USA > Vermont > Franklin County > Gazetteer and business directory of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vt., for 1882-83 > Part 13
USA > Vermont > Grand Isle County > Gazetteer and business directory of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vt., for 1882-83 > Part 13
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Elder William Arthur, the father of our President, was born in Ireland, finished his education at Edinburgh, Scotland, and soon after its completion came to America, and located at Dunham. He first took up the study of law; but after his marriage with Miss Stone, daughter of Rev. Washington Stone, he entered the ministry of the Free Will Baptist church, and shortly after united with the Baptist church. He taught school and preached in several localities throughout Chittenden and Franklin counties, and Canada. In 1829, he received a call from the Baptist church of North Fairfield, which he accepted, and removed to that village. He first occupied a portion of Jonathan Bailey's dwelling, where he remained until the church built a parsonage. The parsonage was located on a lonely by-road, some three-quarters of a mile front the church, a story and a half structure, about 18 by 24, and is still in existence, though it has been moved about one hundred rods down the hill and across the highway, where it is used as a hay-barn. In this unpretentious structure the Elder passed a few years of an uneventful life, and here was born his son, Chester A., the present chief magistrate of our nation. Young Arthur was named in honor of Dr. Chester Abell, long a friend and physician of the family, and who now peacefully rests in the little cemetery near the church were Elder Arthur officiated.
Fairfield has always borne her full share of the burden when the shadow of war overspread the land. In 1813, the following company, with Capt. George Kimball commanding, was stationed at Swanton : George Kimball, captain ; Aaron Burr, lieutenant; William Felton, ensign ; Daniel Morse,
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sergeant ; and James Johnson, William Ovitt, Joseph M. Potter, Jerimah Meacham, Samuel Johnson, Samuel W. Morris, Eli W. Bush, Isaac Bigelow, Hiram Fassett, Zebulon Leach, John B. Mitchell, Samuel Alford, Brinton Freeman, William Sanders, Jabez Keep, David Jewett, Joseph Wright, Abial Hibbard, John Johnson, Matthew Beach, James Canvass, Benjamin F. Barnes, Josiah Sheldon, Eli G. Hemenway, Benjamin H. Farmer, Benjamin Ayers, Thomas Potter, Joseph Ladd, Reuben Brown, Abel Johnson, Warren Chafey, Warren Danforth, Allen Pratt, Philetus Sweetland, Samuel Hedge, Simeon Darling, Asa Ladd, Jr., John Follett, Wait Hopkins, Samuel Corliss, Nehe- miah Phillips, Thomas Martin, Thomas Hall, David Mitchell, Nathaniel B. Beardsley, James Stone, Jr., George Peckham, John Bradley, L. Lockwood, Lyman Leach, and Hubbell Mitchell, privates. Of Capt. Wooster's company, which took part in the battle of Plattsburgh, the following names have been preserved : Joseph Soule, O. Sherwood, Luther Wright, Eli Sherwood, Thomas Taylor, Aaron Burr, John P. Wright, Anson Buck, Timothy Soule, Elias Sherwood, Salmon Soule, Joseph Soule, Daniel Read, Zotman Sher- wood, and Samuel Payne.
The town furnished four commissioned officers and 193 enlisted men to the civil war of 1861, thirty-seven of whom died from wounds received, or from natural causes, before their term of service expired.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church, located at Fairfield. - There were a number of Catholic families in Fairfield when Rev. Y. O'Callaghan came to Vermont, in 1830, whom he visited there occasionally, and always notified them when he would be in St. Albans or any of the adjacent towns, and who attended upon his ministrations in considerable numbers. They were also visited at intervals by missionary priests from other quarters. In 1847, soon after Rev. G. A. Hamilton came to St. Albans, they built a church at Fairfield, there being about sixty subscribers to the fund, very few of whom are now living. Rev. G. A. Hamilton celebrated mass on alternate Sundays until Rev. H. Lennon came to assist him, when either one or the other officiated each Sabbath. In 1850, Rev. Y. M. McGowan came to St. Albans, and took charge of the Fairfield parish until 1855, when he left the diocese, and Rev. T. Riordan was placed in charge, and in 1858, was removed to Fair- field as resident pastor, and the society built the parsonage for him that is occupied by the present incumbent, and which he occupied until his death, October 4, 1861, aged twenty-nine years. Fairfield was then attended by Rev. Y. L. Cam, from Swanton, until December, 1862, when Rev. Y. Dughie, was placed in charge of the parish, and remained until June, 1864, at which time Rev. G. R. N. Caissey took his place, retaining it up to October, 1868. Rev. Father McAuley was then appointed parish priest, occupying the position until 1879. During Father McAuley's pastorate the present church was erected, as represented in the accompanying engraving, at a cost of $6,000.00. In 1879, the Father left Fairfield, and the parish then began to be attended by Re7. Father Michaud, from Burlington. In 1880, Rev. Dr.
