USA > Connecticut > Windham County > A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I > Part 105
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Vernon Stiles Robbins of Brooklyn, who died about a year ago, was born
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in the Town of Thompson, Windham County, Conn., August 5, 1835, in the village then called Masonville, now Grosvenordale, and was educated in the schools of the town and county. In a letter received by the editor about two years ago, he wrote: "At an early age I entered the store of our village and remained there nearly forty years. I was postmaster and the railroad station was about a quarter of a mile distant, where I was station agent. My life has been uneventful, without accident or incident. After arriving at the age of twenty-one, when I became a free man, I took a hand in politics, first was elected a grand juror, next assistant register of votes, then became a tax- collector of the town and was elected to the General Assembly in 1876; attended the State Convention, the Congressional Convention, after which I gave up politics altogether. Have always voted the republican ticket from John C. Freemont to Charles E. Hughes. I have lived to see many of the little villages grow to large towns and cities. The electric trolleys now go through the town where I have lived. I have seen many changes and also wonderful inventions -the Atlantic cable telegraph, flying machines and "wireless." As to my diet, I have had no rules or regulations, ate what I wanted and when I wanted; have smoked from an early age up to this time without any injury. I came from a long-lived ancestry. My grandfathers both reached a good old age- one lived to be eighty-five and the other ninety. About eight years ago I became totally blind, for which there was no help, consequently I have been unable to work, which, after my busy life, is a great cross to me, as I feel that I now cannot do anything to support myself."
Among the best-known and most interesting among the elder folk in this part of the country are Mr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Stetson of Brooklyn. Mrs. Stetson is now seventy-eight years old and comes of a long-lived ancestry, as the following record indicates: Lory Lincoln, daughter of Nathaniel Lincoln of North Windham, was born January 20, 1791; married Darius Spafford of Windham, June 27, 1814, and died March 13, 1886, age ninety-one. Her daughter, Caroline Frink, born November 1, 1822, married Charles Frink of Scotland, May 17, 1841, and died March 31, 1903, aged eighty-one. Her daughter, Mary C. Frink, was born May 23, 1842, married Joseph B. Stetson, November 26, 1868. Mr. Stetson is somewhat older and they both appear to be in excellent health.
Writing about the popularity and good will of the Stetsons, and about some later-day phases of Brooklyn life, a resident of Brooklyn recently wrote a very interesting letter to the editor. After speaking of meeting Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Stetson at a recent meeting of the Grange, where all present were very glad to welcome them, the letter continued :
"We have quite a number of old gray heads in Brooklyn Grange. We enjoy getting together there, and are as much interested in the music, speaking and a variety of entertainments as the younger members. Mr. Stetson is treas- urer this year, and sometimes gives us a farmer's talk. He and Mrs. Stetson were formerly regular attendants but do not feel able to come as often nowa- days. When they were first married, Mr. Stetson's mother was past ninety, and an older sister resided with them, and many members of the Stetson families liked to visit the old homestead."
Another neighbor testifies that "Mrs. Stetson was a busy woman in those earlier days-a life thoroughly typical of the New England housewife, happy in hard work for those she loved. There was the usual housework and the
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getting of meals for hungry, husky Stetsons; always good 'buttery' full for those who came without notice; and then there was the farm work, the milk and cream to take care of, the butter making, the fowls, and always a plenty to do; but it never entered her head to complain. Her amusement was a fine flower garden, which she still keeps up-with a profusion of dahlias, gladioli, nasturtiums, etc.
"Uncle Joe was equally busy with his side of the household tasks, and with the town life and public life; and their home was famed for its hospitality and good cheer. They used to attend the Unitarian Church, but so many of the former members of this society have died that these services were discontinued about two years ago, and now the Baptists and Episcopalians are each without a preacher, though a rector from Danielson conducts services for the latter. The Baptists, Unitarians and Congregationalists meet together Sunday evening in Unitarian Hall to enjoy movies and community singing and everybody likes it. All separate creeds were forgotten during the war and it was a good thing, and it is a good thing for the people to get together Sunday evenings in this way. Maybe it will all point the way to a Union Church, with the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man as the only doctrine needed, and if we really live up to it, it will be creed enough."
