USA > Maine > Oxford County > Bethel > History of Bethel : formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-1890, with a brief sketch of Hanover and family statistics > Part 11
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107
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
and westerly so as to comprehend all the territory lying between the State of New Hampshire and the county of Kennebec, and on the northerly side of the line aforesaid, excepting the towns of Wilton, Temple, Avon, and township number three on Sandy river, north- erly of Avon, which towns shall be considered as belonging to the county of Kennebec, shall be and the same is erected into an entire and distinct county by the name of Oxford."
The subjoined list embraces the original towns in Oxford county, the date of their incorporation, and the name of their first Repre- sentative to the Great and General Court :
Paris June 20, 1793. . Elias Stowell.
Hebron
March 6, 1792. William C. Whitney.
Buckfield
March 16, 1793 .. · Enoch Hall.
Turner
July 7, 1786
John Turner.
Livermore February 28, 1795 Simeon Waters.
Hartford
June 13, 1798 . David Warren.
Sumner
June 13, 1798. Simeon Barrett, Jr.
Norway
March 9, 1797 ..
Luther Farrar.
Fryeburg.
January 11, 1777 John McMillan.
Brownfield.
February 20, 1802 Joseph Howard.
Lovell
November 15, 1800
Philip C. Johnson.
Waterford
March 2, 1797.
Eber Rice.
Albany
June 20, 1803.
Asa Cummings.
Bethel. June 10, 1796.
. Eliphaz Chapman.
Jay
. February 26, 1795
James Starr, Jr.
Dixfield
June 21, 1803.
Silas Barnard.
Rumford . February 21, 1800.
William Wheeler.
Gilead.
June 23, 1804. .Eliphaz Chapman Jr.
Newry . June 15, 1805 . Melvin Stowe.
East Andover June 23, 1804.
Edward L. Poor.
The following are the names with the dates of incorporation, of the towns incorporated since the county of Oxford was formed :
Byron January 24, 1833.
Canton February 5, 1821.
(Taken from Jay.)
Denmark
February 20, 1807.
Greenwood February 2, 1816.
Grafton March 19, 1852.
Hanover.
February 14, 1843.
(Taken from Bethel.)
Hiram.
February 27, 1814.
Mason.
· February 3, 1843.
Mexico
February 13, 1843.
Oxford
. February 27, 1829.
(Taken from Hebron.)
108
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Peru.
February 5, 1821. (changed from Partridgetown.)
Porter February 20, 1807.
Roxbury · March 17, 1835.
Stoneham January 31, 1834.
Stowe. January 28, 1833.
Sweden February 26, 1813.
Upton
February 9, 1860.
Woodstock
. February 7, 1815.
Carthage
February 20, 1826.
Weld
February 8, 1816.
Franklin county was erected in eighteen hundred and thirty-eight, and took from Oxford county the towns of Jay, Carthage and Weld. The town of Berlin, which was formerly an Oxford county town, was absorbed in the town of Phillips, and the name of Berlin was dropped. Androscoggin county was erected in eighteen hundred and fifty-four, and took the towns of Livermore and Turner. The following statistical table from Greenleaf's Survey of the State, shows the comparative standing of Oxford county towns in popula- tion, for the years specified :
POPULATION.
Towns.
1790.
1880.
1810.
1820.
Andover.
22
175
264
368
Albany
69
165
288
Bethel
362
616
975
1,267
Brownfield .
250
288
388
727
Buckfield
453
1,002
1,251
1,501
Denmark
436
395
Dixfield.
403
595
Dixfield and Mexico
137
Fryeburg
517
734
1,004
1,056
Gilead
88
215
328
Greenwood.
273
302
Hartford and Sumner.
189
Hartford
243
720
1,113
Hebron, including Oxford.
530
981
1,211
1,727
Hiram
192
203
336
972
Jay, including Canton
103
430
1,107
1,614
Livermore . ..
863
1,560
2,124
Lovell and Sweden.
147
365
Lovell
201
430
Mexico.
14
148
Newry
92
202
203
Norway
447
609
1,019
1,330
.
109
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Towns.
1790.
1880.
1810.
1820.
Paris.
844
1,320
1,894
Peru
92
343
Porter
272
292
487
Rumford
262
629
871
Sweden
249
Turner
349
722
1,129
1,726
Waterford.
150
535
860
1,035
Woodstock.
236
509
Weld.
