USA > Vermont > Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol II > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132
Gc 974. 3 C19g v. 2 11360 96
M. La
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00055 6313
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalfami02carl
yesmccullough
The Lewis Publishing Co.
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY
OF THE
STATE OF VERMONT
A RECORD OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF HER PEOPLE IN THE MAKING OF A COMMONWEALTH AND THE FOUNDING OF A NATION
FORY WAM
COMPILED UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF HON. HIRAM CARLETON OF MONTPELIER
VOL. II
"Knowledge of kindred and the genealogies of the ancient families deserveth the highest praise. Herein consisteth a part of the knowledge of a man's own self. It is a great spur to virtue to look back on the worth of our line."-LORD BACON.
"There is no heroic poem in the world but is at the bottom the life of a man."- SIR WALTER SCOTT.
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1 9:0 3
INDEX.
1136096
Adams, Leroy F., 632 Akeley, Healey C., 476 Alfred, Frank E., 353 Allen, Ira R., 415 Allen, Martin F., 71 Allen, Stoddard N., 72 Andros, Dudley K., 576 Aplin, George T., 502 Arkley, Alexander T., 135 Arms, Edward, 737 Arms, Robert B., 288 . Arthur, Chester A., 522 Atcherson, Byron F., 287 Ayers, Hiram B., 479 Ayers, John L., 473 Ayres, Joseph M., 747
Bacon, John B., 750 Bacon, John L., 338 Bailey, Frank J., 307 Bailey, Isaac D., 86 Bailey, James E., 547 Baker, Joel C., 684 Baker, John G., 36 Baldwin, LeRoy W., 380 Ball, Franklin P., 390. Ball, George F., 390 Ball, Noble L., 65 Ballard, Henry, 728 Barber, Charles N., 543 Barber, Merritt, 643 Barnes, James W., 281 Barry, Milton P., 426 Barstow, John, 544 Bartlett, Joel B., 145 Bates, Edward L., 705 Beckwith, Buel S., 87 Belknap, Willis C., 116 Benedict, Ransom S., 84 Benzie, John, 591 Berkeley, George, 753 Bigelow, John J., 560 Bigwood, Samuel, 13I Birkett, Elmer P., 75 Bissell, William H. A., 174 Bixby, Armentus B., 372 Bixby, Hira L., 607 Blake, William C., 162
Blakely, David, 344
Blakely, The Family, 594
Blanchard, Edwin O., 458
Blanchard, Herbert H., 723
Bliss, William H., 89
Blodgett, Charles A., 493 Blodgett, George W., 720 Blodgett, Seth A., 590
Bolles, Francis A., 124
Bond, George J., 106
Bond, Henry E., 566
Bosworth, David, 242
Bosworth, William H., 245
Boyden, Nelson L., 159
Bradbury, Charles A., 658
Brainerd, Ezra, 314
Brainerd, Lawrence, 4II
Briggs, George, 659 Brigham, Herbert F., 752 Brigham, Waldo, 35 Brooks, Frank H., 604
Brooks, George J., 248
Brown, Henry M., 167
Brown, Isaac J., 714
Brown, John S., 210
Brown, Roswell E., 246
Brown, Wilbur, 292 Brown, William, 71I
Brownell, Chauncey W., 219
Buck, Arthur E., 465
Burbank, William H., 206
Burdick, Almond E., 636
Burleson, George W., 240
Burt. Frank O., 564
