USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Poultney > A history of the town of Poultney, Vermont, from its settlement to the year 1875, with family and biographical sketches and incidents > Part 5
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 (link on the Part 1 page).
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
56
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
and died-the same place where his widow now lives, and one on what is now known as College street, where Hiram Chandler now lives.
Here, then, we have the West Village, or "West Street," as it has been called, as it was in 1800; and, we may say, as it was up to 1810. The change was but trifling during the first ten years of the present century in this part of the town. There were then here a school-house, two taverns, one store, a pottery, a hatter, tailor, blacksmith and wagon-maker, and, if right in count, fifteen dwelling-houses. These were frame houses; but not one of them, except Herrick's or Smith's had any paint out- side or in. Herrick's was painted white, and Smith's red.
The East Village, at this time (1800), was a little larger. The "Eagle Tavern " had been erected-the same building, with its additions and changes, now standing, and owned and occu- pied as a hotel by Alexander Murdock. ' On the road to Middle- town, a few rods east of the Eagle Hotel, a Mr. Tuttle lived; there is no house standing there now. A little farther still, and on the other side of the road, opposite the burial ground, Thos. Wilmot lived; and near here stood the first meeting-house. Opposite the Eagle Tavern, on the corner, was a house, then occupied by Daniel Parsons. This house was afterwards enlarged, and was known for many years as the "Neal Tavern." It is now owned and occupied by Stephen Scott. North of this house, a few rods, was the "Thompson house," which was stand- ing until recently, but within a year or so has been demolished and removed. Capt. Lamson built a house, where G. B. Prindle now lives, and occupied it until his death. On the road from the Eagle Tavern, southerly, to the bridge, the first building was a store kept by Amos Thompson and Elisha Ashley, and near the locality where Paul J. Marshall's store now is. The next, a dwel- ling-house occupied by William Meacham and Elisha Ashley, and the same house now occupied by the family of Rollin Marshall. The next house was occupied by a Dr. Walker; subsequently by Stephen W. Dana, Amon Bailey, and now by J. C. Dewey. At the bridge, or crossing at the river, there was a carding machine establishment, built by William Meacham before 1810, and a
1
57
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
saw and grist mill, which have been named before. Abel Par- ker lived in the house now occupied by Joseph Morse, and the next was John Grant's house, now owned and occupied by Mrs. Ross, the widow of Paul M. Ross. Down from this corner, on the south side of the street running to West Poultney, the first house was occupied by a Mr. Strong; the second by Rev. Mr. Leonard, the second settled pastor of the Congregational Church, and stood on the premises now owned by Salmon Richards. This house is now, and has been for many years, occupied by . Mr. Richards as a wagon shop. Next was the Wallingford Todd house, so-called, now owned by J. W. Ensign; next a house where the father of G. B. Prindle then lived-the place now occupied by James Matthews. A Mr. Davis lived where Abial Pearsons now resides, and next, the " Pine Tree House." The "Pine Tree House " was owned by Elder Kendrick, and occupied by him several of the last years of his life. A Mr. Thorndeck lived where Dea. Watkins now resides, and Stearns Marshall lived at the old Marshall place, occupied by the family from the first settlement to the present time. On the north side of the road, David Thompson (the father of Amos and Jesse) built the house now owned by M. W. Bliss, and oc- cupied it until his death, early in the present century; it was ti:en occupied for a few years by Jesse Thompson, in which time Frederick was born. Soon after it was sold to Peabody Kinney. Since then it has been owned and occupied by different families. On the opposite and north side of the road, J. Thompson lived where H. Gorham now resides; Thomas Holmes where W. H. Crittenden now does, and Timothy Marshall where A. K. Mar- shall now lives; J. Hollenbeach lived where Charles Beals now does; Dr. Safford at the " Hopson place; " Dr. Kendrick where Dr. Horton now does; Elder Kendrick, and then John Young occupied the house where Rodney Smith now lives, and Enos Wells at the Moses Noyes' place, recently occupied by Rev. J. W. Wood. Ezekiel Buel, a hatter, and the father of Gustavus Buel, of Castleton, lived at the place now occupied by R. H. Green. Smith & Ransom had a store in the same building
8
58
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
(since enlarged) now occupied by Dewey & Dewey. Deacon Silas Howe lived where Frederick Ruggles now resides.
Some residences and places of business may be omitted in the foregoing. We have been obliged to avail ourselves of the memories of old persons, and it is quite possible there may be omissions, and perhaps inaccuracies in what does appear; but so far as the information can now be obtained, we have given the two villages as they were at the beginning of the present century.
