park  Literary  Society, 
and  has  contributed  many  articles  to  the  press, 
and  often  by  request  has  delivered  public 
addresses  of  a  political,  religious,  educational 
or  scientific  nature.  It  has  ever  been  the 
aim  of  his  life  to  aid  in  giving  liberty  and  re- 
lief to  the  oppressed,  establishing  equal  rights 
and  impartial  justice  for  all ;  promoting  every 
measure  which  tends  to  the  prosperity  of  his 
country  as  a  whole,  and  elevating  the  masses, 
morallv  and  intellectually. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married  August  19,  1868,  to 
.Mthea  Maria  Pike,  in  Weston,  daughter  of 
Josiah  Wooster  and  Nancy  Maria  (Har- 
mon) Pike.  They  have  five  children  :  Joseph 
Charles,  Mary  Caroline,  Edward  Harrison 
(deceased  in  infancy),  Earl  Grant,  and  Lulu 
Althea  Julia. 


KASSON,  JOHN  ADAM,  of  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  was  born  at  Charlotte,  Jan.  11,  1822  ; 
graduated  at  the  University  of  Vermont ; 
studied  law  in  Massachusetts,  and  practiced 
the  profession  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  until  1857, 
when  he  removed  to  Iowa.  In  1858  he  was 
appointed  a  commissioner  to  report  upon 
the  condition  of  the  executive  departments 
of  Iowa;  assisted  in  1859  in  organizing  the 
State  Bank  of  Iowa,  and  became  director  for 
that  state.  In  1S61  he  was  appointed  As- 
sistant Postmaster-Cieneral,  which  office  he 
resigned  in  1862,  when  he  was  selected  a 
representative  from  Iowa  to  the  Thirty- 
eighth  Congress,  serving  on  the  committee 
of  ways  and  means.     During  the  summer  of 


1S63  he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
a  commissioner  to  the  International  Postal 
Congress  at  Paris,  returning  in  .August.  Re- 
elected to  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress ;  in 
1867  again  a  V.  S.  postal  commissioner  to 
Europe,  where  he  made  postal  treaties  with 
seven  European  go\ernments  ;  six  times  a 
member  of  the  Iowa  Legislature  ;  again 
elected  to  Congress  in  1872  and  re-elected 
in  1874  ;  he  declined  a  renomination  and  in 
1877  was  appointed  envoy  to  negotiate  treat- 
ies with  Servia  and  Roumania  ;  was  again 
elected  to  Congress  in  1880  and  1882  ;  re- 
signed in  1884  to  accept  the  appointment  of 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  Germany ;  rep- 
resented  the  L'nited  States   at    the    Congo 


KELLOGG. 

Conference  in  Berlin  :  was  chief  of  the  Sa- 
moan  Commission  at  Berlin.  He  now  de- 
votes his  time  to  literary  pursuits. 

KELLOGG,   William  Pitt,  of   New 

Orleans,  La.,  was  born  at  Orwell,  Dec.  8, 
1831.  His  grandfather,  Saxton  Kellogg, 
married  Sallie  Fuller,  a  descendant  of  Ben- 
jamin Franklin,  and  when  a  comparatively 
young  man  removed  from  Connecticut  to 
Vermont.  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Sherman 
Kellogg,  a  well-known  Congregational  cler- 
gyman, located  for  many  years  at  Montpelier. 
Many  of  his  relati\es  now  reside  in  Vermont 
and  have  since  an  early  day  been  identified 
with  this  state. 


PITT   KELLOGG. 


He  was  educated  at  the  Norwich  Military 
University.  In  1850  he  removed  to  Peoria, 
111.,  where  he  read  law  with  E.  G.  Johnson, 
a  prominent  lawyer  formerly  of  Vermont ; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853  and  prac- 
ticed law  until  March,  i86i,when  President 
Lincoln  appointed  him  chief  justice  of  Ne- 
braska. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  at  the 
request  of  Governor  Yates,  he  returned  to 
Illinois  and  raised  the  7th  Regt.  of  111.  Cav- 
alry, President  Lincoln,  at  the  request  of 
Governor  Yates,  having  given  him  six 
months'  leave  of  absence  for  this  purpose. 
In  July,  186 r.  Governor  Yates  having  com- 
missioned him  colonel,  his  regiment  was 
mustered  into  service  and  ordered  to  report 
to    General  Grant   at  Cairo.     Mr.    Kellogg 


KELLOGG.  97 

was  soon  after  ordered  by  ( leneral  Grant  to 
take  command  of  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.  He 
was  in  command  of  that  ])ost  until  (leneral 
Pope  moved  on  Fort  Thompson,  when  Mr. 
Kellogg  with  his  regiment  joined  him,  tak- 
ing part  in  the  operations  resulting  in  the 
capttire  of  Fort  Thompson  and  New  Mad- 
rid until  ordered  to  Pittsburg  Landing  im- 
mediately after  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Hecom- 
manded  a  cavalry  brigade  under  General 
Granger,  composed  in  part  of  his  own  regi- 
ment, in  the  operations  about  Farmington, 
Corinth,  and  Grand  Junction.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1862,  his  health  having  completely 
failed,  he  became  so  much  of  an  invalid  that 
he  was  compelled  to  resign. 

President  Lincoln  having  allowed  the 
position  of  chief  justice  to  remain  open  Mr. 
Kellogg  returned  to  Nebraska  and  remained 
until  January,  1863,  discharging  the  duties 
of  chief  justice,  when  he  was  requested  by 
Governor  Yates  to  return  to  Illinois  and 
accompany  the  Governor  on  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion of  the  Illinois  soldiers  in  the  field. 
They  visited  General  Grant's  headquarters, 
and  on  Feb.  15,  1863,  Mr.  Kellogg  was  re- 
quested by  General  (Jrant  to  proceed  im- 
mediately to  Washington  with  important 
papers,  from  General  Grant  to  President 
Lincoln.  He  accepted  the  mission,  and 
armed  with  the  following  pass,  written  by 
General  Grant,  which  Mr.  Kellogg  still  re- 
tains, he  went  to  Washington  and  delivered 
the  papers  : 

Headquarters  Department  of 
Tennessee  before  Vicksburg, 
Feb.  15,  1863. 

The  bearer  hereof.  Colonel  Kellogg,  is 
permitted  to  pass  through  all  parts  of  this 
department,  stopping  at  such  military  posts 
as  he  may  desire,  and  travelling  free  on 
chartered  steamers  and  military  railroads. 
Good  until  countermanded. 

[Signed]     IT.  S.  Grant, 

Major-General  Commanding. 

Mr.  Kellogg  held  the  office  of  chief  justice 
of  Nebraska  until  .April,  1865,  when  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  tendered  him  the  appointment 
of  collector  of  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Kellogg 
continued  to  serve  as  collector  until  July, 
1868,  when  a  Republican  State  Legislature 
having  been  chosen,  he  was  elected  LI.  S. 
Senator  from  Louisiana,  taking  his  seat  July 
17,  1868.  He  served  on  the  committee  on 
commerce  and  Pacific  railroads,  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  levees  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  the  first  committee  on  the  sub- 
ject appointed  by  the  Senate  under  a  reso- 
lution introduced  by  Mr.  Kellogg.  He  was 
the  author  of  the  Texas  Pacific  railroad  act, 
having  introduced  that  bill  and  was  foremost 
in  securing  its  passage.  He  remained  in 
the  \J.  S.  Senate  until  the  fall  of  1872,  when 
having  been  nominated  for  Crovernor  bv  the 


Republican  party,  he  resigned.  'Ihe  long 
and  notable  struggle  that  followed  as  a  con- 
sequence of  that  gubernatorial  contest,  re- 
sulting in  Mr.  Kellogg's  recognition  as  Gov- 
ernor of  Louisiana  by  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress, is  a  matter  of  general  history. 

Mr.  Kellogg  served  as  Governor  of  Louis- 
iana until  June,  1877,  when  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  L'.  S.  Senate,  and  served  as 
senator  until  1883.  He  ser\ed  on  the  com- 
mittees on  commerce  and  territories,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  Pacific 
railroads.  At  the  end  of  his  second  term  as 
U.  S.  Senator  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  the  great  sugar  district 
of  Louisiana,  receiving  nearly  the  entire  vote 
of  the  planting  interests  of  that  district.  In 
1884,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  the 
House,  Mr.  Blaine  having  been  defeated  for 
President,  Mr.  Kellogg  retired  from  active 
politics. 

Mr.  Kellogg  was  a  delegate  in  the  conven- 
tion that  organized  the  Republican  party  in 
Illinois  in  185  J.  He  was  a  delegate  at  the 
convention  in  Bloomington  which  nominated 
Governor  Bissell,  the  first  Republican  Gov- 
ernor elected  in  Illinois.  He  also  led  the 
delegation  from  Fulton  county  in  the  Repub- 
lican state  convention  in  i860,  which  nomi- 
nated Governor  Yates,  the  war  Governor,  and 
he  was  himself  chosen  by  the  same  conven- 
tion as  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  presidential 
electors.  He  was  a  delegate-at-large  to  the 
Chicago  national  convention  in  1868,  which 
nominated  General  Grant  the  first  time.  He 
has  since  been  a  delegate  and  chairman  of 
the  Louisiana  delegation  at  every  Republican 
national  convention,  including  the  last  con- 
vention of  June,  1892,  at  Minneapolis. 

He  was  one  of  the  306  delegates  who 
voted  for  General  Grant  to  the  last  in  the 
national  convention  of  1S80. 

He  was  married,  June  6,  1865,  to  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  Andrew  Wills,  who  emigrated  at 
an  early  age  to  Illinois  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  who  was  a  member  of  the  famous  Wills 
family  connected  with  the  history  of  Gettys- 
burg, Pa.  They  have  no  children.  Mr. 
Kellogg  has  four  sisters  residing  in  Iowa 
and  one  sister  and  a  brother  residing  in 
Kansas — they  all  have  children. 

Mr.  Kellogg  now  resides  a  portion  of  the 
year  in  Louisiana,  where  he  is  connected 
with  sugar  planting,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  year  in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  has 
large  real  estate  interests. 

KIDDER,  JEFFERSON  P.,  was  born  at 
Braintree,  was  trained  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
taught  school,  received  a  classical  education, 
graduating  at  the  Norwich  LIniversity,  and 
was  a  tutor  therein  :  received  in  1848  the  de- 
gree of  M.  .A.  from  the  L'niversity  of  Ver- 
mont ;    studied    and    practiced    law ;    was  a 


member  of  the  state  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion in  1847  :  was  a  member  of  the  state 
Senate  of  \'ermont  in  1847  to  1848;  was 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  \'ermont  in  1853- 
1854  ;  removed  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  in  1857; 
was  elected  a  provisional  delegate  from  Da- 
kota Territory  while  visiting  there  in  1859; 
was  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  House  of 
Representatives  in  )86i,  1863,-1864;  was 
appointed  in  1865  an  associate  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  Dakota  Territory,  and  re- 
moved there,  and  was  re-appointed  in  1869 
and  again  in  1873,  and  resigned  after  having 
discharged  the  duties  of  that  office  for  ten 
years  ;  and  was  elected  a  delegate  from  Da- 
kota in  the  Forty-fourth  Congress  as  a  Repub- 
lican :  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-fifth  Con- 
gress. 

KNAPP,  CHAUNCY  L.,  was  born  in  Ber- 
lin, Feb.  26,  1S09.  He  commenced  life  by 
serving  an  apprenticeship  in  a  printing  office 
in  Montpelier  ;  was  elected  reporter  for  the 
Legislature  in  1833  ;  was  co-proprietor  and 
editor  for  some  years  of  the  State  Journal ; 
was  elected  secretary  of  the  state  in  1836, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  four  years  ;  and 
removing  to  Massachusetts,  he  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate  in 
1851  ;  and  was  elected  to  the  Thirty-fourth 
and  re-elected  to  the  Thirty-fifth  Congress. 
To  him  was  awarded  the  credit,  while  edit- 
ing the  Journal,  of  first  nominating  General 
Harrison  for  the  presidency,  which  resulted 
in  his  obtaining  the  electoral  votes  of  Ver- 
mont four  years  before  he  was  really  elected. 

KNAPP,  Dexter  J.,  of  Sioux  Falls, 
South  Dakota,  son  of  Gardner  and  Fanny 
(Alton)  Knapp,  was  born  in  Dummerston, 
Nov.  30,  1844. 

Availing  himself  of  the  ordinary  school 
advantages  of  his  native  place,  and  with  an 
inherent  high  sense  of  honor  and  integrity 
such  as  has  placed  many  Green  Mountain 
boys  in  eminent  positions  in  life,  Mr.  Knapp 
began  his  business  career  as  a  dealer  in  silks 
at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  i860.  Prospering 
in  this  he  went  westward  in  1867  and  locat- 
ed at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  engaged  in 
the  loan  and  lumber  business.  Profiting  by 
his  experience  in  the  past  and  his  connec- 
tion with  large  business  transactions,  he 
remained  here  until  1877  when  he  went  to 
Sioux  Falls,  Dakota  Territory,  and  began  ac- 
tive operations  in  real  estate.  This  town,  at 
the  time  but  a  mere  hamlet,  afforded  a  fine 
field  for  his  business  sagacity  and  he  began 
buying  large  tracts  of  lands  adjacent  to 
Sioux  Falls,  also  building  dwellings  on  the 
plateaux  overlooking  the  Big  Sioux  river, 
which  a  rapidly  increasing  population  made 
necessary.  January  i,  1894,  Sioux  Falls  had 
a  population  of  15,000,  and  is  located  in  one 


99 


of   the  finest  wheat  and  corn  behs  hi  the 
world. 

Mr.  Knapp  was  married,  Dec.  24,    1S77, 


DEXTER   J.    KNAPP. 

to  Fanny  M.  Harmon,  of  Sioux  Falls,  South 
Dakota,  and  has  two  daughters  :  Bessy,  and 
Helen. 

KNAPP,  Lyman  E.,  of  Sitka,  Alaska, 
son  of  Hiram  and  Elvira  (Stearns)  Kna])p, 
was  born  in  Somerset,  Nov.  5,  1837.  He 
was  the  fourth  in  direct  line  of  descent  from 
Capt.  Joseph  Knapp,  of  Taunton,  Mass., 
who  commanded  a  company  in  Colonel  Tit- 
comb's  regiment,  war  of  the  Revolution. 
His  grandfather,  Cyrus  Knapp,  remoxed  to 
Dover  about  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  His  first  ancestor  in  this  country 
came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  settled  at 
Brighton,  Mass.,  in  1640. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  prepared  for 
college  at  Burr  Seminary,  Manchester,  and 
graduated  with  honors  from  Middlebury 
College  in  1862.  Directly  after  graduation 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  I,  i6th  Regt. 
Vt.  \'ols.,  for  nine  months,  but  was  elected 
and  commissioned  captain  of  the  company 
before  mustered  into  the  United  States  ser- 
vice. He  received  his  baptism  of  fire  in  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg  and  was  wounded  in  his 
right  shoulder  by  a  bullet  from  a  spherical 
case  shot  during  the  famous  bayonet  charge  of 
the  1 6th  Vt.  Regt.,  to  meet  the  rebel  charge 
under  Pickett.  The  wound  proved  not  to 
be    serious,    and    after   discharge   from    his 


first  service  he  re-enlisted,  raised  a  company 
of  volunteers  at  Townshend,  which  was 
assigned  as  Co.  F,  to  the  1 7th  Regt.  Vt. 
Vols.,  and  in  command  of  that  company  he 
served  in  Grant's  famous  Wilderness  cam- 
paign of  1864.  The  17th  saw  very  severe 
service,  was  engaged  in  fourteen  of  the 
historic  battles  of  the  war  and  suffered 
greater  losses  in  killed  and  wounded,  during 
its  si.xteen  months  service,  than  most  of  the 
regiments  which  put  in  their  full  terms  of 
three  and  four  years.  Captain  Knapp  was 
engaged  with  his  regiment  in  all  these  bat- 
tles and  was  wounded  in  two  of  them, 
Spottsylvania  and  the  capture  of  Petersburg, 
though  not  severely.  He  was  promoted 
major,  Oct.  25,  1864,  and  lieutenant-colonel 
a  few  days  later.  He  also  received  a  brevet 
commission  from  the  President  "for  gallant 
and  meritorious  action "  in  the  battle  of 
Petersburg,  April  2,  1865. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged  for 
a  short  time  in  teaching  at  Burr  &  Burton 
seminary,  Manchester,  then  assumed  the 
control  and  management  of  the  Middlebury 
Register,  and  he  was  editor  of  that  journal 
for  thirteen  years.  During  his  work  in  con- 
nection with  that  paper,  he  read  law,  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Vermont  courts 
in  1876,  which  practice  he  continued,  resid- 
ing in  Middlebury,  until  his  removal  to 
Alaska  to  assume  the  duties  of  Governor  of 
that  territory,  to  which  he  was  appointed  on 
the  1 2th  day  of  April,  1889. 

In  i872-'73  he  was  oneof  theclerks  of  the 
Vermont  House  of  Representatives.  In 
i886-'87  he  was  an  influential  member  of 
the  same  body.  For  twenty  years,  from 
1869  to  1889,  he  was  the  trial  justice  of  the 
peace  of  his  county,  before  whom  the  more 
important  and  difficult  cases  were  brought 
for  adjudication.  He  was  register  of  pro- 
bate for  two  years  and  became  judge  of  the 
same  court  in  1879,  which  office  he  held  by 
successive  elections  until  he  resigned  in 
1889,  to  accept  the  office  of  Governor  of 
.•\laska. 

He  was  chairman  of  the  Republican  com- 
mittee of  his  county  eight  years,  and  has 
served  as  member  of  the  school  board  for  his 
district ;  chairman  of  the  county  temperance 
society  ;  vice-president  of  the  Western  Ver- 
mont Congregational  Club  ;  town  clerk  for  a 
number  of  years  ;  treasurer  of  the  .Addison 
county  grammar  school  ;  chairman  of  the 
business  committee  of  the  Middlebury  Con- 
gregational Religious  Society  ;  town  assessor 
of  taxes  ;  chairman  of  the  county  evangeliza- 
tion committee,  and  connected  with  every 
movement  for  the  promotion  of  morals  and 
philanthropy  which  came  within  his  reach. 
Sometimes  he  made  addresses  on  occasions 
like  the  Fourth  of  Tuly,  Memorial  Day,  relig- 
ious conventions,  temperance  meetings  and 


KNOWLTON. 


KXOWLTON. 


society  anniversaries,  and  wrote  editorial 
articles  and  communications  for  periodicals 
and  newspapers  other  than  his  own.  These 
articles  were  highly  appreciated  and  much 
sought  after. 

In  college  he  was  a  member  of  the  Delta 
Upsilon  fraternity  and  belonged  to  the  hon- 
orary Alumni  society,  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  after 
graduation,  and  has  held  the  ofifice  of  presi- 
dent of  the  local  chapter.  Soon  after  the 
war  he  became  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
and  served  several  terms  as  commander  of 
his  post.  His  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
learned  societies  never  flagged.  He  is  still 
a  member  of  four  historical  societies,  includ- 
ing the  Alaska  Historical  Society  of  which 
he  is  president,  of  the  National  Geographic 
Society,  of  one  ethnological  society,  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Civics  of  New  York, 
whose  object  is  to  promote  a  higher  and 
purer  citizenship  ;  and  has  made  geology  and 
mineralogy  the  special  study  of  many  of  his 
summer  vacations. 

In  addition  to  his  professional  and  official 
work  he  had  an  extensive  loan  business  of 
which  he  conducted  the  eastern  and  western 
agencies  in  Kansas,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Da- 
kota, and  Washington,  and  he  had  the  man- 
agement of  several  trust  estates.  All  these 
business  connections  he  laid  aside  in  18S9 
on  leaving  for  Alaska. 

He  became  Governor  of  Alaska  on  taking 
the  oath  of  office,  April  20,  1S89,  since 
which  time  he  has  conducted  the  business 
of  the  executive  of  that  territory.  The 
duties  of  that  ofifice  have  been  exceedingly 
onerous,  and  the  responsibilities  heavy  and 
wearing.  He  has  made  four  extended 
annual  reports,  w-hich  have  been  published 
and  have  become  the  authority  on  matters 
embraced  therein. 

Politically  his  sympathies  were  ever  with 
the  Republican  party.  His  first  vote  for 
President  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
i860. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  he 
ever  remained  devotedly  attached  to  the 
principles  of  that  faith. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Jan.  23,  1865, 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  with  Martha  A., 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Corcina  (Jones) 
Severance.  .'Vs  the  fruit  of  this  marriage 
they  have  :  George  E.,  Frances  A.,  Lyman 
Edwin,  and  May  A. 

KNOWLTON,  Frank  Hall,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  son  of  Julius  A.  and  Mary 
Ellen  (Blackmer)  Knowlton,  was  born  Sept. 
2,  i860,  at  Brandon. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Brandon  and  Middlebury  College,  graduating 
from  the  latter  institution  in  July,  1884,  with 


the  degree  of  B.  S.,  the  first  conferred  by 
this  college,  and  in  1887  received  the  de- 
gree of  M.  S.  from  the  same  college.  In 
1894  he  obtained  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from 
the  Columbian  L^niversity  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  This  degree  was  the  first  one  of  the 
kind  granted  by  the  university  as  represent- 
ing a  course  of  study  accomplished. 

Immediately  after  graduation  in  August, 
1884,  he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  to  be- 
come an  assistant  in  the  department  of  bot- 
any in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  held  until  July,  1887,  when  he 
was  made  assistant  curator  of  the  depart- 
ment. He  continued  in  this  position  until 
.April,  1889,  when  he  resigned  to  assume 
charge  of  the  botany  of  the  Century  Diction- 
ary, but  his  health  failed  and  the  following 
six  months  from  July,  1889,  were  spent  in 
active  field  work  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona 
and  California  as  assistant  paleontologist  of 
the  U.  S.  geological  survey.  In  1887  he  was 
elected  professor  of  botany  in  Columbian 
University,  Washington,  D.  C,  w-hich  posi- 
tion he  now  holds.  He  was  also  engaged  in 
preparing  the  botanical  definitions  for  the 
Standard  Dictionary,  a  work  now  approach- 
ing completion,  and  has  written  over  20,000 
definitions  for  it.  He  is  one  of  the  editors  of 
the  American  Geologist,  and  has  written  many 
valuable  scientific  papers,  notably,  "  Fossil 
Wood  and  Lignite  of  the  Potomac  Forma- 
tion," "  Fossil  \\ood  of  Arkansas,"  "  Addi- 
tions to  the  Flora  of  Washington,"  "  Birds  of 
Brandon,  Vt.,"  "  Flora  of  Nushagak,  Alaska"  ; 
a  complete  bibliography  of  his  works  would 
number  125  articles,  including  papers  and 
reviews.  His  contributions  to  leading  scien- 
tific journals  have  been  extensive  and  include 
the  American  Journal  of  Science  ;  American 
Geologist,  geological  survey  bulletin  ;  Journal 
of  Geology  ;  The  Auk  ;  Proceedings  LI.  S. 
National  Museum:  Smithsonian  Reports; 
The  Botanical  Gazette  ;  Forest  and  Stream  ; 
Garden  and  Forest,  etc. 

At  college  he  was  a  D.  K.  E.  and  has  since 
been  elected  to  membership  in  the  following 
named  societies  :  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  American 
Geological  Society,  American  Ornithologists' 
Union,  Society  of  Naturalists  of  Eastern 
L'nited  States,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, Philosophical,  Biological,  Geological, 
Botanical  and  Ornithological  societies  of 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Prof.  Knowlton  was  married  at  Kingman, 
Kan.,  Sept.  27,  1887,  to  Annie  Sterling, 
daughter  of  William  A.  and  Lydia  Moorhead. 
She  died  Jan.  26,  1890,  leaving  one  child: 
Margaret.  He  was  married  a  second  time 
at  Laurel,  Md.,  Oct.  3,  1893,  to  Rena  Geni- 
veve,  daughter  of  Isaac  B.  and  Lizzie  W. 
Ruff. 


LADl),  Charles  Douglass,  of  san 

Francisco,  Cal.,  son  of  Seneca  and  Mary  S. 
(Varnuni)  Ladd,  was  born  in  Danville,  Sept. 
3,  1849. 

He  was  educated  at  the  publfc  schools  of 
Danville  during  the  years  of  his  minority, 
and  learned  the  blacksmith's  and  gunsmith's 
trades.  In  1869  he  went  to  California,  and 
for  several  years  worked  as  gunsmith  and 
blacksmith,  until  in  1877  he  established  him- 
self in  business  at  San  Francisco  as  a  dealer 
in  firearms  and  sporting  goods.  In  1881  he 
removed  to  his  present  large  establishment 
at  529  Kearney  street,  where  he  still  con- 
ducts the  same  business  in  connection  with 
the  fur  business,  which  he  has  added  during 
the  last  few  years.  Mr.  Ladd  is  the  owner  of 
several  schooners  which  are  engaged  prin- 
cipally in  the  fur  trade. 

He  is  independent  and  liberal  in  regard 
to  politics,  and  votes  with  the  party  having 
the  best  candidate  for  otifice  ;  hence,  he  says, 
"  I  am  both  Democrat  and  Republican." 

Mr.  Ladd  married  Mary  S.  Lyon  of  Wood- 
stock, Conn. 

LANGDON,  William    Chauncy, 

grandson  of  the  late  Hon.  Chauncy  Langdon 
of  Castleton,  and  son  of  John  Jay  and  Har- 
riette  Curtis  (Woodward)  Langdon,  being 
descended  on  the  mother's  side  from  the 
Wheelocks  and  Woodwards  of  Dartmouth 
College,  N.  H.,  w-as  born  in  Burlington, 
August  19,  1 83 1. 

His  childhood  and  youth  were  almost 
wholly  passed  at  the  South,  chiefly  in  New 
Orleans,  where  he  was  educated  by  his  moth- 
er. He  fitted  for  college  at  Castleton  (Vt.) 
Seminary  and  in  1850  graduated  at  Transyl- 
vania L'niversity,  Le.xington,  Ky. 

Giving  his  early  manhood  to  scientific  pur- 
suits, he  was  for  a  few  months  instructor  in 
astronomy  and  chemistry  at  Shelby  College, 
Ky.,  from  which  post  he  was  appointed  in 
1851,  asaistant  examiner,  and,  afterwards, 
chief  examiner,  in  the  V.  S.  Patent  Office. 
He  resigned  this  office  in  1856  ;  practiced  as 
a  councilor  in  patent  law  for  two  years  ;  and, 
in  1858,  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

During  his  residence  in  Washington,  Mr. 
Langdon  was  actively  interested  in  the 
Voung  Men's  Christian  Associations,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  earliest  American  pioneers 
and  the  leader  in  the  organization  of  these 
societies  in  a  national  confederation,  as  well 
as  in  securing  international  relations  between 
them  and  European  bodies. 

In  the  ministry,  after  a  year  as  an  assis- 
tant in  a  Philadelphia  church,  Mr.  Lang- 
don went  in  1859  to  Rome,  Italy,  and  as 
chaplain  of  the  V.  S.  Legation  near  the 
Holv  See  founded  and   was  first  rector  of 


the  American  Episcopal  Church  in  that  city  ; 
also  about  the  same  time  starting  a  similar 
church  in  Florence.  Returning  to  the 
Ignited  States  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil 
war,  he  accepted  in  1862  the  rectorship  of 
St.  John's  Church,  Havre  de  (Irace,  Md. 
.\t  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  sent  back  to 
Italy  as  secretary  of  a  joint  committee  of 
the  Ceneral  Convention  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  charged  to  inquire  into  the  religious 
and  ecclesiastical  aspects  and  results  of  the 
Italian  Revolution  then  in  progress.  In  this 
charge,  he  made  his  residence  in  Florence, 
coming  into  intimate  personal  relations  with 
the  principal  leaders  of  the  Liberal  Catholic 


CHAUNCY    LANGDON 


party  in  the  Italian  church,  before  and  dur- 
ing the  period  of  the  Vatican  Council,  as  well 
as  with  some  of  the  early  leaders  of  liberal 
Catholicism  in  (lermany.  In  i873Mr.  Lang- 
don was  transferred  to  C.eneva,  Switzerland, 
where  he  founded  Emmanuel  Episcopal 
Church,  and  co-operated  in  German,  French 
and  Swiss  religious  movements.  He  was 
present  at  the  Old  Catholic  Congress  of 
religious  movements,  of  Cologne,  1872  ;  of 
Constance,  1873  ;  of  Friburg,  1874;  and  he 
was  a  participant  member  of  the  re-union 
conferences  of  Bonn  in  1874  and  1875.  He 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity 
from  Kenyon  College,  Gambler,  O.,  in  1874, 
"in  recognition  of  his  distinguished  services 
in  Italy." 


Towards  the  close  of  1875,  Dr.  Langdon 
returned  again  to  the  United  States  ;  was 
rector  of  Christ  Church,  Cambridge,  Mass., 
in  iSyC-'yS  ;  and  of  St.  James'  Church,  Bed- 
ford, Pa.,  from  1883  to  1890;  since  which 
year,  in  consequence  of  impaired  health,  he 
has  withdrawn  from  parish  duty  and  has 
been  living  with  his  eldest  son.  Prof.  Court- 
ney Langdon,  of  Brown  University,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 

Mr.  Langdon  married,  in  1858,  Hannah 
Agnes,  daughter  of  E.  S.  Courtney  of  Balti- 
more, Md.,  and  has  had  five  children,  all 
still  living  :  Prof.  Courtney  Langdon,  George 
W.  Langdon  of  Nevvburyport,  Mass.,  William 
C.  Langdon,  Jr.,  an  instructor  in  Brown 
L^niversity,  and  two  daughters. 

Dr.  Langdon  has  so  far  published  but  two 
small  volumes  ''  Some  Account  of  the  Catho- 
lic Reform  Movement  in  the  Italian  Church," 
London  1868;  and  "Seven  Letters  to  the 
Baron  Ricasoli,"  in  Italian,  Florence,  1S74. 
He  has,  however,  for  some  years  been 
engaged  upon  a  work  of  some  magnitude — 
"  The  Modern  Crisis  of  Latin  Christianity." 
But  he  has  published  a  succession  of  reports 
during  his  residence  in  Europe,  a  number 
of  pamphlets  on  religious  and  ecclesiastical 
subjects,  and  a  few  sermons  ;  and  he  has 
also  been,  of  later  years,  a  frequent  contrib- 
utor to  the  Church  Quarterly  and  the  Politi- 
cal Science  (Quarterly,  to  the  International 
and  Andover  Reviews,  to  the  Church,  At- 
lantic, Century  and  L'niversity  Magazines, 
and  to  other  periodicals. 

LAWRENCE,  CHARLES  B.,  late  of  Chi- 
cago, was  the  son  of  Villa  Lawrence,  a  mer- 
chant of  Vergennes,  and  was  born  in  that 
city  about  1819  to  1820. 

After  the  proper  preparation  he  entered 
jNIiddlebury  College,  where  he  continued  till 
the  end  of  the  junior  year,  when  he  entered 
the  senior  class  in  Llnion  College,  Schenec- 
tady, N.  Y.,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1840,  and  in  the  winter  following  he  com- 
menced teaching  an  academy  in  either  Dal- 
las or  Lowndes  county,  Ala.,  and  remained 
so  employed  until  184.2,  when  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  Hon.  Alphonso  Taft,  an 
eminent  lawyer  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  after- 
ward attorney-general  of  the  L'nited  States 
under  President  (Irant. 

In  the  fall  of  1843  he  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  studied  in  the  law  office  of  ( leyer 
&  Dayton,  till  his  admission  to  the  bar  in 
St.  Louis  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1844. 
Henry  S.  Geyer  of  the  firm  of  Geyer  &  Day- 
ton, stood  at  the  front  of  the  St.  Louis  and 
Missouri  bar,  and  succeeded  Thomas  H. 
Benton  in  the  ignited  States  Senate.  In 
February,  1844,  Mr.  Lawrence  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Melvin  L.  Gray,  from  Vermont, 
just  then  beginning  practice.     As  both  mem- 


bers of  this  firm  were  young  and  inexper- 
ienced and  had  few  acquaintances  and  their 
practice  was  mostly  waiting  and  seeking  em- 
ployment, Mr.  Lawrence  was  induced  to  go 
to  Quincy,  111.,  and  form  a  partnership  with 
David  L.  Hough,  son  of  Prof.  John  Hough, 
for  many  years  of  the  faculty  of  Middlebury 
College.  This  partnership  was  soon  termin- 
ated by  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Hough  to 
the  land  agency  of  the  Michigan  and  Illinois 
canal.  Then  Mr.  Lawrence  became  the  part- 
ner of  the  Hon.  Archie  Williams,  one  of  the 
leading  attorneys  of  northwestern  Illinois, 
with  whom  he  continued  until  iSs6.     Dur- 


ARLES    B.    LAWRENCE, 


ing  this  period  the  firm  did  a  large  and 
profitable  business  and  Mr.  Lawrence  at- 
tained a  high  rank  for  learning,  professional 
skill  and  ability,  and  for  integrity  and  up- 
rightness of  character. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  married  Miss 
iMargaret  Marston,  a  young  English  lady, 
whose  parents  had  become  residents  of 
Quincy.  Being  in  poor  health — a  life-long 
sufferer  with  asthma— in  1856  he  closed  his 
business,  and  after  attending  as  a  delegate  to 
the  national  convention  that  nominated  John 
C.  Fremont  for  the  presidency,  he  spent  a 
winter  in  Cuba  and  the  two  years  following 
in  Europe,  and  on  his  return  to  this 
country  settled  on  a  farm  in  Warren  county, 
111.,  but  was  soon  elected  circuit  judge  of  his 
circuit,  in  which  position  he  showed  such 
marked  judicial  qualities  that  he  was  soon 
elected  one  of  the  supreme  judges  of  the 


I03 


state  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  many 
years.  As  a  judge  his  standing  was  one  of 
the  highest,  for  great  powers  of  analysis,  in- 
tegrity, uprightness  and  legal  attainments. 
His  opinions  are  characterized  by  clearness, 
close  logic,  perspicuity  and  force,  and  are 
models  of  their  kind.  He  was  regarded,  both 
in  and  out  of  the  state,  as  one  of  the  strong- 
est and  ablest  jurists  that  ever  sat  on  the 
Supreme  Court  bench  of  Illinois.  On  the 
closing  of  his  judicial  career,  he  resumed 
practice  in  Chicago,  where  it  became  large 
and  profitable. 

In  the  controversy  for  the  presidency  be- 
tween Tilden  and  Hayes,  he  was  sent  as  one 
of  the  commissioners  to  Louisiana  to  investi- 
gate the  results  of  the  election  in  that  state, 
and  subsequently  was  much  talked  of  as  U. 
S.  Senator  from  Illinois.  He  was  originally 
a  Democrat,  but  his  residence  in  the  South 
had  convinced  him  of  the  e\ils  and  dangers 
of  slavery,  and  he  became  thereafter  a 
Republican. 

In  February,  1SS5,  to  avoid  the  inclem- 
ency of  the  weather  on  the  lake,  he  started 
on  a  trip  to  reach  the  more  genial  climate  of 
the  South,  but  was  overtaken  by  death  at 
Decatur,  Ala. 

He  had  three  children,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter.  The  eldest  son  and  daughter 
died  on  reaching  adult  years,  and  in  his  life- 
time. The  youngest  son  survived  him,  but 
died  soon  after  his  father's  death,  while  a 
student  in  Yale  College.  His  wife  alone  sur- 
vives, and  is  now  residing  in  England. 

LEE,  JOHN  StEBBINS,  of  Canton,  N.  V., 
son  of  Eli  and  Rebekah  (Stebbins)  Lee,  was 
born  Sept.  23,  1820,  at  Yernon. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  fitted  for  college  in  Deerfield,  Shelburne 
Falls  and  Brattleboro  ;  entering  Amherst  Col- 
lege in  1 84 1,  he  graduated  with  honors  in 
1845.  He  taught  his  first  school  when 
eighteen  years  of  age  at  Guilford.  From 
1845  to  1847  he  was  principal  of  Mount 
Caesar  Seminary  at  Svvanzey,  N.  H.,  and  for 
two  years  principal  of  Melrose  Seminary  at 
West  Brattleboro,  and  at  the  laiter  place  was 
ordained  to  the  Universalist  ministry  June 
23,  1847.  He  held  brief  pastorates  in  \Vest 
Brattleboro,  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  and  Mont- 
pelier,  where  be  became  assistant  editor  of 
the  Christian  Repository,  associated  with  1  )r. 
Eli  Ballou. 

In  March,  1S52,  he  took  charge  of  the 
Oreen  Mountain  Institute  at  South  Wood- 
stock and  labored  there  twenty-one  terms  in 
succession  until  1857,  when  wearied  with 
constant  work  he  removed  to  Woodstock 
village.  He  served  as  pastor  of  South  Wood- 
stock, Bridgewater  and  Woodstock  parishes 
for  seven  years,  and  in  April,  1859,  he  was 
called  to  take  charge  of   the  St.  Lawrence 


L'niversity  at  Canton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  For  nine  years  he  was  act- 
ing president  of  the  collegiate  department 
and  college  and  in  .April,  1869,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  theological  department  and 
appointed  professor  of  ecclesiastical  history 
and  biblical  archaeology  which  position  he 
now  holds  ( 1894).  For  nearly  fifty-five  years 
he  has  been  an  able  and  successful  teacher, 
passing  through  all  grades  from  common 
schools  to  college. 


JOHN    STEBBINS    LEE. 


In  July,  1 868,  seeking  rest  from  his  ardu- 
ous labors  he  obtained  leave  of  absence  and 
travelled  extensively  in  England  and  on  the 
Continent,  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land.  His 
work  and  varied  historical  reading  had  pre- 
pared him  to  study  intelligently  classical 
scenes  and  Bible  lands,  historic  and  anti- 
quarian relics,  and  the  results  of  his  obser- 
vations were  written  out  for  several  publi- 
cations while  abroad.  L'pon  his  return, 
improved  in  health  and  mind,  stored  with 
valuable  knowledge,  he  lectured  upon  his 
travels  to  large  audiences  in  many  states. 
In  1 87 1  he  published  a  work  entitled, 
"Nature  and  .\rt  in  the  Old  World,"  and  in 
1877  another  volume  entitled,  "Sacred 
Cities,"  devoted  to  biblical  scenes.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  he  has  written  many  articles 
for  the  Ladies'  Repository,  the  L^niversalist 
Quarterly  and  other  journals. 

In  1848  the  degree  of  A.  M.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Amherst  College,  and  in  1875 


104 


the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.,   by  Buchtel 
College,  Akron,  O. 

Mr.  Lee  was  married,  Feb.  22,  1848,  to 
Elmina  Bennett,  of  Westmoreland,  N.  H. 
Six  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  the 
eldest,  Ida  Elmine,  died  in  infancy :  the 
other  five,  Leslie  Alexander,  John  Clarence, 
Frederic  Schiller,  Florence  Josephine  and 
Lulu  Gertrude  Lottie  are  living  and  all  have 
taken  up  the  profession  of  their  father  and 
occupy  prominent  positions. 


LYON,  Lucius,  was  born  in  Vermont, 
but  emigrated  to  Michigan  when  quite  a 
young  man ;  devoted  himself  for  several 
years  to  the  business  of  surveying  the  wild 
lands  of  the  territory ;  was  a  delegate  in 
Congress  from  that  territory  during  the  years 
1833, -'34, -'35,  and  a  senator  in  Congress' 
from  Michigan  from  1836  to  1840,  and  a 
representative  in  Congress  from  1843  to 
1845.  His  last  public  position  was  that  of 
surveyor-general  in  the  Northwest.  Died  at 
Detroit,  September  25,  185  i. 


MARTIN,  Moses  MELLEN,  of  .AUegan, 
Mich.,  son  of  Deacon  Moses  and  Almira 
(Dana)  Martin,  was  born  in  Peacham,  .April 
8,  1834.  He  inherits  sterling  qualities  and 
sound  judgment  from  a  good  stock  of  ances- 
tors, counting  among  them  the  Chamber- 
lains and  Mellens  of  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  his 


MOSES    MELLEN    MARTIN. 

great-grandfather,  Samuel  Chamberlain,  hav- 
ing married  Martha  Mellen,  daughter  of 
Deacon  Henry  Mellen  of  that  town.  His 
grandparents,  .\shbel  and  Lydia  (Chamber- 
lain) ^lartin,  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Peacham,  having  built  one  of  the  first 
frame  farm  houses  in  the  town. 

Mr.  Martin  received  the  rudiments  of 
his  education  in  the  country  district  where 
his  father  lived  :  he  fitted  for  college  at 
Peacham  .\cademy  and  graduated  from  Mid- 


dlebury  College  in  1 86 1 ,  and  from  the  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary  in  1864.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  at  Peacham  by  the  Minis- 
terial Association  of  Caledonia  county  in 
May,  1864,  and  was  ordained  at  Middletown 
where  was  his  first  pastorate  in  1S65.  He 
entered  upon  home  missionary  work  in  Wis- 
consin the  following  year  and  has  held  pas- 
torates over  Congregational  churches  in 
Prescott,  and  Mazomanie,  Wis.,  and  in  I'hree 
Oaks,  and  Allegan,  Mich.,  where  now  he  is 
pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church. 

He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
educational  matters,  serving  for  many  years 
as  school  inspector  and  in  this  capacity  visit- 
ing schools,  advising  teachers  and  stimulat- 
ing pupils  to  make  the  most  of  themselves, 
to  desire  above  everything  good  character. 
Through  his  influence  the  town  library  of 
Three  Oaks  grew  to  be  one  of  the  best  in 
southwestern  Michigan.  In  college  he  was 
from  the  first  opposed  to  secret  societies  and 
allied  himself  with  the  Delta  L'psilon  frater- 
nitity  the  highest  offices  of  which  he  held. 
He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F. 
M.  His  Princeton  classmates  made  him  a 
life  member  of  the  Bible  Society  ;  he  received 
the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Olivet 
College,  Mich. 

In  the  ministry  his  labors  have  been  marked 
by  great  earnestness  and  excellent  judgment 
so  that  although  in  every  instance  his  charges, 
though  at  the  outset  unpromising,  became, 
under  his  wise  and  able  leadership,  strong 
and  flourishing  churches  ;  and  as  an  instance 
of  the  regard  of  his  people,  one  of  his 
churches,  in  rebuilding  fifteen  years  after  he 
left  it,  called  him  back  to  preach  the  dedica- 
tory sermon  and  surprised  him  with  their 
beautiful  "  Martin  memorial  window."  One 
of  his  most  striking  characteristics  is  extreme 
modesty,  and  every  pastorate  and  every 
honor  have  been  unsought.  .An  honor  which 
he  greatly  prizes  was  his  election  by  ballot 
by  the  state  association  composed  of  between 
three  and  four  hundred  churches,  to  preach 
in  .Ann  .Arbor  the  opening  sermon  at  one  of 
the  most   important  conventions  during  the 


I05 


fifty  years  of  Congregationalism  in  Michigan 
when  the  subject  of  state  self-support  was 
to  be  introduced  and  acted  upon.  One  of 
the  members  of  the  body  said  the  sermon, 
the  subject  of  which  was  "  Opportunity," 
presented  the  initial  of  all  the  intense  and 
able  discussions  which  followed.  He  was 
also  appointed  by  the  church  at  I'eacham  to 
deliver  the  historical  address  at  its  centen- 
nial celebration. 

His  great  kindliness,  geniality  and  ready 
wit  make  him  a  favorite  in  all  social  circles. 
His  popularity,  like  that  of  Lord  Mansfield, 
is  "that  which  follows,  not  that  which  is  run 
after." 

Mr.  Martin  was  married  Jan.  ig,  1865,  to 
Miss  Laura  A.  Kellogg,  who  tiled  in  August, 
1S70.  Mary  Louise,  the  only  child  of  this 
union,  died  in  infancy.  He  was  again  mar- 
ried in  October,  1871,  to  Margaret  Johnston, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Johnston,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Chicago,  who  died  in  1878.  He 
was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Alva  W.  and  Lydia  (.Atwood) 
Pierce,  of  Londonderry,  in  June,  1880.  Of 
this  union  are  four  children :  Pauline, 
Persis  Lydia,  Mellen  Chamberlain,  and 
Blanche  Elizabeth. 

MASON,  George,  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  son  of  Ephraim  Hubbard  and  Pru- 
dence (Hills)  Mason,  was  born  in  Putney, 
Dec.  31,  1 83 1.  His  parents  removed  to 
Brookline  in  1832,  where  they  resided  for 
more  than  thirty  years,  and  where  his  father 
died,  having  been  a  prominent  man  in  the 
town  which  he  represented  in  the  Legisla- 
tures of  1835  and  1S36.  His  grandfather. 
Anthony  Mason,  moved  to  P^rookline  from 
Warren,  R.  I.,  in  1796.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Temple,  of  Dummerston,  and  raised  a  large 
family,  of  whom  F^phraim  Hubbard  was  the 
eldest.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  George 
Mason,  Samuel  Hills,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Continental  army  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  was  taken  prisoner  at  (^)uebec  and 
paroled,  but  never  exchanged.  His  two 
brothers,  Nathaniel  and  William,  were  al.so 
sodiers  during  the  Re\olution.  Their  father, 
Nathaniel,  li\  ed  in  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  where  he 
and  his  wife  were  much  esteemed,  'i'he 
Mason  family  were  of  English  descent. 

George  Alason  grew  up  very  much  like 
other  Vermont  boys  of  fifty  years  ago,  at- 
tending school  a  few  months  in  summer  and 
in  winter,  and  working  on  his  father's  farm 
in  spring  and  autumn.  He  thus,  in  boy- 
hood, acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  ele- 
ments of  an  English  education  and  of  farming. 
As  he  grew  older  he  became  ambitious  of 
obtaining  a  more  liberal  education,  and  he 
succeeded  without  assistance  in  mastering 
the  principles  of  algebra  and  surveying,  while 
with    assistance    of    Prof.    L.    F.    Ward,   at 


Saxton's  Ri\er  and  at  Westminster,  he  ac- 
quired such  knowledge  of  other  branches  as 
was  necessary  for  admission  to  Vermont 
University.  He  graduated  from  the  univer- 
sity in  the  class  of  1858,  and  has  since 
received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from 
his  alma  mater.  During  his  four  years  at 
the  university  and  even  before  that  time  he 
earned  a  great  part  of  the  means  to  pay  his 
bills  by  teaching  for  a  part  of  each  year, 
and  after  graduation  he  continued  to  teach 
for  several  years,  principally  in  Worcester 
county,  Mass. 


GEORGE    MASON. 

In  1862,  June  11,  he  married  Josephine 
Augusta,  daughter  of  Col.  Moses  and  Louisa 
(Pkts)  Buffum  of  Oxford,  Mass.  Of  this 
marriage  he  has  two  sons  :  H.  Harry  Buffum, 
and  George  Ernest. 

In  1S59  he  was  made  a  Master  Mason,  in 
Putney.  In  i860  he  became  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Oxford  Lodge  in  Massachusetts, 
and  its  first  worshipful  master.  He  was  sub- 
sequendy  re-elected  and  installed  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts.  In  1863 
he  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he 
received  an  appointment  in  the  office  of  the 
paymaster  general  of  the  army,  and  served 
for  five  years,  reading  law  meanwhile,  and 
graduating  from  the  law  department  of  Col- 
umbia College  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 
He  was  admitted,  on  graduation,  to  the  bar 
of  the  District  Supreme  Court,  and  practiced 
his  profession  for  some  years,  making  a 
specialty    of    bankruptcy   law.      He   subse- 


io6 


quently  withdrew  from  practice  and  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business.  In  1869  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  school  board  of 
Washington,  L).  C,  serving  one  year. 

In  1889  he  visited  Europe  with  his  family, 
and  spent  the  summer  of  that  year  in  Paris 
at  the  P.xposition.  He  afterwards  traveled 
in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent,  visit- 
ing several  European  countries,  witnessing 
the  celebrated  passion  play  at  Ober  Ammer- 
gau,  and  spending  some  time  in  Munich, 
Vienna  and  other  capital  cities,  viewing 
their  treasures  of  art  and  relics  of  antiquity, 
and  studying  the  social  and  industrial  con- 
ditions of  the  people  as  developed  under 
their  various  political  institutions.  In  the 
winter  of  1S90  he  returned  to  his  native 
land,  a  more  ap]5reciative  and  ardent  lover 
of  its  free  institutions. 

Republican  in  politics,  his  sympathies  are 
with  and  for  the  race  which  owes  its  en- 
franchisement to  that  party,  and  with  the 
struggling  masses  rather  than  with  the  fa- 
vored few. 

MEIGS,  Henry  B.,  of  Baltimore,  Md., 
son  of  Captain  Luther,  and  grandson  of 
Benjamin  (pioneers  of  that  town),  was  born 
in  Highgate,  Nov.  23,  1844. 

Remote  from  the  district  schools  of  the 
locality,  his  education  was  very  limited,  but 
upon  attaining  the  years  of  manhood  he 
became  a  great  reader  of  current  literature 
and  substantial  standard  works  almost  ex- 
clusively of  history,  biography  and  travel, 
and  has  pursued  all  through  life  a  self- 
directed  course  of  study  and  reading  of 
standard  and  classical  authors.  Thus  stor- 
ing his  memory  with  facts  that  have  uncon- 
sciously but  admirably  fitted  him  for  a  life 
of  usefulness. 

In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in 
Co.  K,  13th  Vt.  Vols.,  Col.  F.  V.  Randall 
commanding,  and  was  with  his  command 
and  in  the  ranks  until  the  mustering  out  of 
the  regiment,  and  participated  in  all  of  the 
varying  experiences  of  his  regiment  during 
its  service,  including  the  march  to  and  the 
battle  of  Cettysburg. 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  war.  Captain 
Meigs  emigrated  to  the  wilds  of  the  far  West 
and  for  six  years  was  engaged  in  ranching, 
merchandising,  gold-mining  and  freighting 
across  the  plains  in  the  days  when  Indians 
were  numerous  and  railroads  were  unknown 
in  that  country.  In  187 1  he  returned  east 
and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lime,  and 
merchandising  until  1874  in  northern  New 
York. 

In  politics  Captain  Meigs  has  never  been 
interested  as  an  active  partisan,  with  the 
single  exception  of  having  been  a  member 
of  the  city  council  of  Julesburg,  Col.,  in 
1867.       While    residing    in    northern     New 


York,  Captain  Meigs  organized  the  first  G. 
A.  R.  Post  (William  D.  Brennan)  at  Malone, 
in  Franklin  county,  and  was  its  commander 
five  successive  terms,  during  which  time  the 
post  grew  to  be  the  largest  in  all  northern 
New  York.  While  in  command  of  his  own 
post,  he  was  continuously  serving  in  some 
capacity  upon  the  staff  of  the  department 
commander,  or  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
and  during  those  years  organized  nine  posts 
and  personally  mustered  into  the  Grand 
■Army  more  than  one  thousand  members. 
When  a  young  man  he  became  identified 
with  the  Baptist  denomination  and  has 
always  been  actively  interested  in  the  church 
of  his  choice. 


