USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Norwich > A history of Norwich, Vermont > Part 18
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Samuel Goddard, Jr., removed to Ohio with his family in 1841.
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HISTORY OF NORWICH
dard, has in her possession a small manuscript volume containing about fifty short pieces, written, with few exceptions, previous to his enter- ing the ministry.
All are pervaded by a deep religious tone and express the spiritual longings of one whose whole nature was strongly moved by the contem- plation of the great problems of duty and destiny.
They embody the private experience of a man earnestly engaged in working out for himself a solution of these ever-recurring questions of the inner life.
After entering upon his life work as a minister he seems to have seldom indulged his early fancy for rhyming.
JOHN HATCH, ESQ.,
The elder of the brothers, John and Joseph, was born at Preston, Conn., June 9, 1727 ; came to Norwich in the earliest days of its settle- ment and founded his home on the hill farm owned and occupied at a later day by Deacon John Dutton.
At a proprietors' meeting at Mansfield, Conn., in 1766, Mr. Hatch was elected one of the selectmen of Norwich; at a town meeting at the latter place, held in 1769, he was elected selectman, town clerk and one of a committee of five to lay out highways "where they shall think needful." He held the office of town clerk continuously until 1780, except for the year 1766, when it was filled by Peter Olcott.
Mr. Hatch was a practical surveyor of land, and his services were much in request for that purpose. He made the survey of Norwich into lots in 1766, and laid out in person most of the highways in town during the first twenty-five years after its settlement. In 1778 he was employed to make a survey of the town of Hartford into lots, under the direction of Benajah Strong and Israel Gillett, a committee of that town. At that time he held the office of county surveyor of Cumber- land county, by the appointment of the Governor and Council of Vermont. April 10, 1772, he was commissioned a justice of the peace for Gloucester county by William Tryon, the royal governor of New York. He executed the duties of this office for several years, probably until the establishment of state government by Vermont in 1778.
4
ERASTUS MESSENGER HOUSE, ERECTED ABOUT 1773 BY JOSEPH HATCH THE OLDEST DWELLING IN TOWN
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Mr. Hatch married Sarah Richards at Preston, Conn., April 7, 1748. Their children were Benjamin, born Dec. 16, 174 -; Alpheus, born Dec. 22, 1750; Ashur, born Aug. 27, 1752; Rizpah, born Sept. 30, 1754; Adrian, born July 7, 1756; Naomi, born Dec. 9, 1758, married Jeremiah Percival, Dec. 9, 1799; John, born June 8, 1761; Harper, born Aug. 12, 1763; Sarah, born Dec. 9, 1769, married Jehiel Board- man, March 19, 1789.
Mr. Hatch died April 24, 1806, aged seventy-nine years, preceded by his wife, April 13 of the same year, aged seventy-eight years.
Two of his sons, John and Alpheus, settled on farms near their father's home, the former on the place known in later years as the Neal farm, and the latter on the farm now occupied by Charles Swasey, both farms being on the range of hills next west of Norwich village.
Mr. Hatch was a son of John and Jerusha (Herrick) Hatch, who were married at Preston, Conn., August 31, 1726, to whom were born John (the subject of this sketch) ; Elizabeth, May 12, 1731, who mar- ried Major Thomas Murdock; Rufus, Dec. 5, 1735; Joseph, May 13, 1738 ; Eunice, June 16, 1741, who married Lieut. Elijah Gates, Novem- ber -, 1769.
John Hatch, senior, died in the year 1751.
,
CAPTAIN JOSEPH HATCH
Came to Norwich with his elder brother, John, and located at the south end of Norwich Plain, where he built himself a log cabin on a site near the building now standing and formerly used by the late David Merrill for a paint shop. Subsequently, in 1771, he built the house on the opposite side of the way (now known as the Messenger house) which is believed to have been the first frame dwelling house erected at the Plain. He became the owner of a large amount of land, embracing much of the southern and eastern parts of the Plain, to the Hartford line.