Butler, Fred M., 669
Butterfield, A. Augustine, 10I Butterfield, O. E., 727
Cabot, William B., 685 Cady, Willis N., 78 Camp, Dix J., 538 Cannon, Barney, 374
Carpenter, Arthur P., 105
Carpenter, Benjamin F. D., 681
Carpenter, Sylvanus B., 158 Carter, Rodney F., 675 Cartmell, Robert, 109
Chandler, Albert B., 328 Chandler, Lemuel, 461 Chapin, Lucius O., 66 Chapman, Marvin W., 749
Chapman, Thad M., 319 Chase, Rolla M., 365 Chase, Trescott A., 526
Childs, Adna L., 280
Childs, George T., 182 Chittenden, Lucius E., 614
Church, Melvin D., 559
. Clark, Dayton, 683 Clark, Frederick E., 628
Clark, George H., 418 Clark, Henry G., 418 Clark, Henry L., 208
Clark, Orlando, 483
Clark, The. Family, 80
Clark, William F., 312 Clermont, Anthony P., 368
Cleveland, Henry C., 640
Cleveland, James P., 386
Clough, George W., 218 Clough. Guy A., 562
Cobb, William H., 93 Cobleigh, Rolfe, 169 Coburn, Arthur D., 176 Coburn, Frederick W., 128
Coburn, James A., 176 Coburn, Joseph L., 129 Coburn, Lewis D., 128
Cole, Ormond, 134 Collins, Barnabas W., 67 Conant, David S., 25 Cone, The Family, 361 Converse, Charles H .. 272 Cook, Nelson W., 666 Cooper, Alanson L., 347 Cowdrey, Burnham, 532 Crandall, Frank H., 708 Crandall, Henry A., 31 Crane, David G., 660 Crawford, Henry, 258
Cummings, David W., 481 Cummings, Edgar A., 601 Cummings, Harlan P., 440 Currier, John W., 514 Cushman, Henry T., 433
iv
INDEX.
Cutler, Clinton, 1 Cutting. William B., 616
Dailey, Timothy S., 383 Dana, Benjamin F, 520 Dana, Charles S., 317 Dunds, George F., 00 Duhng. Jonathan R. 207 Dnling, Joseph K . 405
Davenport, George, 159
Davis, Aaron, 717 Davi, Charles R. 300 Davis, Edward A., 718
Davis, George, 503
Dean, Ashbel A., 662
Dean, F. E., 718
DeBoer, Joseph A., 256
Deming, Eleazer IL, 673
Denison, Dudley (., 356.
Denison, Joseph D., 166
Derby, Albert, 192
Dewey, Charles, 56
Dewey, George, 58
Dickenson, Dennis A., 740
Dickerman, Jerry E., 519
Dodge, Harvey, 431
Donnelly, John H., 61
Dorr, Mrs. Julia C. R., 587
Dorr, Seneca M., 585
Dowley, George S., 572
Downs, Franklin P., 720
Drew, Lemuel S., 147
DuBois, Fred E., 170
Dunshee, Noble F., 274 Dunton, Charles H., 236
Eaton, John H., 713
Eddy, Merritt H., 97
Eddy, Stanton S., 98
Eels, George A., 337 Elkins, Orion N., 605
Ellis, Zenas H., 384
Emerson, Charles C., 463 Emery, Sanford E., 565
Fairfield, Charles T., 704 Fairman, Erastus P., 401 Farman, Albert W., 515 Farrar, David, 693 Farrar, The Family, 692 Faulkner, Charles H., 688 Fay, Arnold C., 165 Fay, Harry M., 47 Fay, John, 164
Ferrin, Chester M., 143
Field, Wells L., 161
Fifield, Benjamin F., I Fish, Frank L., 302 Fisher, Chester L., 19I
Fisher, Ezra E., 255 Flagg. George W., 736 Flagg, John H., 60 Fletcher, Frederick, 546 Fletcher, Mary M., 238 Folsom, Harley E., 690 Fontana Brothers, 721 Forbes, Charles S., 186 Forbes, The Family, 184
Poster, Anorge S. 116 Fowler, Joseph W., 283