In this connection the editor recalls that in 1908, when the Town of Hebron observed its Bi-Centennial, President Luther of Trinity College, and a native of Brooklyn, was speaking of the life in the smaller towns and the dwindling population of the old New England sort, and he referred to a typical Sunday morning scene which might be observed in Brooklyn in these later days "where there are now remaining several different churches of different creeds, but their spires all pointing towards the same Heaven and yet you may see them every Sunday morning going their separate ways to their separate churches, and none of them can really tell you why they keep separate." He expressed the hope that a better unity of feeling might some day prevail. Is it now foreshadowed ?
Eliza Mowry Bliven, now living in Brooklyn, at age 75, is one of the most interesting women in Windham County, and quite widely known outside the county and state among her particular "cult." She is an avowed materialist, has no use for religion or churches, nor any faith in the future life of the spirit. She believes that the human form and life grow and flourish and die as trees do, and that death ends all so far as the individual life is concerned. And yet in this belief she finds no gloom, but is cheerful and happy, and withal a very intelligent woman, a good friend and neighbor and possesses the esteem of the community for her kindly personal qualities. She and her late husband were of similar belief and not only avowed materialists but active propagandists of that "faith"-if so it may be called. They were especially active as propagandists of materialism in earlier life.
Mrs. Bliven believes in the old Roman motto, "a sound mind in a sound body. Folks don't live right, don't take proper care of their bodies; don't eat the right kind of food to be healthy;" too much cider and too much tobacco, etc. She writes concerning the community meetings now being held in Brooklyn and says, "That is better than being all divided up by creeds. All creeds were dropped to work together during the war. All creeds will be dropped in political work when we get woman suffrage. In place of religion,
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the people need lectures and discussions to educate public sentiment into pro- moting the general welfare and I hope woman suffrage will bring that about."
Philo S. Bartow, of Brooklyn, reached age 88, May 6, 1920, and celebrated the event by writing a very interesting letter to the Norwich Bulletin. He wrote: "So many people want me to tell them about things that happened before the Civil war that we thought of writing about a few things we can remember that happened a good many years ago lest we forget them when we get old. We remember seeing the steamer Henry Clay with the crew and load of passengers burned on Long Island Sound. We remember the first time we voted for state officers we voted for Myron D. Clark,. the last whig governor of New York. Our first vote for President was cast for John C. Fremont in 1856 and we have voted for every republican candidate since Fremont was defeated by James Buchanan, the last democratic president until Cleveland. We can remember a snow storm that occurred in Walton, N. Y., the 13th and 14th of April, 1857, and the 20th and 21st four feet more fell. We remember hearing Susan B. Anthony make a speech on woman's rights. We remember hearing Fred Douglas make a speech at Walton, N. Y. He was a colored man who came north with the Uncle Tom's Cabin company. He started a newspaper at Rochester, N. Y., and the paper had no name except the Fred Douglas paper. We remember hearing Corporal James Tanner make a great speech at Walton, N. Y., July 4, 1876, and after an interval of forty years we heard him again at the national encampment at Boston. We remember the great singer, Jenny Lind. We remember John P. Taft, the great temperance lecturer, making a speech in the adjoining Town of Wilton, Conn. We remember while in the army we went with several other boys to the house of Robert Small's mother to get her to bake some hot cakes for us, but she was out of meal so we got no hot cakes but she told us about Robert and said she expected him home every day. He was on a rebel picket boat and when the rebel officer went ashore and left Robert in charge of the boat he got up steam and ran the boat out and delivered it up to the blockading fleet. After the war the government gave the boat named the Planter to Robert and he was elected and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
We remember the "know nothing" party. At one time in the town where we lived every office from supervisor down to constable was held by a member of the "know nothing" party. Their motto was "Let none but Americans Rule America." The party was all right until it got mixed up with slavery. They nominated and voted for Millard Fillmore for President and he got the electoral votes of two states. We think it was Maryland and Delaware."
