USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Rochester > History of the town of Rochester, Vt. > Part 1
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Gc 974.302 R58w 1198564
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01100 3156
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofr00will
71-
HISTORY
OF THE TOWN OF
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ROCHESTER, VT.
WWW. Williams
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TOWN.
MONTPELIER, VT .: ELI BALLOU, BOOK & JOB PRINTER. 1869.
HoTeIH
HHTENHOOM ..
.TY -XIJASTYON
1198564
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by the TOWN OF ROCHESTER, At the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the District of Vermont.
By desire of the author, the following changes are made in this form, as they were received too late to be corrected in the proofs :
ERRATA.
PAGE 2, Fourth line from top, should read "Wol- cott," instead of Walcott.
66 7, Tenth line from bottom should read " lot- ing" instead of letting.
66 8, Sixth line from top should read " Wolcott," instead of Walcott.
29, Seventh line from bottom insert " to meet in," after the word town.
31, Fifth line from top insert after the word years, "the people."
32, Fourth line from bottom after the word any, insert the word " one."
41, Eighth line from bottom write at the end of the line the letter " a" before s so to read as.
65, Ninth line from bottom, after the word morning, insert the word " of."
84, Eleventh line from bottom should be read "lye," instead of ley.
-ini willi INTRODUCTION.
io To the Inhabitants of the Town of Rochester.
N compliance with the wishes of the town as expressed by a vote at the annual March meet- ing, in 1868, an effort has been made to furnish. a history of said town, from its first settlement by the few pioneers who commenced making an inroad into the then primitive forest, up to the present time.
The labor of collecting, and compiling the mate- rial for the present volume, has been far greater than was anticipated.
Much of fact and incident relating to the early history of the first settlers is lost, as but very few of those who were cognizant of the transactions of that early period were living at the time this work was commenced; and of those few, a number have since died, not having lived to see the work completed to; which the knowledge they contributed was so essen- tial. Had the material been collected fifteen or- twenty years ago, much of interest that cannot now be obtained with any accuracy might have been pre- served.
IV
PREFACE.
As it has been an object to have this work authen- tic, as a history, much labor has been expended to gather all that could be collected that was reliable, and of sufficient interest to the general reader, to warrant its publication, and many a thrilling inci- dent and humorous tale of pioneer life has been gathered, which for want of sufficient evidence of its authenticity, or an account of evidence of such . conflicting character as to make it doubtful, has been laid aside.
If any errors of fact or incident appear in the fol- lowing pages, it is owing to erroneous information. Recourse has been had to every available source for material. The memories of the few old people who could furnish anything by way of incident or anec- dote, have been burnished up. The proprietors' re- cords, the church records, the town records, in fact, every source that promised correct information on the subject, has been thoroughly examined, and the result of all this labor and research is now presented in the following pages, with the hope it may prove acceptable.
Your obedient servant,
W. W. WILLIAMS.
£
CHAPTER I.
1780-1788.
GRANT for a charter of the town of Rochester, was obtained November 6, 1780, and the town was chartered to Dudley Chase and others, July 30, 1781, containing by charter 23,040 acres.
In 1780, John Sanger, Joel Cooper, Timo- thy Clements, James Guggin, and John Em- erson, erected a shanty, or cabin, on the east side of White River, near where the Emerson bridge now crosses, and commenced chopping, working and boarding in company, on what is now the farm occupied by Gardner Bride, -being lot No. 4, east of the river. The old John Emerson farm being lot No. 1, west of the river. Amos Coleman's farm being partly in the town of Pittsfield at that time, (but is now included in the town of Roches-
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HISTORY OF
ter,) being a part of lot No. 2 by the Whit- law survey, and the Anthony Whitcomb pitch, east of the river. The farm now owned by Oliver Walcott, being lot No. 3 east of the river, and the farm now owned by F. C. Keyser,-being lots Nos. 26 and 27 west of the river. In the Summer they re- turned home intending to renew operations in the Fall, but hearing of Indian depreda- tions in this vicinity did not return until the next Winter. On leaving to return home, they left a horse they brought on with them, a two year old heifer belonging to Lieut. Da- vid Currier, and their cooking and camp utensils. Tradition affirms that the horse found his way back through the woods to Barnard.