318
495
EDUCATIONAL, 1825.
No. of Districts.
No. of Scholars.
Am't Raised. $132 00
Am't Expended. $150 00
Population,
Andover
3
173
Albany
4
126
120 00
120 00
307
Brownfield.
9
360
249 06
295 80
850
Buckfield
13
706
529 50
607 16
1700
Bethel
14
600
468 10
502 84
1400
Canton .
6
290
200 00
239 13
700
Carthage
4
81
68 99
68 99
210
Denmark
11
397
299 77
333 28
800
Dixfield.
7
400
240 00
240 00
800
Fryeburg
14
490
400 00
490 00
1250
Gilead .
3
144
112 00
127 06
400
Greenwood.
9
255
202 00
82 00
650
Hartford
15
597
453 00
453 00
1250
Hebron
17
716
691 00
691 00
1750
Hiram
11
381
381 00
381 00
800
Jay
8
482
339 23
417 29
1800
Lovell
9
236
100 00
225 08
470
Livermore.
14
966
703 75
871 31
2400
Mexico.
3
109
100 00
100 00
225
Norway
10
637
550 00
563 79
1500
Newry
2
160
122 00
122 00
340
Porter
5
255
194 80
218 91
620
Paris
16
817
700 00
830 08
2200
Peru
6
205
152 23
152 23
450
Rumford.
10
413
306 96
348 99
1100
Sweden
5
167
100 00
164 00
380
Sumner
8
497
408 87
416 00
1200
Turner
16
932
599 00
799 00
2000
Waterford
9
394
344 82
414 96
1200
Woodstock.
8
211
150 00
161 25
450
Weld
5
282
200 00
200 00
500
1825.
400
110
HISTORY OF BETHIEL.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS, 1820.
TOWNS.
Acres of
Tillage.
Upland
Mowing.
Pasture.
Barns.
Horses.
Oxen.
Cows, &c.
Upland Hay.
Corn.
Wheat.
Andover
71
225
182
43
57
110
151
338
208
480
Albany
78
196
159
36
21
60
91
196
370
142
Bethel
564
1208
1053
165
122
216
435
675
2136
905
Brownfield
119
459
281
81
52
130
211
264
1155
189
Buckfield.
580
1335
1670
190
111
288
536
815
3154
1616
Denmark
184
731
994
84
49
158
242
483
1642
420
Dixfield .
183
574
399
61
51
105
199
499
872
629
Fryeburg
412
696
585
136
85
222
354
548
2277
591
Gilead ..
174
222
230
37
31
56
130
190
595
688
Greenwood
41
144
176
34
26
42
123
144
472
187
Hartford
375
1518
2543
142
77
183
414
1171
1663
1142
Hebron. .
460
1921
3116
183
118
301
651
1125
3057
1029
Hiram.
169
489
310
74
44
132
196
380
830
885
Howard's Gore.
17
53
66
9
6
8
18
53
56
58
Jay ..
551
1354
1045
189
129
295
618
1361
2081
2180
Lovell.
79
266
125
58
19
56
113
129
613
109
Livermore
725
2595
1838
274
157
315
754
1982
3652
2057
Mexico
37
105
72
11
11
26
66
105
112
147
Norway
291
772
1779
168
109
254
468
772
1680
889
Newry
61
119
55
32
26
74
146
179
180
602
Paris .
580
1705
1988
244
154
264
699
1250
1779
1345
Peru .
100
159
114
32
20
58
102
181
362
417
Porter
71
272
167
78
26
77
141
295
1091
108
Rumford.
221
1225
1080
120
97
173
354
I036
1398
1417
Sumner
373
1475
2637
129
85
174
247
1091
1668
503
Sweden
80
381
273
39
16
61
95
243
451
185
Turner. ..
776
2505
2058
265
154
334
676
1673
3168
2185
Waterford.
313
1441
1533
161
110
186
447
512
1935
633
Woodstock.
32
365
199
26
22
56
162
295
200
170
Weld
164
309
426
63
39
86
189
245
479
411
*Fryeburg had 720 acres of fresh meadow yielding 609 tons of hay.
TITLES TO THE SOIL.
The first eleven townships were granted by Massachusetts either for military service or for some other reason, subject to the usual settling conditions and reservations for ministerial and educational purposes :
TOWN. ACRES.
GRANTEES, &C.
Bethel
. 24,278
Canada Township.
Gilead 14,345
Peabody's Patent.