William M. Smith, now living in Chaplin, March 26, 1918: "At your request I am sending you the following : My name is William Mulford Smith. I was born in New York City, May 14, 1835. My business has been a house painter. I resided in New York City and vicinity up to the time of the Civil war in 1861. At the call for volunteers for three months' service I joined the Twelfth New York militia and served my three months and returned home. and after mustering out I re-enlisted in the One Hundred and First New York regiment, infantry, August 28th, was mustered in; was first sergeant, Company A and served with the regiment. June 1. 1862 was promoted, receiv- ing a second lieutenant's commission. I was in the fight at Flag Station ; also battle of Malvern Hill and second battle of Manassas, on the retreat from which I was wounded in both legs; was sent to the hospital at Washington,
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where I remained six weeks. I was finally mustered out December 24, 1862. I returned and resumed my trade at Brooklyn, N. Y., for two years, then moved to Staten Island, lived eight years and moved to Chaplin, where I have remained ever since. I represented Chaplin in the Legislature in the winter of 1879-80; have long been a member of the Grand Army Post. I was married October, 1861, to Miss Helen H. Foster of this place. Of our nine children, eight are still living; we have thirty-eight grandchildren. I am an optimist and not given to worry, accepting life as I find it, feeling assured of a better one. I consider the thing most worthwhile in life is to serve God and my country."
Mrs. C. P. Young, now living in Chaplin, writes as follows: "By request I will try to give the facts about my life in Windham County. My name is Caroline P. Young. I was born September 19, 1835, in Chaplin. Formerly my occupation was school teaching, later housekeeping. I have resided in Chaplin the greater part of my life. I lived in Wisconsin six years, was there when the war of the Rebellion broke out and my husband enlisted from that state, serving in the First Wisconsin Cavalry. He died May 30, 1870, of consump- tion, contracted in the army. I have lived a widow almost forty-eight years.
"I think I have taken more interest in school work and housekeeping than anything else in life. I have been temperate in my habits and had for my motto: 'Early to bed and early to rise,' which may have been conducive to long life. I think being honest and endeavoring to possess a clear conscience has given me much satisfaction and was most worthwhile in life."
Mrs. Julia Grant Russ, now living in Chaplin, is in her eighty-eighth year, and is able to be around and do some light work every day. Never of a strong constitution, she has passed through considerable sickness, and now feels the infirmities of age.
Her father was Kent Grant, a farmer of Seekonk, Mass .; she was born May 16, 1832, the third in a family of eight children, who all lived to maturity, but now the only one living is a brother in his eightieth year.
She was united in marriage in 1867 with Samuel Ralph Russ, a farmer of Chaplin, who was always quite active in the affairs of the town. Three chil- dren came to them : one daughter died in infancy, and Charles B., and Fannie E. Russ. Mr. Russ died about 1888 and the widow has made her home with the children ever since. In early life Mrs. Russ taught school and worked at dressmaking. She is an honored member of the Congregational Church of Chaplin, and for a number of years a member of the Natchaug Grange; during the war was busy knitting for the Red Cross. Being fond of good books she has found much comfort in her invalid state of late years, in reading many volumes, which possibly has added to her longevity. She is very anxious each day to peruse the daily papers for late news.
Alba H. Stevens of Canterbury is a good example of a vigorous old age. He was born where he now lives, December 22, 1834, and married Miss Olive Tyler of Griswold, Conn. He enjoys good health, carries on a small farm, keeps a cow, plants a good-sized garden, and does the work himself. He lived for ten years in Kansas on a 160-acre tract.
John Haley is now living in Hampton and writes: "My full name is John Haley, son of Edward and Mary (Braney) Haley, born August 15, 1830, in Ballacurn, County Mayo, Ireland. I was reared on a farm, my father dying when I was eight years of age. I toiled with my mother and one sister two
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years my junior, until I was eighteen years of age, when my mother died; our home was then broken up and I worked on a canal for a couple of years to support myself and my sister, then I went to England and worked in the waterworks for five years. Next I emigrated to America and was employed in several places throughout Rhode Island, tending masons; in 1860 I came to Hampton, bought the farm where I still live, and have farmed it ever since. I have always been robust and healthy, never having called a doctor in my life but a couple of times."