Mr. Hatch's first wife was Elizabeth Brown, by whom he had two children, one of whom, Elizabeth, died October 7, 1776. For his second
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wife he married Hannah Freeman, in 1773, and they became the parents of six children.
Captain Hatch was 73 years of age at the time of his decease in town in 1811. His first wife died in 1773 and his second wife in 1810, aged 69 years.
HONORABLE REUBEN HATCH
Was born at Preston, Conn., July 7, 1763, and came to Norwich at an early age with his father, Joseph Hatch. He entered Dartmouth College in 1782, but was unable to complete his course of studies there by reason of ill health. Afterwards he turned his attention to agri- cultural pursuits and became a successful farmer ; residing at different times at Tunbridge, Chelsea and Weathersfield.
[From "Life and Times of William Jarvis" we make the following extracts : ]
"Mr. Reuben Hatch came from Norwich to Weathersfield Bow and bought the large brick house built by a Mr. Jennison, and considerable other property. He had a large family of sons and daughters. * * Mr. Hatch also bought" (soon after, probably) "Mr. George Lyman's house, tavern and store," (at the Bow) "and Mr. Lyman returned to Hartford, Conn."
"In 1801 or '02 Mr. Francis Goodhue bought all of Mr. Hatch's property except the Lyman house and a small store. Mr. Hatch then returned to Norwich," [another account says he returned to Norwich in 1808.]
Mr. Hatch represented Tunbridge in the General Assembly in 1792, '93 and '95, Chelsea in 1797, '98 and 1801; was councillor in 1808.
He was candidate for town representative from Norwich, but was defeated by Pierce Burton, and again defeated for the same office in 1812 by Dr. Israel Newton.
Mr. Hatch was married to Eunice Dennison, and they had ten chil- dren. One daughter married Darius Jones of Weathersfield and Windsor; one, Harriet H., married Rev. Abraham Peters, a dis- tinguished clergyman and author, October 25, 1819; one married
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Joseph Cutting of Weathersfield, who, afterwards, lived at Norwich and built and occupied the house now owned by David Stewart, and later moved to Rochester, N. Y .; one other daughter became the wife of Judge Milo L. Bennet of the Supreme Court of Vermont. The sons were : Dr. Horace, Joseph D., and Albert.
Mr. Hatch died at Norwich Jan. 5, 1818, aged 55 years. His wife died in 1842, at the age of 78 years.
DOCTOR HORACE HATCH
The son of Honorable Reuben and Eunice (Dennison) Hatch, was born at Tunbridge, Vt., May 23, 1788. He was educated at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1814, and studied medicine at the same institution, receiving the degree of M. D. in 1817. He settled in the practice of his profession at Norwich the same year, where he pursued the active and laborious duties of a country physician for twenty years. He married January 9, 1821, Mary Yates, daugh- ter of Thomas Smith. His children were born here. In the year -, he built upon nearly the same ground where Captain Joseph Hatch had first fixed his abode, the brick dwelling house, now the residence of Mrs. Converse, widow of Doctor Shubael Converse, who in 1837 purchased the property and succeeded to the business of Doctor Hatch ; the latter removing to Burlington, Vt., where he prosecuted his pro- fession for another period of twenty years. In 1861 Doctor Hatch ac- cepted an appointment in the Treasury department at Washington where he continued about four years. While thus employed he ren- dered valuable service in visiting and relieving many sick and wounded Vermont soldiers in hospitals in and about Washington, whose days und nights of suffering were cheered by his kindly sympathy and by delicacies and comforts provided from his generous purse.
In 1865 he became a resident of New York city, where he died Oct. 28, 1873. Mrs. Hatch had died previous to his removal from Bur- lington. Doctor Hatch held a high standing as a physician and was distinguished for his benevolent and amiable disposition.