On their return to Rochester the next Winter, the condition of the shanty was much as they left it, but the camp had been visited by Indians during their absence, and the heifer killed. An old bake-kettle left by them had been used by the Indians to cook with, and then broken. The fœtus
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ROCHESTER.
from the heifer was fixed up in regular shape in an old tray, which was also left, and the tray and contents placed upon a shelf in the shanty, and upon the tray written with coal, was this sentence, "Eat hearty, men." The writing upon the tray led to the belief that the Indians were accompanied by Tories. The old tray was afterwards fitted up with rockers and became famous as a cradle. At this present writing (1868) there are grand- children of Lieut. Currier, now living, who have been rocked in that cradle.
1781.
In 1781 work was renewed and a log- house, long known as the " House Commons," was built near the east end of the bridge, known as the Emerson bridge. This was the first house built in town.
1782.
In 1782 the first families, viz., David Cur- rier, James Guggin, Timothy Clements, John Sanger and Haskell, moved into town. David Currier and family occupied the House Commons. During the season Dan-
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HISTORY OF
iel Emerson with his family, consisting of his wife and four children, moved into town and pitched upon the farm now occupied by Aus- tin Leonard, being lot No. 23 west of the river. Some stakes were driven into the ground, and a shanty built, in which they lived. During the season, the family, through fear of the Indians, used frequently to leave the shanty at night, and taking such articles as they could for a covering, hide themselves in the woods at the foot of the hill in the rear of the house, and spend the night sleep- ing in the open air.
The settlers having entered the wilder- ness to hew out a home for themselves and families, were necessarily deprived of many of the privileges enjoyed by the inhabitants of older settlements, and were subject to many privations. They must either pound their corn for bread or make long journeys to a mill. Guggin, having an acquaintance by the name of Whitcomb, living in Stock- bridge, used frequently to visit him, and on one occasion they started on foot for Barnard
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ROCHESTER.
to buy corn, and get it ground into meal, bringing it home upon their backs. Being out over night, they stopped at a dwelling by the way, and not having money to pay for their accommodations, proposed to the wo- man to cook some of their own meal, and take pay in meal for her trouble. On set- tling with their hostess in the morning they thought the woman dipped rather deep into their meal, and took more than she was fairly entitled to, however they said nothing until they got away, when as they trudged along through the woods, the greediness of the woman in taking toll from their grist, formed the subject of their conversation, and after talking awhile, it was proposed that each of them should make a rhyme in commemora- tion of their being so taken in. Guggin commenced in dolorous strain,
" For one little bannock baked on a peal, Snucks went a quart o' meal."
Whitcomb replied,
" The woman being obliged to hasten, Crowded the meal and shook the basin." 1*
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HISTORY OF
During this season the first division of hundred acre lots, more or less, quantity for quality, was surveyed and laid out. In lay- ing out lots, allowance was made for all future public roads in each and every lot. Lot No. 28, west of the river, was laid out for the public worship of God. Lot No. 10, north of the Branch, for the encouragement of building mills, with the mill privilege and ten acres on the opposite side of the Branch. Lot No. 29, west of the river, was laid out for a town school.
1783.
April 23, 1783, the proprietors assessed a tax for the purpose of building roads to be worked out by the first day of October, 1783. The first tavern kept in town was by Timo- thy Clements, nearly opposite where the lower mill school house now stands. The house is now standing, having been some- what remodeled, and is now occupied by M. Parmeter. At this time there was a bridle path through the forest from Royalton to Rochester. North of Rochester and through
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ROCHESTER.
to Warren and Waitsfield, the only guide being by marked trees.
1784.
In June, 1784, it appeared that some were delinquent in working out their highway tax, and it was "voted by the proprietors that the delinquents have one month to work out their arrears, and if not worked out by that time all delinquent rights were to be sold, and a committee of five was appointed to see that the aforesaid delinquent money was worked out at 6s. per day, each man finding himself, and provisions, and tools."
A tax of forty shillings on each right was raised to pay for letting out the remainder of the town. In the survey of the town no field book has been preserved, but the course of White river gave the outline of the first, and all subsequent surveys, and the course of the Branch, was regarded in the Westerly part of the town, in order that lots should not be cut by large streams. It has been considered as a rather singular circumstance that the East mountain, which divides the
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HISTORY OF
great and little hollows, runs so nearly par- allel to the head line of the river lots, as not to vary seventy rods in the entire length of the town.