During the period of time rnnuing from 1800 to 1811, quite a business sprung up on the river east of the east village. Samuel Joslin, one of the proprietors of the forge before men- tioned, died before the year 1800. Thomas Todd came into the town, and took his place, in company with Darling. They soon got into difficulty between themselves, and Mr. Darling removed to Rutland. The forge was discontinued about the beginning of the present century. Mr. Todd put up a carding machine quite early, and it is thought a little before the year 1800. Very soon after the year 1800, Mr. Todd erected a small woolen man- ufactory, and employed John Jones, who was by trade a woolen manufacturer, to superintend it. Mr. Jones was a native of Wales, and came to Poultney from Warren County, N. Y. He worked a few years with Mr. Todd, and until Reuben Wheeler built a mill a little farther up the river, at the "Guernsey Place," as it was afterwards called, when Mr. Jones became the superintendent of Mr. Wheeler's manufactory. Mr. Wheeler first put up a carding machine at this place (so we have been informed) as early as the year 1800. The woolen manufactory superintended by Mr. Jones, was built in 1804 or 1805, and was afterwards quite successful, or, at least, did an extensive busi- ness for those times. The War of 1812 raised the price of woolen goods, and in the last year of the war, Mr. Jones, in company with Chauney Guernsey, bought out Mr. Wheeler. Mr. Jones removed to the State of Ohio, in 1823, and Hoyt Guernsey succeeded him in the ownership of the factory. Mr. Guernsey did a large manufacturing business until his death,
59
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
which occurred in 1834. After the death of Mr. Guernsey, Francis Slason, of Rutland, and Albert Langdon, of Castleton, under the firm of Slason & Langdon, carried on the business of manufacturing at this place for some years. By reason of the manufacturing business at this point, considerable business centered here. A store and several mechanics' shops were located here for a time.
Mr. Todd was an active business man, though angular and eccentric in his ways and manner. Besides his carding and woolen manufactory, he had other business.
Dr: David Dewey was educated for a physician. and settled, about the year 1800, a little east of the Todd place, between that and the Guernsey place, and where Benoni Munson now resides. He was in the successful practice of his profession for some years; but he was born a mechanic and inventor. His tastes and genius leading him in that direction, quite early dur- ing his practice he had a work and trip-hammer shops on his premises. Gradually he left the practice of his profession, and gradually engaged in mechanical and manufacturing pursuits. Much of the business in the town, in the early part of the pres- ent century, had its origin from his energies and skill, as will hereafter appear.
We are indebted to Henry Clark, Esq., for the history of the post offices of the town. Post routes were established in the State soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, and in 1783, Anthony Haswell, of Bennington, was appointed post- master of Vermont. He furnished this and other towns of the State with the mail, until 1791, when Vermont ceased to be an independent government, and was admitted into the Union of States. In 1791, David Russell was appointed by the General Government postmaster of Vermont.
A mail route was established from Bennington to Burlington. A long controversy arose relative to the routes between those two places. A convention was held at Manchester, at which it was decided that two routes be established; that it be carried one week directly north, through Manchester to Rutland, and on its return pass through Castleton and Poultney, and from
60
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
thence to Bennington; the next week to pass through Poultney and Castleton, and return by way of Manchester and Arlington.
It is impossible, says Mr. Clark, to ascertain the exact date of the establishment of a post office in Poultney, under the General Government, as the early records of the Post Office Department were burned in 1836; but from the Auditor's books it is ascer- tained that first returns were made from April, 1799. The office was probably established in January, 1799, and John Stanley was appointed postmaster. Mr. Stanley was succeeded (the exact date cannot be given) by Timothy Crittenden, who held the office until Daniel Sprague was appointed, February 10, 1809. Daniel Mallary was appointed in 1815. The name of the office was changed to West Poultney, September 15, 1824.
Samuel P. Hooker was postmaster from 1836 to 1841
Isaac Leffingwell
1841 " 1842
James Richardson 66 66
66 1842 " 1845
Samuel P. Hooker
1845 1849
John B. Beaman 66
66 1849 1853
Henry Clark 66 66
66 1853 1860
Merritt Clark was appointed postmaster in 1860, and has had the office to the present time. The name of the office was changed back to Poultney, September 28th, 1857.
