USA > Vermont > Windham County > Newfane > Centennial proceedings and other historical facts and incidents relating to Newfane, the county seat of Windham County, Vermont > Part 14
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ROADS AND BRIDGES.
As is well known, all the social and business intercourse between the first settlers of our New England forests was conducted by the aid of marked trees. By their aid the beaten path was formed, and as the people and their wants increased, the trees along the line were cut. and a track that marked the advent of civilization formed. In this town there were, undoubtedly, two of these paths leading from the north and south part of the town, to a point near the mouth of the South Branch, as we find an undoubted record that there was a bridge over the stream at this point, before 1782, but the records fail to show by whom or by what means this bridge was built.
We find the first record of a regularly surveyed and laid out road to be in June, 1782, when it appears that the selectmen, Moses Kenney, Charles Evans, and Jonathan Park laid, and Lieut. Ward Eager surveyed, three roads. The most important and undoubtedly the first of these roads, commenced at the east side of the common and run eastwardly down the hill in and near the track already improved, to a point near the house of Thomas Higgins. thence in a northerly direction to Townshend line. In September following, a road was laid, commencing at a point near the house of Artemas Bruce and running south by marked trees and monuments. to and across the bridge at the mouth of the Branch, to Dummerston line. During
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the following twenty years a great number of roads were built throughout the town. The first vote on record for building a bridge was taken April 13, 1789, when it was voted to build a bridge over the South Branch near its mouth.
In 1791 Thomas Wheeler took a contract to furnish red beech and birch plank three inches thick, for the Phillips bridge, at the rate of one shilling and sixpence for every fourteen feet of plank used.
In 1794 it became necessary to rebuild the east bridge over the Branch, and the town voted to raise forty pounds for the purpose, a sum, according to their manner of reckoning, equal to one hundred and thirty-three and one- third Spanish milled dollars. In 1796 they voted to grant the sum of fifty pounds to Darius Wheeler to build a bridge across the Branch, near his mills. In ISo2 the county road was laid and surveyed, four rods wide, from the court house to the north line of the county, the distance from the court house to. Townshend bridge being four and three- fourths miles, and forty-seven rods.
In closing these notes it is perhaps proper for us to designate a few points of location, for the benefit of the future reader. The house of Thomas Higgins, mentioned in the survey of the first road, stood upon the farm now owned and occupied by Chas. Nichols. This farm is on the road leading to Brookline, upon the upper or oldest river flats, the second one from the bridge. From it you have a complete and beautiful view of the broad flats in Brookline, composing the meadow lands of the farms at this day owned and occupied by Timothy Albee, Luther Osgood and A. T. Barnes. The Bruce farm is situated at the foot of Newfane Hill, upon the brook to which his name has been given. From the date of its first settle- ment to the present it has remained in the possession of the family, and is now owned and occupied by a great grandson, Wm. T. Bruce .*
*We were in error in stating elsewhere that the farms now owned by Samuel Morse and Wm. A. Stedman were the only ones in town which have remained in continuous possession of the families by whom they were origi. nally settled.
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Wheeler's mills were in the present village of Williams- ville, upon the mill - site owned at this date by H. H. Hoyt, just above where the stream rushes through the deep gorge in the rocks, over which the present bridge stands. Tradition says the old bridge stood above the mills, opposite the spot where now stands the residence of the late Wm. H. Williams. From the location of the old road, it appears that the east bridge near the mouth of the Branch, stood some rods further up the stream than the present one.
EXTRACTS FROM THE FIRST TOWN RECORDS- VOTES FOR COUNTY AND STATE OFFICERS- NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE.
In March, 1782, the town voted to grant the sum of four pounds. silver money, to pay Luke Knowlton for a book which he had procured to register deeds. and in April they accepted from him the gift of a book for town records, and ordered all their former records copied therein.
March 27, 17SI, the town cast its first vote for County officers, and Luke Knowlton was chosen to carry the vote to Putney, as pointed out by act of the Assembly, but how many, or what officials were voted for, the records fail to show.
