USA > Vermont > Windham County > Brattleboro > Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont; early history, with biographical sketches of some of its citizens > Part 12
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 | Part 30
P. H. W.
HION. JOHN R. BLAKE.
Another of the early residents of Brat- tleboro, the Hon. John R. Blake, died in Boston, Mass., June 6, 1873, aged 79 years and 4 months. Funeral services were held in the church of the Rew. Rufus Ellis, June 8th; and on the day following the body was brought to Brattleboro by the only son of the deceased, Dr. John Ellis Blake of New York, and deposited in our village cemetery, where prayers were said by the Rev. Mr. Jenkins.
E
82
VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
The deceased was born in Brattleboro, Feb. 3, 1793. He was a son of J. W. Blake, a lawyer of distinction and a gen- tleman of wealth, education and polished manners, who moved to this part of Ver- mont at an early period of its settlement, from Worcester, Mass. He at one time resided in Guilford; was the owner of a large tract of land in and near this village, which then consisted of a few straggling houses, and he took an active part in the political affairs of the State, being one of its earliest representatives. His name oc- "curs in the early records of southern Ver- mont, as one of its most prominent citi- zens. But at the closing period of his life, becoming reduced in circumstances, his `son, John R. Blake, was taken from school and compelled to go into business, and commence the battle with the world as a poor boy at a very early age. His first experience as a trader was with the Indi- ans at Onondaga, N. Y., now Syracuse, which was then considered far West, be- ing taken from school at Deerfield, Mass., and sent there to begin life.
Returning to Vermont, he soon entered upon an extensive business as merchant. In company with Francis Goodhue, and also with Grindal R. Ellis, whose daughter he married. He carried on an extensive trade with Hartford, Ct., shipping horses, cattle and other produce by the river, and receiving back West India and other goods. Among his traits of character was a great fondness for fine stock, for horses and cat- tle. A picture of one of his favorite horses, done by Fisher, the distinguished New England painter, is still in possession of his family. In the days of staging he took an interest in stage lines, and especially in seeing them supplied with fine horses; and he exercised a leading influence in pro- moting the construction of the Vt. and Mass. R. R., which connected the village with Boston by steam communication. He also took an active interest in estab- lishing the old Brattleboro bank, of which he was for a long time one of the direc- tors. His financial abilities were solid and comprehensive.
During the times when the militia was maintained on a respectable footing, he served as aid-de-camp to Gen. Mann; and in subsequent years he sat for several
terms in the legislature, both as represen- tative of his town and as senator. His career as legislator was marked for his usual business-like practical ability, and may be said to have been distinguished by his frank and decided opposition to the Maine liquor law, so-called, which he be- lieved impolitic, and for an eulogy pro- nounced on the death of Daniel Webster.
J. W. P.
The following letter, received by the pastor of the Unitarian Society in this place from the pastor of the First Church in Boston, with which Mr. Blake was as- sociated, will be read with interest by per- sonal friends of the deceased :
106 MARLBOROUGH ST., June 14, 1873.
Dear Mr. Jenkins :- I performed the fun- eral service in my church on Sunday morn- ing last over the remains of a most worthy gentleman, the Hon. John R. Blake; and as the burial was to be in Brattleboro, there may 'have been a burial service there also. I hope that there was, for Mr. Blake was born in the town, and long and hon- orably identified with it; and it was ex- ceedingly pleasant to think last Monday of the beautiful graveyard under the clear afternoon sky, and that they were making his grave in that hill country which was so familiar and so dear to him from boy- hood. I have seen much of Mr. Blake, and especially of late, during a long and painful illness. He was a very true and a very thoughtful man, with far more in his heart than ever found expression in word; a Christian of a broad and practical type, with a good leaven of the old Puritanism, to which this country owes so much; a man downright, upright, and forthright, not untouched by the questionings of the day, and yet holding fast the essentials of faith and all "the weightier matters of the law." He was much respected in Boston as a man of his word; but the larger part of his life was passed in Brattleboro, and so I am moved to send to you these few words concerning one whom we greatly miss, although we ought to be thankful that days which had become labor and sorrow are no more. I love to think of him as gathered to his fathers in your beautiful town, where, if anywhere, the body may rest in peace, whilst the spirit
83
BRATTLEBORO.
is refreshed with the light of the Divine Face. Faithfully yours,
RUFUS ELLIS.
HON. JOHN NOYES.
(By Geo. W. Noyes, of Wallingford, Ct.)