A post office was established at East Poultney, under the name of Poultney, August 4, 1824, and Stephen W. Dana was appointed postmaster. At this time the east village was the larger of the two, and a controversy had been some little time pending, which arose from the efforts of those living in the east village to remove the post office from the west village to the east. This controversy, with its results, will be found interest- ing, and will be given elsewhere in this work. One of the re- sults was the establishment of a post office at the east village. The following is a list of postmasters at that place from the time the office was created to the present time:
Stephen W. Dana
from
1824 to 1827.
Daniel Mallary
66
1827 " 1829
Harris Hosford
1829 “ 1832
William Wheeler
66
1832 " 1834
61
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
Simeon Mears
from
1834 " 1840
· William M. Bosworth,
1840 "
1841
James P. Harris
1841
1846
William McLeod
66
1846
1849
Paul M. Ross,
66
1849 “
1853
J. C. Derby
66
1853 " 1861
Edwin S. Dewey, of the firm of Dewey & Dewey, succeeded Mr. Derby as postmaster, and has held the post office in that village since his appointment. The name of the office was changed from Poultney to East Poultney in 1857.
62
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
CHAPTER VII.
TIIE POULTNEY TURNPIKE-THE FLOOD OF 1811-DAMAGES DONE-INCIDENTS.
'NE of the first duties of a public nature attended to by the early settlers, was the laying out and making roads. In these duties they were prompt and faithful, though, at best, the roads were rough and uneven for many years. They often laid out their roads over hills, instead of around them, and their children and grand-children have charged them with folly for so doing, yet are slow to this day in making changes to obviate the hills.
Quite early, the main road running north and south through Poultney west village became a thoroughfare for through travel. It was in the route from Lansingburgh, Troy and Albany to Middlebury, Burlington and St. Albans. Lansingburgh was then the main place of trade for Western Vermont, and all merchan- dize was carried to and from by teams. This main road, as first laid, was crooked, and in some places ran over hills, that made it difficult to draw heavy loads, and, in 1805, some enterprising and leading citizens projected the plan of a turnpike road. The Legislature sat at Danville in the fall of that year, and Amos Thompson represented the town of Poultney. An act of incor- poration of "The Poultney Turnpike Company " was passed. The company organized in 1806, adopted a set of by-laws, and elected its officers. Some scraps of the records of the company have been preserved, which give the by-laws, and show that Benjamin Carver was the first secretary elected, but do not show who the other onicers were, first elected. The road, as incorpor- ated, started from the State line east, where it seperates Granville and Wells; from thence northerly, through Wells, Poultney, Castleton, Sudbury, and from thence to Middlebury. It was de- signed as a part of a through line or route from Albany, N. Y., to
63
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
Burlington, Vermont, and after some years of struggle on the part of a few enterprising and determined men, was so established.
The Poultney turnpike road was not surveyed until 1808. Three or four years more elapsed before the working of the road was completed, and the road put in running order. We find a record of a meeting "legally warned and holden at the dwelling-house (hotel) of Beaman & Lovell, in Poultney, on the 15th day of January, 1811, and made choice of the following officers: Chauncy Langdon, President; Enos Merrill, Reuben Skinner, John Stanley, Jacob Howe, Directors; Ezekiel Buel, Clerk; John Ransom, Jr., Treasurer."
At the time of this meeting, the road had not been completed, but, from the best recollection of the old persons now living, it was completed, or nearly so, that year. It is recollected that General Dearborn, in 1812, took a force of United States troops over this turnpike road on the route from Greenbush to Platts- burg, and encamped one night at Castleton corners. A line of stages from Albany to Burlington commenced running over the road very soon after it was completed. The first stages were open carriages, the bodies resting on thorough-braces; but soon the coach appeared on the road, similar in style and character to the ones since used. Toll-gates were established on the road. There were two of these toll-gates within the limits of the town of Poultney; one at the extreme south part of the town, another some two miles north of the west village, and first put up at John Ransom's, where E. D. Andrus now resides. This gate was afterwards removed further north, near to the place where the dwelling-house of Joseph Fuller now stands. While the gate was at the Ransom place, it could be shunned by taking a road running up the hill eastwardly, and around, and the gate was removed for that reason. The stages were two days in running from Albany to Burlington. Beaman's Hotel was about equi-distant from the two places, and was made the stop- ping place over night. After a post office was established at the east village, the mail for a little time was carried to and from that place; but soon the stage was diverted from its route at the west village, and ran from thence to the east village,
64
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
thence to Castleton, and there struck the turnpike road again. The stages were kept running on this route until a railroad communication was established, in 1852. Joel Beaman was con- . nected with this line of stages a large portion of the time, as proprietor and manager. His connection therewith will be more explicitly given in his biography, which will be found elsewhere in this work.