Fox. George 11, 221 Freeman, Edward W , 115
Fuller, George W., 199
Fullington, Barney S, 631
Horton, Andrew J., 100 Horton, Edward HI., 739 Horton, Myron J., 388 Houghton, Charles E., 160
Hovey, Edwin I., 178 Hovey, Jabez W., 348
Howard. Charles W., 638 Howe, Frank B., 212
Howe, John C., 160
Hunt, George A., 77
Hutchins, Everett W. H., 723 Hutchinson, James, 39
Jackman, William H., 73
Jackson, Heber A., 637 Jamason, Charles R., 370 Jenne, Clarence F. R., 195
Jeudevine, Alden E., 569
Johnson, Russell T., 182
Johnson, William E., 371
Jones, Calista R., 23 Jones, Charles, 21
Jones, Charles H., 581
Jones, Harriet (Joslyn), 579
Jones; Horace S., 579
Jones, Julian H., 536
Jones, Moses J., 634
Jones, Orrin H., 467
Joslyn, Hubbard, 580
Judson, Andrew H., 512
Judson, J. Rollin, 28
Keith, Lewis, 608
Kelton, Francis P., 490
Kelton, Herbert, 534
Kenfield, Frank, 726
Kent, Leroy A., 42
Kimball. George F. O., 275
Kimball, Orrin, 479
Kimball, Robert J., 537
King, George M., 408 Kingsley, Darwin P., 653
Labaree. Charles W., 289 Lamb, Frank, 511
Lamson, Thomas, 157
Lamson, Whitcomb E., 157
Lawson, Charlie C .. 48
Lawson, William N., 43
Lawton, Shailor E .. 235 Leach, Moses J., 363 Leavenworth, Abel, Sr., 444 Leavenworth, Philip R., 444
Leavitt, Elroy F., 410
Libbey, Alonzo S., 173 Lord, Charles C., 214
Loring, Joseph H., 260 Lowe, Asa, 345
Lowry, George W., 15 Lynch, Edward R., 96 Lynch, John A., 719
Maeck, Frederick, 649 Maeck, John Van S., 649
Gaffield, Gardner J , 4220 Gale, Charles A., 677 Gardner, Abraham B., 326
Gay, Willard, 457
Gifford, John P., 721
Gilman. George E., 192
Gilman, Heman L., 72
Gilmore, Arthur W., 697
Gilmore, William H., 212 Gilson, Calvin P., 140
Gilson, Edson P., 406
Gleason, Joseph T., 592
Godfrey, Frank H., 425
Goodall, E. K., 691
Goodhue, Francis, 575 Gordon, John W., 37
Gordon, Truman R., 699
Gorham, David C., 272
Goss, Franklin A., 704
Goulding, Joseph H., 449
Granger, George W., 583
Graves, Allen L .. 327
Graves, George F., 271
Graves, Luther R., 269
Graves, The Family, 262
Greene, Lorenzo' M., 351
Hall, Elmore J., 221 Hall, Hiland, 6
Hall, Thomas B., 209
Hamilton, Fremont. 148
Hamilton, Henry W., 148
FTanchett, Henry H., 366
Hanrahan. John D., 612 Hard, Abbie A., 282 Hard, Elizabeth, 282 Harman, George W., 624 Harrington, Edwin, 320 Hasseltine, Erwin A., 256
Hatch, Isaac W., 703 Hatch, The Family, 153 Hawkins, Don, 333 Hawley, Donly C .. 49 Haynes. Benton, 675 Hazelton, Hiram J., 154
Hebard. William L., 489
Hendee, George W., 217 Herrick, Seth N., 521 Hewitt, Arthur L., 478
Hewitt, A. W., 479 Hicks. Murray O., 676
Hill, The Family, 398 Hill, Wallace N., 187 Hindes, Jacob G., 290 Hines, Alonzo H., 561 Hoar, Richard A., 609 Hodges, Charles L., 54I Holden, Eli. 462 Holden, J. Henry, 194 Holley, Winter H., 236 Hollister, George E., 542
Hollister, Josiah B., 46 Holton, Joel 11, 620
Hooker, Burton S, 432 Horton, Alonzo E., 460
V
INDEX.