His son, A. S. Hatch, of the late banking house of Fisk and Hatch,
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was well known in financial circles in the metropolis, and throughout the country as a wealthy and public spirited citizen. In 1883-4 he was president of the New York Stock Exchange. He has devoted largely of his time and fortune to the establishment and support of city mis- sions among the poor and destitute of the great city. Hon. Joseph D. Hatch of Burlington, and Albert G. Hatch, Esq., of Windsor, were younger brothers of Doctor Hatch.
THE HUTCHINSON FAMILY
[Previously in print] . .
HUTCHINSON .- This is an old and numerous family in Norwich, as well as in other parts of the country. They were among the early settlers of Massachusetts and were in Lynn and Salem in that colony as early as 1628, or 1629. A descendant of these early colonists, named Abijah, who was a tailor, removed from Salem to Windham early in the eighteenth century. His son Samuel, born about 1719, in company with his son, John, came to Norwich in 1765. They cleared an island in the Connecticut River, opposite the present residence of John W. Loveland, and planted it with corn. In the fall of that year they re- turned to Connecticut, and in company with a younger son, Samuel, returned in the spring of 1766, and made a permanent settlement. The elder Samuel spent the remainder of his life in the town, and died February 8, 1809. His wife was Jemina Dunham; she died January 12, 1798. Besides the two sons named above, he had three daughters : Sarah, married Francis Smalley; Tabitha, married Jonathan De- lano; Jerusha, married Nathan Roberts. They all died young, soon after marriage.
Hutchinson, John, son of Samuel, was born in 1741, in Windham, Conn., and married Mary Wilson, who was born in Ashford, Conn., in August, 1744. He enlisted in the Continental Army, and died at Philadelphia, June 22, 1778. His widow afterwards married Solomon Strong. His children were Jerome; John, who removed to New York State, where he died; Lydia, who was probably the first child born in Norwich, married D. Hammond, of Thetford; and Abigail, married Honorable John Strong of Woodstock, Vt.
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Hutchinson, Jerome, son of John, was born in Ashford, Conn., March 2, 1763, and married Content Smith. Their children were John, who emigrated to New York State, where he died; Fanny, died single; Sarah, (deceased), married William Loveland; Cynthia, (deceased), married Asaph Allen; Sophia, (deceased), married Andrew J. Will- iams; Mary Ann, (deceased), married Milo Marsh; and William. Jerome died - -- , 1849.
Hutchinson, William, son of Jerome, was born in Norwich, Vt., May 2, 1807, and married, January 8, 1832, Eliza, daughter of James and Mary (Bartlett) Crary ; she was born April 2, 1807. Of their six children three died in infancy. The others are John W .; Charles Henry, proprietor of a foundry and machine shop in Manchester, N. H., who has one daughter, Charlotte Augusta; and Frank, a farmer at Hanover, N. H., also connected in business at Manchester, N. H. He has two daughters, Martha Belle and Arabella Waterman.
Hutchinson, Samuel, son of Samuel, was born in Connecticut, Sep- tember 6, 1751, and married August 16, 1779, Hannah Burr; she was born March 5, 1761. They had fourteen children: Sarah, married Alpheus Hatch; Ira, died at fourteen years of age; Levi, died at thir- teen years ; Samuel; Jemima, married Seth Stebbins; Perley ; Eunice, married Samuel Goddard; Timothy; Betsey, married William Dewey ; Levi, died in Illinois; Elihu, died in infancy; Emma, married Jonas Boardman ; Hannah, died young; and Austin, died in Norwich without issue. Samuel, Jr., died September 30, 1839; his wife November 11, 1826.
