USA > Vermont > Orange County > Bradford > A history of Bradford, Vermont : containing some account of the place of its first settlement in 1765, and the principal improvements made, and events which have occurred down to 1874--a period of one hundred and nine years. With various genealogical records, and biographical sketches of families and individuals, some deceased, and others still living > Part 1
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Gc 974. 302 B72m 1136471
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00055 6362
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofbradfor1875mcke
Garens, Freitag .
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A HISTORY
OF
Bradford, Vermont,
CONTAINING
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PLACE-OF ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN 1765, AND THE PRINCIPAL IMPROVE- MENTS MADE, AND EVENTS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED DOWN TO 1874-A PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED AND NINE YEARS.
WITH
VARIOUS GENEALOGICAL RECORDS, AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS, SOME DECEASED, AND OTHERS STILL LIVING.
By Rev. SILAS McKEEN, D. D.
WRITTEN BY REQUEST OF SAID TOWN.
MONTPELIER, VT .: J. D. CLARK & SON, PUBLISHERS. 1875.
1136471
DEDICATION.
To the present Inhabitants of BRADFORD, VERMONT, And Their Posterity ; Not forgetting Relatives and Friends abroad, This History, prepared by request of the Town, and con- aining some account of many families and individuals who have here lived, and of the principal Transactions and Events which have here occurred during somewhat over a hundred years past, is RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, by Their Friend,
BRADFORD, VT., October 1, 1874.
THE AUTHOR.
NOTE .- Reminiscences of various other Families and Individuals would " gladly have been included, had the, requisite information been furnished ; as was reasonably and respectfully solicited by the writer.
Printed at Argus and Patriot Office, Montpelier, Vt.
1
HISTORY OF BRADFORD, VERMONT.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Location-Partial Survey, by order of the Governor of New Hampshire · - Charter by King George III-Deed of 30,000 acres from William Smith, in behalf of the Proprietors, to quiet the Early Settlers-Change of name, from Moretown to Bradford, by the Legislature of Vermont, and their grant of the township, in trust, to Smith, Harvey and Whitelaw, on certain conditions-Disposal of the Hazen Appropriation-Topography of the Township; Wright's Mountain, Wait's River, &c-Incidental notice of the first settlers.
Page 9.
CHAPTER II.
Transactions of early Town Meetings-A list of Town Clerks and Rep- resentatives, from the first-Roads surveyed, and distances from place to place -- Bridges built -Freshets-Army of Worms.
Page 40.
CHAPTER III,
Ecclesiastical affairs-Meeting-houses-Churches; Congregational, Rev. J. K. Williams, Rev. L. H. Elliott; Methodist, with list of pastors; Bap- tist-Cemeteries-Present population of the town.
Page 54.
CHAPTER IV.
Educational matters-District schools-Funds for their support-Acad- emy-Scientific society-Newspapers-Home for the Destitute-Town Hall-Manufactures-Photography-Banks- Various business of the place, with biographical sketches of individuals engaged in it-Fair grounds,
Page 79.
CHAPTER V.
The patriotism and soldiery of Bradford-Captain Corliss, a veteran of the Revolution-Charles May killed in a duel-Bradford Brass Band.
Page 97.
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CHAPTER VI.
Andrew B. Peters, Esq., and family, with biographical sketches of his father, Colonel John Peters, and others of historic distinction.
Page 126. CHAPTER VII.
The Baldwins; with their connections-The Pecketts-Chases-and the Stricklands.
Page 141.
CHAPTER VIII.
Dea. Reuben Martin and family-Dea. Joseph Clark and family-Rev. Dr. Martin Ruter-The Fifield boy, that was lost and found.
Page 158.
CHAPTER IX.
Dr. Bildad Andross-Colonel John Barron-General Micah Barron- Captain William Trotter-Their families.
Page 172 ..
CHAPTER X.
The Hunkins, Underwood, Bliss, and Wright families.
CHAPTER XI. Page 201.
The McDuffees-James Wilson, the Globe Maker-David Wilson, Esq. -Their families. ,
Page 234.
CHAPTER XII.
The Tabors, Putnams, Pearsons, and Sawyers.
Page 260.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Kimball, Simpson, Colby, Greenleaf, and Corliss families.
Páge 277.
CHAPTER XIV.
John B. Peckett, Esq., and family-The Johnsons-Willards-Worth- leys-Armstrongs and Nelsons.
Page 292.
CHAPTER XV.
