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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01096 3004
Gc 974.302 G85s 2295496
HISTORY OF
GREENSBOR
A SEMI-CENTENNIAL DISCOURSE.
BY REV. JAMES P. STONE.
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A
HISTORY
OF
GREENSBORO'
AND THE
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
A SEMI-CENTENNIAL DISCOURSE,
DELIVERED NOVEMBER 24, 1854.
BY REV. JAMES P. STONE.
PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE CHURCH.
MONTPELIER : R. P. WALTON, PRINTER.
Allen County Public Library Ft. Wayne, Indiana
2295496 SERMON.
REMEMBER THE DAYS OF OLD, CONSIDER THE YEARS OF MANY GENERATIONS; ASK THY FATHER AND HE WILL SHOW THEE; THY ELDERS, AND THEY WILL TELL THEE .- DEUT. 32 : 7.
TELL YE YOUR CHILDREN OF IT, AND LET YOUR CHILDREN TELL THEIR CHIL- DREN, AND THEIR CHILDREN ANOTHER GENERATION .- JOEL 1 : 3.
THAT the providential dealings of God with his creatures, his mighty works, and the wonders he hath wrought, not only among nations and kingdoms mighty and great, in gone by centuries, but also among the people of individual townships, communities and churches, should be recorded and occasional- ly rehearsed in the hearing of the people, is certainly very proper, and should we not add, highly important. From a re. view of the past we may learn wisdom for the future. For not only is it true that " history proclaims universally the greatness of the Almighty, his power, his justice, and above all, the ad- mirable wisdom with which his providence governs the uni- verse," but also that it shows to man his dependence, his duties and obligations, and what particular courses under any given circumstances it were the part of wisdom to pursue. Especially should the young, who are soon to come upon the stage of public life,- and to occupy stations of influence, authority or trust, listen to the teachings of history. Nor should they fan- cy that while the history of empires and states is important, the history of smaller communities, or of single townships, can be of no avail. It is well to know something of the events that have transpired in our own immediate vicinity, as well as in regions far remote ; of matters concerning which our fathers
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can inform us, as well as of events recorded by historiaus of former ages.
Hence the wisdom of the direction in the passages of Scrip- ture which I have used for a text, and hence also that language of the Psalmist, "One generation shall praise thy works to an- other, and shall declare thy mighty acts." And how frequent are historic reminiscences in the sacred volume. How often do the Patriarchs recount God's dealings with them and their fathers. And see, too, how Moses from time to time leads back the minds of his people to the events of former years ; remind- ing them not only of the promises of God to the fathers, but of the wonderful manner in which many of those promises had been fulfilled. Hear him tell of the former condition of Israel in Egypt, and how God heard their groanings and remembered his covenant, and brought them out of the house of their bond- age with a stretched out hand and with a mighty arm. In like manner Joshua, emulating the example of Moses, often gave to the people lessons of sacred history. So also Nehemiah and Ezra were wont to use history as a means of instructing, in- fluencing, reforming or controlling the people for whose wel- fare they labored and prayed. If we look into the New Testa- ment, there also are we presented with much of history. Al- lusions to historic facts are very frequent, both by our Savior and the apostles. The great sermons of Peter and Stephen are mainly made up of history. Certainly, then, it cannot but be right and proper, that important items of history should be gath- ered up from the rubbish of by-gone days, carefully recorded, and on suitable occasions rehearsed in the hearing of the peo- ple, by those whose duty it is to stand before them as religious teachers.
The present, as it seems to me, is one of those suitable and fit occasions. This day our Church enters upon its second half 'century. This then is, with us, a semi-centenial occasion. And is it indeed true that a whole half century of the exist-
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ence of this Church is gone, and gone forever ? In the estima- tion of the fathers and mothers among us, who can well re- member its birth day, how brief the period ! In what quick succession have the years, one after another, flitted by, till all are gone ! How short to some the time appears ! And yet it has gone, and gone forever ; and with it the great majority, nay, almost all, of those who at the beginning of this period were living and moving as members and pillars in society here. A few, a very few of these, however, still remain, and from their lips have been related to me most of the items of histor- ic interest, which, having written down, I propose to state in your hearing this day. " Tell ye your children of it, and let . your children tell their children, and their children another generation."