July 1. The proprietors " voted that the first five women in town, viz., Rebecca Cur- rier, Mrs. Ruth Guggin, Mrs. Eunice Haskell, Mrs. Jemima Clements, and Eunice Sanger, have one hundred acres of land each in the second division of hundred acre lots." Also, " voted one hundred acres of land to Lieut. Currier's twins, Frederick and William by name, to be equally divided between them- being the first children born in town." Also, " voted, that the same committee that lays out the second division lots, lay out fifty acres of land in some convenient place in said town for Dorcas Currier, as a gift for her early attendance in said town as a nurse," and the committee pitched fifty acres of land on the south side of the West Branch of the White River. The lot was marked No. 9, on the Branch when the first division lots were laid out, to extend back so as to contain fifty
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ROCHESTER.
acres, and tradition says, Dorcas Currier sold the said fifty acres for the sum of twenty dollars.
The first apple trees set out in town are now standing, and in bearing condition, upon the meadow now owned by Oliver Walcott, lot No. 3, east of the river. In December, the proprietors chose a committee to peti- tion the General Assembly for a redress of grievances in relation to the establishing of the town lines, as the conflicting interests in relation to the town-lines retards the speedy settlement of the town.
1785.
In December, 1785, a highway tax of one pound two and six pence was assessed upon each right, to be worked out before the fif- teenth of the next July, at four shillings and six pence per day. They also "voted an additional hundred acres of land to encour- age the building of mills in said town," and chose a committee to agree with some per- son to build the same.
The first settlers were obliged to go to
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HISTORY OF
Bethel, Barnard, and in some instances to Hartford, to Mill. Dea. Sparhawk had a horse and used to go mill at Bethel for quite a portion of the community. He would go down the river to Break-neck brook, thence follow up the brook and over the hill to Bethel, and the inhabitants paid him two days work for himself and horse to mill, and, he carried three bushels at a time.
1 786.
In November, the proprietors " voted to accept of Mr. Ebenezer Burnham's offer of four acres of land for the use of the town to be improved for a Meeting-house plat, Church yard, and Common." Also, voted a tax of five days highway work to each proprietor's right.
1787.
The proprietors settled with Stephen Chandler and others, for surveying the Com- mon, October 30.
The first saw and grist mill were built by Enoch Emerson, in 1786 and 1787, on the Branch, not far from where Lyman Emerson
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ROCHESTER.
now lives, being on lot No. 10, north of the Branch.
1788.
June 3d, the proprietors voted as follows, " Voted, to accept the mill that is made by Enoch Emerson in Rochester, and give order for the prudential committee to give him a sufficient title to all the land laid out and voted to be laid out, for the encourage- ment of building mills aforesaid in the name and in behalf of the proprietors," (210 acres and the mill privilege.) Also, " voted three days work to each proprietor's right to build bridges across White River, at four shillings per day."
If any one failed to pay the taxes assessed their rights were sold at auction, and in- stances are on record where two hundred acres of land were sold to pay a six shilling tax and costs.
Fish, and especially trout, were abundant in all the streams, and were quite a source of sustenance to the inhabitants. Salmon hav- ing made their way up from the waters of
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HISTORY OF
the Connecticut, previous to the erection of dams, were more or less plenty in White River. Fishing by the inhabitants was very common and the history of some of the feats of the most lucky and heroic anglers of that day has been anecdotally handed down to the present time, among which are the fol- lowing :-
Thomas Currier took from the river near the "House Commons," with a spear, a sal- mon weighing twenty-four pounds. Dr. Re- tire Trask secured a salmon in early day in the river near the village, when the salmon was in shoal water in transitu up the river, weighing some twenty pounds. Capt Ebene- zer Martin used to enjoy the recital of a fish- ing excursion in which he was the hero in an early day. On a day, favorable as he thought for angling, he started out with an outfit suit- able for a man of his bulk (being a corpulent young man) consisting of a strong hook and line, a large box of tempting bait for the finny tribe, and made for the river, and after passing up and down a long time without
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ROCHESTER.