The first vote on record for Governor, Lieut .- Governor, and Treasurer, was taken on the first Tuesday of Septem- ber, 1794, and stood as follows: Governor, Thomas Chit- tenden, 29: Isaac Tichenor, 44; Nath'l Niles, 3. Lieut .- Governor, Jonathan Hunt, 64. Treasurer, Calvin Knowlton. 28; Sam'l Cutler, 16; Dea. Moses Kenney, I.
On Tuesday, the 30th of October following, we find the first vote recorded for a Representative in Congress-Jona- than Hunt, 48 : Stephen R. Bradley, 1 ; Lewis R. Morris, I ;
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Nath'l Niles, 2. Not until September, 1797, do we find any record made of the election of a Town Representa- tive, when we find Ebenezer Allen elected to the General Assembly. Yet it appears from the State records that the town was represented at a much earlier date, and why no record was made of the fact, we are unable to give even a reasonable conjecture. Doubtless many facts that would be of especial interest now, have been lost in the same manner.
COLLECTION OF TAXES.
The first record we find referring to the sale of the office of tax collector to the lowest bidder, is March 24, 17SS, when it appears that Artemas Bruce, Jr., bid off the posi- tion of first constable for two pounds, and that of collector of town rates for two pounds and sixteen shillings. In 1799 the office of first constable was bid off by Luke Brown, he treating the town to ten mugs of flip. For collecting town rates he received $9.75. As time passed on the contest for the first constable's office waxed warm, and in ISIO Zatter Butterfield paid $3.00 for it, and in ISII Ebenezer Morse gave $ro for the office. In those days tlie custom of warning people out of town, to prevent their becoming legal paupers, was almost universal, and we suppose it was the fees that accrued to the constable in that business that made the office so desirable.
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SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS.
The first recorded action of Newfane in regard to schools was taken March 15, 1784, when it was voted to divide the town into five school districts, and the following com- mittee were chosen to hire teachers for the several schools : Charles Evans, Ist district ; John Morse, 2d district ; Daniel Taylor, 3d district : Jonathan Park, 4th district ; Jonas Cook. 5th district. At a meeting held September 7, 1790, the town was divided into seven districts, and March 20, 1792, it was again divided into eight districts. March 4. 1799. the 9th district was added to the list, and the sum of one hundred pounds voted for the support of schools. March 22, 1802, the ioth district was formed ; March 20, 1809, the IIth district, and March 10, 1817, the 12th and 13th districts.
We have not space in this article to mention the various changes which have been made, from time to time, in the boundaries of the different districts. It is sufficient to say that they have been so numerous and complete that but little idea of original locations can be formed from present names. There are, at present, ten organized school districts in town.
District No. I comprises Whitakerville, and the immediate surrounding territory ; No. 2 includes the village of Fay- etteville ; No. 3 is situated midway between Fayetteville and Williamsville ; No. 5 is known as the parish district ; No. 6 includes the village of Williamsville ; No. 7 occupies the northwest corner of the town; No. S includes the village of Pondville ; No. 9 is the first district north of Fayetteville ; No. 10 embraces the Adams neighborhood : No. It takes in Stratton Hill, now called, and is a joint district with No. 14 in Marlboro. In addition may be mentioned several small notches in the town, embracing only four families in the aggregate, connected with districts in Townshend, Dummerston and Dover. District No. 4, embracing Newfane Hill, was dissolved and annexed to
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other districts, by vote of the town, March 31, 1873, having been unable to support a school for many years previous to that date
Prior to 1815 the schools of Newfane were supported, most of the time, by direct appropriations from the town treasury. Since about that date the districts have received some aid from the town, varying in amount at different times according to the different laws in force, but have supported schools, in the main, by direct taxes upon their separate grand lists. The law in force at the present time requires the town to appropriate, annually, a sum equal to nine per cent. of its grand list, for a school fund, to be divided among the several districts, one-half of said amount equally, and the balance in proportion to the aggregate attendance of scholars.
