USA > Vermont > Chittenden County > Gazetteer and business directory of Chittenden County, Vermont, for 1882-83 > Part 29
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 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65
WEST MILTON, a post village, located on the Lamoille River, in the western part of the town, contains one store, a blacksmith shop, one church (Union), a butter and cheese factory, etc., and about twenty dwellings.
CHECKERBERRY VILLAGE, a hamlet located in the central part of the town, contains a hotel, store, one church (Meth.), a school-house and about a dozen dwellings. The Checkerberry Hotel, now owned by John D. Gale, was built previous to 1800, and has always been used for hotel purposes.
MILTON BOROUGH is a small hamlet located in the northwestern part of the town.
The Lamoille Valley Butter and Cheese Factory, located at West Milton, was built by a stock company in 1868, and is now owned by E. W. Peck, of Burlington, who uses the milk from 350 cows.
Clark's saw and grist-mills, located at Milton Falls, were erected by Joseph Clark, in 1845, and are now owned and operated by his son, Jed P. Clark. The saw-mill, which originally had an up-and-down saw, is now sup- plied with circular and gang saws, affording capacity for cutting 3,000,000 feet of lumber per year, though but about 600,000 feet are manufactured, em- ploying 15 men. The grist-mill operates six runs of stones, and is run as a custom flouring-mill.
-.
241
TOWN OF MILTON.
Clark's Carriage Manufactory, also located at this village, is engaged in manufacturing all kinds of carriages and sleighs.
Brown's Brick Yards, located, one at Mallett's Bay in the town of Col- chester, and one at Milton, were established by J. W. Brown, in 1857, and are now owned and operated by J. W. & H. W. Brown. They employ about fifty men during the summer season, manufacturing 4,000,000 brick.
Marrs Cheese Factory, located in the southeastern part of the town, on road 57, was established by a stock company in 1868, who now manufacture cheese from the milk of about 250 cows.
Milton Borough Cheese Factory, located in the northern part of the town, on road 4, was established by a stock company in 1870. The factory is at present used by Henry L. Wood for his dairy of forty-two cows.
Camp Rich, a summer resort located in the western part of the town, on Lake Champlain, was established by Charles Rich in 1874, and is now one of the finest resorts on the lake. Mr. Rich built a handsome boat-house in 1879, which is well supplied with boats. He has excellent accommoda- tions for boarders and tenters.
Camp Watson, also very pleasantly located on the lake shore, was estab- lished in a small way in 1869, by Hiram Atkins, of Montpelier, editor of the Argus, who leased the grounds of the present owners, Grace and Lucius Watson, in 1879, for a period of five years. There is a camp and boat-house, but no hotel, it being used as a tenting ground.
Camp Everest, located on the lake shore near road 27}, owned by Z. A. Everest and A. W. Austin, was established in 1878. The camp-house, built during that year, is a building 20x26 feet in size, having a bowling alley 78x14 feet and a good boat-house attached. The camp is mostly the resort of campers and picnic parties, though the proprietors have accommodations for a few boarders.
The town poor farm, containing 205 acres, is very pleasantly situated on the banks of the Lamoille River, opposite Checkerberry village, and com- mands a fine view of the river and falls. It has been under the efficient management of Mr. George W. Eighmy for the past three years, who for sev- eral years had charge of the union farm in Williston. He shows good judg- ment in the manner in which he conducts it, and in his treatment of the unfortunates who reside there.
No effort was made towards the settlement of the town until after the close of the Revolution, when. February 15: 1782, William Irish, Leonard Owen, Amos Mansfield, Absalom Taylor, and Thomas Dewey commenced their pioneer life here. These were soon after joined by Gideon Hoxsie, Zebediah Dewey, Enoch and Elisha Ashley, and others, whose numbers were increased from year to year, until at the taking of the first census, in 1791, the town had a population of 282.
Many of the early settlers turned their attention to cutting and preparing the pine timber for the Quebec market, whither it was floated through the
16
242
TOWN OF MILTON.
waters of Lake Champlain, and the rivers Sorel and St. Lawrence. After the Champlain Canal was completed in the State of New York, much of this tim- ber found its way to New York. This traffic became so extensive that the forests soon melted away, and the inhabitants turned their attention to agri- cultural pursuits instead, causing the town to become one of the leading ones of the county in farming interests.