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One hundred years ago, this town and all this region of coun- try was a waste howling wilderness. Then the red man of the forest might here erect his wigwam, pursue his game, or launch his light canoe upon our ponds or lake, with no fear of being molested or troubled by men boasting a higher degree of civil- ization ; or in his absence, the wild bear, the deer, and the moose might roam through these forests unscared. But time rolls on, and anon new visions meet the eye. The sound of the axe is heard, announcing the approach of civilized men. 'The red man retreats, and the wild beasts retire. The thick forest is soon converted into a fruitful field, and neat and come- ly dwellings succeed the smoky wigwam. What scenes transpired, of strife and bloody conflict, among the savages who once roamed through these forests and dwelt upon the shores of this lake, no mortal now can tell. All these, if ever they occurred, are buried in oblivion. But we have to do with events which have transpired since those remoter and darker ages.
From all that we can gather, it seems that as early as during the year of our Lord 1776, in the midst of the Revolutionary
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struggle, the road was commenced, which was afterwards ex- tended and called the Hazen road. This commencement was made by Gen. Bailey .* In 1779, this road was continued and made passable fifty miles above Peacham, through Cabot, Walden, Hardwick, Greensboro', Craftsbury, Albany and Low- ell, by Gen. Hazen, who then came to Peacham with a part of his regiment, as he said for the purpose of completing the road previously commenced by Gen. Bailey, that an army might be sent through for the reduction of Canada. Upon this road were erected, at different points, block houses, which were de- signed to serve as forts. One of these was in this town, on the western side of our beautiful Caspian, near where is now the residence of Mr. Merrill Williams. This road, though nev- er passed over by any great army for the reduction of Canada, was nevertheless opened, not in vain. To the pioneer settlers of the hitherto unoccupied townships lying upon its course, it was of essential service.
It should here be observed that though we cannot speak of Greensboro' as having been the scene of any great battles, or as having been passed over by any thing like an army,t yet incidents have occurred here of a character worthy of record. Do all your children know that in Greensboro' men have fallen by savage hands? that our soil has been enriched by revolu- tionary blood ? On the western shore of our lake repose the ashes of Bliss and Sleeper. No monument has ever been erect- ed sacred to their memory, and the traveler passes near the spot without being reminded, or so much as knowing that there once fell, nobly, in the service of our country, two of her wor- thy sons. These, however, were not, as some suppose, of Ha- zen's troops. He, in the fall of the same year in which the
In Uiti, "veral companies belonging to Col. Boedel's regiment marched through l'eacham to , anada, mpon snow shoes, on a line run in 1771. The same spring Gen. Bailey had orders to pen a road from Newbury to St. Johns, for conveying troops and provisions into Canada. He had it ent from New bury to six miles above Peacham, when the news arrived that our army had returned from Canada, and the undertaking was abandoned.
1If we except the companies of Col. Beedel's regiment ; and whether they passed this way or not is uncertain.
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road was opened, abandoned all his block houses, except one twelve miles this side of Peacham, probably in Walden, which he committed to a sergeant's guard, and marched to the south. In the spring of 1780, Capt. Aldrich came to Peacham, built a small picket around the house of James Bailey, and then the block house, above referred to, was abandoned. And in the fall of the same year Capt. Aldrich, too, marched south, leaving the inhabitants of Peacham and vicinity, scattered as they were, and few, very few in number, to take care of themselves. On the following March, (1781,) a party of the enemy from Canada, came at night upon the inhabitants of Peacham, and made prisoners of Jacob Page, Col. Johnson, and Col. Elkins, then a youth. During the following summer, Capt. Nehemialı Loveland was stationed with his company at Peacham. In September, he sent a scout of four men up the Hazen road. They came as far as Greensboro', and while here, occupying the block house above referred to, in an unguarded hour, while at a little distance from the house, were attacked by a party of Indians who were lying in ambush, and two of them,-Bliss and Sleeper,-were slain and scalped. The other two making no resistance, were led captive to Canada, and were soon pris- oners with Col. Elkins in Quebec.
It was not till several years after this that attempts were made for permanent settlements here ; for, although the town- ship was, in November, 1780, granted, and on the 20th of Au- gust, 1781, chartered to Harris Colt,* and sixty-six associates, yet it is not known that white men for years subsequently of- ten visited this wilderness save in the capacity of huntsmen. " The mighty hunter," Lyford, spent much time in this vicin- ity, having his camps at different points upon the shores of our lake, and the precise location of some of them can be pointed out to the visitor at this day, where moose bonest and charcoal
*From whom the town was at first called " Coltskill." The name was afterwards changed to "Greensboro'," in honor of Mr. Green, another of the proprietors, and as being more euphonic.
t Moose were formerly very abundant in these forests. An aged friend remembers that twenty- three were taken in Minden during the winter of 1790, principally by hunters from Cabot.