The Aldrich, Hardy, and Shaw families,
Page 310.
7 CHAPTER XVI.
The Prichards, Lows, and Ormsbys.
Page 339.
CHAPTER XVII.
Dea. George L. Butler-James I). Clark-Captain Charles Rogers- John Flanders-David Manson-Their families.
Page 359.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Hon. J. W. Batchelder-Roswell Farnham, Esq., -Adams Preston -- Wil- liam B. Stevens-C. P. Clark-B. Hay-A. Osborn-J. K. Davis-Dea. Israel Cummings-Their families.
Page 374.
CHAPTER XIX.
Physicians-Aubery, Andross, Stebbins, Whiting, Whipple, Putnam, Colby, Poole, Martin, Carter, Cushing, Carpenter, Doty, Warden, and others.
Page 392.
CHAPTER XX.
Rev. S. McKeen and family.
Page 411.
CHAPTER XXI.
Specimens of Bradford poetry, by Thomas Ormsby, Thomas Tabor, Miss Lydia White, Emily R. Page Catharine McKeen and Rev. S. McKeen.
Page 438.
VALEDICTION.
Page 459.
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HISTORY OF
BRADFORD, VERMONT.
CHAPTER I.
Location-Partial Survey, by Order of the Governor of New Hamp- shire-Charter by King George III-Deed of 30,000 Acres From Wm. Smith, in Behalf of the Proprietors, to Quiet the Early Settlers-Change of the Name, From Mooretown to Bradford, by the Legislature of Vermont: and Their Grant of the Township in Trust, to Smith, Harvey and Whitelaw, on Certain Conditions -Disposal of the Hazen Appropriation-Topography of the Township; Wright's Mountain, Wait's River, &c .- Incidental Notices of the First Settlers.
Bradford, in Orange County, lying on the west side of Connecticut river, opposite to Piermont in New Hamp- shire, is bounded S. by Fairlee and West Fairlee, W. by Corinth, and N. by Newbury ; and occupies a position about midway between the South and North limits of the State: lat. 44 º N., long. 43 , 46', E.
In the year 1760, as stated in the introductory chapter .to Orange County,# the Governor of New Hampshire com- missioned Joseph Blanchard, of Dunstable in that State, to make a survey of Connecticut river northward from No. 4, as Charlestown, N. H. was then called, and at the end of every six miles, on a straight line, to mark a tree, or set a boundary on each side of the river, for a town- ship. This survey, made mainly on the ice, was comple- ted in the month of March, of that year, and extended up the river to what is now the N. E. corner of Newbury. The tract of country now embraced in Orange County was then an unbroken wilderness, claimed both by New
* See Vermont Historical Magazine.
r
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Hampshire and New York, unsurveyed, and no part of it granted either to individuals or corporations. In his sur- vey northward Blanchard made his seventh six miles boundary on the west side of the river, where the N. E. corner of Fairlee and the S. E. corner of Bradford now are; thence proceeding six miles up the river he made another corner mark on a tree which stood about oné rod S. W. from the S. W. corner of Bedel's bridge, subse- quently built, where the bridge across the Connecticut, between South Newbury and Haverhill now is; as was testified under oath, by said Blanchard and Thomas Cham- berlain, his assistant, when taken to the spot in 1808 for the express purpose of determining this point. From that bound, Blanchard proceeded north ward till he came to the upper end of the great meadows, a distance of seven miles from the bound last mentioned, and near there, on a little island opposite to the mouth of the Great Ammon- oosuc, made another bound, which still marks the N. E. corner of Newbury ; thus giving to that township, on its north side, an extra tract of land, a mile in width, and at least six miles in length. Here he finished his survey, and returned to headquarters, to make the requisite re- port. The next year a survey of the same sort was made under the same authority, by Hughbastis Neel, from where Blanchard left off to the north end of the great meadows, called the upper Coos. From these surveys a plan was made, and three tiers of towns on each side of the river projected, and several of them chartered without any further actual survey on the ground. In that year, 1761, there were applicants for about every township on the river, so far as then surveyed.
In 1763, March 18, Capt. Jacob Bailey obtained, in be- half of himself and others, a charter of Newbury, from New Hampshire, in accordance with Blanchard's survey and plan on paper, making the S. E. corner on the river, seven miles from the N. E., as before stated.