In 1788, it was deemed that the population was sufficiently large to war- rant the organization of the town by election of proper town officers. Ac- cordingly, a meeting was held on the 25th of March, at which Enoch Ashley was chosen town clerk ; Jesse Phelps, constable; Amos Mansfield, Elisha Ashley, and Gideon Hoxsie, selectmen. Aaron Matthews was chosen justice, and also to represent his townsmen in the legislature. The first birth re- corded is that of Hannah Hoxsie, December 13, 1789.
David Austin was one of the first settlers in the eastern part of the town. He came from Rhode Island, with his brother Joseph, in 1785, and located on road 14, upon the place now occupied by Heman Allen. David had a family of twelve children, and died in 1813. Joseph had a family of five children, and died in 1838. One of David's sons, Ethan, married Clarissa Hill and located upon the farm now owned by his daughter, Mrs. G. W. Crown, on road 14. He had a family of ten children, six of whom are now living.
Isaac Drury, from Pittsford, Vt., came to this town in 1782, and located on road 45, upon the farm now owned by Emery Reynolds. Here he was a long time engaged in the lumber business, manufacture of potash, and also kept a store. He died in 1825, having had a family of five girls and two boys, his wife following him in 1865, at an advanced age. One of his sons, Isaac, was born here in 1800, married Beulah Mosley, had a family of eight children, six sons and two daughters, four of whom are now living. Daniel now lives at Weathersfield, Vt., and is still quite an active man. His wife died in June, 1856. Isaac N., son of Daniel, born in this town in 1825, married Anna Os_ good, and has two children, Edgar W., and Beulah C.
Enoch and Elisha Ashley, brothers, came to Milton in 1784, locating in the eastern part of the town. Enoch, who served the town as first town clerk, remained here until 1820, then removed to western New York, where he subsequently died. Beaman, son of Enoch, was born in Poultney, Vt., and came here with his father, married Lucy Preston, and had a family of ten children, five of whom are now living. He died in 1854. His wife still sur- vives him at the age of ninety-three years. Elisha reared a family of twelve children, several of whom settled here, though his granddaughter, Mrs. Jed P. Clark, is the only representative of his family now residing in the town.
Nathan Caswell's is said to have been the fourth family who settled in the town. He came from Connecticut and located in the northeastern part of the township, on road 12, upon the farm now owned by Abram Rugg. His son Solomon, who came with him, was born in Connecticut, December 5, 1763, and died in this town, February 16, 1845. Solomon was thrice mar-
..
243
TOWN OF MILTON.
ried, and reared a family of seven children, one of whom, Horace, was born April 30, 1813, on the farm he now occupies. Horace has been twice mar- ried, and reared a family of five children, four sons and one daughter.
Daniel Meeker, from New Jersey, located in Milton, upon the farm now owned by his son, Daniel S., in 1788, the farm having been given him by his uncle, Isaac Tichenor, the second governor of Vermont, and upon which Daniel resided until his death, in 1844. He was twice married, and had a family of eighteen children, Daniel S. being the only one now residing in the town.
Aaron and John Swan, from New Hampshire, came to Milton in 1790, and located in the northern part of the town on road 9. They resided here to- gether for several years, but John finally sold out and removed to Ohio. Aaron married Azuba Bullard, had a family of nine children, and died here in 1825. His wife died in 1868, aged ninety-one years. Riley, son of Aaron, now resides here, on road 40, a retired farmer, while his son, Charles L., carries on a large farm.
John Bean, from Goffstown, N. H., was an early settler in Burlington, and subsequently removed to Milton, locating on road 4, upon the farm now owned by his grandson, Joseph, where he died about the year 1840. John, Jr., occupied the farm after his father's death. He married Lois Tomlin, and had a family of four children, one of whom, William, now resides here, on road 8. After her death he married for his second wife Phebe Soper, by whom he had a family of seven children, six of whom are now living. He died in 1873, aged ninety-one years.
John Sanderson, from Whilley, Mass., located in this town at an early day, upon the farm now occupied by his grandson, Charles P., on road 32. Levi, one of four brothers, came here with his father, John, married Sally Bean, and had a family of nine children, four of whom are now living. He died in 1867, his wife in 1850. His son, Charles P., still occupies the old homestead, the husband of Sarah Bean, and has two sons, Charles L. and Willard L.
Aaron Ward located in Milton, from Massachusetts, at an early day, where he engaged in the carding business. Aaron located on the place now occupied by his son, William. He was the father of seven children, four of whom are now living. He died in 1815, and was buried at Milton, where his brother William also rests.