Prominent among the citizens of Wind- ham county in the early part of the pres- ent century, was Hon. John Noyes of Brattleboro. Born at Atkinson, N. H., April 2, 1764, he was fifth in the line of descent from Nicholas Noyes, one of the early settlers of Massachusetts, and inher- ited the aptitude for learning which be- longed to his ancestry. After graduating at Dartmouth, became a tutor in the col- lege, was instructor of the class of Daniel Webster ;* his attention turned to theolog- ical study, prepared himself for the minis- try; finding it unsuited to his health, re- turned to teaching; had charge for some years of Chesterfield (N. H.) Academy; in 1800, removed to Brattleboro, and en- gaged in mercantile business with Gen. Mann.
Their store was in West Brattleboro. In those days the country merchant made two trips a year to Boston, by stage, or on horseback, spending three or four days on the road, and carrying a change of clothes, money for his purchases, and perhaps a pistol for his defence, in a pair of ample saddlebags. As the business of the firm increased it drew in other partners, and extended its operations to other towns,- branch establishments, under the name of "Noyes & Mann," or "Noyes, Mann & Hayes,"+ were commenced in Wilmington and Whitingham. A principal article of produce in these new towns was potash, exchanged for goods at the store-tea, coffee, tobacco, calico, and plain stuffs,
*Mr. Webster, in the time of his fame, vis- ited Dartmouth College, and held a "recep- tion." Among the students presented to him was John H. Noyes, who was introduced as a son of his former tutor. " I wish," said Mr. Webster, taking the student's hand, "that I could do you as much good as your father did to me."
+General Mann afterwards removed to Syr- acuse, N. Y. His daughter married Gen. R. B. Marcy, U. S. A., and his granddaughter is the wife of Gen. Geo. B. McClellan, late can- didate for the presidency. Hon, Austin Bir- chard of Fayetteville, Vt., and Mr. Adin Thay- er of Hoosick, N. Y., commenced business as clerks in this concern.
together with the "mug of flip," the com- mon attendant of every bargain. Nearly all classes then drank liquor, from the ministers and magistrates down.
At forty years of age, Mr. Noyes mar- ried Miss Polly Hayes, by whom he had nine children. After serving two or three terms in the State legislature, he was, in 1815, elected to Congress from the south- ern district of Vermont, and entered the House of Representatives as fellow-men- ber with Clay, Randolph, and other celeb- rities, of whom he was fond of telling an- ecdotes in after life.
In 1817, Mr. Noyes removed to Dum- merston, where he continued to reside till 1821, when, having acquired what he deemed a competency, retired from ac- tive business to a farm in Putney, and occupied himself mainly thereafter in su- perintending the education of his children. His eldest daughter, Mrs. L. G. Mead, still lives in Brattleboro. (1869.) The eldest son, John H. Noyes, is the founder of the Oneida Community. Mr. Noyes, the eld- er, died Oct. 26, 1841.
VALEDICTORY ADDRESS.
Chief Justice Royall Tyler, the author, delivered at an exhibition at the close of Miss Rebecca Peck's select school, in the East village of Brattleboro, in 1823. A son of the author-Rev. Thonias P. Tyler, D. D., then a lad of about 8 years,-was the orator on this happy occasion. This poetical effusion, so characteristic of the fine literary taste of the Judge, after years of search and inquiry we received a copy taken from a scrap-book in the city of Washington, by Miss Amelia Tyler. a granddaughter of the author. According to the best information within our own observation, the Judge gave compliments well deserved, for the little Misses of that school were generally remarkable for their personal beauty and good conduct. The delivery of the address took the school, as well as the audience, by surprise, and fur- nished a theme of pleasant allusion and reference for a long time in this village. The young orator was quite personal in the application of his theme, causing the whitest of roses to become blushing ones when he pointed his little magic finger toward them. Some of these roses, very well preserved, yet remain in this place,
84
VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
now known as grandmothers; but oth- ers, and doubtless much the largest por- tion of this constellation of the beautiful, are-
"Where are now the birds that sang a hundred years ago."
The orator became a distinguished clergy- man of the Episcopal church, and officiat- ed many years in Western New York; but now, advanced to over three-score years, and suffering from infirmities, he is back to his native place, retired from service, to the scene of his first oratorical efforts 55 years ago.
"I dare to say you all do wonder How our good ma'am, who is so wise, With taste so pure and judgment nice, Shall thus commit so sad a blunder, As 'gainst all reason, rhyme and rule, To make me mouthpiece of the school. Perhaps the thought that. I might show How well her very worst might do; At any rate, shine or not shine, The praise, or blame, be hers, not mine. As for myself, in some snug corner, I'd rather sit, like brave Jack Horner, And with my thumb, like Jack so sly, Pluck out the plums from Christmas pie; For in my mouth plums are much sweeter Than finest words of prose or meter ;- But ma'am commands, and I obey, For she holds here a sovereign sway. Shall I a little rebel prove, When govern'd by her law of love? Now, if your patience will prevail, Indulge me, and I'll tell a tale.