The following table may be of interest as showing the number of scholars attending the common schools of the town in 1824 and in 1874. the fiftieth and one-hundredth years, respectively, of its existence as an organization :
Districts,
Scholars, 1824,
Scholars, 1874.
No. I
23
26
2
26
34
66
3
42
14
66
4
58
..
5
65
1 2
66
6
So
35
..
7
47
19
66
S
62
33
9
50
28
IO
31
9
25
6
Townshend and Newfane,
5
Dummerston and ..
2
Dover and 66
2
Totals, 518
225
Decrease in attendance, 56 per cent.
1506.
Population of town, IS20, 66 1 870,
1113.
Decrease in population, 26 per cent.
I2
9
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The following table shows the number of weeks of school sustained by the several districts in 1874, the rates per cent. raised on the grand list for support of the same, and the population of the town, by districts, in Jan- uary, IS77 :
Districts,
No. of weeks. 1874, Rate per cent. of tax, Pop., 1877.
No.
I
20
57
73
24
12
255
3
24
24
71
..
5
20
22
41
6
30
15
175
.،
7
S
24
50
121
66
9
24
50
104
IO
22
60
42
66
II
20
50
25
Towns'd and Newfane, 24
22
6
Dum'st'n "
24
1124
6
Dover ٠٠
..
24
25
9
Population of town. January, IS77.
9SS
As will be seen from the above figures the burden of school district taxation is one which falls very unequally upon the inhabitants of different sections of the town : and it is a question now considerably agitated by some of our citizens, whether the present system is an improvement upon that formerly in use, of paying all school expenses by orders drawn upon the common treasury.
The practice of school supervision by a committee chosen by the town, commenced in IS2S. At the annual March meeting held in that year, Chandler Bates, Roswell M. Field, Geo. A. Morse, Roger Birchard and Hunting- ton Fitch, were chosen a committee to superintend schools. This practice evidently soon came into disrepute, as men of a lower standard of intellect were chosen at each successive election till 1833. when the office was filled by persons said to be chiefly noted for ignorance.
In IS47 the practice was renewed, and Foster Hartwell, Otis Warren and Darwin Adams were chosen superin- tendents. Since the latter date the position has been occu-
20
45
60
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pied by the following persons : 1851, Otis Warren ; 1852,'53, O. S. Morris and Otis Warren ; 1854, George Fisher and Phineas Howe ; 1855, J. P. Huntington ; 1856, George Arnold ; 1857, Phineas Howe ; 1858, '59, Solomon Bixby ; 1860 and 1866, D. B. Morse; 1861, W. W. Hayward ; 1862, '63. '65, '68, R. M. Pratt; 1864, Benjamin Ober and J. W. Willmarth ; 1869, J. W. Croker ; [870, '71, '72, J. H. Merrifield ; 1873, '74, '75, A. M. Merrifield ; 1876, Charles Burnham.
The inhabitants of this town, quick to detect a necessity for better educational facilities than were afforded by their common schools, took measures, at an early date, to secure the establishment of an academy. An act incorporating the Windham County Grammar School was granted by the legislature, October 31, 1801, in which the following persons were named as the first board of trustees : Luke Knowlton, Jason Duncan, Asa Wheelock, Samuel Fletcher, Jonas Whitney, James Shafter, Martin Field, Esqrs., and Mr. Joseph Ellis. A suitable building was erected, and for several years the institution enjoyed high repute. Many persons who afterward occupied honorable positions in the affairs of the county and state, received their education at this place. This school had a run of about fifteen years, and then became a subject of that general decline which about that time began to attach itself to all the public enterprises of the village on the hill. The academy build- ing was used for several years for district school purposes and was finally taken down and removed to Fayetteville.
For many years the inhabitants of the town have sup- ported one or more select schools for a portion of the time, which, though not of an academic character, have been very useful as aids to the common school work.