Lewis Lyon was an early settler in this town, having located on road 6, upon the farm now occupied by his grandson, Lewis. Mr. Lyon was a thorough business man, was town clerk for many years, and took an active part in public affairs. His son, Henry F., was born here September 6, 1810, and resided here until his death, in 1859. He married Elizabeth Mitchell, and had a family of three children, Lewis, Henry F., and Henrietta {Mrs. M. A. Everest, of Addison, Vt.).
Hawley Witters, from Connecticut, settled in Georgia, Vt., about the year 1790, where his son, Horace, was born, December 25, 1794. Horace subse-
244
TOWN OF MILTON.
quently removed to this town, locating upon the farm now owned by his son, Alson L. He married Clarissa Basford, had a family of four children, and died here, August 26, 1878, surviving his wife's death about six weeks.
John Jackson, from Weybridge, Vt., came to Milton in 1794, and located in the western part of the town, on road 30. He was twice married, had a family of fourteen children, and died here in 1877, aged eighty-five years. His son, Giles, came here with his father, being then two years of age. He subsequently married Rebecca Mears, and had a family of four children, three of whom are now living, two, Harrison and Andrew, in this town.
Jonathan Woods, from Goffstown, N. H., came to Milton previous to the year 1800, and located upon the farm now owned by Charles Rich, on road 2. Ebenezer, son of Jonathan, came with his father, and subsequently mar- ried Sylvia Rice, and had a family of eleven children, seven of whom arrived at maturity. Henry L. occupies the old homestead and has a family of six children.
Asa Newell came to Milton previous to the year 1800, and located in the southern part of the town, upon the farm now owned by his grandson, L. N. Smith. He had a family of nine children, several of whose descendants now reside here
Mark Watson, from New Hampshire, came to Milton about the year 1800, and located on road 27, upon the place now known as Camp Watson, where he resided until his death. David, son of Mark, born here in 1803, remained on the old place until his death, August 22, 1878. David's widow and their son now own the old homestead.
Seth Rice, from Hardwick, Mass., settled in Georgia, Vt., previous to 1800, and in 1798 or 1799, removed to this town, locating on road 27, upon the farm now owned by his son, Lester. He married Mary Hammond, had a family of six children, and died June 2, 1859. Lester was born July 7, 1811, married Caroline Childs, and has three sons, Gardner, Herbert and Lucius M.
John Mears came to this town, from Fair Haven, Vt., previous to 1800, and located upon the farm now owned by his grandson Rodney. He had a family of nine children, five sons and four daughters. The only son now living is Elias, who resides in Milton, aged seventy five years. John died February 8, 1860, at an advanced age.
Isaac Blake was born at Strafford, Vt., February 3, 1781, and settled in Milton about the year 1800, locating upon the farm now owned by J. Flinn, on road 26. He married Phebe Ladd, had a family of seven children,- four sons and three daughters,-and died May 25, 1870. His wife died in 1826.
John Blake, in 1830, settled upon the farm now owned by his grandson, G. W. Blake. His son Jonathan married Sallie Basford, had a family of eight children, and died in 1856. G. W., Jonathan's son, has been twice married, and is the father of seven children. He has been engaged extensively in wool dealing.
245
TOWN OF MILTON.
Daniel Marrs, from Massachusetts, settled in the eastern part of the town, upon road 55, about the year 1800. He remained here about ten years, then returned to Massachusetts, where he died. His sons, Philander and Sidney S., finally returned to Milton. Philander married Sallie Brigham for his first wife, and Sarah Butler for his second, and still resides here, aged seventy-eight years. His daughter, Mary E., is the wife of G. T. Mead. Sid- ney S. married Esther Tubbs, and had a family of five children, all of whom are now living. He died August 21, 1881.
William Powell, a veteran of the Revolution, settled here just previous to 1800. He had a family of eleven children, one of whom, James, was two years of age when he came to the town. James married Miss S. Smith, had a family of ten children, and died here in 1872. His son Eben was twice mar- ried and had three children, all of whom are now living in Milton.
Lyman Burgess, one of the oldest residents of the town, was born at Graf- ton, Vt., March 6, 1798, and came to Milton in 1826. He was a stirring, energetic man, and at once engaged in the mercantile business, following that vocation until October, 1877, a period of fifty-one years. During a consider- able portion of the time he operated largely in lumbering, buying and clear- ing many valuable tracts of pine timber, which was very abundant when he first came here. He owned a fine water-privilege and ran a saw-mill and paper- mill many years. He was married, January 22, 1828, to Lucia Day, daughter of Warren and Keziah Hill, of Milton, and at once began house-keeping in a dwelling he had previously built, and which he still occupies, together with three generations of his descendants, all born in this house.