Manley, Joseph E., 381 Marble, The Family, 650 Marsh, James W., 742 Marshall, Andrew J., 309 Martin, Bowman B., 407 Martin, James L., 582 Marvin, Ebenezer, 707 Mathews, Asa D., 409 Mathews, Edward J., 308 Mathewson, Ozias D., 62 May, Elisha, 657 McClary, Horace P., 19 McClary, The Family, 17 McClintock, William G., 487
Mccullough, John G., 4 McDuffee, Henry C., 40 McFarland, Henry M., 32 McKnight, Edwin P., 527 McLoud, James H., 68 McNeil, William, 439 McQuivey, Allison N., 551 Meacham, Ozro, 392 Mead, John A., 597 Meech, Edgar, 584 Meech, Ezra, 584 Miles, Charles A., 506 Miles, Willard W., 494 Miles, William, H., 403 Miller, Charles C., 149
Milne, George B., 430 Moore, Franklin, 505 Moore, Mrs. Philura C., 504 Morgan, Elmira H., 299 Morgan, William R., 298 Morris, The Family, 358 Morse, Dana H., 552 Morse, Melvin G., 719 Morton, Richard G., 434 Mosley, Charles N., 560 Moulton, Clarence F., 38 Munson, Loveland, 325 Murdock, Herbert T., 724
Nash, Frank T., 223 Nelson, Frank J., 456 Newton, Louis S., 689 Nichols, Edwin L., III Nichols, Fayette G., 123
Nichols, William H., 156 Norton, Anson M., 295 Norton, Edward, 26 Norton, Luman P., 339 Norton, Nathan A., 206 Nye, Warren C., 427 Nye, William G., 424
Orvis, Edward C., 279 Orvis, 'Franklin H., 276
Page, Curtis L., 368 Page, Frank M., 188 Paige, Eugene W., 505 Palmer, Eli H., 415 Pape, George H., 417 Park, Annie C., 253 Park, Trenor W., 12 Parker, Charles E., 301 Parks, Warren F., 712
Patterson, George W., 731 Pattridge, Curtis J., 115 Pease, Horace C., 232
Peck, Asahel, 700 Peck, Cicero G., 701 Perrin, David A., 630 Perrin, Walter J., 16
Phillips, Chester S., 603
Phillips, Winfield S., 283
Pierce, George W., 112
Pierce, Will E., 496
Pierpoint, Evelyn, 422
Pierpoint, Robert, 420
Pitkin, Perley P., 548
Plamondon. William A., 645
Pontbriand, Charles L., 669
Pope, Edward A., 126
Porter, Herbert G., 473
Powers, William E., 189 Prichard, Fred E., 350
Prime, William R., 735
Prouty, George H., 735
Prouty, John A., 733
Putnam, Christopher C., Jr., 136
Rand, James P., 620
Ranger; Walter E., 528
Ray, Orman P., 228
Read, Carlton W., 257
Reed, Albert C., 438
Retting, John J., 198
Rhoads, Cornelius P., 12I
Rich, Frank A., 284
Richardson, Lucius H., 555 -
Rider, William W., 247
Ripley, Charles, 647
Robertson, William, 509
Robins, John, 422
Robinson, Rowland E., 102
Rogers, Lyman, 710
Root, William A., 610
Rose, Hale R., 118 Ross, Elmer E., 95
Ross, Henry H., 748
Rowley, Erwin S., 568
Royce, George E., 516 Royce, Homer C., 375
Rublee, Charles C., 497
Russel, Edward P., 322
Ryder, Herbert D., 423
Ryder, James M., 680
Safford, John M., 625 Safford, The Family, 330
Salisbury Bros., 529 Sargeant, Mark J., 355
Sawyer, Charles M., 19 Sawyer, Edward B., 671
Scott, Martin, 189 Severance, Milton L., 622 Seymour, Charles R., 488 Shattuck, Curtis N., 653 Shattuck. Ira A., 589 Shaw, Charles E., 719 Shaw, Henry B., 174 Shaw, Jerome V., 273 Sheldon, John A., 654 Sheldon, William B., 251
Sherburn, Joel O., 180 Sherburne, Frank A., 696 Sibley, Clark, 540 Sibley, George F., 152 Sibley, Hiram E., 130 Sibley, Simeon M., 37 Sibley, Torrey W., 133 Simmonds, David K., 484 Simmons, Horatio C., 663 Slack, John T., 716 Slack, William H. H., 715
Sleeper, Joseph E., 503 Smalley, Bradley B., 472
Smalley, David A., 468
Smith, Clement F., 641
Smith, Edward C., 55
Smith, Fuller C., 665
Smith, George W., 480 Smith, John A., 239 Smith, The Family, 52 Smith, Walter P., 172
Spafford, Henry W., 304
Sparrow, Hiram L., 525 Spear, Orville A., 442