Special  work  in  life  requires  special  pre- 
paration, and  sometimes  the  training  begins 
very  early.  It  would  seem  so  in  the  case  of 
Captain  Meigs,  whose  early  life  and  sur- 
roundings admirably  fitted  him  for  the  work 
he  was  to  accomplish  in  the  general  field  of 
life  insurance.  In  1876  Captain  Meigs 
adopted  life  insurance  as  his  life's  work,  and 
has  since  followed  it  with  increasing  success, 
first  in  New  \'ork  and  later  in  Baltimore 
until  the  present  time. 

He  went  to  Baltimore  to  take  charge  of 
the  Southeastern  department  of  the  .E'tna 
Life  Insurance  Co.,  in  18S8,  and  the  success 
of  this  department  has  been  phenomenal. 
From  a  small  beginning  he  has  built  up  one 
of  the  largest  general  agencies  on  the  con- 
tinent, the  territorv  comprising  the  states  of 


MERRIFIELU. 


107 


Maryland,  \'irgii"iia,  West  \'irginia,  Delaware 
and  1  )istri(:t  of  Columbia.  By  his  own 
endeavors  he  has  steadily  pushed  to  the 
front  and  now  stands  among  the  foremost  in 
his  chosen  profession.  Is  a  member  of  the 
e.xecutive  committee,  Baltimore  Life  Under- 
writers Association,  and  is  vice-president  of 
the  National  .'\ssociation  of  Life  Under- 
writers. 

It  is  a  treat  to  be  in  company  with  Cap- 
tain Meigs  when  he  is  in  a  reminiscent 
mood  ;  from  his  memory  flows  a  stream  of 
humorous  stories  and  interesting  personal 
history  which  entertain,  instruct  and  benefit. 

In  1872  Captain  Meigs  was  married  to 
Alvira,  daughter  of  .-Xbijah  Stanley  of  Ban- 
gor, N.  Y. 

MERRIFIELD,  WEBSTER,  of  Grand 
Forks,  N.  D.,  son  of  John  A.  and  Louisa  \V. 
Merrifield,  was  born  at  Newfane,  luly  27, 
1852. 

He  attended  the  common  schools  at  Will- 
iamsville,  the  Powers  Institute  at  Bernards- 
ton,  Mass.,  the  Wilbraham  (Mass.)  Aca- 
demy and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  .\. 
at  Vale  College  in  class  of  1877.  From 
1877  to  1879  he  was  a  teacher  in  a  private 
school  atNewburgh,  N.  Y.  In  1879  he  went 
to  Xorth  [Dakota  with  expectation  of  remain- 
ing there  permanently  and  opened  up  a 
farm,  while  reading  law  in  the  office  of  a 
local  attorney,  but  in  the  fall  returned  to 
New  Haven  and  accepted  a  position  on  the 
faculty  of  Yale  College. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  territory  he  served 
as  postmaster  and  justice  of  the  peace.  The 
State  University  of  North  Dakota,  at  Grand 
Forks,  has  been  the  scene  of  his  great  work 
There  he  was  professor  of  Greek  and  Latin 
from  1 884  to  1 89 1,  and  subsequently,  pro- 
fessor of  political  and  social  science.  In 
1 89 1  he  became  president  of  the  University. 
By  nature,  by  his  literary  attainments  and  by 
practical  business  experience.  President  Mer- 
rifield is  eminently  qualified  for  the  duties 
of  this  responsible  position.  He  is  naturally 
keen,  active  and  earnest  and  broadened  by 
collegiate  training  and  years  of  study  and 
foreign  travel.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the  University  from  its  start  and  has  always 
been  an  influential  member  of  the  faculty. 
The  uniform  success  of  the  pupils  in  his 
classes  long  since  demonstrated  his  posses- 
sion of  rare  faculties  as  an  instructor,  while  his 
active  engagement  in  business  pursuits  in- 
sures him  the  possession  of  practical  ideas, 
well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the   University. 

President  Merrifield  is  a  member  of  the 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society ;  the  .American 
Oriental  Society,  as  well  as  various  other 
learned  societies.  Yale  College  conferred 
the  honorary  degree  of  ^L  A.  upon  him  in 
1892. 


MILLARD,  Stephen  C,  of  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  Y.,  was  born  at  Stamford,  Jan.  14, 
1841  ;  was  educated  at  Williams  College, 
graduating  in  the  class  of  1865  ;  read  law  at 
Harvard  Law  School,  and  in  the  office  of 
Pingree  &  Baker,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  state  of  New 
York  in  May,  1867,  at  Binghamton :  has 
been  in  constant  practice  of  the  law  at  Bing- 
hamton from  date  of  his  admission  to  the 
bar  to  the  present  time  ;  was  chairman  of 
the  Republican  county  commission  1872- 
'79,  and  was  elected  to  the  Forty-eighth 
Congress  as  a  Republican  ;  was  re-elected 
to  the  Forty-ninth  Congress. 

MOORE,  HEMAN  Allen,  was  born  in 
Plainfield  in  18 10  ;  studied  law  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.  ;  removed  to  Columbus,  ().  ;  obtained 
distinction  as  a  lawyer  :  was  appointed  ad- 
jutant-general of  the  state  militia,  and  was  a 
representative  in  Congress  from  that  state 
from  1843  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Columbus,  April  3,  1844. 

MORTON.   LEVI  Parsons,   ll.  d., 

ex-Yice  President  of  the  L^nited  States,  the 
youngest  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Daniel  Oliver 
.Morton,  was  born  at  Shoreham,  May  i6, 
1824.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of  George 
Morton,  of  Bavvtry,  Yorkshire,  Eng.,  one  of 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers  who  landed  at  Plymouth, 
^Iass.,  from  the  ship  Ann,  in  1623.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Morton,  his  father,  was  one  of 
those  noble,  old-fashioned,  deep-thinking 
New  England  clergymen,  who  did  God's 
work  as  it  came  to  his  hand  in  pious  earnest- 
ness ;  and,  although  he  had  a  salary  of  only 
six  hundred  a  year,  he  managed  to  give  all 
his  children,  six  in  number,  a  good  education. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  named  after 
his  motiier's  brother,  the  Re\-.  Levi  Parsons, 
a  man  of  strong  intellectual  ability,  who  was 
the  first  -American  missionary  that  went  to 
Palestine,  where  he  served  with  great  zeal. 

Mr.  Morton's  early  life  differed  little  from 
that  of  most  .American  boys  who  ha\e  risen 
to  fame  and  fortune.  Having  finished  his 
education  at  the  academy  in  his  native  place, 
he  decided  on  adopting  a  mercantile  career, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Hano\er,  N.  H.,  where  he  remained 
about  five  years.  In  1849  he  removed  to 
P)oston  and  entered  the  house  of  James 
M.  Beebe  &  Co.,  as  a  clerk.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  partnership  at  the  same  time  that 
Mr.  Morgan,  the  successor  of  George  Pea- 
body  &  Co.  of  London,  joined  the  firm.  In 
1854  he  removed  to  New  York  and  established 
the  dry  goods  commission  house  of  Morton 
&  Grinnell.  In  1863  he  engaged  in  the 
banking  business,  founding  the  now  well- 
known  house  of  Morton,  lUiss  &  Co.,  of  New 
\'ork,  and  in  company  with  Sir  John  Rose, 


7^^-^^^^^^^^<^ 


formerly  finance  minister  of  Canada,  that  of 
Morton,  Rose  &  Co.,  of  London,  I'^ngland. 
After  engaging  in  the  business  of  banking, 
Mr.  Morton  carefully  studied  the  financial 
transactions  of  the  government,  and  his  firm 
was  one  of  the  several  syndicates  which  so 
successfully  funded  the  national  debt  and 
made  resumption  of  specie  payment  possible 
at  the  date  fixed  by  law.  Morton,  Rose  & 
Co.,  of  London,  were  the  first  fiscal  agents  of 
the  United  States  government  from  1873  un- 
til 1 884,  and  reappointed  in  i88g.  Mr. 
Morton's  firms  were  also  active  in  the  syndi- 
cates that  negotiated  the  United  States  bonds, 
and  in  the  payment  of  the  Geneva  award  of 
^15,500,000  and  the  Halifax  fishery  award 
of  55,500,000. 

Mr.  Morton  was  appointed  by  President 
Hayes,  honorary  commissioner  of  the  United 
States  to  the  Paris  Exhibition  in  1878, 
and  in  the  same  year  was  elected  to  the 
Forty-sixth  Congress  from  "Murray  Hill" 
(eleventh)  L^istrict,  in  New  York,  as  a  Re- 
publican, receiving  14,078  votes  against 
7,060  votes  for  his  opponent,  a  Tammany 
Democrat.  He  was  again  returned  in  1880, 
from  the  same  district,  by  a  largely  increased 
vote.  Mr.  Morton  entered  Congress,  it  is 
said,  as  a  diversion,  but  he  found  the  office 
to  be  one  of  dignity  and  responsibility 
if  conscientiously  administered.  He  was 
elected  from  the  wealthiest  district  in  the 
United  States,  and  devoted  himself  with 
scrupulous  attention  to  the  interests  of  his 
constituents  and  to  the  affairs  of  the  nation 
at  large.  No  man  in  Congress  led  a  busier 
life.  His  special  aptitude  for  finance  natur- 
ally led  him  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
this  department  of  legislation,  and  his 
speeches  in  the  House  on  this  subject  were 
notable  for  their  straightforward,  plain,  busi- 
nesslike presentation  of  facts  and  for  the 
speaker's  logical  inferences  based  thereon. 
Personally  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  in  Congress.  Among  its  members, 
comprising  men  of  all  parties  and  profes- 
sions and  from  every  walk  in  life,  he  had  no 
personal  enemies.  No  suspicion  of  jobbery 
e\er  attached  to  his  name.  Possessed  of 
ample  means  and  culture,  he  stood  in  our 
halls  of  legislation  a  typical  American,  the 
blending  of  the  patriot,  the  gentleman,  and 
the  business  man. 

Fond  of  society  and  the  good  things  and 
pleasures  of  life,  he  yet  faithfully  devoted 
himself  to  his  duties  first,  attaching  no  less 
importance  to  his  public  demands  than  to 
his  private  business.  Indeed,  he  labored  as 
diligently  in  Congress  as  if  his  sup])ort  de- 
pended upon  it.  At  the  time  of  the  present- 
ation of  the  so-called  "  Warner  Silver  Bill " 
in  Congress,  when  the  bullion  value  of  the 
silver  dollar  was  about  eighty-five  cents,  he 
took   strong    grounds    against    its   vmlimited 


coinage  and  the  unlimited  issue  of  silver  cer- 
tificates against  silver  bullion,  and  in  a 
speech  delivered  on  May  15,  1879,  declared 
that  he  regarded  the  measure  as  a  \irtual 
repudiation  of  one-sixth  part  of  all  indebted- 
ness, public  and  private,  and  could  only 
designate  it  as  a  "bill  for  the  relief  of  the 
owners  of  silver  mines  and  silver  bullion  of 
the  United  States  and  Europe."  He  advo- 
cated in  a  subsequent  speech  a  suspension  of 
the  coinage  of  silver  until  some  action  could 
be  taken  joindy  with  European  governments, 
which,  in  his  opinion,  would  alone  enable  the 
United  States  to  maintain  a  double,  or  gold 
and  silver  standard.  Notable  among  his 
other  Congressional  speeches  was  one  on 
"  Fish  and  Fish  Culture,  Its  Importance  to 
the  Industries  and  Wealth  of  the  Nation,"  and 
also  on  "  Immigration,  Its  National  Char- 
acter and  Importance  to  the  Industries  and 
Development  of  the  Country."  In  the  latter 
he  took  strong  ground  in  favor  of  the  en- 
couragement of  immigration,  and  advocated 
the  ])assage  of  a  uniform  national  law  for  the 
protection  of  immigrants  coming  to  our 
shores. 

He  took  a  deep  interest  in  international 
politics  and  in  the  relations  of  the  L'nited 
States  with  foreign  countries,  which  fact 
doubtless  led  to  his  appointment  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  of  foreign  affairs  in 
the  Forty-sixth  Congress.  At  the  Chicago 
convention  in  1880,  after  the  nomination  of 
General  Garfield,  Mr.  Morton  was  tendered 
the  nomination  for  Vice-President  by  dele- 
gations from  Ohio  and  other  states  but 
declined  to  accept  on  the  ground  that  he 
preferred  the  more  active  duties  of  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress.  Shortly  after  the  election 
of  General  Ciarfield  to  the  presidency,  a 
large  number  of  the  newspapers  of  the 
country  favored  his  selection  as  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury.  When  the  cabinet  was  being 
made  up,  Mr.  Morton  was  offered  his  choice 
of  a  seat  in  it  as  Secretary  of  the  Na\y  or 
the  French  mission.  He  chose  the  latter, 
and  his  name  being  sent  to  the  Senate  by 
the  President,  his  appointment  as  envoy  ex- 
traordinary and  minister  plenipotentiary  of 
the  United  States  to  France  was  unanimous- 
ly confirmed  on  March  17,  1881.  Resign- 
ing his  seat  in  the  Forty-seventh  Congress  he 
proceeded  to  France  and  presented  his  cre- 
dentials to  President  Grevy,  on  .-Xugust  i, 
1 88 1.  To  the  duties  of  that  important  mis- 
sion Mr.  Morton  brought  conceded  abilities 
and  qualities  which  peculiarly  fitted  him  for 
the  position.  These,  together  with  his 
wealth  and  hospitatity,  speedily  endeared 
him  to  the  I^rench  people  and  government, 
to  whom  he  proved  acceptable  in  every  par- 
ticular. Through  his  intercessions  the  re- 
strictions upon  the  importation  of  American 
pork  were  removed  by  the  French   govern- 


ment  in  an  official  decree  published  Nov. 
27,  1883,  but  the  prohibitory  decree  was 
subsequently  renewed  by  the  legislative 
body.  He  secured  also  the  recognition  of 
American  corporations  in  France.  Mr. 
Morton  drove  the  first  rivet  in  the  Bartholdi 
statue  "Liberty  Enlightening  the  World," 
and  accepted  the  completed  statue  for  his 
government  on  July  4,  1884.  He  was  .Amer- 
ican commissioner  general  to  the  Paris 
Electrical  Exposition,  and  the  representa- 
ti\e  of  the  United  States  at  the  Sub-Marine 
Cable  Convention.  Mr.  [Morton  resigned 
the  mission  to  France  after  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  Cleveland,  in  1885,  and 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  July  of 
that  year. 

He  was  nominated  for  the  vice-presidency 
by  the  Republican  convention  at  Chicago  in 
1888,  receiving  581  votes  against  234  votes 
for  other  candidates.  He  was  elected  in 
November,  188S,  and  inaugurated  as  Vice- 
President  on  March  4,  1889.  He  proved  a 
model  presiding  officer,  discharging  the  du- 
ties of  the  exalted  position  with  an  ability, 
impartiality,  and  dignity  which  gained  the 
praises  of  all  without  regard  to  party  dis- 
tinctions, even  at  a  time  when  party  spirit 
ran  high  over  most  important  measures  com- 
ing before  the  United  States  Senate.  At  the 
great  encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  at  \\'ashington  in  September, 
1882,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States  ;  like- 
wise at  the  dedicatory  service  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago,  Oct.  21, 
1S92,  he  made  the  address  of  welcome,  ac- 
cepting the  buildings  "in  the  name  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States"  and  dedi- 
cating them  to  "humanity."  Mr.  Morton  is 
noted  for  his  hospitality,  and  his  historic  resi- 


dence in  Washington  and  his  home,  Ellerslie, 
at  Rhinecliff  on  the  Hudson,  are  all  appointed 
and  conducted  with  taste  and  elegance.  He 
has  been  likewise  prominent  in  works  of 
charity. 

When  Congress  placed  the  United  States 
ship  Constellation  at  the  disposal  of  those  de- 
siring to  send  stores  for  the  relief  of  starving 
Ireland  during  the  great  famine  there,  and 
when  the  project  of  forwarding  the  bread- 
stuffs  and  provisions  seemed  likely  to  fail, 
Mr.  Morton  came  forward  and  offered  to  pay 
for  one-fourth  of  the  cargo,  although  his  inti- 
mate friends  knew  it  was  his  intention  to  pay 
the  entire  cost  rather  than  have  the  project 
miscarry.  .Another  well  remembered  case  in 
which  Mr.  Morton's  bounty  was  timely  and 
of  great  ser\ice  to  a  large  number  of  work- 
ingmen  was  that  of  the  Rockaway  Beach 
Improvement  Co.  The  originators  of  that 
organization  became  involved  in  financial 
ruin.  .At  least  five  hundred  workingmen 
were  unable  to  obtain  their  wages  and 
were  experiencing  all  the  sad  consequences 
of  such  deprivation.  Certificates  of  indebt- 
edness were  issued  instead  of  money,  but 
these  were  of  no  value  to  the  men  who 
needed  food  for  the  suffering  families.  .At 
this  critical  juncture  Mr.  Morton's  banking 
house  joined  that  of  Messrs.  Drexel,  Morgan 
&  Co.,  and  the  two  houses  contributed 
Si 00,000  for  the  immediate  relief  of  the 
workingmen. 

The  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  conferred  upon 
Mr.  Morton  by  Dartmouth  College  July  14, 
1881,  and  by  Middlebury  College  in  1882. 

Mr.  Morton  was  married  in  1873  to  .Anna 
L.  Street,  and  has  five  children,  viz  :  Edith, 
Lina  K.,  Helen,  .Alice,  and  Mary. 


NASH,  Henry  H.,  was  born  at  Benson, 
August  19,  1821,  the  son  of  Levi  and  Abigail 
(Howard)  Nash.  His  boyhood  was  passed 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  his  education  was 
received  in  the  public  schools. 

-At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  life  for 
himself  as  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  at 
Whitehall,  N.  V.,  afterwards  serving  as  teller 
in  the  Whitehall  Bank.  Having  accumulated 
a  small  capital,  he  became  interested  in  the 
operation  of  a  line  of  boats  on  the  Hudson 
River  Canal  and  Lake  Champlain,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Stark,  Nash  &  Tisdale. 
Great  prosperity  for  a  time  followed  this 
enterprise,  but  disaster  overtook  it,  and  Mr. 
Nash  found  the  accumulation  of  years  sud- 
denly swept  away  and  was  obliged  to  begin 
life  anew. 

-After  an  experience  of  two  years  in  the 
manufacturing  business  at  Owego,  N.  V.,  he 


determined  to  move  West,  and  in  1857 
located  in  Chicago,  his  judgment  convinc- 
ing him  that  it  was  destined  to  become  the 
metropolis  of  the  West.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  in  the  land  department  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Co.  He  made 
good  use  of  his  opportunities,  and  by  close 
attention  soon  established  a  reputation  as  a 
careful  and  reliable  man,  and  held  a  high 
place  in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
employers.  In  1864  he  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  railroad  company  to  accept 
the  position  of  cashier  at  the  L'nited  States 
sub-treasury,  which  had  been  recently  estab- 
lished at  Chicago.  This  office,  with  the 
sub-treasuries  at  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis, 
were  the  principal  offices  for  the  disburse- 
ment of  Government  funds  in  the  NN'est  and 
Northwest.  .After  the  commencement  of 
the  war,  the  citv  of  Chicago  was  made  a 


point  for  the  purchase  and  distribution  of 
supplies  for  the  army,  and  the  office  became 
one  of  much  importance,  the  receipts  and 
disbursements  during  the  term  of  Mr.  Nash's 
service  amounting  to  upward  of  forty  million 
dollars.  He  resigned  his  position  in  the 
sub-treasury  to  accept  the  cashiership  of  the 
National  Bank  of  Illinois,  a  position  which 
he  held  for  eight  vears. 


Association  of  the  Sons  of  \'ermont,  in  the 
growth  and  success  of  which  he  took  a  deej) 
interest. 

Mr.  Nash  was  well  versed  in  literary  mat- 
ters ;  kept  himself  in  touch  with  the  trend  of 
current  thought,  and  this,  combined  with  his 
clear  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  gained 
from  travel  and  observation,  made  him  a 
most  engaging  and  instructive  con\ersation- 
alist.  He  made  friends  easily,  and  in  all  his 
varied  relations  sustained  the  character  of  a 
high-minded,  genial  gentleman.  He  was 
reared  under  Congregational  influences,  but 
his  religious  views  were  untrammeled  by  nar- 
rowness. He  regularly  attended  the  Third 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago.  In  politics 
he  was  an  ardent  Republican. 

C)n  Sept.  6,  184S,  he  married  Miss  Lydia, 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  Floras  I).  Meacham,  of 
Whitehall,  N.  V.,  who  survives  him. 

Henry  H.  Nash  attained  to  an  honorable 
jilace  among  Chicago's  successful  business 
men,  by  energy,  enterprise  and  a  strict 
adherence  to  correct  business  principles. 
In  his  decease,  which  occured  in  Novem- 
lier,  1S92,  Chicago  lost  an  honored  citizen, 
and  those  in  close  relation  with  him,  a 
trusted  friend. 

NEWELL,   Henry  Albert,   of  New 

York  City,  son  of  Oliver  Porter  and  Orilla 
M.  (Perkins)  Newell,  was  born  April  26, 
1841,  at  Londonderry. 


He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago 
National  Bank,  which  began  business  in  1882. 
He  served  as  cashier  of  this  institution  for 
five  years,  when  he  was  chosen  vice-presi- 
dent and  held  that  office  at  the  time  of  his 
decease.  During  his  connection  with  the 
bank  he  was  president  of  the  Chicago  Clear- 
ing House  for  two  terms. 

Mr.  Nash  was  always  a  busy  man  and  in- 
terested himself  in  all  matters  of  public  im- 
portance. In  commercial  circles  he  was  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  shrewdest  and  safest  of 
financiers.  His  word  was  as  good  as  gold. 
He  was  a  man  of  retiring  disposition,  but 
genial,  kind-hearted  and  charitable  almost  to 
a  fault.  He  took  the  keenest  interest  in  all 
that  related  to  Chicago,  its  history,  growth 
and  development,  and  was  for  many  years  an 
active  member  of  the  Chicago  Historical  So- 
ciety, of  which  he  was  treasurer  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Re\olution,  and  L'nion  League 
and  Illinois  Clubs.  In  early  life  he  belonged 
to  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  orders.  He 
was  a  devoted  son  of  the  Green  Mountain 
state,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the   Illinois 


Mr.    Newell   was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  recei\ed  the 


advantages  of  the  district  schools  and  acad- 
emies, when  he  went  to  Boston  to  enter  the 
employ  of  an  uncle  in  the  milk  business. 
After  three  years'  service,  he  was  employed 
by  the  Metropolitan  Railroad  Co.  of  that 
city,  and  remained  two  years.  He  then,  in 
1 86 1,  joined  the  R.  Sands  Great  American 
Circus,  and  eight  years  later  became  super- 
intendent of  the  Broadway  and  Seventh  Ave- 
nue R.  R.  of  New  York,  which  position  he 
held  until  the  acquisition  of  that  property  by 
the  Metropolitan  Street  Railroad  Co.,  which 
operates  the  Broadway  cable  road,  as  well  as 
the  Seventh  Avenue,  University  Place,  Twen- 
ty-third Street,  Thirty-fourth  Street,  Fulton 
Ferry,  Brooklyn  Bridge,  Bleecker  Street,  Sixth 
Avenue,  Vesey  Street,  Desbrosses  Street 
Ferry,  Amsterdam  Avenue,  and  South  Ferry, 
and  of  which  roads  he  has  been  the  superin- 
tendent since  they  came  under  this  com- 
pany's control.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the 
South  Ferry  R.  R. 

Mr.  Newell  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and 
member  of  the  Hope  Lodge,  244,  of  which 
he  has  for  many  years  been  treasurer  and  a 
trustee.  He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
member  of  Lodge  No.  119.  In  religious 
preference  he  is  a  Presbyterian. 

He  was  married  in  Granville,  N.  Y.,  June 
23,  1870,  to  Mattie  R.  Manley,  daughter  of 
R.  F.  and  Nancy  J.  Manley.  They  have  five 
children. 

NEWTON,  Charles    Marshall,    of 

Middletown,  Conn.,  son  of  Marshall  and 
Nancy  (Tufts)  New-ton,  was  born  Oct.  31, 
1846,  at  Newfane. 

Mr.  Newton's  father,  grandfather,  and  his 
uncle,  Rev.  E.  H.  Newton,  I). I).,  are  promi- 
nently mentioned  in  the  history  of  Newfane. 
The  Rev.  James  Tufts,  his  grandfather,  for 
forty  years  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  ^Yardsboro,  was  "a  strong  man  of 
wise  influence"  says  the  History  of  Wards- 
boro.  The  patriotism  of  the  family  is  shown 
by  the  service  of  Marshall  Newton,  Sr.,  his 
great-grandfather,  an  officer  in  the  French 
and  Indian  war  ;  the  seven  years  service  of 
his  grandfather,  Marshall  Newton,  Jr.,  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  ;  the  service  of  his 
brothers,  John — four  years  in  the  i8th  U.  S. 
Inft.,  and  James  Holland — two  enlistments, 
at  eighteen  and  twenty,  in  the  9th  and  1 7th 
Vt.  \'ols.,  who  was  killed  while  leading  his 
company  in  the  last  grand  charge  at  Sjiott- 
sylvania.  May  12,1864. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
district  and  select  schools  until  the  age  of 
sixteen,  when  (July  i,  1S63)  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  L,  ist  Vt.  Heavy  Artillery.  Mr.  Newton's 
company  was  ordered  to  Rutland  to  enforce 
the  draft,  thence  to  Ft.  Slocum,  Md.,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1864  his  regiment  was  assigned 
to  the  I  St  \'t.  Brigade,  Sixth  Corps,  Armv  of 


the  Potomac,  in  whose  battles  and  hardships 
he  participated  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  mustered  out  as  sergeant  August  23,  1 865. 
June  23,  1864,  while  before  Petersburg, 
Sergeant  Newton,  though  disabled  and  on 
hospital  roll,  insisted  on  going  into  action 
with  his  company.  During  the  action 
Major  Fleming,  noticing  his  condition,  or- 
dered him  to  the  rear  with  his  horse,  to 
which  circumstance  he  owes  his  escape  from 
capture  and  imprisonment  in  Andersonville, 
being  the  only  man  of  his  company  who 
went  into  the  action  who  was  not  taken 
prisoner.  In  August  following,  being  dis- 
abled, he  narrowly  escaped  capture  by  Mos- 
by's  men  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  He 
was  picked  up  by  an  ambulance  and  con- 
veyed to  Harwood  Hospital,  Washington, 
and  on  the  ist  of   January  following,  with  his 


ARLES    MARSH 


wound  unhealed,  he  voluntarily  joined  his 
company  before  Petersburg,  to  share  its 
hardships  and  participate  in  the  closing 
scenes  and  final  victory  at  Appomattox. 
These  incidents  are  referred  to  and  highly 
commended  by  his  commanding  officer, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  J.  Safford,  in  his  en- 
dorsement of  Mr.  Newton's  army  record, 
filed  at  Washington,  but  now  in  Mr.  New- 
ton's possession.  .^  pension,  to  date  from 
his  discharge,  was  issued  to  Mr.  Newton 
April  24,  1885. 

Since  1872  Mr.  Newton  has  conducted  a 
clothing  business  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  and 
enjoys  the    confidence  of  his  townsmen   as 


"3 


shown  by  his  service  for  several  terms  in  the 
court  of  common  council.  In  1890  he  re- 
ceived a  strong  endorsement  for  postmaster, 
but  accepted  the  appointment  of  United 
States  postal  card  agent,  which  office  he 
held  from  Feb.  10,  1890,  to  June  15,  1893. 

In  1 8 70  and  1S71  he  was  appointed 
assistant  inspector  G.  A.  R.,  Department  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  Dexter  Post,  No.  38,  Brookfield,  Mass., 
and  is  now  a  charter  member  of  Mansfield 
Post,  No.  53,  Middletown,  Conn.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  the  /\rmy  and  Navy  Club  of 
Connecticut,  Vermont  Officers'  Society,  and 
First  Vermont  Heavy  Artillery.  Mr.  New- 
ton is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Republi- 
can Club  and  is  also  a  member  of  McDon- 
ough  Lodge  Knights  of  Honor. 

He  was  married,  March  26,  1874,  to  Mary 
C,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Julia  (Stratton) 
Boardman,  and  has  one  son,  James  Holland 
Newton. 

NEWTON,  WILLIAM  HENRY,  of  Wall- 
ingford,  Conn.,  son  of  Marshall  and  Nancy 
(Tufts)  Newton,  was  born  June  25,  1850,  at 
Newfane  and  received  his  education  there 
and  at  Rev.  James  Tufts's  school  at  Monson, 
Mass. 

In  1869  Mr.  Newton  began  his  business 
life  with  Winslow  &  Park  and  remained  there 
and  with  their  successors,  J.  D.  Holbrook  & 
Co.,  until  1872.  He  then  mo\ed  to  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  and  became  a  clerk  for  his 
brother,  C.  M.  Newton,  until  1875,  when  he 
was  appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  First 
National  Bank,  a  position  he  had  desired 
since  boyhood.  His  sterling  qualities  w^ere 
rewarded  in  the  fall  of  1881  by  his  present 
position  of  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  VVallingford,  which  institution  began  busi- 
ness Jan.  I,  1882. 

Mr.  Newton  is  an  ardent  Republican  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  local,  state  and  national 
campaigns.  He  was  elected  town  treasurer 
in  1885,  receiving  a  flattering  majority,  al- 
though the  normal  vote  is  usually  strongly 
Democratic.  He  also  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  Borough  in  1889,  was  elected  to  the  court 
of  Burgesses,  and  the  following  year  was  made 
warden  of  the  Borough  of  Wallingford.  To 
this  office  he  was  re-elected  in  1891  and  again 
in  1892.  In  the  1894  elections  Mr.  Newton 
was  again  elected  to  this  important  position, 
and  the  following  is  from  the  Meriden  Repub- 
lican : 

"The  result  of  Saturday's  election  is  a  fine 
tribute  to  the  high  regard  the  people  of  the 
borough  have  for  its  warden.  Mr.  Newton 
has  now  held  the  office  three  terms  success- 
ively, and,  although  his  personal  wishes  are 
and  ha\e  been  to  drop  the  responsibilities  of 
the  chief  office  of  the  borough,  his  fellow  citi- 


zens have  been  unwilling  to  permit  him  to 
do  so.  His  administration  of  the  office  has 
been  characterized  by  the  utmost  fairness  and 
respect  for  everybody's  rights.  Possessed 
of  rare  business  qualifications  they  have  been 
exercised  for  the  welfare  of  the  borough,  the 
result  being  seen  in  the  showing  made  in  the 
annual  reports.  The  fact  that  his  adminis- 
tration of  the  municipal  government  is  so 
overwhelmingly  endorsed  by  so  large  a  ma- 
jority of  the  residents  of  the  borough,  not- 
withstanding an  organized  effort  to  defeat 
him,  is  certainly  a  cause  for  congratulation, 
in  which  the  Republican  heartily  joins.  Mr. 
Newton  is  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics, 
and  the  borough  is  overwhelmingly  Demo- 
cratic.    But  in   his  administration   of  affairs 


JAM    HENRY    NEWTON. 


he  has  known  neither  Republican  nor  Demo- 
crat, and  this  with  his  personal  popularity 
gave  him  a  majority  hever  before  exceeded." 

Mr.  Newton  has  also  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  military  service  of  his  state.  In  1887 
he  was  appointed  paymaster  of  the  2d  Regt. 
C.  N.  G.,  by  Colonel  Leavenworth,  and 
served  on  the  latter's  staff  with  rank  of 
second  lieutenant  for  two  years  and  received 
a  re-appointment  by  Colonel  Leavenworth's 
successor,  Col.  John  B.  Doherty,  and  re- 
signed his  commission  in  1892. 

Mr.  Newton  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church,  and  in  social  organ- 
izations he  is  prominent,  being  a  Past  Mas- 
ter of  Compass  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
member  of  Keystone  Chapter,  of  Meriden, 


114 


and  of  the  Republican  League  Club,  of  New- 
Haven,  and  Arcanum  Club,  of  Wallingford. 
Mr.  Newton  was  married,  Oct.  13,  1881, 
to  Alice  E.  Dickenson,  daughter  of  Dana 
D.  and  Eliza  A.  Dickenson,  of  Williamsville. 
They  had  two  children :  Elsie  M.,  and 
Mabel  S.  (deceased). 

NEWTON,   Daniel   H.,  of   Holyoke, 

Mass.,  son  of  James  and  Esther  (Hale) 
Newton,  was  born  in  Hubbardston,  Mass., 
Tune  22,  1827. 


He  removed  to  Greenfield,  Mass.,  in  1835, 
and  to  Holyoke  in  December,  1873.  Mr. 
Newton  was  educated  at  Goodale  Academy 
and  Williston  Seminary,  and  is  one  of  the 
successful  firm  of  Newton  Bros.,  who  have 
done  so  much  toward  the  development  of 
the  Deerfield  Valley.  Mr.  Newton  was  first 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  with  his 
father  from  1848  to  1871,  and  then  for  ten 
years  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  D.  H.  & 
J.  C.  Newton,  mill  engineers,  builders,  and 
contractors  at  Holyoke,  and  in  this  connec- 
tion did  much  toward  the  upbuilding  of  that 
city.  But  the  greatest  work  of  Mr.  Newton 
was  performed  in  connection  with  his  two 
brothers,  John  C.  and  Moses  Newton,  in  the 
development  of  the  Deerfield  Valley,  in  the 
business  enterprises  of  which  he  has  been  a 
leading  proprietor  and  owner. 

Mr.  Newton  was  a  member  of  the  Green- 
field school  committee  in  1855,  and  the 
treasurer  of  Franklin  county,  Mass.,  from 
1 86 1  to  1864.     He  was  elected  representa- 


tive in  1S69  to  the  Great  and  General  Court 
at  Boston,  and  was  chairman  of  Holyoke 
Board  of  Health  from  18S0  to  1883. 

Mr.  Newton  is  president  of  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel  &  Wilmington  R.  R.,  director  in  the 
Massachusetts  Screw  Co.,  the  Chemical  Paper 
Co.,  and  the  Home  National  Bank  of  Hol- 
yoke. Mr.  Newton  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Holyoke  Board  of  Trade,  and  a  fellow  of  the 
American  Geographical  Society. 

NEWTON,  John  C,  of  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  son  of  James  and  Esther  (Hale) 
Newton,  is,  by  adoption  at  least,  a  Vermon- 
ter.  His  identification  with  the  interests  of 
our  state  and  the  great  work  of  development 
which  the  Newton  brothers  have  pursued  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  state  entitles  them 
to  recognition  in  this  work.  Mr.  Newton 
was  educated  at  Westminster,  Vt.,  and  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Westfield,  Mass. 
The  great  building  and  lumber  operations  of 
the  firm  of  James  Newton  &  .Sons  in  Hol- 
yoke, Mass.,  resulted  in  the  construction  of 
the  Hampden  Paper  Mills,  among  other  ex- 
tensive works,  of  which   Mr.   ].  C.   Newton 


was  the  projector.  Of  this  corporation  he 
was  the  treasurer  until  the  mill  was  sold  in 
1871.  In  1S73,  in  order  to  supply  the  great 
needs  of  the  firm  for  spruce  lumber,  the  ex- 
tensive steam  saw  mill  at  Newport,  Vt.,  was 
purchased.  Mr.  Newton's  activity  and  busi- 
ness sagacity  have  been  leading  factors  in 
the  great  enterprises  carried  on  in  this  state. 


The  scene  of  their  principal  operations  in 
the  state  to-day  is  on  the  Deerfield  River, 
where  just  below  the  junction  of  East  Branch 
and  two  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Wil- 
mington, a  large  dam  is  being  erected  to 
furnish  power  for  a  wood  pulp  and  saw  mill 
which  the  Newtons  are  about  to  build. 

Mr.  Newton  is  president  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Screw  Co. ;  president  of  the  Chemical 
Paper  Co. ;  director  in  the  Norman  Paper 
Co. ;  director  of  the  Home  National  Bank  of 
Holyoke  ;  director  in  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  &: 
Wilmington  R.  R.  Co.  ;  director  in  the  Peer- 
field  River  Co.  :  the  National  Metal  Edge 
Box  Co.,  of  Readsboro,  Vt. ;  president  of  the 
Wilmington  Grain  and  Lumber  Co.,  and  is 
vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Des  Moines  &  Kansas  City  R.  R.  Co.,  of 
Iowa. 

NEWTON,  Moses,  of  Holyoke,  Mass., 
son  of  James  and  Esther  (Hale)  Newton,  was 
born  in  Hubbardston,  Mass.,  Oct.  27,  1833. 


^OSES    NEWTON. 


Mr.  Newton  was  educated  at  Deerfield, 
Mass.,  and  at  Westminster,  and  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  and  brothers  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber  from  1848  to  1867, 
and  in  1868  first  engaged  in  making  paper 
in  Holyoke,  Mass. 

Mr.  Newton  became  interested  in  the  en- 
terprises of  his  brothers  in  the  Deerfield 
Valley  in  1S82  and  the  great  dam  at  Reads- 
boro, having  a  fall  of  eighty  feet,  and  the 
pulp   mill  at   this  jioint  were  built  the  same 


year.  The  narrow  gauge  railroad  from 
Readsboro  to  Hoosac  Tunnel  Station  on  the 
Eitchburg  railroad  was  opened  in  1S85  and 
the  steam  saw  mill  at  Readsboro  built.     In 

1887  the  Readsboro  Chair  Company  was 
organized.  In  connection  with  the  state  of 
\'ermont  and  the  town  of  Readsboro  the 
railroad  constructed  the  high  iron  bridge, 
375  feet  long,  and  the  railroad  extended 
though  the  village  of  Readsboro  in  1890.    In 

1888  finding  a  storage  of  water  necessary  for 
the  use  of  the  mills  upon  the  stream,  the 
overflow  of  the  Sadawga  Pond  was  raised 
six  feet,  at  a  large  expense.  In  1888  the 
\\'ilmington  Grain  and  Lumber  Co.  was  or- 
ganized. 

In  1889  the  Hotel  Raponda  was  built.  This 
was  enlarged  in  1892  to  accommodate  one 
hundred  guests,  and  Hosea  Mann,  Jr.,  was 
the  principal  owner  and  manager.  The  rail- 
road was  extended  to  Wilmington  in   1891. 

Mr.  Newton  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Holyoke  \\'ater  Commissioners  from  1S86 
to  1892,  and  is  at  the  present  time  president 
of  the  Newton  Paper  Co.,  of  the  George  C. 
Gill  Paper  Co.,  treasurer  of  the  Chemical 
Paper  Co.,  and  director  of  the  Home  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Holyoke,  and  president  of 
the  Deerfield  River  Co.,  the  National  Metal 
Edge  Box  Co.,  and  the  Readsboro  Chair  Co., 
director  in  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  &  Wilmington 
R.  R.,  and  the  \Mlmington  Grain  and  Lum- 
ber Co. 

NOBLE  Henry  Smith,  of  Middletown, 
Conn.,  son  of  A.  Smith  and  Susan  (Patrick) 
Noble,  was  born  Oct.  8,  1845,  ^t  Hinesburgh. 

Dr.  Noble  made  full  use  of  the  common 
schools  and  the  academy  of  his  native  town 
in  beginnitig  his  education  and  also  the  Green 
Mountain  Institute  at  South  ^Voodstock, 
where  he  was  a  teacher,  at  the  same  time  fit- 
ting himself  for  matriculation  at  Tufts  Col- 
lege. At  this  college  he  received  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  graduating  second  in  the  class  of 
1869.  He  then  began  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  D.  W.  Hazleton  of  Cavendish,  and 
took  the  first  course  of  lectures  at  Vermont 
L'niversity,  Burlington,  and  the  second  course 
and  degree  of  M.  D.  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  in  New  Vork  City  in 
1871. 

Following  graduation  he  passed  a  year  at 
the  Hartford,  Conn.,  City  Hospital  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Chester  in 
1872,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1879.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  second  as- 
sistant physician  at  Hartford  retreat  and  in 
1880  became  assistant  at  the  Connecticut 
Hospital  for  Insane  and  occupied  the  same 
position  in  the  Michigan  Asylum  for  Insane 
in  1882,  returning  to  the  Connecticut  Hos- 
pital in  1884. 


Dr.  Noble  passed  the  summer  of  1886  in 
study  and  recreation  in  Europe  and  while 
abroad  received  his  present  appointment  of 
first  assistant  physician  of  the  Connecticut 
Hospital  for  the  Insane. 

He  is  a  member  of  Olive  Branch  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Chester,  and  of  the  Middlesex 
County  Medical  Society,  and  Connecticut 
State  Medical  Society,  the  .•\merican  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  and  of  the  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association. 

Dr.  Noble  was  married  March  14,  187 1, 
at  Rochester,  to  Edna  J.  Chaffee,  daughter 
of  John  and  Rose  Lowell  Chaffee. 


NORTON,  Jesse  O.,  was  born  in 
Vermont ;  graduated  at  Williams  College  ; 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1839  :  studied  law 
and  came  to  the  bar  in  1840;  was  a  mem- 
ber, in  1847,  of  the  state  constitutional  con- 
vention ;  was  a  member  of  the  state  Legis- 
lature in  185 1  and  1852;  was  elected  a 
representative  from  Illinois  to  the  Thirty- 
third  and  Thirty-fourth  Congresses;  in  1857 
was  elected  judge  of  the  eleventh  judicial 
district  of  Illinois,  holding  the  office  until 
1862  ;  and  in  1863  was  re-elected  a  repre- 
sentative to  Congress. 


OLDS,  EDSON  B.,  was  born  in  Vermont, 
and  a  representative  in  Congress  from  Ohio, 
from  1849  to  1855.  In  1862  he  was  for  a 
short  time  imprisoned  in  Fort  Lafayette  for 
supposed  disloyalty,  and  while  there  con- 
fined, he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Assembly  of  Ohio,  having  previously  served 
six  years  in  the  state  Legislature,  and  has 
been  speaker  of  the  Senate. 

OTIS,  JOHN  Grant,  of  Topeka,  Kan., 
was  born  in  Danby,  Feb.  10,  1838,  took  an 
academic  course  at  Burr  Seminary,  attended 
one  year  at  Williams  College,  and  one  year 
at  Harvard  Law  School ;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Rutland  county  in  the  spring  of  1859  ; 
removed  to  Kansas  in  May,  same  year,  and 
located  at  Topeka,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided :  took  an  active  part  in  recruiting  the 
first  colored  regiment  of  Kansas  in  1862  ; 
was  a  member  of  infantry  company  in  2d 
Regt.  of  Vols,  at  the  time  of  Price  raid  ;  was 
an  ardent  supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln  ; 
since  the  war  closed  has  been  a  most  un- 
compromising Greenbacker  and  advocate  of 
a  new  American  monetary  system  in  the  inter- 


est of  the  industrial  classes ;  for  over  twenty 
years  has  been  engaged  in  dairy  business 
near  Topeka ;  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Grange  for  eighteen  years  ;  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Farmer's  Alliance  and  Industrial 
LTnion  ;  was  state  agent  for  the  Grange  from 
1873  to  187s,  and  the  state  lecturer  from 
1889  to  1 89 1  ;  has  always  supported  prohi- 
bition and  equal  suffrage  ;  was  elected  to  the 
Fifty-second  Congress  as  a  People's  Party 
candidate. 

OLIN,  Abraham  B.,  was  born  in  Shafts- 
bury  in  181 2  ;  graduated  at  \Villiams  College 
in  1S35  ;  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at 
Troy,  N.  V.,  in  1838  ;  was  for  three  years 
recorder  of  the  city  of  Troy,  and  was  elected 
a  representative  to  the  Thirty-fifth  Congress 
from  New  York  ;  re-elected  to  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Congress  also.  In  1863  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 
His  father,  Gideon  Olin,  was  in  Congress 
from  Vermont  during  the  administration  of 
President  Jefferson.  [See  Part  I  for  a  sketch 
of  Gideon  Olin.  I 


PAGE,  Frank  Wilfred,  of  Boston, 

Mass.,  son  of  Lemuel  W.  and  Susan  G. 
(Saunders)  Page,  was  born  in  East  A\'ilton, 
N.  H.,  August  24,  1843. 

His  father  being  a  native  of  Burlington,  he 
returned  with  his  parents  to  Burlington  when 
two  years  of  age,  after  having  also  lived  with 
them  a  short  time  in  Boston,  Mass.  He  was 
educated  in  the  private  schools  of  Burling- 
ton and  at  the  L'nion  high  school  or  Bur- 
lington Academy,  entering  the  I'niversity  of 
Vermont  in  i860,  and  graduated  therefrom 
in  the  class  of  1864,  receiving  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  and  that  of  A.  M.  in  1869.  He  began 
the  study  of  medicine  during  his  junior  year 
in  college,  and  after  graduation  continued 
the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  and  under 
the   tutelage  of  the   late  Dr.  Samuel  ^\'hite 


Thayer.  He  attended  lectures  in  the  medi- 
cal department  of  the  I'niversity,  and  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New 
York  City,  graduating  from  the  former  in 
June,  1866. 

He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  St.  Peter,  Minn.,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  Returning  in  the  fall  of  1S67  he 
associated  himself  in  partnership  with  Dr. 
Olin  G.  Dyer,  of  Brandon.  For  nearly 
eleven  years  he  continued  in  the  active 
duties  of  his  profession  in  Brandon.  While 
a  resident  of  Brandon  he  became  interested 
in  educational  and  kindred  matters,  and  for 
several  years  was  chairman  of  the  town 
school  board.  Becoming  interested  in  ner- 
vous and  mental  diseases,  on  May  i,  1878, 
he  gave  up  private  practice  to  accept  the 


117 


position  of  first  assistant  physician  on  the 
medical  staff  of  McLean  Asylum  for  the 
Insane,  at  Somerville,  Mass.  On  retirement 
of  the  medical  officer  in  charge,  June  i, 
1S79,  he  became  superintendent,  a  position 
he  relinquished  in  December  to  open  for  the 
managers,  Feb.  i,  1880,  the  new  .Adams 
Nervine  .Asylum,  an  institution  situated  at 
Jamaica  Plains,  Mass.,  and  founded  by  the 
late  Seth  Adams,  a  wealthy  sugar  refiner,  for 
the  benefit  of  nervous  people  not  insane. 
He  remained  in  charge  as  superintendent 
and  resident  physician  until  May  13,  1885, 
when,  after  making  the  institution  a  great 


LFRED   PAGE. 


success,  he  declined  a  re-election.  The 
managers  m  their  report  for  1855  said  of 
him  :  "He  has  had  charge  of  the  asylum 
during  the  whole  period  of  its  active  exis- 
tence, more  than  five  years,  and  its  useful- 
ness and  great  success  are  largely  due  to  his 
professional  skill  and  his  faithfulness,  energy 
and  administrative  capacity.  The  managers 
desire  to  acknowledge  the  indebtedness  of 
the  institution  to  him  for  his  valuable  ser- 
vices, and  to  wish  him  a  prosperous  and 
successful  future." 

On  his  retirement  from  the  superintend- 
ency  of  the  .Adams  Asylum  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  board  of  consulting  physicians, 
a  position  he  still  holds.  Since  May,  1885, 
he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
specialty,  that  of  nervous  and  mental  dis- 
eases, in  the  city  of  Boston.  In  1889  he 
was  elected  bv  the  trustees  of  Darners  Hos- 


])ital  for  the  Insane  a  member  of  the  board 
of  consulting  physicians. 

Dr.  Page  was  married,  in  August,  1S70,  to 
Annah  .Amelia,  daughter  of  Dr.  Olin  G. 
Dyer,  of  Brandon.  .She  died  in  FJoston, 
Sept.  1 1,  1892. 

He  is  a  member  of  various  medical  socie- 
ties, and  in  politcs  is  naturally  a  staunch 
Republican. 

PARKER,  A.  X.,  of  Potsdam,  N.  V.,  was 
born  in  .Addison  county  in  1831;  removed 
to  Potsdam,  N.  V.,  at  an  early  age  ;  gradu- 
ated from  St.  Lawrence  .Academy  ;  read  law 
and  commenced  practice  at  Potsdam  in  1856  ; 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  .Assembly  in 
1863;  was  postmaster  under  President  Lin- 
coln ;  was  state  senator  in  186 7, -'69,  and  the 
first  elector-at-large  upon  the  Republican 
ticket  in  1876;  was  a  member  of  Congress 
in  18S3.  He  still  practices  his  profession  at 
Potsdam. 

PARKER,  George  H.,  of  Watertown, 
South  Dakota,  son  of  Orrin  C.  and  Julia 
(Dickinson)  Parker,  was  born  at  Montgom- 
ery, .April  5,  1841. 


He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  Black  River  .Academy  at  Ludlow,  and 
the  New  Hampton  Institute  at  Fairfax  where 
he  studied  for  the  ministry. 

Mr.  Parker  was  ordained  to  the  Baptist 
ministry  at  Montgomery  Center,  Jan.  1 31, 
1866.     He  served  as  pastor  for  varying  pe- 


ii8 


riods  of  one  to  five  years  at  Berkshire  Center, 
Pamton,  Felchville,  Grafton,  and  North  Troy, 
at  the  latter  place  serving  two  pastorates  cov- 
ering a  period  of  seven  years.  During  these 
long  terms  he  did  much  active  and  valuable 
work  organizing  churches  and  securing  need- 
ed accommodations  and  members.  At  East 
Franklin  and  South  Jay  he  organized  churches 
and  at  the  latter  place  assisted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church  edifice.  In  1886  he  settled 
in  Watertown,  South  Dakota,  and  served 
with  marked  success  for  three  years. 

In  1876-7  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature from  the  town  of  Reading,  Vt.,  and 
served  on  the  committee  on  state  prison. 
Again  from  the  town  of  Troy  he  was  elected 
in  1884,  serving  on  the  committee  on  educa- 
tion and  took  an  active  part  in  all  work.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  county  superintendent 
of  schools,  for  Codington  county.  South  Da- 
kota. He  was  again  elected  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  in  1892,  receiving  the  largest 
vote  ever  cast. 

Mr.  Parker  enlisted  at  Bakersfield,  August 
26,  1861,  as  corporal  of  Company  A,  5th 
Regt.  Vt.  Vols.,  and  was  with  the  charge  at 
Lees  Mills,  in  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  and 
the  Peninsula  campaign  ;  was  severely  wound- 
ed in  the  Seven  Days  fight  before  Richmond 
at  Goldens  Farm.  He  was  a  prisoner  at 
Belle  Isle  and  released  August  3  and  dis- 
charged by  reason  of  his  wounds  in  1863. 