The establishment of the turnpike road was regarded as a long stride in the line of progress, and so it really was. After it was worked, it was looked upon as an improved highway, and much superior to other roads for ease and comfort in travel, as also in hauling goods and all commodities, which, until railroads were built, were transported by teams. The improved highway, and the introduction of stages, seem to have been the first steps in the wonderful change the country has undergone in its modes of communication. "The isolation of small communities then began to give way before larger sympathies and more extended interests."
The Poultney turnpike prospered until about 1824 or 1825. The New York canals had then been opened, which diverted the heavy teaming in this section of Vermont from Troy, Albany and Lansingburgh to Whitehall. The stock soon began to de- preciate, and became less and less in value, until it was regarded as worthless, or nearly so. The gates were finally taken off, and the company surrendered the turnpike to the towns through which it passed. It was accepted by the towns, and since (in Poultney, at least) has been used as a public highway. The exact date of this surrender cannot now be given; but it was some years before the stages were discontinued.
THE FLOOD OF 1811,
which occurred on the 22d day of July of that year, was the most remarkable one in the history of the town. On the morn- ing of that day, the sun rose clear, and the sky was cloudless. About nine o'clcok in the forenoon, thunder was heard in the distance. and a dark cloud was seen rising in the west. By ten o'clock the rain was pouring down in torrents; but it was re-
65
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
garded as a shower that would soon pass over. About noon there was a temporary cessation of the rain; the sun came out, and it was very hot and sultry. By one o'clock it began to rain again violently, and so continued most of the afternoon. The fall of water was very heavy in the towns of Middletown and Tinmouth, lying east of Poultney. Poultney River rises in Tinmouth, and running through a valley, drains the waters of a part of Tinmouth, and the whole of Middletown. Most of the distance from where it rises in Tinmouth, to a point near the center of Poultney, in its course, the lands descend each side to the river, and in a shower or heavy rain, the small streams and little rills from the hill sides on either hand, rapidly pour their falling waters into it. Of course this river rises rapidly in a heavy rain, and it rises higher than streams of the same size do in niany other localities with the same fall of rain. So sud- den was the rise of water in this instance, that the inhabitants were hardly aware of danger before mills, dwelling-houses and other buildings were being swept away. All the mills on Poultney River within the town, except the factory built by Reuben Wheeler, at the Guernsey place, were carried away with their contents, mainly; and these included Mr. Morgan's grist and saw mills, Dr. Dewey's trip-hammer establishment and work shop, Mr. Todd's factory, clothiers' works and grist-mill, the mills at east Poultney, at the candlestick factory place, and the Norton mills, at the State line, near Hampton bridge. Every bridge on the river was carried away, except the bridge at East Poultney, and many, if not all, on the smaller streams shared the same fate. Several dwelling-houses and other buildings were taken away, among which was a house then owned and occupied by Stephen Morse. This house was located on the road to Middletown, near the bridge that now crosses the stream which runs down through Morse Hollow. Ithamar Smith, who then lived on the same stream, up the hollow from where Mr. Morse lived, had a dwelling-house carried away. Wrecks of buildings, bridges, machinery and "flood-wood " were con- stantly floating down, and now and then would come a large forest tree, taken up by the roots, brought along, and made to
9
66
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
serve as a battering-ram to demolish buildings, or whatever obstructed its course.
The damage to the lands was very large. They were badly cut up by the streams, and acres were covered with stones, gravel and sand, that for years rendered them of little value for cultivation. It is impossible, at this late day, to give anything that could be called an accurate estimate of the losses; but, as will be seen from our incomplete sketch, they were in the ag- gregate very heavy. Some little time followed before the town of Poultney was restored to its previous condition of business activity and prosperity.
Many incidents of this remarkable flood might be given, and we make room for a few. George Morgan, a brother of the late Jonathan Morgan, lost his life on that day. He lived on the Hampshire Hollow road, and had a yoke of oxen over the stream from where he was, and as the stream rose, he thought them in danger. He attempted to cross the stream on horse- back, and rescue his oxen; but the water proved to be deeper than he expected-the rapid current took him from his horse's back, and he was drowned.