Stafford, J. Gilbert, 202 Stanford, Charles A., 297
Stanton, Zed S., 436
Stearns, John C., 20
Stearns, Joseph T., 623
Stedman, Josiah H., 553
Stewart, Abel H., 554
Stiles, Francis W., 34I
Stiles, Truman. R., 177
Stillson, Henry L., 342
Stockwell, Elbridge E., 144
Stoddard, Frederick R., 404
Stone, Micah H., 127
Stone, Robert G., 128
Stone, William L., 215
Stow, George L., 635
Stratton, George O., 234
Streeter, Henry C., 556
Strong, Horace W., 746
Stuart, Charles L., 205
Sullivan, John E., 300
Swain, Albert N., 500
Swain, The Family, 500
Swasey, George T., 349
Taft, Elihu B., 510 Taft, Isaac B., 20I Taft, Lucius D., 745 Taggart, John E., 125
Talbot, James H., 74I
Taylor, William H., 297 Temple, David W., 244 Templeton, Aden C., 483 Templeton, Hiram L., 485 Thayer, Lorenzo D., 200 Thomas, Henry G., 474 Thompson, Laforrest H., 171 Thomson, Jesse E., 679 Titus, Edward, IIO Tobias, Charles E., 709 Townsend, George H., 31I Tracy, Amasa S., 513 Tracy, Henry W., 29 Tuttle, Henry M., 286
vi
INDEX.
Van Dort, Anthony, 21. Van Sicklin, John J., 140 Vin Vhet, Cuius P. By Vincent, Horace M., 501 Vinton, William B., 92
Wale, Henry. 539 Walker, The Famk, 19 Wallace, Everett J., 3.3.3 Walter, Charles T., 662 Ward, Frederick W., 743 Wardwell, George J., 492 Ware, Orin O., 556 Ware, Walter M., 627
Warner, Joseph, 681 Warren, Gilman, 616 Warren, Mrs. Gilman, 617
Washburne, Wilham H , 503
Watson, Albot B. 385
Webber, George W., 591
Webster, John P., 674
Wheaton, George E. C., 443
Wheeler, Charles G., 335
Wheeler Cyru, W. 107 Wheeler, Hoyt HI., 76
Wheeler, John S., 69
Wheeler, The Family, 107
Wheelock, Julius S., 168
Whitcomb, Charles W., 397
Whitcomb, Hany W. 61
Whitcomb, Moses S., 117
Whitcomb, The Family, 393
White, H. C., 375 White, Homer, 369
White, William C., 367
Whiting, Alfred C., 120 Whiting, I. B., 119
Wilder, Joseph A., 132
Wilkins, George, 44
Willard, Charles H., 600
Willard, Francis F., 545
Williams, Charles G., 142 Williams, Salmon, 563 Willson, Henry S., 744 Woodhull, Joel B., 293
Woodward, Daniel C., 571
Woodward, Julius H., 686
Woodworth, Edward C., .336
Young, James R., 480 Young, John, 518
1
-- - -- --
-- ----
1
1
3 77 field
STATE OF VERMONT.
HON. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FIFIELD.
Benjamin Franklin Fifield was born in Or- ange, Vermont, November 18, 1832, being the son of Colonel Orange Fifield, who was the son of Colonel Samuel Fifield, one of the early settlers in that town and an extensive prop- erty holder therein in his day. The family is of Scottish descent, and the family name is under- stood to have been originally a union of the name of the county of Fife, in Scotland, with the name of Field. Mr. Fifield's ancestors emigrated to the Massachusetts colony in 1634. His lineage in America is a notable one. On the maternal side he is descended for the Adamses of Massa- chusetts, his grandmother's maiden name being Lucy Adams, she being in direct line of descent from Henry Adams, who came to this country about: 1629, and who was the common ancestor of the Adams family. On the other hand, Sam- uel Adams, the Revolutionary patriot, was the son of Samuel and Mary (Fifield) Adams, the latter being in direct line of descent from William Fifield, the common ancestor of the Fifield family. His great-grandfather Fifield was an of- ficer in the Revolutionary war, and was the sec- ond man over the British entrenchments at the battle of Bennington. His grandfather's brother, Colonel Edward Fifield, commanded a regiment in active service in the war of 1812.