Mr.  Parker  was  twice  commander  of 
Bailey  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  North  Troy,  and  of 
Freeman  Thayer  Post,  Watertown,  S.  D. 

He  was  married  at  East  Enosburg,  Au- 
gust 14,  1864,  to  Arvilla  E.  Davis,  daughter 
of  Talmon  K.  and  Emma  J.  Davis,  who  died 
April  23,  1873,  leaving  three  children.  He 
was  again  married  Nov.  14,  1874,  at  Wethers- 
field  to  Minerva  E.  Mitchfell,  daughter  of 
James  and  Dolly  Mitchell. 

PARKER,  Isaac  Augustus,  of  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  son  of  Isaac  and  Lucia  (Wood) 
Parker,  was  born  in  South  Woodstock,  Dec. 
31,  1825. 

His  early  life  was  spent  upon  the  farm  and 
in  acquiring  such  an  education  as  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  time  afforded,  and  at  sev- 
enteen he  was  a  teacher  in  the  common 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  native  place. 
Fitting  for  college  at  the  Black  River  Acad- 
emy, Hancock  (N.  H.)  Scientific  and 
Literary  Institute  (in  which  he  taught 
mathematics  at  the  same  time),  and  the 
Green  Mountain  Liberal  Institute,  he  entered 
Dartmouth  College  in  1849  and  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1853.  Mr.  Parker  while  in 
college  was  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta 
Phi  Society  and  at  graduation  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society. 

Soon  after  his  graduation  he  accepted  the 
principalship  of  the  Orleans  Liberal  Institute 


at  ( ;iover,  which  he  successfully  filled  for  five 
years.  Hon.  W.  W.  Grout,  S.  C.  Shurtleff,  O. 
L.  French,  and  others,  who  have  attained  posi- 
tions of  influence,  were  students  in  the  institute 
under  his  instruction.  In  1858  Mr.  Parker  re- 
signed his  position  to  accept  a  larger  field  of 
activity  and  became  professor  of  ancient  lan- 
guages in  Lombard  University  and  held  this 
position  for  ten  years,  when  he  was  elected 
Williamson  professor  of  Greek  in  the  same  in- 
stitution and  still  holds  this  position.  Profes- 
sor Parker  has  been  for  more  than  thirty-fi\e 
years  connected  with  Lombard  University 
and  is  recognized  on  all  sides  as  one  of  the 
leading  instructors  of  the  country,  always 
striving  to  inculcate  habits  of  industry  and 
teaching  young  people  to  depend  upon 
their  own  resources  for  that  success  in  life 
which  is  the  aim  of  every  young  man. 


ISAAC  AUGUSTUS  PARKER. 

Dr.  Parker  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Galesburgh  Public  Library  and 
was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy  from  Buchtel  College,  Akron,  O., 
in    1S92. 

February  18,  1856,  Mr.  Parker  was  married 
to  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  \Villiam  and  Par- 
thena  (Whitmore)  Labaree  of  Hartland.  Of 
this  union  were  two  children  :  Izah  T.,  de- 
ceased, and  William  A.,  a  civil  engineer  in 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Parker  deceased  in  June, 
1889. 

PARKER,  M^'RON  M.,  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  was  born  in  Fairfax,  in  1843,  son  of 


119 


Melvin  V.  and  Eineline  (Story)  Parker; 
grandson  of  Robert  and  Sophia  Cross 
Parker  ;  great-grandson  of  Robert  Parker,  a 
private  in  the  Revolutionary  army  ;  grandson 
of  Elija  and  Cressy  Story  ;  great-grandson 
of  Elija  Story  of  Fairfax,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution  :  great-grandson  of  Joseph  and 
Persis  Wheeler  Cross  (Joseph  Cross  who 
died  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  103,  served  at 
Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill)  ;  great-grand- 
son of  John  Cressy,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
who  served  with  the  Continental  army  at 
lirooklyn.  White  Plains,  Brandywine,  Ger- 
mantown,  and  Vorktown. 


MYRON   M.  PARKER. 

Young  Parker  was  preparing  for  college  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  left 
school  and  enlisted  in  the  ist  Vt.  Cavalry, 
with  which  command  he  served  until  the 
■close  of  the  war,  and  his  record  as  a  soldier 
is  one  of  the  most  brilliant.  He  located  in 
Washington,  and  in  1865  he  received  an  ap- 
pointment in  the  War  Department,  where  he 
served  several  years. 

In  1876  he  graduated  from  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  Columbian  L'niversity,  and  has 
ever  since  taken  a  lively  interest  in  that  in- 
stitution, donating  annually  to  the  post- 
graduate class  the  "Myron  M.  Parker" 
prize.  In  1879  he  was  appointed  assistant 
postmaster  of  the  city  of  Washington.  He 
was  secretary  of  the  Washington  committee 
on  the  ceremonies  incident  to  the  laying  of 
the  corner  stone  of  the  Yorktown  monument. 
He  was  grand  master  of  Masons  in   i884-'85 


and  officiated  as  such  at  the  dedication  of 
the  Washington  monument.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  triennial  committee  to  receive 
and  entertain  the  (Irand  Encampment 
Knights  Templar  of  the  United  States  at  its 
twenty-fourth  conclave  held  in  Washington. 
He  is  the  grand  representative  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Ireland  and  the  Grand  Lodges  of 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Delaware.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  executive  committee 
having  in  charge  the  inauguration  of  Presi- 
dent Garfield,  and  was  \ice  chairman  of  the 
inaugural  committee  for  President  Harrison  ; 
he  was  also  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
civic  organizations,  and  was  marshal  of  the 
fifth  division  in  the  inaugural  parade.  At 
the  second  inauguration  of  President  Cleve- 
land he  was  a  member  of  the  citizens'  com- 
mittee, and  was  a  special  aid  on  the  staff  of 
General  McMahon,  the  chief  marshal. 

Like  nearly  all  Vermonters  Mr.  Parker  is 
a  Republican,  and  during  the  second  cam- 
paign of  President  Harrison  was  appointed 
on  the  advisory  committee  of  the  national 
committee. 

He  has  always  been  interested  in  the  ad- 
\'ancement  of  Washington  and  has  taken  a 
leading  part  in  all  public  enterprises,  con- 
tributing largely  of  his  time  and  means.  He 
was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  proposed 
constitutional  convention  in  1889,  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  in  1892,  and  was  one 
of  the  three  selected  to  present  the  claims  of 
Washington  before  the  committee  of  Con- 
gress. He  is  secretary  of  the  Washington 
Memorial  Association. 

Mr.  Parker  has  been  an  enthusiastic  ex- 
ponent and  belie\er  in  the  future  greatness 
of  Washington,  and  has  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  her  growth.  In  1880  he  actively 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  meeting 
with  great  success,  his  annual  transactions 
running  into  the  millions,  and  in  which  he 
has  massed  a  fortune.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  many  of  the  financial  institutions. 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Columbia  Na- 
tional Bank,  the  American  Security  and 
Trust  Co.,  the  Columbia  Fire  Insurance  Co., 
the  Columbia  Title  Insurance  Co.,  the  Eck- 
ington  and  Soldiers  Home  R.  R.,  the  Atlantic 
Building  Co.  and  the  Ignited  States  Electric 
Light  Co.  He  was  vice-president  of  the 
Brightwood  R.  R.,  and  in  charitable  insti- 
tutions is  a  director  in  the  Washington 
Hospital  for  Foundlings,  the  Training  School 
for  Nurses,  and  the  Emergency  Hospital. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Wash- 
ington Board  of  Trade,  and  for  several  years 
was  its  president. 

In  1876  he  married  Miss  Nellie  L.  (Jris- 
wold.  They  have  four  children,  three  girls 
and  one  boy,  and  reside  on  Vermont  avenue. 

Mr.  Parker  retains  all  his  old  time  affec- 
tion   and    loyalty  to    his    native    state,   has 


PARWELEE. 


PARTRIDGE. 


always  retained  interests  there,  and  pays 
annual  visits  to  his  home  in  Cambridge, 
where  his  mother  and  only  brother  and 
sister  reside. 

Mr.  Parker  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Fuller  a  delegate  at  large  to  the  National 
Ship  Canal  Convention  in  1893. 

Mr.  Parker  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  commissioner  of  the  District  of 
Columbia  on  Feb.  14,  1S93,  and  is  at  present 
serving  his  term  of  office. 


to  carry  the  undertaking,  he  arranged  its 
printing  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  with  an  edition 
at  both  places.  It  was  edited  by  D.  W. 
Bartlett,  since  noted  in  journalism,  and  \V. 
H.  Burleigh.  It  was  a  beautiful  monthly 
quarto,  its  writers  eminent  in  literature,  and 
had  a  large  circulation,  but  lived  only  one 
year,  ending  1850.  This  interesting  period 
of  his  life  is  narrated  to  make  a  record  of 
the  press  of   Randolph. 


PARMELEE,  EDWARD  CARROLL,  of 
Denver,  Colo.,  son  of  Lucius  and  Ann  \V'al- 
lace  Parmelee,  was  born  at  Waterbury,  May 
16,  1835. 

Mr.  Parmelee  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Johnson 
Academy  and  during  his  younger  days  was  a 
clerk  in  the  village  store.  Seeking  to  widen 
the  field  of  his  operations  he  went  West  in 
the  spring  of  1853  and  for  the  past  thirty 
years  has  been  extensively  engaged  in  mining 
and  in  abstract  business. 

The  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Parmelee  is  held 
by  his  fellow'-citizens  is  shown  by  the  import- 
ant positions  given  him  at  various  times.  In 
1872  he  was  a  member  of  the  Territorial 
Legislature  from  Clear  Creek  county  ;  and 
from  1878  to  1882  he  held  the  office  of  post- 
master at  (Georgetown. 

Mr.  Parmelee  is  prominent  in  Masonic 
circles,  holding  the  title  of  Grand  Secretary, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  from  1866  up  to  the  present,  and 
also  of  the  Royal  .'\rch  Masons  since  1875. 
He  is  also  (irand  Recorder  of  the  Knights 
Templar,  holding  the  office  since  1876,  and 
has  received  the  33d  degree,  Scottish  Rite. 

PARTRIDGE,  GEORGE,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, son  of  Oramel  and  Lucy  (Capron) 
Partridge,  was  born  in  Randolph  Centre, 
August  22,  1829.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Norwich,  and  a  relative  of  Capt.  Alden  Part- 
ridge, first  superintendent  of  \\"est  Point, 
and  founder  of  Norwich  L^niversity.  His 
mother  was  born  in  Williamstown. 

In  his  boyhood  he  learned  the  trade  of  his 
father,  a  leading  manufacturer  of  furniture 
and  sleighs.  His  mechanical  tastes  led  him 
into  an  adventure,  when  seventeen  years  old, 
which  proved  a  serious  episode  in  his  life, 
and  changed  his  future  plans.  For  diversion 
he  made  a  printing  press,  though  he  had 
never  seen  one,  and  printed  a  paper  called 
the  Autumn  Leaf.  After  three  issues  he  made 
a  larger  press,  got  more  type,  and  launched 
the  Enterprise,  with  the  help  of  a  few  boys. 
The  editors  were  the  late  Rev.  G.  V.  Max- 
ham  and  Prof.  Truman  H.  Safford,  then  in 
their  teens,  the  latter  then  a  prodigy  in 
mathematics.  This  was  printed  one  year, 
about  one  thousand  circulation.  It  was  suc- 
ceeded by  The  Nonpareil,  but  unable  alone 


GEORGE   PARTRIDGE. 


During  this  play  with  type  and  papers, 
which  proved  very  serious  work,  Mr.  Part- 
ridge fitted  for  college  at  the  village  academy, 
impro\ing  vacations  with  the  profound  law- 
yer and  scholar,  William  Nutting,  and  in  1850 
entered  Amherst  College,  graduating  in  1854. 
He  went  at  once  to  Alabama  as  a  private  tutor. 
The  next  year  he  was  professor  in  Tuskegea 
Female  College,  and  then  principal  of  Hous- 
ton (Tex.)  Academy,  the  first  graded  high 
school  of  that  city.  In  1859  he  settled  in 
St.  Louis  as  a  lawyer,  having  qualified  mean- 
time and  been  admitted  to  the  bar.  When 
the  war  began,  it  was  his  fortune  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  General  Fremont  as  attorney  of  the 
first  military  commissions  organized  by  him 
for  the  trial  of  some  two  hundred  rebel  pris- 
oners. This  done  he  was  appointed  to  sim- 
ilar duty  in  the  department  of  the  provost 
marshal  general  for  Missouri,  being  promoted 
to  assistant.  He  had  special  charge  of  the 
cases  of  the  prisoners  in  the  famous  Gratiot 
prison.      This  position  he  held  under  Fre- 


PEARSONS. 


PEARSONS. 


mont,  Halleck,  Schofield,  Curtis  and  Keti  h- 
um,  retiring  in  1S63. 

During  liis  residence  in  the  South  he  wrote 
letters  for  the  Springfield  Republican  on 
Southern  life  and  politics,  and  also  in  St. 
Louis  a  current  history  of  the  war  in  Mis- 
souri, in  all  eight  years  connected  with  that 
paper  as  correspondent.  In  1872  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Republicans  of  St.  Louis 
for  the  Legislature. 

In  1865  he  became  interested  in  the 
petroleum  industry,  desiring  a  more  active 
life,  and  put  down  nine  wells  in  Kentucky 
and  Ohio,  only  one  yielding  oil  and  that  the 
heavy  grade  practically  worthless  for  want 
of  market.  At  this  juncture  he  visited  Ran- 
dolph, in  1866,  and  placed  a  few  barrels 
with  mills  and  notably  induced  the  incredu- 
lous Vermont  Central  R.  R.  to  risk  ten  gal- 
lons. This  was  the  first  petroleum  lubricat- 
ing oil  ever  used  in  Vermont.  In  a  few 
months  it  became  universal.  He  returned 
to  St.  Louis,  introduced  it  there,  and  also 
the  first  high  test  burning  oil,  erecting  the 
third  refinery  west  of  Cleveland,  and  built 
up  a  large  wholesale  trade.  \Vhen,  in  1877, 
the  Standard  Oil  Co.  secured  nearly  all  the 
refineries  in  the  United  States  he  sold  his 
refinery  to  that  company,  and  soon  after 
retired  from  the  oil  business.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  silver  mining  in  Leadville,  Col., 
erected  a  smelter  and  became  as  proficient 
in  mining  as  he  had  been  in  oil.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  oil  and  mining  business  in  San 
Francisco.  He  is  vice-president  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Vermont  Association. 

In  i860  he  was  married  to  A.  Augusta 
Thompson,  of  West  xAvon,  Conn.,  who 
became  widely  known  for  her  Sunday  school 
writings  and  work.  They  have  four  daugh- 
ters :  Jennie,  Alice  and  Grace  (twins),  the 
latter  now  Mrs.  Ira  C.  Hays,  and  Nellie,  all 
residing  in  San  Francisco. 


able  financial  condition,  and   thus  restored 
the  credit  of  Chicago. 

Dr.  Pearsons  is  one  of  the  shrewdest  busi- 
ness men  in  that  city  and  a  man  of  great 
benevolence  as  well,  devoting  the  same  at- 
tention to  his  benevolence  as  to  his  business  ; 
in  all  he  has  given  over  S  1,000,000.  His  first 
great  gifts  to  educational  institutions  were  in 
recognition  of  the  Christian  ministry  of  the 
primitive  New  England  stamp,  the  founders 
of  academies  and  colleges,  and  the  leaders  of 
elevated  public  opinion.  His  career  of 
giving  began  in  1887  when  he  gave  the 
McCormick  Theological  Seminary  $50,000 
to    establish   a   permanent    fund    in    aid    of 


PEARSONS,   Daniel  Kia\ball,  of 

Chicago,  111.,  was  born  in  Bradford  in  1820. 
His  mother  was  a  descendant  of  Israel  Put- 
nam. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  sixteen  years  of  age  began  his  career 
as  a  school  teacher,  which  he  continued  five 
years.  With  the  funds  saved  he  took  a 
medical  course  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  he 
practiced  medicine  in  Chicopee,  Mass., 
until  1853.  In  1857  he  went  to  Illinois  and 
engaged  in  farming,  but  removed  to  C'hicago 
and  engaged  in  real  estate  business  and  soon 
acquired  a  reputation  as  a  financier. 

He  was  elected  alderman  of  the  first  ward 
in  Chicago.  While  in  this  capacity  through 
pledges  on  behalf  of  the  city  and  himself  he 
secured  a  large  loan  at  the  East,  much 
needed  by  the  city,  which  was  in  a  deplor- 


young  men  studying  for  the  ministry.  To 
the  Presbyterian  Hospital  he  donated  $60,- 
000,  besides  superintending  the  construction 
of  the  building.  He  gave  $100,000  to  Lake 
Forest  and  §100,000  to  Beloit  College,  and 
at  an  expense  of  $25,000,  built  Chapin  Hall, 
afterwards  giving  the  college  Si 00,000  as  a 
single  gift.  He  has  since  erected  Pearsons' 
Science  Hall  for  the  same  institution  at  a 
cost  of  over  S6o,ooo.  Taking  into  account 
the  rise  in  value  of  real  estate  donated  by 
him  to  Beloit,  his  benefactions  may  be  esti- 
mated at  §200,000.  Dr.  Pearsons  gave 
Knox  College  $50,000,  and  at  last  com- 
mencement offered  a  like  amount  on  con- 
dition that  the  directors  should  raise  S200,- 
000  in  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1892  Dr. 
Pearsons  became  interested  in  the  life  and 
labors  of  the  late  1  )r.  Ward  of  Nankton  Col- 


lege,  South  Dakota,  and  offered  the  trustees 
of  that  college  ^50,000  with  which  to  con- 
struct a  hall  to  bear  the  name  of  Dr.  \\'ard, 
on  a  condition  which  they  easily  fulfilled  ;  a 
similar  offer  of  550,000  was  made  to  Colo- 
rado College,  and  still  another  of  ^50,000  to 
Drury  College. 

Dr.  Pearsons  has  been  an  extensive  tra\- 
eler  within  his  own  and  in  foreign  lands. 
He  has  visited  Europe  three  times  and  but 
recently  returned  from  Egypt. 

Dr.  Pearsons  is  a  director  of  the  Chicago 
City  Railway  Co.,  the  American  Exchange 
National  Bank  and  other  financial  institu- 
tions of  Chicago.  His  favorite  investments 
have  been  in  real  property.  He  purchased 
large  tracts  of  timber  lands  in  Michigan 
which  yielded  immense  profits.  Dr.  Pear- 
.sons  is  the  original  founder  of  the  society 
Sons  of  Vermont  in  Chicago.  He  was  the 
fourth  president  of  the  society,  always  a  prom- 
inent advocate  and  influential  adviser  in  mat- 
ters of  interest  to  \'ermonters  and  the  Vermont 
society.  A  quotation  or  two  from  Dr.  Pear- 
sons' speech,  at  the  fourteenth  annual  ban- 
quet of  the  society,  might  serve  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  what  his  experience  has  been  :  "The 
successful  men  of  the  country  are  not  those 
whose  cradles  were  rocked  by  hired  nurses, 
and  who  never  knew  an  ungratified  wish  as 
children  ;  they  are  those  who  as  boys  did 
chores  for  their  keep,  and  were  glad  to  get 
the  job ;  laid  stone  wall,  ploughed  rough 
fields  and  fought  their  way  through  school 
and  college  poorly  clad,  fed  and  housed." 
Speaking  of  some  of  the  successful  men  of 
Vermont,  Dr.  Pearsons  said  :  "They  went 
from  the  hills  and  from  the  meadows  of  Ver- 
mont with  muscles  toughened,  not  by  the 
use  of  the  oar,  but  that  of  axe  and  plow,  and 
with  wits  sharpened  by  the  privations  of 
their  boyhood."  In  closing.  Dr.  Pearsons 
made  the  following  characteristic  remarks  : 
"Grit  makes  the  man,  the  want  of  it  the 
chump  ;  the  men  who  win  lay  hold,  hang  on 
and  hump." 

Dr.  Pearsons  was  married  in  1847  to  Miss 
Marietta  Chapin,  of  Massachusetts,  a  woman 
of  the  true  New  England  type,  who  enters 
heartily  into  her  husband's  method  of  bene\- 
olent  work.  She  presides  with  womanly 
grace  over  his  elegant  and  happy  home  in 
Hinsdale,  one  of  Chicago's  beautiful  suburbs. 

PERRY,  Aaron  F.,  was  born  at  Leicester, 
Jan.  I,  I  Si  5  ;  received  a  common  school  and 
academic  education  ;  studied  law  at  the  Vale 
Law  School ;  practiced  at  Columbus,  and  af- 
terwards at  Cincinnati  ;  was  a  member  of  the 
state  House  of  Representatives  of  Ohio  in 
1847  and  1848  ;  and  was  elected  a  represen- 
tative from  Ohio  in  the  Forty-second  Con- 
gress as  a  Republican. 


PERRY,  Daniel,  of  Maysville,  Mo.,  was. 
born  in  Wardsboro,  Nov.  8,  1839,  the  son  of 
James  T.  and  .\my  (^\'illis)  Perry. 

Daniel  was  reared  on  the  farm  of  his  par- 
ents, and  attended  the  district  schools,  se- 
curing a  good  education  when  a  boy.  He 
afterward  attended  the  Westminster  Acad- 
emy and  Powers  Institute  at  Bernardston, 
Mass.,  and  later  the  Albany  Law  School  at 
.•\lbany  N.  Y.,  graduating  in  1868. 

In  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Federal  army,  joining  Co.  F,  Vt.  company 
of  Berdan's  Sharpshooters  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  served  in  many  of  the 
principal  battles  in  which  his  regiment  par- 
ticipated.    He  became  a  favorite  of  Colonel 


Berdan  and  other  officers  of  his  regiment,, 
and  was  well  known  as  the  "Tall  Corporal 
on  the  Right."  He  is  six  feet  four  inches 
tall  and  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  best 
marksmen  in  the  army.  He  returned  to 
Vermont  in  the  winter  of  1863,  and  taught 
as  the  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Jack- 
sonville and  North  Bennington. 

He  went  \\'est  in  1872  and  was  connected 
with  school  work  in  the  higher  graded  schools 
until  about  1880,  then  entered  the  law, 
abstracting,  real  estate  and  loan  business  in 
Maysville.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
business,  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  best 
real  estate  lawyers  in  the  West,  and  a  very 
successful  dealer  in  real  estate.  His  business 
has  amounted  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  and  it  is  his  pride,  that  he  has  never 


lost  a  dollar  to  a  client  in  investments,  dur- 
ing his  business  experience.  At  present  he 
is  employed  extensively  in  examining  securi- 
ties and  titles  for  capitalists  residing  in  the 
East,  and  in  loaning  money. 

In  October,  18S5,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, with  a  daughter  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Darden, 
of  Southern  Georgia.  She  is  a  grand-niece 
of  Commodore  Nicholson,  the  first  com- 
mander of  the  old  "Constitution."  One 
daughter  has  blessed  this  union. 

Mr.  Perry  has  held  many  important  offices, 
among  them,  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  public  administrator  and  mayor  of 
Maysville,  Mo.,  his  home,  where  he  is  attend- 
ing to  his  business  interests,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  long  and  faithful  service  in  civil  life. 

PETTEE,  Lyman  P.,  son  of  Anson  I,, 
and  Lucy  (Bartlett)  Pettee,  was  born  in  Wil- 
mington .August  14,  1849.  Both  his  grand- 
fathers were  for  many  years  active  officers  in 
the  old  state  militia,  and  his  father,  Dr.  A.  L. 
Pettee,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  phy- 
sicians in  Windham  county. 

Young  Pettee  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Wilmington  and  later 
on  attended  the  Burnside  Military  School  at 
Brattleboro.  He,  early  in  life,  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  preferred  to  finish  his  edu- 
cation in  the  more  practical  channels  of  busi- 
ness experience  and  accordingly  became 
engaged  in  several  minor  enterprises  long 
before  he  had  arri\ed  at  his  majority.  .At 
the  age  of  twenty-three  he  left  Vermont  to 
accept  a  position  with  the  New  York  Pie  Co., 
of  New  York  City,  and  remained  with  them 
one  year,  after  which  he  embarked  in  the 
baking  business  on  his  own  account  in  the 
city  of  Brooklyn.  This  venture  was  for  a 
time  successful,  but  a  universal  panic  in  bus- 
iness so  discouraged  him  that  he  finally,  in 
1S80,  sold  out.  Mr.  Pettee  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Crandall  &  (lodley.  New  York,  in 
1 88 1,  the  firm  enjoyining  the  distinction  of 
being  the  largest  dealers  in  bakers'  and  con- 
fectioners' supplies  in  the  world.  From  this 
time  his  strides  along  the  pathway  of  success 
were  rapid.  He  soon  became  superinten- 
dent of  the  business,  and  within  two  years 
was  admitted  as  a  partner  with  a  modest  in- 
terest. He  accepted  every  opportunity  to 
prove  his  value  to  the  firm,  so  that  when  the 
senior  member,  Mr.  .A.  B.  Crandall,  died, 
Mr.  Pettee  found  his  opportunity.  Since 
then,  1887,  the  firm  has  more  than  doubled 
its  business.  In  1892  they  were  succeeded 
by  the  Crandall  &  Codley  Co.,  and  Mr. 
Pettee  was  at  once  elected  vice-president  and 
treasurer,  which  position  he  now  holds. 

Mr.  Pettee  has  engaged  in  many  other 
large  and  important  enterprises,  being  presi- 
dent of  the  Geysers  Natural  Carbonate 
Acid  Gas  Co.,  operating  at  Saratoga  .Springs, 


N.  V'.,  and  New  York  City,  which  shi])s  its 
product  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  He  is 
also  president  of  the  Supply  World  Publish- 
ing Co.,  which  issues  the  recognized  leading 
trade  paper  in  the  interests  of  bakers  and 
confectioners. 

Mr.  Pettee  is  proprietor  of  the  Deerfield 
stock  farm  at  West  Brattleboro,  now  one  of 
the  recognized  institutions  of  Windham 
county,  on  which  are  some  of  the  most 
highly  bred  horses  in  this  country,  and  where 
he  spends  the  time  he  has  at  his  command 
for  recreation.  He  is  also  the  inventor  and 
patentee  of  several  useful  articles  of  recog- 
nized merit. 

He  is  a  Mason  and  in  politics  is  a  staunch 
1  )emocrat  but  has  never  permitted  partisan 
principle  to  blind  his  eyes  to  the  mistakes  of 
his  own  party. 

Mr.  Pettee  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1871  to  Imogene  S.,  daughter  of  Frank  and 
Sophia  Prouty,  who  died,  1880.  She  bore 
him  two  children  :  Harry  E.,  and  L.  Grace. 
The  latter  met  an  accidental  death,  being 
drowned  while  on  a  visit  to  Wilmington.  In 
1883  he  was  again  united  to  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Thresher. 
Four  children  have  blessed  this  marriage  : 
W'illie  C,  Lyman  E.,  Elmo  C,  and  George 
Mortimer. 

PETTIGREW,  Richard  Pranklin,  of 

Sioux  Falls,  S.  D.,  was  born  at  Ludlow,  July, 
1848;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Evans- 
ville,  \Ms.,  in  1854  ;  was  prepared  for  college 
at  the  Evansville  Academy,  and  entered  Be- 
loit  College  in  1866,  where  he  remained  two 
years  ;  was  a  member  of  the  law  class  of 
1869,  LTniversity  of  Wisconsin  ;  went  to 
Dakota  in  July,  1869,  in  the  employ  of  a 
LTnited  States  deputy  surveyor  as  a  laborer  ; 
located  in  Sioux  Falls,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  surveying  and  real  estate  business ; 
opened  a  law  office  in  1875,  and  has  been  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  since  ;  was 
elected  to  the  Dakota  I-egislature  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Council  in  1877,  and  re-elected  in 
1879  ;  was  elected  to  the  Forty-seventh  and 
Forty-eighth  Congresses  as  delegate  from 
Dakota  Territory  ;  was  elected  to  the  Terri- 
torial Council  in  i884-'85  ;  was  elected 
LTnited  States  Senator  Oct.  16,  1889,  under 
the  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress  admit- 
ting South  Dakota  into  the  Union  ;  took  his 
seat  Dec.  2,  1889.  His  term  of  service  will 
expire  March  3,  1895.  He  is  president  of 
the  Sioux  Falls  Terminal  Railroad  Co.  :  the 
Sioux  Falls  Street  Railway  Co.,  and  of  the 
Sioux  Falls,  Yankton  &  Southwestern  Rail- 
way Co. 

PHELPS,  Charles  E.,  was  born  in 
(luilford.  May  1,  1S33  :  removed  with  his 
parents    to    Pennsylvania    in    183S,    and    to 


124 


Maryland  in  1841  ;  graduated  at  Princeton 
College  in  1853;  studied  law,  and  came  to 
the  Maryland  bar  in  1855  ;  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court 
in  1859.  In  i860  he  was  a  member  of  the 
city  council  of  Baltimore.  In  1861  he  was 
commissioned  a  major  of  the  Marj'land 
Guard,  which  post  he  resigned.  In  1862  he 
was  made  Lieut. -Col.  of  the  7th  Md.  Vols., 
and  honorably  discharged  on  account  of 
wounds  in  1864,  and  was  soon  afterwards 
elected  a  representative  from  Maryland  to 
the  Thirty-ninth  Congress.  He  was  subse- 
quently commissioned  brevet  brigadier-gen- 
eral for  gallant  conduct  at  the  battle  of 
Spottsylvania. 

PHELPS,  George  HOVEY,  of  Fargo, 
N.  D.,  son  of  Simonds  Fowler  Phelps  and 
Susan  Critchett  Phelps,  was  born  July  17, 
1862,  at  Lowell.  His  education  was  received 
in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town, 
Albany  Academy,  Johnson  State  Normal 
School,  and  St  Johnsbury  Academy. 


GEORGE   HOVE 


The  years  from  1883  to  1885  were  spent 
in  teaching  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1885  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Hon.  L.  H.  Thompson  at  Irasburg, 
and  commenced  the  study  of  law.  In  1887 
he  became  deputy  clerk  of  court  at  St.  Johns- 
bury  and  remained  in  that  position  until  he 
removed  to  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  in  1888, 
where  he  took  charge  of  the  loan  and  collec- 
tion   department   in  the  office    of  Burleigh 


F.  Spalding.  During  the  year  1890  he 
held  the  position  of  deputy  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict court  of  Cass  county  and,  in  1891, 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  Burleigh  F. 
Spalding,  which  firm  was  succeeded  in  June, 
1893,  by  the  present  firm  of  Newman,  Spald- 
ing &  Phelps.  Mr.  Phelps  has  confined  him- 
self strictly  to  business,  paying  particular  at- 
tention to  commercial  and  real  estate  law,  and 
through  his  energy  and  fidelity  to  his  partic- 
ular line  has  earned  for  himself  a  foremost 
rank,  and  holds  for  his  firm  a  large  clientage 
among  the  leading  wholesale  houses  through- 
out the  country. 

He  is  a  member  of  Shiloh  Lodge,  No.  i, 
F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Keystone  Chapter,  No.  5,  R.  A. 
M.  :  Casselton  Council,  No.  i,  R.  S.  M.  ; 
Auvergne  Commandery,  No.  2,  K.  T.  ;  El 
ZagarTemple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S. :  Mecca 
Chapter,  No.  5,  O.  E.  S.,  and  Fargo  Consis- 
tory, 32d  degree  A.  A.,  Scottish  Rite.  He 
is  past  high  priest  of  Keystone  Chapter,  has 
served  three  years  as  deputy  grand  secretary 
of  the  Grand  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Grand 
Chapter  of  R.  A.  M.  of  North  Dakota  and  is 
the  grand  representative  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
and  Grand  Chapter  of  \'ermont,  near  the 
like  Grand  bodies  of  North  Dakota. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  married  at  Irasburg,  Oct. 
12,  1 88 7,  to  Julia  Lucy,  daughter  of  Ethan 
Allen  and  Abigail  Jane  Leach.  They  have 
one  child  :   Kenneth  Allen. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps  keep  open  house  for 
all  natives  of  Vermont  and  retain  at  all 
times  their  loyalty  to  the  state  of  their  birth. 

PHELPS,  James  T.,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  son 
of  James  T.  and  Lucy  J.  (Mitchell)  Phelps, 
was  born  May  24,  1845,  at  Chittenden. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Burlington,  and  of  Chelsea,  Mass.  In  1857 
Mr.  Phelps  entered  the  Boston  office  of  the 
National  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  Montpelier, 
which  was  then  conducted  by  his  father,  and 
pursued  his  studies  under  paternal  direction. 
During  the  years  of  1861  to  1863  he  was  a 
clerk  in  a  country  store  at  Fair  Haven,  then 
returned  to  Boston,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  year  or  two  in  the  West,  has  been  in  the 
service  of  the  National  Life  Insurance  Co. 
contiuously  since.  L'nder  the  firm  name  of 
James  T.  Phelps  &  Son,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  father  in  1869,  and  in  1870,  at 
the  death  of  his  father,  assumed  and  has  since 
had  entire  control  of  the  Massachusetts  bus- 
iness of  the  company,  with  great  success. 
In  1870  he  was  made  a  director  of  the  com- 
pany, and  is  now  on  the  board. 

Mr.  Phelps  has  been  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness practically  during  the  entire  period  of 
its  history  in  America  and  has  acquired  a 
considerable  distinction  as  a  writer  on  the 
subject  and  is  an  acknowledged  authority  on 
life  insurance  matters. 


Mr.  I'helps  has  served  in  the  city  council 
of  Chelsea,  Mass.,  two  years  in  each  branch, 
as  councilman  and  aklerman,  with  honor  to 
himself  and  his  constituents. 


-jsal^^**' 


JAMES  T.   PHELPS. 

He  was  married  Oct.  19,  1879,  at  Fair 
Haven,  to  Juliza  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Otis 
Hamilton,  and  has  two  living  children,  both 
daughters. 

PIERCE,  Leroy  Matthew,  of  Hlack- 
stone,  Mass.,  son  of  Alvah  \^"arren  and  J.ydia 
(.Atwood)  Pierce,  was  born  at  Olney,  111., 
Jan.  14,  1842,  and  became  a  Vermonter  by 
adoption.  The  removal  of  his  parents  from 
Londonderry  to  Illinois  and  their  subsequent 
return  a  few  years  later  when  their  son  was 
three  or  four  years  of  age,  explains  the  situ- 
ation. 

His  education  began  at  the  old  time  acad- 
emies in  Londonderry  and  Springfield  and 
he  entered  Middlebury  College  in  1861  but 
did  not  graduate  until  1S66,  for  while  a 
student  he  passed  some  time  away  as  a  dele- 
gate of  the  Christian  commission  in  the 
hospitals  of  Washington,  D.  C,  City  Point, 
Va.,  and  in  the  .Army  of  the  Potomac.  Re- 
turning to  Middlebury  he  resumed  his 
studies  in  a  succeeding  class.  At  college  he 
was  prominent  in  society  work  and  was 
president  of  the  fraternity  of  the  various 
chapters  in  the  different  colleges  of  Delta 
LTpsilon  and  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa.  He  was  the  salutatorian  of  his 
class  and  also  received  the  U'aldo  prize  for 
scholarship  and  good  behavior. 


Shortly  after  graduation  at  .\ndo\er  'i'heo- 
iogical  Seminary  of  .Massacusetts,  where  he 
had  passed  the  years  from  1866  to  1869,  he 
went  to  (Henwood,  Mo.,  where  he  was  ordain- 
ed Feb.  4,  1870,  and  labored  as  a  home  mis- 
sionary for  about  two  years.  In  1871  he  re- 
turned East  and  received  a  call  to  preach  in 
the  Congregational  church  at  Provincetown, 
Mass.,  which  he  accepted  and  served  there 
until  failing  health  caused  an  interruption  of 
his  ministry  after  about  a  year's  occupancy 
of  the  pastorate.  He  resumed  the  work  of 
the  ministry  at  Bernardston,  Mass.,  becom- 
ing pastor  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  remained  there  for  ten  years,  from  1873 
to  1883.  In  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1883  he  visited  Europe  in  company  with 
Mrs.  Pierce.  In  the  spring  of  1884  he  be- 
gan his  present  connection  as  the  pastor  of 
the    Coneresrational   church    in    Bkickstone, 


'."•i^?* 


LEROY    MATTHEW    PIERCE. 

Mass.  While  a  busy  minister,  Mr.  Pierce 
has  devoted  considerable  time  to  private 
study,  especially  botany,  and  the  Hebrew 
Bible,  in  both  of  which  he  has  attained  pro- 
ficiency for  one  who  is  not  a  teacher  of  those 
branches. 

Mr.  Pierce  was  married,  May  24,  1876,  to 
Catherine,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  William 
and  Abbie  Hard  Billings  of  .Arlington. 

PIERCE,  WiLLARD  Henry,  of  Creen- 
field,  .Mass.,  son  of  Nathan  G.  and  Roxana 
(Reach)  Pierce,  was  born  in  Westminster, 
Nov.  2  I,  1864. 


126 


The  early  educational  advantages  of  .Mr. 
Pierce  were  received  at  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  from  private  instruc- 
tion, as  well  as  a  course  at  Sa.xtons  River 
(Vt.)  Academy.  He  entered  the  University 
of  Vermont,  medical  department,  with  the 
class  of  18S3,  and  graduated  M.  D.  in  18S5. 

Dr.  Pierce  commenced  the  active  practice 
of  his  profession  at  the  age  of  twenty- one,  at 
Bernardston,  Mass.,  and  on  Jan.  i,  1893,  he 
removed  to  Greenfield,  Mass.,  where  he  has 
since  resided  and  built  up  an  excellent 
practice.  Although  a  general  practitioner, 
J)r.  Pierce  has  a  special  aptitude  for  surgical 
work,  and  receives  many  calls  from  the  pro- 
fession in  Vermont,  New  Hampshire  and 
Massachusetts.     A\'hen   twentv-five  vears  of 


i^ 


age  he  had  performed  a  large  number  of  the 
most  difficult  operations,  including  the  suc- 
cessful removal  of  one  kidney.  Dr.  Pierce 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  performed 
the  first  operation  known  as  laparotomy, 
done  by  a  resident  of  Franklin  county. 

.\lthough  a  staunch  Republican,  he  has 
been  too  busily  engaged  with  his  profes- 
sional duties  to  devote  much  time  to  politics. 
While  in  Bernardston  he  was  a  member  of 
the  town  committee,  and  was  frequently  sent 
as  delegate  to  state  and  other  conventions. 

He  became  a  Free  Mason  in  1886,  and  is 
now   a  member   of  all  the  bodies    of  that 


order.  \Vas  president  of  the  Library  .Asso- 
ciation and  trustee  of  Powers  Institute  while 
in  Bernardston.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  Medical  .Association,  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and  for 
two  years  president  of  the  Franklin  county 
district  of  the  latter.  During  the  time  of 
his  membership  he  has  contributed  a  large 
number  of  essays  to  these  societies. 

Dr.  Pierce  was  married  at  Bernardston, 
Mass.,  Sept.  5,  1888,  to  Nellie  May,  daughter 
of  Ormando  \V.  and  Roxcena  (.Arnold)  (Iray. 
They  have  one  daughter  :  Roxy. 

POLLARD,  Henry  M.,  was  born  at 
Plymouth,  June  14,  1836;  received  a  com- 
mon school  and  academic  education,  gradu- 
ating in  1857  at  the  scientific  department  of 
Dartmouth  College  :  ser\ed  in  Union  army 
during  the  war  as  major  of  the  Sth  Regt.  Vt. 
Vols.  ;  located  in  Chillicothe,  Mo.,  in  the  fall 
of  1865,  and  has  since  resided  there,  prac- 
ticing law  ;  was  elected  a  representative  from 
Missouri  in  the  Forty-fifth  Congress  as  a 
Republican. 

PROCTOR,  William  Henry,  son  of 

Asa  and  Lorena  (Proctor)  Proctor,  was  born 
in  Cavendish,  Oct.  19,  1827.  Both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers  of  Mr. 
Proctor  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
the  latter  was  present  at  the  skirmish  on  the 
village  green  at  Lexington,  and  later  partici- 
]iated  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

^^'hen  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  the 
parents  of  Mr.  Proctor  removed  to  Kalama- 
zoo county,  Mich.,  and  eight  years  later  to 
Columbia  county.  Wis.  He  attended  the 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  afterwards 
studied  m  Schoolcraft,  Mich.,  and  Azatlan, 
Wis. 

Mr.  Proctor  has  always  followed  the  voca- 
tion of  a  general  farmer,  and  to  this  has 
given  the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion. He  has  settled  in  the  town  of  Foun- 
tain Prairie,  a  locality  which  is  much  admired 
by  all  who  visit  this  charming  spot. 

He  was  married  Nov.  8,  1857,  to.Angeiine 
E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  and  Mary  S. 
(Durfee)  Lashier.  Nine  children  are  the 
issue  of  this  marriage  :  Nettie  .\.  (deceased), 
I'lUen  Lorena,  John  S.,  William  R.,  Mary  E., 
Walter  A.,  Clara  M.,  Alfred  H.,  and  Ade- 
laide L. 

For  several  years  Mr.  Proctor  held  the 
office  of  town  supervisor  and  was  also  chair- 
man of  the  town  board  and  for  eight  years  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors. 
In  18S2  he  was  elected  to  the  state  Legisla- 
ture of  Wisconsin,  representing  the  second 
assembly  district  of  Columbia  county. 


127 


RAMSDELL,  William  Martin,  of 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Horac;e  1).  and 
Lucretia  (Holt)  Ramsdell,  was  born  Nov. 
14,  1851,  at  Montpelier. 

He  receiv'ed  his  early  education  at  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  began 
early  in  life  to  exhibit  a  strong  liking  for 
mechanics.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  en- 
tered the  establishment  of  Fisher  &  Colton, 
manufacturers  of  saddlery  hardware,  at  Mont- 
pelier, and  served  an  ai^prentii^eship  in  the 


WILLIAM    MARTIN    RAMSDELL. 

silver  plating  department.  Immediately 
afterward  he  went  to  Portland,  Me.,  and 
entered  the  employ  of  A.  H.  Atwood,  manu- 
facturing dealer  in  silver  plated  ware,  and 
remained  three  years,  spending  such  time  as 
could  be  spared  in  preparing  himself  for  a 
professional  career  which  he  had  decided 
upon  entering. 

In  1875  he  returned  to  Montpelier  and 
began  the  systematic  study  of  dentistry  under 
the  tuition  of  the  late  Dr.  O.  P.  Forbush. 
After  two  years  Dr.  Ramsdell  located  in 
West  Randolph  and  remained  three  years  in 
successful  practice,  when,  desiring  a  larger 
field,  he  formed,  in  1880,  a  partnership  with 
Dr.  Charles  D.  Cook,  a  prominent  dentist  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  V.,  with  whom  he  remained  in 
pleasant  business  relations  two  years,  a  part 
of  which  time  was  spent  in  pursuing  a  course 
of  study  in  the  Indiana  Dental  College  at 
Indianapolis  from  which  he  graduated  with 
honors. 

Dr.  Ramsdell  at  this  time  entered  busi- 
ness  upon    his   own  account   in    Brooklyn, 


where  he  has  developed  a  successful  practice. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Dental 
Society,  the  First  District  Dental  Society  of 
the  state  of  New  York  :  the  Brooklyn  Kthical 
Association  ;  and  of  the  Brooklyn  Society  of 
\'ermonters. 

Dr.  Ramsdell  was  married  at  Montpelier, 
Sept.  2,  T879,  to  Ida,  daughter  of  Lorenzo 
I),  and  Nancy  Frost  Hill. 

RANNEW  Ambrose  A.,  son  of  Wait- 
still  R.  and  Phcebe  (Atwood)  Ranney,  was 
born  in  Townshend,  April  16,  1821. 

He  fitted  for  college  at  Townshend  Acad- 
emy and  was  graduated  from  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1844.  His  early  life  was 
spent  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age.  His  father  was  the  leading 
physician  of  his  native  place,  and  was  for  two 
years  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state  of 
Vermont. 

After  graduation  he  studied  law  with  Hon. 
Andrew  Tracy  in  Woodstock,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  of  ^"ermont  in  December, 
1847.  He  immediately  removed  to  Boston 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  bar  in  June, 
1848. 

Mr.  Ranney  was  married  in  (_'avendish, 
Dec.  4,  1850,  to  Maria  I).,  daughter  of  Addi- 
son and  Maria  (Ingalls)  Fletcher.  Of  this 
union  were  four  children  :  Fletcher  Ranney, 
now  a  partner  in  his  father's  law  firm  ;  Maria 
v.,  Helen  M.,  and  Alice  Ranney,  now  Mrs. 
Thomas  Allen. 

He  was  city  solicitor  for  Boston,  1855  and 
'56;  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives 1857,  '63  and  '64  ;  elected  to  Congress 
in  1880,  as  a  Republican,  from  the  third 
congressional  district,  and  twice  re-elected, 
serving  through  the  Forty-seventh,  Forty- 
eighth  and  Forty-ninth  Congresses.  He 
joined  the  Republican  party  at  its  organiza- 
tion, and  has  since  remained  a  staunch  and 
active  worker  in  its  ranks.  While  in  Con- 
gress he  served  two  terms  on  the  committee 
on  elections,  investigating  frauds  and  render- 
ing most  valuable  service  in  the  interests  of 
fair  elections  and  the  integrity  of  the  ballot- 
box.  During  the  last  term  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  judiciary  committee,  and  the  head 
of  a  special  committee  on  the  Republican 
side  of  the  house  to  investigate  the  famous 
pan-electric  scheme,  involving  the  reputation 
and  conduct  of  high  government  officials 
and  exciting  great  public  interest.  His  ser- 
vices on  this  committee  are  a  matter  of  hon- 
orable record. 

His  absorbing  aim  and  ambition  was, 
however,  in  the  profession  of  the  law,  where- 
in, previous  to  his  congressional  career  he 
had  achieved  eminent  success.  He  had  been 
only  a  few  years  at  the  bar  when  the  office  of 
city  solicitor  was  conferred  upon  him,  and 
his  duties  therein  were  most  creditably  dis- 


128 


REDIXGTDN. 


charged.  He  had  little  taste  for  politics,  and 
political  honors  ha\'e  at  all  times  been  thrust 
upon  him,  rather  than  sought  for.  But  during 
his  legislative  service,  both  state  and  national, 
he  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  parties, 
and  impressed  the  public  generally  by  his 
manly  bearing,  his  fidelity  to  duty,  as  he  un- 
derstood it,  and  his  great  ability  as  a  profound 
lawyer,  and  a  successful  legislator.  He  may 
be  said  to  have  achieved  a  national  reputa- 
tion. While  his  return  to  private  life,  and 
his  chosen  profession,  may  have  been  more 
congenial  to  him,  the  loss  to  the  public  ser- 
vice was  the  cause  of  deep  regret  among  all 
who  knew  his  virtues. 


Lieut,  of  Co.  I  until  mustered  out,  July  14, 
1863.  President  Lincoln  appointed  him 
additional  paymaster  U.  S.  Vols,  with  the 
rank  of  major,  Feb.  24,  1S64,  and  he  re- 
mained on  duty  with  the  .\rmy  of  the  Poto- 
mac until  June  24,  1865,  when  he  was 
ordered  to  Springfield,  111.,  to  pay  mustered- 
out  troops.  He  served  there  until  Nov.  30, 
1865,  and  was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  From  1866  to  187 1  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railway  Co.  as 


RAY,  OSSIAN,  of  Lancaster,  N.  H.,  was 
born  at  Hinesburgh,  Dec.  13,  1835.  Here- 
moved  to  Irasburgh  in  early  childhood,  and 
there  and  at  Derby  received  an  academic 
education.  He  studied  law,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1857,  and  has  since  practiced 
at  Lancaster,  N.  H.,  where  he  removed  soon 
after  his  admission  to  the  bar.  In  1868  he 
was  a  member  of  the  state  Legislature,  and 
also  in  1869.  From  1862  to  1872  he  was 
solicitor  for  Coos  county,  and  was  L^nited 
States  attorney  for  the  district  of  New 
Hampshire  from  Feb.  22,  1879,  to  the  fol- 
lowing December,  when  he  resigned,  upon 
his  nomination  to  fill  vacancy  on  the  Forty- 
sixth  Congress  consequent  upon  the  death 
of  Hon.  Evarts  W.  Farr.  He  was  elected  to 
that  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
Forty-seventh  Congress  as  a  Republican. 

READ,  ALMON  H.,  was  born  in  Shel- 
burne,  June  12,  1790;  graduated  at  Williams 
College  ;  studied  law  and  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania ;  was  frequently  elected  to  the  state 
Legislature ;  also  to  the  Senate  ;  in  1 840  was 
appointed  treasurer  of  the  state,  and  in 
1 84 1  was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the 
National  House  of  Representatives,  and  re- 
elected to  the  succeeding  Congress.  He 
died  at  Montrose,  Penn.,  June  3,  1S44. 

REDINGTON,  EDWARD  Dana,  of 
Evanston,  111.,  son  of  Edward  C.  and  Caro- 
line D.  (Stearns)  Redington,  was  born  Nov. 
12,  1839,  at  Chelsea. 

Mr.  Redington  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Chelsea,  and  at  the  St.  Johnsbury  Acad- 
emy, and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1861 
at  Dartmouth  College.  After  graduating,  he 
became  a  teacher  in  St.  johnsbury  Academy 
for  a  year.  In  the  winter  of  i863-'64  he 
served  as  assistant  cashier  of  the  Passumpsic 
Bank. 

From  1862  to  the  close  of  1865  Mr.  Red- 
ington was  actively  engaged  in  the  defense 
of  the  Union.  He  enlisted  in  the  12th  Vt. 
Vols.,  August  23,  1862,  and  was  sergeant- 
major  to   Feb.   23,  1863,  and  afterwards   2d 


ARD    DANA    REDINGTON. 


cashier  and  paymaster,  residing  at  Wyan- 
dotte, Leavenw'orth,  and  Lawrence,  Kan. 
From  1 87 1  to  1875  ^^  "^^^^  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  in  Lawrence,  Kan.,  and 
from  1875  to  1887  in  Chicago,  111.  Since 
1  888  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Provi- 
dent Life  and  Trust  Co.  of  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
in  their  Chicago  agency. 

Mr.  Redington  is  a  Repubhcan  in  pohtics, 
though  while  in  Kansas  he  was  the  Pro- 
hibition candidate  for  mayor  of  Lawrence  in 
1873.  In  the  same  city  he  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board  from  1872  to  1875. 