Abel Burdick of Hampton writes: "I was born in Griswold (now New London County) August 1, 1836, son of Rowland Burdick, who was a veteran of the War of 1812. Until twenty-two years of age I lived at home, my occu- pation being that of a farmer. During that time I enlisted as a member of the state militia. I left home when I was twenty-two years of age and went to Jewett City to work for Brown & Stanton in a stable and teaming for him. Next I worked on the railroad until I enlisted in the Union army in 1862. I was a member of Company E, Eighteenth Connecticut Volunteers and served during the war and was paid off at Hartford. I was sent out a private, but soon detailed as a blacksmith and worked at that until taken sick and went to hospital in New Haven as a cripple. Later I was detailed as a regimental cook and followed that till I came home. I worked a farm at Plainfield one year and six months and moved to a farm in Hampton which I purchased and resided on forty-seven years. I teamed and farmed for thirty-five years. I have reared a family of ten children. I am the last son living of a family of twenty-four children ; also I am the last one of six who served in the Eighteenth regiment from Connecticut in the Civil war. I married Susan M. Phillips, daughter of Thomas Phillips and wife in July, 1861. She died September 25, 1917. We were married fifty-six years ago last July 2d. I am now nearly blind-can't see to read or write, and cannot do any work. I receive a small pension and should have more.
William G. Anthony of Willimantic was born in Fairhaven, Bristol County, Mass., April 22, 1836, the oldest son of Caleb and wife, Asenath (Gammons) Anthony. He remained in that town until the spring of 1855, then moved to the Town of Windham, Conn. (now included in Scotland). He labored on his parents' farm a number of years and was married February 17, 1856. to Harriet M. Kimball. He farmed two years after his marriage and then engaged in the trade of a wheelwright and general blacksmithing. He fol- lowed this and also run his small farm until the death of his wife, February 5, 1915. He still continued to live at the old home place until April 8, 1917, when he came to Willimantic.
Mr. Anthony has been quite active in town politics and has held most of the official positions within his town, such as justice of the peace, assessor, selectman and has the distinction of being the only prohibition selectman ever elected in the town. He represented the town in the Legislature of 1873, and is at this date (1918) the only one of all the representatives of that session from Windham County now living.
He attributes his longevity to sturdy aneestry, having directly descended from John Anthony, born in England, 1607; came to America, 1634, and settled in Portsmouth, R. I., 1640. This John Anthony was also ancestor of the famous Susan B. Anthony. William G., of this notice, is the ninth in genealogical line from the English ancestor. The average age of the grand-
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sires of Mr. Anthony has been seventy-six years. His great-grandfather, on his maternal side, was born in England in 1745, came to this country and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, on the American side.
His grandfather, William Gammons, after whom he was named, was a soldier in the War of 1812 and lived to be over eighty years of age. He also thinks his own long life is due to his temperate habits. He believes that the things most worth living for are to be true to God and country and honest in all one's dealings-do unto others as you would that they should do unto you- be cheerful and try to make others happy. Mr. Anthony is a member of the Baptist Church, a deacon, and has been clerk and treasurer many years; also Sunday school superintendent over thirty years. His most interesting side of life has been his church work and training his children to be good citizens, and he may well be proud of his noble sons and daughters. He has three sons and two daughters (one son died aged twenty-four), also twenty-two grand- children and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Erasmus D. Tracy, Scotland .- Erasmus D. Tracy was born in Scotland, Conn., November 15, 1836, son of George Tracy and wife. When eight years of age he commenced on a farm as a chore boy, going to school four months in wintertime. When sixteen years old he commenced to learn the foundry business, but not liking it he quit and took up farming, which he followed till of the age of nineteen, when he married Abbie Hull Kingsley, by whom he has four children. He drifted into carpentering and followed that trade until 1861, when he entered the Union army and served three years and ten months. He returned badly crippled up, but when able again did carpenter work. He moved to Colchester after the death of his wife. He there engaged in milling and married his second wife, Laura A. Michel, by whom one son was born, and died four years later. Mr. Tracy has had a varied experience; has lived in many places; was delegate to California when the Grand Army of the Republic held its National Encampment there several years ago. He finally settled down where he still lives on his farm in Scotland town. He was select- man and was a member of the Legislature in 1911-12.