Mrs. Jonas Clark, with her children, Merritt and Horace, left their home, in a carriage, in the fore part of the day, with a package of wool, for Todd's factory, to be carded. As the rain commenced, they sought shelter in the house of Ebenezer Fris- bie, who then lived about two miles east of the east village, and near where Abner Lewis and J. A. and I. H. Morgan now re- side. Hon. Merritt Clark, who was the elder of the two chil- dren, and then about eight years old, gave the writer something of what he saw and heard while at Mr. Frisbie's. Word came that Stephen Morse's family, living in the hollow about half a mile further on towards Middletown, were all drowned. This, fortunately, was an error; but Mr. Frisbie, at the time, believed it to be so. Mrs. Morse was a daughter of Mr. Frisbie, and this calamity (as he supposed it to be), the terrible rain, the heavy thunder, and the almost darkness of night, created a gloom that was exceedingly oppressive. His own cellar wall fell in with a .
67
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
crash from the action of the water, and Mr. Frisbie, by nature a sound and sensible man, was so overcome by these influences, that he expressed the belief that the Judgment-day had come, and engaged in prayer. Mrs. Clark and her children remained until the next day, when her husband, the late General Jonas Clark, came and took his wife and children home in safety.
It before appears that the dwelling-house of Stephen Morse was carried away. His family escaped-but it was a narrow escape. Mr. Morse and his hired man, in the morning, were at work in the field near by, and as the rain commenced, ran to the house. The inmates of the house at the time were Mr. Morse, his wife and one child, the hired man, and two Benson ladies, who had driven there in a carriage at or about the time the rain commenced. All were unconscious of danger, until suddenly the water surrounded the house, when they realized that they must leave it at once or perish. The two ladies entered the carriage, which stood near the door, taking Mrs. Morse and her child with them. They started the horse, but soon the carriage was swung around by the rapid current of water, but the horse, after desperate struggles, succeeded in ` drawing the floating carriage out upon solid ground. Mr. Morse and his hired man barely succeeded in wading out of the water to a place of safety. The house went down the stream in a few minutes after its occupants left it. It was supposed that stones, gravel and flood-wood, as they were brought down, had formed a dam, and that this dam broke away; hence the almost instan- taneous rush of water at this point. This seems probable; but so far, we are informed, rests on supposition.
At the Todd place, we have been informed, there were large numbers of people collected, and the excitement was intense. This was then one of the leading business points in the town. With his other business, Mr. Todd had come to do quite a large manufacturing business, and at this time had considerable quantities of cloth manufactured and stored in his factory. Mr. Todd, we have been told by those who were there at the time, became frantic as the water rose, and as it appeared that his property, which years of industry had accumulated, was doomed
68
HISTORY OF POULTNEY.
to destruction. A portion of his cloth in the factory was saved by the desperate efforts of his men. The factory building went off whole, like the sailing of a ship; but in the rapid and de- scending current, some rods below, was dashed in pieces.
The following incidents at the west part of the town, on that day, we have from those who were present: Joel Beaman, Daniel Sprague and Billy Todd were on their way home from Troy with iron merchandize, etc. On their arrival at Samuel Hyde's Tavern, where Pomeroy Wells now lives, they learned that the river was running over the road north and south of the bridge, and it was a question whether they would be able to cross over, and Mr. Hyde accompanied them to witness the ex- periment. They had no difficulty in reaching the bridge from the south, and crossed it in safety; but they had no sooner landed on the north bank than the bridge went down the stream, leaving them with their team by the maple tree, still standing near the north end of the covered bridge, though shorn of its beautiful and wide-spreading branches. The water was so deep north of them, in the vicinity of Jesse Howe's, where it formerly ran, that any attempt to proceed further would be extremely hazardons. They then unharnessed their horses, turned them into the stream, and they swam ashore. The villagers turned out en masse to devise ways and means to rescue the four men who were on the wagon, apparently in the middle of the river. Various attempts were made with rafts, ropes, etc., to reach them, but on account of the rapid current and the immense quantity of flood-wood with which the stream was filled, all their efforts proved unavailing. But as the day wore away, and the shades of night began to settle down, the rain still descend- ing in torrents, and the stream rising, Esquire Beaman said: " I am going ashore." His friends tried to dissuade him from the attempt, as being extremely dangerous; but he had decided in his own mind to undertake it, and was not to be discouraged. Accordingly, he divested himself of his outer garments, and putting his "old red pocket-book " (which was generally pretty well filled with bank notes) in his hat, and placing it firmly on his head, " went in." A large number of persons on shore went
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.