In  the  G.  A.  R.  Mr.  Redington  has  been 
prominent,  serving  as  aid  on  Commander 
Veazey's  staff  in  1891.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Illinois  Commandery,  Loyal  Legion,  of 
the  \\'estern  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution.  He  has  been  president  of  the 
Chicago  Alumni  Association  of  Dartmouth 
College  ;  is  president  of  the  Chicago  Associ- 
ation Sons  of  ^'ermont  for   1894,   and  Jan. 


REDINGTON. 


129 


22,  1894,  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Chicago  Congregational  Club  for  the  ensu- 
ing year. 

Mr.  Redington  was  married  twice,  his 
first  wife  being  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  F.ph- 
raim  and  Mary  Ann  Chamberlain  of  St. 
Johnsbury,  whom  he  married  Nov.  15,  1864. 
From  this  union  there  are  three  children 
living :  Lizzie  Stearns,  John  Chase  and 
Paul  Goodwin  (twins).  Mrs.  Redington 
died  in  April,  1880.  May  18,  1882,  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Julia,  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Julia 
R.  Towne  of  Topsfield,  Mass.,  by  whom  he 
has  one  child  ;  Theodore  Towne. 

RICE,  Edmund,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  was 
born  in  Waitsfield,  Feb.  14,  1819;  received 
a  common  school  education ;  went  to  Kala- 
mazoo, Mich.,  November,  1838  ;  read  law  ; 
was  appointed  register  of  the  court  of  chan- 
cery in  1S41  for  the  third  circuit;  was 
appointed  master  in  chancery  ;  was  appoint- 
ed clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court,  third  circuit ; 
served  as  register  and  master  until  1S45, 
when  the  court  was  abolished,  and  clerk 
until  1849  ;  in  1S47  enlisted  to  serve  in  the 
Mexican  war  ;  was  commissioned  ist  Lieut. 
Co.  .A,  ist  Regt.  Mich.  Vols. ;  was  detailed 
as  acting  assistant  commissary  subsistence, 
and  acting  assistant  quartermaster :  was 
mustered  out  in  August,  1848;  removed  to 
St.  Paul,  in  July,  1849,  and  practiced  law 
until  1856  ;  was  president  of  the  Minnesota 
&  Pacific  Railroad  Co.,  from  1857  to  1863, 
St.  Paul  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  1S63  till  1872,  and 
trustee  till  1879  ;  president  St.  Paul  &  Chi- 
cago, 1863  till  1877  ;  was  a  member  of  the 
territorial  Legislature  185 1  ;  was  state  sena- 
tor 1864-66,  1874-76  ;  was  a  member  of  the 
state  House  of  Representatives  1867,  1872, 
1877  and  1878 ;  was  mayor  of  St.  Paul 
1881-83,  re-elected  in  1885  and  resigned  in 
February,  1887  ;  and  was  elected  to  the 
Fiftieth  Congress  as  a  Democrat. 

RICE,  Henry  M.,  was  born  in  Vermont  ; 
emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  when  it  was  a  ter- 
ritory, and  after  that  time  lived  in  three  other 
territories,  viz.,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  Minne- 
sota, much  of  his  life  having  been  spent 
among  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest  ; 
in  1840  he  was  appointed  a  sutler  in  the 
army  ;  has  been  employed  as  commissioner 
in  making  many  Indian  treaties  of  great  im- 
portance :  in  1853  he  was  elected  a  delegate 
to  Congress  from  Minnesota  ;  re-elected  in 
1855,  having  secured  the  passage  of  the  act 
authorizing  the  people  of  Minnesota  to  form 
a  state  constitution:  and  in  1857  he  was 
elected  a  senator  in  Congress  from  Minne- 
sota for  the  term  of  six  years. 

REDINGTON,  LYMAN  W. ,  of  New  York 
City,  son  of  George  and  Loraine  W.  (Shel- 


don) Redington,  was  born  at  Waddington, 
N.  v.,  ^L'lrch  14,  1849,  and  is  a  direct 
descendant  on  his  father's  side  of  John 
Redington,  who  came  from  the  vicinity  of 
Hemel-Hempstead,  near  Windsor,  England, 
prior  to  1640,  and  located  in  Topsfield, 
Mass.  He  died  there  in  1690,  and  his 
descendants  lived  there  and  in  the  adjoining 
town  of  Boxford,  and  in  Windsor  and  Rich- 
mond, Mass.,  for  many  years.  Lyman  W. 
Redington's  grandfather,  Jacob  Redington, 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  He  lived  for 
some  years  in  Vergennes,  and  held  a  number 
of  local  offices  in  the  early  history  of  that 
city,  being  a  member  of  the  first  common 
council  of  the  first  city  government  of  Ver- 
gennes in  1 794.  He  emigrated  from  Ver- 
gennes in  iSoo  to  ^\'addington,  N.  Y.,  where 
with  his  family  he  lived  and  died.  Mr. 
Redington,  on  his  mother's  side,  was  a 
great-great-grandson  of  Capt.  .Amasa  Shel- 
don, of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  a  direct 
descendant  of  Samuel  IJass,  of  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  whose  wife  was  a  daughter  of  the 
historical  John  Alden.  The  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  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  R.  R.,  from  Ogdensburg  to  Rouse's 
Point,  and  was  one  of  its  directors.  He 
was  an  energetic  business  man  of  large 
capacity,  and  highly  respected  for  his  sound 
judgment  and  upright,  straightforward  deal- 
ing. He  was  a  staunch  Democrat.  Lyman 
W.  Reddington's  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Medad  Sheldon,  of  Rutland,  and  a  sister  of 
Charles  Sheldon,  deceased,  of  Rutland,  head 
of  the  firm  of  Sheldon  &  Sons,  marble 
dealers. 

L.  W.  Redington  prepared  for  college  at 
Williston  Seminary,  Easthampton,  Mass., 
and  entered  Vale  College  in  1866,  but  ill- 
health  prevented  him  from  completing  the 
collegiate  course.  He  attended  law  school 
at  Columbia  College,  New  York  City,  and 
concluded  his  professional  studies  in  the 
office  of  the  late  L'nited  States  Senator 
Matthew  H.  Carpenter,  in  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Milwaukee  bar  in 
1 8  7 1 ,  and  for  some  time  afterward  made  an 
extensive  tour  of  Europe,  to  regain  his 
health  and  round  out  his  education,  remain- 
a  year  abroad.  In  1875  he  located  in 
Rutland.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to  the 
oflice  of  grand  juror,  which  position  he 
held  for  five  years,  and  then  refused  to  stand 
longer.  He  was  the  nominee  of  the  Demo- 
cracy for  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 


RICHARDSON. 


RICHAKUSON. 


a  delegate-at-large  for  Vermont  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic national  convention  in  1880,  and  was 
the  nominee  of  the  Democracy  in  Congress 
in  1882.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic state  convention  in  1882,  and  on 
the  17th  of  March,  18S4,  was  appointed 
municipal  judge  for  Rutland,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Martin 
G.  Everts,  and  re-elected  in  1885.  He  was 
corporation  attorney  for  Rutland  for  the 
year  iS83-'84,  and  was  president  of  the  New 
England  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of  Rutland, 
which  was  organized  under  a  Vermont  char- 
ter in  1881.  In  1884  he  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Governor,  and  made  a 
spirited  canvass,  cutting  down  by  several 
thousand  the  normal  Republican  majority  in 
the  state.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Rutland  July  17,  1885,  by  President  Cleve- 
land. 

Mr.  Redington  was  married  Oct.  6,  1875, 
to  Catherine  Russell  Merrill,  daughter  of  Col. 
George  .\.  Merrill,  of  Rutland,  and  has  three 
children  :  Mary  Patterson,  Thomas  (iregory, 
and  Paul  Merrill. 

He  is  a  man  of  many  scholarly  attainments, 
with  a  broad  and  healthy  sympathy,  with 
democratic  ideas,  a  powerful  speaker,  an  in- 
dependent and  progressive  thinker.  In  the 
Legislature  of  1878  he  was  the  author  of  the 
•"  Redington  Bill,"  so  called,  for  a  local  op- 
tion law  to  apply  to  the  liquor  traffic  ;  of 
course  the  bill  was  defeated,  but  his  speech 
in  its  advocacy  was  most  masterly. 

In  1889  he  resigned  the  office  of  post- 
master, and  moved  to  New  York  City  to  prac- 
tice his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Tammany  Hall  general  committee  ;  of  the  N. 
V.  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  ;  of 
Kane  Lodge  and  Coeur  de  Lion  Command- 
ery,  Knights  Templar,  and  is  president  of  the 
Powhatan  Club. 

RICHARDSON,  David  NELSON,  of 
Davenport,  Iowa,  son  of  Christopher  and 
Achsah  Richardson,  was  born  March  19, 
1832,  at  East  Orange. 

The  common  schools  and  three  terms  at 
the  Franklin  Academy,  Malone,  N.  V.,  were 
his  early  educational  advantages,  while  farm 
life,  teaching,  and  a  printing  office  filled  his 
life  until  the  age  of  twenty-three,  when  he 
became  editor  and  co-proprietor  of  the  ]iaper 
which  he  still  continues  to  edit  and  own. 

Iowa  people  say  of  him  :  "  Nowadays  in 
Iowa  when  it  becomes  necessary  to  give  con- 
sideration of  matters  of  literature  and  art, 
whenever  the  opinion  is  needed  of  an  expert 
of  good  judgment,  who  has  knowledge  and 
practical  common  sense,  the  thought  of  all 
instinctively  turn  towards  Mr.  D.  N.  Rich- 
ardson. In  the  broad  range  of  acquaintance 
with  books,  with  architecture,  with  art,  with 
traveled    knowledge    and    with    the    many 


things  that  go  to  make  up  the  culture  of  life, 
he  is  easily  the  first  citizen  of  the  state. 
]'-ver  ready  to  interest  himself  in  these  mat- 
ters where  the  good  of  the  state  is  concerned 
and  in  his  charming,  modest  manner,  to 
give  the  public  the  benefit  of  his  learning 
acquired  bv  travel  all  over  the  world,  with  its 
accompanying  personal  investigation,  be- 
sides by  the  more  ordinary  method  of  study, 
no  undertaking  of  statewide  scope  is  deemed 
to  be  on  its  best  footing  unless  his  co-opera- 
tion is  secured.  He  has  interested  himself 
in  the  State  University  for  the  past  eighteen 
years,  and  had  done  as  much  as  many  others 
together  to  put  that  splendid  institution  on  a 
firm  basis,  and  to  bring  it  out  of  difficulties. 
When  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  monument 
to  the  soldiers  of  Iowa  that  would  be  a  credit 
to  the  state  as  a  work  of  art,  Mr.  Richardson 


DAVID    NELSON    RICHARDSON. 


was  naturally  selected  as  a  member  of  the 
commission  to  have  charge.  More  than  any 
other  member  has  he  interested  himself,  and 
given  the  project  the  benefit  of  his  learning 
and  investigation  of  memorial  structures  the 
world  over.  .So,  too,  when  an  association 
was  formed  to  further  the  progress  of  art  in 
Iowa,  he  was  made  its  president.  We  have 
writers  in  Iowa  who,  perhaps,  have  made 
more  of  a  name  among  the  reading  public  of 
the  nation  :  artists  who  in  their  specialties 
have  acquired  more  renown  ;  but,  taken  all 
together,  in  literature,  university  extension, 
monumental  architecture,  art  and  other  forms 
of  culture,  no  man   in   Iowa    surpasses    Mr. 


132 


Richardson.  He  is  a  citizen  of  whioni  the 
state  is  proud." 

Mr.  Richardson  has  been  a  busy  man.  He 
is  editor  and  co-proprietor  of  the  Daven- 
port Daily  Democrat,  and  president  of  the 
Northwestern  Associated  Press  :  also  of  the 
Richardson  Land  and  Timber  Co.  ;  of  the 
Iowa  Art  Association.  For  twenty-five  years 
he  has  been  a  director  of  the  Citizens  Na- 
tional Bank;  also  of  the  Lindsay  Land  and 
Lumber  Co.;  the  Davenport  Water  Co.,  and 
of  the  Davenport  &  Rock  Lsland  Ferry  Co., 
and  is  interested  in  five  banks,  and  many 
other  commercial  institutions.  For  eighteen 
years  he  has  been  regent  of  the  State  L^ni- 
versity  of  Iowa. 

In  Masonic  circles  he  has  reached  high 
honors,  was  master  of  Trinity  lodge  No.  20S, 
and  in  Scottish  Rite  Masonry  has  reached 
the  32d  degree. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  married  April  15, 
1858,  in  Groton,  to  Jennette,  daughter  of  John 
and  Janet  Darling,  and  is  blessed  with  a 
family  of  four  children,  both  of  his  sons  be- 
ing engaged  with  him  in  business. 

ROBBIE,  Reuben,  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and,  having  settled  in  New  York,  was 
elected  a  representative  in  Congress  from 
that  state  from  1S51  to  1853. 

ROBINSON,  George   Stewart,  of 

Sycamore,  111.,  son  of  (leorge  and  Harriet 
(Stewart)  Robinson,  was  born  at  Derby, 
June  24,  1824. 

Judge  Robinson  received  his  early  train- 
ing in  the  schools  and  academy  of  Derby, 
and  worked  on  a  farm  until  about  twenty 
years  of  age  except  when  teaching.  He 
studied  law  with  Hon.  S.  B.  Colby  and  Hon. 
Lucius  B.  Peck,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Montpelier,  in  1846.  Failing  health 
compelled  him  to  go  south  in  1847,  where 
he  became  a  teacher  in  Hamilton,  Ga.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Cuthbert,  Ga.,  in 
1852  and  practiced  until  1866.  During  the 
civil  war  he  maintained  his  pronounced 
L^nion  principles  and  openly  opposed  seces- 
sion, and  at  a  great  pecuniary  sacrifice  kept 
out  of  the  Confederate  service. 

In  July,  1866,  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Sycamore  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  occupying  a  leading  position  and 
Isecoming  city  attorney  and  drafting  many 
important  ordinances.  In  1873  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  of  master  in  chancery, 
which  he  held  until  he  was  elected  judge  of 
the  county  court  in  1877.  In  1869  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  board  of  state  com- 
missioners of  public  charities  and  served 
nearly  fifteen  years,  and  was  for  eight  years 
president  of  the  board,  spending  two  to 
three  months  annually  in  its  service  without 
compensation. 


Judge  Robinson  has  taken  the  Blue  Lodge, 
Chapter  and  Knights  Templar  degrees  in 
Masonry  and  has  been  master,  high  priest  of 
the  chapter  and  is  now  prelate' fin  the 
Knights  Templar  Lodge. 


GEORGE   STEWART    ROBINSON. 

He  was  married  Oct.  13,  1853,  at  Derby 
to  Olive  A.  Colby,  daughter  of  Nehemiah 
and  Malinda  L.  Colby.  None  of  their  three 
children  survive. 

ROLFE,   Herbert  Percy,  of   Great 

Falls,  Mont.,  son  of  Gustavus  and  E.  L. 
(Martston)  Rolfe,  was  born  at  Tunbridge, 
August  30,  1849. 

Judge  Rolfe  as  a  youth  worked  his  way 
through  the  best  institutions  of  learning  that 
his  means  could  reach.  He  attended  Essex 
Academy,  and  graduated  from  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Randolph  in  186S,  and  from 
Kimball  LTnion  Academy  (N.  H.)  in  1870. 
At  Dartmouth  College  he  was  graduated  from 
the  classical  department  in  1874,  and  in 
1877  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  He  then 
began  his  legal  education  in  the  ofifice  of 
Henry  Noble,  Esq.,  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  He 
afterwards  studied  with  ex-Governor  Edger- 
ton  of  .\kron,  Ohio,  in  1875  and  1876,  and 
with  Senator  Sanders  of  Helena,  Mont.,  in 
1877,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  at  Helena 
in  1878. 

As  a  teacher  Judge  Rolfe  passed  much 
time  while  working  his  way  along,  and  at- 
tained much  proficiency  both  in  the  East 
and  \Yest.     He  was  principal  of  Lancaster 


133 


(N.  H.)  Academy  in  1S73,  and  senior 
teacher  of  the  Institute  for  the  HHnd  at  Col- 
umbus, Ohio,  from  1874  to  1876.  He  served 
as  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of 
Helena,  Mont.,  from  1876  to  1879. 

As  a  journalist  he  edited  the  Butte  (Mont.) 
Daily  Miner  in  1879.  From  1880  to  1884 
he  practiced  law  at  i'ort  Benton,  Mont.,  and 
was  first  judge  of  Cascade  county  from  18S7 
to  1 888.  In  1888  he  became  interested  in 
journalism  again  and  has  since  been  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  Great  Falls  (Mont.) 
Daily  and  U'eekly  Leader.  He  is  also  a 
director  of  a  national  bank. 


Sidney  Edgerton  and  .Mary  (Wright)  I'^dger- 
ton,  and  has  seven  children. 

ROY,  JOHN  ALEXANDER,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Margarfet 
(Gilfillman)  Roy,  was  born  in  Barnet,  July 
I,  1832. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at  intervals 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  during  the 
years  of  his  minority.  On  Jan.  2,  1854,  he 
left  the  home  of  his  boyhood  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  gold  fields  of  California,  going 
there  via  the  isthmus.  Having  reached  his 
destination  he  at  once  engaged  in  mining  in 
Tuolumne  and  Calaveras  counties,  until 
June,  1858,  when  he  went  to  Eraser's  River, 
where  he  followed  the  same  occupation 
until  July,  1S59,  when  he  returned  to  San 
Francisco  and  purchased  a  "water  route." 
This  was  at  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  city 
when  the  greater  part  of  it  was   supplied  by 


Judge  Rolfe  has  always  been  active  in 
politics  and  was  first  to  organize  the  Repub- 
licans of  Choteau  county,  Mont.,  in  18S0. 
He  was  the  secretary  of  the  first  county  com- 
mittee and  is  frequently  a  delegate  to  county 
and  state  conventions,  and  has  been  many 
times  chairman  of  the  conventions.  In 
social  organizations  he  is  a  leader.  He  was 
W.  M.  of  Cascade  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  during 
the  years  1887  and  1888,  and  H.  P.  of  (Ireat 
Falls  Chapter  No.  9  R.  A.  M.  in  1892  ;  emi- 
nent commander  of  Black  Eagle  Command- 
ery  No.  8,  K.  T.,  in  1894.  In  i888  he  was 
M.  W.  of  Great  Falls  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.  He 
built  the  first  house  at  Great  Falls  in  1884, 
which  now  has  1 2,000  population,  and  is  the 
owner  of  the  Black  Eagle  F"alls  addition. 

judge  Rolfe  was  married  at  Akron,  O., 
August  8,  1876,  to  the  daughter  of  ex-Gov. 


watermen  who  conveyed  the  aqueous  fluid 
from  house  to  house  in  barrels.  Mr.  Roy 
found  this  to  be  a  lucrative  Imsiness  and  fol- 
lowed it  until  1863,  when  on  account  of  ill- 
ness, he  returned  to  Vermont.  In  1865  he 
returned  to  San  Francisco  and  established  a 
milk  dairy  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city, 
and  after  several  years  formed  a  partnership 
with  C.  W.  Taber,  L.  A.  Hayward,  Frank  H. 
Johnson  and  Oliver  Crook.  This  company 
was  incorporated  and  is  known  as  the 
Guadaloupe    Dairy  Co.      J.    A.    Roy    was 


134 


elected  its  first  president,  which  office  he  has 
since  held. 

Mr.  Roy  owns  besides  his  interest  in  the 
Guadaloupe  Valley,  property  in  San  Mateo 
county,  and  a  dairy  ranch  of  985  acres  in 
Marin  county. 

He  has  always  been  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  has  never  held  any 
office,  except  to  serve  as  one  of  the  county 
committee. 

For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Pacific  Coast  Association  Native  Sons  of 
Vermont ;  also  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  Mason  and 
he  belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

Mr.  Roy  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  wife  was  Rebekah,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Andrew  Lackey,  a  native  of  Vermont, 
who  died  in  San  Francisco  many  years  ago ; 
and  in  1878  he  was  united  to  Barbara, 
daughter  of  John  Walker  and  Barbara  Hun- 
ter, of  Rothesay  Island,  of  Bute,  Scotland. 
Of  this  latter  union  is  one  son  :     Allan  J. 

RUSSELL,  William  Augustus,  of 

Lawrence,  Mass.,  son  of  U'illiam  and  Almira 
(Heath)  Russell,  was  born  in  Wells  River, 
April  22,  1 83 1.  The  Russell  family  is  of 
pure  English  blood,  and  allied  to  a  family 
honored  in  Anglo-Saxon  history. 

Mr.  Russell,  while  at  his  home  in  Frank- 
lin, N.  H.,  to  which  town  his  father  had 
removed,  attended  the  public  schools  and 
the  Franklin  Academy,  occupying  his  vaca- 
tions at  work  in  the  paper  mills  of  Peabody 
&:  1  )aniels  until  the  age  of  sixteen.  He 
subsequently  attended  a  private  school  in 
Lowell,  w'hich  completed  his  early  educa- 
tional training.  In  184S  he  commenced 
work  in  his  father's  paper  mill,  where  he 
remained  until  1851.  Two  years  later  the 
father  and  son  formed  a  copartnership  and 
moved  their  works  to  Lawrence.  The  senior 
Mr.  Russell's  health  failing,  he  was  compelled 
to  retire  from  active  business,  leaving  the 
entire  interests  in  the  hands  of  his  son,  who 
proved  equal  to  the  task,  and  began  to  meet 
the  growing  demands  of  the  business  by 
leasing,  in  1S56,  two  mills  in  Belfast,  Maine. 
In  1 86 1  he  purchased  a  mill  in  Lawrence  of 
a  firm  that  had  failed  in  business,  and  later 
on  two  mills  fell  into  his  hands,  having  pre- 
viously been  overtaken  by  misfortune. 

Having  found  by  costly  experiments  that 
wood-pulp  was  the  fibre  needed  for  improv- 
ed machinery  and  rapid  work,  he  established 
a  wood-pulp  mill  in  Franklin,  N.  H.,  in 
1869,  for  the  production  of  this  new  fibre. 
He  succeeded  in  this  where  many  had  failed, 
and  instituted  an  entirely  new  department  of 
industrial  art  in  this  country.  He  began  to 
convert  the  product  of  his  pulp  mills  into 
paper  by  the  purchase,  in  1879,  of  the 
Fisher  &  Aiken  mills  in  Franklin.  He  also 
erected  one  the  same  year  at  Bellows  Falls. 


To  carry  out  his  scheme  successfully,  he 
was  obliged  to  purchase  the  entire  water 
power  here,  build  a  new  dam  and  enlarge 
the  canal.  Through  his  enterprise,  this 
small  town  grew  into  one  of  the  thrifty 
towns  of  the  state,  ranking  third  in  valua- 
tion. Mr.  Russell's  principal  works  are  at 
Bellows  Falls  and  Lawrence.  He  has  also 
large  interests  in  other  mills  at  several 
points  in  Maine. 


JAM    AUGUSTUS    BUSSEL 


Politically,  Mr.  Russell  began  life  as  a 
Whig.  At  the  dissolution  of  that  party  he 
allied  himself  with  the  Republican  party  and 
has  unwaveringly  supported  it  since.  He 
uniformly  declined  to  accept  any  public 
office  until  1867,  when  he  was  elected  alder- 
man in  the  city  of  Lawrence.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
state  Legislature.  In  1868  he  was  also 
chosen  a  delegate  to  the  national  Republi- 
can convention  in  Cincinnati. 

He  was  elected  to  the  Forty- sixth  Congress 
from  the  seventh  Massachusetts  district ; 
served  on  the  committee  on  commerce,  and 
was  a  member  of  a  sub-committee  to  investi- 
gate the  cause  for  the  decline  of  American 
commerce.  His  report  showed  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  resulted  in 
Massachusetts  leading  off  in  a  change  of  the 
laws  in  relation  to  the  taxation  of  property 
in  ships.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty- 
seventh  Congress,  serving  on  the  committee 
of  ways  and  means,  a  position  he  was  amply 


'35 


■qualified  to  fill.  Here  he  achieved  distinc- 
tion during  the  discussion  of  the  tariff  issues 
from  the  protection  standpoint.  Yielding  to 
the  demands  of  his  constituents,  he  was 
again  nominated  by  acclamation  and  elected 
to  the  Forty-eighth  Congress.  In  his  church 
connections  ^lr.  Russell  is  a  Congrega- 
tionalist. 

He  was  married  in  Bradford  Feb.  i,  1859, 


to  Elizabeth  Haven,  daughter  of  William 
Hall.  Of  this  union  were  three  children  : 
Mary  Frances,  .-^nnie  Elizabeth,  and  Grace 
Dunton  Russell,  deceased.  Mrs.  Russell 
died  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Dec.  18,  1866. 
June  25,  1872,  Mr.  Russell  married  Frances 
Spafford,  sister  of  his  first  wife.  Their  chil- 
dren are  :  William  Augustus,  Jr.,  Elizabeth 
Haven,  and  Richard  Spafford. 


SANBORN,  Benjamin  Hyde,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  son  of  Seth  C.  and  Sarah  C.  San- 
born, was  born  at  Morristown,  May  11,  185  i. 
Mr.  Sanborn  graduated  at  the  academy  of  his 
native  town,  began  preparation  for  the  law, 
and  had  passed  some  time  in  its  study  when 
he  entered  Dartmouth  College. 


In  1872  he  became  connected,  as  he  sup- 
posed temporarily,  with  the  publishing  house 
of  Robert  S.  Davis  &  Co.,  Boston.  Meeting 
with  a  business  life  most  congenial  to  his 
tastes  and  making  therein  rapid  and  success- 
ful promotion,  he  decided  to  abandon  his 
plan  of  a  college  course  and  the  uncertain- 
ties of  a  profession  and  continued  with  this 
publishing  house  for  eleven  years. 

In  1883  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Leach,  Shewell  &  Sanborn,  publishers  of 
school  and  college  text  books.  The  firm 
have  houses  in  Boston,  Xew  York,  and  Chi- 
cago, and  control  an  extensive  list  of  nearly 


two  hundred  standard  works,  devoted  to 
nearly  all  departments  of  education,  from  the 
primary  school  to  the  university,  and  edited 
or  written  by  educators  connected  with 
many  of  the  leading  educational  institutions 
of  the  United  States  and  Europe. 

Mr.  Sanborn  has  always  closely  devoted 
himself  to  business,  and  while  he  has  served 
for  several  years  upon  the  school  committee 
of  his  town  and  upon  the  visiting  board  of 
a  leading  educational  institution,  he  sought 
no  political  or  public  honors.  He  is  a 
Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Wellesley  and 
Congregational  Clubs ;  the  Aldine  Club, 
New  York ;  of  the  American  Philological 
Association  ;  the  American  Educational 
Association  ;  and  the  National  Institute  of 
Instruction. 

Mr.  Sanborn  married,  Nov.  24,  1875,  Ida 
A.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Hannah  A. 
Doty,  of  Elmore.  They  have  one  child  : 
Alice  D. 

SARGENT,  Ja.WES,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
son  of  William  and  Hannah  Sargent,  was 
born  Dec.  5,  1824,  in  Chester. 

He  remained  upon  the  farm,  having  the 
usual  district  educational  facilities,  until 
eighteen  years  of  age.  His  mind  was  of  a 
mechanical  turn  and  he  went  into  a  woolen 
factory  in  Ashuelot,  N.  H.,  where  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  weaving  room  and  re- 
mained until  1848.  He  then  became  a 
traveling  daguerreotypist  with  marked  suc- 
cess, which  occupation  he  followed  four 
years  and  then  engaged  in  manufacturing  at 
Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.,  in  the  firm  of  Sar- 
gent &  Foster,  making  apple  parers.  His 
mechanical  skill  and  business  sagacity  re- 
sulted in  a  highly  successful  prosperity  until 
1857,  when  he  became  associated  with  the 
Yale  &  Greenleaf  Lock  Co.,  selling  Yale 
locks.  His  peculiar  genius  had  found  a 
congenial  field.  He  soon  became  the  mas- 
ter of  the  most  intricate  devices  and  saw  his 
golden  opportunity  to  invent  a  lock  which 
should  be  proof  against  his  own  skill,  as  well 
as  that  of  others.  After  years  of  work  he  de- 
veloped the  Sargent  automatic  bank  lock, 
the  prevailing  lock  in  use  today.  In  1873 
he  perfected  his  first  time  lock,  famous  the 


1.^,6 


world  over  and  universally  used  in  financial 
institutions.  The  factories  of  his  firm  are 
located  at  Rochester,  N.  V.  Other  intricate 
and  valuable  devices  have  been  invented  by 
Mr.  Sargent,  among  them  a  smoke  preventer. 
The  practical  side  of  Mr.  Sargent's  life 
shows  what  strict  integrity,  inflexible  deter- 
mination, persistent  industry  and  high  pur- 
pose will  accomplish.  His  personal  charac- 
teristics show  an  irrepressible  individuality, 
aggressive,  practical,  versatile  and  generous. 


Burlington,  there  attending  the  public 
schools  until  1S78. 

At  this  period  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  in 
a  general  store  at  North  Ferrisburgh  and 
lived  with  his  grandfather  Newell,  attending 
school  in  winter  at  Charlotte  Seminary. 

In  1880  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Sutherland  Falls  Marble  Co.,  which  is  largely 
owned  by  Hon.  Redfield  Proctor,  at  Suther- 
land Falls  (now  Proctor) .  After  two  years 
in  Governor  Proctor's  employ  at  this  point 
and  at  Rutland  he  left  to  pursue  his  further 
education,  this  time  at  the  well-known 
Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  at  Exeter,  N.  H. 
He  remained  here  two  years,  and  in  1884 
removed  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
R.  R.  Co.,  in  the  freight  auditor's  office.  In 
1885  he  removed  to  Cavvker  City,  Kan.,  and 
entered  the  employ  of  H.  P.  Churchill  &  Co., 


JAMES   SARGENT. 


Mr.  Sargent  has  never  been  in  politics. 
While  living  in  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.,  he 
became  an  Odd  Fellow  ;  though  maintaining 
high  respect  for  the  order  he  withdrew 
therefrom,  upon  removing  to  Rochester.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  joining  a 
lodge  in  Greenfield,  Mass.,  in  Rochester 
identifying  himself  with  the  Monroe  Com- 
mandery ;  receiving  his  32d  degree  as  a 
Knight  Templar. 

Mr.  Sargent  was  married  at  Ashuelot,  N. 
H.,  April  29,  1847,  to  Angelina  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Job  and  Hannah  Foster.  They  have 
one  adopted  daughter  :    Josephine. 

SATTLEY,  Elmer  C,  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  son  of  Robert  P.  and  Harriet  Foot 
(Newell)  Sattley,  was  born  Feb.  3,  1863,  at 
Ferrisburgh. 

His  parents  were  Vermonters  and  of  New 
England  lineage  and  remote  English  ances- 
try. He  attended  the  district  schools  until 
1873  when  he  remo\ed  with  his  parents  to 


/lER    C.    SATTLEY 


negotiators  of  farm  loans,  as  private  secre- 
tary to  the  manager,  but  after  a  few  months 
was  himself  made  manager.  In  1886  he 
removed  to  Kansas  City  to  take  the  manage- 
ment of  the  safe  deposit  department  of  the 
Kansas  City  Safe  Deposit  and  Savings  Bank. 
The  following  summer  he  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  assistant  cashier  of  the  bank 
in  addition  to  his  position  as  safe  deposit 
manager.  .\t  this  time  the  bank  had  a  cap- 
ital of  $50,000  and  deposits  aggregating 
§400,000.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
was  made  cashier,  having  in  the  meantime 
resigned  the  position  of  safe  deposit  man- 


ager,  because  of  the  rapidly  increasing  busi- 
ness of  the  savings  department  requiring  his 
full  time  and  services.  The  Kansas  City 
Safe  Deposit  and  Savings  Bank  grew  to  be 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  ]3opular  in- 
stitutions in  Kansas  City.  Its  business  in- 
creased steadily  until  it  enjoyed  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  largest  savings  bank  in 
Missouri,  having  a  capital  of  $300,000,  de- 
posits aggregating  S2, 000,000  and  depositors 
numbering  over  eight  thousand.  The  bank, 
however,  was  forced  to  close  its  doors  during 
the  panic  of  1893  and  Mr.  Sattley  is  still  in 
Kansas  City  engaged  in  straightening  out 
the  affairs  of  the  bank.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  well-known  for  his  gentlemanly 
bearing,  his  high  manly  qualities,  his  accur- 
ate methods  of  business  and  his  strict  atten- 
tion to  its  details,  and  to  him  in  great 
part  much  of  the  success  of  the  bank  was 
due.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  moreover, 
that  his  future  will  be  one  of  prominence  and 
distinction  and  real  usefulness. 

In  social  organizations  Mr.  Sattley  is  prom- 
inent. In  Masonic  orders  he  takes  great 
interest,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Oriental 
Commandery,  No.  35,  the  Ararat  Temple,  as 
well  as  of  the  lower  orders.  He  also  belongs 
to  the  B.  P.  O.  Elks,  No.  26,  and  has  hetd 
various  ofifices  in  these  orders. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club 
and  the  Kansas  City  Club.  With  his  three 
brothers  he  operates  the  large  farm  known 
as  Sattley  Brothers'  Stock  Farm  at  Ferris- 
burgh,  Vt.,  under  the  charge  of  his  father. 

Mr.  Sattley  was  married,  Nov.  23,  1S92,  at 
Sedalia,  Mo.,  to  Ida  Belle  Nevvkirk,  daughter 
of  Hon.  Cyrus  and  Rebecca  Newkirk  of  that 
place. 

SATTLEY,  WINFIELD  NEWELL,  of  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  son  of  Robert  Preston  and  Harriet 
Foot  Sattley,  was  born  June  19,  1859,  at 
Ferrisburgh. 

Mr.  Sattley  began  his  education  in  the  old 
red  schoolhouse  in  Ferrisburgh  which  stood 
near  the  old  homestead,  that  for  more  than 
a  century  has  been  the  ancestral  home. 
Later  he  attended  the  graded  school  at  Bur- 
lington and  graduated  from  the  business  col- 
lege in  that  city  in  1877.  He  then  began 
to  read  law  in  Julius  W.  Russel's  office,  and 
in  December,  1878,  entered  the  office  of  the 
Vermont  Life  Insurance  Co.  and  became  its 
chief  clerk.  In  1881  he  became  the  super- 
intendent of  the  company's  western  depart- 
ment, with  ofifices  in  Chicago  ;  this  position 
he  held  until  February,  18S4,  when  he  ac- 
cepted the  appointment  of  general  agent  of 
the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Co.  In  April,  1887,  he  became  the  Illinois 
superintendent  of  agents  for  the  New  York 
Life  Insurance  Co.  of  New  York.  In  1889 
he  became  manager  of  the  western  depart- 


SAWVKK.  137 

ment  of  the  Manhattan  Life  Insurance  Co. 
of  New  York,  which  ])Osition  he  still  holds. 
During  this  wide  experience  in  business  life 
Mr.  Sattley  has  acquired  the  reputation  of  a 
skillful  financier  and  successful  man,  and 
has  large  real  estate  interests  in  Chicago, 
Kansas  City  and  Thousand  Islands. 


WINFIELD    NEWELL  SATTLEY. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is 
prominent  in  social  organizations  being  first 
vice-president  of  the  Hamilton  Club.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Washington  Park  Club, 
the  Chicago  Athletic  Association  and  Mil- 
tona  Club,  the  Oriental  Lodge,  Palestine 
Council,  the  Lafayette  Chapter,  the  Apollo 
Commandery,  the  Oriental  Consistory,  and 
Medina  Temple,  and  also  Chicago  Lodge 
and  Club  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Sattley  was  married  to  May  Eva 
Kelly  in  June,  1884,  and  has  two  young 
children  :  Ethelwyn  May,  and  Winfield  New- 
ell, Jr. 

'^SAWYER,  JOHN  GILBERT,  of  Albion, 
N.  Y.,  was  born  at  Brandon,  June  5,  1825  ; 
was  educated  at  the  common  schools  and  at 
Millville  Academy  :  studied  law,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  has  since  practiced  :  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace  from  Jan.  i,  1852,  to 
.\pril,  1858  :  was  district  attorney  of  Orleans 
county  from  Jan.  i,  1863,  to  Jan.  i,  1866; 
was  judge  and  surrogate  of  Orleans  county 
from  Jan.  i,  186S,  to"  Jan.  i,  1S84,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-ninth  Congress  as  a 
Republican  :  was  re-elected. 


i-,8 


SAWYHR,  Philetus,  of  Oshkosh,  Wis., 
was  born  Sept.  22,  1S16.  His  father  was  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith,  a  man  of  scanty 
means  and  humble  ambition. 

Prominent  among  the  class  of  men  who 
have  worked  their  way  from  lowly  and  hum- 
ble beginnings  to  places  of  leadership  in  the 
commerce,  the  great  industries,  and  manage- 
ment of  the  traffic  and  exchanges  of  the 
country  and  who  are  found  among  the 
trusted  leaders  and  representatives  in  the 
councils  of  the  state  and  nation,  is  Philetus 
Sawyer. 

"  Choring  "  around  the  farm,  lumbering 
in  a  primitive  way  in  the  Adirondacks,  until 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  purchased  his 
time  of  his  father,  and  a  few  terms  at  the 
district  school,  were  the  early  experience  of 
the  man.  Soon  in  business  for  himself 
running  a  saw  mill,  and  fourteen  years  after 
purchasing  his  majority,  and  thirty-one 
years  of  age,  he  joined  the  tide  of  emigration 
flowing  westward,  having  a  capital  of  about 
two  thousand  dollars,  and  an  education  ob- 
tained by  observation  and  experience,  he 
located  on  a  farm  in  Fond  du  Lac  county. 
Wis.  Two  years  here  satisfied  him,  and  he 
removed  to  .\lgonea,  now  in  Oshkosh,  and 
began  operating  a  saw  mill.  In  1853  he 
formed  the  partnership  of  Brand  &  ( )lcott,  in 
Fond  du  Lac,  for  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber, with  marked  success,  becoming  sole 
owner  of  the  business  in  1862,  and  a  year 
later  taking  his  only  surviving  son  into  the 
business. 

He  had  developed  a  character  of  far-reach- 
ing sagacity,  and  was  called  into  public 
service,  and  repeatedly  served  on  the  city 
council,  acting  with  the  Republican  party. 
In  1857  he  became  a  representative  in  the 
Legislature,  where  the  same  sound  judgment 
which  made  his  private  business  so  success- 
ful was  applied  to  affairs  of  state,  and  in  1861 
he  became  again  the  choice  of  his  party, 
rendering  great  service  in  electing  Judge 
Howe  to  the  Senate.  In  1863  and  1864  he 
served  as  mayor  of  Oshkosh,  during  the  try- 
ing period  of  the  civil  war.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress,  and 
sat  in  the  House  of  Representatives  the  ten 
following  years,  with  constantly  increasing 
influence  ;  as  the  late  James  G.  Blaine  said 
of  him,  "honest,  industrious,  generous,  true 
to  every  tie,  and  every  obligation  of  life." 
In  the  House  he  served  on  important 
committees,  notably  that  of  commerce,  and 
of  Pacific  railroads,  and  voluntarily  retired 
from  Congress  in  1875.  In  1876  he  became 
interested  in  the  \\'est  Wisconsin  R.  R  , 
which,  acquiring  four  other  lines,  was  con- 
solidated into  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
apolis &  Omaha  Railroad  Co.,  of  which  Mr. 
Sawyer  was  vice-president  and  director  until 
18S0.     In  iS8r  his  friends  and  leading  Re- 


publicans in  the  Legislature  elected  him  to 
the  L'nited  States  Senate,  succeeding  Hon. 
Angus  Cameron.  In  1887  he  was  re-elected. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Senate  committee 
on  railroads  in  the  Forty-seventh  and  Forty- 
eighth  Congresses.  In  the  Forty-ninth  Con- 
gress he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
pensions,  and  has  been  an  active  member 
since  1886,  reporting  over  a  thousand  special 
bills  and  claims,  and  in  the  Fiftieth,  Fifty- 
first,  and  Fifty-second  Congresses  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  postofifices  and 
post  roads. 

Mr.  Sawyer's  liberality  as  a  citizen  has  been 
conspicuous  in  many  ways.  His  contribu- 
tions to  churches  and  educational  institutions 
and  deserving  objects  have  marked  his  ca- 
reer. 

His  private  life  was  a  singularly  happy  one, 
marred  only  by  the  loss  of  his  wife  in  1888, 
forty-seven  years  after  marriage.  Mrs.  Saw- 
yer was  a  woman  whose  memory  will  live  long 
in  the  hearts  of  the  poor ;  of  a  kind  and 
benevolent  nature  ;  a  good  woman — a  lady 
in  every  sense,  by  every  impulse  of  her  na- 
ture. Air.  Sawyer  was  married  before  he  was 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  in  1841,  to  Melvina 
M.  Hadley.  Their  family  consisted  of  one 
son,  Edgar  P.,  the  senator's  partner  ;  and 
two  daughters  :  Mrs.  Howard  G.  White,  of 
Syracuse,  N.  V.,  and  Mrs.  W.  O.  Goodwin,  of 
Chicago,  111. 

SCOTT,  Oscar  D.,of  Texarkana,  .\rk., 
son  of  \\'alter  and  .Aurilla  (\\'hite)  Scott  was 
born  August  30,  1843,  at  Townshend. 

Mr.  Scott  was  educated  at  Leland  Semi- 
nary of  Townshend  and  entered  Middlebury 
College  in  1S58  and  remained  through  the 
freshman  year.  In  1865  he  returned  and 
graduated  with  honor  in  the  class  of  1868. 
After  graduation  he  read  law  in  the  office  of 
Hill  &  Safford  of  St.  .Albans  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  October,  1868.  Dur- 
ing these  years  of  study  he  taught  school  in 
Londonderry,  Townshend,  Middlebury,  Bris- 
tol, Wallingford  and  St.  .-Mbans. 

In  1868  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon. 
C.  Mutzner  of  Aurora,  Ills.,  and  after  a  short 
time  went  to  Magnolia,  Ark.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  fall  of  1873.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Lewisville,  .Ark.,  and  practiced  law 
until  May,  1875,  when  a  new  county  being 
formed,  Texarkana  was  selected  the  county 
seat,  and  to  this  place  he  moved  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  practice. 

In  1871  and  1872  he  was  the  attorney  for 
Columbia  county,  and  has  often  been  special 
judge  of  the  circuit  court.  In  1S86  he  was 
Republican  nominee  for  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  in  188S  was  on  the  joint 
ticket  of  the  Republican  and  Union  Labor 
party  as  the  nominee  for  chief  justice  of  the 


SKVERANCE. 


'39 


Supreme  Court,  but  in  both  cases  was 
"  snowed  under." 

In  1863  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  lyth  Regt. 
Vt.  Vols.,  and  mustered  in  as  corporal,  .April 
12,  1S64.  He  was  with  his  regiment  at  the 
Wilderness  when  23  per  cent,  of  its  men 
were  killed  and  wounded  ;  again  at  Spott- 
sylvania  when  the  loss  was  25  per  cent.  He 
was  severely  injured  at  Cold  Harbor,  losing 
his  right  foot,  and  remained  in  the  hospital 
until  May,  1865. 

In  social  matters  Mr.  Scott  is  a  member 
of  the  Chi  Psi  college  fraternity.  He  has 
been  W.  M.  of  Texarkana  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  H.  P.  in  Texarkana  Council,  R.  A. 
M.,  and  E.  C.  of  Cceur  de  Leon  Com- 
mandery,  No.  6,  at  Texarkana.  He  has 
also  been  N.  G.  of  Gate  City  Lodge,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Elks.  He 
has  also  been  post  commander  of  Dick 
Yates  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

He  was  married  at  Wallingford,  Jan.  27, 
1875,  to  Cornelia  F.,  daughter  of  Dr.  E.  G. 
Hulett,  and  has  four  children  living  :  (Irace 
A.,  Hulett,  Carrie  A.,  and  Walter  E. 

SESSIONS,  Walter  L.,  was  born  in 

Brandon ;  received  a  common  school  and 
academic  education  ;  studied  law  and  has 
practiced  the  profession ;  was  commissioner 
of  schools  for  several  years  ;  was  a  member 
of  the  Assembly  of  the  state  of  New  York  in 
1853  and  1854  ;  was  a  member  of  the  state 
Senate  of  New  York  in  1859,  and  in  1865  ; 
was  elected  a  representative  from  New  York 
in  the  Forty-second  Congress  as  a  Uepubli- 
can  ;  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-third  Con- 
gress. 

SEVERANCE,  CLAUDIUS  MiLTON,  of 
Keyoto,  Japan,  son  of  Milton  Leonard  and 
Emily  Augusta  (Spencer)  Severance,  was 
born  in  West  Salisbury,  Nov.  3,  1861.  Born 
of  good  old  New  England  stock,  and  the  son 
of  a  clergyman  and  an  accomplished  mother, 
it  was  natural  that  his  education  should  be- 
gin at  home.  .At  the  age  of  nine  he  began 
the  study  of  Latin  with  his  mother  and  when 
thirteen  was  nearly  fitted  for  college  in  that 
language.  .As  the  opportunity  of  taking  ad- 
vantage of  a  teacher  of  special  ability  in  the 
select  school  at  Orwell  occurred,  Claude  was 
sent  hither.  With  work  on  the  farm,  a  term 
as  a  page  in  the  House  of  Representatives  at 
Montpelier,  and  a  short  period  as  clerk  in  a 
store,  were  the  early  years  of  approaching 
manhood  passed.  In  June,  1879,  he  gradu- 
ated from  Berman  Academy  and  entered 
Middlebury  College  in  the  fall.  Obtaining 
a  scholarship  from  general  proficiency,  and 
leading  the  class  in  Greek  and  Latin,  were 
the  features  of  his  university  life  u])  to 
graduation,  in    1883. 


Mr.  Severance  now  began  the  earnest  work 
of  life  and  found  his  special  ability  in  Greek 
and  modern  languages,  recognized  by  a  posi- 
tion as  professor  thereof  at  Burr  &  Burton 
Seminary  at  Manchester.  .After  two  years 
here,  during  which  he  completely  reviewed 
his  previous  course  of  education,  a  trip  to 
I'Airope  was  arranged.  Matriculating  at  the 
I'niversiiv  of  Goettingen,  and   visiting  Ber- 


CLAUDIUS    MILTON    SEVERANCE. 

lin,  Dresden  and  Leipzig,  six  weeks  were 
spent  at  I3onne.  .After  further  sight-seeing, 
and  passing  some  lime  in  Paris,  the  return 
home  via  London  and  Liverpool  was  accom- 
plished. 

In  1 886  Professor  Se\erance  received  a 
call  from  Oahu  College,  Honolulu,  taking  the 
chair  of  French,  ancient  history  and  elocu- 
tion. The  influences  which  since  childhood 
to  lead  him  into  the  ministry,  here  seemed 
to  culminate,  and  at  the  end  of  a  delightful 
year  of  teaching  his  resignation  was  handed 
in  and  he  entered  the  Yale  Divinity  School 
as  a  student  in  1887.  .After  a  year's  study, 
and  during  vacation,  he  preached  at  various 
places  in  Nebraska,  and  April  9,  1889,  the 
Centri?  .Association  of  Congregational  Pas- 
tors of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  granted  Mr. 
Severance  a  license  to  preach  upon  a  full 
examination  of  his  theological  beliefs.  In 
the  early  part  of  1890  he  was  commissioned 
a  missionary  of  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  ^Missions,  to  Japan. 
In  May  of  this  year  his  graduation  took 
place  at  the  Divinity  School,  and  he  was  or- 


dained  in  September  at  Eliot  Church,  New- 
ton, Mass.,  and  sailed  for  Japan. 

\\"hile  in  Japan  his  marriage  to  .\lmona 
Gill,  daughter  of  Kdward  and  Esther  Gill,  of 
North  Monroeville,  Ohio,  took  place  July  12, 
1892.  Mrs.  Severance  is  an  accomplished 
and  charming  woman,  a  graduate  of  Ober- 
lin  ((Jhio)  College,  and  herself  a  missionary 
at  this  time.  The  sturdy  and  aggressive 
character  of  the  Vermonter  still  manifests 
itself  in  his  character  and  his  work  in 
Japan,  where  his  rapid  acquirement  of  the 
language  and  his  earnest  work  have  earned 
for  him  a  remarkable  reputation,  and  he  is 
greatly  endeared. 

SHAW  Henry,  was  born  in  Windham 
county  ;  studied  law  with  Judge  Foote,  in 
Albany,  N.  \'.,  and  settled  in  practice  in 
I^anesborough,  Mass.,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  ;  he  was  nominated  for  Congress  before 
he  was  eligible,  and  was  subsequently  elected, 
in  18 1 6,  to  the  Sixteenth  Congress,  and  voted 
for  the  Missouri  compromise,  which  pre- 
■  vented  his  re-election.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Legislature  for  eighteen 
years,  also  a  member  of  the  (Governor's  coun- 
cil, and  was  the  pioneer  in  the  manufacturing 
prosperity  of  Western  Massachusetts.  In 
1833  he  was  also  a  presidential  elector.  In 
1848  he  removed  to  New  York,  and  resided 
at  Fort  ^^"ashington,  on  the  Hudson  ;  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  in  New 
York  City,  and  two  years  in  the  common 
council,  and  in  1853  was  a  member  of  the 
.Assembly.  He  removed  to  Newburg  in  1854, 
where  he  resided  until  within  a  few  months  of 
his  death  which  occurred  at  Peekskill,  Oct. 
17)  i8S7>  aged  seventy-nine  years. 

SHERMAN,  Elijah  B.,  of  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Fairfield,  June  18,  1832.  His  father, 
Elias  H.  Sherman,  was  of  English  descent 
and  his  mother,  Clarissa  (Wilmarth)  Sher- 
man, of  .Anglo- Welsh  ancestry. 

Until  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  had  the 
usual  experience  of  a  farmer's  boy  in  Ver- 
mont, hard  work  and  plenty  of  it,  tempered 
by  the  luxury  of  attending  the  district 
schools  in  the  winter.  In  1854  Mr.  Sher- 
man became  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  in  Bran- 
don, and  in  1855  began  fitting  for  college  in 
Brandon  Seminary,  afterwards  continued  his 
studies  at  FJurr  Seminary,  Manchester.  He 
entered  Middlebury  College  in  1856,  and 
was  graduated  with  honors  in  1S60. » 

.'^fter  teaching  in  South  Woodstock  and 
Brandon  Seminary,  he  enlisted,  in  May, 
1862,  a  private  in  Co.  C,  9th  Vt.  Infantry, 
was  soon  after  elected  lieutenant,  and  served 
with  his  regiment  until  January,  1S63,  when 
he  resigned,  the  regiment  having  been  cap- 
tured at  Harper's  Ferry,  being  then  in  en- 
forced idleness  at  Camp  Douglass,  Chicago. 