Fryeburg .26,549
grant to Gen. Joseph Frye for military services.
Hebron & Oxford . . 36,221
to Alex. Shepard, Jr., for surveying pub. lands.
Phipps Canada ; in lieu of a former grant.
Jay & Canton. . . 20,905 Livermore . .27,430 military service at Port Royal.
Lovell & Sweden . . 37,430
Capt. Lovewell and company.
111
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
TOWN. ACRES.
GRANTEES, &C.
Paris. 23,971 Joshua Fuller et als., in lieu of former grant.
Turner
31,359
Sylvester Canada ; in lieu of former grant.
Rumford .
.19,170
grant to citizens of Concord, N. H.
Waterford
21,192
Canada township, in lieu of former grant ..
The following are the Province sales of townships and parts of townships in Oxford county, and the grants to academies which soon came into proprietors hands :
TOWN. ACRES.
Andover. 29,433
Albany .
14,153
Brownfield. 28,866
Buckfield .
15,959
Berlin . 27,650
Carthage 23,250
Denmark
. 27,623
Greenwood
. 22,574
Hiram.
. 13,612
Hartford
· 18,821
Sumner.
15,713
Dixfield
19,130
Mexico 12,712
Norway
25,22
Newry
.32,775
Peru.
· 21,499
Porter.
· 15,693
Woodstock.
24,194
Weld 32,775
Howard's Gore 2,012
Fryeburg Addition. 1,199
Bradley & Eastman's 2,800
Fryeburg Academy Grant 4,147
No. 7. 23,937
No. 8. 25,412
Hamlin's Grant. 1,270
Andover No. Surplus. .15,960
West Surplus 11,696
A. No. 1. 26,165
A. No. 2.
28,507
Township B, (Upton) 25,600
C, 21,074
66
D, .20,500
E, . 20,600
No. 1, R 1, 66 22,552
GRANTEES, &C.
S. W. Johnson and others ..
Joseph Holt and others.
T. Cutler and others. Abijah Buck and others.
S. Wetmore and J. Abbott .. B. Ames.
Fryeburg Academy, &c.
Phillips Academy, &c.
Peleg Wadsworth and others ..
Joel Parkhurst and others.
J. Holman and others.
Lee, Rust and Cummings. Sarah Bostwick.
J. Thompson and others.
J. Hill and others. Dummer and Gorham Academies.
T. Russell, Jr. Phineas Howard.
granted to Fryeburg.
John Derby. Sarah Waldo.
Cyrus Hamlin.
John Richards.
S. Johnson and others.
Phebe Ketchum.
J. J. Holmes.
Hounsfield & Davis ..
Ann S. Davis.
J. Gardner.
J. Cummings.
Moses Abbott.
112
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
TOWN.
ACRES.
GRANTEES, &C.
No. 2, R. 1, (Upton) .22,080
Thomas Sewise.
" 3, "
29,440
" 2, R 2, 66
23,040
" 3, " 66
.30,720
" 2, R 3,
21,000
John Peck.
" 3, " 66
.21,000
E. Blake, Jr.
" 4, "
21,000
" 5, R 4,
66
23,040
66
66
23,436
12 No. 1, R 3, (Upton) 11,520
Canaan Academy.
" " 4,
.11,520
Bath Academy.
No. 5, R 2,
66 . 29,904
Huntington and Pitkin.
" 5, R 3,
22,717
Abel Cutler.
" 5, R 5,
66
11,520
Surplus C.
.12,206
Bachelder's Grant.
28,822
John Peck. Josiah Bachelder.
Tract between Hartford and Livermore
1,286
Monmouth Free School.
Nine Islands in the Androscog- gin river.
214
Sundry small grants
9,200
66
John Peck. W. & G. Gilbert.
Dunlap and Grant.
Josiah Quincy.
Samuel Watkinson.
5,760
Hallowell Academy.
Farmington Academy.
Monmouth Academy. Various Persons.