Samuel, son of Samuel, Jr., was born in Norwich, April 12, 1786, and died February 3, 1845. He married, February 26, 1818, Sarah Board- man; who was born May 6, 1792, and died February 14, 1847. Their children were Eliza, who died not quite three years of age; Charles, born July 15, 1820, is a Presbyterian minister, and resides in New Al- bany, Ind .; Maria, wife of Reuben Loveland of Hartford, Vt .; Jonas Boardman, died young; Samuel; Sarah Isabella, a widow, married, first, Brainard French, and second a Mr. Bosworth, and lives at Min- neapolis, Minn .; Hannah Eliza, resides in Norwich; Emma, died young, and Ellen, widow of John O. French, lives at Maxwell, Ia., were twins; Emma Elmina, died young; Caroline Frances, married (first) William S. Throckmorton, and (second), Mr. Eastman, and lives in Lyndon, Vt,
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Hutchinson, Samuel, son of Samuel, 2d., was born in Norwich, March 28, 1826, and married Parthenia Blodgett. They had four children : Minnie Barrett, died young; Charles Ashley, resides at Peacham, Vt .; Harriet Maria, and Susan Hazen, wife of Harvey Ladd, of Norwich.
[The following interesting account of the advent of this family into Norwich, is a statement made by Jerome Hutchinson to Rev- erend Charles Hutchinson of New Albany, Ind., in 1846.]
"I was born in Ashford, Conn., March 2, 1763. Was two and one- half years old in August, 1765, when our family started for Vermont. My father, John Hutchinson, in company with his father, Samuel, had been up that season and cleared the island opposite the David Loveland farm, cutting down the trees so that the spring flood swept the island, when they planted it with corn brought from Charleston, N. H. But the seed failed and it was necessary for Mr. Hutchinson to make the journey on foot to Charleston again for a fresh supply. After planting the second time they returned to Ashford and did their haying, after which John and family set out for Norwich. My grand- father was to move with us. We had only two horses. There were no roads for wagons. Part of their furniture was put on the horse with his mother, with John, the baby, five months old, and the rest on the horse he himself rode. Fell off only once-where a large pine log lay across the path in Lebanon. Arrived at the bank of the Con- necticut, where Hanover bridge now is, about sundown. Mrs. Nathan Messenger-the only woman in Norwich-heard from the cabin the. cry of a baby on the east side of the river. 'It was the sweetest cry I ever heard,' was her expression ever after.
"Of our passage of the river, the only thing I can remember is the white face of our cow as she swam after the canoe. There were not two acres of cleared land in town at that time.
"The first winter we passed in a log hut in the meadow ten or twelve rods south of the bridge. Our food was mainly the frost-bitten corn raised on the island the previous summer. Major Murdock, at work near us in the spring following, brought us some potatoes to roast for his dinner, and gave me and John, each, one-tasted good !
"Next summer (1776) my father built a house on the hill baek of the Lewis place, and lived there two or three years. He owned one hundred acres on the Brown Hill, now (1846) owned by Cloud and
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E. B. Brown. Cleared up eight or ten acres and lived on it three or four years. Then swapped for the 'Hopson farm,' but before moving swapped again for one hundred acres on Marshall brook. Here we built a frame house which was burned in January and soon replaced by a log one. The cellar of this house is now (1846) visible by the side of the road, below the Huggett place. As wood grew scarce we moved to the hill [where C. C. Sawyer lately lived] where they could make sugar.
"At the time of my father's death at Valley Forge, June 22, 1778, our family were living on the Johnson place, nearly in front of the brick schoolhouse in what is called the river district."