The following is a list of the natives of Newfane who have graduated from colleges :
Ephraim Holland Newton,
Middlebury, ISIO.
Luke Whitcomb,
66 1813.
Charles K. Field,
Middlebury, I822.
Roswell M. Field,
1822.
Chesselden Ellis,
Union, N. Y., I823.
Lewis Grout,
Yale, IS42.
25
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Hollis Reed,
Williams. IS26.
Admatha Grout,
Dartmouth. IS45.
Henry M. Grout,
Williams, 1854.
Henry K. Field,
Amherst, 1 869.
The following, though not natives, have received a col- legiate education while residents of the town. Calvin Knowlton moved to Newfane with his father in 1772, fitted for college here, and graduated, at Dartmouth, in 1784 : Edward J. and Samuel R. Warren, sons of Dr. John P. War- ren, graduated,-Edward at Dartmouth in 1846, and Samuel at Yale in 1860.
William II. Hodges, graduated at Colby University. Water- ville, Maine, in I851.
Four young men from Newfane are now obtaining a collegiate education :
Webster Merrifield, at Yale, class of 1877.
Aaron C. Dickinson. at Tufts. " " IS78.
R. Morton Sherman, .. .. ". " ISSO.
John N. Shipman, at Madison University, Hamilton, N. Y .. class of ISSo.
THIE PONDVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH,
FORMERLY CALLED MARLBORO AND NEWFANE.
This church was organized October 29th, 1794. from mem- bers of the Dummerston Church, fifteen males and seven females. The council was composed as follows : Eld. Whit- man Jacobs, Moderator, and Deas. Barney and Carpenter, of 2d Guilford Church ; Eld. Asa Hibbard, and Brn. Lewis Allen and Ebnr. Brown, of Putney Church ; Eld. Perley Hicks, Dea. Darius Bullock, and Brn. Jos. Carpenter and Benj. Ballou, Scribe, of 3d Guilford Church. There were added to these, Nehemiah Fisher, of 2d Guilford Church, and Eld. Freeman, Dea. French and Br. Wakefield. This council met at the house of Nehemiah Fisher. in Newfane.
195
At the close of the council, the infant church met and elected John Phillips, Jr., as clerk, who served them in that capacity, with the interruption of only two or three years, till 1840, when the present incumbent, Joseph Morse, came into office. The above is all that can be gathered of the history of this church for the first six years, as its records were not preserved.
In 1802, Nehemiah Fisher is called deacon, and the mem- bership doubled in two years.
In ISO3, Eld. Benj. Cole is preacher, and is still with them in August of 1804, and, after an absence of one or more years, returns with a letter from the Halifax Church.
In November, 1804, Matthew Bennett is authorized to im- prove his gifts. A Deacon Thomas Baker is mentioned in 1805, who prepared the Circular Letter for the Association, was licensed to preach in July, 1806, called to the pastoral care of the church on trial, and declining to be ordained, was dismissed to the Windham Church.
In 1So6, James Ball and Mansfield Bruce were chosen deacons, the latter of whom, with twenty others, were added to this little church during the last seven months of this year.
In March, 1807, the church " Voted, That it is the deacons' duty to call on brethren that do not go to meeting, to know the reason and invite them to their duty." In May of the saine year, Br. Achalaus Dean was appointed leader of singing.