' Oh, dear mamma, pray let me see What have you in your hands for me- Some almonds, raisins, nuts, or figs, Or peppermints, or sugar pigs?' Thus William to his mother said, As she her opening palm displayed, And show'd to his disgusted eyes, Some shrivel'd things of dwarfish size, Dark as the sweepings of some room, Which long had mourned the absent broom.
' I don't want them,' said pouting Will,
'They're neither fit for food nor play ; They look as bad as doctor's pills, Do throw the dingy things away.' 'Poor simple child;' mamma replied, 'Know you despise the garden's pride? For from these shrivel'd dwarfish things, The glory of the garden springs; True, cast them in the highway, And they no glory will display :
But plant them in the garden fair, Beneath the gardener's fostering care, Nurtur'd and cultur'd each will bloom, And shed its richest, best perfume; Not he, so fam'd in Scripture story, Great Solomon, in all his glory, Was e'er so deck'd the eye to please, Or e'er array'd like one of these, And education is defined The horticulture of the mind; The mental buds, by its kind care, Unfold their petals to the air,
Prepar'd by bland instruction given, To shine on Earth or bloom in Heaven.' Thus ends my tale, and now I pray Let me apply it my own way : Kind patrons, who here condescend Our exhibition to attend,
Think not these benches now sustain Of girls and boys a simple train: But that within our classic bowers, You see a rich parterre of flowers, Of buds and blossoms, tendrils, shoots, Springing from intellectual roots; Your fancies, sure. you need not strain To change to flowers our female train: See Ellen, there, her bloom disclose; Say, is she not a blushing rose? In sweet Sophia, you may ken, A sister rose of the same stem; While in Miss Fanny's form we trace The aspiring tulip's airy grace ; Her little namesake, sure, will tally With the sweet lily of the valley. The china aster's varied dye Bright Sarah's mental powers imply; And in Elizabeth we view The snowy lily's virgin hue. The golden pansy, may I fancy, Portray our modest, pensive Nancy. In fair Calista's beauteous face You may the bright carnation trace; In graceful Helen's air you see, The very pink of courtesy. Do you the rose of Sharon prize, On our Lucretia cast your eyes; Would you the pale syringa seek, Mark gentle Anna's snowy cheek; The amaranthus well may be Sweet little Gertrude. named for thee. And sure the gay, sweet-scented pea, May typify fair Emily.
Our Marys too, as bright a knot As ever deck'd a maiden's bower; One is a jonquil, a snowdrop one, And one a lovely, sweet wild flower ..
85
BRATTLEBORO
Elizabeth, her sister Jane,
Are buds that one day will expand; Soon as their spring is on the wane, They'll bloom the glory of the land.
Sweet Lucy is a bright moss pink As ever flash'd its tints before ye; And Henrietta is, I think, You'll all allow, a morning glory.
Our bright Eliza, I'll not name, But rather wish you'd tax your powers, Provided you with care select Her emblem from the fairest flowers.
In our cold, bleak and Northern air, We have few flowers that may compare With sweet Belinda's speaking face, Or Harriet's form, or Julia's grace.
There is a fine, attractive flower, By botanists called mignonnette, Which I pronounce, by fancy's power, Shall give the name to Mariette.
Come, Maia, from thy sylvan bowers, Queen of gay tints and frolic fancies, Come, bring thy best bouquet of flowers, The finest type for brilliant Frances .*
Yet there's one favorite, pretty Miss, Whose given name I've most forgot; But you may find her out by this:
Her Linnæn name-forget me-not.
Perhaps, within our flowery set, You'll ask, if we have not some Nett- No, no, not nettles; that's not right, We have no plants so impolite. Perchance we have, if you require, Some pretty sprigs of sweet sweetbriar.
But what are then your boys, you'll cry, Have you no flowers to name them by? Why, boys, as boys, are well enough, And you may call us garden stuff ; For if with our associates fair, You should for once us boys compare, Beside the jonquil, pink and rose, We dwindle to potatoe blows !
Now, if within our garden fair, You find aught lovely, good or rare, To our instructress give the praise: Our dear instructress crown with bays, For to her kind, judicious care We gratefully owe all we are.
*This golden age of female beauty in Brat- tleboro demanded a tribute-the orator, the singer, comes with the occasion.