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are found in considerable quantities. Near one of these spots, on the farm now owned by Mr. Lincoln, is a spring of water which still bears the name of the "Lyford spring."
It was in one of these Lyford camps, that in the year 1787, the Rev. Messrs. Tolman and Wood found shelter as they spent three days in this wilderness, encamping upon the shore of our lake, and offering fervent and earnest prayer to God for the future inhabitants of the place, that they might be a people virtuous and pious and blessed of the Lord. Thus was this soil consecrated, and Jehovah invoked to be the God of those who should afterwards inhabit here ; while as yet not a single building was erected, not a field cleared, and while not a single human being could say, this is my home. In December of the following year: (1788,) was held, at Cabot, a meeting of the proprietors of Greensboro', in atttempting to attend which, one of them - Timothy Stanley, - lost a portion of his foot by frost. No surgical instruments being at hand, his toes and the lower part of his foot were removed by means of a mallet and chisel, and that too q lite successfully.
During the following spring, settlements were commenced in Greensboro'. From Newbury, then called Coos, came hith- er, sixty-five years ago last spring, Messrs. Ashbel and Aaron Shepard with their families. In coming from Cabot, the wo- men had to proceed on foot, and all the furniture belonging to the two families was drawn on three hand sleds. The fami- lies consisted of five persons, viz : Ashbel Shepard and wife, and Aaron Shepard and wife and one child. Ashbel commenc- . ed on what is at present known as the " Rand farm," now oc- cupied by Mr. Guilford. Aaron went into the block house formerly designed as a fort, and occupied by the sconting party, two of whom were slain by the Indians .*
But in August, Mr Aaron Shepard with his family returned ,to Newbury, leaving his brother Ashbel and wife through the
.The Indians did not entirely forsake these parts, till after settlements had been commenced
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winter as the sole inhabitants of the town; during which time their nearest neighbors were the families of Mr. Benjamin Webster in Cabot, and Mr. Nathan Cutler in Minden, (now Craftsbury,) six miles north, where is now the red house at Craftsbury east hill, occupied by Mr. Harriman. At the same time, Col. Crafts and Mr. Trumbell having for the winter left Minden, the Cutler family was the only family in that town ; . and the two constituted, for a time, the entire population with- in the present limits of Orleans County. During that dreary and lonely winter, Mr. Shepard brought all his grain from Newbury, a distance of more than fifty miles, sixteen miles of which he drew it on a hand sled upon snow four or five feet deep. In the same manner also, he drew hay for the support of his cow, from a beaver meadow of wild grass, three miles distant. During this season of loneliness, the two families in Greensboro' and Minden were cheered by an arrival, not of the cars, nor of a stage coach, nor yet of a chaise, wagon or sleigh, but of a hand sled, drawn by three cheerly young men, and bearing upon it a precious burden,-a healthful, comely girl of not quite fourteen years. Her name was Mary Gerould. She was a step-daughter of Mr. Cutler, of Minden. From Stur- bridge, Mass., where a year before she was left by her parents for the purpose of attending school, she was, in January, 1790, brought on her way by Col. Joseph Scott, as far as Ryegate, Vt. Having been detained some two weeks at Ryegate, at the house of Squire Page, she was by him conveyed to the house +2 of Dea. Elkins in Peacham. After a delay there of another two weeks, she was enabled to advance a little further. Hon. Aaron Robinson, of Bennington, brought her to the house of Squire Levensworth, in Dewey's Gore, which now constitutes parts of Danville and Peacham. There she was subjected to another delay of ten days, when she came on horseback to the house of Leftenant Lyford, on Cabot plain. Next morning, she proceeded, as before described, towards Minden, drawn by
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Jesse Levensworth, Josiah Elkins, and Obed Cutler, a son of her step-father. The party reached the house of Mr. Shepard, the only house between Cabot and Minden, about noon. . It hardly need be said that Mrs. Shepard, in the absence of her husband for a hand sled load of hay, gave them a hearty greet- ing, and as comfortable a dinner as circumstances would allow. Cheered and refreshed, the party proceeded on their way, and just as the sun was going down, reached the house of the pa- rents of Obed Cutler and Mary Gerould. For months previ- ous to this, no female had been seen by Mrs. Shepard or Mrs. Cutler. Who can express the joy of that mother, after such a season of loneliness, at such an arrival ?- the arrival not only of a fellow creature of her own sex, but of a tender and affec- tionate daughter. . And who can describe the emotions which stirred the bosom of that young female, after a dreary and lonely journey of weeks among strangers, and where much of the way human dwellings could not be seen for miles, on be- .', ing permitted, in this wilderness, to behold the face and to res ceive the warm kisses of her own affectionate mother. Those families have long since passed away, but that daughter still hives. She is even now among us, as one of us, and known among our children and youth by the endearing appellation, GRANDMAAM STANLEY.