James Nay, from Petersboro, N. H., came to Milton in 1804, and settled in the northern part of the town, near Snake Mountain. He had a family of nine children, and died in 1830, aged about ninety years. Robert, son of James, came here with his father and located near him, and died in 1842, leaving a family of twelve children, six of whom are now living. Nelson S. M., son of Robert, was born in 1819, married Hannah Holmes, and had three children, two of whom are now living, one, Young G., in this town.
Edmond Lamb, Jr., located in the southern part of this town in 1805, and resided here most of the time until his death, in 1862. He married Sarah Allen and had a family of nine children, two of whom are living. One of these, Alvin J., born in 1814, resides on road 33, and has several children.
Isaiah Martin came to Milton in 1809, and settled in the western part of the town upon what is now known as Camp Everest, the present property of Isaiah, Jr. He had a family of eleven children, and died here April 21, 1858. Isaiah, Jr., married Paulina Smith and has three children, all of whom reside in Milton.
Luther Fullam, born at Fitzwilliam, N. H., February 13, 1789, came to Milton in 1811, locating on road 40, where he has since resided. He is now, at the age of ninety-three years, the oldest man in the town. He mar- ried Martha Carpenter and had three children, only one of whom, Sarah F., widow of John Faxon, is now living.
246
TOWN OF MILTON.
Joseph Clark, one of the most prominent and influential men who ever resid- ed in Milton, was born in Addison County, Vt., February 2, 1795. At the age of five or six years he removed with his parents to Madison County, N. Y., where he resided until about eighteen years of age, when, after a short resi- dence in the northern part of the State, he returned to Vermont, and subse- quently, about the year 1816, located in Milton, at the village, where he re- mained until his death, May 17, 1879. Here he became extensively engaged in lumbering and merchantile pursuits, amassing a large fortune. When the Vermont & Canada Railroad received its charter, he, together with John Smith (father of Ex-Gov. Smith), and Lawrence Brainerd, became a prime mover in the enterprise, having at one time his entire fortune invested. He was a director of that road, and subsequently a director and trustee of the Central Vermont R. R. He also held many public trusts, all of which he conducted with honor and intelligence. Possessed of great firmness and ex- ecutive ability, he yet had a nature that won for him many friends throughout the State, and the respect and confidence of all. He was united in matri- mony with Lois Lyon, of Colchester, who bore him six children, four of whom reached a mature age. His son, Jed P., now occupies the old homestead, and is one of the most prominent men of the town. As early as 1858, Jed P. became a director of the Vermont & Canada R. R., and in 1875, became a director of the Central Vermont, a position he still retains.
William Howard came to Milton, from Connecticut, in 1814, and located on road four, upon the farm now owned by his sons, Henry and Samuel. He died May 28, 1876.
Nathan Lincoln settled in the northern part of the town in 1814, where he resided until his death. He had a family of seven children, one of whom, Nathan, Jr., still resides here, aged seventy-one years. He has held most of the town offices, was associate judge three years, and has been a notary pub- lic and justice of the peace for over forty years.
Jedediah Wheeler, from Connecticut, settled in the southern part of the town, on road 60, in 1818. He married Amanda Hickok, had five children, two of whom are now living, and died October 16, 1863. His widow and their daughter Julia (Mrs. Morten), occupy the old homestead.
John H. Woodward, "the fighting chaplain of Vermont," was born in Char- lotte in 1809. He is a Congregational minister, having preached in this county since 1826, excepting six years. He entered the army in 1861, as chaplain of the rst Vt. Cavalry, and was at the front with his men during each engagement of that regiment, winning for himself the soubriquet of the " Fighting Chaplain." He married Emily D. Morehouse, and had a family of six children, four of whom are still living. In addition to preaching the gospel thirteen years, he has served the town as superintendent of schools and State senator.
! Dr. Benjamin Fairchild was born in Georgia, Vt., in 1804, lived there un- til he was twenty-two years of age, studied medicine at Burlington, in 1829,
247
-
TOWN OF MILTON.
attended a course of lectures at Castleton, and located in Milton as a physi- cian, February 11, 1830. He soon became one of the leading physicians of this section, and even now, at his advanced age, continues to practice some.
Dr. F. B. Hatheway was born in Georgia, Vt., in 1819, married Lucia Bart- lett and had one child, Franklin B., who studied medicine at Woodstock, and settled at Milton in 1849, where he has practiced since. His son, Frank B., graduated from the Burlington Medical College June 1, 1879, and now practices with his father.