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About the same time, John Hazen took out a corres- ponding charter of Haverhill; and in June of that year, 1763, the proprietors of Haverhill and Newbury had a meeting, with a view to the actual survey and allotment of the respective townships : and chose Caleb Willard as their chief surveyor, who employed Benjamin Whiting as his assistant. Willard began his survey from the N. E. boundary of Newbury, as made by his predecessor, and proceeded down the river to his, Blanchard's, next bound- ary, which he found to be a little over seven miles distant ; -but without stopping there, he continued directly on one mile and seventeen chains further, into the unchar- tered tract, now Bradford, where he made a new S. E. corner of Newbury : leaving the distance thence to the N. E. corner of Fairlee but four miles and sixty-three chains, instead of six miles, as in justice it should have been. Thus Waits River Town, as they called it, being unchartered, and having no one to stand up for its rights, was deprived of a strip of land one mile and sixty-eight rods in width, and extending across its northern limit from E. to W. That this was done by the connivance and direction of the proprietors above named, there can be no rational doubt, as Willard, having set that bound, went di- rectly across the river and performed the same service for Haverhill, at the expense of Piermont, then unchartered, and Whiting, pursuing the survey of Newbury, ran from the new boundary N. fifty-nine degrees, W: eight miles for its southern line or side; whereas according to its charter it should have been but six and one-fourth miles, thus making a great addition on the west, as well as on the south, and giving the proprietors of that town over 40,000 acres, when entitled to but 27,000, according to their grant from New Hampshire. This grasp; however, on the west was subsequently abandoned.
In 1772. Newbury, having resigned her New Hampshire charter to New York, took out from that government, by
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royal authority, a new one, dated March 19 of that year, - which coincided with their original charter from New Hampshire and with the royal charter of Mooretown granted two years before ; paying no regard whatever to the Willard and Whiting survey, which had so enormously and unjustifiably increased the area of that township. This encouraged the inhabitants of Mooretown to insist more strenuously on their right to the tract on their northern border in dispute, and the settlers on the same for some time attended town meetings, voted, and paid taxes, in that new township. This state of things contin- ued till 1778, when Vermont having declared itself inde- pendent and consequently free from the jurisdiction both of New Hampshire and New York, Newbury again in- sisted on its claim, and has ever since held it; though not without occasional remonstrances from their dissatisfied, but well-disposed neighbors. Here we see how it came to pass that Bradford is, in area, so much smaller than Newbury ; so much less than the average of other towns in Orange County. For these historical facts we are in- debted to a manuscript, prepared evidently with great care, by John McDuffee, Esq., a distinguished surveyor, now deceased, but formerly of Bradford.
The first inhabitants of Waits River town, or Waits- town, as the tract now known as Bradford was originally called, came as adventurers, and took up for themselves land by what was styled pitches, without license or au- thority, from any source whatever; and continued along in this way from the first settlement by John Osmer or Hosmer, on the North side of Waits river, at its confluence with the Connecticut, in 1765, to the year 1770; when, the number of land-holders amounting to thirty, it was deemed by them to be high time to obtain, if possible, some valid title to their lands, and to have the tract between Newbury and Fairlee constituted a township. For this purpose they jointly commissioned
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Samuel Sleeper, one of their number, to go to New York, and agree, if practicable, with one William Smith, Esq., an influential man of that city, to obtain for them a royal charter, with a distinct understanding between them and him that on his procuring the desired charter he should give them a good title to the lands they had begun to cultivate, one hundred acres to each, and that he and such proprietors as he should engage with him, should hold as their own all the rest of the township. The mission of Sleeper was attended with the desired success, as we shall see by the authentic documents here following. The substance of the charter might be given in a few sentences, but as a matter of curiosity, and example of how matters of this sort were then transacted, it may be more satisfactory to see a copy of the said charter pre- cisely as originally expressed by royal authority.
" Charter of Mooretown, subsequently called Bradford, by King George the Third, May 3d, 1770.