Nor would we now forget what's due Most honored patroness to you :*
To nurse these buds to opening flowers, Needs genial suns and fostering showers. All these your favor has supplied, To you we owe our garden's pride, You have the seeds of science sown, And when in life our buds are blown, Then-then we'll own the generous deeds, And bless the hand which sow'd the seeds.
And now, kind friends, I pray excuse My falterings and my stammers- Respectfully, I take my leave, And so I make my manners.
Names of the little misses to whom the orator pointed when giving the floral name:
Helen Ellis, daughter G. R. Ellis, Esq .; married John R. Blake.
Janette Ellis, daughter G. R. Ellis, Esq., married Geo. Clark, of Hartford.
Elizabeth Sikes, daughter Uriel Sikes, married Chas. Cune.
Ellen Fessenden, daughter Wm. Fessen- den, Esq .; married J. Blake of Boston. Fanny Gough, with Mrs. Josepli Goodliue, and neice of the same.
Fanny Elliot, daughter Hon. Sam'l Elliot. Sophia Fessenden, daugliter Wm. Fessen- den, editor of "The Reporter."
Elizabeth Smith, daughter Henry Smith. Nancy Wood, daugliter David Wood.
Calista Ainsworth, from Bethel, Vt., and neice of Joseph Fessenden, became Mrs. Pearce.
Lucretia Leonard, adopted daughter Dr. Artemas Robbins, removed to Bellows Falls, Vt.
Emily Houghton, daughter Abel Hough- ton, removed to St. Albans, becanie Mrs. Stubbs.
Mary Fessenden, daughter Joseph Fessen- den.
Sarah Fessenden, daughter Wm. Fessen- den; married Elisha Allen, who was member of Congress from Maine.
Mary Nichols, daughter George Nichols; married Herrick.
* Honored Patroness-Mrs. Boott, an opu- lent English lady, who at that time owned the grounds of the "Vermont Asylum," and whose house was removed when the buildings of the Asylum were erected upon the west side of the main road leading to "New Fane." She proved a devoted friend of Miss Rebecca Peck, the instructress, and in various ways assisted in support of her school.
86
VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
Mary Elliot, daughter James Elliot; mar- ried Pomroy, N. Y.
Elizabeth Fessenden, daughter Joseph Fessenden; died at 19.
Jane Fessenden, daughter Joseph Fessen- den; married Dr. Clark.
Mary Fessenden, daughter Joseph Fessen- den.
Lucy Chase, daughter Paul Chase; mar- ried Deming.
Henriette Sınith, daughter Henry Smith; married Gen'l F. H. Fessenden.
Ann Smith, daughter Henry Smith, mar- ried Dr. H. Craig, of Kentucky.
Anna Amsden, daughter Lewis Amsden. Gertrude Blake, daughter Col. Henry Jones Blake.
Belinda Elliot, daughter Sam'l Elliot; mar- ried Mcclellan.
Julia Nichols, daughter George Nichols. Frances Ellis, daughter G. R. Ellis; mar- ried Russell.
Harriet Goodhue, daughter Col. Joseph Goodhue; married Gov. F. Holbrook.
Eliza Nichols, daughter George Nichols. Fanny Frost, daughter James Frost; mar- ried A. E. Dwinell.
Mary Ann Goodhue, daughter Joseph Goodhue; married Wm. P. Cune.
Hon. Royall Tyler-elected Chief Jus- tice of Vermont in 1807, and Professor of Jurisprudence of the U. Vt., in 1811, at Burlington, was widely known and had an extensive correspondence with the most noted men of his time in the forming pe- riod of our institutions, and the most ex- citing times in our history, from the Rev- olution of 1776 to the last war with Eng- land, commencing in 1812. Therefore his unpublished memoirs possess a national interest which would, we believe, demand their publication if the public were con- scious of their worth. As one of the fathers of American literature, as the date and character of his writings for the drama and periodicals of the time sufficiently prove, we cannot afford to let the waves of obliv- ion close over the records of his mental efforts as the turf now covers his mortal remains in the cemetery of the East village of Brattleboro. The tragedy, poetry, and romance of his life and family have the charm of fiction. When, with his college friend, on the staff of Gen. Sulli- van, their force of 5000 men became scat- tered by the enemy, Tyler and his friend,
Daggett, lodged over night in a barn, where they discussed the question of where, if they must be hit with a bullet, would be the place of choice. The next day duty called them to the post of danger, and poor Daggett was shot through the lungs. "Ah, Rial," said he, "you see I did not. have my choice."