Entering  immediately  upon  the  study  of 
law,  he  graduated  from  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Chicago  in  1864  and 
entered  upon  the  successful  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  1876  he  was  elected  repre- 
sentative to  the  Illinois  Legislature  and  re- 
elected in  1878.  His  thorough  training  and 
ripe  scholarship,  coupled  with  his  experience 
at  the  bar  and  profound  knowledge  of  the 
law,  gave  him  a  high  rank  as  a  legislator.  In 
1877  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor 
CuUom  as  judge  advocate  of  the  first  brigade 
of  the  Illinois  National  (juards,  with  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel  and  performed  the  duties 
of  that  office  for  several  years.  In  1879  Mr. 
Sherman  was  appointed  one  of  the  masters  in 
chancery  of  the  circuit  court  of  the  L'nited 


States  for  the  northern  district  of  Illinois,  a 
position  he  still  holds.  His  thorough  famil- 
iarity with  the  principles  and  procedure 
of  chancery  courts,  coupled  with  unusual 
habits  of  industry,  application  and  accuracy, 
enabled  him  to  achieve  eminence  in  this  im- 
portant branch  of  judicial  labor.  In  1882 
he  became  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Bar 
.-Association,  and  delivered  the  annual  ad- 
dresses before  that  body.  For  several  years 
Mr.  Sherman  has  been  a  member  and  an 
officer  of  the  .American  Bar  Association,  and 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  deliberations 
of  that  national  body. 

In  1885  he  received  from  Middlebury  Col- 
lege the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.,  a  recog- 
nition prized  the  more  highly  because  that 


conservati\e  institution  confers  the  degree 
upon  very  few  of  its  many  distinguished 
sons.  Mr.  Sherman,  not  content  with  being 
a  lawyer  and  jurist,  has  taken  deUght  in 
scientific  research  and  Belles  Lettres.  Pos- 
sessed of  a  fine  literary  taste  and  being  mas- 
ter of  a  style  at  once  incisive,  perspicuous 
and  pleasing,  his  literary  productions  and 
public  addresses  have  given  him  high  rank  as 
a  literateur,  orator  and  critic. 

In  TS74  Mr.  Sherman  was  elected  grand 
master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows 
of  Illinois,  and  in  1875  a  representative  to 
the  Sovereign  Grand  I,odge.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  linion  League  Club,  a  3  2d  degree 
Mason,  a  member  of  the  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion,  and  of  the  Grand  Army. 
He  has  been  president  of  the  Illinois  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Sons  of  Vermont,  and  has  de- 
livered several  addresses  at  their  banquets, 
full  of  tender  pathos  and  genial  humor. 

In  1866  he  married  Miss  Hattie  G.  Lov- 
ering  of  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa.  His  only  son, 
Bernis  W.  Sherman,  following  his  father's 
example,  graduated  at  Middlebury  College 
in  1890,  from  the  Union  College  of  Law, 
Chicago,  in  1892,  was  immediately  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
the  law-. 

SHERMAN,  Edgar  Jay,  of  Lawrence, 
Mass.,  son  of  David  and  Fanny  (Kendall) 
Sherman,  was  born  in  Weathersfield,  Nov. 
28,  1834.  About  1632  Edmund  Sherman 
and  wife  emigrated  to  America  from  Dedham, 
E^ngland,  and  setded  in  Watertown  ;  removed 
to  Weathersfield,  Conn.,  and  finally  fixed 
their  abode  in  New  Haven,  where  they  died. 
There  are  two  distinct  branches  of  the  Sher- 
man family  in  this  country.  From  the  branch 
whose  ancestor  is  recorded  above  sprang  the 
paternal  ancestry  of  Gen.  William  T.  Sher- 
man and  United  States  Senator  John  Sherman 
of  Ohio,  as  well  as  that  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Mr.  Sherman  attended  the  district  schools 
of  Weathersfield  until  he  had  attained  his  six- 
teenth year,  and  was  then  sent  to  study  in  the 
AVesleyan  Seminary  in  Springfield.  Here  he 
remained  until  his  parents  removed  to  Law- 
rence, Mass.  There  he  entered  upon  a 
course  of  private  study  under  the  tuition  of 
Professor  Pike,  which  he  prosecuted  for 
several  years,  teaching  school  during  the 
winter  months  in  Barnstable  county,  Mass. 

He  began  the  study  of  law  in  1855,  and  in 
March,  :858,  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
immediately  began  legal  practice  and  formed 
a  copartnership  with  Hon.  Daniel  Saun- 
ders. These  relations  lasted  until  1864. 
He  was  subsequently  associated  with  John 
K.  Tarbox  (member  of  Congress  and  in- 
surance commissioner  of  Massachusetts), 
until  1870,  after  which   he  was   in  ])ractice 


alone  until  1878,  when  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Charles  U.  Bell,  which  terminated 
in  1887.  Mr.  Sherman  was  clerk  of  the 
Lawrence  police  court  from  1859  to  1861, 
when  he  resigned. 

.  iln  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
48th  Regt.  Mass.  Vols.,  and  was  soon  elected 
and  commissioned  captain  of  Co.  F.  He 
was  sent  to  the  department  of  the  Gulf,  do- 
ing excellent  service,  notably  at  the  second 
assault  on  Port  Hudson,  for  which  he  was 
breveted  major  for  gallant  and  meritorious 
conduct.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
service,  he  returned  home,  and  when  the 
enemy  attempted  a  raid  on  Washington,  he 
organized  a  military  company  at  two  days 


EDGAR    JAY    SHERMAN. 

notice,  and  again  went  to  the  front  as  rap- 
tain  in  the  famous  6th  Mass.  Regt.  With  it 
he  completed  the  required  term  of  service 
and  then  returned  once  more  to  civil  life. 

In  1865  Mr.  Sherman  received  his  first 
election  to  the  House  of  Representatives. 
In  1866  he  was  re-elected;  and  was  ap- 
pointed judge  advocate  the  same  year  upon 
the  division  staff,  state  militia,  with  the  rank 
of  major.  In  1867  he  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  assistant  adjutant-general  and 
chief  of  Major  General  B.  F.  Buder's  staff, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  This  office  he 
held  until  1876. 

In  1868  Colonel  Sherman  was  elected  dis- 
trict attorney  for  the  eastern  district  of 
Massachusetts,  and  received  the  honor  of 
five  consecutive  re-elections.     He  resigned 


14  = 


this  office  to  accept  that  of  attorney-general 
of  the  commonwealth,  to  which  office  he  had 
been  nominated  and  elected  in  1882  on  the 
Republican  state  ticket,  and  was  re-elected 
to  this  office  five  consecutive  times.  This 
office  he  resigned  Oct.  i,  18S7,  to  accept 
the  appoinment  of  associate  justice  of  the 
superior  court,  which  position  he  now  holds. 
In  1884  he  received  from  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  He  was 
appointed  by  Chief  Justice  Chase  a  register 
in  bankruptcy  under  the  U.  S.  bankrupt  law, 
and  held  that  office  from  1867  to  1876. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
standing  committee  of  the  Essex  Bar  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  a  director  in  the  Lawrence 
National  Bank  from  1872  to  1888;  and  a 
trustee  of  the  Broadway  Savings  Bank  sev- 
eral years. 

Judge  Sherman  is  indebted  for  his  brilliant 
success  to  his  own  native  abilities,  assiduous 
self-culture,  indomitable  persistence  and  com- 
mendable self-reliance. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  married,  Nov.  24,  1868, 
to  Abbie  Louise,  daughter  of  Stephen  P. 
and  Fanny  B.  Simmons  of  Lawrence.  Of 
this  union  were  six  children  :  Fred  Francis 
(now  chaplain  in  the  navy),  Fannie  May, 
Elizabeth  (now  Mrs  Henry  Souther),  Mal- 
vina  (now  Mrs.  Frank  D.  Carney),  Roland 
Henry,  and  Abbie  Maude. 

SHERMAN,  LINUS  E.,  of  Colorado 
Springs,  Col.,  son  of  Elias  H.  and  Clarissa 
(\\'ilmarth)  Sherman,  was  born  in  Fairfield, 
June  30,  1835. 

His  early  education  was  acquired  by  at- 
tending the  district  schools  and  at  twenty 
he  prepared  for  college  at  Bakersfield  Acad- 
emy and  Burr  &  Burton  Seminary  ;  entered 
Middlebury  College  and  graduated  with  the 
class  of  '61,  taking  the  degree  of  A.  yi.  in 
course. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  principal  of  Black  River 
Academy  in  1866,  and  in  1S67  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  in  which  he  successfully 
continued  until  1876,  when  he  removed  to 
Colorado  where  he  followed  mercantile  pur- 
suits for  several  years,  and  afterward  en- 
gaged in  legal  practice  before  the  L^nited 
States  Land  Office  at  Denver,  and  was  ad- 
mitted as  an  attorney  before  the  interior  de- 
partment, and  now  enjoys  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice  as  a  mineral  land  attorney 
and  pension  lawyer. 

Mr.  Sherman  has  always  been  too  fully 
occupied  with  business  affairs  to  devote 
much  time  to  politics,  although  he  has  al- 
ways performed  his  duties  as  a  citizen.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Vermont  constitutional 
convention  in  1869,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  city  council  at  Colorado  Springs,  Col., 
in   1879. 


Mr.  Sherman  married,  May  16,  1866,  at 
Dunham,  1^  Q.,  Jennie  C,  daughter  of  R. 
L.  and  Pamelia  Galer.  Of  this  union  were 
three  children  :  Clarence  G.,  Agnes  ^L,  and 
Gertrude  C.  JSIrs.  Sherman  died  Nov.  1 7, 
1877.  He  was  again  married,  Jan.  20,  1881, 
to  Louise  B.,  daughter  of  Charles  P.  ancl 
Naomi  P.  Gould  of  Salem,  Mass.  Of  this 
union  is  one  daughter  :  Marian  H. 


LINUS    E.    SHERMAN. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  the  first  man  in  Franklin 
county  to  respond  when  the  call  of  May, 
1862,  was  made  for  troops.  He  enlisted  in 
Co.  A,  9th  Vt.  Vols.,  was  elected  lieutentant 
and  subsequently  promoted  to  captain,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  until  the  surrender 
of  Lee.  He  was  in  all  the  battles  in  which 
his  regiment  engaged  except  that  of  Harper's 
Ferry,  when  he  was  sick  and  a  prisoner  at 
Winchester,  Va.  ;  was  detailed  upon  staff 
duty  and  was  provost  marshal  at  Newport 
Barracks,  N.  C.  A  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
since  1868,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
department  council  of  administration  and  is 
at  present  past  post  commander  of  the  Colo- 
racio  Springs  Post.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Colorado  Springs  and 
has  served  as  deacon  for  twelve  years. 

SHERMAN,  Socrates  N.,  was  born  in 
Vermont,  and  elected  a  representative  from 
New  York  to  the  Thirty-seventh  Congress, 
serving  on  the  committee  on  expenditures 
in  the  Interior  Department. 


143 


SMITH,    Emerson   Hall,   of   Fargo, 

North  Dakota,  son  of  Major  Richard  and 
Frances  (Hall)  Smith,  was  born  in  Tun- 
bridge,  April  8,  1854.  His  grandfather, 
Eben  Smith,  Esq.,  was  English,  an  e.\tensi\  e 
land  holder  and  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
Cabot.  His  grandmother,  .Abigail  (Steele) 
Smith,  was  a  niece  of  Dr.  Shurtleff  who  was 
for  so  many  years  connected  with  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  was  aunt  to  the  late 
Judge  Benjamin  H.  Steele.  She  was  of 
Scotch  and  English  descent.  Her  ancestors 
located  the  present  city  of  Hartford,  Conn. 
His  mother  was  a  sister  of  the  Hon.  Emerson 
Hall  of  St.  Johnsbury,  whose  parents  were 
English  and  Scotch. 


€- 


.*  mBt 


During  Mr.  Smith's  boyhood  he  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the  public 
schools.  Later  he  attended  the  Randolph 
Normal  School,  St.  Johnsbury  Academy,  and 
graduated  from  the  Meriden  (N.  H.)  .Acad- 
emy. In  1882  he  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
College. 

He  was  principal  of  the  Newmarket  (N. 
H.)  high  school  from  1882  to  1884;  from 
1884  to  1 89 1  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  city  of  Fargo,  North 
Dakota.  With  characteristic  energy  and 
ability  he  raised  these  schools  to  a  standard 
unsurpassed  by  the  best  New  England 
schools.  In  1890  he  was  offered  the  state 
superintendency  of  public  instruction  for 
North  Dakota,  but  declined  the  appointment. 
In  T892  he  was  elected  a  trustee  and  a  mem- 


ber of  the  executive  committee  of  Fargo 
College.  During  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Fargo,  in  which 
election  he  carried  every  ward  in  the  city. 
This  office  he  still  holds.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married,  .August  16,  1882, 
to  Ella,  daughter  of  .Aldice  E.  and  Elizabeth 
(  Drew)  Knight  of  Irasburgh.  Of  this  union 
there  is  one  daughter  :    Helen  Eliza. 

SMITH,  H.  BOARDMAN,  was  born  at 
W'hitingham,  August  18,  1826  ;  graduated  at 
Williams  College  in  1847  ;  studied  law,  and 
practiced  ;  was  appointed  by  the  Cio\ernor 
of  New  York  judge  of  the  Chemung  county 
courts,  September,  1859,  and  in  the  following 
November  was  elected  to  the  same  office  ; 
was  elected  a  representative  from  New  York 
in  the  Forty- second  Congress  as  a  Repub- 
lican ;  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-third 
Congress  ;  Liberal  and  Democrat. 

SMITH,  Hezekiah  B.,  of  Smithville,  N. 
J.,  was  born  at  Bridgewater  July  26,  1816  ; 
received  a  common  school  education ; 
learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinet  maker  :  for 
many  years  has  been  engaged  in  perfecting 
woodworking  machinery  ;  is  the  inventor  of 
a  number  of  wood-working  machines;  since 
1865  has  been  largely  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  wood  machinery  at  Smithville,  N. 
J.  ;  never  has  held  any  public  position  pre- 
vious to  his  election  to  the  Forty-sixth  Con- 
gress as  a  Democrat  and  Greenbacker. 

SMITH,  JOHN  BUTLER,  of  Hillsborough, 
N.  H.,  was  born  in  Rockingham,  .April  12, 
1838,  and  was  the  son  of  Ammi  and  Lydia 
(Butler)  Smith.  His  paternal  ancestor  was 
Lieut.  Thomas  Smith,  a  sturdy  representa- 
ti\e  of  the  race  known  as  Scotch-Irish. 

His  parents  removing  to  Hillsborough, 
N.  H.,  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  he 
received  his  educational  training  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  town,  and  subsequently 
entered  Francestown  .Academy,  where  he 
graduated  in  1S54.  He  first  obtained  em- 
ployment at  Henniker,  then  at  Manchester, 
and  later  at  New  Boston.  In  1863  he  began 
his  business  career  by  the  purchase  of  a 
drug  store  in  Manchester,  which  he  success- 
fully conducted  for  a  year,  when  he  estab- 
lished in  the  town  of  Washington  a  factory 
for  the  production  of  knit  goods.  A  year 
later  he  leased  the  Sawyer  woolen  mill  at 
North  Weare,  and  in  1866  he  built  at  Hills- 
borough Bridge  a  small  mill,  which  was  the 
beginning  of  the  extensive  knit  goods  factory 
now  owned  and  operated  by  the  Contoocook 
Mills  Co.,  of  which  he  is  the  president  and 
])rincipal  owner.  For  seventeen  years,  from 
1863,  Mr.  Smith  resided  in  Manchester, 
although  his  business  was  elsewhere,  and  he 
is  now  largely  interested  in  the  real  estate 


144 


of  that  city  and  otherwise  identified  with  its 
people.  Since  iS8o  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Hillsborough,  and  has  also  been  engaged 
in  the  commission  business  (knit  goods)  in 
Boston  and  New  York  since  1884. 

Mr  Smith  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov.  i, 
1883,  to  Emma  K.,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Lavender,  of  Boston,  Mass.  Of  this  union 
were  three  children  :  Butler  Lavender 
(deceased),  Archibald  Lavender,  and  Nor- 
man. 


In  politics  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican, 
earnest,  uncomjiromising,  ready  and  willing. 
He  was  one  of  the  Republican  electors  of 
the  state  in  1884;  a  member  of  Governor 
Sawyer's  council  in  i887-'89  ;  and  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  state  committee  in 
the  early  part  of  the  campaign  of  1S90. 
September  6,  1892,  he  was  nominated  by 
acclamation  in  full  convention  the  candidate 
of  his  party  for  the  gubernatorial  seat  of 
the  state  of  New  Hampshire,  and  was  elect- 
ed in  the  following  November  by  a  majority 
of  the  votes  of  the  people,  without  recourse 
to  the  Legislature,  as  had  been  the  case  for 
ten  years  past.  Governor  Smith  has  now 
held  the  exalted  position  for  over  a  year 
and  has  served  to  popular  acceptance,  con- 
ducting the  affairs  of  state  in  a  manner  in 
which  all  Vermonters  may  lake  a  just  pride. 

.\  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Governor  Smith  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
matters  religious  and  gives  liberally  of  his 
means   for  the  upholding  and  upbuilding  of 


mankind.     He  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
body  of  his  town. 

Of  a  bright  and  genial  personality,  Gov- 
ernor Smith  not  only  commands  the  respect, 
but  wins  the  love  of  all  who  come  in  con- 
tact with  him. 

SMITH,  John  Sabine,  of  New  York, 
son  of  John  S.  and  Caroline  (Sabine)  Smith, 
was  born  April  24,  1843,  at  Randolph.  His 
father  was  a  practicing  physician  in  that 
town  for  over  fifty  years. 

His  early  education  was  received  at  the 
Orange  county  school  and  he  was  graduated 
at  Trinity  College  in  1S63,  at  the  head  of  his 
class. 

.After  graduation  he  taught  school  at  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  and  studied  law  with  Hon.  George 
Gould,  e.x-judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Poughkeepsie  in 
1868.     He  located  in  the  practice  of  law  in 


JOHN    SABINE    SMITH. 

New  York  City  in  1S69,  at  first  as  associate 
with  Hon.  William  E.  Curtis,  who  afterward 
became  chief  justice  of  the  Superior  Court. 
He  has  since  been  engaged  in  general  im- 
]3ortant  cases  and  representing  large  financial 
interests. 

Mr.  Smith  has  always  been  a  Republican. 
He  had  charge  as  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican League  of  the  state  of  New  York  in  the 
campaign  of  1888.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  campaign  committee  of  the  Republican 
Club  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  1S92  and 
was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  surrogate  of 


sou'inwdkrii. 


145 


the  city  and  county  of  New  York  the  same 
year,  receiving  the  highest  vote  of  any  can- 
didate, national,  state  or  local,  on  the  ticket. 
He  is  now  (1893)  president  of  the  Repub- 
lican Club  of  the  city  of  New  York  and  of 
the  Republican  county  committee  of  the  city 
and  county  of  New  York.  In  the  Reisub- 
lican  state  convention  of  1S93,  he  receiveil 
the  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the  great  dele- 
gation of  New  York  county  for  candidate  for 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  state  of 
New  York. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  L'ni\ersity 
Club,  the  Lawyers'  Club,  the  Church  Club 
and  several  other  social  institutions.  He  is 
president  of  the  Association  of  the  Alumni  of 
Trinity  College  and  a  member  of  the  Phi 
Betta  Kappa  Alumni  Society  of  New  York 
City.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Society  of 
Medical  [urisprudence. 


Subsequently  he  received  the  appointment 
of  assistant  melter  and  refiner  in  the  United 
States  Mint,  which  position  he  held  for  about 
fifteen  years,  through  various  changes  of  ad- 
ministration. His  health  compelled  him  to 
retire,  however,  and  he  spent  nearly  two 
years  in  the  company  of  his  family,  traveling 
in  various  parts  of  the  United  States.  L'pon 
his  return  to  San  F"rancisco  he  was  solicited 
to  assume  his  old  position  for  the  purpose  of 


fff-  flSkt' 


SOMERS,  Harvey  C,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Hall)  Somers,  was  born  in  Danville,  Jan. 
24,  1841. 

He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  Phillips  Academy.  In  185S,  when 
but  seventeen  years  old,  he  went  to  Califor- 
nia, and  was  engaged  in  the  water  business 
for  two  years,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
United  States  for  one  year.  Subsequently 
he  went  to  Arizona  on  a  mining  e.\i)edition. 
He  returned  to  San  Francisco,  and  in  March, 
1864,  established  the  hay  and  grain  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Rider,  Somers  &  Co., 
which  firm  continued  for  twenty-two  years. 
He  is  now  engaged  in  the  same  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Somers  &  Co.  The 
firm  are  members  of  the  San  Francisco  Pro- 
duce Exchange  Board  and  do  an  extensive 
business  in  their  line,  having  large  ware- 
houses at  534  and  536  Sixth  street  and 
Pier  22,  Stewart  street. 

Mr.  Somers  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  F. 
Waterman,  ofThomaston,  Me.,  in  1866,  and 
they  have  three  children — a  daughter  and 
two  sons. 

SOMERS,    William    James,    of   San 

Francisco,  Cal.,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Hall)  Somers,  was  born  Dec.  21,  1830,  at 
Danville. 

He  received  his  education  in  his  native 
town,  and  on  the  day  he  attained  his  majority 
started  for  California  by  way  of  Panama. 
On  arriving  in  San  Francisco  he  immediately 
made  arrangements  to  go  to  the  mines  in 
Sonora  county,  where  he  spent  one  season  in 
mining,  and  then  returned  to  San  Fancisco. 
Here  he  acquired  an  interest  in  the  water 
business,  the  supply  at  that  time  being  con- 
fined to  a  few  wells,  from  which  consumers 
were  supplied  by  carts. 


AM    JAMES    SOMERS. 


organizing  the  melting  and  refining  depart- 
ment in  the  new  mint.  He  accepted  the 
position,  stipulating  that  he  might  employ 
his  old  associates.  When  the  department 
was  thoroughly  organized  he  retired  from 
that  position,  and  has  since  devoted  himself 
to  real  estate  interests. 

SOUTHWORTH,,  HILAND,  of  Abilene, 
Kan.,  son  of  Seymour  W .  and  Rachael  (Sher- 
man) Southworth,  was  born  Sept.  26,  1849, 
at  Clarendon. 

Mr.  Southworth's  parents  removed  to  Mid- 
dletown  when  he  was  quite  young,  and  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  town  and  the  Fort  Ed- 
ward (N.  Y. )  Collegiate  Institute,  he  prepared 
to  enter  Middlebury  College,  and  graduated 
from  the  latter  institution  with  the  class  of 

i«75- 

Shortly  after  graduation  he  removed  to 
Rosendale,  Wis.,  and  taught  school,  and  in 
1876  he  went  to  Kansas.  Taking  up  the  law, 
he  successfully  pursued  its  study  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  spring  of  1878,  and 
continued  in  active  business  imtil  18S5.    He 


146 


then  became  financial  correspondent  for  East- 
ern capitalists  and  is  now  engaged  in  that 
business. 

Mr.  Sotithworth  is  prominent  in  social  or- 
ganizations and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 


^     SBit. 


He  was  married  to  P^lla  E.  Walker,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Noah  S.  and  Sarah  A.  Walk- 
er, of  Chi]3penhook,  Vt.,  June  14,  1882. 

SPARROW,  BRADFORD  P.,  of  Hart- 
wood,  son  of  .\bner  Doty  and  .\lmira  I\[. 
(Shepard)  Sparrow,  was  born  April  S,  1843, 
at  Calais. 

Mr.  Sparrow  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  until  twenty  years  of  age. 
At  twenty-three  he  continued  study  at  the 
Washington  county  grammar  school,  under 
Prof.  D.  D.  Gorham,  at  the  same  time  teach- 
ing in  the  vicinity  and  acting  as  messenger 
at  the  state  library  during  two  sessions  of 
the  Legislature,  to  obtain  the  means.  Hav- 
ing been  drafted  from  the  town  of  Elmore, 
July  17,  1863,  military  service  postponed  a 
continuance  of  his  studies  during  the  inter- 
vening period.  .At  Middlebury  College  he 
obtained  a  scholarship  and  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1S74.  In  the  same  year  he  en- 
tered Columbian  Law  School,  graduating  in 
1876. 

Mr.  Sparrow's  experience  in  the  army  and 
southern  prisons  greatly  injured  his  health 
and  interfered  with  his  life's  plan.  Joining 
Co.  K,  4th  ^'t.  Vols.,  at  the  age  of  twenty 


years,  he  passed  two  years  in  the  field  and 
was  discharged  from  McDougall  Hospital  in 
New  York  harbor  June  17,  1865,  as  unfit  for 
service.  He  participated  in  all  the  engage- 
ments of  his  regiment  while  a  member  of  it, 
including  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  ;  and 
on  the  23d  of  June,  1864,  with  2,000  of  his 
comrades  was  captured  near  Petersburg,  Va., 
and  hurried  through  Richmond  and  Belle 
Isle  to  .Andersonville  prison  in  Georgia. 
Here  he  remained  until  .April  1  8,  1865,  when 
he  was  e.xchanged  and  delivered  to  Union 
officers  near  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  so  emaciated 
and  weak  as  to  be  unable  to  march,  barely 
escaping  with  his  life  after  a  captixitv  of 
o\er  ten  months. 

In  July,  1876,  he  became  the  assistant 
clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District 
of  Columbia,  performing  the  duties  of 
clerk  for  the  criminal  department  of  the 
court  until  1880,  when  considerations  of 
health  made  it  advisable  to  exchange  city 
for  country  life.  In  1882  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  Caroline  county,  Virginia, 
and  engaged  in  lumbering  and  farming 
operations.  He  is  now  an  enthusiastic  Vir- 
ginian, in  love  with  its  climate  and  re- 
sources. 

SPALDING,  Burleigh  F.,  of  Fargo, 
North  Dakota,  was  born  to  Rev.  Benjamin 
P.  and  Ann  (Folsom)  Spalding,  in  Crafts- 
bury,  Dec.  3,  1S53.  His  ancestors,  both 
paternal  and  maternal,  came  to  America 
from  England  about  the  year  1630,  settling 
in  the  Massachusetts  colony.  His  mother 
died  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age, 
but  so  tender,  yet  potential,  had  been  her 
home  training  during  those  brief  years  that 
the  early  sorrow  served  but  to  intensify  in 
the  mind  of  the  lad  the  earnest  longing  to 
sometime  accomplish  the  fulfillment  of  the 
lofty  ideal  of  which  her  life  had  been  to  him 
the  living  example. 

Ambitious  of  acquiring  something  more 
than  a  common  school  education — all  that 
the  family  circumstances  afforded — he  reso- 
lutely set  himself  to  the  task  of  procuring, 
by  his  own  efforts,  not  only  the  means  but 
the  preparatory  fitting  to  enable  him  to 
enter  upon  a  collegiate  course,  and  he  grad- 
uated from  Norwich  LTniversity  in  1 87 7.  In 
the  same  year  he  became  principal  of 
.Albany  .Academy,  resigning  his  position  in 
1878  to  enter  the  law  office  of  Gleason  & 
Field,  Montpelier. 

.Admitted  to  the  Washington  county  bar 
in  1S80,  and  much  impressed  with  the  rapid 
development  of  the  far  West,  he  at  once 
removed  to  Fargo,  a  small  but  growing  town 
on  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  in  the  then 
territory  of  Dakota. 

In  November,  1S80,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  .Alida  Baker,  daughter  of  David 


'47 


and  I'hiiils'  (Cutler)  ISaker,  of  (Hover.  Of 
this  union  are  four  children  :  Deane  Baker, 
Frances  Folsom,  Roscoe  Conkling  and  Bur- 
leigh Mason. 

In  1 88 1  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Charles  F.  Templeton,  a  young  Vermonter, 
and  this  relationship  continued  until  the 
latter's  appointment  to  the  Supreme  Bench 
of  the  territory  by  President  Cleveland. 
Then  followed  a  partnership  with  George  H. 
Phelps,  also  from  Vermont,  and  later  on 
association  with  Hon.  Seth  Newman  in  the 
present  legal  firm  of  Newman,  Spalding  & 
Phelps,  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  law 
firms  in  the  Northwest. 


much  to  secure  the  adoption  of  tliis  measure  ; 
served  as  a  member  and  chairman  of  many 
important  committees,  the  judicial  depart- 
ment, school  and  public  lands  and  the  joint 
commission  provided  by  Congress  to  divide 
the  archives  and  property  of  the  Territory 
between  the  new  states.  He  is  now  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  state  central  com- 
mittee and  is  credited  with  being  one  of  the 
most  skillful  organizers  in  the  state.  Mr. 
Spalding  is  a  clear,  concise  and  convincing 
speaker,  both  at  the  bar  and  in  debate,  and 
is  a  man  of  strong  individuality  e.xerting  a 
marked  influence  in  all  proceedings,  in  which 
he  participates.  He  is  a  genuine  Yankee 
and  has  never  been  ashamed  of  the  place  of 
his  nativity. 


In  1890  he  organized  the  Merchants  State 
Bank  of  Fargo  and  became  its  president  and 
attorney. 

In  politics  Mr.  Spalding  has  always  been 
a  Republican  and  is  among  the  leaders  of 
that  party  in  the  Northwest.  He  has  never 
sought  office,  bu4  has  been  elected  to  several 
of  importance.  He  was  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  of  Cass  county  in  18S2- 
'83  ;  a  member  of  the  commission  to  re- 
locate the  capital  of  the  territory  and  con- 
struct capitol  buildings  in  1883,  to  which 
office  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  with- 
out his  knowledge  ;  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  in  1889,  where  he  was 
commended  for  his  opposition  to  many  of 
the  extreme  measures  proposed,  and  was  one 
of  the  originators  of  the  movement  to  locate 
the  public  institutions  by  constitution,  doing 


SPRING,  Leverett  Wilson,  of  WiU- 

iamstovvn,  Mass.,  son  of  Edward  and  Martha 
(Atwood)  Spring,  was  born  in  Grafton,  Jan. 
5,  1840. 

Doctor  Spring  received  his  theological 
education  at  Hartford  Theological  Seminary. 
His  early  education  was  received  at  Burr  & 
Burton  Seminary  at  Manchester,  where  he 
fitted  for  Williams  College,  receiving  his  de- 
gree at  the  latter  institution  with  the  class  of 
1 863.  He  was  a  graduate  student  at  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  during  most  of  the  year 
i866-'67,  at  the  same  time  supplying  for  a 
period  the  pulpit  of  the  Congregational  church 
in  Castleton.  In  the  winter  of  186S  he  sup- 
plied the  church  in  Middlebury  when  a  call 
was  accepted  to  a  projected  church  in  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.  A  church  was  soon  organized 
and  a  fine  house  of  worship  erected  and  a 
large  congregation  gathered  under  the  name 
of  the  Rollstone  Church. 

Dr.  Spring,  in  consequence  of  ill-health, 
resigned  in  1875,  and  in  the  summer  of  1876 
removed  to  Lawrence,  Kan.,  and  became 
pastor  of  Plymouth  Church,  the  oldest,  and 
for  many  years  the  largest  church  in  the 
state.  He  resigned  this  pastorate  in  1881 
to  accept  the  chair  of  English  literature  in 
the  University  of  Kansas.  In  1885  he  pub- 
lished a  history  of  Kansas,  a  book  in  which 
the  writer  endeavored  to  set  down  the  truth, 
although  aware  that  it  might  not  be  accept- 
able to  various  e.vcitable  factions  of  the  pop- 
ulation. On  resigning,  in  1886,  to  accept 
the  chair  of  English  literature  in  Williams 
College,  he  received  from  the  Cnixersity  the 
degree  of  D.  D. 

Dr.  Spring's  literary  work  is  quite  exten- 
si\'e.  In  1888  he  ])ublished  a  monograph 
entitled  "Mark  Hopkins'  Teacher,"  and  has 
contributed  various  magazine  articles. 

September  25,  1867,  Dr.  Spring  married 
Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Prof.  Will- 
iam Thompson  of  Hartford  Theological 
Seminarv. 


148 


SQUIRE. 


SQUIRE. 


SQUIRH,  John  Peter,  late  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  was  the  son  of  Peter  and  Esther 
Squire  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Weath- 
ersfield,  May  8,  18 19. 

The  years  of  his  boyhood  were  spent  at 
his  home,  attending  the  public  schools  and 
working  on  the  farm.  May  i,  1835,  he  went 
to  work  for  Mr.  Orvis,  who  kept  the  \illage 
store  at  West  Windsor.  He  left  this  posi- 
tion in  the  fall  of  1837  and  attended  the 
academy  at  Unity,  N.  H.  He  tanght  school 
at  Cavendish  during  a  part  of  the  winter  of 


% 


PETER    SQUIRE. 


March  19,  1838,  he  went  to  Boston  and 
entered  the  employment  of  Nathan  Robbins 
in  Faneuil  Hall  market.  He  left  Mr.  Rob- 
bins  April  30,  1842,  and  formed  a  copart- 
nership with  Francis  Russell  and  carried  on 
the  provision  business  under  the  style  of 
Russell  &  Squire  until  1847,  when  the  firm 
was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Squire  continued 
alone  at  the  same  place  until  the  year  1855, 
when  he  formed  a  copartnership  with 
Hiland  Lockwood  and  Edward  D.  Kimball 
under  the  name  of  John  P.  Squire  &  Co.  At 
this  time  Mr.  Squire  bought  a  tract  of  land 
situated  on  Miller's  river  in  East  Cambridge, 
and  built  a  slaughter  house  where  the  hogs 
were  slaughtered  for  the  firm  of  John  P. 
Squire  &  Co.  .Additional  pieces  of  land 
were  bought  from  time  to  time  adjoining 
this  first  parcel  and  situated  in  Somerville  on 
the  other  side  of  Miller's  river,  which  are 
now  included  in  the  tract  of  land  covered  by 


the  large  refrigerator,  packing  house  and 
other  buildings  used  in  connection  with  the 
business  of  John  P.  Squire  &  Co.  Several 
men  were  associated  with  Mr.  Squire  in  the 
pork  packing  business  as  his  partners  up  to 
the  30th  of  .-April,  1892,  when  the  business 
was  transferred  to  John  P.  Squire  &  Co. 
Corporation  ;  the  other  members  of  the  cor- 
poration at  the  time  of  his  death  were  two  of 
Mr.  Squire's  sons,  Frank  ( ).  and  Fred  F. 
Squire. 

Mr.  .Squire  was  always  a  man  abreast  of  the 
times  and  from  a  small  and  modest  begin- 
ning built  up  a  pork-packing  business,  which 
now  ranks  the  third  in  the  United  States. 
If  it  is  any  credit  to  have  brought  things  to 
pass,  surely  to  have  developed  the  business 
from  its  small  beginning  to  its  present  pro- 
portion reflects  lasting  credit  on  Air.  Squire, 
the  founder  and  late  senior  member.  The 
same  energy  and  ability  which  Mr.  Squire 
showed  in  his  business  would  have  been 
likely  to  bring  him  success  in  nearly  any 
other  walk  in  life,  but  Mr.  Squire  seemed  to 
have  been  born  for  a  business  life,  for,  when 
he  returned  to  his  native  state  early  in  life  to 
resume  his  studies,  the  allurements  of  a  busi- 
ness life,  of  which  he  had  had  a  slight  taste 
in  his  sojourn  at  Boston,  seriously  interfered 
with  his  ability  to  apply  his  mind  to  his 
studies  again  and  resulted  finally  in  calling 
him  away  therefrom  to  the  metropolis  of 
New  England  again  to  take  up  that  occupa- 
tion, which  finally  resulted  in  placing  him  in 
the  position  which  he  occupied  in  financial 
and  commercial  circles  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

He  was  always  a  firm  believer  in  real  es- 
tate and  had  large  interests  in  Revere,  Som- 
erville, Cambridge,  Boston,  Arlington  and 
Belmont.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  will  and 
great  tenacity  of  purpose  and  of  very  modest 
and  unassuming  demeanor.  He  joined  the 
Mercantile  Library  Association  when  he 
first  went  to  Boston  and  spent  a  good  deal  of 
his  spare  time  in  reading,  of  which  he  was 
always  very  fond. 

In  1843  he  married  Kate  Green  Orvis, 
the  daughter  of  his  old  employer.  Eleven 
children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  nine  of 
whom  are  living :  George  W.,  Jennie  C, 
Frank  O.,  Minnie  E.,  John^A.,  Kate  I.,  Fred 
F.,  and  Bessie  E.  Charles  G.  died  in  in- 
fancy and  Nellie  G.  died  Oct.  13,  1S91. 

Mr.  Squire  in  1848  moved  to  West  Cam- 
bridge (now  called  Arlington),  and  built 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  in  the  town, 
where  he  lived  surrounded  by  his  charming 
family  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  which 
occurred  Jan.  7,  1893. 

A  man  of  great  intellect,  unassuming, 
modest  and  courteous  to  all,  he  won  the  re- 
spect and  friendship  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 


STANbiSH,  John  Van  Ness,  of 

(lalesburg,  111.,  son  of  John  W.  and  Caroline 
W.  (Myrick)  Standish,  was  born  at  Wood- 
stock, Feb.  26,  1825. 

Mr.  Standish  attended  the  Liberal  Insti- 
tute of  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  and  was  for  several 
years  under  the  instruction  of  Prof.  }.  C.  C. 
Hoskins,  and  graduated  from  Norwich  LTni- 
versity,  then  under  the  management  of  Gen. 
T.  B.  Ransom,  in  July,  1847.  During  his 
college  course,  he  obtained  the  means  there- 
for bv  teaching  in  the  winter  months-. 


STETSON.  149 

1893,  the  degree  of  LL.  I),  by  St.  Lawrence 
I'niversity. 

President  Standish  was  married  March 
24,  1859,  to  Harriet  .\ugusta,  daughter  of 
Francis  and  Rebecca  (Stowe)   Kendall. 

STETSON,  Emrie  Benjamin,  of 

Charlestown,  Mass.,  son  of  P^zra  and  Clarissa 
(Adams)  Stetson,  was  born  Jan.  2,  1825,  at 
Wilmington. 

Mr.  Stetson's  career  is  in  many  ways  typi- 
cal ;  possessed  of  the  training  of  the  common 
schools  of  his  home,  a  long  career,  character- 
ized by  integrity  and  energy  has  brought  him 
to  the  honored  consideration  of  his  fellows. 
Remaining  on  the  farm  until  of  age,  he 
sought  for  advancement  in  Boston.  His  first 
employment  was  in  driving  a  bread-cart  for 
Orin  Gilmore,  of  Charlestown.  He  passed 
two  years  at  this  occupation  and  then  worked 
a  few  months  in  various  cai)acities  at  the 
Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind  and  at  the 


The  profession  of  a  teacher  Mr.  Standish 
has  followed  with  success  and  enthusiasm 
for  more  than  half  a  century.  In  1854  he 
commenced  his  work  at  Lombard  as  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  and  astronomy,  a  po- 
sition he  filled  with  credit  and  usefulness  for 
nearly  forty  years.  Since  1892  he  has  been 
president  of  Lombard  University. 

President  Standish  has  thrice  visited  Eu- 
rope, in  1879,  1S83,  and  1892,  and  during 
his  second  visit  he  traveled  over  forty  thous- 
and miles,  visiting  interesting  and  historic 
points  in  nearly  every  European  country. 
Northern  Africa,  Egypt  and  Palestine. 

President  Standish  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  a  very  fine  and  extensive  library  and  has 
given  much  thought  to  political  subjects,  but 
has  never  sought  or  accepted  office,  devot- 
ing all  his  energies  to  a  comprehensive  prep- 
aration for  the  duties  of  his  profession 
which  he  has  made  a  life  work.  In  June, 
1883,  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  was  conferred 
upon    him  by  Knox    College,  and    in   June, 


EMRIE   BENJAMIN    STETSON. 

hotels  of  Boston,  finally  returning  home,  to 
the  town  of  Dover,  and  engaged  in  black- 
smithing.  After  four  years  he  sold  out  and 
returned  to  Boston  and  became  a  partner 
with  his  first  employer  in  the  baking  business. 
Success  attended  him  in  this  and  after  ten 
years  he  went  into  business  upon  his  own  ac- 
count and  has  carried  it  on  for  thirty  years, 
acquiring  fortune  and  the  esteem  of  his  asso- 
ciates. For  many  years  he  has  been  a 
director  and  one  of  the  committee  of  in- 
vestment of  the  Charlestown  Five  Cent  Sav- 


ings  Hank.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Charlestown  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  and 
was  president  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Mutual 
Benefit  Society  in  iS9i,-'92,  and  '93. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  during  the  life 
of  the  party,  and  then  a  Republican  ;  to-day 
he  votes  for  the  best  man,  regardless  of  his 
affiliation. 

In  social  organizations  he  has  long  been 
prominent,  having  occupied  the  chairs  in 
the  Bunker  Hill  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
Bunker  Hill  Encampment  ;  in  the  Knights 
of  Honor,  Daughters  of  Rebeckah  and  other 
organizations. 

Mr.  Stetson  was  married,  Feb.  3,  1852,  at 
West  Dover,  to  Mirriam  Owen,  and  has  four 
children  :  Florence  Adelaide  Bickford,  Clara 
.\della  Howard,  Eva  .\ngelea  (deceased), 
Walter  Emrie,  and  Gertrude  Miriam  Fitch. 


"  will  be  so  good  to  me,  and  bear  me  in  their 
strong  arms,  when  you  two  mighty  men  are 
gone?"  Such  a  question  implied  nothing 
short  of  a  sense  of  intellectual  immortality. 

When  he  had  taken  to  his  bed  for  the  last 
time,  a  visitor  told  him  he  was  looking  well. 
"  Oh,  John,"  was  the  quick  reply,  "  It's  not 
my  appearance,  but  my  disappearance  that 
troubles  me  !  " 

One  day  a  member  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, who  was  noted  for  his  uncertain 
course  on  all  questions,  and  who  confessed 
that  he  never  investigated  a  point  under 
discussion  without  finding  himself  a  neutral, 
asked  for  leave  of  absence.  "  Mr.  Speaker," 
said  Stevens,  "  I  do  not  rise  to  object,  but  to 
suggest  that  the  honorable  member  need  not 
ask  this  favor,  for  he  can  easily  pair  oft'  with 
himself !  " 


STEVENS,  HIRAM  S.,  was  born  at 
Weston  in  1S32  ;  received  a  common  school 
education  there  ;  remo\ed  to  New  Mexico  in 
1 85 1  and  in  1S56  located  in  that  part  of 
Mexico  now  known  as  Arizona  ;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  territorial  Legislature  from  Arizona 
1868-1873  :  was  elected  a  delegate  from 
Arizona  in  the  Forty-fourth  Congress  as  an 
independent  candidate  ;  was  re-elected  to  the 
Forty-fifth  Congress. 

STEVENS,  THADDEUS,  was  born  in 
Caledonia  county,  April  4,  1  793  ;  graduated 
at  Dartmouth  College  in  18 14;  during 
that  year  he  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  stud- 
ied law  and  taught  in  an  academy  at  the 
same  time  ;  in  t8i6  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Adams  county  ;  in  1833  was  elected 
to  the  state  Legislature,  and  also  in  1S34, 
1835,  1837  and  1841  ;  in  1836  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  convention  to  revise  the 
state  constitution  ;  in  1838  was  appointed  a 
canal  commissioner;  in  1842  he  removed 
to  Lancaster  ;  and  in  1848  was  elected  a 
representative  from  Pennsylvania  to  the 
Thirty-first  Congress,  also  to  the  Thirty- 
second ;  and  in  1858  was  re-elected  to  the 
Thirty-sixth  Congress,  and  also  to  the 
Thirty-seventh  ;  in  1862  he  was  re-elected 
to  the  Thirty-eighth  Congress  ;  he  was  also 
a  delegate  to  the  Baltimore  convention  of 
1864;  and  re-elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth 
Congress. 

Many  a  joke,  good  and  bad,  is  credited  to 
Thaddeus  Stevens.  One  of  the  very  keenest 
of  his  jests,  which  is  undoubtedly  authentic, 
is  so  commonplace  in  sound  that  one  might 
easily  be  forgiven  for  failing  to  take  in  its 
meaning.  In  his  last  days  David  Reese  and 
John  Chauncey,  two  employes  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  used  to  carry  him  in  a 
large  arm  chair,  from  his  lodging  across  the 
public  grounds,  up  the  broad  steps  of  the 
capitol.     "Who,"  he  said  to  them  one  day. 


STONE,  ASHLEY,  late  of  Hinsdale,  N. 
H.,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Lydia  (Streeter) 
Stone,  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  July  7,  1816. 


He  attended  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town  until  fifteen  years  of  age.  Leav- 
ing home  in  August,  1S31,  he  walked  to  Mil- 
ford,  Mass.,  where  he  learned  the  painter's 
trade.  By  working  at  his  trade  he  earned 
means  to  study  at  the  Milford  Academy,  but 
was  not  able  to  take  a  college  course.  Mr. 
Stone  was  endowed  with  a  keen,  logical 
mind,  a  good  memory,  and  a  desire  for 
knowledge.  Throughout  his  busy  life  he 
made  study  his  recreation   and    so  supple- 


151 


merited  his  scanty  early  advantages  that  few 
college  graduates  were  so  thoroughly  well 
read  as  he. 

For  several  years  he  worked  at  his  trade 
in  Milford  and  Dorchester,  Mass.  ;  the  win- 
ter of  1836-37  was  spent  in  Virgina  and 
the  city  of  \\"ashington  for  a  publishing 
house  in  placing  "A  Magazine  of  Lseful  and 
Entertaining  Knowledge."  In  the  spring 
of  1837  he  went  to  Searsburg  to  care  for  his 
father's  family  and  he  carried  on  his  trade 
in  that  and  neighboring  towns  until  the  fall 
of  1S43.  He  then  went  to  JSoston  to  assist 
J.  M.  Dexter  in  taking  account  of  a  stock  of 
merchandise  and  subsequenriy  closed  out  a 
bankrupt  stock  of  goods  at  Cambridge,  N. 
\'.,  as  agent  for  Boston  creditors. 

In  the  spring  of  1844  Mr.  Stone  bought 
out  the  general  store  of  Flavins  T.  and  Vol- 
ney  Forbes  in  Wilmington,  and  he  continued 
an  interest  in  mercantile  business  in  WW- 
mington  for  over  thirty  years.  In  1850  he 
went  to  California  for  a  company  who 
shipped  spruce  lumber  around  Cape  Horn. 
While  there  he  engaged  successfully  in 
mining  and  general  trade.  Returning  to 
Wilmington  in  May,  185  t,  he  became  ex- 
tensively interested  in  real  estate  operations. 
He  erected  many  of  Wilmington's  best  build- 
ings, improved  •  a  number  of  surrounding 
farms,  and  for  many  years  was  a  buyer  or 
seller  in  a  large  majority  of  the  real  estate 
transactions  of  that  town.  In  1864  and 
1S65  he  carried  on  an  extensive  and  pros- 
perous baking  business  in  Baltimore,  Md. 
He  was  guardian  and  administrator  of  many 
large  and  intricate  estates,  and  frequently 
held  positions  of  trust.  In  1877  he  left 
Wilmington  and  returned  to  his  native  town 
of  Hinsdale,  where  he  bought  land  and 
erected  houses  to  rent.  Mr.  -Stone  was 
always  an  exceedingly  active  man,  and  he 
also  read  extensively.  Although  he  had 
remarkable  physical  endurance,  his  health 
at  last  failed  from  the  great  strain,  and  his 
eyes  began  to  trouble  him.  He  consulted 
the  best  medical  authority  in  this  country, 
submitted  to  three  difficult  surgical  opera- 
tions, but  became  totally  blind  in  18S4. 
This  forced  him  to  abandon  active  business 
life.  He  kept  his  home  in  Hinsdale,  N.  H., 
but  spent  the  last  few  winters  in  Washington, 
Philadelphia,  Mohawk,  N.  Y.,  and  New  York 
City. 

Mr.  Stone  was  stricken  with  paralysis  July 
28,  1893,  from  which  he  never  recovered,  and 
died  at  Hinsdale  Dec.  15,  1893. 

i\Ir.  Stone  had  been  a  Free  Soiler,  a  Whig 
and  a  Republican.  He  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  \\'illiam  Henry  Harrison  in 
1 840  and  voted  for  every  U'hig  and  Repub- 
lican presidential  candidate,  including  Ben- 
jamin Harrison  in  1892,  except  voting  for 
Horace  Creeley  in   1872.     He  represented 


tlie  town  of  Searsburg  as  a  \\  hig  in  the 
Legislature  of  1840  and  was  re-elected  in 
1 84 1,  being  the  youngest  member  of  each 
House  when  serving,  and  was  probably  the 
only  surviving  member  of  the  Legislature  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  elected  by 
the  Whigs  state  senator  from  Windham 
county  in  1S52,  and  re-elected  in  1853, 
serving  on  the  committee  of  education  in 
both  sessions  and  being  chairman  of  this 
committee  in  1853.  .^t  the  time  of  his  death 
there  were  only  six  ex-members  of  the  Ver- 
mont Senate  who  had  served  earlier  than 
Mr.  Stone  and  only  two  who  served  with 
him  in  i852-'53.  He  was  for  several  years 
deputy  sheriff  for  Windham  county  and  for 
many  years  town  superintendent  of  schools 
and  held  other  town  offices  in  Searsburg  and. 
Wilmington. 

Mr.  Stone  united  with  the  Baptist  church 
of  \\'ilmington  in  1850,  just  before  leaving 
for  California,  having  been  baptized  in  the 
Deerfield  river  by  Rev.  Mr.  Chase.  He  was 
for  many  years  clerk  of  the  church  and  super- 
intendent of  its  Sunday  school,  and  one  of  its 
oldest  members  when  he  died. 

He  was  philanthropic  and  self-sacrificing, 
and  had  always  been  an  active  supporter  of 
education,  morality,  and  temperance.  His 
funeral  was  held  in  his  home  church  at  \\'i\- 
mington,  and  very  fully  attended  by  his  old 
neighbors  and  friends,  the  sermon  being 
preached  by  his  old  pastor.  Rev.  A.  \\. 
Goodnow,  the  text  being  from  Job  23-10: 
"When  he  hath  tried  me,  I  shall  come  forth 
as  gold." 

Mr.  Stone  was  married  in  \\'ilmington, 
June  6,  1844,  to  Harriet  Ann,  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Eleanor  (Dexter)  Lamb.  They 
had  six  children  :  Lewis  Porter,  Byron  Ash- 
ley, and  Dexter  Lyman  (who  are  now  active 
business  men),  Harriet  Louisa,  Albert  Eben, 
and  Lydia  Eleanor,  all  three  of  whom  died 
young.  Mr.  Stone  afforded  his  three  oldest 
sons  the  means  for  a  liberal  education. 