The areas of towns in acres as here given, are taken from the returns of surveys, in the office of the Secretary of State in Boston, for all the transfers here mentioned were made prior to the separa- tion of Maine from Massachusetts in eighteen hundred and twenty. In many cases, the actual number of acres is considerably greater than these returns show. In the case of Paris, for instance, the area in acres as returned, was twenty-three thousand nine hundred and seventy-one, while the town as originally laid out contained more than thirty thousand acres. An important allowance was always made in surveying for ponds and rivers, often for poor land, and for the "swag" of the four rod chain. A township of six miles square, the usually limited size of early grants, would contain twenty-three thousand and forty acres, but grantees were always greedy and sometimes unscrupulous, while the government was generally lenient where the prescribed limits were not exceeded by more than one- fourth or one-third. The grant of Sudbury Canada was for a township six and one-half miles square, but to take in as much of the Androscoggin as possible with its choice bottom lands, the length of the town was made ten or more miles and the township before Hanover was set off embraced not far from forty thousand acres.
JEDEDIAH BURBANK.
1
CHAPTER XVI.
PROMINENT BETHEL MEN DECEASED.
JEDEDIAH BURBANK.
EDEDIAH Burbank was born in the town of Groveland, Massachusetts, July eight, seventeen hundred and eighty- four. It is said that his great grandfather or perhaps a generation earlier, came from Scotland and settled in Massachusetts. The father of Jedediah Burbank moved to the town of Gilead, Maine, in eighteen hundred and two, and settled upon a fine intervale farm where he reared his large family who, when they become of age, settled in Gilead, Bethel and in Shelburne, New Hampshire. In eighteen hundred and three, Jedediah Burbank came to Bethel and November eleventh of that year, he married Esther, daughter of Lieutenant Jonathan Clark, and settled upon the Clark faim where, with the exception of two years, he spent the remainder of his long life. He was early appointed a Justice of the Peace and was in commission many years when the office was of much greater account than it is at the present day. All the early justice trials in Bethel were by him. He was a selectman for four years and held office for many years longer. He was much inter- ested in the prosperity of the town, and whatever trusts the town imposed upon him were ably and faithfully performed.
For many years Mr. Burbank kept a tavern for the accommodation of travelers, and in eighteen hundred and thirty-three, he purchased the house on Bethel Hill built by Captain Eleazer Twitchell and known as the "Castle," enlarged it and opened a tavern known as the Bethel House. This house has since been burned. He remained here about two years, when he returned to his farm. He was one of the first persons to aid in establishing a Sabbath School in town, and in eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, he assisted in organizing the first temperance society in Bethel. He united with the Congre-
8
1
114
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
gational church in eighteen hundred and nine and became one of its strong supports. He was interested in educational matters, was a trustee of Gould's Academy for many years, and one of the few residents of Bethel who rendered material aid in placing it upon a firm foundation. For his efforts in this direction, he is entitled to the lasting gratitude of the many patrons of that school, and his name should be held in grateful remembrance. In his intercourse with others, he was kind, courteous and gentlemanly, and received his friends with old fashioned hospitality. He was a skilful and progressive farmer and kept his broad acres under the highest state of cultivation. His first wife died July tenth, eighteen hundred and twenty-seven, and in January, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, he married Miss Frances, daughter of Titus O. Brown, Esq. Mr. Burbank died February twenty-nine, eighteen hundred and sixty.
BARBOUR BARTLETT.
In his day and generation, Barbour Bartlett, Esquire, was an active man in town and much connected with town affairs. He was the son of Moses Bartlett, who lived in what is now Hanover, and having married a daughter of Captain Eli Twitchell, he settled upon the Twitchell homestead. He was a selectman in eighteen hundred and fifteen and subsequently, was town clerk from eighteen hundred and sixteen to eighteen hundred and thirty-three, and for some portion of the time, collector and treasurer. He also represented the town in the Maine Legislature in eighteen hundred and twenty- two. He was a Justice of the Peace and while in commission, married many couples and performed much other official business in the way of conveyancing and in trying causes within his juris- diction. He spent his days and died upon the farm below Mayville, afterwards occupied by his son Spencer T. Bartlett, and later by Benjamin R. Bryant. He was fond of agriculture and the out-door life pertaining to it, and kept his fine farm in a high state of cultivation.
LIEUTENANT JONATHAN CLARK.