any mentionable success, he became impa- tient and disgusted with such dry luck, and when about to relinquish the enterprise, he espied at a point in the river near the Cole- man farm, some deep water near the bank of river with a dark and forbidding bottom, sur- rounded in part with flood-wood. " Luck here or nowhere," said he to himself. Then
loading down his hook with bait, he mounted on the flood-wood, threw in the line, and waited the result. Soon he was startled by a BIG BITE. He hauled to, with all his might, but " no come." Eager to get a glimpse of the guest whom he had invited to dine at the point of the hook, he leaned for- ward to an equipoise, when his guest be- neath, moved no doubt, by his early training in the joking schools of the land of wooden nutmegs, invited his host to the repast by a sudden and strong jerk of the line which re- lieved him of his balance, plunging him head foremost down into the mud and mire be- neath. Neither daunted nor discouraged, while he was "top half of the time," he 2
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HISTORY OF
held fast the line, and with many a hard struggle made his away ashore spouting like a harpooned whale, drawing after him a sal- mon of a weight which never led the captain to regret, though he never could forget, the sensations of perpendicular immersion.
Wild animals abounded in the forest. Moose were sometimes killed by shooting them when they came to the river to drink. Bears were abundant in the forest and very bold. One, intent on having a time, called at Stephen Chandler's, attacked a hive of bees, upset the hive, entered the barn-yard, chased the young cattle and escaped, though seen by some of the members of the family. Not far from the year 1800, an animal was heard to bellow so terribly, as to arouse the whole neighborhood. The men ran to ascertain the trouble, and found a bear had attacked a two year old heifer belonging to John Em- erson. The heifer was terribly lacerated
and torn, but not killed. A log trap was set by John Emerson and Thomas Currier, the bear caught, and when dressed, he weighed
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ROCHESTER.
three hundred and eighteen pounds. Deer were very plenty and easily taken, furnishing the inhabitants with venison.
Money being scarce at this time, and little or no surplus of produce for a foreign mar- ket, business transanctions were mainly con- fined to the neighborhood, and consisted largely in the exchange of commodities one with another. Guggin, however, (as tradi- tion has it) hearing that live deer brought a high price abroad, being tired of slow and small profits, conceived the idea of suddenly advancing his fortune, by the capture and sale of these animals. Procuring a number of them, he rigged a horse sled and rack as a means of transportation. Placing his deer upon the sled and turning the rack over them, after giving directions to his family in view of his protracted absence, shaking hands with his neighbors, etc., he threw him- self astride of the rack, and with a speed worthy of his cargo, made for some foreign mart. Before leaving the town behind him, however, sure of success and careless of po-
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HISTORY OF
sition, the sudden cant of the old sled threw overboard both Guggin and rack into the snow-drift, bottom upward. The deer, as if fearful that the accident would be laid to their charge, made for the woods with a distance between tracks equal to that of Guggin from market, and were out of sight ere Guggin could regain his perpendicular and take a view of the situation. Retracing his steps, he arrived just in time, for a seat at the second table, declaring (in his opinion) no man was cooler than himself, amid the sudden wreck of fortune.
Wolves furnished a nightly serenade as they prowled around in search of any un- lucky sheep or calf, which might happen to be left exposed without the fold, it being the custom of the inhabitants to fold their sheep and small animals, in pens covered with poles, with the exception of an opening in the mid- dle, so that if a wolf got into the fold he could not get out. Wolves were frequently caught in traps, " Great Brindle Wolves."
In the early settlement, it was the custom
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ROCHESTER.
of the inhabitants to meet together at the "' House Commons," on Saturday nights, and stay together over the Sabbath for mutual safety.
2*
CHAPTER II.
1788-1800.
1788.
HE town was organized as a town in 1788. The warning for the first town meeting was signed at Stockbridge, April 30, by Asa Whitcomb, Justice of the Peace -the meeting to be holden at the dwelling- house of Ebenezer Burnham, May 15, when the following officers were elected :
" Lieut. David Currier, Moderator. Capt. Timothy Clements, Town Clerk.
Capt. Timothy Clements, Enoch Emerson and Aaron Wilbur, Selectmen, and also Lis- ters, and layers out of highways.
Moses Currier, Constable.
Joseph Boice, Collector.
Also three highway surveyers, three tyth- ing men, three haywards. Highway labor 4s. per day.
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Voted, to cut and clear the four acres of common which Mr. Ebenezer Burnham gave to the inhabitants and proprietors of said town for the use of setting a meeting-house on, a burying place, and training field. Also, two acres of road which lies against said common, all to be completed the present year ; provided, a good burn can be got on said common. Also voted, that the swine in said Rochester run at large this present year, provided said swine be well yoked and ringed."