In July, 1809, Dea. N. Fisher was licensed to preach, and Brn. John Phillips and Stephen Otis chosen deacons. In September of the same year, Dea. M. Bruce was ordained and became the first settled and salaried pastor of the church, and remained such till the close of ISIS. During the last years of his pastorate, he did not preach all the time to this people ; the rest of the time was occupied by their licensed deacon, Nehemiah Fisher. Elder Bruce baptized into this church $5 converts. There were present at the ordination of Elder Bruce, Eld. J. Huntley, Moderator, and Brn. Saml. Guernsey and Jesse Manley, of Dummerston Church ; Eld. Lewis Allen, Dea. Jacob Stoddard and Br. Saml. Nichols, of the united Guilford Church ; Eld. Benj. Buckland and Br. John Greene, of the 4th Guilford Church; Eld. Thomas
196
Baker, Dea. Aaron Knapp and Br. Wm. Holmes. of Wind- ham Church, and Eld. Elijah Hall and Br. Jas. Tucker, of Halifax Church. To these were added Elds. John Rath- burn. Asa Hibbard and Joseph Elliot; and Brn. John Spalding and Jonathan Wilson. Eller Elliot preached the sermon, Eller Hibbard made the ordaining prayer. Elder J. Rathburn gave the charge and Elder Allen gave the right hand of fellowship.
The following vote. passed September 5. ISIO, shows the early practice of the church on the subject of the Lord's Supper :
" Whereas. The church has formerly given liberty to those members that were received into this church to com- mune with an unbaptized denomination, we now see our error : and now. Voted, to unfellowship the practice."
October 7, ISII, Simeon Jones was chosen deacon. and served the church about two years. In 1816 the member- ship of the church was ninety-six.
In 1817 the church built their first meeting house within the limits of the town of Marlboro.
The church was supplied by Dea. N. Fisher during 1819 and a part of 1820, when Eld. Paul Hines became pastor and served as such for two years. The church was pros- pered during this pastorate, and forty-three were added by baptism. From the close of Eld. Hines' labors till the ordination of Phineas Howe, the church was supplied with preaching by Dea. N. Fisher. assisted. in 1823. by N. McCullock.
September 10. 1824, Ira Ingram was chosen deacon.
October 28, 1824, Phineas Howe was ordained pastor by a council, composed of Elds. M. Bruce. Wilmington. who preached the sermon ; Asahel Wood, Putney, moderator ; A: Lamb. Guilford (united). clerk ; Linus Austin. Whit- ingham, ordaining prayer : and Eld. Goodenough. right hand of fellowship.
With the exception of three years, from 1832 to 1835. when D. H. Grant and other licentiates supplied the church. Eld. Howe was pastor till 1842. During this pastorate the church enjoyed. at least, four periods of revival. and nearly one hundred and seventy-five were added by baptism. and had
197
numbered as many as one hundred and ninety-five in 1841. He afterwards returned to this people and spent his last days with them.
February 24, 1834, John Goodnow was elected deacon.
From January, 1838, till March, 1839, Rev. Calvin Keyes was a member of this church. He was dismissed to Con- way, Mass.
In 1838 a man ninety-seven years of age was baptized, who had waited sixty-seven years to become fit for the ordinance.
In 1840 Joseph Morse was chosen clerk and deacon, and Luke Sherwin licensed to preach. About this time a new meeting house was built, and the location changed to Pond- ville. This change created a dissatisfaction in a part of the membership, who, for a time, held a separate meeting. This same meeting house has lately been extensively repaired, and rededicated May 30, 1872.
From the close of Eld. Howe's pastorate till the com- mencement of Foster Hartwell's, in October, IS44, the church was supplied one year by a licentiate named Caleb Smith. Eld. Hartwell closed his labors about September, 1848. They were destitute a short time, when Rev. C. L. Baker supplied them till the fall of 1849; and, sometime before September, 1850, Rev. A. II. Stearns became pastor, and was pastor three years. During this time he received into the church thirty-six by baptism and nine by letter.
In 1852 the church passed the following resolution :
" Resolved, That we disapprove of all secret societies. whether it be Odd Fellowship, Freemasonry, or called by any other name."
After a destitution of about one year, Rev. J. P. Hunt- ington became pastor, and was pastor till about the last of 1856. In January, 1857, Bro. Baldwin labored as an Evangelist. In March following, I. C. Carpenter became pastor. Twenty-two baptisms were reported in the associa- tion letter as the result of this revival. Eld. Carpenter remained pastor till March, 1862, and was followed in the pastorate by C. D. Fuller in July next. The latter was pastor till March, 1864, when J. M. Willmarth succeeded him in this office till April, 1867.