Mrs. Julia M. Arnold, Windham .- Of her own life, Mrs. Arnold writes these paragraphs: "I was born in Windham County, in Windham Center, July 5, 1833, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Stowel Frink. My mother was Ruth Wells Armstrong, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Azariah Arm- strong-nee Wealthy Ann Rodgers, who descended from Dr. Theophalas Rodgers, the martyr; also of William Hyde, who came over from England in 1636, settling first in Hartford, then Saybrook and removed to Norwich, where he and his son, Samuel, were two of the original proprietors of Norwich. My home was in Windham until I was married in 1866, to John Howe Arnold, of Chambersburg, Penn. He was an architect and was called to Chambersburg to make plans for re-building the railroad buildings that were destroyed dur- ing the Civil war by the Confederates. We lived there until 1868, returned to Norwich and resided till Mr. Arnold's death, when I returned to my old home in Windham, and have been living with my daughter in the old Frink homestead, which has been the home of the Frink ancestry for more than two hundred years. My grandfather, Andrew Frink, added four rooms to the front of the house in 1803, and most of my Frink ancestors were born here. While my grandfather lived, it was called the Minister's Home, as he enter- tained all the 'Reverends' who came here. Among them was ex-President Cleveland's father and his bride, for three weeks.
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"I have been a member of the Congregational Church since 1858, and interested in Sunday school work, as teacher and pupil in the Bible class."
Mrs. Emma P. Brown, Windham .- Emma P. Safford was born in Scotland, Conn., August 28, 1835, daughter of Seth S. and Emeline (Bacon) Stafford, and sister of the late Fayette Safford of the Willimantic Chronicle. Mrs. Brown died about a year ago. She retained her remarkable mental vigor until the last. Her early life was spent in Scotland and Canterbury, where she attended school, afterward becoming a teacher. Subsequently she took up dressmaking. In 1867 she married Eden A. Baldwin, of Florence, Mass. After his death in 1868, she returned to Scotland and in 1882 married Chester A. Brown, a leading farmer. Since his death in 1913, she had lived in Wind- ham. She was a member of the Congregational Church and various societies of the town, including the W. C. T. U. and missionary societies, of which she was a charter member; also was on the committee of the Children's Home in Putnam. She attributed her length of days both to inheritance and temper- ance in all things. It has ever been worth while-
"To live in a house by the side of the road And be a friend of man."
Egbert Bass, formerly of Windham, now living in Willimantic: "In reply to yours of 13th instant I will say that I was born in Windham, now Scotland, January 29, 1828, son of John and Elizabeth (Smith) Bass. I am sixth in line from Deacon Samuel Bass, the common ancestor of all the name in New England. He came to this country about 1632, and was deacon for more than fifty years of the First Church of Quincy, Mass., and died at the age of ninety- four. My great-great-grandfather, John Bass, born in Quincy, came to Leb- anon in 1708 and to Windham in 1710 and purchased from Rev. Samuel Whiting (first pastor of the church in Windham) for £105 the original home- stead that remained in the Bass name for more than two hundred years.
"As to my longevity, I attribute it to the long line of Puritan stock back of me, or from which I have descended. I have a sister living in good health eighty-eight years old (or rather "young") and a brother eighty-four years. One of my uncles died in his ninety-ninth year, and you will find all through the family the common age to be eighty to one hundred years when they passed on.
"I, until age compelled me to quit, carried on a large farm in Scotland, Conn. I have been busy most of the time since. Last summer I took care of the garden and mowed the lawn at the home of my daughter in Northern Maine. I spend a good deal of my time reading for amusement to pass time, though not as interested in polities as I once was. I have always been a democrat and so have not been troubled holding office only as a minority!"
Martha Phillips, Windham .- Martha (Harris) Phillips, daughter of Annie (Bettis) and Daniel Harris, was born in Eastford, Conn., August 4, 1831. She was one of a family of nine children, which consisted of two boys and five girls, with a half-brother and half-sister. The family lived on the old Turnpike Road between Boston and Hartford. When she was six years old there was what was called the "Red Day," when everything turned red and people believed that the world was coming to an end.
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