He was a Commissary in the army for a few months, but returned to Bethel in seventeen hundred and seventy-nine, during which time he cut the first hay in town which grew up the brook, opposite the steam mill. The scythe which he used is still in existence. He afterwards exchanged and obtained two intervale lots, one of
115
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
which is the farm now owned by Albert L. Burbank, Esq. During the year seventeen hundred and seventy-nine, he built a plank house a few rods east of Mr. Burbank's barn. In seventeen hundred and eighty, he married Miss Esther Parker of Newton, Mass., born August twenty-sixth, seventeen hundred and fifty-three, and with her moved to Bethel the following June. They came on horseback from Newton to the head of Long Pond in Bridgton, and the rest of the way on foot. They had seven children, all of whom died of con- sumption. During the freshet in seventeen hundred and eighty- five, he made a raft of the great doors of the barn and carried his family to a place of safety. He made a shelter for the night oppo- site Mills Brown's house. The water came up to the summer shelf suspended from the beams, and spoiled his books and papers. He afterwards built the house, which is still standing on the hill and is known as the "Frost house." He died August twenty-third, eigh- teen hundred and twenty-one. Lieut. Clark appears to have been an active man and enjoyed the confidence of the citizens by being elected to fill the various offices in town.
Mrs. Clark appears to have been a woman of uncommon resolu- tion. When the Indians came to the house in seventeen hundred and eighty-one, and took her husband captive, she manifested such courage as but few men could have exhibited. After seeing the Indians carrying her husband away pinioned, she fled to the woods and there remained during the night all alone. The next morning she passed through the woods and went to the house of Capt. Eleazer Twitchell, where was the greatest consternation. She died February thirteenth, eighteen hundred and fifteen.
GEORGE W. CHAPMAN.
George Whitefield Chapman was born at Methuen, Massachusetts, on Christmas day, December twenty-fifth, seventeen hundred and eighty. When ten years of age, his father, Rev. Eliphaz Chapman, came with his family to Sudbury Canada and settled on a place on the north side of the river where he had made a little clearing and built a log house, the year previous. On this farm the subject of this notice grew to manhood, having been subject to all the priva- tions incident to life in a new settlement and early becoming ac- quainted with the hard work of clearing and tilling land. Becoming of age, he went up the river about four miles and selected a lot of
--
116
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
land in Peabody's Patent, in what is now the town of Gilead, and here he established his home. He married Polly, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Mason) Greenwood, who bore him twelve children, eight of whom passed to the better land before their father. His first wife died March the seventeenth, eighteen hun- dred and forty-nine. Mr. Chapman was a thoughtful man, and his thoughts frequently found expression in rhyme, and this was espec- ially so during the later years of his life. On the occasion of the death of his wife, he penned the following lines :
"O! where is now my loved one gone? I miss her everywhere ; I seek her in the walks of life But no; she is not there. I seek her in the grove that's near, Where we were wont to roam ; And then I wipe the flowing tear, And sit and grieve alone.
My home to me is lone and drear, A place of mournful gloom ; A whisper strikes my anxious ear, "She's yonder in the tomb ! But where's her soul, her better part ? What answer can be given? A more than whisper tells my heart, 'She's safe above in heaven !'
*
* *
And say my soul, can'st thou complain ? I answer not a word, But join her spirit in a strain Of glory to the Lord. And now my faith and hope combine, God's gracious aid t' implore, That I ere long, may greet her mine, On Canaan's happy shore."
In eighteen hundred and fifty-one, Mr. Chapman married for his second wife Mrs. Hannah (Prince) Buxton of North Yarmouth. While a resident of Gilead, he enjoyed the esteem and confidence of his town's people in a marked degree as was shown in the fact that for fifteen consecutive years, he was a member of the Board of Selectmen. In eighteen hundred and twenty he was a member of the Maine Legislature when its sessions were held in the city of
DEA, GEO. W. CHAPMAN PLACE, GILEAD.
117
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Portland. He joined the Congregational church when thirty years of age, and was soon after chosen deacon. For many years he was a leading member of the church and one of its strong pillars. He had a good farm, was industrious, prudent and thrifty. He was much attached to rural life, and drew inspiration from nature's works so lavishly displayed in the valley of the Androscoggin.
After his second marriage he returned to Bethel leaving his Gilead farm in the hands of his son, George Granville Chapman. He purchased the Clark farm west of Bethel Hill, which had long been occupied by Rev. Charles Frost. He lived here a few years and then on account of failing sight, he sold out and moved to Bethel Hill. His sight continued to fail until, in a few years, the light of day for him was shut out forever. Mr. Chapman's second wife died in Bethel, April the eighteenth, eighteen hundred and sixty- three. The death of his wife was an irreparable loss, for she was not only his faithful companion, but he saw through her eyes. When coal oil first came into use for lighting purposes, this is what Deacon Chapman said of it :
"The kerosene is clear and bright, It even helps the blind to sight ; As man and wife are one : For I, through wife do clearly see, Therefore the kerosene to me, Is brilliant as the sun."