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ST. PATRICK'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, FAIRFIELD, VT.
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Glynn, from Fairhaven, was appointed to the vacancy, remaining until October, 1881 ; then, for a period of three months, the parish was without a resident pastor, or until January, 1882, when the present incumbent, Rev. Francis Yoinec, from Milton, took it in charge. The parish of Fairfield comprises the towns of Fairfield and Fletcher, and that portion of Sheldon lying south of the Lamoille river, and includes a population of about 150 families.
The Church of Christ, Congregational, located at Fairfield Center, was or- ganized September 22, 1800, with four members, by Rev. Daniel Turner, a missionary from Massachusetts. Rev. Benjamin Wooster, the first pas- tor, was installed July 24, 1805, and continued with the society until his death, February 18, 1840. The church building, a brick structure capable of seating 300 persons, was erected in 1839, at a cost of about $3,000.00, though the property is now valued at only about $1,000.00. The society has at present thirteen members, with no regular pastor.
The Trinity Episcopal Church, located at Fairfield Center, was organized in June, 1803, by the Rev. Russell Catlin, of Connecticut, when Nathan Lob- dell and Hubbard Barlow were elected wardens, and Maj .- Gen. Barlow, clerk. The Rev. Barzillai Buckley was the first rector who officiated regularly in the parish, in 1806. The first house of worship was built in 1818, and was suc- ceeded by the present building in 1864, which is a moderate sized building valued at about $3,000.00, including grounds. The society now has 175 members, with Rev. A. H. Bailey, D. D., rector.
The East Fairfield Meeting-house Association was organized by Methodists and Universalists, June 2, 1866, with twenty-seven members, by choosing H. A. Fox, chairman ; I. N. Pomeroy, secretary; and N. W. Isham, treasurer. During that summer they erected a neat edifice, capable of seat- ing 300, at a cost of $2, 100. Rev. Charles Ross is the present pastor.
The Evangelical Advent Church, located at North Fairfield, was originally organized about 1860, but was reorganized December 2, 1876, with eighteen members., by Rev. J. Somberger, the present pastor, and Rev. Othni Rockwell. The society now has nineteen members, and holds its meetings in the school-house, though they also own an interest in the union church at North Fairfield, and sometimes hold meetings there.
LETCHER, a triangularly shaped town, located in the southeastern corner of the county, in lat. 44º 42', and long. 4° 7', is bounded north by Fair- field and Bakersfield, east by Waterville and Cambridge, in Lamoille county, and south and west by Fairfax. It was granted by Gov. Thomas Chittenden, November 7, 1780, and chartered to Nathaniel Brush, David Avery, Rufus Montague and others, to the number of sixty-nine, August 20, 1781. None of the original grantees, however, except Rufus Montague, ever settled in the town. The charter deed conveyed an area of 23,040 acres, a
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TOWN OF FLETCHER.
small portion of which was set off to Cambridge, November 1, 1841. Aside from this it retains the same area to-day.
The surface of Fletcher is broken and hilly, and even at some points moun- tainous, causing a considerable portion of land to be unfit for purposes of cultivation. These portions are in the minority, however, and even they are utilized as grazing land. Though there is much land that is capable of pro- ducing fine crops of grain, the principal industry of the inhabitants is devoted to dairying and stock raising. The soil, which is various, is watered by num- erous streams, the principal ones of which are Lamoille river, which forms the southern boundary of the town, and Stone's brook, which rises in the northern part of the town and flows a southwesterly course into Fairfax. Metcalf pond, a pleasant little sheet of water, lies in the northern part of the town. It is about one mile in length, by a half mile in width, and in some parts very deep. Its outlet is at the southern end, forming Dead creek, which flows a southwesterly course into Lamoille county. About a mile northwest of Fletcher village is another body of water called Halfmoon pond, because of its cres- ent shape, about half a mile long by a quarter of a mile in width. Its waters are discharged into Stone's brook. A number of good mill-sites are afforded throughout the township, though but few have ever been utilized. The geolog- ical structure of the town comprises rocks mostly of the talcose schist forma- tion, excepting the extreme western portion, which overlies a bed of talcose conglomerate. It also contains some beds of iron ore. The only notable natural curiosity of the territory is a large cave, with its entrance on a hillside just north of Metcalf pond. It has been penetrated to the depth of several hundred feet, though it has never been fully explored. Tradition has it that a fugitive from justice was once kept concealed in this cave for several weeks, being supplied with food daily by friends. The St. J. & L. C. R. R. extends across the eastern portion of the town, with a station at East Fletcher.