STONE,  Byron  Ashley,  of  Mohawk, 

N.  v.,  son  of  Ashley  and  Harriet  A.  (Lamb) 
Stone,  was  born  June  15,  184S,  at  ^^'il- 
mington. 

He  attended  the  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  later  the  Wesleyan  L^niversity  at 
Wilbraham,  Mass.,  and  Eastman's  Business 
College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
graduated  with  highest  honors  in   1868. 

Mr.  Stone's  business  life  began  in  the  store 
of  \y.  iNI.  Harris  at  South  Deerfield,  Mass., 
Sept.  22,  1868,  but  possessing  an  active  dis- 
position he  sought  more  stirring  employment, 
and  on  March  22,  1869,  entered  tfie  employ 
of  Pease  &  Ruddock  of  the  same  town,  man- 
ufacturers of  pocket  books,  and  began  trav- 
eling to  sell  their  products.  In  1871  Mr. 
Ruddock  died  and  the    business  was   con- 


152  STONE. 

ducted  un<ler  the  firm  name  of  Pease  & 
Stone  until  bought  out,  with  the  services  of 
the  partners,  by  the  Charles  Arms  Manufact- 
uring Co.  Mr.  Stone  was  steadily  progress- 
ing and  in  December,  1S80,  a  wider  oppor- 
tunity offering  in  the  same  business,  he  ac- 
cepted an  offer  from  Langfeld  Bros.  &  Co., 
of  Philadelphia,  where  he  is  still  connected. 
During  twenty-five  years  of  constant  travel 
Mr.  Stone  has  visited  nearly  all  the  cities  of 
this  country,  and  has  occupied  a  lucrative 
position  of  responsibility.  In  March,  1887, 
a  corporation  known  as  the  Mohawk  Valley 
Knitting  Mills  (limited),  was  organized  by 
himself  and  associates,  and  he  became  vice- 
president  of  the  company.  Great  success 
following  this  business,  it  led  to  the  organi- 


V 


BYRON    ASHLEY    STON 


zation  of  a  second  company  called  the  Knit- 
ting Company  of  Mohawk  (limited),  and 
Mr.  Stone  was  elected  president  of  this 
company.  Both  mills  have  been  prosperous, 
their  business  being  exclusively  knitting 
children's  underwear.  Mr.  Stone  is  also  a 
director  of  the  National  Mohawk  Valley  Bank. 

In  church  work  Mr.  Stone  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Reformed  church,  and  has 
been  an  elder  in  the  same  for  twelve  years. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation for  three  years  and  a  trustee  of  the 
graded  school,  and  did  much  toward  secur- 
ing the  present  elegant  school  building. 

"He  married,  at  Mohawk,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  14, 
1872,  Ella  E.,  daughter  of  Justus  S.  F.  and 
H  arriet.'X.  (Talcott)  Crim.  He  then  selected 
M  ohawk  as  his  permanent   home,  and  has 


since  built  his  residence  there.  He  has  had 
four  children  :  Ross  Byron,  Louis  Talcott, 
Marjorie  Dexter,  Bertha  Douglas,  all  living 
except  the  oldest,  Ross  B.,  who  died  August 
21,  1886.  Mr.  Stone  has  had  a  busy,  happy, 
and  successful  life. 

STOWELL,  William  H.  H.,  was  born 
at  Windsor,  July  26,  1840;  was  educated  at 
the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  Boston  ; 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  ;  .settled  in 
Virginia  in  May,  1865,  and  was  appointed 
collector  of  internal  revenue  for  the  fourth 
district  in  May,  1869  ;  was  elected  a  repre- 
sentative from  Virginia  in  the  Forty-second 
Congress  as  a  Republican  :  was  re-elected  to 
the  Forty-third  and  Forty-fourth  Congresses. 

STOWELL  Walter  Lester,  of  San 

Francisco,  Cal..  son  of  Palmer  Franklin  and 
Clara  (Goodell)  Stowell,  was  born  in  North 
Tunbridge,  July  10,  1852. 

His  education  was  commenced  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  place  and  com- 
pleted in  the  Oakland  Military  .Academy  of 
California,  having  moved  to  that  state  in 
February,  i860.  Soon  after  finishing  his 
studies  at  school  young  Stowell  received  an 
appointment  in  the  Custom  House  at  San 
Francisco,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years,  until  a  change  of  the  administration, 
when  he  eagaged  in  buying,  storing,  selling 
and  shipping  grain,  also  farming,  until  1883, 
when  he  received  an  appointment  in  the 
postoffice  at  San  Francisco,  which  place  he 
has  held,  with  the  exception  of  brief  inter- 
vals, to  the  present  time  and  still  holds. 

Mr.  Stowell  has  taken  much  interest  in 
agricultural  and  horticultural  pursuits  and 
owns  a  fruit  and  grain  farm  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  the  Sacramento  valley. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  Association  Native  Sons  of  Vermont 
for  several  years. 

STRATTON,  CHARLES  C,  of  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.,  was  born  in  Fairlee,  August  22, 
1829,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Stur- 
tevant)  Stratton.  His  father  was  a  leading 
citizen  of  the  town,  which  he  represented  in 
the  Legislature. 

The  early  education  of  Charles  C.  was 
obtained  in  the  district  schools,  supple- 
mented by  a  course  at  Thetford  Academy. 
In  the  fall  of  1846  he  started  out  in  life,  and 
secured  his  first  employment  in  the  office  of 
the  Democratic-Republican  of  Haverhill,  N. 
H.,  where  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  art  preservative.  Later  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  printer  in  Newbury,  Boston,  and 
New  York  until  1854,  when  he  connected 
himself  with  the  Fitchburg  (Mass.)  Sentinel, 
and  has  since  been  connected  with  that  estab- 
lishment, with  the  exception  of  three  months, 


when  he  was  with  the  2d  Mass.  Ca\alry,  and  in 
the  Christian  Commission  at  City  Point,  \'a. 
In  March,  1867,  he  purchased  a  half  inter- 
est in  the  office,  and  a  few  years  later  he  rec- 
ognized and  urged  the  importance  of  publish- 
ing a  daily  paper  in  Fitchburg.  With  this 
object  in  view  the  ]:)artnership  with  John  E. 
Kellogg  was  formed  in   the  spring  of  1873, 


CHARLES    C.    STRATTON 


and  the  first  number  of  the  Daily  Sentinel 
was  issued  on  the  6th  of  the  following  May. 
Results  proved  that  the  time  had  come  for 


such  a  \enture.  The  Daily  Sentinel  was 
started  May  6,  1873,  as  a  four  page  paper, 
and  was  several  times  enlarged  until  in  De- 
cember, 1892,  it  had  become  an  eight  page 
se\en-column  sheet  with  all  the  accessories  of 
the  regular  metropolitan  journal.  The  Senti- 
nel has  proved  an  important  factor  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Fitchburg,  and  was  never  more 
prosperous  than  at  the  present  time.  The 
office  is  in  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the 
city. 

He  is  prominently  identified  with  the  re- 
ligious and  social  elements  of  his  adopted 
city,  and  is  a  member  of  the  local  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights 
of  Honor. 

Mr.  Stratton  married  at  Fitchburg,  Mass., 
June  II,  1873,  Maria  S.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Sophronia  C.  Putnam.  Of  this  union  is 
one  daughter  :   Louise  S. 

A  man  of  sterling  qualities,  Mr.  Stratton  is 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Fitchburg,  and 
enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of  a  large 
acquaintance. 

SWEET,  Willis,  of  Moscow,  Idaho, 
was  born  at  Alburgh  Springs,  Jan.  i,  1856  : 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and 
attended  the  Nebraska  State  University 
three  years  :  learned  the  printer's  trade  at 
Lincoln,  Neb.  :  located  at  Moscow,  Idaho, 
in  September,  1881,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law  ;  was  appointed  United 
States  attorney  for  Idaho,  in  May,  1888; 
was  appointed  associate  justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Idaho,  Nov.  25,  1889,  which 
position  he  held  until  the  admission  of 
Idaho  into  the  I'nion  ;  was  elected  to  an 
un-expired  term  of  the  Fifty-first  Congress 
as  a  Republican. 


TABOR,  H.  A.  W.,  of  Denver,  Col.,  son 
of  Cornelius  D.  and  Sarah  (Terrin)  Tabor, 
was  born  in  Orleans  county,  Nov.  26,  1830. 
Educated  only  at  the  public  schools  he  re- 
moved to  Quincy,  Mass.,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  a  stone  cutter,  and  after  acquiring 
sufficient  means,  took  up  the  study  of  the 
law  and  removed  to  Kansas,  taking  active 
part  in  the  stirring  events  of  the  times  when 
Kansas  was  agitated  over  the  anti-slavery 
■question.  Here  he  became  a  member  of 
the  state  Legislature,  and  in  1859  removed 
to  Colorado,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  was  the  first  mayor  of  Leadville,  and  has 
been  the  treasurer  of  Lake  county  ;  was  the 
first  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state  in 
1878,  and  in  1883  was  chosen  by  the  Col- 
orado Legislature  as  a  United  States  senator. 


TAYLOR,  Henry  W.,  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  son  of  Daniel  \V.  and  Almyra  (Tyr- 
rell) Taylor,  was  born  in  Sherburne,  May 
20,1855. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  at  Black  River  Academy ; 
taught  school  two  years  in  Windsor  county. 
Selecting  the  trade  of  machinist,  he  com- 
pleted the  apjarenticeship,  and  in  1S78  took 
charge  of  the  machine  sho]5  of  the  Suther- 
land Falls  Marble  Co.,  which  place  he  re- 
tained when  that  company  was  merged  into 
the  Vermont  Marble  Co.  In  1881  he  re- 
signed to  accept  an  appointment  in  the 
Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing,  where 
he  remained  until  the  following  year,  when 
he  was  appointed  by  Speaker  Keifer,  assist- 
ant engineer  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, and  has  since  held  this  i)osition. 


154 


Mr.  Taylor's  services  are  in  demand  as  an 
expert  machinist.  He  was  employed  to 
conduct  secret  tests  of  plate  printing  of  bank 
notes  before  a  committee  of  the  Treasury 
Department,  and  also  by  the  engineer,  James 
B.  Eads,  to  operate  and  repair  the  costly 
model  of  the  Tehuantepec  Ship  Railway, 
while  on  exhibition  at  the  U.  S.  Capitol.  He 
superintended  the  construction  of  the  exten- 
sive terraces  on  the  west  front  of  the  capitol, 
for  the  Vermont  Marble  Co.,  during  which 
his  gallant  rescue  of  a  workman's  life  ex- 
cited much  comment. 


Mr.  Taylor  was  married  at  Pittsford,  in 
1884,  to  ^Iary  E.,  daughter  of  Joseph  B.  and 
Caroline  (Hall)  Tottingham."  Their  chil- 
dren are  :     Caroline  K.,  and  Florence  M. 

TEMPLE,  EDALBERT  J.,  of  Hinsdale,  N. 
H.,  son  of  Willis  Haynes  Temple  and  Dolly 
Ann  (Merchant)  Temple,  was  born  June  3, 
1856,  at  Wilmington. 

Mr.  Temple  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  at  Brattleboro  Academy,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1877.  He  then  entered  Will- 
iams College,  but  soon  left  to  engage  in 
teaching.  He  began  the  reading  of  law  with 
Hosea  W.  Brigham,  Esq.,  then  of  \Vhiting- 
ham,  and  afterward  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
Oscar  E.  Butterfield  of  ^\'ilmington,  and 
there  pursued  his  labors  until  he  became  a 
member  of  the  bar,  in  March,  188 1.  In  the 
following  year  he  opened  a  law  and  insur- 


ance office  at  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  and  has  since 
remained  there,  actively  and  successfully  en- 
gaged in  his  business. 

As  a  citizen  of  Wilmington  he  was  enter- 
prising and  public-spirited,  and  in  educa- 
tional matters  took  great  interest  and  became 
superintendent  of  schools  in  18S0.  In  his 
adopted  home  Mr.  Temple  has  been  active 
in  public  matters  and  the  evidence  of  the 
esteem  of  his  fellow  townsmen  is  to  be  noted 
in  the  various  offices  bestowed  upon  him. 
In  1891  he  was  elected  moderator  and  again 
in  1892,  the  first  moderator  elected  in  Hins- 
dale under  the  Australian  system  of  ballot- 
ing, and  still  holds  that  office.  In  1893  he 
was  made  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion for  three  years  and  is  chairman  of 
the  board.  He  is  also  one  of  the  auditors 
of  Cheshire  county  and  is  a  strong  Repub- 
lican and  president  of  the  Republican  club 
of  Hinsdale. 

In  religious  preference  he  is  a  Universal- 
ist,  and  is  treasurer  of  that  society.  Mr. 
Temple  is  a  prominent  member  of  Golden 
Rule  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  77,  and  was 
its  representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
state  in  1889. 

Mr.  Temple  was  married,  at  \\hitingham, 
March  22,  1881,  to  Eva  C,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Hosea  W.  and  Flora  R.  (Farnham) 
Brigham.  The  family  consists  of  three 
children  :  Charles  Hosea,  Mabel  Eva,  and 
Madelion  Merchant. 

THOMAS,  ORMSBY  B.,  of  Prairie  du 
Chien,  ^^'is.,  was  born  in  Sandgate,  .August 
21,  1832;  went  to  Wisconsin  in  1836;  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  :  studied 
law,  and  graduated  at  the  National  Law 
School  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  V. ;  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  at  .-Mbany,  N.  V.,  in  1856; 
has  been  district  attorney  of  Crawford  county. 
Wis.,  several  times  :  was  a  member  of  the 
Wisconsin  .Assembly  in  1862,  1865,  anct' 1867, 
and  of  the  Wisconsin  state  Senate  in  1880 
and  1881  ;  was  presidential  elector  in  1872  ; 
was  in  the  L^nion  army,  and  served  as  cap- 
tain of  Co.  D,  3 1  St  Regt.  Wis.  Vol.  Inft.  ;  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-ninth,  and  re- elected  to 
the  Fiftieth  Congress  as  a  Republican. 

THURSTON,  JOHN  Mellen,  of 
Omaha,  Neb.,  son  of  Daniel  Sylvester  and 
Ruth  (Jilellen)  Thurston,  was  born  in  Mont- 
pelier,  .August  2r,  1847.  His  father's  fam- 
ily removed  from  Montpelier  to  W'isconsin 
in  1854.  In  1861  his  father  volunteered  in 
the  17th  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  died  in 
the  service  of  his  country  in  the  spring  of 
1863.  .At  this  time  young  Thurston  was 
compelled  to  undertake  almost  any  kind  of 
employment  in  order  to  assist  in  the  sup- 
port of  his  family  and  to  secure  an  educa- 
tion for  himself.      In  1865   he  went  to  Chi- 


IHlTRSrON. 


TIURSTON. 


•55 


cago  and  spent  a  year  as  driver  of  a  grocery 
wagon.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  re- 
turned to  his  mother  at  Beaver  Dam,  \Vis., 
and  engaged  in  fishing  and  trapping,  em- 
ploying a  nimiber  of  boys  to  help  him,  and 
shipping  his  wares  to  Chicago  for  sale.  This 
venture  proved  successful  and  resulted  in 
the  accumulation  of  enough  money  to  en- 
able him  to  attend  school. 


JOHN    MELLEN    THURSTON. 

In  1866  he  entered  Wayland  University 
at  Beaver  Dam,  and  remained  until  the 
institution  closed  in  i868.  He  now  deter- 
mined to  study  law,  and  entered  the  office  of 
E.  P.  Smith,  an  eminent  attorney  of  Wis- 
consin, then  a  member  of  the  bar  at  Beaver 
Dam.  On  the  21st  of  May,  1869,  after  an 
examination  by  the  Hon.  Alva  Stuart,  circuit 
judge  at  Portage,  Wis.,  Mr.  Thurston  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  His  necessities  compelled 
him,  however,  to  again  engage  in  farming 
and  manual  labor  until  the  end  of  the  season 
when,  in  company  with  another  young  attor- 
ney, he  determined  to  locate  at  Omaha,  Neb., 
where  he  arrived  Oct.  5,  1869,  and  began  bus- 
iness in  the  office  of  \Villiam  H.  Morris,  then 
a  lawyer  and  trial  justice.  The  new  firm 
found  insufficient  business  for  their  support, 
and  Mr.  Luthe,  who  was  married,  went  to 
Denver.  Mr.  Thurston,  true  to  his  charac- 
teristics, stuck  to  his  office,  and  during  his 
novitiate  was  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
sleeping  upon  a  buffalo  robe  in  his  office  and 
eked  out  a  bare  subsistence.  Varying  suc- 
cess attended  his  struggles.     In  1 87  i,  upon 


the  resignation  of  Judge  Morris,  Mr.  Thurs- 
ton was  ap])ointed  to  fill  the  \acancy,  and 
removed  to  larger  offices.  He  then  con- 
tinued his  efforts  until  the  spring  of  1873 
when  he  resigned  his  office  of  justice  to  form 
a  law  partnership  with  Hon.  Charles  H. 
Brown.  The  previous  spring  Mr.  Thurston 
hafi  been  elected  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil in  Omaha,  which  office  he  filled  two  con- 
secutive years,  acting  as  president  of  that 
body  and  chirman  of  the  judiciary  committee. 
In  the  spring  of  1874,  upon  the  expiration  of 
his  term  as  alderman,  he  was  ajjpointed  city 
attorney  by  Mayor  C.  S.  Chase,  which  posi- 
tion he  filled  three  years,  resigning  finally  to 
accept  the  assistant  attorneyship  of  the  Union 
Pacific  R.  R.  under  the  Hon.  A.  J.  Popple- 
ton,  general  solicitor  of  the  corporation.  Mr. 
Thurston  was  also  elected  a  member  of  the 
Nebraska  Legislature  of  1875,  ^f'd  served  in 
that  body  as  chairman  of  the  judicial  com- 
mittee and  acting  speaker.  In  the  fall  of 
1885  he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for 
judge  of  the  Third  Judicial  District  of  the 
state  of  Nebraska  and  was  defeated. 

For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Thurston  has  been 
identified  with  a  majority  of  leading  cases 
in  the  courts  of  Nebraska.  While  Mr. 
Thurston  has  not  devoted  himself  to  crimi- 
nal practice,  but  has  rather  avoided  than 
sought  employment  in  criminal  cases,  yet  he 
has  been  called  upon  to  defend  fourteen 
persons  charged  with  murder  and  has  the 
almost  unprecedented  record  of  final  ac- 
quittal in  every  case. 

\Vhen  he  became  general  solicitor  of  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  he  had  perhaps  the 
largest  general  practice  of  any  lawyer  in  this 
section.  .Since  accepting  this  position,  the 
responsible  duties  of  which  office  he  assum- 
ed on  the  first  of  February,  x888,  he  has 
retired  from  general  practice,  as  the  business 
of  the  railway  system  which  is  now  all  under 
his  supervision  occupies  his  entire  time  and 
attention. 

In  1880  Mr.  Thurston  was  one  of  the 
presidential  electors  for  Nebraska  and 
electoral  messenger.  In  1884  he  was  dele- 
gate-at-large  to  the  Republican  national 
convention  at  Chicago,  and  chairman  of  his 
state  delegation.  In  188S  he  was  also  tem- 
porary chairman  of  the  national  Republi- 
can convention  which  nominated  deneral 
Harrison  for  President.  His  speech  in 
opening  the  convention  was  pronounced  a 
masterpiece  by  the  press  of  the  country, 
and  at  its  conclusion  he  received  such  an 
ovation  as  few  men  have  ever  been  accorded, 
and  in  a  single  hour  he  acquired  a  great 
national  reputation  as  an  orator. 

Mr.  Thur*on  has  delivered  many  memor- 
able addresses  in  different  parts  of  the  coim- 
try.  His  oration  on  the  Centennial  Anni- 
versary of  Constitutional    Indejaendence  at 


156 


Chicago  in  1889,  his  eulogy  on  General 
Grant  before  the  Union  League  Club,  his 
address  on  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  1890,  and 
his  tribute  to  the  "man  who  wears  the 
button,"  are  among  the  most  remarkable. 
The  press  of  the  whole  country  has  seemed 
to  unite  in  commendation  of  his  abiUties  as 
a  powerful  and  eloquent  public  speaker.  _  He 
was  urged  by  the  greater  portion  of  the  entire 
\\est  for  appointment  as  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  in  the  cabinet  of  President  Harri- 
son, and,  although  he  made  no  effort  to  se- 
cure the  position,  it  was  at  one  time  believed 
that  his  selection  was  certain.  He  has  twice 
been  a  leading  candidate  for  L'nited  States 
Senator  from  Nebraska.  On  one  occasion 
he  almost  secured  the  Republican  nomina- 
tion, which  would  have  been  equivalent  to 
an  election,  and  again,  in  1893,  he  received 
the  nomination  of  the  Republican  caucus 
and  came  within  one  vote  of  an  election.  It 
is  belie\ed  that  as  soon  as  another  oppor- 
tunity presents  itself  the  people  of  Nebraska 
will  insist  upon  his  going  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  he  has  been  urged  by 
many  for  a  still  higher  place. 

The  record  Mr.  Thurston  has  made  thus 
early  in  life  is  one  not  often  met.  He  has  at- 
tained his  legal  eminence  as  the  result  only 
of  natural  ability  and  close  application  to 
his  profession.  Manly,  loyal  and  affection- 
ate, he  enjoys  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  de- 
voted love  of  his  friends.  There  are  many 
who  are  willing  to  administer  to  his  fortunes. 
Besides  these  multitudes  there  are  some  who 
are  nearer  to  him,  whom  circumstances  or 
personal  relations  have  brought  into  the  in- 
ner circle  of  his  affections,  whose  devotion 
is  never  weary  or  relaxed. 

On  Christmas,  1872,  Mr.  Thurston  was 
married  to  Miss  Martha  Poland,  daughter  of 
Col.  Luther  Poland,  of  Omaha,  a  most 
estimable  lady  whose  family  were,  like  her 
husband's,  originally  from  Vermont.  Her 
uncle  was  the  honorable  and  venerable  Luke 
P.  Poland,  for  many  years  chief  justice  of  the 
Green  Mountain  state,  a  representative  in 
Congress  for  several  terms  and  United  States 
Senator.  Of  six  children  born  of  this  mar- 
riage, four  were  sons  and  two  daughters.  Two 
of  the  sons  died  of  diphtheria,  leaving  two 
sons  and  two  daughters,  who  now,  with  his 
estimable  wife,  compri.se  Mr.  Thurston's 
family. 

TINKER,  Charles  AL.MERIN,  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  descended  from  John  Tinker,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Windsor,  Conn.  His 
grandfather  removed  to  Vermont  previous 
to  the  Revolution  and  was  one^of  the  volun- 
teers'who  went  to  the  defense  of  Bennington. 
His  father  and  mother,  Almerin  Tinker  and 
Sophronia  B.  Gilchrist,  lived  for  many  years 


at  Chelsea,  where  Charles  A.  Tinker,  their 
oldest  son,  was  born  Jan.  8,  1838. 

Mr.  Tinker  was  taken  by  his  parents,  in 
infancy,  to  Michigan,  where  he  had  only  the 
advantage  of  a  common  school  education, 
but  returning  to  his  native  state  in  1S51, 
established  their  residence  in  Northfield. 
He  subsequently  attended  school  at  New- 
bury Seminary,  but  owing  to  sickness  did 
not  complete  his  course.  In  1852  he  ob- 
tained a  position  as  clerk  in  the  postoffice 
at  Northfield,  and  was  there  taught  the  Bain 
system  of  telegraphy.  In  1S55  he  obtained 
a  position  as  operator  with  the  Vermont  & 
Boston  Telegraph  Co.  at  Boston,  and  soon 
after  with  the  Cape  Cod  Telegraph  Co.  in  the 
Merchants'  lixchange,  having  in  the  mean- 
time acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  Morse 
system.  In  January,  1S57,  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago, accepting  a  position  there  in  the  office 
of  the  Caton  lines,  and  soon  after  became 
manager  of  the  Illinois  &  Mississippi  Tele- 
graph Co.'s  office  at  Pekin,  111. 

During  this  period  he  made  the  acquain- 
tance of  Abraham  Lincoln.  At  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's request,  Mr.  Tinker  explained  to  him 
the  methods  of  the  telegraph  system,  and  an 
intimacy  thus  begun  was  renewed  later 
when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  President,  and  Mr. 
Tinker  was  employed  as  telegraph  operator 
in  the  War  Department  at  Washington.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  Mr.  Tin- 
ker's office  during  the  war,  and  received 
from  him  the  first  news  of  his  re-nomination 
as  President  and  that  of  .Andrew  Johnson  as 
Vice-President.  A  word  uttered  by  Mr. 
Lincoln  on  this  occasion,  intimating  his 
preference  for  Mr.  Hamlin  was  recalled  in 
later  years  by  Mr.  Tinker,  and  was  the  means 
of  settling  the  important  controversy  that 
arose  after  Mr.  Hamlin's  death. 

In  the  summer  of  1S57  Mr.  Tinker  re- 
turned to  Chicago  from  Pekin,  111.,  and  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island 
R.  R.  Co.,  and  two  years  later  that  of  the  Ga- 
lena &  Chicago  LTnion  R.  R.  Co.,  as  book- 
keeper and  telegraph  operator.  During  this 
period  he  joined  the  Chicago  Light  Guard, 
and  served  with  his  company  as  escort  to 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  to  the  Wigwam  where  he 
made  his  last  great  speech  for  the  Union, 
and  two  weeks  later  as  guard  of  honor  in 
the  procession  which  laid  his  remains  away 
to  rest  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Michigan. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was 
offered  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of  a  regi- 
ment, but  declined  the  proffered  honor.  He 
soon  after  entered  the  United  States  military 
service  in  the  War  Department  at  Washing- 
ton, and  was  almost  immediately  ordered  to 
service  in  the  field  under  General  Banks,  and 
opened  the  military  telegraph  office  at 
Poolesville,  Md.  He  performed  similar  ser- 
\ices  under  General  U'ardsworth  at  Upton 


c 


f^/f^^L^ 


Hill,  where  he  was  selected  as  one  of  the 
eight  operators  to  serve  under  General  Mc- 
Clellan  on  the  steamer  Commodore,  and 
afterwards  in  the  army  headquarters  in  front 
of  Vorktown,  and  before  Richmond.  He 
was  present  at  the  evacuation  of  Vorktown, 
and  at  the  battle  of  \\'illiamsburg,  and  finally 
at  General  Heintzelman's  headquarters  at 
Savage  Station  after  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 
During  his  services  at  the  front  he  lost  his 
health,  and  returned  to  Vermont  for  one 
month,  when  he  had  regained  health,  and 
was  then  appointed  by  Major  Kckert  to  the 
responsible  position  of  cipher  operator  in 
the  War  Department  at  Washington,  having 
for  one  of  his  associates  A.  B.  Chandler  of 
West  Randolph.  Here  he  remained  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  appointed 
manager  of  the  U.  S.  Military  Telegraph, 
continuing  until  it  was  closed  up  and  its  lines 
turned  over  to  the  telegraph  companies. 

He  was  then  appointed  manager  of  the 
Western  Cnion  Washington  office,  serving 
therein  until  January,  1872,  when  he  became 
superintendent  of  telegraph  and  general  train 
dispatcher  of  the  Vermont  Central  R.  R.,  at 
St.  Albans,  with  jurisdiction  over  the  lines  of 
the  Western  Union  and  Montreal  Telegraph 
Cos.  on  that  railway  system.  In  1S75  he  was 
appointed  general  superintendent  of  the 
Pacific  Division  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Telegraph  Co.,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago. 
In  1879  this  company  having  fallen  under  the 
control  of  the  Western  Union  company,  he 
resigned  and  accepted  the  management  of  the 
telegraph  lines  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad  Co.  While  holding  this  position 
he  became  one  of  the  incorporators  with  Jay 
Gould,  of  the  American  Union  Telegraph 
Co.,  and  received  from  Mr.  Gould  a  check 
for  two  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars  to  pay 
for  his  subscription  to  its  capital  stock.  He 
was  also  superintendent  of  a  division  of  that 
company.  In  1881,  after  the  consolidation 
of  the  Western  Union  and  American  Union 
Telegraph  Cos.,  he  was  recalled  to  the  service 
of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.,  and  on 
Feb.  I,  1882,  he  was  made  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  Eastern  division,  comprising 
all  the  territory  from  Washington,  D.  C, 
north  to  the  Canada  line,  west  to  the  Ohio 
river  and  east  to  Cape  Breton.  This  posi- 
tion he  still  holds. 

He  is  vice-president  of  the  .-Xmerican  Dis- 
trict Telegraph  Co.,  of  New  Vork  City,  and 
a  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Ver- 
mont and  Boston  Telegraph  Co.,  and  an 
officer  of  numerous  other  telegraph  and 
telephone  companies. 

He  has  for  some  years  been  prominent  in 
the  religious  and  social  circles  of  Brooklyn. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  now 
vice-president  of  the  Brooklyn  Society  of 
Vermonters  ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois 


Society  of  the  Sons  of  Vermont,  and  has 
been  for  several  years  an  officer  and  trustee 
of  the  ^Vashington  Avenue  Baptist  Church 
and  of  the  Lincoln  Club  of  Brooklyn. 

He  was  married,  in  1863,  to  Miss  Lizzie 
A.  Simkins,  of  Ohio,  who  deceased  in  .\pril, 
T890,  leaving  three  grown  children,  two 
others  having  died  in  infancy. 

He  is  a  man  of  fine  physique,  still  in  the 
prime  of  manhood,  capable  of  great  endur- 
ance, and  fully  equal  to  the  arduous  and  re- 
sponsible duties  connected  with  his  position. 

TOWLE,  Allen,  of  Towle,  Cal.,  eldest 
son  of  Ira  and  Annis  (Doe)  Towle,  was 
born  in  Corinth,  July  26,  1833. 


He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
and  in  Corinth  Academy.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  went  to  New  York  where  rela- 
tives of  his  mother  were  engaged  in  the  ice 
business  and  with  whom  he  remained  some 
two  years.  In  the  meantime  his  father  had 
made  the  discovery  of  copper  in  Corinth, 
and  in  1853  a  start  was  made  with  outside 
capital  to  develop  the  mine,  and  he  was  sent 
to  Vermont  by  a  New  Vork  company  to  look 
after  their  interests  in  that  locality.  He 
took  kindly  to  the  pursuit  of  mining  but  the 
scope  was  hardly  broad  enough,  when  com- 
pared with  the  Munchausen-like  tales  which 
were  at  that  time  being  sent  home  by  his 
fellow  townsmen,  many  of  whom  were 
among  the  first  to  seek  gold  in  California, 
and  in  December,  1855,  he  sailed  from  New 
Vork,  via  Panama,   arriving  in  San  Fancisco 


•JOWNSKNl)- 


159 


in  lanuary,  1856.  Here  he  lost  no  time  but 
proceeded  at  once  to  the  mines  and  com- 
menced operations  at  Steep  Hollow,  Placer 
county,  where  he  cleaned  up  a  few  hundred 
dollars  which  he  used  to  run  a  tunnel  into 
a  gravel  claim  at  Thompsons  Hill  near 
Dutch  t'lat.  For  this  business  he  seemed 
to  have  a  natural  bent,  and  although  in 
those  early  days  it  was  rather  rough  sailing 
he  was  prosperous.  In  the  mean  time  a 
wagon  road  was  built  from  Dutch  Flat  to  Don- 
ner  Lake,  by  which  to  reach  the  Comstock 
mines,  which  were  then  in  the  height  of  their 
success — and  he  built  another  mill  near 
Blue  Canyon.  This  wagon  road  was  but  the 
forerunner  of  the  trans-continental  railroad, 
the  Central  Pacific  line  passing  through 
Dutch  Flat,  Blue  Canyon,  and  on  to  the 
summit,  and  the  Towle  saw-mills  became 
veritable  mints.  They  supplied  lumber  to 
the  railroad  for  ties,  snow  sheds,  culverts 
and  camps,  and  literally  turned  their  lumber 
into  gold.  Their  receipts  from  the  railroad 
amounting  at  times  to  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  per  month. 

Mr.  Towle  was  followed  to  California  at  dif- 
ferent dates  by  his  two  brothers,  who  became 
his  partners,  but  he  has  retained  the  man- 
agement. He  has  built  at  different  times 
fifteen  saw  mills  ;  he  has  also  built  thirty 
miles  of  narrow  gauge  railroad,  supplied  with 
five  locomotives  and  eighty-five  cars  with 
which  to  handle  lumber  from  the  mills  off 
the  line  of  the  Central  Pacific.  He  has  five 
lumber  yards  in  different  localities  in  Cali- 
fornia and  another  in  Tucson,  Arizona  ;  also 
a  box  factory  in  Sacramento,  which  is  chiefly 
employed  in  making  orange  boxes. 

At  Towle  are  situated  a  planing  mill, 
sash,  door,  blind  and  box  factory,  and  a 
pulp  mill.  This  mill  runs  day  and  night  and 
is  lighted  by  electricity,  the  dynamo  for 
which  also  furnishes  lights  for  the  town.  'I  he 
Towles  own  24,000  acres  of  land  in  Cali- 
fornia, including  the  town,  which  has  a  town 
hall,  hotel,  boarding  houses,  one  store,  shops 
for  car  building  and  blacksmithing,  and 
numerous  dwelling  houses.  Has  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  voters,  with  a  school  of 
seventy-five  pupils.  They  decline  to  sell  a 
foot  of  land  lest  a  saloon  should  be  located  ; 
no  liquor  can  be  bought  or  sold  on  land 
owned  by  them.  They  employ  in  the  busy 
season  four  hundred  men,  some  of  whom 
have  been  in  their  employ  for  over  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  and  who  are  independent  as 
far  as  money  is  concerned.  For  many  years 
Towle  has  been  a  sure  place  of  employment 
for  any  young  man  from  Vermont,  and  scores 
of  well-to-do  men  on  the  Pacific  coast  date 
their  prosperity  from  the  start  they  got  here. 
'Mr.  Towle  is  a  member  of  the  Olive  Lodge, 
L  O.  O.  F.,  No.  81,  of  Dutch  Flat,  and  of 
.•\uburn  p]ncampment. 


He  is  a  Re])ublican  and  has  been  delegate 
to  both  county  and  state  con\entions  many 
times,  but  has  never  aspired  to  any  office.  He 
was  appointed  by  the  Governor  a  delegate 
to  the  Irrigation  Congress  which  met  in  Salt 
Lake  City  in  September,  1891  ;  he  was  also 
appointed  by  the  Ciovernor  a  member  of  the 
\'iticultural  Commission  for  Fl  Dorado  dis- 
trict, and  elected  by  the  commissioners  as 
their  treasurer.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Gold  Run  Ditch  and  Minirig  Co.  and  of  the 
Feather  River  Canal  Co.,  incorporated  for 
furnishing  water  for  irrigation  in  Butte  county. 

Mr.  Towle  was  married  at  Dutch  Flat,  Cal., 
March  3,  1869,  to  Ella  W.,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Young  and  Lydia  K.  (Richey) 
Halsey,  and  has  four  children  :  George  G. 
(who  was  married  in  1892  to  Miss  Kate 
Meister,  of  Sacramento)  and  is  bookkeeper 
for  his  father,  Orra  H.,  .AUeen  L.,  and  Sadie 

The  family  have  a  beautiful  home  in  Sac- 
ramento where  they  spend  most  of  the  year 
on  account  of  schools,  but  retain  their  resi- 
dence at  Towle  where  they  go  for  the  sum- 
mer and  where  they  entertain  troops  of 
friends. 

It  has  been  a  marvel  to  many  how  Mr. 
Towle  has  stood  the  care  of  such  large  and 
varied  enterprises.  The  secret  seems  to  his 
biographer  (who  has  known  him  from  child- 
hood), to  lie  in  his  ability  to  lay  aside  care. 
When  he  goes  to  his  home  he  leaves  his 
business  in  the  office.  The  Towle  family  (a 
brother  and  two  sisters)  are  all  settled  in 
California,  but  the  old  farm  in  Corinth  where 
he  and  his  father  before  him,  first  saw  light 
(although  it  has  like  many  another  in  ^'er- 
mont,  ceased  to  be  a  source  of  income )  is 
still  one  of  the  cherished  possessions  of  the 
Towle  family.  Great  executive  ability  and 
integrity,  coupled  with  a  kindly  and  charit- 
able nature,  have  placed  him  in  the  foremost 
rank  of  California's  adopted  sons. 

TOWNSEND,  JOHN,  of  San  Francisco, 
Cal.,  son  of  Moses  and  Azubah  W.  ( Hatha- 
way) Townsend,  was  born  Nov.  17,  1857,  at 
Pittsfield. 

His  education  was  begun  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  his 
technical  training  acquired  in  the  Massachu- 
setts College  of  Pharmacy,  the  California 
Medical  College,  the  Hahnemann  Medical 
College  of  San  Francisco,  and  the  Post 
Graduate  Medical  College  of  Chicago. 

Until  seventeen  years  of  age  he  worked 
upon  his  father's  farm  and  attended  school, 
and  then  engaged  as  attendant  at  the  Mc- 
Lean .Asylum  for  Insane  at  Somerville,  Mass., 
where  he  remained  a  year.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  Dr.  J.  D.  Mansfield,  of  Wake- 
field, Mass.,  and  by  close  devotion  to  his 
duties  he  became  a  druggist,  and  was  soon 
head  clerk  and  general  manager  of  the  store. 


i6o 


TWITCHELL. 


TWITCHELL. 


\\hile  here  he  attended  lectures  at  the  Massa- 
chusetts College  of  Pharmacy.  After  three 
years'  service  in  Wakefield,  he  practiced  his 
profession  in  leading  establishments  of  Bos- 
ton, and  continued  his  course  of  instruction 
at  the  college. 

In  1876  Mr.  I'ovvnsend  established  a  phar- 
macy at  Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  in  a  short 
time  built  up  a  large  and  successful  business. 
In  1877  he  graduated  at  the  head  of  the 
class  from  the  Massachusetts  College  of 
Pharmacy.  In  1881  he  removed  to  San 
Francisco,  and  visited  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton, and  the  following  spring  again  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  and  in  October,  1S84, 
graduated  from  the  Hahnemann  Medical 
College,  and  received  the  first  diploma 
granted  from  a  homcepathic  college  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  was  then  appointed  resi- 
dent physician  and  surgeon  of  the  San 
Francisco  Homeopathic  Hospital,  and  the 
next  year  received  the  same  appointment  at 
the  St.  Luke  Hospital,  and  the  further  dis- 
tinction of  professor  of  chemistry  and 
demonstrator  of  anatomy  at  the  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College.  After  two  years  of 
hospital  service  he  engaged  in  private  prac- 
tice and  now  has  a  large  and  increasing 
business  among  the  best  people  of  San 
Francisco. 

Dr.  Townsend  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  fraternal  and  social  orders ;  is  an 
Odd  Fellow  and  Knight  of  Honor,  and  a 
member  of  various  other  organizations,  and 
is  vice-president  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Asso- 
ciation of  Sons  of  Vermont. 

In  his  professional  labors  he  has  invented 
several  valuable  instruments  for  use  in  treat- 
ment of  diseases  of  the  throat  and  lungs, 
and  the  application  of  electricity  both  in 
therapeutics  and  surgery. 

TWITCHELL,  MARSHALL  HARVEY,  of 
Newfane,  resident  of  Kingston,  Canada,  son 
of  Harvey  and  Elizabeth  (Scott)  Twitchell, 
was  born  in  Townshend,  Feb.  28,  1840. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  Leland  Seminary.  Like  many  young 
men  of  Vermont  he  taught  school  winters, 
worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  semi- 
nary the  other  portions  of  the  year. 

In  1 86 1  he  enlisted  with  Co.  I,  4th  Regt. 
Vt.  Vols.  He  was  in  fourteen  battles  with 
the  old  Vermont  Brigade  and  was  severely 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  be- 
ing at  the  time  in  command  of  the  com- 
pany. In  the  winter  of  1863-64  he  made 
application  and  was  appointed  captain  in 
the  109  LL  S.  C.  T.  and  was  in  the  column 
which  broke  Lee's  line  at  Petersburg  and 
finally  surrounded  his  army  at  .Appomattox 
court  house.  In  October,  1865,  he  was  ap- 
pointed provost  marshal  and  agent  of  Freed- 
man's  Bureau  with  head(]uarters  at  Sparta, 


North  Louisiana.  Here,  twenty-fi\e  miles 
from  the  nearest  post,  with  no  experience  in 
civil  government,  he  was  legislator,  judge, 
jury  and  sheriff.  His  government  was  so 
satisfactory  that  he  was  elected  almost  with- 
out opposition  to  represent  the  parish 
(county)  of  Bienville  in  the  constitutional 
convention  of  1868.  He  was  appointed 
judge  of  the  parish  of  Bienville  in  1868. 
Elected  to  the  state  Senate  for  a  term  of  four 
years  in  1870  and  re-elected  for  a  second 
term  in  1874.  During  his  eight  years  in  the 
Senate  he  was  the  principal  agent  in  the 
creation  of  the  parish  (county)  of  Red 
River,  building  of  the  town  of  Couchatta 
and  the  organization  of  the  public  schools 
in  the  parishes  of  Bienville,  Red  River  and 
De  Sota. 


He  protected  colored  schools  by  the  threat 
that  as  president  of  the  school  board  he 
should  refuse  to  sign  the  warrant  for  the 
pay  of  the  teachers.  The  2d  of  May,  1876, 
an'  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  him, 
from  which  he  received  six  bullets,  necessi- 
tating the  amputation  of  both  arms  just  above 
the  elbow ;  his  brother-in-law,  George  A. 
King,  was  killed  at  that  time.  His  only 
brother,  Homer,  and  his  other  two  brothers- 
in-law,  Willis  and  Holland,  had  been  pre- 
\iously  murdered  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Couchatta  Massacre  of  1874,  Had  the  as- 
sassination been  successful  the  result  would 
have  been  to  change  the  majority  in  the 
state  Senate,  which  would  have  recognized 


i6i 


a  different  House  of  Representatives,  de- 
clared a  different  ("lovernor  and  elected  a 
different  L'nited  States  Senator.  April,  1878, 
he  was  appointed  Consul  of  the  l'nited  States 
at  Kingston,  Canada. 

In  1868  he  purchased  a  cotton  ])lantation 
on  Lake  Risteneau.  In  1869  took  the 
direction  of  two  plantations  belonging  to  his 
father-in-law.  In  1870  he  purchased  "Star- 
light "  plantation  on  Red  river,  every  year 
adding  to  his  business,  either  by  lease  or 
purchase.  He  directed  as  principal  owner 
two  stores,  two  sets  of  mills,  the  hotel  and 
the  only  newspaper  established  in  the  parish. 
His  large  property  interests  were  partially 
abandoned  after  his  attempted  assassination 
in  1876,  and  entirely  abandoned  after  the 
murder  of  John  W.  Harrison,  his  last  agent, 
at  "  Starlight,"  in  the  fall  of  1875. 

In  1864  he  joined  Blazing  Star  Lodge,  F. 
&  .A.  M.,  at  Townshend.  After  the  war 
he  was  J.  W.  of  Silent  Brotherhood  Lodge, 
scribe  of  Chapter  No.  35,  and  member  of 
Jacques  De  Molay  Commandery,  all  of 
Louisiana  ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  Burchard 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Loyal  Legion  of  Ver- 
mont. 

In  1866  he  married  .Adele,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Coleman,  one  of  the  large  cotton 
planters  of  North  Louisiana.  By  this  wife 
he  has  one  son :  Marshall  Coleman.  In 
1876  he  married  Henrietta  Day  of  Hamp- 
den, Mass.,  by  whom  he  has  one  son  : 
Emmus  G. 

TYLER,  George   Washington,  of 

Alameda,  Cal.,  son  of  William  B.  and  Mary 
(Hall)  Tyler,  was  born  in  Warren,  Jan.  16, 
1827. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  until  he  wentto  Kalamazoo,  Mich., 
in  the  fall  of  1844,  and  prepared  for  college 
at  a  branch  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
under  the  auspices  and  at  the  expense  of  the 
Baptist  Association  of  that  state.  In  1847, 
when  prepared  to  enter  the  sophomore 
class,  finding  that  he  could  not  consistently 
preach  the  doctrines  of  that  church,  he  re- 
paid the  Association  and  returned  to  Ver- 
mont. He  taught  school  in  \\'arren  during 
the  winter  that  followed  and  in  the  spring  of 
1848  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  O.  H.  Smith  of  Montpelier. 

He  went  to  California  in  1849,  sailing 
from  Boston  on  the  ship  Leonore,  in  the 
spring  of  that  year,  and  arriving  in  the  Gold- 
en state  on  the  5th  day  of  July,  his  course 
having  been  around  Cape  Horn. 

In  April,  1850,  upon  the  organization  of 
the  state  of  California,  he  was  elected  sheriff 
of  Volo  county,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  re- 
signed that  office  and  went  to  Vreka,  Syski- 


you  county,  where  he  held  the  office  of  dis- 
trict attorney  for  one  and  one-half  years,  after 
which  he  practiced  criminal  law  as  a  spe- 
cialty until  May,  1856,  when  he  returned  to 
Vermont,  and  in  September  of  that  year  he 
entered  the  law  school  of  Cambridge,  Mass., 
and  graduated  in  July,  185 8,  returning 
shortly  after  to  Vreka. 

He  was  county  judge  of  San  Joaquin 
county,  from  1861  to  '63,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Assembly  from  Alameda  county  in 
iSSo. 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON   TYLER. 


He  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  by  Captain  Alden  (formerly  in 
charge  of  Military  Academy  at  West  Point), 
in  Rogue  River  Valley,  Oregon,  as  one  of  the 
staff  of  Gen.  Joseph  Lane,  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant ;  fought  during  the  Rogue  River 
Indian  war  of  1853,  having  gone  there  from 
Vreka,  Cal.,  at  the  first  outbreak.  He  was 
in  command  of  a  company  that  fought  the 
battle  of  "Bloody  Point"  at  which  one-half  of 
his  command  were  killed  or  wounded,  he  re- 
ceiving two  slight  wounds. 

Judge  Tyler  is  a  Master  Mason  in  good 
standing,  and  ranks  high  as  a  lawyer  in  his 
adopted  state. 

In  August,  185 1,  Mr.  Tyler  married  Miss 
.Alia  Jane,  daughter  of  \Villiam  and  Anna 
(Lovett)  Frazier,  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  Of 
this  union  there  are  four  living  children : 
William  B.,  George  Norton,  Alia  Frazier,  and 
Maud  G. 


\AN    \'LIET. 


VAN  VLIET,  Stewart,  of  Washington, 
D.  C.,  son  of  Christian  and  Rachael  Van 
VHet,  was  born  July  21,  1815,  at  Ferrisburg. 

General  Van  Vliet,  as  he  is  everywhere 
known,  received  the  educational  advantages 
of  the  home  of  his  youth,  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  and 
entered  the  United  States  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point  in  1836,  graduating  in  1840, 
in  the  class  in  which  was  Cieneral  Sherman 
and  other  famous  men  whose  names  have 
become  prominent  in  history.     He  was  ap- 


STEWART 


pointed  second  lieutenant  in  the  third  artil- 
lery, then  in  Florida,  and  served  there  two 
years  during  the  Seminole  war.  He  was  in 
several  engagements,  in  one  of  which  he 
killed  an  Indian  chief  in  a  hand  to  hand 
tight.  Subsequently  he  was  engaged  in  the 
Mexican  war  and  was  with  Cieneral  Taylor  at 
Monterey,  where  he  led  the  final  charge  and 
received  the  flag  of  surrender.  At  Vera 
Cruz  he  commanded  a  battery  under  Gen- 
eral Scott.  From  Mexico  he  was  ordered  to 
Fort  Leavenworth  and  built  forts  Kearney 
and  Laramie  on  the  Platte  river.  He  was  in 
the  Sioux  expedition  and  in  the  batde  of  the 
Blue  Water.  Under  Sydney  Johnson  he 
organized  the  expedition  to  Utah,  and  went 
to  Salt  Lake.  Gen.  Stewart  Van  Vliet  served 
with  distinction  in  the  civil  war.  He  was 
chief  quartermaster  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 


mac, and  was  with  McClellan  in  all  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Peninsula ;  and  was  afterwards 
stationed  in  several  of  the  large  cities  of  the 
country.  He  was  retired  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four,  and  received  the  brevets  of  brigadier- 
general  and  major-general  in  the  regular 
army  and  in  the  \'olunteers.  He  now  lives 
with  his  family  in  N\'ashington,  D.  C,  and 
during  the  summer  months  at  Shrewsburv, 
N.  J. 

General  ^'an  Miet  is  fond  of  society.  His 
genial  and  hearty  manner  makes  companion- 
ship with  him  most  enjoyable.  He  is  a 
member  of  many  clubs  and  organizations, 
among  them  the  Aztec  Club,  of  which  he  is 
Ijresident ;  the  Holland  Society,  of  which  he 
is  vice-president ;  the  St.  Nicholas  Society  ; 
the  Loyal  I^egion  ;  and  the  G.  A.  R. 

General  Van  Vliet  was  married  at  Fort 
Laramie,  March  6,  1851,  to  Sarah  Jane 
Brown,  the  daughter  of  Maj.,  Jacob  Brown 
(who  was  killed  by  the  Mexicans  while  de- 
fending a  fort  opposite  Matamoras.  The 
fort  and  city.  Fort  Brown  and  Brownsville, 
were  named  after  him).  He  has  two  sons  : 
Dr.  Frederick  C,  and  Lieut.  Robert  C.  of 
the  loth  \J.  S.  Infantry. 

VILAS,  William  P.,  of  Madison,  Wis., 
was  born  at  Chelsea  July  9,  1840  ;  removed 
with  his  father's  family  to  Wisconsin  and 
settled  at  Madison  June  4,  185 1  ;  was  grad- 
uated at  the  State  L^niversiiy  in  T858,  and 
from  the  law  department  of  the  L'niversity  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  i860;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  and 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Wisconsin  in  the 
same  year,  and  began  the  practice  of  law 
July  9,  i860  ;  was  captain  of  Co.  A,  23d  Regt. 
Wis.  Inf.  Vols.,  and  afterwards  major  and 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  regiment ;  has  been 
one  of  the  professors  of  law  of  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  State  L'niversity  since  1868, 
omitting  four  years,  1885  to  1889;  was  one 
of  the  regents  of  the  university  from  1880  to 
1885  ;  was  one  of  the  three  revisers  ap- 
pointed by  the  Supreme  Court  of  \Visconsin 
in  1875  ^^ho  prepared  the  existing  revised 
body  of  the  statute  law  adopted  in  1878; 
was  a  member  of  Assembly  in  the  Wisconsin 
Legislature  in  18S5  :  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Democratic  national  conventions  of  1S76- 
'8o-'84,  and  permanent  chairman  of  the 
latter  :  was  postmaster-general  from  March 
7,  1885,  to  Jan.  16,  1888,  and  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  from  the  latter  date  to  March  6, 
1889  ;  received  the  unanimous  nomination 
of  the  Democratic  legislative  caucus  and  was 
elected  Jan.  28,1891,  L'nited  States  Senator 
to  succeed  John  C.  Spooner,  Republican. 