His father having removed to Montpelier in his youth, Benjamin F. Fifield fitted for college there and in Plattsburg (New York) Academy, of which Wiliam C. Belcher (University of Ver- mont, 1843), was principal. He entered the
University of Vermont and graduated with credit in the class of 1855. Selecting the honorable profession of the law, he pursued his legal studies in the office of Peck & Colby, in Montpelier, the partners in which were Hon. Lucius B. Peck, the leader of the Washington county bar, one of the foremost lawyers of Vermont, member of Con- gress, and president of the Vermont and Canada Railroad, and Hon. Stoddard B. Colby, a bril- liant advocate, later register of the United States treasury during the Civil war. In 1858 he was admitted to the bar of Washington county and commenced practice in Montpelier, where he has ever since resided. After his admission to the bar he became associated with Messrs. Peck & Colby until 1864, when, Mr. Colby having re- moved to Washington, he formed a partnership with Mr. Peck. This co-partnership continued until the death of Mr. Peck in 1866, when Mr. Fifield succeeded to the entire and extensive business of the firm. From his admission to the bar to a recent date, he has devoted himself as- siduously, to his profession, never allowing him- self to be diverted from it by the political ignes fatui which have attracted so many who otherwise might have adorned their profession. In 1869 he was appointed United States attorney for the dis- trict of Vermont, by President Grant, and re- ceived consecutive · re-appointments until 1880, when he resigned the office on account of his election as representative to the general assembly from Montpelier. During this period the busi- ness requiring his official attention was very large, on account of the numerous violations of the pen- sion, bankruptcy, internal revenue and customs
1×
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
revenue laws. It was not unusual to have from twenty to thirty indictments found at each of the three terms of the United States court held cach year. During his term of office General O'Neill and other leaders of the Fenian raid of 1870 against Canada were indicted, tried and convicted for the violation of the neutrality laws, and other important prosecutions were conducted by him. Without disparaging others who have filled the office, it is but justice to Mr. Fifield to say that he was one of the most efficient United States attorneys which this state has ever had.
Mr. Fifield is a stanch Republican in poli- tics. In August, 1880, he delivered a speech on the political issues of the day, the vigorous and effective character of which was at once recog- nized, and two editions of five thousand copies each were printed by direction of the Republican state committee, and circulated throughout the state, where it ranked as the speech of the cam- paign. In the legislature Mr. Fifield was chair- man of the judiciary committee, and also served on the committee on revising the laws and on constitutional amendments, and was an influen- tial member of a body comprising such men as ex-Governor John B. Page of Rutland, Lieuten- ant Governor L. G. Hinckley, of Chelsea, and Judges R. S. Taft, L. H. Thompson and H. R. Start. That legislature made a thorough revis- ion of the laws of Vermont, including the sys- tem of taxation and the system of court and state expenses. There was a movement in the fall of 1882 to put Mr. Fifield in nomination for Con- gress in his district, but he refused to allow his name to be used, preferring the honorable cer- tainty of his profession to the uncertainties of political life. In 1884 he was a delegate to the Republican national convention, and in the same year was elected president of the Vermont Bar Association, before which he delivered an able address, advocating making the tenure of the office of judge of the supreme court to be during good behavior. In 1885 he was one of the Uni- ted States commissioners to locate the United States post-office and court house at Montpelier. In 1898 he was elected a trustee of the Univer- of Vermont. He takes a keen interest in its wel- fare and is a valued member of its board of con- trol. As a railroad and corporation lawyer, Mr. Fifield has for many years stood at the head of
the bar of Vermont, ranking as the equal of any lawyer m New England in that branch of law.