THE JOHNSON FAMILY
Were numerously represented in the early history of the town. Of this family there were several branches. Captain Hezekiah Johnson was an original proprietor of the town and one of its earliest settlers. He settled on the north bank of the Pompanoosuc river near its mouth and fixed his residence where Mr. Richard Waterman now lives. Cap- tain Johnson was born in Woburn, Mass., May 12, 1724, but emi- grated to Norwich from Mansfield, Conn. He married, at Mansfield, Dorothy Slafter, sister of Deacon John Slafter, January 25, 1750. He was in the fullest sense one of the "fathers of the town." He was chosen selectman in 1765, '67, '68 and '78 and during the fifteen years following the settlement of Norwich held all the most important town offices. He was a member of a committee appointed by the town that laid out most of the earliest roads in town; was also one of the town committee of safety during the Revolutionary war. He gave to the town land for the old burial ground (about two acres), which lies opposite the place of his residence on the south bank of Pompanoosuc river, where his own and the remains of his family are buried, to- gether with many of the early settlers of the northern portion of the town. He gave liberally to the endowment of Dartmouth College in 1770 (one hundred acres of land and also a contribution in money ). He is described as a man of "sound judgment and benevolent disposi- tion."
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HISTORY OF NORWICH
Captain Johnson died Dec. 22, 1806, and Mrs. Johnson died April 24, 1811.
Samuel Slafter Johnson, son of Hezekiah Johnson, and the only one out of a family of six children who survived him, settled in Norwich, but removed late in life to the state of New York. He was twice mar- ried and raised a large family of children, all of whom were born in town.
Dorothy, daughter of Capt. Hezekiah Johnson, married Jeremiah Hedges in 1784 and settled in Norwich. One of their daughters, Lu- cinda Hedges, married Samuel A. Wright, Jr., in 1810. Another daughter, Leanthy, married Joseph Root, also of Norwich, whose descendants, it is believed, still live in town.
Mrs. Hedges died September 16, 1804.
THE LEWIS FAMILY
[By William E. Lewis, Esq.]
William Lewis and family, consisting of his wife, Naomi, five sons and three daughters, (Joseph, his eldest son, having been a citizen of the town for some years) came to Norwich in 1781 or 1782 from Windsor, Hartford county, Connecticut, and settled on a farm now owned by Benjamin Clifford, where he resided for a number of years. In 1787 he purchased the farm now occupied by John W. Hutchinson. From time to time he added to it by purchase until at his death it con- tained 250 acres of good land, mostly covered with a large growth of timber. This farm came into the possession of Noah Lewis, youngest son of William (by will), who owned and occupied it until 1815, when he sold it to Moses Davis, for $3,000, and himself and family emigrated to Kentucky. This farm remained in possession of the Davis family for more than forty years.
Mr. Lewis was by trade a blacksmith and carried on that business for a number of years in a shop that stood near where O. W. Hazen lately lived.
From the time Mr. Lewis became a citizen of the town he took an
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BIOGRAPHICAL
active part in the management of its affairs. He was chosen moder- ator and selectman in 1784 and '85, and again moderator and select- man in 1786, '87, '88, '89, '92, '93, '95 and '96.
Mr. Lewis died Dec. 15, 1806, and his wife April 28, 1803.
DOCTOR JOSEPH LEWIS
Doctor Lewis was the son of William and Naomi Lewis, was born at Old Lyme, Conn., in November, 1746, and came to Norwich, Vt., in 1767.
During his minority young Lewis showed a fondness for the study of medicine and devoted much of his time during the last years pre- vious to his leaving Connecticut to the study of that science. After settling in Norwich he devoted a year or two to further study, after which he commenced the practice of medicine and continued in prac- tice for more than fifty-five years. During a large portion of this time (from 1785 to 1820) his practice was large, and extended not only through Norwich but into Thetford, Sharon. Hartford and Strafford in Vermont, and to Lebanon, Hanover and Lyme, N. H. The larger part of this practice was performed on horseback. In the winter when the roads became impassable for horses, the doctor resorted to snow shoes, guided through the wilderness by blazed trees; always ready to do what he could to relieve the suffering and the ills of the settlers of those days. No plea of inclement weather or poor health was made in order to shirk his duty in visiting the sick. The poor and destitute were welcome to his services and none who showed a desire to pay were pressed to do so.