Tyler, when a gay gallant of 20, in scar- let coat and short clothes, entered the house of his friend, Mrs. Joseph Pearce Palmer, of Boston, and took from her arms her infant child (Mary Palmer) and said: "This child will become my wife." Time verified his prophecy, and her chil- dren, now venerable in years, and those who have gone, with honorable record, to their final sleep, have blessed her memory. In the varied-in the elevated departments of human effort-in the pulpit, at the bar, mercantile and teachers' desk, her children have proved the character of their matern- al parentage. That mother who was little Mary Palmer, when seated in her mother's arms at the dining table of Gen. Joseph. Warren, when he partook of his last din- ner, and received the parting hand from his most intimate friends for the last time, before marching to his death on Bunker Hill. This interesting event we learn, not for the first time, from the memoirs. We heard, near 1830, the aged Mrs. Palm- er relate the story. She said: "My hus- band was an early associate and intimate- friend of Joseph Warren, therefore we, with other of his friends, were invited to _ dine with him, as he said, "for the last time." Beautiful in her old age, seeming- ly, as "Madame Recamier," with swim- ming eyes and trembling lips, she contin- ued: "Joseph Warren was an ardent pa- triot, an accomplished scholar, elegant in manners, universally beloved, and was the. idol of Boston. After dinner, we all and each begged and prayed that he would not go to the battle-field; but vainly did we try to move him; he firmly believed the cause demanded the sacrifice of his life, and he must obey that demand. Amidst the flames, constant roar of artillery, and panic-stricken inhabitants, I fled from the city with my little Mary crying and cling- ing to my bosom."
When a girl of fourteen, Mary Palmer accompanied the family of Elbridge Gerry
87
BRATTLEBORO.
to New York, where she witnessed the in- auguration of Washington, April 30, 1789
The memoirs of Judge Tyler, to which we have alluded, is a work of over 300 pages, legal cap, commenced by his son, Rev. Thomas Pickman Tyler, D. D., but not yet completed. As this was Judge Tyler's last place of abode, and where he lived one-fourth of a century, we extract sufficient matter from said memoirs, as will give an account of his origin, when and why he came to Vermont, college days, etc. :
"Hon. Royall Tyler was born in Bos- ton, Mass., July 18, 1757. "His family was wealthy and influential, giving him favor- able opportunities for intellectual culture. His father, Royall Tyler, Sen., was a man of marked ability, and a graduate of Har- vard College at 19 years, and soon after engaged in mercantile business in company with his brother-in-law, Samuel Phillips Savage. He was a member of the King's council from 1765 until his death in 1771. As such the name of Royall Tyler, Sen., appears upon the most important commit- tees, during the long contest between the General Court and Governors Bernard and Hutchinson, occasioned by the stamp act, the quartering of the troops in Boston, and the removal of the General Court sessions to Cambridge. As the spokesman of the committee, he demanded of the Governor the removal of the troops from Boston. "The people," said he, to the Governor, "have formed their plan for removing the troops from the town, and it is impossible that they remain in "it. The people will come in from the neighboring towns; there will be ten thousand men to effect the re- moval of the troops, let the consequences be what they may."
amounting often to more than one-third of their income, the family enjoyed twelve years of prosperity and domestic quiet. The next year, Mary, the eldest daughter, died, aged 18, and in May, 1771, the father, Royall Tyler, Sen., closed his honorable career at 48 years. He was buried in the tomb built by his father in the churchyard of King's chapel. It is situated on the westerly side of the ground adjoining the sidewalk of Tremont street, and is covered with a slab sculptured with the coat of arms of the family.
At commencement July 15, 1772, Royall Tyler entered the freshman class of Har- vard College, being then within three days of his 15th year. Of Mr. Tyler's college days little can be known, after the century since elapsed. His class seenis to have been an able one, numbering among oth- ers, who afterwards distinguished them- selves, Chief Justices Sewall and Thatcher, and Christopher Gore, Governor and U. S. Senator of Massachusetts. The latter was his room-mate, and many years after, Judge Tyler, while driving with his son down into Maine, pointed out a house where he and Gore spent some weeks, hav- ing been rusticated by the faculty for an unlucky contretemps in which they had involved themselves. Their room was over the front door of one of the college halls, and from the window they had thrown down a line with a hook properly baited, endeavoring thereon to catch one of a litter of pigs in the yard below. Intently watching the issue of this experiment, they failed to notice the approach of the Rev- erend and austere President Langdon, un- til he had ascended the steps, removed his cocked-hat, and was wiping his forehead. The line was pulled up with a sudden jerk, in hopes that he might not see from whose window it came ; but alas, swinging across the doorway in its quick ascent, the hook caught the wig of the venerable doc- tor, and brought it up with a run. Aside froni the unlucky result of his fishing for pigs, the only punishment recorded during his whole course was a fine of sixpence for abusing a library book.
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.