" GEORGE the Third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland king, defender of the faith and so forth : To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting. WHEREAS our loving subject William Smith of our city of New York, Esquire, by his humble petition in behalf of his associates presented unto our trusty and well beloved Cadwallder Colden Esquire, our Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of our Province of New York and the territories depending thereon in America, and read in our Council for our said province, on the twenty-eighth day of March, now last past, did set forth that on the Seventh day of November which was in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and seven- ty-six, a petition was preferred to our late trusty and well beloved Sir Henry Moore, Baronet, then our Captain General and Governor in Chief of our said province, in the name of John French and his associates, praying a grant of certain lands on the west side of Connecticut
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river-That our said late Captain General and Governor in Chief was advised by our Council to grant the prayer of the said petition, and that a Warrant issued the same day to the Surveyor General for a Survey thereof-That the said John French is since deceased, and that the pe- titioner and his associates are the persons intended to be chiefly benefitted by that application-That the tract that they desire to take up contains, as it is supposed, about Thirty Thousand Acres, to the Southward of a tract of land commonly called or known by the name of Newberry, and adjoining the same, and was granted under the prov- ince of New Hampshire-That there are diverse persons settled within the limits of the said tract of land, amount- ing in all to Thirty families, to whom the petitioner and his associates intend to convey, after a Patent is issued, Three Thousand Acres, to wit, to the head of each family One Hundred Acres, in such a manner as to secure to them the parts they have respectively cultivated-and there- fore the petitioner did humbly pray that the lands afore- said might be granted to him and his associates as tenants in common in fee, agreeable to the directions and upon the terms of our Royal Instructions-Which petition having been referred to a Committee of our Council for our said province, our said Council did afterward on the same Twenty-eighth day of March, in pursuance of the report of the said Committee humbly advise and consent that our said Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief as aforesaid, should, by our Letters Patent, grant to the said William Smith and his associates and their heirs, the lands described in the said petition according to the prayer thereof, under the quit rent provisces, limitations and restrictions, presented by our Royal Instructions, and that the said lands should by the said Letters Patent be erected into a Township, by the name of MOORE TOWN, with the privileges usually granted to other Townships within our said Province. In pursuance whereof and in
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obedience to our said Royal Instructions, our Commission- ers appointed for setting out all lands to be granted with- in our said province have set out for the said petitioner William Smith and his associates, to wit :- James Robert- son, Richard Maitland. William Shereff, Goldsbrow Ban- var, Andrew Anderson, Jonathan Mallet, Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Charles McEvers, Hugh Gaine, Francis Stev- ens. William Bruce, Thos. William Moore, Samuel Ver Planck, Richard Yates, Abraham Mortier, Abraham Lyn- sen, Abraham Lott, Hamilton Young, Garret Noel, Eben- ezer Hazzard, John Aslop, Thomas James, Thomas Smith, and Samuel Smith, All that certain Tract or Parcel of Land lying and being on the west side of Connecticut River in the County of Gloucester within our province of New York, Beginning on the west bank of said river at a white pine tree blazed and marked for the Northeast cor- ner of a tract of land known by the name of Fairlee, and runs thence north, sixty-one degrees west, five hundred and ninety chains,; then north thirty-two degrees east, five hundred and twenty chains; then south fifty-nine degrees east, five hundred chains to the said river ; then down said river, as it winds and turns, to the place where this tract began ; containing Twenty-five Thousand Acres of Land and the usual allowance for highways. And in setting out the said tract of twenty-five thousand acres of land, our said Commissioners have had regard to the , profitable and unprofitable acres, and have taken care that the length thereof doth not extend along the banks of any river otherwise than is conformable to our said Royal In- structions. as by a Certificate thereof under their hands, bearing date the Seventh day of April now last past, and entered on record in our Secretary's Office for our said province may more fully appear : which said tract of land, set out as aforesaid according to our Royal Instructions, we being willing to grant to said petitioner and his asso- ciates, their heirs and assigns forever, with the several
1.6
privileges and powers hereinafter mentioned-K.Now YE, That of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have given, granted, ratified and confirmed, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, give, grant, ratify and confirm unto them, the said William Smith, James Robertson, Richard Maitland, William Sher- eff, Goldsbrow Banyar, Andrew Anderson, Jonathan Mal- let, Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Charles McEvers, Hugh Gaine, Francis Stephens, William Bruce, Thos. William Moore, Samuel Ver Planck, Richard Yates, Abraham Mor- tier, Abraham Lynsen, Abraham Lott, Hamilton Young, Garret Noel, Ebenezer Hazzard, John Alsop, Thomas James, Thomas Smith, and Samuel Smith, their heirs and assigns forever, All that, the tract or parcel of land afore- said ; set out, abutted, bounded and described, in manner and form as above mentioned, together with all and sin- gular the tenements, hereditaments, emoluments and ap- purtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining, and also all our estate, right, title, interest, possession, claim and demand whatsoever of, in, and to the same lands and. premises, and every part and parcel thereof, and the re- version and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues, and profits thereof; Except, and always reserved out of this our present Grant, unto us our heirs and suc- cessors for ever, all mines of Gold and Silver, and also all white and other sorts of Pine Trees fit for Masts, of the growth of twenty-four inches diameter and upwards at twelve inches from the earth, for Masts of the Royal Navy of us, our heirs and successors .- To HAVE AND TO HOLD, one full and equal twenty-fifth part (the whole into twen- ty-five equal parts to be divided) of the said tract or par- cel of land, tenements, hereditaments and premises, by these presents granted, ratified and confirmed, and every part and parcel thereof with their, and every of their ap- purtenances, (except as is herein before excepted) unto each of them our grantees above mentioned, their heirs .