The first blacksmith in town was Ebenezer Morse. His shop was upon the meadow near the river on the farm now owned by Hiram Hodgkins. Their method of shoeing oxen was to cast them with a rope, bind them thoroughly, and then proceed to set the shoes.
It appears from the record that Asa Whit- comb, Esq., of Stockbridge, who warned the first town meeting, was present at said meet- ing and administered the freeman's oath to twenty-seven individuals, and at the first
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HISTORY OF
freeman's meeting holden in Rochester, at the house of Ebenezer Burnham's, Septem- ber 2, they were the only individuals quali- fied to vote at said meeting.
The following is a copy of the record of the doings at the first freeman's meeting holden in Rochester:
" ROCHESTER, Sept. 2, 1788.
Then at a freeman's meeting held in said Rochester, on ye day appointed in the above warrant for said purpose.
1st. Chose Enoch Emerson, to represent said town in the General Assembly ye en- suing year.
2ndly. Chose a Governor.
3dly. Chose a Lieut. Governor.
4thly. Chose a Treasurer.
5thly. Chose such number of Counsellors as the law required.
Then dissolved said meeting.
TIMOTHY CLEMENTS, Town Clerk." 1789.
The first sermon or religious meeting of which we have any account was a lecture by
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ROCHESTER.
Mr. Bowman, of Barnard, September 13. The first house built on land adjoining the common was a log house near the southwest corner of the common, on the south side, where E. D. Briggs' house now stands ; it was built by Cephas Shelden. Not long after, Mr. Shelden built the old frame house near the southwest corner of the common on the west side, for a tavern. This house has been recently torn down, and a new house has been erected near the spot by Chester Pierce.
1790.
At the March meeting the town voted as follows :
" Voted to raise twenty pounds this year to be assessed on the polls and ratable es- tate of the inhabitants of this town for the schooling of children, and ten pounds to de- fray the charges of said town, to be paid in wheat at five shillings per bushel, or in other grain equivalent thereto."
In tracing the progress of the inhabitants of the town of Rochester, one cannot but be
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HISTORY OF
impressed with the earnest desire manifested in their acts, to lay the foundation for educa- tional privileges for the benefit of those who were to come after them. At this early day of the history of the town, when it would seem it required all their efforts to overcome the various obstacles in their path, incident to subduing the forest, and rearing and pro- viding a home for themselves, and those de- pendent upon them, we find them volun- tarily taxing themselves double the amount for schooling the children of the town, that was required to defray all other town ex- penses. Their labors have not been in vain, for it was by such efforts and sacrifices that the foundation was laid from which has sprung that high standard of general intelli- gence prevailing among the masses, and for which the people at the present day are so justly noted. The town also " voted to clear the meeting-house common this year, be- tween the fifteenth day of June and the first day of July, under the inspection of Capt. John Packard, each man to turn out on ye
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day he shall be notified by said inspector to work on said common, and whoever shall re- fuse or neglect to turn out and do his day's work, shall forfeit and pay the sum of five shillings or one bushel of wheat for his day's neglect, to the treasurer, of the town for the use of said town."
Also " voted to exchange an acre of the meeting-house common in said town with Mr. Cephas Shelden for one acre of land, for a burying ground, adjoining to Mr. Timothy Morgan on ye main road."
The first physician or physicians, were Drs. Retire Trask and his wife, who prac- ticed successfully together, and indeed there were some who preferred the doctress to the doctor. Dr. Trask and family moved into town in 1790, and he afterwards built the old Webber house, at the top of the hill, at the south part of the village, and kept tavern awhile. They were the principal physicians in town for nearly twenty-five years.
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HISTORY OF
1791.
At the first census taken there were two 'hundred and fifteen inhabitants in town. The town was divided into four school dis- tricts by the selectmen, agreeably to a vote of said town. From Pittsfield to the bridge across White River, nearly half a mile south of the village, (it being the first bridge built across White River in town,) constituted one school district, to be called " the Lower Dis- trict ;" from said bridge up the Branch, in- cluding all the Westerly part of the town, to be known as "the Branch District ;" from said bridge up the river to James Guggin's, in- cluding said Guggin's, to be called " the Middle District;" and from Guggin's. to Hancock line, to be called "the Upper or Northern District." In the first book of the town records, page 441, is the following cer- tificate : " This certifies that James Guggin is a professed Universalist, and is a member of the Universalist Society in Woodstock.
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