In 1869 he became the counsel and confiden- tial adviser of the Vermont Central Railroad Company, and of the receivers of that company, which relation to that company and its succes- sor, the Central Vermont Railroad Company, continued to March, 1899. The Vermont Central and Vermont & Canada roads were placed in the hands of receivers in 1856, and the receivership was continued until 1883, a period of twenty- seven years, a thing unprecedented in judicial annals. Between 1864 and 1872 a large receivers' debt amounting in bonds to about five million dollars, and a floating debt amounting to about three million dollars had been incurred, and when the receivers' floating debt went to protest in 1872, the validity of all this debt and its prior- ity of lien over the Vermont Central first and second mortgages and the stock of the Vermont & Canada Railroad, which was a leasehold es- tate, as well as the legal relations of the receiv- ers to the roads, was contested, and out of it grew the most extraordinary litigation ever known in this country, and which excited wide comment in the press of New England and which for the time being reflected more or less upon the judic- iary and legislature of the state. The princi- pal case growing out of the receivership, which was commenced in 1873 in the state court, and which was for the enforcement of the receiver- ship debts, went to the supreme court three times before a final decision was reached in 1882. In the meantime every manner of expedient was re- sorted to in order to transfer the litigation to the United States circuit court, and a great variety of suits in equity were instituted therein requir- ing on the part of Mr. Fifield in the defense thereof a thorough knowledge of equity and con- stitutional law as well as of the practive both in the state and federal courts. The litigation broke out also in different phases in Massachusetts and New York. In all this litigation, as well as in almost numberless hearings in respect to the same matters before the legislature for ten years, Mr. Fifield was the responsible counsel and made the principal arguments, and opposed to him were Mr. E. J. Phelps, Mr. A. F. Walker and Mr. F. A. Brooks of Boston, and a great number of other counsel in the various forms which the litigation
3
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
took in different jurisdictions. One of Mr. Phelps' most witty and ingenious arguments is published in his memoirs. Mr. Fifield was final- ly sustained on all the substantial questions in- volved when the litigation came to an end in 1883 and a reorganization of the roads took place, leaving his clients in control. The history of this litigation is unique. It was no ordinary le- gal battle presenting a single issue, but rather a complicated series of controversies arising from a variety of conflicting and irreconcilable inter- ests, and involving many new and delicate ques- tions affecting trust and corporate relations. This condition of things which Mr. Fifield had to meet in 1872 would have confounded an ordinary law- yer, especially at his age, but it only afforded him an opportunity for the development and display of his extraordinary gifts. He made himself master of every question and phase of the situa- tion, and when the time of conflict came he added an intense and concentrated force of clear logical statement rarely matched in any legal arena. Without loss of logical precision, in the white heat of discussion he would focalize his argu- ment upon the point in hand with a wealth of legal illustration and amplification until it became fairly luminous. There was a roundness and com- pleteness in his arguments and an intellectual grip and analysis of the whole subject, coupled with an ingenious marshaling of the facts and the law that left nothing to be desired. Yet in the fierc- est heat of his forensic efforts he never lost his self-mastery, never swerved a line from his ar- gument, but always retained a graceful and law- yer-like bearing, a model for the younger aspir- ants for legal honors. His utterances never left a sting, although his manner of presentation was always full of earnestness and nervous intensity. No comment could be more just than that of an eminent judge of the supreme court when he said: "His characteristics as a lawyer are his clear perception of the salient points of his case and his terse presentation of them in the form of comprehensive statement." During his entire connection with the Central Vermont Railroad for thirty years, no important action was ever taken without his advice.
About 1879 he was the successful counsel for Governor Fairbanks in the Lamoille Valley Rail- road litigation. In 1887 he made an elaborate
argument before the United States interstate commerce commission, involving the construction of the interstate commerce act. Although then overruled as to the principal point made, this point has since been sustained by a decision of the United States court of appeals. Upon the death of Judge D. A. Smalley of the United States dis- trict court, in 1877, Mr. Fifield's friends urged his appointment as Judge Smalley's successor ; but he withdrew his candidacy in order to remain the counsel of the Vermont Central Railroad in their important litigation. Mr. Fifield ranks professionally in the same category with Lucius B. Peck and Andrew Tracy of the last generation of Vermont lawyers, and with George F. Ed- munds and Edward J. Phelps of the present gen- eration.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.