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and assigns respectively, to their only proper and sepa- rate use and behoof, respectively and forever, as tenants in common and not as joint tenants, to be holden of us, our heirs and successors, in free and common socage, as of our Manor of East Greenwich in our county of Kent, within our kingdom of Great Britain, yielding, rendering and paying therefor yearly, and every year forever, unto us, our heirs and successors, at our Custom House in our city of New York, unto our or their Collector or Receiver General there, for the time being, on the feast of the An- nunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary, commonly called Lady Day, the yearly rent of two shillings and sixpence sterling, for each and every hundred acres of the above granted lands, and so in proportion for any less quantity thereof, saving and except for such part of the said lands allowed for highways as above mentioned. in lieu and stead of all other rents, services, dues, duties and de- mand whatever, for the hereby granted lands and premises, or any part thereof. And we do also, of our special grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, create, erect, and constitute, the tract or parcel of land herein granted, and every part and parcel thereof, a Township, forever here- after to continue and remain, and by the name of MOORE Towy forever hereafter to be called and known; and for the better and more easily carrying on and managing the publick affairs of said Township our Royal will and pleas- ure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors give and grant to the said Township, all the powers and authorities, privileges and advantages heretofore granted to, or legally enjoyed by, all, any, or either our other Townships within our said province. And we also ordain and establish that, there shall be forever hereafter, in the said Township, two Assessors, one Treasurer, two Over- seers of the high ways, two Overseers of the poor, one Collector, and four Constables, elected and chosen out of the inhabitants of the said Township yearly, and every
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year, on the first Tuesday in May, at the most publick place in the said Township by the majority of the free- holders thereof, then and there met and assembled for that purpose ; Hereby declaring that wheresoever the first Election in the said Township shall be held, the future Elections shall forever thereafter be held, in the same place, as near as may be, and giving and granting to the said officers so chosen, power and authority to exercise their said several and respective offices, during one whole year from such Election, and until others are legally chosen and elected in their room and stead, as fully and amply as any like officers have, or legally may use or exercise their offices in our said province ; and in case any or either of the said officers shall die, or remove from the said Town- ship, before the time of their annual service shall be ex- pired, or refuse to act in the offices for which they shall be respectively chosen, then our Royal will and pleasure further is, and we do hereby direct, ordain, and require the freeholders of the said Township to meet at the place where the annual election shall be held for the said Town- ship and chuse other, or others of the inhabitants of the said township in the place and stead of him or them so dying, removing, or refusing to act, within forty days after such contingency. And to prevent any undue Elec- tion in this case, we do hereby ordain and require that upon every vacancy in the office of Assessors, the Treas- urer, and in either of the other offices, the Assessors of the said township, shall, within ten days next after any such vacancy first happens, appoint the day for such Elec- tion and give public notice thereof in writing under his or their hands, by affixing the notice on the Church door or other most publick place in the said Township, at the least ten days before the day appointed for such Election; And in default thereof, we do hereby require the officer or officers of the said Township, or the survivor of them, who in the order they are hereinbeforementioned shall
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succeed him or them so making default, within ten days next after such default, to appoint the day for such Elec- tion, and give notice thereof as aforesaid, hereby giving and granting that such person or persons as shall be chosen by the majority of such of the freeholders of the said township as shall meet in manner hereby directed, shall have, hold, exercise and enjoy the office or offices to which he or they shall be so elected and chosen, from the time of such election until the first Tuesday in May, then next following, and until other or others be legally chosen in his or their place and stead, as fully as the person or persons in whose place he or they shall be chosen might or could have done by virtue of these presents. And we do hereby will and direct that this method shall forever after be used for the 'filling up all vacancies that shall hap- pen in any or either of said offices between the annual Elections above directed.
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