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From the last date till December, 1868, the church was destitute of a pastor, but not destitute of revival interest, as several were converted and added to the church. At that time, S. S. White became pastor, closing in April, 1871. During the winter of 1870 and 1871 the church was refreshed, and nine were added by baptism. From April. 1871, to June, 1872, they were without a regular preacher, but were supplied at intervals. During this time they repaired their house of worship at an expense of about $1500. In June, 1872, John A. Rich became pastor and continued in that relation till September, 1873. He was succeeded in February, 1874, by A. J. Walker, who preached two years. During Mr. Walker's pastorate twenty- six were added to the church. The present pastor, Wm. Beavins, commenced his labors in April, 1876. Since 1802, there have been added to this church, by baptism, four hun- dred ; eight have been licensed to preach, the most of whom were subsequently ordained, and eight have been called to the deacon's office, two of whom still remain to serve the church, viz. :- John Goodnow and Joseph Morse. James Charter, formerly deacon in a Baptist church at Somerville, Mass., has acted in that capacity in this church since 1870.
FIRST UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY.
The present society was organized in 1825. That Universalism existed in town, in an organized form, at a much earlier period, however, is shown by the following extract from the first volume of town records :
" NEWFANE, AUGUST YE 14, 1787.
This may certify all persons whom it may concern that the following persons, whose names are herein inserted, are professors of the doctrine of Universal Salvation by
199
Jesus Christ, and are constant attenders to hear the preach- ing of the same, and also do contribute to support the preaching of that doctrine, viz. :
Tilley Wilder,
Ebenezer Robinson,
Ebenezer Ober,
John Pike,
Benjamin Fuller,
Asa Houghton,
Ephraim Fuller,
Joseph Wilder,
Abel Fuller,
Edward Smith,
Thomas Higgins, Jr.,
Stephen Fuller,
All belonging to Newfane.
Witness our hands,
THOMAS BARNS, Teacher in said Society, EDWARD SMITH, Society Clerk."
It also appears, from the same source, that there was inserted in the warrant for the annual March meeting, in IS20, an article which reads as follows:
"Sth. To see if said Town will vote to permit the Universalists to occupy the Meeting House four Sabbaths in each year;" which article, according to the record of the meeting, it was voted to dismiss. These extracts, together with recollections by our older inhabitants of occasional preaching in school-houses and halls. constitute all the information that we now have relative to the history of this denomination in town prior to 1825. In November, 1825, a new society was organized by Charles Hudson, under the name of " The First Restorationist Society in Newfane," the constitution being signed by Josiah Taft and seventy others. In regard to the early preachers of the society, and their terms of service, the records give but little information, and the recollections of the older mem- bers are alike indefinite and conflicting. It seems to be agreed, however, that Jonathan Whitcomb was the first regular minister, but there is nothing to indicate the dates of the commencement and expiration of his term. At the annual meeting of the society, November 23, IS27, it was " Voted that the Committee should hire Mr. Wm. S. Balch to preach one-fourth of the Sabbaths in eight months, to commence in March or April, on condition that Mr. B. does not want more than five dollars per Sabbath, and his boarding." From information received from Mr. Balch, it
200
seems that he preached his first sermon in Newfane, and the fifth in his ministry, at the schoolhouse in Williams- ville, September 23, 1827, and, occasionally, at other places in town till the following April, at which time he com- menced a regular engagement with the society for one-half the time, which was continued till November 15, 1829. From the latter date to 1836 the society was supplied for short periods by A. L. Pettec. - Maynard, Matthew Hale Smith, and others, but was destitute of preaching the greater portion of the time. Otis Warren became pastor in 1836, which relation he occupied till 1859, with the exception of a portion of 1858. when, during his illness and absence from town, the pulpit was supplied by War- ren Bassett.
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