Albert Gallatin Whittemore was born at White Creek, N. Y., January 16, 1797, the son of John and Abigail Whittemore, the latter being a daughter of Gideon Olin, of Shaftsbury, Vt., and half-sister of Judge Abram Olin, late of Washington, D. C. His parents came to St. Albans, Vt., in 1799, and he there received his early education. While at school, in September, 1814, he joined the volunteers on their way to the battle of Plattsburgh, crossing the lake in a row-boat. He first studied law with Hon. Stephen P. Brown, of Swanton, and next with Hon. Heman Allen, of Milton, completing his course with Judge Aldis, of St. Albans, and was admitted to practice March 16, 1821, at the Franklin County court. He first opened an office at South Hero, but came to Milton in 1824, where he gained a large practice and was extremely successful. He married Abbie Clark, September 14, 1826, and re- sided on the home farm of her parents at Checkerberry village until his death. He often held official positions in town, and was State's attorney for the county ; represented Milton in the legislature four terms, and, in 1851, was county senator. The Sand Bar bridge was constructed by Mr. Whitte- more in connection with Samuel Boardman, Esq., in 1849 and 1850, which remains a permanent monument to their memory. About this time he became interested in railroad enterprises, and was an earnest advocate of the extension of the Rutland & Burlington R. R. to Swanton, and predicted, as has since come to pass, that a road upon the New York shore would be built within twenty-five years, if the charter was rejected. In 1852, he was associated with Messrs. T. D. Chittenden, John Bradley and N. L. Whittemore, in the construction of a large portion of the Central Ohio R. R., and on the roth of November of that year was accidently killed at Zanesville, O., by a blow from an iron bar in a capstan unexpectedly set in motion by an approaching vessel. Mr. Whittemore left a widow and four children : Mrs. Barnum, of Milton, Clark F. Whittemore, an attorney of New York, lately deceased, Don Juan Whit- temore, of Milwaukee, chief engineer of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul R. R., and Albert G. Whittemore, an attorney of Burlington. He was a thorough student, a lawyer of strict integrity and rare ability, and an excel- lent advocate and public speaker. He was a man of untiring energy, pos- sessing public spirit, independent judgment, and was foremost in educational matters and all public improvements. His loss was deeply mourned by his townsmen and a large circle of friends throughout the State.
248
TOWN OF MILTON.
Amos Ives, from Wallingford, Conn., came to this town about the year 1800, locating in the western part upon the farm now owned by Isaiah Mar- tin. His family consisted of his wife and one daughter, Samantha. The daughter married Alfred Ladd, who died February 23, 1882, aged eighty- eight years. She now lives with her son, E. L. Ladd, in Georgia, at the age of eighty-one years. Her only other surviving child is Charles Ladd, a mer- chant at Milton village, where he has been engaged in trade for the past six- teen years. Amos, her father, died in 1867, aged eighty-nine years.
The First Congregational Church, located at Milton Falls, was organized September 21, 1804, by Rev. Lemuel Hayes and James Davis, with fifteen members. Until 1807, the church was supplied with only occasional preach- ing ; but on September 23d of that year, Rev. Joseph Cheeney was constitut- ed its pastor by a council composed of Revs. P. V. Bogue, James Parker, and Benjamin Wooster and their delegates. The first house of worship was erect- ed in 1806 or 1807, the expense being mostly sustained by Judge Noah Smith, who also gave to the society the land adjoining, for a cemetery. A second building was constructed in 1825, a few rods north of the first, and destroyed by fire in 1840. The present building was erected in 1841, upon the site of the former, at a cost of about $16,000.00. It comfortably seats four hundred persons, and is valued, including grounds, at about its original cost. The society now has ninety-five members, with Rev. J. H. Woodward, pastor.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Milton .- This society was organized at an early date, and supplied with itinerant preachers for a time, until Rev. E. B. Huff was appointed their first regular pastor. The society now has a large membership, with. Rev. Robert E. Chrystie, as pastor. It has three houses of worship, one at Milton Borough, one at West Milton, and another at Milton Falls. The building at West Milton was erected in 1831, and thoroughly repaired and moderized in 1859. The expense was borne in union with the Congregational society, and they both now occupy it, each on alternate Sundays. The edifice at the Borough was built in 1860. It is a wood structure capable of seating 300 persons, and is valued at $2,000.00. A brick building was constructed at the Falls in 1841, and destroyed by fire in July, 1868, when it was superceded by the present wood structure, which will seat 300 persons, and is valued at $4,000.00.
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.