In 1880, Fletcher had a population of 868, was divided into nine school districts, and contained ten common schools, employing three male and sixteen female teachers to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $850.10. There were 190 pupils attending school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year ending October 31, was $1,059.00. I. R. Armstrong, was superintendent of schools.
FLETCHER, a post village located in the southern part of the town, contains one church (Union), two stores, a sap-bucket manufactory, and about fifteen dwellings.
EAST FLETCHER (p. o.), a hamlet and station on the St. J. & L. C. R. R., located in the eastern part of the town, contains two stores and about five dwellings.
BINGHAMVILLE, a hamlet located about three-quarters of a mile south from Fletcher, contains one church (Union), one saw-mill, a school-house and about twenty dwellings.
Sylvanus E. Chase's sap-bucket manufactory, located at Fletcher village, manufactures about 20,000 cedar sap-buckets per year.
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TOWN OF FLETCHER.
R. T. Bingham's saw-mill, located at Binghamville, does custom work, being operated only a portion of the year. The first settlement in Fletcher was commenced by John Fullington, who started for here with his family from Deerfield, N. H., in the fall of 1788, intending to locate in the southern part of the town near the Lamoille. Mr. Fullington, had been here the season pre- vious, however, and built a log house, made a small clearing, etc., for the re- ception of his family .. They pursued their journey without mishap until just within the town of Johnson, where they encamped for the night. Here Mr. Fullington indulged himself in a meal of raw turnips, which brought on a vio- lent fit of bilious colic, and there being no medical assistance to be had, he died in a few hours. Mrs. Fullington thus unexpectedly left a widow with four children dependent on her, proceeded to her new home in the wilder- ness, upon the farm now owned by Loren C. Lee, where she soon after gave birth to a daughter, the first child born in the town. She was named Lamoille, after the river upon whose banks she was born, and afterwards be- came the wife of Joseph H. Law, removed to Cambridge, and died there in July, 1880, aged ninety years. Mrs. Fullington subsequently married Elisha Woodworth, and lived to the age of ninety-five years, when she died of small- pox, in Fletcher.
The second person to settle in the town was Lemuel Scott, in 1789. He came on from Bennington, in the dead of winter, making his way, with his wife and one child, on a sled drawn by a yoke of steers. From Burlington there was no road, and he found his way by means of marked trees. His children were Jonathan, Lemuel, Jr., (the first male child born in the town,) Seth, Levi, Abigail, Anna, Emily, Jefferson, and Wait. The next settler was Dea. Peter Thurston, who settled south of Lamoille river on the land after- wards set off to Cambridge. He was joined soon after by Elijah Daily. In 1795, Daniel Baily, from Ware, N. H., settled with his family in the north- western part of the town. These men became prominent business men and large land owners, the said Daniel Bailey becoming the first town represent- ative in the legislature. About this time, Elias Blair, Reuben Armstrong, John Kinsley, Samuel Church, Samuel Church, Jr., Joseph and James Robin- son, Dewey Nichols and John Kinsley, all from Bennington, located here. Other families came soon after so that in 1800, the town had a population of 200.
The town was organized and the first town meeting held, March 16, 1790, when Elisha Woodworth was elected town clerk; Elijah Daily, constable ; and Peter Thurston, Lemuel Scott and Elijah Daily, selectmen. The first justice of the peace was Levi Comstock, chosen in 1795. The first represent- ative was Daniel Bailey. The first physician was Dr. Sanford Emery, who located at Fletcher village in 1827, and Guy Kinsley was his first patient. He made but a short stay, however, and removed to Rochester, N. Y. He was succeeded by Dr. Swain, whose stay was also short, since which time the changes have been many, the present physician being Dr. M. S. Briggs. The
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TOWN OF FLETCHER.