WAKEMAN. 


163 


WAKEMAN,  SETH,  was  born  at  Frank- 
lin, Jan.  5,  18 1 1  ;  studied  law,  and  practiced 
at  Batavia,  N.  V. ;  was  district  attorney  of 
Genesee  county,  N.  V.,  from  1851  to  1857  ; 
was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  of  the  state 
of  New  York,  1S56-57  ;  was  a  member  of 
the  state  constitutional  convention  of  New 
York  in  1807-68,  and  was  elected  a  repre- 
sentative from  New  York  in  the  Forty-sec- 
ond Congress  as  a  Republican. 

WALBRIDGE,  David  S.,  was  born  in 
Bennington,  July  30,  1802  ;  received  his 
education  from  the  common  schools  of  the 
vicinity  ;  has  devoted  himself  to  the  various 
employments  of  the  farmer,  the  merchant, 
and  the  miller  ;  he  removed  to  Michigan  in 
1842,  and  was  elected  a  representative  in 
Congress  from  that  state  in  1854  and  ser\ed 
until  1859. 

WALDEN,  Hiram,  was  born  in  Rutland 
Co.,  Aug.  29,  t8oo  ;  received  a  limited  educa- 
tion, and  having  removed  with  his  father  to 
New  York,  devoted  himself  to  the  business 
of  cloth  dressing  and  wool  carding  ;  he  took 
an  interest  in  military  affairs,  and  attained 
the  office  of  major-general  of  militia ;  in 
1836  he  was  elected  to  the  state  Legislature  ; 
in  1842  he  was  elected  a  supervisor  in  the 
county  of  Schoharie  ;  and  was  a  representa- 
tive in  Congress  from  New  York  from  1849 
to  185  I. 

WALKER,  George  H.,  of  Boston,  Mass., 
son  of  Ralph  S.  and  Jane  (Long)  Walker, 
was  born  at  Springfield,  Jan.  24,  1852. 

Mr.  \Valker  received  his  early  training  in 
the  district  schools  of  Yermont  and  also  at- 
tended the  Stevens  high  school  of  Clare- 
mont,  N.  H.  He  began  his  business  life  in 
a  dry  goods  establishment  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
but  in  the  fall  of  1873  he  became  interested 
in  the  publishing  business,  contracted  with  a 
New  York  firm  and  was  engaged  with  them 
in  various  works  until  1878,  when  he  went 
into  business  for  himself  in  Boston.  The  firm 
of  George  H.  Walker  &  Co.  was  established 
at  61  Hanover  street,  for  the  publication  of 
real  estate  atlases.  In  1880  he  extended  his 
business  by  establishing  a  lithographic  branch 
at  81  Milk  street,  but  soon  outgrowing  their 
quarters,  they  removed  to  1 60  'Fremont  street, 
where  they  have  since  remained,  adding  new 
floors  and  presses,  until  1888,  when  the  build- 
ing was  enlarged  for  their  benefit.  The  es- 
tablishment is  one  of  the  finest  of  its  sort 
in  New  England,  employing  only  the  best 
artists.  In  addition  to  their  other  works  the 
State  .\tlas  of  Massachusetts  is  pronounced  as 
fine  a  work  of  its  class  as  was  ever  ]niblished. 

In  1891  Mr  \Valker  established,  with  head- 
quarters in  Boston,  opposite  Trinity  Church, 


the  \Valker-Gordon  Milk  Laboratory  for  the 
scientific  feeding  of  infants,  which  has  proved 
a  remarkable  success  and  many  thousand  in- 
fants have  been  fed.  The  milk  is  supplied 
only  upon  physicians'  prescriptions.  A  similar 
laboratory  has  been  established  at  626  Madi- 
son avenue,  New  York,  and  others  are  to  be 
established  in  all  large  cities. 

Mr.  Walker  was  married  in  1885,  to  Irene 
L.,  daughter  of  Robert  K.  and  Irene  (White) 
Loud,  of  Weymouth,  Mass. 

WALKER,  ALDACE  p..  of  Chicago,  111., 
son  of  Aldace  Walker,  L).  I).,  and  Mary  .\. 
(Baker)  Walker,  was  born  May  11,  1S42,  in 
West  Rutland. 

He  was  educated  at  Kimball  Union  Acad- 
emy, Meriden,  N.  H.,  and  at  Middlebury 
College,  graduating  in  1862.  His  legal 
training  was  acquired  after  the  war,  at 
Columbia  Law  School  in  New  York  City. 

In  July,  1862,  the  year  of  his  graduation 
from  Middlebury  College,  Mr.  Walker  en- 
listed in  Co.  B,  1st  Artillery,  nth  Yt.  \'ols., 
and  was  elected  first  lieutenant.  He  after- 
wards became  captain  of  Co.  C  and  Co.  D  ; 
and  subsequently  was  major  and  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  regiment.  In  1S64  he  was 
breveted  lieutenant-colonel  for  gallantry  at 
the  battles  of  the  Opiquan,  Fisher's  Hill  and 
Cedar  Creek,  and  was  mustered  out  in  June, 
1864,  with  his  regiment  upon  its  return  to 
Burlington  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war. 

In  1S69  he  published  a  book  of  war  remi- 
niscences entitled  "  The  \'ermont  Brigade  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley." 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Com- 
mandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  has  been 
president  of  the  Vermont  Officers  .'Associa- 
tion. 

Mr.  Walker's  legal  career  has  made  him  a 
national  reputation.  He  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1867,  in  the  city  of  New  York 
and  at  first  was  managing  clerk  for  the  law 
firm  of  Strong  &  Shepard,  having  their  office 
at  90  Broadway.  He  was  afterwards  ad- 
mitted to  partnership  and  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  in  1870.  They  were  engaged  in 
a  general  practice  and  did  a  considerable 
business,  largely  connected  with  railways. 
Important  work  was  done  by  Mr.  \\'alker  in 
obtaining  land  titles  for  the  .Spuyten  I  )uvvil  i\: 
Port  Morris  railway,  connecting  the  Hudson 
River  R.  R.  with  the  Harlem  R.  R.,  from 
Spuyten  Duyvil  to  Mott  Haven.  In  1873 
the  firm  was  broken  up  by  the  death  of  the 
senior  partner,  Hon.  Theron  R.  Strong  ;  and 
Mr.  Walker  removed  to  Rutland,  becoming 
a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Prout,  Simons 
&  Walker.  'I'hey  transacted  a  general  busi- 
ness and  were  the  counsel  of  some  impor- 
tant corporations,  including  many  banks  and 
insurance  companies  and  the  Rutland  R.  R., 


WASIiRUKN. 


i6: 


the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  Co.,  the  \'er- 
montiS:  Canada  R.  R.,  the  bondholders  of  the 
Vermont  Central  R.  R.,  etc.  In  1884  Mr. 
N.  P.  Simons  withdrew  from  the  firm  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  Prout  &:  Walker  and 
so  remained  until  Mr.  \\'alker  removed  to 
Washington  in  .April,  1887. 

In  politics  Mr.  Walker  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  Senate 
from  Rutland  county  in  1882-3,  being  chair- 
man of  the  judiciary  committee.  In  1887 
Mr.  Walker  was  appointed  by  President 
Cleveland  a  member  of  the  Interstate  Com- 
merce Commission  on  the  organization  of 
that  body,  being  one  of  the  two  Republican 
members.  His  associates  upon  the  commis- 
sion were  Hons.  T.  M.  Cooley,  William  R. 
Morrison,  .Augustus  Schoonmaker  and  W. 
L.  Bragg.  Mr.  Walker  resigned  in  1889, 
and  became  chairman  of  the  Interstate 
Commerce  Railway  Association  composed  of 
various  railroad  lines  west  of  Chicago,  with 
headquarters  in  that  city.  Subsequently  he 
became  chairman  of  the  Western  Traffic 
.Association,  a  similar  organization.  He  was 
afterward  chairman  of  the  joint  committee 
composed  of  all  roads  north  of  the  Ohio 
and  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the 
seaboard.  He  resigned  the  latter  office  in 
December,  1893,  and  is  now  practicing  law  in 
Chicago.  In  addition  to  his  opinions  report- 
ed in  the  first  two  volumes  of  the  Interstate 
Commerce  Commission  Reports  he  has  writ- 
ten largely  for  publication  in  the  Forum  and 
other  periodicals,  chiefly  on  railway  legisla- 
tion and  other  kindred  topics. 

Mr.  Walker  was  married  at  Wallingford, 
Sept.  6,  187 1,  to  Katherine,  daughter  of 
Hudson  and  Diantha  Roberts  Shaw.  They 
have  had  four  children  :  Richard  (deceased), 
Roberts,  Harold,  and  Ruth. 


Mr.  Walker  was  married  at  Orwell,  July  16, 
1851,  to  Miss  Kllen  (i.,  daughter  of  Reuben 
and  Zylpha  Herbert. 

WASHBURN,  HENRY  D.,  was  born  in 
\Vindsor,  March  28,  1832,  and  during  that 
year  was  removed  by  his  father  to  Ohio,  was 
early  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  a  tanner, 
but  not  liking  the  business,  became  a  school 
teacher,  which  occupation  he  followed  until 
his  twentieth  year,  studied  law,  and  gradu- 
ated at  the  New  York  State  and  National  Law 
School  in  1853.  He  subsequently  settled  in 
Indiana,  and  in  1854  he  was  appointed 
auditor  of  Vermillion  county  ;  elected  to  the 
same  position  in  1856,  serving  as  such  until 
1 86 1.  In  July  of  that  year  he  raised  a  com- 
pany for  ser\ice  in  the  war  ;  was  promoted 
to  the  command  as  colonel  of  the  iSth  Ind. 
Vols,  in  1862  ;  and  in  1864  was  bre\etted  to 
a  brigadier-general,  and  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  in  1865  ;  and  was  elected  a  rep- 
resentative from  Indiana  to  the  Thirty-ninth 
Congress. 

WATERMAN,  ARBA  N.,  of  Chicago,  111., 
son  of  Loring  F.  and  Mary  (Stevens)  Water- 
man, was  born  Feb.  5,  1836,  at  Greensboro. 


^^    «Pf 


WALKER,  Lucius  W.,  of  Chicago, 
111.,  son  of  Whitfield  and  Martha  (Hall) 
Walker,  was  born  at  Whiting,  Sept.  4,  1823. 

For  many  years  and  up  to  1852  Mr. 
Walker  was  a  builder,  when  he  removed  to 
Chicago.  His  early  training  having  been 
that  of  a  civil  engineer,  he  was  engaged  by 
the  Illinois  Railroad  Co.,  and  was  located  at 
Champaign,  111.,  until  1863,  in  the  com- 
pany's employ.  He  then  became  a  manu- 
facturer of  furniture  and  continued  in  the 
business  until  1880,  which  he  then  closed 
out  and  became  connected  with  the  Pullman 
company  at  Pullman,  III.,  where  he  remained 
two  years  as  foreman  of  the  wood  working 
machine  shop.  From  February,  1883,  to 
1 89 1  he  has  been  engaged  in  superintending 
the  construction  of  fine  residences  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Walker  became  an  inspector  of  pub- 
lic buildings  for  the  United  States  govern- 
ment in  1 89 1. 


\-- 


W- 


-^■^sn^^yf^l^**'    \ 


At  the  academies  and  schools  in  Peacham, 
Johnson,  Montpelier  and  (leorgia,  Judge 
Waterman  began  his  education  and  gradu- 
ated in  the  class  of  1853  from  Norwich  L"ni- 
versity.  Determining  upon  a  legal  career  he 
selected  the  .Albany  school  and  after  pursu- 


1 66 


ing  his  studies  there  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Albany,  X.  Y.,  in  1861.  He  soon 
went  west  and  the  year  of  his  admission  to 
practice  located  at  Joliet,  Ills. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  en- 
tered the  army,  enlisting  in  Co.  G,  looth 
111.  Vols,  as  a  private,  in  1862.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  campaign  against  Bragg  in  the 
fall  of  1862  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Chica- 
mauga,  Dalton,  Altoona  and  Houston.  At 
Chicamauga  he  was  sexereh'  wounded  and 
had  his  horse  killed  under  him.  Judge 
Waterman's  military  career  was  full  of  honor 
and  his  services  received  recognition  by  pro- 
motion to  captain  of  his  company  and  later 
as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  regiment. 

Returning  west  at  the  close  of  the  war,  in 
1865  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Chicago,  which  he  continued  with  success 
and  distinction.  In  1S86  he  was  elected 
judge  of  the  circuit  court,  and  in  1890  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  judge  of  the 
apellate  court. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  In  social 
life  his  varied  tastes  and  broad  acquirement 
are  indicated  by  his  membership  in  various 
societies.  He  was  in  the  Philosophical,  Law, 
and  Social  Science  congresses  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Psychical  Research,  and  the  Philosophical 
societies,  and  of  the  Union  League,  Liter- 
ary, Alliance,  and  Irving  clubs.  He  is  a 
comrade  in  U.  S.  Grant  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  in 
the  Loyal  Legion,  and  the  Veteran  Associa- 
tion. 

Judge  Waterman  was  married,  in  Chicago, 
in  December,  1862,  to  Ella  Hall,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Hall. 

WATSON,  AUSTIN  H.,  of  Stamford, 
Conn.,  son  of  Patrick  J.  and  Caroline  La- 
throp  \\"atson,  was  born  April  24,  1842,  at 
Wilmington. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  he 
passed  his  early  life  about  his  father's  mills, 
and  one  year  in  the  army.  In  1864  he 
secured  a  junior  clerkship  with  the  Western 
L^nion  Telegraph  Co.,  at  Rochester,  N.  V., 
and  in  1S66  was  appointed  storekeeper  in 
charge  of  main  supply  depots  of  the  com- 
pany at  New  York.  Continued  advance  in 
his  salary  made  this  an  agreeable  position, 
which  he  retained  until  he  resigned  in  1879, 
to  become  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
James  E.  Vail,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  dry  goods  commis- 
sion merchants  and  manufacturers'  agents. 
Worth  street,  New  York.  Six  years  later  he 
purchased  Mr.  Vail's  interest  and  became 
senior  member  of  the  present  firm  of  Wat- 
son, Bull  &  Co.,  who  have  largely  extended 
the  business  dealings  with  leading  wholesale 
houses  throughout  the  country.  He  is  also 
president  of  the  Connecticut  Witch  Hazel 


Co.,    whose     production    will     equal     three 
thousand  barrels  yearly. 

In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  private  in 
Co.  F,  1 8th  Regt.  Vt.  Vols.  Upon  the  pro- 
motion of  one  of  his  comrades  he  became 
the  clerk  of  the  regiment,  and  was  thereby 
relieved  of  all  equipment  and  company  duty. 
.\t  Gettysburg  he  selected  one  of  the  many 
abandoned  muskets  on  the  field,  and  with  a 
handful  of  cartridges  sought  out  his  company 
at  the  front,  where  he  remained  throughout 
the  battle.  His  conspicuous  bravery  was 
known  to  all  the  officers  of  the  regiment, 
and  Colonel  Veazey,  recognizing  that  this 
youth  was  the  only  detailed  man  who  volun- 
tarily exposed  himself  on  this  sanguinary 
field,  appointed  him  quartermaster-sergeant 
of  the  regiment,  the  highest  honor  at  his 
command. 


^*%s 


Mr.  Watson  enjoys  the  genial,  social  side 
of  life,  and  in  this  way  has  had  many  duties  to 
perform  connected  with  various  associations. 

He  was  the  first  treasurer  of  the  well 
known  Apollo  Glee  Club,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  ; 
secretary  of  the  Oxford  Club  of  Brooklyn, 
1883  to  '85,  and  of  the  Telegraphers  Mutual 
Benefit  Association,  1876  to  '79  ;  a  director 
of  Stamford  Social  Club,  1889  to  1892,  and 
is  now  its  president  (1893).  He  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Forest  and  Stream  Club,  of 
Wilmington,  and  also  a  director  of  the  Stam- 
ford Yacht  Club  :  he  is  also  president  of  the 
Clover  Club  in  New  York  City. 

He  w-as  singularly  fortunate  in  his  marriage, 
Oct.  28,  1879,  to  Julia  Brainerd  ^'ail,  a  very 


167 


attractive  and  noble  woman,  daughter  of 
James  Everett  and  Ridel ia  Kenyon  \'ail,  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  V.,  where  they  resided  till  i<SS6, 
removing  thence  to  Stamford,  Conn.  Their 
home,  "Oakdale,"  on  the  banks  of  Rippa- 
wanna  river,  while  unpretentious,  is  noted  for 
the  cordial,  hearty  welcome  and  kindly  good 
cheer  extended  to  all. 

WATSON,    Benjamin   Franklin,  of 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  son  of  David  and  Mary 
(Wilder)  Watson,  was  born  at  W'oodstock, 
April  8,  1S23. 

He  attended  the  Woodstock  village  school, 
and  for  three  winters  an  evening  school  for 
apprentices,  established  by  the  Massachu- 
setts Charitable  Mechanic  Association  at 
Boston.  David  Watson,  the  father  of  Ben- 
jamin, was  born  at  Kennebunk,  Me.,  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston, 
where  he  obtained  a  Franklin  medal  in  1801. 
After  serving  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
printer's  trade,  he  established  an  office  at 
Hanover,  N.  H.,  in  1815,  but  removed  three 
years  later  to  Woodstock,  where  he  started 
the  Weekly  Observer,  which  he  published 
for  several  years.  He  returned  to  Boston  in 
1834,  and  in  1840  removed  to  Concord,  N. 
H.,  where  he  was  city  clerk  for  many  years, 
and  died  there  March  25,  1867,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight.  He  married,  in  1820, 
Mary,  the  daughter  of  Capt.  Jacob  Wilder, 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  a  native  of  Lancas- 
ter, Mass.,  who  settled  in  \\'oodstock  in 
1790  and  died  there  July  19,  1848,  aged 
ninety-one  years. 

Benjamin  Franklin  \Vatson  went  to  Boston 
in  1836,  and  learned  the  printer's  trade  in 
the  Boston  Type  and  Stereotype  Foundry, 
where  his  father  was  proof-reader.  In  1840 
the  family  moved  to  Concord,  N.  H.  Ben- 
jamin worked  in  the  New  Hampshire  Patriot 
office  fifteen  years,  and  then  in  1855  re- 
turned to  Boston  and  entered  the  office  of 
the  Boston  Journal,  where  he  has  been  em- 
ployed as  proof-reader  for  thirty-nine  years. 
He  was  at  one  time  captain  of  the  ist  Co., 
nth  Regt.  N.  H.  Mihtia. 

Mr.  W'atson  was  married,  Nov.  16,  1848, 
to  Mary  A.  Whipple  of  Hebron,  N.  H.,  who 
died  Nov.  24,  1872,  leaving  three  children  : 
Frank  I..,  Alice  F.,  and  Edward  P. 

WEAVER,  George  Sumner,  of  Can- 
ton, N.  Y.,  son  of  John  and  Asenath  (Wiley) 
Weaver,  was  born  Dec.  24,  181S,  at  Rock- 
ingham. 

Mr.  Weaver  passed  through  the  schools  of 
his  vicinity  and  studied  law,  yet  after  seven 
years  of  study  and  teaching  he  took  up  the 
ministry.  He  was  early  interested  in  science 
and  joined  the  American  Geological  Associa- 
tion in  Albany,  N.  V.,  and  has  ever  since 
■  continued  his  scientific  studies. 


At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  entered  the 
ministry  of  the  Cniversalist  church  at  Spring- 
field, Ohio.  Two  years  later  he  settled  in 
Marietta,  Ohio,  and  built  an  academy,  out 
of  which  grew  Lombard  University  at  Cales- 
burg,  111.,  and  Buchtel  College  at  Akron,  O., 
at  both  of  which  places  he  was  for  a  time 
settled  as  pastor.  While  at  Marietta,  Mr. 
Weaver  began  publishing.  His  first  two 
books  were  first  given  as  lectures  to  his 
students.  The  first  work  was  entided  "  Lec- 
tures on  Mental  Science,"  the  second  was 
"  Hopes  and  Helps  for  the  Young."  These 
were  followed  in  after  years  by  "  Ways  of 
Life,"  "  Christian  Household,"  "  Moses  and 
Modern  Science,"  "Aims  and  Aids  for  Girls 
and  Young  Women,"  "  The  Open  Way," 
"The  Heart  of  the  ^^'orld,"  "The  Lives  and 
(Iraves  of  the  Presidents,"  "Looking  F"or- 
ward,"  "Heaven,"  "The  Life  of  J.  H.  Chapin," 
besides  a  number  of  pamphlets. 

Mr.  Weaver  has  had  pastoral  settlements 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Lawrence,  Mass.,  Canton, 
N.  Y.,  East  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  addition  to 
the  places  already  mentioned.  He  has 
labored  earnestly  for  temperance,  education, 
woman's  suffrage,  legal  and  prison  reform 
in  which  he  has  stood  in  advanced  move- 
ments for  humanity. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Weaver  was  raised  a  Dem- 
ocrat, was  borne  into  Republicanism  by  con- 
versation, and  into  prohibition  by  necessity. 

A  life-long  peace-man  he  gave  himself  to 
the  support  and  prosecution  of  the  war  for 
the  Union.  Three  times  was  his  congrega- 
tion thinned  out  by  enlistments,  and  from 
it  was  lost  the  first  man  killed  in  the  war — 
Sumner  H.  Needham — and  Mr.  Weaver 
preached  the  first  sermon  over  the  body  of 
a  rebel-slaughtered  soldier. 

Mr.  Weaver  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  a 
Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Tem- 
perance. 

He  was  married,  in  1848,  to  Susan  Stay- 
man,  of  Ohio,  who  lived  but  a  few  months. 
Three  years  after  his  loss  he  married  Sarah 
Jane  Kendall,  of  Massachusetts.  They  had 
two  children  :  Clara,  and  Earnest  K.  The 
latter,  a  young  lawyer  in  Buffalo,  died  by 
accident,  Feb.  5,  1894. 

WEBBER,  George  W.,  of  lonia, 
Mich.,  was  born  in  Newbury,  Nov.  25,  1825  ; 
removed  at  an  early  age  to  New  ^■ork  state, 
and  in  1S52  to  Michigan,  and  located  in 
Ionia  county  in  1S58,  and  identified  him- 
self to  the  development  of  the  Grand  River 
\"alley  ;  has  large  interests  in  manufacturing, 
banking,  and  lumbering  concerns  ;  has  twice 
been  mayor  of  Ionia,  and  a  member  of  the 
Forty-seventh  C'ongress. 

WHITCOMB,  James  ARTHUR,  oflSal- 
timore,  Md.,  son  of  Robert  McKavand  Dor- 


i68 


WHITCOME. 


WHITCOIIB. 


cas  Ann    (McDole)    Whitcomb,    was    born 
March  26,  1854,  at  Underbill. 

His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
common  school  in  Jeffersonville,  the  semin- 
ar}' at  Underbill,  but  with  indomitable  per- 
severance and  application  he  passed  through 
the  Spencerian  Business  College  and  the  Law- 
Department  of  the  National  University  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  graduated.  He 
also  graduated  from  the  Department  of  Min- 
eralogy of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  and, 
learning  shorthand,  became  the  principal 
and  proprietor  of  the  School  of  Phonography 
and  Typewriting  at  Washington.  Mr.  Whit- 
comb's  tastes  have  ever  been  studious  as  is 
evinced  by  his  Icnowledge  of  the  French  and 
Spanish  languages  and  of  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, to  which  he  has  devoted  much  of  his 
leisure  time. 


JAMES   ARTHUR 


As  a  boy  he  deserted  the  parental  roof 
and  worked  at  farming,  then  as  a  weaver  and 
then  learned  a  trade.  In  1874  he  entered 
the  citv  post  office  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
rose  gradually  to  a  clerkship,  which,  through 
the  courtesy  of  Chief  Clerk  Bell  of  the  Inte- 
rior Department,  he  exchanged  for  that  of 
night  watchman  in  order  that  he  might  have 
time  to  pursue  his  law  studies.  He  was 
shortly  transferred  to  the  Pension  Bureau 
to  perform  clerical  duties  and  rated  as  mes- 
senger. In  this  bureau  he  faithfully  served 
the  government  for  nine  and  one-half  years, 
retiring  by  resignation  from  the  position  of 
acting  chief  clerk  of  Board  of  Pension  Ap- 


peals under  Secretary  Lamar,  to  enter  into 
business.  This  change  was  forced  upon  him 
from  disease  of  eyes  brought  on  by  work  at 
night. 

Mr.  Whitcomb's  honorable  progress  in  the 
department,  aside  from  his  first  appointment, 
was  entirely  without  political  influence  though 
his  faithful  abilities  were  known  and  recog- 
nized by  Senators  Edmunds,  Morrill,  Blair, 
Logan,  and  many  others. 

He  has  served  in  the  militia  of  the  r)istrict 
of  Columbia,  Maryland  and  elsewhere,  about 
eighteen  years.  Is  a  veteran  of  the  5  th  Regt. 
Md.  National  Guards,  and  is  at  present  a 
member  of  the  Fifth  Maryland  Veteran  Corps, 
and  attached  to  the  Gattling  Gun  as  an  active. 

In  social  organizations  he  is  an  I.  O.  O.  F. 
of  Lodge  No.  i,  L^.  C,  and  a  member  of 
Harmony  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  Whitcomb  was  married  at  Washington, 
April  23,  18S2,  to  Virginia  Hunter,  daughter 
of  John  J.  Commack,  of  Washington,  and 
Margaret  Hunter,  of  Fairfax,  Va.  They 
have  three  young  children. 

WHITCOMB,  JONADAB  Baker,  of 

Berkeley,  Cal.,  son  of  Col.  Carter  and  Lucy 
(Baker)  Whitcomb,  was  born  Get.  2,  1823, 
at  Saxtons  River. 

Mr.  Whitcomb  received  his  early  educa- 
tion till  twelve  years  of  age  in  his  native 
village  :  later  at  Swanzey,  N.  H.  ;  later,  up 
to  age  of  seventeen,  at  the  Keene  Academy. 

In  1840  he  was  a  hotel  clerk  at  Fitchburg  ; 
m  1S42  he  was  in  the  same  vocation  at 
Cambridgeport,  Mass.;  in  1843  ^^  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  and  in  1844  he  was  in  the 
calling  in  New  Vork  City,  making  headway 
all  the  time.  He  was  head  clerk  at  the 
famous  New  York  Hotel  in  1848  when  he 
heard  of  the  discoveries  of  California  and 
resolved  to  go.  In  company  with  others,  he 
organized  the  New  Vork  Mining  Co.,  with 
one  hundred  members,  and  bought  and 
equipped  the  barque  Strafferd,  which  sailed 
from  New  York  Feb.  4,  1849,  for  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.  Mr.  Whitcomb,  however,  trans- 
ferred his  share  to  his  brother  Byron,  and 
secured  for  himself  passage  on  the  Portland 
brig  Columbus,  and  sailed  Feb.  3,  1849,  for 
Vera  Cruz,  Mexico.  He  became  one  of  a 
party  and  arrived  at  San  Diego  .August  4, 
after  a  terrible  trip  by  sea.  He  secured 
passage  for  himself  and  others  on  the 
steamer  Panama,  and  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco .'\ugust  18.  (Full  account  of  the  voy- 
age was  published  in  a  volume  by  Dr.  J.  B. 
Stillman,  published  by  .A.  Raman  &  Co., 
1877,  entitled  "Seeking  the  Golden  Fleece 
and  Voyage  of  the  Schooner  Dolphin.") 

In  company  with  C.  W.  Dannals  he  left  for 
the  Yuba  River,  via  Sacramento  City  and 
arrived  at  Rases  Bar  September  i,  secured  a 
location  and  mined   for  six  weeks  clearing 


.69 


^2,ooo,  returned  to  Sacramento  in  Novem- 
ber, all  mining  on  the  river  being  stopped 
by  reason  of  freshets  and  rainy  season. 
Here  he  found  his  New  York  Mining  Co., 
and  brother  Byron,  who,  with  Mr.  Dannals 
and  himself  concluded  to  purchase  the  lot, 
corner  of  K  and  2d  streets  and  go  into  trade  ; 
but  again  high  water  flooding  the  city  Jan. 
2,  1S50,  he  decided  then  to  go  back  again 
to  the  mountains  and  mines,  arriving  at 
Fosters  Bar,  Yuba  River,  in  February,  1850, 
where  they  engaged  in  mining  and  trading. 
Late  that  fall  he  had  put  in  a  wing  dam  in 
the  canyon,  one  mile  up  stream,  which 
promised  well,  and  in  the  spring  of  185 1, 
after  many  months  of  hard  labor  by  whip 
sawing  made  sufficient  lumber  to  flume  the 
river  five  hundred  feet  and  turned  it  from 
its  bed  in  August  and  after  eight  weeks  of 
])rodigious  work,  secured  for  himself  and 
others  ^90,000,  in  gold  dust ;  his  brother 
returned  to  the  states,  he  alone  remaining. 
Much  money  was  lost  and  won  that  season. 

In  1853  he  was  impressed  by  a  blind  man 
in  Marysville  with  an  idea  how  to  bring 
water  to  the  high  bar  at  Fosters,  which  was 
to  go  down  the  river  a  few  miles  to  the 
mouth  of  Oregon  Creek  and  by  a  ditch  take 
the  water  up  the  river ;  he  did  this  work  by 
assistance  of  miners  who  promised,  and  did 
take  their  pay  in  water  ;  this  project  was 
unique  at  the  time  and  profitable  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  i860  we  find  him  in  Marys- 
ville with  his  family  comfortably  situated  in 
his  home,  yet  in  1862  he  joined  the  throng 
going  to  Oregon  and  Idaho  on  a  mining 
expedition.  In  1864  he  removed  to  San 
Franci.sco  and  engaged  in  the  business  of 
real  estate,  residing  in  Berkeley  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Wattes. 

He  married  Cynthia  A.  Cutter  of  Grafton, 
April  5,  1855.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Capt.  James  and  Harriet  (Goodridge)  Cut- 
ter. Their  children  are :  Alice  Harriet, 
Frank  Randolph,  Caroline  Goodridge,  Hat- 
tie  Demming,  and  Ralston. 

WHITE,  MlLO,  of  Chatfield,  Minn.,  was 
born  in  Fletcher,  August  17,  1830;  was  ed- 
ucated at  common  schools  ;  is  a  merchant : 
was  elected  to  the  state  Senate  of  Minnesota, 
1872,  1876,  and  i88i-'82,  and  was  elected 
to  the  Forty-eighth  Congress  as  a  Republi- 
can ;  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-ninth 
Congress. 

WHITE,  Nehe.MIAH,  of  Galesburg,  111., 
son  of  Justin  Morgan  and  I.ydia  (F.ddy) 
White,  was  born  Jan.  25,  18:55,  at  Walling- 
ford. 

Professor  White's  career  as  an  instructor, 
remarkable  as  it  is,  was  made  possible  by  the 
most  thorough  and  extended  preparation  in 
the  schools  of  the  state.     In  1857  he  gradu- 


ated at  Middlebury  College  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  and  immediately  began  his  work  as 
associate  principal  of  the  Green  Mountain 
Perkins  .Academy,  and  continued  there  dur- 
ing iS57-'58.  The  year  i859-'6o  was  passed 
as  principal  of  the  Clinton  (N.  Y.)  Liberal 
Institute,  and  from  1864  to  1865  as  principal 
of  the  Pulaski  (N.  Y.)  .'\cademy.  The  St. 
Lawrence  Uni\ersity  at  Canton,  N.  Y.,  ob- 
tained his  services  from  1865  to  1871,  as 
professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  science 
and  from  1873  to  1875  he  served  the  Buchtel 
College  at  .Akron,  Ohio,  as  professor  of 
ancient  languages.  In  1876  he  received  the 
degree  of  Ph.  I),  from  St.  Lawrence  Univer- 
sity. As  president  of  the  Lombard  Univer- 
sity at  (jalesburg.  111.,  he  passed  the  years 
from  1875  to  1892  and  resigned  his  office 
only  at  the  last  commencement  to  take 
charge  of  another  department  of  the  I'nixer- 
sity,  the  Ryder  I)i\inity  School. 

Professor  \\'hite  has  given  special  attention 
to  comparative  philology,  and  in  addition 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  classic  tongues,  has 
made  acquaintance  with  the  Sanscrit,  He- 
brew and  Anglo-Saxon,  as  well  as  most  of 
the  cultivated  languages  of  modern  Europe. 
Besides  sermons  and  lectures  Professor 
White  has  written  very  little  for  the  press. 
The  most  that  has  been  published  in  a  more 
permanent  form  consists  of  articles  in  the 
interests  of  denominational  literature.  Among 
them  may  be  cited  :  "  Greek  Synonyms  of  the 
New  Testament"  (L^niversalist  Quarterly, 
April,  1882),  and  "Love  the  Basis  of  Educa- 
tion," one  of  a  series  of  addresses  published 
in  a  volume  entitled,  "  The  Columbian  Con- 
gress of  the  Universalist  Church." 

Mr.  White  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of 
the  Universalist  church  in  1875.  In  1889 
there  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Tufts  Col- 
lege the  degree  of  D.  D.  This  is  the  outline 
of  a  busy,  earnest  life,  reflecting  at  all  times 
honor  and  credit,  and  affording  an  example 
for  emulation. 

Mr.  White  was  married,  May  11,  1858,  at 
South  Woodstock,  to  Frances  M.,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Orsamus  and  Eluthera  (Sumner) 
White,  of  Huntington.  She  died  .April  29, 
1864,  leaving  one  daughter,  who  died  Jan. 
I,  1882.  Mr.  White  was  again  married,  in 
187 1,  to  Inez  Ling,  daughter  of  Lorenzo 
Ling,  of  Pulaski,  N.  V.  They  have  two 
children :  ^Villard  Justin  (a  graduate  of 
Lombard  University  of  the  class  of  1S91), 
and  Frances  Cora. 

WHITE,  Welcome,  of  Baltimore,  Md., 
was  born  in  Wardsboro,  Dec.  22,  1826,  the 
son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Durant)  White. 

Mr.  White  spent  the  years  of  his  minority 
on  the  farm  of  his  father,  and  in  acquiring 
such  an  education  as  the  district  schools 
aftbrded.     Being   of  a    mechanical    turn  of 


mind  he  became  a  carpenter  and  followed 
this  vocation  for  five  years,  and  then,  in  1852, 
removed  to  Baltimore  where  he  engaged  in 
the  baking  business.  This  business  was 
successfully  continued  for  six  years,  when 
Mr.  White  returned  to  his  native  place  where 
he  resided  for  four  years.  Returning  to 
Baltimore  in  1862  he  once  more  embarked 
in  business  at  his  old  stand,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1865.  The  growth  of  the 
business  then  necessitated  a  change  which 
resulted  in  removal  to  the  large  and  commo- 
dious establishment  he  still  occupies.  Con- 
tinued additions  and  improvements  have 
rendered  it  a  most  convenient  and  well 
equipped  plant.  A  Baltimore  paper  sums 
up  his  business  career  there  as  follows : 
"Thirty-four  years  of  unbroken  prosperity 
marks  the  history  of  the  well-known  and 
popular  baking  establishment  of  Welcome 
White." 

A  Republican  in  belief,  he  has  never 
sought  office  or  devoted  much  time  to  poli- 
tics. He  has,  however,  been  twice  a  candi- 
date for  a  seat  in  the  city  council. 

Mr.  White  married,  at  Baltimore,  Oct.  20, 
1857,  Marietta  F.,  daughter  of  Davis  and 
Lucinda  (Davis)  Read  of  Wardsboro.  Their 
children  were  :  Clara  M.,  Flora  E.,  Jennie  I., 
\Vilbur  H.  (deceased),  Minnie  M.,  Wallace 
D.,  and  Lelia  M. 

A  Universalist  by  faith,  Mr.  ^\■hite  was  for 
several  years  an  active  worker  in  the  Third 
Church,  being  a  trustee  and  its  treasurer. 


and  has  become  a  standard  on  the  subject 
of  Tennessee  land  laws. 

In  the  fall  of  1893  Mr.  Whitney  accepted 
the  position  of  general  agent  for  Connecti- 
cut for  placing  the  investments  of  the  Cum- 
berland Building  Loan  Association  of  Chat- 
tanooga, making  Bridgeport  his  home. 


^ 


•W 


WHITNEY,  HENRY  DOUGLAS,  of 
Bridgeport,  Conn.,  son  of  Henry  and  .Almira 
J.  (Bowker)  Whitney,  was  born  in  Wilming- 
ton, Sept.  13,  i865. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  at  C.lenwood  Seminary,  ^Vest 
Brattleboro,  and  at  the  St.  Johnsburv  Acad- 
emy, graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
in  1886.  His  preparation  was  for  Harvard 
College,  but  the  course  was  abandoned  in 
order  that  he  might  earlier  engage  himself 
in  the  study  of  his  profession.  He  taught 
school  for  three  years  successfully,  being 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  ^V'ells  River, 
and  later  principal  of  the  grammar  school  at 
East  Dennis,  Mass. 

Mr.  \\'hitney  began  the  study  of  law  in 
1888  in  the  office  of  FJates  cNcMay  of  St. 
Johnsbury  and  went  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn., 
in  the  fall  of  1 88g,  there  entering  the  office  of 
Russell  &  Daniels,  a  leading  law  firm  of  that 
city.  The  following  year  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  has  since  pursued  an  active 
and  successful  career.  Mr.  Whitney's  liter- 
ary abilities  and  tastes  have  found  expres- 
sion in  a  legal  work,  "  \\'hitney's  Land  Laws 
of  Tennesee."  This  work  has  received  the 
highest  endorsement  of  both  bench  and  bar 


HENRY    DOUGLAS    WHITNEY. 

In  politics  Mr.  Whitney  is  an  independent 
Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  free  thinker. 

He  was  married  in  Wilmington,  June  6, 
1890,  to  Kale  J.,  daughter  of  Judge  George 
C.  and  Rebecca  Todd  Harrison  of  ^^'est 
Cornwall,  Conn.  To  her  large  helpfulness 
and  encouragement  he  owes  much  of  his 
success.  One  son,  Burke  Emerson,  born 
Feb.  I,  1894,  has  come  to  their  home. 

WHITNEY,  Samuel  BRENTON,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  son  of  Samuel  and  Amelia  (Hyde) 
Whitnev,  was  born  in  Woodstock,  lune  4, 
1842. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools.  He  afterwards  attended  the 
Vermont  Episcopal  Institute,  studied  music 
first  with  local  teachers,  afterwards  with  Carl 
Wels  and  later  still  with  John  K.  Paine,  tak- 
ing lessons  on  the  organ,  pianoforte,  com- 
position and  instrumentation. 

Mr.  Whitney  has  been  organist  and  director 
of  music  of  Christ  Church,  Montpelier  :  St. 
Peter's,  Albany,  N.  V.,  and  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Burlington  ;  is  at  present  and  has  been  for  the 
past  twenty-two  years,  organist  of  the  Church 
of  the  Advent,  Boston,  the  choir  of  which 
church  has  become  quite  celebrated   under 


his  direction.  He  lias  frequently  been  en- 
gaged as  conductor  of  choir  festival  asso- 
ciations in  Massachusetts  and  Vermont ;  is 
first  vice-president  and  one  of  the  organ  ex- 
aminers of  the  American  College  of  Musi- 
cians ;  has  written  church  music  quite  exten- 
sively, also  piano  and  miscellaneous  music. 
He  has  been  conductor  of  many  choral 
societies  in  and  around  Boston,  and  has  the 
reputation  of  being  very  successful  in  train- 
ing and  developing  boys'  voices.  In  this 
position  he  has  heen  identified  with  liturgi- 
cal music,  vested  choirs,  and  a  reverent  per- 
formance of  church  music. 


The  late  Dr.  J.  H.  Wilcox  once  said  in 
this  connection,  after  hearing  Mr.  \\'hitney 
play  a  very  small  organ  :  "It  takes  a  much 
more  gifted  organist  to  play  a  small  organ 
than  it  does  to  play  a  large  one,  where  every 
resource  is  at  hand."  Another  musical  au- 
thority in  Boston  has  said  :  "Mr.  Whitney,  by 
his  wonderful  mastery  of  the  preludes,  fugues 
and  toccatas  of  Bach,  most  of  which  are  so 
impressed  upon  his  remarkable  memory 
that  he  rarely  uses  notes  ;  by  his  style  so 
brilliant  and  pleasing,  and  his  improvisations 
so  solid  and  rich,  has  won  much  credit  in 
and  beyond  professional  circles."  Mr. 
Whitney  was  for  a  time  teacher  of  the  organ 
in  ihe  New  England  Conservatory  of  .Music. 
He  also  established  in  this  institution  for 
the  first  time,  a  church  music  class,  in  which 
not  onlv  were  the  \ocal  jnipils  taught  how  to 
properly  interjiret  sacred  music,  but  the  or- 


gan pupils  as  well  were  instructed  as  to  the 
management  of  the  organ  in  church. 

Among  Mr.  Whitney's  compositions  are  a 
trio  for  piano  and  string,  many  solos  and 
arrangements  for  both  piano  and  organ,  as 
well  as  several  church  services,  Te  Deums 
and  miscellaneous  anthems  and  songs,  both 
sacred  and  secular.  Some  of  Mr.  Whitney's 
organ  compositions  have  been  reprinted  in 
England,  by  London  publishers. 

WILLARD,  George,  was  born  at  Bol- 
ton, March  20,  1824  ;  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation and  was  a  professor  for  two  years  in 
Kalamazoo  College ;  was  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Battle  Creek  Journal ;  was  a 
member  of  the  Michigan  State  Board  of 
Education  from  1857  to  1863;  was  elected 
regent  of  the  Universitr  of  Michigan  in 
1863,  and  re-elected  for  eight  years  in  1865  ; 
was  elected  to  the  state  Legislature  in  1866 
and  the  following  year  a  member  of  the  state 
constitutional  convention,  serving  in  both 
bodies  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
education ;  was  a  delegate  at  large  from 
Michigan  to  the  national  Republican  con- 
vention in  1872  ;  was  elected  a  representa- 
tive from  Michigan  for  the  Forty-third  Con- 
gress as  a  Republican ;  was  re-elected  to  the 
Forty-fourth  Congress. 

WIN  SLOW,  HORACE  SPENCER,  of 
Newton,  Iowa,  son  of  Elhanan  S.  and  Elmina 
(Kingsley)  Winslow,  was  born  July  18,  1837, 
at  Pittsford. 

Judge  Winslow  received  such  advantages 
.!>  were  offered  at  the  common  schools  and 
■-eminaries  in  Rutland  county,  and  began  his 
legal  education  at  the  Poughkeepsie  Law 
School,  and  graduated  July,  1856,  from  the 
Polan  (Ohio)  Law  School. 

Immediately  upon  graduation,  he  went  to 
Newton,  Iowa,  where  he  opened  a  law  oflfice, 
Sept,  I,  1856,  having  just  passed  his  nine- 
teenth birthday.  Since  that  time,  for  thirty- 
seven  years,  he  has  enjoyed  a  successful  and 
lucrative  practice,  owning,  probably,  the  lar- 
gest private  law  library  in  the  state.  During 
the  exciting  years  of  the  civil  war,  he  was 
district  attorney  of  the  sixth  judicial  dis- 
trict of  Iowa,  then  com]irised  of  the  counties 
of  Jasper,  Poweshiek,  Marion,  \\'ashington, 
Mahaska,  and  Jefferson,  ha\  ing  been  elected 
to  that  office  in  the  fall  of  1862.  In  1868 
he  received  further  distinction  by  election  as 
judge  of  the  second  circuit  of  the  sixth  judi- 
cial district  of  Iowa,  which  was  then  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  Jasper,  Marion,  and 
Mahaska.  At  the  end  of  one  year's  service 
he  resigned  and  resumed  his  ])ractice.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  sixth  dis- 
trict and  remained  in  the  service  four  years. 

Judge  Winslow  became  a  Mason,  and  a 
member  of  Newton  Lodge,  No.  59,  A.  F.  & 


172 


WOODRL'FF. 


A.  M.,  in  1858;  later  he  became  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  Knight  Templar,  and  has  re- 
ceived the  Scottish  Rite  degrees.  In  1876 
he  was  elected  M.  E.  Grand  Priest  of  the 
Grand  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  of 
Iowa,  and  was  elected  grand  commander  of 
the  Grand  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar 
of  Iowa  in  18S0. 


HORACE  SPENCER  WINSLOW. 


Judge  ^\'inslow  was  married,  Nov.  7,  1858, 
to  Sarah  E.  Dunklee  of  Pittsford.  They 
have  two  children  :  Kate  E.,  and  Jessie  L. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church,  one  of  its  trustees,  and  at 
present  writing  superintendent  of  its  Sunday 
school. 

WOOD,  Thomas  Waterman,  of  New 

York,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Waterman) 
Wood,  was  born  Nov.  12,  1823,  at  Mont- 
pelier. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
schools  of  Washington  county,  while  his  art 
training  was  acquired  in  the  great  cities  of 
Boston,  London,  Paris,  Florence  and  Rome. 

Mr.  Wood's  fame  as  an  artist  and  a  por- 
trait painter  has  been  exercised  in  many  of 
the  principal  cities  of  America,  notably  in 
Quebec  and  Toronto  in  1855  ;  in  \Vashing- 
ton  in  1856;  in  Baltimore  in  1857  and 
1858;  and  in  Nashville  and  Louisville  sev- 
eral years,  up  to  1865  ;  two  years,  from  1S58 
to  i860,  being  spent  in  study  abroad. 

In  1866  he  located  in  New  York  City, 
and  in  1869  was  elected  an  associate  of  the 
National  .Academy  of  Design,  and  academi- 


cian in  1871.  From  1879  to  1890  he  was 
vice-president  of  the  academy,  and  is  now 
president  of  that  institution.  From  1S78 
to  1887  he  was  president  of  the  American 
Water  Color  Society. 

Mr.  Wood  is  a  member  of  many  of  New 
York's  social  institutions  ;  among  them  the 
Aldine  Club,  of  which  he  is  an  e.x-president ; 
the  Salamagundi  and  Country  Clubs  ;  he  is 
also  an  honorary  member  of  the  .\pollo 
Club,  of  Montpelier. 

He  was  married  in  Burlington,  Sept.  24, 
1850,  to  Minerva  Robinson,  of  \Vaterbury, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Sylvanus  Rpbinson,  of 
Northfield.  Mrs.  Wood  died  in  New  York, 
May  15,  1859. 

WOODRUFF,  Charles  Albert,  of 

Ignited  States  Army,  son  of  Erastus  (de- 
scendant in  seventh  degree,  from  Matthew 
Woodruff,  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
the  town  of  Farmington,  Conn.,  where  he 
settled  in  1640),  was  born  in  Burke,  April  26, 
184s. 


^^i^ts;:; 


ARLES    ALBERT    WOODRUFF. 


He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of 
Burke,  the  academies  at  Lyndon  and  St. 
Johnsbury  and  graduated  at  Bryant  &  Strat- 
ton's  Business  College,  Burlington,  and  at 
the  L'nited  States  Military  Academy,  West 
Point,  N.  Y.  He  first  enlisted,  June  5, 
1862,  in  Co.  A,  loth  Vt.  Yols.,  and  became 
corporal  June  3,  1863,  and  was  promoted 
second  lieutenant  1 1 7th  L^.  S.  C.  T.,  but  was 
not  mustered  on  account  of  wounds  received 


WOODKCI'K. 


WOODWARD. 


173 


while  serving  in  tiie  y\  and  6th  corps  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  ;  was  slightly  wounded 
three  times  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  i, 
1864  ;  he  was  captured  and  escaped  same 
night.  He  was  severely  wounded  June  3, 
1864,  and  never  rejoined  his  company,  but 
was  discharged  for  disability  caused  by 
wounds,  August  18,  1865. 

Passed  a  competitive  e.xamination  and 
entered  U.  S.  Academy,  West  Point,  July  i, 
1867;  graduated  number  eleven,  June  12, 
187  I  ;  promoted  same  date  2d  Lieut.  7th  U. 
S.  Inft. ;  served  on  frontier  duty  in  Montana  ; 
in  command  of  mounted  detachment  from 
May,  1S72,  to  August,  1S73  ;  in  command 
of  reconnoissance  to  Washington  Territory 
August  to  October,  1873;  acting  assistant 
adjutant-general  District  of  Montana,  and 
acting  regimental  adjutant  July,  August,  and 
September,  1874;  in  command  of  company, 
Judith  Basin,  Mont.,  June  to  October,  1875  ; 
adjutant  of  battalion  in  Indian  campaigns  of 

1876  and  1877;  with  General  Gibbon's 
command  that  rescued  survivors  of  Custer's 
command  ;  severely  wounded  three  times  at 
Big  Hale,  Mont.,  August  9,  1877  ;  on  sick 
leave;    promoted  first  lieutenant  August  9, 

1877  ;  appointed  captain  and  commissary  of 
subsistence  March  28,  1878  ;  in  office  of 
commissary  general  to  August,  1878;  depot 
commissary.  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  to 
October,  1S79,  and  acting  chief  commissary, 
and  acting  assistant  adjutant-general  Depart- 
ment of  Missouri  summer  1879  ;  chief  com- 
missary District  New  Mexico,  Santa  Fe,  N. 
M.,  to  November,  1884,  and  acting  assistant 
adjutant-general  and  acting  engineer  officer 
at  different  times  ;  chief  commissary  depart- 
ment of  Columbia  and  depot  and  purchasing 
commissary  Vancouver  Barracks,  Wash.,  to 
August,  1889,  and  acting  assistant  adjutant- 
general,  acting  judge  advocate  of  department, 
acting  ordnance  officer,  and  acting  signal 
officer  for  several  months  ;  in  the  field  with 
General  Gibbon,  suppressing  riots  against 
Chinese  ;  purchasing  and  depot  commissary, 
San  Francisco,  CaL,  to  March,  1894:  pro- 
moted major  and  commissary  of  subsistence 
Dec.  27,  1892;  assistant  to  commissary  gen- 
eral, Washington,  D.  C,  since  March,  1894. 

Major  Woodruff,  as  the  foregoing  record 
shows,  is  a  valiant  soldier,  is  no  less  an 
orator  and  accomplished  gentleman.  His 
orations,  delivered  upon  Memorial  days  and 
other  occasions,  have  drawn  the  highest 
encomiums  from  the  press.  By  unanimous 
resolution  of  George  H.  Thomas  Post,  No.  2, 
Dept.  of  California,  G.  A.  R..,  ten  thousand 
copies  of  Captain  \\'oodruff's  address,  on 
"American  Patriotism,"  were  ordered  printed 
for  general  distribution,  "  as  an  incentive  to 
patriotism,  and  as  inculcating  a  spirit  of 
reverence  for  our  country's  flag,  and  respect 
for  our  countrv's  laws."     Commander  of  the 


Commandery  of  the  State  of  California, 
Military  (Jrder  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the 
Ignited  States. 