Doctor Lewis was married in 1771 to Experience Burr, a lady well qualified to fill the position of wife of a physician of the times in which they lived. By her he had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Three of the sons, Lyman, Joseph and Enos, studied medicine at the Dartmouth medical college. Lyman and Enos settled in Norwich and Joseph in Waterbury, where they became successful practitioners. Joel, the other son, was an invalid from childhood and remained at home, One of the daughters, Naomi, died in infancy ;
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HISTORY OF NORWICH
Lucy died at the age of four years; Naomi, 2d., married Doctor David Fisk; Alpa married Abel Partridge, Esq., of Norwich [Vt.]
The doctor first resided in a log house which stood about half a mile southwesterly from Norwich village and about sixty rods from Gideon Lord's farm house [now Myron Armstrong's], where he re- sided for a number of years. In 1793 he purchased of Aaron Storrs the large, two-story dwelling house which stood where Edward M. Lewis resided (now the house of his widow), together with 100 acres of land contiguous with a gristmill and sawmill standing on the same site that the Doctor Rand mill now occupies. On this farm the doctor continued to reside until his death. In 1800 he purchased of Solomon Curtis the farm now owned and occupied by Henry S. Goddard, which adjoined his home farm on the west. This farm remained in the possession of the Lewis family forty-three years.
In November, 1829, the doctor's dwelling-house and buildings ad- joining, together with the furniture, library and provisions in store for the winter, were consumed by fire. They were wholly uninsured. From this time his health rapidly failed.
Doctor Lewis was a man of undoubted integrity. He had decided convictions and never hesitated to express them when necessary. He was social in his habits and fond of the society of his friends and neighbors. He had sound judgment and great self reliance. He was a great reader and well informed on all the general matters of the day. He was neither an office seeker nor office holder. Although often urged by his townsmen to accept office, he invariably declined. Owing to party dissensions at the time, he was elected town representative at the September election in 1808. At the next election he declined to be a candidate.
In 1775 Doctor Lewis suspended his practice, temporarily, having been appointed surgeon's mate and ordered to join the projected ex- pedition by General Washington against Quebec by way of the Ken- nebec river. The arduous enterprise was committed to Colonel Bene- dict Arnold. After surmounting incredible difficulties and hardships the expedition appeared before Quebec on the 9th of November of that vear and was present at the assault on that place by the troops under the command of General Montgomery, when that gallant officer was slain,
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During the winter of 1775-6 Doctor Lewis was engaged in the hos- pitals, mostly in treating soldiers who had taken the smallpox. Having passed through most of the campaign in Canada, he resigned his office, returned to Norwich, and resumed his practice.
On the 16th of October, 1780, Doctor Lewis, on horseback, with his son Lyman, five years old, behind him, was visiting his patients at quite a distance from his home, when he heard that the Indians were at Royalton and had burned that place. He took his little son from the horse, gave him instructions how to find his way home, borrowed a gun from a neighbor and immediately left for the field of conflict.
Doctor Lewis died June 1, 1833. His wife died Jan. 18, 1819.
DOCTOR ENOS LEWIS
The youngest son of Dr. Joseph and Experience (Burr) Lewis, was born at Norwich, Jan. 19, 1784; studied medicine with his father and at Dartmouth Medical College, where he graduated in 1804; surgeon in the U. S. Army, 1808-1810; afterwards practiced his profession in Norwich. He married Katurah, daughter of Beebe Denison of Ston- ington, Conn., at Norwich, June 28, 1812, by whom he had five chil- dren.
Doctor Lewis died at his home in Norwich, on the site of the resi- dence of the late George W. Kibling, September 14, 1823. He was a scholarly man, of sterling integrity, and took a lively interest in the welfare of his fellow men. During the years of his enforced retire- ment he devoted himself to the instruction of young men who were pursuing the study of medicine, and his boys, for whose education he had the greatest anxiety. Largely for their benefit he collected his library, which at his death numbered eight hundred to one thousand volumes, a large portion of which was burned with the old homestead.
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