But to return. About the middle of March, Mrs. Cutler, prompted by a sense of duty as well as desire, visited her neigh- bor, Mrs. Shepard, making the trip with her best carriage, the hand sled ; and with her she remained some little time. Dur- ing this visit, on the 25th of March, 1790, Mrs. Shepard be- came the joyful mother of the first white child ever born in Greensboro', and probably within the present limits of Orleans County, viz : William Scott Shepard, who is supposed to be now living in Southport, Wis. To him the proprietors voted ' one hundred acres of land,-the land, I am told, now owned and occupied by Mr. William B. Sawyer.
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About this time, Mr. Aaron Shepard and family, who had left town the summer previous, returned, and with them Mr. Horace Shepard and family, who began on what has since been called " the Ring farm," lying on the road leading from Mr. Williams' to Mr. Cook's. Thus were there in town three fam- ilies instead of one. At or near the time of the coming of these families, came also,-some of the way, it is said, on foot, or otherwise upon a hand sled,-Miss Susan Shepard,* a sister of the three brothers, to reside in the family of Ashbel Shep- ard, as helper and nurse.
- The same year also, came Timothy Stanley, and erected, near the outlet of our Lake, a saw-mill, -- the first mill of any de- scription ever erected in this town, and, unless we make an ex- ception of the saw-mill built by Col. Crafts in Minden, the first within the presont limits of Orleans County. Soon came also Mr. Joseph Stanley, in the capacity of blacksmith, and put. up a shop ; and during the following year, (1791,) arrived Mr. John Law, Dea. Peleg Hill, Peleg Hill, Jr., and James Hill, and their families, and probably some others ; about which time a grist-mill was erected by Timothy Stanley, who, early in the following year, (1792,) was married to Miss Eunice Hunting- tou, of Shaftsbury, whom he brought hither, having previously built a log house near the spot where now stands the house of , Mr. Ingalls. Quite a number of families were now fairly set- tled here, and on the 29th of March, 1793, the town was or- ganized, the first town meeting being held at the house of Mr. Ashbel Shepard,
The precise time of the arrival of each of the first settlers, it is difficult to ascertain. But we now fall upon another item of history, by which we are enabled to ascertain pretty nearly who were the dwellers here in 1793. That year, on the 25th day of July, in a frame house standing where is now Major Waterman's garden, was a wedding, -the first in all this sec-
* Afterwards the wife of Col. Levi Stevens.
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tion of country. Mr. Joseph Stanley, of Greensboro', and Miss Mary Gerould, of Craftsbury, were then and there duly joined in marriage, by Timothy Stanley, Esq. As there was no min- ister or qualified justice in Craftsbury. and as the couple were to reside in Greensboro'. it was arranged hat the wedding din- ner should be at Craftsbury ; after which the parties, upon horses which for the occasion had been procured at Peacham, proceeded to Greensboro' for the marriage ceremony. To this wedding all the inhabitants of the town were invited, and it is believed, with the exception of five adults and a few chil- dren, attended. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who lived near Crafts- bury, and Ashbel Shepard and Levi Stevens, who had gone to Newbury to obtain provisions, and also Mrs. Vance, failed of being present. But there were present, as remembered by Mrs. Stanley, Dea. Peleg Hill, Peleg Hill, Jr., and James Hill and their wives, Mr. John Law and wife, Capt. David Stone and wife, Capt. Timothy Hinman and family, Mr. Silas Davidson and wife, Mr. Aaron Shepard and wife, Mr. Horace Shepard and wife, Timothy Stanley, Esq., and wife, Mr. David Vance, Mrs. Ashbel Shepard, and Mrs. Levi Stevens, and perhaps some children. After the marriage ceremony at the house of the groom, the wedding supper was served up in good style, out of doors, in front of Judge Stanley's log house. This newly mar- ried couple constituted the fifteenth family in Greensboro' .*
From this period, new settlers were from time to time com- ing in, and new roads were being opened, and fruitful fields began to multiply. According to Mr. Thompson, there were in the town, in 1795, twenty-three families and 108 persons. These were probably the families of the three Shepards, the three Hills, the two Stanleys, Col. Levi Stevens, who began upon the farm now owned and occupied by Mr. C. B. Field ; Mr. David Vance, who first began a little north of where Mr.