WOODWARD,  Tyler,  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  son  of  Krastus  and  Sarah  (Gilson) 
Woodward,  was  born  Ian.  19,  1835,  at  Hart- 
land. 

He  attended  school  at  Kimball  L'nion 
-Academy  at  Meriden  N.  H.,  and  at  Chelsea 
and  Newbury.  Mr.  Woodward's  family  is  of 
Puritan  origin  and  his  grandfather,  Gideon 
Woodward,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Mr.  Woodward  was  born  and  raised  on  a 
farm  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age 
taught  school  at  Hartland  Three  Corners, 
near  his  home.  He  remained  on  the  farm 
until  the  spring  of  i860,   when   he  sold  out 


TYLER    WOODWARD. 


his  stock  and  set  sail  for  California,  from 
New  York,  with  his  youngest  sister  and 
together  they  went  to  Marysville,  CaL,  to  the 
home  of  their  brother,  keeping  the  Western 
Hotel  at  that  place.  For  a  few  months  Mr. 
Woodward  remained  with  his  brother,  acting 
as  clerk  in  the  hotel,  when  the  latter  removed 
to  San  Francisco,  and  Mr.  \\'oodward  was 
employed  in  tlie  ice  business,  superintending 
the  harvest  in  the  mountains  near  the  town 
of  Laporte,  where  snows  often  fell  to  the 
depth  of  twenty  feet.  Thus  ^[r.  ^^■oodward 
began  one  of  the  most  interesting,  exciting 
and  fairly  successful  careers  in  the  far  west 
and  northwestern  country,  trading.  His  ad- 
ventures   and     hairbreadth     escapes     from 


174 


whites  during  a  long  residence  in  the  moun- 
tains would  fill  a  book.  Success  attended 
his  efforts  everywhere  and  after  nearly  ten 
years  of  this  life  he  sold  out  his  mercantile 
business  near  Missoula,  Mont.,  and  went  to 
Portland,  Ore.,  in  1869,  and  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business,  where  he  already  had 
considerable  interests.  He  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  firm  of  Parrish  &  Atkinson,  the 
firm  becoming  Parrish,  Atkinson  &  Wood- 
ward. In  this  firm  he  remained  three 
years. 

In  1872  he  married  Marv,  the  daughter 
of  Sherry  Ross,  a  pioneer  who  crossed  the 
plains  and  settled  in  Oregon  in  1845.  He 
has  now  one  daughter  fifteen  years  of  age. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  Mr.  Woodward  went 
to  Walla  Walla,  and  became  interested  with 
Dr.  D.  S.  Baker,  in  a  railroad  from  that  point 
to  AVallaula,  which  afterwards  became  a  por- 
tion of  the  Union  Pacific  system.  Again  re- 
turning to  Portland  he  speculated  in  real 
estate  and  became  interested  in  the  passen- 
ger transfer  business, operating  a  large  number 
of  carriages,  the  firm  name  being  Woodward 
&  Magoon.  Later,  in  connection  with  others, 
he  organized  a  company  and  constructed  and 
operated  the  street  railways  known  as  the 
Third  Street  line.  Mr.  Woodward  was  presi- 
dent of  th€  company  and  its  manager  for 
several  years.  About  1890  he  with  his  asso- 
ciates organized  the  City  &  Suburban  Railway 
Co.,  of  which  he  is  a  director  and  vice-presi- 
dent and  purchased  the  East  and  West  side 
lines  which  were  converted  into  electric  lines 
and  constitute  a  system  of  fifty  miles  of  elec- 
tric and  steam  roads. 

In  the  spring  of  1891,  upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  United  States  National  Bank,  Mr. 
Woodward  became  a  director  thereof  and  was 
elected  vice-president  with  an  active  position, 
to  which  he  is  now  devoting  his  attention. 
During  his  residence  in  Portland,  Mr.  Wood- 
ward has  served  as  county  commissioner  and 
two  terms  in  the  city  council  of  which  he  was 
elected  president. 

WRIGHT,  Cyrus  Smith,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  son  of  John  and  Irene  (Smith) 
Wright,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Oct.  3,  1836. 

He  was  educated  in  the  scientific  depart- 
ment of  Dartmouth  College,  graduating  in 
1857  as  a  surveyor  and  civil  engineer.  In 
the  fall  of  1859  he  went  to  Boliver  county. 
Miss.,  as  assistant  engineer  on  the  Mississippi 
levees.  In  1S62  he  was  forced  to  join  the 
28th  Miss.  Cavalry.  He  was  injured  in  1864 
and  driven  to  the  U.  S.  gunboat  for  medical 
treatment,  and  was  taken  to  Memphis,  Tenn., 
and  then  sent  North. 

In  1865  he  went  to  California,  and  finding 
no  other  employment  engaged  with  his  old 
friend  and  classmate,  Henry  M.  Gray,  in 
the  undertaking  business,  which  he  has  fol- 


lowed ever  since,  becoming  a  partner  in  the 
firm  in  1876,  and  sole  proprietor  in  1886, 
and  still  conducts  the  business  under  the 
old  firm  name  of  N.  Gray  &  Co. 

Mr.  \\'right  belongs  to  the  Republican 
party ;  is  a  past  grand  of  Cosmopolitan 
Lodge,  No.  194,  I.  O.  O.  F.  ;  a  life  member 
of  California  Lodge,  No.  i,  F.  &  A.  M.  :  a 
member  of  California  Chapter,  No.  5  ; 
Golden  Gate  Commandery,  No.  16  ;  Knights 
Templar,  Mystic  Shrine  (Islam  Temple), 
Pacific  Coast  Association  Native  Sons  of 
Vermont,  First  Presbyterian  Church,  San 
Francisco  Theological  Seminary,  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  and  the  California  Bible  Society.  He 
holds  the  office  of  trustee  in  the  last  four 
organizations,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  all. 
In  business  he  is  energetic,  prompt,  and 
reliable. 

Mr.  Wright  was  married,  in  San  Francisco, 
on  Thanksgiving  Day,  1874,  to  Emma  A., 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Emeline  A.  Gray. 
Thev  have  two  children  :  Helen  Edith,  and 
Harold  Lincoln. 

WRIGHT,  Riley  E.,  of  Baltimore,  Md., 
son  of  Erastus  and  Mary  A.  (Fairbrother) 
Wright,  was  born  July  24,  1839,  in  Westmin- 
ster. 


Mr.  \\'right  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  academy  of  Derby,  and  at  Glover 
and  Coventry.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Pow- 
ers' Institute,  Bernardston,  Mass.,  where  he 
was    both    student    and    French     instructor. 


having  perfected  himself  in  that  language  by 
residence  and  study  at  St.  Hyacinth  and  St. 
Rosalie,  Canada,  in  1859.  He  was  admitted 
to  Dartmouth  College,  expecting  to  pursue  a 
course  there,  but  afterwards  decided  to  go  to 
Middlebury  College,  where  he  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1862,  and  during  his  sophomore 
year  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  enlist  in  the 
army,  and  left  college  for  that  purpose. 
During  the  years  he  was  attending  the  acade- 
my and  college,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  and 
after,  he  taught  school  in  winter. 

Upon  his  return  home  from  the  army  he 
entered  upon  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  late  Judge  Benjamin  H.  Steele,  at 
Derby  Line,  and  was  admitted  to  Orleans 
county  bar  Dec.  31,  1864.  He  soon  r  re- 
moved to  Baltimore,  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  law,  which  he  has  continued  to 
the  present  day  with  success.  He  is  con- 
nected with  several  corporations  as  counsel, 
and  defended  Gen.  E.  B.  Tyler  in  the  investi- 
gation of  charges  against  him  while  post- 
master at  Baltimore,  during  President  Hayes' 
administration,  which  lasted  many  weeks 
and  attracted  general  attention  throughout 
the  country.  The  President  personally  re- 
viewed the  testimony,  and  General  Tyler  was 
completely  exonerated. 


voi'NG.  175 

In  jjolitics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  the  political  fpiestions  of 
the  day,  occasionally  going  on  the  stump. 
He  was  in  1893  the  candidate  of  his  party 
for  judge  of  the  supreme  bench  of  Baltimore 
city. 

He  left  college  in  1862  and  returning  to 
his  home  at  Coventry,  in  a  week's  time  he 
recruited  a  company  of  volunteers  known  as 
Co.  H,  15th  \'t.  Vols.,  of  which  he  was  unan- 
imously elected  a  captain  and  served  until 
mustered  out  June  16,  1863.  After  the  St. 
Albans  raid,  under  order  from  the  Governor 
of  Vermont,  he  enlisted  and  commanded  a 
company  of  militia  to  protect  the  banks  and 
other  property  from  apprehended  danger. 

Mr.  \\right  is  a  Mason.  He  is  also  Past 
Commander  Custer  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  was 
at  one  time  judge  advocate  general  of  the 
department.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
Society  for  Protection  of  Children  ;  likewi.se 
the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals. 

He  was  married  at  Newport,  Sept.  1 1, 
1866,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Abi- 
gail (Stevens)  Collier.  Their  only  child 
died  in  infancy. 


YOUNG,  John,  was  born  in  Chelsea  in 
1802  ;  when  quite  a  boy  he  removed  with  his 
father  to  New  York  state  and  received  a 
common  school  education  at  Conesus ; 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1829  ;  was  in  the  state   Legislature  in   1831, 


1844  and  1845  ;  was  a  representative  in 
Congress,  from  New  York,  from  1841  to 
1S43;  Governor  of  the  state  from  1847  to 
1849,  and  assistant  treasurer  of  the  United 
States  in  New  York  City,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  23,  1852. 


INDEX  TO  BIOGRAPHIES. 


PART  1. 


THE  FATHERS. 


PAGE 

Allen ,  Eth,all 20 

Allen,  Eben^zer 53 

Allen,  Irii 43 

Allen,  Heraan 53 

A  Group  of  Tories, 69 

Breakenridge,  Jaraes 50 

Baker,  Remember 51 

Bowker,  .Joseph Gl 

Bayley,  Gen.  Jacob 61 

Chittenden,  Tfhomas 39 

Cochran,  RoBen   .52 

Clark,  Nathail 61 

Carpenter,  Beiijamin 63 


PAGE 

Chandler,  Thomas   65 

Dewey,  Rev.  Jedediah 58 

Enos,  Gen.  Roger 69 

Fay,  Dr.  .lonas 50 

Fay,  Col.  Joseph  51 

Fassett,  Capt.  John 59 

Fletcher,  Gen.  Samuel 66 

Herrick,  Col.  Samuel 49 

Haewell,  Anthony 64 

Hazeltine,  John 66 

.Tones,  Dr.  Reuben  67 

Know  Hon,  Luke 59 

Marsh,  Joseph 62 


PAGE 

Payne,  Elisha 64 

Phelps,  Charles 68 

Robinson,  Samuel '. 54 

Robinson,  Gov.  Moses 55 

3obiusou,  rjonathau 57 

Robinson,  John  .* 57 

Rowlev ,  Thomas 58 

Safford,  Gen.  Samuel 66 

Spaulding,  I.ieut.  Leonard 68 

Townshend,  Micah 67 

Warner,  Seth ,35 

Walbridge,  E  benezer 52 


THE  GOVERNORS. 


Brieham.Paul 71 

Butler,  Ezra SO 

Chittenden,  Martin 76 

Crafts,  Samuel  C SI 

Converse,  Julius  100 

Coolidge,  Carlos SS 

Dillinffbam,  Paul 96 

Eaton,  Horace 87 

Fairbanks.  Erastus 89 

Fletcher,  Ryland 92 


Fairbanks,  Horace 101  I  Royce,  Stephen 01 

Galusha,  Jonas 74  |  Sla'de,  William S6 

Hall.  HiKind 03    Smith,. John  Gregorv 96 

.Jcnnison,  Silas  H S4  '  Smith,  Israel ." 73 

Mattocks,  John S5    Skinner,  Richard 77 

Palmer,  William  .A S2    Tichenor,  Isa.ac 72 

Paine,  Charles S5  i  Van  Ness,  Cornelius  P 78 

PaBe,,IohnB OS  I  Willi.ams,  Charles  Kilborn 88 

Peck,  Asahel 100    Washburn,  Peter  T 99 


SENATORS  IN  CONGRESS. 


Bradley,  Stephen  R 104  Fisk,  .James 

Brainerd, Lawrence 120  Foot,  Solomon 

Ohipman,  Nathaniel 108  Paine,  Elijah 107 

Chase,  Dudley Ill  Prentiss,  Samuel 114  |  Uphi 

Collamer,  Jacob 121  Phelps,  Samuel  S 116 


land,  LukeP 124 

lis  I  Seymour,  Horatio 113 

""    ~    ift,  Benjamin 115 

William 117 


REPRESENTATIVES  IN  CONGRESS. 


Allen,  Heman 144 

Allen,  Heman,  of  M  ilton 147 

Buck,  Daniel 129 

Buck,  D.  Azro 129 

Bradley,  William  V 136 

Bartlett,  Thomas,  Jr 1-53 

Baxter,  Portus 156 

Barlow,  Brjidley loS 

Cahoon,  William  14S 

Chamberlain,  William 133 

Chipmau,  Daniel  140 

Deming,  Benjamin  F 149 

Denison,  Dudley  C I5S 

Everett,  Horace 14S 

Elliot,  James 13.1 

Fletcher,    Geu.  Isaac 140 

Hunt,  Jonathan 14s 

Henry,  William 151 

Hebard,  William  152 


Hubbard,  Jonathau  H 1.35  l 

Hunter,  William 144 

Hodges,  George  T 154 

•Janes,  Henry  F 149 

Jewett,  Luther 141 

Keyes,  Elias 146 

Lyon,  Matthew 130 

Laugdon,  Chauucy 141 

Lvou,A6a  142 

Morris,  Lewis  R 132 

Mecch,Ezra  146 

Mallory,Roliin  Carlos 145 

Marsh,  Charles 143 

Merrill,  Orsamus  C 144 

Marsh,  George  Perkins l.'.O 

Muecbara,  James 152 

Miner,  Ahiman  L 1.52 

Nile>.  Nathaniel 127 

Noyes,  John 143 


Olin,  Gideon 134 

Oliu,  Uenrv 139 

I'cck,  Lucius  B 151 

Rich,  Charles 139 

Richards,  Mark 144 

Royce,  Homer  E 155 

Shaw,  Samuel 135 

Strong,  William 135 

Smith,  John 149 

Sabiu,  Alvah 1,54 

Smith,  Worthingtou  C 1,57 

Tracy,  Andrew 153 

Withorell,  James 134 

White,  Pbineas 146 

Wales,  George  E 140 

Walton,  Eliakim  P 154 

Woodbridge,  Frederick  E 156 

Willard,  Charles  W 1.57 

Young,  Augustus 160 


rnnGR-\PHiEs. 


JUDGES  OF  THE  SUPREME  COURT. 


Aldi. 


Ai  kens,  Asa 1 

Aldis,  Asa  Owen 1 

Bravton,  William   1 

Baylies,  Nicholai 
Bennett,  Mili 


18-2 


Hutchinson,  Titus  .... 

Isham,  Piernoint, 

Jacob,  Stephen 

Ivnigbt,  Saniuel 

Kellogg,  Daniel 

Ivittredge,  William  C. 


Barrett,  James  1S4     Kellogg,  Loyal  Case 


1N4 


Beardsley,  Herma 

Doolittle,  Joel •-'••• 

Ravis,  Charles 1S2 

Dunton,  Walter  C 18S 

Fay,  David 1''^ 

Farrand,  Daniel 178 

Hall,  Lot 1"S 

Herrinton,  Thcopliilus ITS 


Moseley,  Increase. 

Olcott,  Simeon  i^ 

Olcott,  Peter 174 

Porter,  Thomas 174 

Paddock,  Ephraiiu ISi] 

Pierpoint,  Robert 183 

Pierpoiut,  Joh  n 183 


Prout,  John 

Iledtield,  Isaac  Fletcher.   . 
Redrteld,  Timothy  Parker. 

Spooner,  Paul 

Smith,  Noah 

-I   I  I'  ,  I;.  uj..rain  Hinman. 
-  h,  John 

I  .1.  !.   K.iv.ill!!'.'.!!".. .'.'.'.'. 

TuruiT,  Bates 

Thompson,  John  C 

L^nderwood,  Abel 

Woodbridge,  Enoch 

Wilson,  William  U 


PART  II. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  VERMONTERS,  A.  D.   i892-'94. 


Ad.ams,  Bailey  F 1 

Adams,  Edward  P.ay8on 1 

Adams,  Joseph - 

Adams,  Andrew  N 3 

Albee,  John  Mead 4 

Alexander,  John  K 4 

Allen,  Charles  Edwin o 

Allen,  Ira  R -J 

Amsden,  Charles ? 

Atwood,  John  Andrews ^ 

Andrews,  Sumner  A. i 

AndroBs,  Dudley  Kimball ' 

Archibald,  Henry  t< » 

Arnold,  Fenelon ■' 

Arnold,  Fred « 

Atkins,  Hiram ^ 

Atwood.  Frank  O W 

Austin,  Orlo  Henry 1" 

Bailey,  Alden  Lee JJ 

Bailey,  Hor.ice  Ward 11 

Bailey, John J- 

Bailey,  Myron  W Ij 

Baker,  Austin  S 13 

Baker,  Joel  Clarke ]■> 

Balch,  William  Everard 14 

Baldwin,  Charles 14 

Baldwin,  A.  T W 

Baldwin,  Frederick  W 1' 

Ball,  Fanklin  P 17 

Ballard,  Henry 1» 

Ballou,  Hosea  Berthler 19 

Barney,  Herbert  R 19 

Barrett,  Byron  Simeon 19 

Barstow,  John  L -0 

Barron,  Lyman  P -- 

Bates,  Edward  L -• 

Baxter,  Edward  K - 

Bean,  Cromwell  Phelps J I 

Beckett,  George  -' 

Bedell,  Henry  Edson ■-■:■ 

Benedict,  Cieorge  Granville '^o 

Benton,  Josiah  H -6 

Bennett,  Edward  Dewey 26 

Billings,  Frederick 27 

Bisbee,  Edward   W 28 

Bingham,  William  H.  H 28 

Bixby,  ArmentuB  Boyden 30 

Bishop,  William  H "■- 

Bissell,  Edgar  N 

Bissell,  William  H.  A - 

Bixby,  Hira  L - 

Blaisdell,  Edson  G. 33 

Bliss,  Joshua  Isham 33 

Black,  Henry  Fayette 34 

Bogue.  Homer  A 34 

Bond,  George  Herbert 34 

Bolton,  Plynn 35 

Booth,  Isaac  Phillips 3.i 

Booth,  William   W 36 

Bosworth,   David 36 

Boyce,  Osmore  Baker 37 

Boyce,  William   A 37 

Boyden,  Nelson  L 38 

Boynton,  Thomas  Jefferson 3S 

Boynton,  William  Seward 39 

Brady,  Charles  N 39 

Bradford,  Philander  D 39 


Bragg,  Azro  D 40 

Branch,  Charles  F 40 

Brewster.  George  Benjamin 41 

Bri,I-ii-ni    I> :iri,  Jr 42 

Bri.'l   >        '   '    I           Orson 42 

BriL'l         .1                 I,   I.ncian 43 

Briin,,  w  iMiM,    w  alhice 44 

Brookui*.  Ilarvi-v  S   44 

Brown,  Adna...'. 44 

Brown,  Albert  L 45 

Brown,  Curtis 4ri 

Brown.  Williiim  A 4i-. 

Browiirll,  l'lianiir<.v  Wells Hi 

Brouiirll.  ch.niiH'ei   Wells 4T 

Brui-.-,  (;,o,-e  .\s:,' l^ 

Bugh,.,..,  Herman   4'' 

Buckham,  Matthew  Henry 4' 

Bulklev,  George c 

Bullock,  Elmer  J 4',' 

Bunker,  Charles  Albert 6ii 

Burdett,  Jesse 51 

Burnell,  Milo  8 51 

Butler,  Fred  Mason 51 

Butterlicld,  Alfred  Harvey 52 

Butterlield,  Ezra  Turner  '. 52 

Buttertield,  A.  Augustine 53 

Bntterfleld,  Frederick  David 54 

Bntterdeld,  Franklin  George 64 

Camp,  Erastus  C 67 

Camp,  Lyman  L 57 

Campbell,  Alfred  H 57 

Campbell,  Wallace  H 58 

Cantield,  Thomas  Hawlev 68 

Carleton,  Hiram ". 63 

Carnev.  John  Vose 64 

r.uiiMi'ii,  Nr.  W 64 

1.   :     I.I,  Amos  Bugbee 65 

'    I   .  ::i    '  liiirles  Solomon 66 

'    1--1I  .  '  i.i.rge 66 

Cellev,  William  E.  S 66 

Chafey,  Martin  Beard 67 

Chamberlin,  Preston  S 67 

Ch.andler,  Frank 67 

Chapin,  William 68 

Chase,  Charles  Sumner 68 

Chase,  Charles  M 69 

Chase,  Edgar  Merritt 69 

('111.,     Willlard 70 

'   1    I            'I  ,  Goldthwait 70 

'   liii      '■•    -iL;e  Edward 71 

I  I  II  I.,  1.   1.1  Warren 71 

I'liirk,  .l.ihn   Galvin 72 

Clement,  Percival  W 72 

Clarke,  Kanslure  Weld 74 

Cleveland,  James  P..  Jr 74 

Clifford,  Newell  E 7.5 

Cobb,  Nathan  Bryant 75 

Coburn,  James  Allen 76 

Coffee,  Robert  John 76 

Colburn,  Robert  M 77 

Colton,  Eben  Pomeroy 78 

Conaut,  Edward 78 

Conway,  John 79 

Cook,  John  Bray 79 

Coolidge,  John  C 80 

Cooper,  Alanson  Lawrence 80 

Cotton,  Joshua  Franklin 81 


Cowles,  Asahel  Read 81 

Cowles,  Elmer  Eugene 82 

Craraton,  John  Willey 82 

Coyne,  Peter  M 84 

Crane,  .Joseph  Adolphus 84 

Croft,  Leonard  F 84 

Crossett,  Janus 85 

Cudworth,  Addison  Edward 85 

Cummings,  Harlan  P 85 

Currier,  John  Winnick 86 

Curtis,  John 87 

I'li-liiriL'.  Daniel  L 87 

iii-lnii_.,  Haves  Porter 88 

Cii~liii..in,  Henry  T.,  2d 89 

Ciitl.  I.  llriirv  Ralph   89 

<nluii-,  Hiram  Adolphus 90 

I  litliii-,  iMiver  B 91 

I  ultiiiL...  William  B 91 

1)1.1...  iie..rge  N 92 

Damon,  Charles 92 

Dana,  Charles  S 93 

Dana,  M.arvin  Hill 93 

Darling,  Joseph  Kimball 94 

Darling,  J.  R 94 

Davenport,  Charles  Newton 95 

Davison,  Amory 96 

Davidson,  Milton 96 

Davis,  Dennison 97 

Davis,  Frank  E 97 

Diivis,  Frank  William 98 

Davis,  George 98 

Davis,  Gilbert  A 99 

Davis,  Samuel  Ray 99 

Deavitt,  John  James 100 

Deming,  Franklin 101 

Dewev,  Charles 101 

Dewey,  Charles  Edward 102 

Dewey,  Hiram  Einne 103 

Dexter,  Avery  J 103 

Dexter,  Charles  D 104 

Dexter,  Eleazer 104 

Dickey,  Asa  .M 105 

Dickenson,  Albert  Joyce 105 

Dillingham,  William  Paul 106 

Dillon,  John  W 106 

Diraick,  George  Washington 107 

Dix,  Samuel  Nevins 107 

Dodge,  Andrew  Jackson 108 

Dodge  Harvey 108 

Dodge,  John  Locke 109 

Dodge,  Prentiss  Cutler 109 

Donnelly,  John  H 110 

Doty,  George  W 110 

Dowley,  George  .S "ill 

Draper,  Joseph Ill 

Drew,  Luman  Augustus 112 

DuBois,  William  Henry 112 

Dunlap,  Thomas  Hiram 113 

Dunnett,  Alexander 114 

Dunton,  Charles  H 114 

Dwinell,  Frank  A 115 

Dwinell,  Joseph  Elmer 116 

Eaton,  Fred  Laurine 117 

Eayres,  George  Nelson 117 

Edson,  Ezra 118 

Edmunds,  George  Franklin US 

Eldredgc,  Loyal  D 120 


INDEX    ']'0    lilOGKAI'llli:S. 


179 


Eldridee,  Lovell  JiickhOii 120 

Elliot.  Lester  Hall 121 

Ellis,  Edward  Dyer 121 

Ellsworth,  John  Clark 122 

Emery,  Curtis  Stauton 123 

Enright,  Joseph  Coruelhis 123 

Enright.  .lohu  J 124 

Estey,  Jacob 124 

Estey,  Julius  J 12ii 

Fairbanks,  Franklin I"-7 

Fairbanks,  Henry 12S 

Fairbanks,  Thaddeus 129 

Farman,  Marcellus  Winslow 13:; 

Faulkner,  Shepherd  D 134 

Farnham,  Koswell 134 

Farrell,  Patrick  Joseph 13i; 

Field.  Frederick  Griswold 137 

I'-i.-hl.  \lrnv\    iM-aiicia 137 

Ki-h,  Iniiik  l,.>lie   138 

Fi-I>.  r.  11  ill  r.itchelder 13S 

l-l  lUL'    t  -.    W 139 

Fl  !■        -    \\  .iii;.m  Daua 140 

F  II        1  Addison 140 

I-  1:         i    \l.iam 141 

F   i      -.  'I   .  _._-  Spoouer 141 

Ford,  SiiuiiRl  W 142 

Foss,  James  M 142 

Foster,  Alonzo  M 143 

Foster,  Austin  Theophilus 143 

Foster,  Wells  A 144 

Francisco,  M.  Judson 144 

Frary,  Solon  Frauklin 146 

French,  Warren  Converse 14T 

Fuller.  Henry 147 

Fuller,  Levi  K 148 

Fuller,  Jonathan  KiuKi-lev 1.50 

Fullington,  Frederick  H." 151 

Fulton,  Robert  Reed  131 

Furmau,  Daniel  G l.o2 

Gallup,  O.  M l.W 

Oage,  Sydney 153 

Gardner,  Abraham  Brooks 153 

Gates,  Amasa  0 1.54 

Giddings,  William   H 155 

Gill,  Daniel  Oscar 156 

Gleasou,  Carlisle  Joyslin 155 

Gleaeon,  Henry  Clay 156 

Gleason,  Joseph  Thomas 156 

Gleaeon,  Richardson  J 157 

Gleason,  Samuel  Mills 158 

Goodell,  Jerome  Winthrop 159 

Goodell,  Tyler  D 159 

Goodhue,  Homer 160 

Goodenough,  Jonas  Eli 160 

Goodwin,  Elam  Marsh 161 

Goss,  l^tory  N 161 

Gove,  Moses  B 162 

Granger,  Plinv  Nye 162 

Greene.  Olin   D 163 

Grout,  Don  D 163 

Griffin,  Benoni 164 

Grout,  Josiah 165 

Grout,  Selim  E 163 

Grout,  William  W 166 

•Grout,  Theophilus 168 

Hailc,  Benjamin  Harrison 169 

Hale,  Harry 169 

HaU,Mark". 171 

Hale,  Thomas 171 

Hale,  Henry 171 

Hale,  Safford  Eddy 171 

Hale,  Robert  Safford 172 

Hale,  Rev.  John  Gardner 172 

Hale,  William  Bainbridge 172 

Hale,  Matthew 173 

Hale,  Franklin  D 173 

Hale,  James  Buchanan 174 

Hall,  Alfred  Allen !74 

Hall,  Charles  Taylor 174 

Hall,  Emerson 175 

Hall,  Isaac  N 175 

Hall,  Samuel  Baker 176 

Hamilton,  Joseph 177 

Hamilton,  Merrill  Thomas 177 

Hammond,  Fred  Burton 178 

Harahau,  John  David 178 

Hammond,  Lowell  G. 180 

Harmau,  George  Washington ISO 

Hardie,  Robert  Gordon LSI 

Harris,  Broughton  Davi,, 181 

Harris,  Charles  A 183 

Harris,  John  Edward 183 

Hartshorn,  John  Willard 184 

Harvey,  Roney  M 184 

Haselton,  Seneca 185 

Hapkins,  Kittredge 186 

Hastings,  Jonathan  Hammond 186 

Hastings,  Stephen  J 187 

Hatch,  Royal  A 1^7 

Hay,  Barron 188 

Havward,  Henry  R 188 

Haieu,  Lucius  Downer 189 


Heath,  Charles  Henry 

Hcaton,  Homer  Wallace 

Hendec,  George  Whitman 

Hebard,  Salmon  B 

Henry,  William  Wirt 

Hewitt,  Ale.vis  B 

Hill,  George  W 

Hiil,  Harlan  Heurv 

Hitchcock,  AaronCharlcs 

Hobart,  John  White 

Hobson,  Samuel  Decatur 

Holbrook.  Arthur  T 

Holbrook,.lohn 

ll"i!'I'-i,,     l-l-.l.Tick 

Il'i    ■!'■        ,    \V     .li;iUl  C 

11    ;.i.    ,,  .   I    ,     ,  ,  Heed 

II. '1.1.  11,  .1,1...  -  Henry 

lloldcu,  SylvanUB  Marsh 

Holden,  Orsemor  S. 

Holden,  John  Stedman 

Holland,  Emerson 

Holton,  Charles  O 

Holton,  Henry  Dwight 

Holton,  Joel  Huntington 

Hooker,  George  White 

Hooper,  Marco  B 

Horlon,  Edwin 

Howard,  Charles  W 

Howard,  Seymour 

Howard,  Roger  S 

Howard  Walter  E 

Howard,  William  Sumner 

Howe,  Elhanan  Winchester 

Howe,  Luther  I'roctor 

Howe.  Miirshall  Olis 

How  laud,  Frank  George 

Hubbard,  George  A 

Huhliard.  Lorenzo  W 

Hulihcll.  .Mvrun  14 

Hudson,  ;?olMniun  .■J 

Humphrey.  Charles  Timothy  Allen 

Humphrey,  Julius  Augustus 

Hunter,  Ellsworth  M 

Huntley,  Eber  W 

Huse,  Hiram  Augustus 

Hutchinson,  .James 

Ide,  Henry  Clay 

Jackm.an,  A.  M 

Jackman,  Henry  A 

James,  John  A 

Janes,  Arthur  Lee 

Jenne,  James  Nathaniel 

Jennings,  Cyrus 

Jennings,  Rev.  Isaac 

Jennings,  Frederic  B 

Johnson,  Leonard 

Johnson,  Russell  Thaver  

Johnson,  William  Edvvard 

Jones,  Edwin  Kent 

Jones,  Henrv  R 

Jones,  Rollin  J 

Jones,  Walter  Alouzo 

Jones,  Walter  Krank 

Joyce,  Charles  H 

Judevine,  Harvev 

Kelton,  Francis  "p 

Keltuu,  Truman  Chittenden 

Kemp,  Deau  G  ustavus 

Kenlield,  F'rank  

Keniston,  Nathan 

Keyes,  Thomas  C 

Kimball,  Robert  Jackson 

King,  Aaron  N 

King,  Charles  W 

King,  Charles  M 

King,  Royal  Daniel 

Kingsley,  Jerome  Orlando 

Ladd,  Chester  M 

Landon,  Miles  .1 

Landon ,  O .  B 

Lane,  Edwin 

Lane,  Henry  Clark 

Lane,  Henrj'  James 

Lathrop,  Cyrus  U 

Lavignc,  Joseph 

Lawtou  Shailer  Emery 

Leach,  Chester  K 

Leach  Moses  J 

Leavenworth,  Abel  Edgar 

LeHarou,  Isaac  Newton 

Leland,  George  Farnham 

Lewis,  Frank  W 

Lewis,  L.  Halsey 

Lewis,  Uodne}*  M 

Lincoln,  Benjamin  Frauklin 

Livingston,  Fred  B 

Lockwood,  Albert  H 

Lvford,  lloriicc  W 

Lyman,  Charles  A 

Lynde,  George  W 

Lynde,  .John 

Lyon,  John  Stanley 


PAGE 

Lund,  Henrv  W 251 

McFarland,  Henry  .Moses 261 

Mackie,  (ieorge  C 252 

Macoy,  Byron  Grafton 252 

Manchester,  Hiram  Levi 253 

Manley,  Joseph  E 253 

Mann,  Charles  David 254 

Mann,  Hosea,  Jr 255 

Marsh,  Charles  Phelps 255 

Marsh,  Piatt  T 256 

Marshall,  Jesse 256 

Marshall,  Oscar  Azor 257 

Martin,  .lor-eph  (Jrav 057 

-M:'i"".  F..i,iK  J....: 557 

\l  ,:t;,i,  .1  ,,iM  -    Loreu 258 

\l  .""'.  Mill.."  W 259 

M  .111".   »  ■ili.iru 239 

M."l'".  Will.Hd   S 259 

M-'-"".'l-il..,~  W 260 

M,.lil...v, -,,  h.irlcs  \V.-: 280 

.\l.in,H,.„,  wmi.uuP 260 

Matlison,  Fred  Lelaud 261 

May.  Elisha 262 

McCullough,  John  Griflith «6" 

MeDnfl.e.  Heurv  Clav 21*4 

M..(M.UM,  k.   Felix  William -2C3 

M'  1."".  .1.'""-  K 266 

Mil—".  -\l'-il   266 

M.M.ii.  .  ,  \\  dliam  l> -iB- 

M'V"  ■•■  ■-.  Al-onN 567 

\l.  i.i.  ]..i   I  ,  l-erguBon 26S 

M"  I  I ..Vr::;;;;:;.;:"::::  273 

\1    .....I       I    II. .than  Washburn    ....273 

M.  I  1  III.  li, -l.ihu  Hastings 274 

Miles,  Lorenzo  Dow or. 

Miles,  Willard  Wcsbery 275 

Miller,  Crosby o'o 

Miller,  Joseph    "  o-,; 

Miller,  Joseph  Arms ..Th- 
inner, Harris  M '>■;- 

Miller,  Nurris  Robinson '78 

Miller,  Adiii  Franklin 278 

Morrill,  Justin  t^inith 279 

Morse,  George  A 281 

Moultou,  Clarence  F 282 

Munson,  Loveland 283 

Needham,  Lewis  Cass 284 

Nelson,  Wilmot  G 034 

Newell,  Lyman  MerriHeld '.'.'.'.  285 

Newton,  William  S .505 

Nichols,  William  Henry '.'.'.'..'  286 

Nimblelt,  Oscar  L 287 

Nortou.  Luman  Preston •>87 

Olmstead,  AIner  Allyn -jss 

Orvis,  Frauklin  Henry 289 

Osgood.  Charles  W -^90 

Owen,  Clarence  Philander 290 

Owen,  Joseph -'oi 

Owen,  Oscar  Daniel •".'11 

Ormsbee,  El.euezer  Jolls ■':,-> 

Paine,  .Milton  Kendall -1^4 

Page,  Oirroll  .■^malley, 294 

Park,  Trenor  William    ■^^6 

Parker,  Charles  S 298 

Parker,  Harry  Klwood 298 

Parker,  Henry  J 29^ 

Parker,  Luther  Fletcher 30O 

Partridge,  Frank  Charles 300 

Partridge,  Heurv  V 301 

Pearl,  Isaac! 302 

Pease,  Allen  Luther .3112 

Peck,  Cicero  Goddard 303 

Peck,  Marcus  304 

Peck,  Theodore  Safford 304 

Peckett,  John  Barron -Mb 

Pember,  Eiumett  K :iU6 

Perkins,  Marsh  Olin 306 

Perry,  Elbridge 307 

Perry,  James  M 307 

Phelps,  BrighamThoma, 305 

Phelps,  Edward  John 30s 

Phelps,  Frederick  B 310 

Philbrick,  Jonathan 311 

Phillips,  George  Henry    311 

Phillips,  WiDlield  Scott 312 

Phinney,  Truman  C 312 

Pier,  Frederick  Baldwiu 313 

Pierce,  Charles  .\lexander 313 

IMerce,  George  W 313 

Pierson,  .fames  Smith 314 

I'ierpoint.  Evelvu 314 

Pike,  Paphro  U" 315 

Pingree,  Saiuuel  K 315 

Pitkin,  Perlev  Peabodv 316 

Pitkin,  John  G ' :ils 

Piatt,  .Mvron 319 

Pluiidev.  Frank 319 

Plumlev.  Frank  il 320 

Poland,  Joseph 321 


INDEX    TO    BI0C.R.4PHIES. 


Porter,  Charles  Wiilcott. 

Powers,  Heman  A 

Powers,  Horace  Henry.. 

Pralt,  Daniel  Stewart 

Pray,  Uufus  M. 


Ml' 


lM.>tlM-. 

.Iiilin    i:,    \V. 


RanO.       ■■       .      >>     oi-1 

llaiiL-.       w  -       I  --.-ne 333 

Kav"!  ■  '    3S3 

lU-;..!,  l.-..'>il  MMii:,y 334 

Read,  Carkli.ii  W 334 

J{eed,  MarcUB  L 33.i 

Roberts,  Daniel 33a 

Roberts,  Ellis  G 337 

Roberts,  Elbert  James 33S 

Robertson,  John 338 

Robertson,  William 338 

Robinson.  Ileorar  Wardsworth. . . .  339 

Robiii-t',  .I'liii  '       3411 

Roi;.i-      -    'i-        '>:ill 34U 

Ro.ji.r       \l     I,..     1      341 

Root,   11.-.; -" 341 

Ropes,  .\rtlun- 34J 

Ross,  Jonathan ■'■■>- 

Rowell,  George  Barker :;4  : 

RoweU,John  W .34:; 

Royce,  George  Edmund 344 

Rugg,  David  Fleicher 345 

Russell,  Chandler  Miller 345 

Russell,  George  Kendal 34i> 

Russell,  Julius  \V 34o 

Rutherford,  Joseph  C 34: 

Ryther,Fred  E ^s 

Sanborn,  Isaac  Wheeler -4^ 

Sargent,  Caleb  Cushing 34  - 

Sawyer,  Edward  Bertrand ;  '■ 

Scarff,  Charles  Wayland 3-! 

Scott,  Olin " 

Seuter,  .John  Henry '■-■^ 

Shattuck,  Martin 3.. 

Shaw,  Albert  J :  ■ 

Shaw.  Henry  Hatsic :; 

Willr.'il  <■    -  ' 


^kinntr,  Richard  Baxter 

-ii;  ill.  \  .  Htadley  Barlow 

-  :  ,  ,  \l.h  die  Earl 

-  M    I     .   '  ,,rli-s  Carroll 

-  .    'Ii,  '    .iiient  F 

-M.  :l      ■    li.ulfSF 

-:.,■     I.      >     .   IU>    H 

^iiiitli.  Ki.MuVic  Elijah'.-!.'.".! 

Smith.  Mvion  W 

Smitli.  Walter  Ferrin 

Spaffor.l,  Henry  W 

Spear,  Victor  I 

Stanley,  Albert  E 

Stanton,  Zed  S 

Start,  Henry   R 

Start,  Simeon  Gould 

Stearns,  Charles  H 

Stearns,  John  C 

Stevens,  Alonzo  Jackson 

Stevens,  Charles 

Stevens,  Charles  Phelps 

Stevens,  Jonas  T 

Stevi'ns,  .TaiucK  V 

stri.  ■        \   !    .■,,  i;i;,Hding,  ... 

siiri  : J.    Washington 

-tirl,ii>  \  ,  .Ii.-riili  I'rcadway  . . 

-lilr-,   iM.nii,    W 

-:i!l-..ii,  II.  I, M    I lard 

St..iM/.  ClLillr-  Mal>liall 

Stone,  Arthur  Fairbanks 

Ston  e.  Mason  Serene 

Stowell,  John  Wesley 

Stranahan,  F.arrand  Stewart  ., 

stun, Nam.  Wilber  R 

~:ill.iw:a  ,  Lorenzo 


,  Natha 


vey. 


Sha 

Shed, I,  Wilh.i 

Sht'l.l.ili,  <li:il 

She|.anl,.IM, 

Shep.M.i-.  II.  ■ 

Shi^r '  '- 

Shi-nii  III    -  . 

ShilHii;i:i.  l-,lii 

Shores.  Ethan  I'n-suott  .. 

Shumway,  John  (iuincy 

Shurtleff,  .lohn  Taylor... 

Shurtleff,  Stephen  Curriei 

Stilsby,  Wendell 

Silver,  William  Riley  .... 
Siraonds,  David  Kendall. 
Skinner,  Eliab  Reed 


.i-u  Edri.-k 

:•" 

"is  I'age 

396 

362  T.iwie,  Edwin  Ruthve 

363  I  Truax,  Albert  B 

363  I  Trull,  Daniel  N 

363    Trnsaell,  Jacob  


PAGE 

I  Tucker,  Melvin  Ellis 403 

1  Turner,  Edwin  R 404 

Tuttle,  Albert  Henry 404 

Tyler,  Erastus 40.i 

Tyler,  James  M 405 

Tyler,  Royall 406 

Valentine,  A.  B 406 

Veazey,  Wheelock  Graves 408 

Vail.  Homer  W 410 

Viall,  George  Marcius 411 

Viall,  William  B 412 

Vincent,  Walter  H 412 

Wadleieh,  Benjamin  F 413 

Waite,  Horace 413 

Wakefield,  William  Wallace 414 

Walbridae,  John  Hill 414 

!  Wales,  Torre.y  Englesby 415 

i  Walker,  Daniel  C 416 

Walker,  Franklin  William 416 

I  Walker,  William  Harris 417 

i  WalLace,  James  B 418 

Ward,  Hiram  Owen 418 

Wardwell,  George  Jdffords, 419 

I  Warren,  Charles  Carleton 421 

Waterman,  Eleazer  L 421 

Watrrniiui,  llnuan  ,V 422 

Wil-.ih.  .Ii.liii   llnirv   422 

Wrt.li,  .li.liii  W       .  ,'. 423 

W.il.st,!-,  Il;iii  Trask-e 423 

Weeks,  John  E 424 

Wellman,  Leigh  Richmond 424 

Wells,  Edward 425 

Weston,  Eugene  Sydney 425 

Wheeler,  Charles  Frederick 426 

Wheeler,  Charles  Wiilard 42B 

Wheeler,  Hoyt  Henry 427 

Wheelock.  Edwin 428 

Wli.'cl.Hk.  Martin  W 428 

\Vlii|.|.l..  Kdward  O 429 

\\  Intiiiiiili,  Ervin  Jackson 429 

Aliiiu,  1  lli.it  G 430 

Willi,-,  IKmau  Allen 430 

Wliitr.H.C 431 

WiloiX.  Henry  Clay 431 

Wilkin-,  i^forge 432 

Wi.lii  I    \iulrew  Jackson 432 

,\           1.  I,, urge  F.  B 433 

\        II      I' rank  Clifton 434 

,\ .  i,,i,,rge  Aimer 434 

\\-||i,iiii-,  .l.iiiK-  I'l'to- 435 

W   ll-iill,  ,l:ill|r-    IhM.L,!, 435 

Wilhiin,  \I.-lMii     \ 435 

Will-,  ll.-.il;;,-  \\:.-l.il.L't..ll 436 

Winslow,  Don  Averv 436 

Winslow,  Samuel  Dutton 437 

Withered,  John  H 438 

Woodbury,  Urban  Andrian 438 

Woodworth,  Arthur  Wellington  ...  439 

Woolson ,  Amasa 439 

Wooster,  Jay 440 

Wyman,  Andrew  A 440 

Wvman,  Cyrus  Warren 441 

Wyman,  Martin  L 441 

Young,  John  Stillraan 442 


P^RT   III. 


SONS  OF  VERMONT. 


Albee,  Burton  H 1 

Abbott,  George  B 1 

Alford,  Alonzo 3 

Alford,  Albert  Gallatin 4 

Allen,  John  Clayton 4 

A  Hen ,  John  Clarence 5 

Annis,  Jere  Wright 6 

Arthur,  Chester  A 6 

Arnold,  Lemuel  H 9 

Atwood,  Harrison  Henry 9 

Babcock,  Joseph  Weeks 10 

Baldwin,  Melvin  R 10 

Barber,  J.Allen 10 

Barto,  Alphonso 

Batcbelder,  George  W 11 

Baxter,  Luther  Loren 

Beaman,  Fernando  C 13 

Belcher,  Isaac  Sawyer 

Belcher,  William  C'. 13 

Beard,  Alanson  Wilder 14 

Bell,  Hiram 

Benedict,  Robert  D 


Benjamin,  Chauncey  E 

Benton ,  Jacob 

Benton,  Reuben  Clark 

Blshee,  Lewis  H 

Blanchard,  Charles 

Blanchard,  John 

Blinn,  Charles  Henry 

Bliss,  Neziah  W.  . . .' 

Boardman,  Henry  Eldcrkin  Jewett. 

Boardman,  Halsev  J 

Boutin,  Charles  W 

Bradford,  James  Henry 

Brigham,  Hosea  Wheeler 

Brown,  Orlando  J 

Bruce,  Eli  Mansfield 

Butterfield.  L.  Alonzo 

Carpenter,  Matthew  Hale 

Camp,  Isaac  N 

Carter,  Edmund  H 

Caswell,  Lucien  B 

Gate,  George  W 

Chamberiaiu,  Edsou  J 


Ch,andle 


AUic 


30 


Chandler,  William  Wallace 34 

Chase,  Lucien  B 36 

Cheever,  Dustin  Grow 26 

Cheever,  Silas  Grow 37 

Chipman,  John  S 38 

Chittenden,  L.  E 38 

Cristy,  Austin  Phelps 38 

Clark,  Chester  Ward 38 

Clark,  Ezra,  Jr -39 

Clark,  Frank  G 39 

Clark,  Jefferson 39 

Clark,  William  Bullock 40 

Clarke,  Albert 40 

Clement,  Austin 41 

Cotton,  Alric  Oswy 42 

Craein.  Aaron  H 42 

Croiby,  Henry  B 42 

Culver,  Marshall  Lyman  43 

Curtis,  Edward 44 

Cushman,  Sylvester 44 

Cutts,  Marseua  E 44 


,  Ceoigo  Wiirdeu. 


Don-I 
Drew, 
lliiiin, 

( 'harles  Aarc 

El.l.i.! 
Elli-  • 

'■••■  -■    •>\    i;i  , 

Wesley. 


Oani.'M..  -,■]„.■,,,- 
(riltillan.  .I,>h]i  I!.....'.'.' 
Glazier,  Nelson  Newto 
Gleaeon,  James  Mellon 
Goodnough,  Algernon  ! 

Gos8,  Ezra  C 

Gould,  Charles  Gilbert. 

Gould,  WillD 

Gray,  Andrew  Jackson, 

Gray,  E.lL'ar  H 

Gray,  Mcivin   I,, 

Gray,  ll,.|ii  v  U  iiliiuii.!! 

GreeQi',  Kh-.t  S 

Greeuleaf,  Hall.ert  Stevi 
Griuuell,  Josiah  B 
Griswold,  William  D.','! 

Hall,  Alfred  Stevens 

Hall,  Christopher  W  ... 
Hatch,  Egbert  Benson., 

Hawley,  JJavid 

Hayward,I.ewi8A 


■Herbert. 


Higley,  Edwin" Half 
Hoard,  Charles  H,,. 


1 

VI 'lA-    in    IIIIKI 

•SAI'HIKS 

HolMi 
H,.h„ 
H..|,l. 
Ilopk 

iioVtV, 

llosfn 

nl,  Willi,,,,,    Hvn, 

>.  i:ii..~  i:.,..," 
"•<'^.-|M  ,   Phorna 
'-.'■."I,.,.  Weslej 

l."-".'ll  () 

'.  \:.li-nli„e  K... 
'I.J.-.l.-.llah 

1 
m 

iSi 


ae    Kassou,  John  Adam 
■sed  Kellogg,  William  Pitt.'. 
•16    Kidder,  Jefferson  P  . 
?J    KnaPP,  Channcv  h  .... 
09     Kuapp,  Dexter  J 

IW    Knapp,  Lymau  E ! 

fi?  ^''?«'''°n.-  ^'""'k  Hall  . 
62  Ladd,  Charles  Douglas. 
62    Landon,  William  Cham 

62  Lawrence,  (  harles  V, 

63  I  Lee,  John  .Stcbbii 


Molten. . 


veil,  Hen,yAII,o,t.".'." 
^Newton,  Charles  Jlarsl,;,ll 
■vton,   William  Hoiirv 
..  I  ..^.vton,  Daniel  U 
6a    Newton,  John  C 

"0    Newton,  Moses..       

Noble,  Henry  Smith..';.";;: 
-,  '  ^^;"'""".  ■'^■>eO 

I-  ' '     '  ■  'i rant. ;;;;;;;;' 

:■■     ;'"''.  .^"Lilian,  B 

^4      '.Ml,  li.ihlv  Wilfred 

.0  ,  Parker,  A.  X 

76  I  Parker,  George  H  .   . 

77  Parker,  Isaac  Auguslus 
rs    Parker,  Myron  M  ..... 

rs  Parmelee,  Edwai-d  Cai'roli 

9  Partridge,  George.. 

iO  Pearsons,  Daniel  Kimba'l',;; 

lO  Perry,  Aaron  F 

'1  Perry,  Daniel 

!1  Pettee,  Lyman  F 

i2  Pettigrew,  Richard  i'Vankii, 

3  Phelps,  Charles  E 

a  Phelps,  George  llovey. ; ; ; ; ; 


l"n,  David  Nelson. 
l>''-"il)en 

:i   <;,.<, ,■,_,,,  Stewart, 


Stovons,  Thaddeus.... 

Stone,  Ashley 

Stone,  Bvron  .Ashley 
f^towoll.  William  H   ii" 
~i  -«.  II,  Walter  Lester 
-I-  .!;,.,,,  ,  baj-lesC,..;; 

-  ■■•'''     «  ;llis,,, 

'  ■•'■"■     11     A    W.,., 


Weljlii 
White 
W  hitf 


John..;;;; 

-Marshall  Harve, 
11,' o  Washington". 


Henry  D. 
ArbaN.  . 
".-tin  H,  . . 


■eorge  W 

,  James  Arthur. 
.  Jonadab  Baker 


Wintlou  ,  iU,r.,ci:  ,Suei 
I  Wood,  Thomas  W 
Woodruff,  Charles  .\  ' 
Woodward,  Tyler, 
Wright,  Cyrus  Smith ; 
Wright,  Riley  E.  , . , 
Young,  John 


AUG  -1  m,3 


\'is  ^