After he became blind he dictated for another to write, early sketches of Gilead, a valuable contribution to the early history of that town. After his second wife died, Mr. Chapman divided his time between the old homestead in Gilead and the pleasant home of his daughter, Mrs. Brown Thurston of Portland. In each place he had every care and every attention which filial affection could sug- gest and bestow. I visited him in Portland in March, eighteen hundred and seventy-five, when he was nearly ninety-five years of age, and had a very pleasant talk with him about affairs in Bethel during his youthful days. His mind was unclouded and his memory of early events something marvelous. His poetical compositions generally took the form of acrostics of which he wrote nearly a hundred. While with him on this occasion, he repeated several of them from memory. Soon after I saw him his health began to fail him, and he longed for the green fields, the flowing river and grand
118
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
scenery of Gilead. There he was taken and there he departed this life on the twenty-ninth day of June, eighteen hundred and seventy- five. On the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday, Christmas, eighteen hundred and fifty-five, Mr. Chapman, then blind, wrote a little poem in which he expressed himself as near the end of his earthly career, little thinking that he still had nearly twenty years to watch and wait and suffer. A quotation from this poem must close this notice :
"Hail! blessed Christmas, precious word, The brightest feature of my date ; The birthday of my blessed Lord, The glory of his advent great.
I claim it as my birthday too; Alas ! it's found me in the dark ! I turn, its beauty to survey, And lo ! it says I must depart.
My seventy-fifth has come and fled ; On Jordan's brink I lingering stand, Ready to mingle with the dead, Whene'er my Master gives command.
*
* * *
Then Jordan's stream I'll fear no more, No more I'll dread the chilling wave; My spirit upward then will soar; To Jesus, who my soul has saved."
TIMOTHY CHAPMAN.
Timothy Chapman, the third son and fifth child of Rev. Eliphaz Chapman, was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, February seven- teenth, seventeen hundred and eighty-three. He was a lad of only seven years of age when the family came to Bethel, but he well remembered, and I have heard him tell the story in his mature years, of the long, lonely and tedious journey from Methuen to York, thence across to the Saco, up the Saco to Fryeburg and thence by the old Indian trail through Lovell, Waterford and Albany to Bethel. From Waterford there was no kind of a road, and only one team had found the way through before Mr. Chapman came. He remembered the log house twenty feet square, with no partition walls, into which the family of ten persons moved ; he remembered the small frame house which succeeded the log one and which was
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Jenutty Chapman,
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
regarded almost as a palace, and also the mansion house still stand- ing, which his father built still later and which was left to him when his father and mother had passed away ; all this he could remember and much more. He, as well as his brother, George Whitefield, could tell the fourth generation from his father, of pioneer life in Sudbury Canada, of the early settlers, how they toiled and suffered ; what self-sacrifices they made to secure homes for their children and for their children's children ; how from the day of small things, Bethel grew to be a great and prosperous town, with fine churches, fine dwelling houses, fertile farms, manufactures of various kinds, and more marvelous still, his adopted town to which he had come through the wilderness, brought en rapport with the great world by means of the electric telegraph, and in close relation to the great business centers of the country, by means of the steam engine and the railway. All this he lived to see, and with faculties unimpaired, fully to comprehend their great importance.
Mr. Chapman was three times married ; firstly, March twelfth, eighteen hundred and seven, to Betsey Barker, who died April twenty-fifth, eighteen hundred and nineteen ; secondly, February twenty-fourth, eighteen hundred and twenty, to Abigail Blanchard, who died August seventh, eighteen hundred and thirty-seven, and thirdly, July fifth, eighteen hundred and thirty-eight, to Sarah Johnson of Farmington, who died June eighteenth, eighteen hun- dred and seventy-eight. Mr. Chapman inherited the old homestead and spent his days, after his majority, in the mansion house erected by his father. He was an excellent farmer, a diligent worker, sagacious and prudent, and became an independent lord of the soil. He was genial and hospitable, a doer as well as a believer of the word, and in all respects a model citizen. He never sought office, but preferred the quiet walks of private life, and his chief objects were the care of his farm and the comfort of his family. He died July thirteenth, eighteen hundred and seventy-one, aged over eighty- eight years.
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