, .The second wedding in town, was that of Mr. Samuel Stevens, of Hardwick, and Miss Pual Millen, of Greensboro', at the house of Capt. David Stone. The Wide was a sister of Mrs. Stone.
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J. C. Ellsworth now lives, but soon succeeded Mr. Silas David- son, where Mr. Thomas Smith now resides ; Mr. Jonathan Nay, where Mr. Obediah Glines now lives ; Mr. John Law, south of the present Field place ; Capt. David Stone, where Mr. Com- ings now lives ; Mr. John Carpenter, on the present Barkley place ; Capt. Timothy Hinman, on the O. W. Ellsworth farm ; Mr. Amos Smith, where now lives Mr. Amos Kate ; Mr. Amos Dodge, where Mr. Samuel Miller now lives ; Mr. Ichabod Dag- get, above the north school house ; Mr. Jonathan Pettengill, where Mr. Macomber now lives; Thomas Tolman, Esq.,son the A. W. Williams farm, west of the Caspian ; Asahel Ger- ould, where Mr. Whitelaw now lives; Josiah Elkins, on the present Lincoln farm ; and Mr. Obed Cutler, on what is still known as the Cutler place.
Soon other names began to be known among the settlers. In 1796 came Mr. Walton as miller, and lived in the mill house. In 1797 came Dr. Samuel Huntington and commenced where Dea. Baker now lives ; near the same time, also, Mr. Salmon Elkins, and commenced where now lives Mr. Matthew Marshall, and, also, Mr. Amos Blanchard, where now lives Mr. I]. S. Tolman. In 1798 came John Ellsworth, Esq., and com- menced on the farm now owned by Mr. Lumsden. In Jan- uary, 1799, came Mr. Aaron Farnham, and commenced near where Mr. McLaren now lives, and in February of the same year, Mr. Willard Lincoln, who succeeded Josiah Elkins, on the farm where Wm. W. Lincoln now lives. In 1800 Messrs. Hale & Strong, succeeded Capt. Hinman, who had previously removed to Derby. In March 1801, Mr. John Law having some time previously removed from his original pitch, was succeeded by Mr. Charles Cook, on the farm now owned and occupied by his son Charles Cook, Esq. During that or the following year came Asahel Washburn. His house stood upon the ground now occupied by the dwelling of Jabez Pinney, Esq.
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About these years began also other settlers, among whom are remembered, Capt. Marvin Grow, afterwards Elder Grow, where Mr. Young now lives ; Mr. Aaron Rice, where Mr. Whipple Rice now lives; Mr. Seth Eddy, near the present residence of Mr. George Miller ; Mr. Jacob Babbitt, on what till recently has been known as the Babbitt. Farm ; Mr. James Rollins, who succeeded Nathaniel Johnson, on the place where Mr. David Rollins now lives; Capt. George Risley, at the Woodmansee place, recently occupied by John Sawyer, Esq ; Mr. Phipps, where Mr. John,tayler now lives; Mr. Elnathan Tauder Gates, where Mr. John bet now lives ; Mr. Peter Randall, on the place now owned and occupied by Mr. John Wilson ; Mr. Moses K. Haines, on what is still called the Haines Farm, near to which soon came his father, Mr. Matthias Haines and family. Very likely other settlers came during these same years, whose names have not occurred to those of whom I have made enquiry.
Of the period which has elapsed since those early days we have not now time to speak. Suffice it to say, that the popu- lation has continued gradually to increase, * public roads have been to a sufficient extent multiplied, t good order has in the general been sustained, the morals of the people to a great ex- tent preserved, and general health, and in some instances, length of days, enjoyed. # /
The subject of education has not been entirely neglected. In the summer of 1794, in Aaron Shepard's barn, was gathered the first school ever taught in Greensboro'. The teacher was Miss Anna Hill, who also taught -the following summer in the barn of Mr. Ashbel Shepard. In the same place soon after Miss Emma Stoddard taught a school. The third teacher ever
· The population in 1930 was 784; in 1940, 863; and in 1850, 1008.
t The first road laid through the town after it- settlement was the old road to Glover, some- times called the Norton Road.
AMr. Bush, who died March 15, 1845, is supposed to have reached within a few weeks of 115 years of age. Next to him in age should i mentioned Mrs. Susan Corlis, who died October 4th, 1850, aged 100 years and 15 daye.
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