first particular demonstrations of a religious character were in 1817, when there was considerable interest manifested, and in the following spring a man named Joseph Wilcox, living in the southeastern part of Fairfax, established religious meetings, and preached in the school-house at Fletcher village once every two weeks for a year, during which time the Baptist church was organized. The first house of worship was erected upon the site of the present church at the village in 1830, and dedicated July 7, 1831, being built by the Methodist, Congregational and Baptist societies. The first store opened was in 1820, by Zerah Willoughby, in a portion of his dwelling in the southern part of the town. In 1825, Lucas Lathrop and Levi Carlton opened a store at Fletcher village, and were succeeded by Hiram Hopkins. The first saw-mill was built by Elisha Woodworth, upon the site now occu- pied by R. T. Bingham's mill. The first attempt toward starting a grist-mill was in 1831, when John and Jesse Carpenter erected one on Stone's brook ; but the stream proved too small at that point to run a grist-mill, so the enter- prise was given up as unpracticable. The first postoffice was located at Fletcher village in 1832, with Elias Blair, postmaster.
Joseph Robinson, born in Bennington, Vt., in November, 1776, came to Fletcher in 1795, and located upon the farm now owned by his son, Demas. He was twice married, having by his first wife one child, and by his second, nine, seven of whom are now residents of the town. His second wife was the daughter of Rufus Montague, the only one of the original proprietors who settled here. Mr. Montague had one right of land, consisting of three lots of one hundred acres each.
Daniel Bailey, from Ware, N. H., came to Fletcher in 1795, and located . in the northwestern part of the town upon the farm now occupied by Ebene- zer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took an active interest and prominent part in the business affairs of the town, which he represented for the first time in the legislature. He had a family of eight children, four sons and four daughters. The sons settled upon adjoining farms, presented to them by their father, while the daughters, all except one, married and located near by. Many de- scendants of the family still are residents of the town.
Daniel Kinsley, with his brother, Stephen, were the first settlers in Cam- bridge, Lamoille county, whence, after a few years' residence, they removed to this town. Daniel became the husband of Miss Lucy Montague, and died here in 1828. Lucy, his wife, died February 11, 1850, lacking one hour of being eighty-five years of age. Of their family of twelve children only one, Guy, now remains in this town, residing on road 40, at the age of eighty- one years.
Lemuel Chapman, from Rutland county, was an early settler in Fletcher, having located on road 33, just north of the farm now occupied by his son Horace. He had a family of nine children, of whom Horace is the only one left in the town.
Elias Blair was one of the early settlers in this town.
He located on road
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TOWN OF FLETCHER.
30, upon the farm now owned by his grandson, N. B. Blair, where he lived until his death. He was the husband of Sybil Parsons, and reared a family of seven children. Many of their descendants reside in this and adjoining towns.
Joseph Ellsworth, one of the early settlers of Fletcher, located in the west- ern part of the town, on road 33. He had a family of seven children, though none of them now reside in the town. The family is represented here, how- ever, by several grandchildren.
Samuel Church was an early settler here. He located upon the farm now owned by his grandson, Nelson Church, on road 26. He had two children, Hiram and Sally. Hiram married Lorinda McClure, and died here, leaving three children. Sally became the wife of Abial Weatherbee, and lived and died on a part of the old homestead. She left four children.
Ira Scott, the youngest of a large family of children, was born at Benning- ton, Vt., in 1783, and came to this town about the year 1800. He became possessed of a tract of 400 acres of land, a portion of which his son, Charles A., now occupies, on road 29. Mr. Scott had a family of eight children.
Elias Bingham, born at Windham, Conn., July 22, 1779, came to this town with his wife and three children, in August, 1809, and located near what has since been called Binghamville, upon the farm now occupied by Franklin Bingham. He was thrice married, and by his third wife had thirteen children. He was a strong minded, resolute man, possessed also of much physical strength. He early became a captain of militia, represented the town in the legislature, and was also town agent for several years.
Giles Taylor was born in Hartford, Conn., and at an early day settled in Mid- dlebury, with his father. The father was killed while clearing land in that town, and Giles removed to Fairfield where he was married, and finally settled in this town, in 1810. He was a soldier during the war of 1812, and was pres- ent at the battle of Plattsburgh. Three of his children still reside here.
Judah Ellis, from New York, came to this town with his family in 1804, and located in the eastern part, upon the farm now owned by Harrison Cady, in Cambridge, the same having been set off to that town since. His son, C. N. Ellis, still resides here, on road 35.
James Lamb came to this town in 1820, on foot, with fifty cents in his pocket, his entire wealth. By hard labor he amassed enough to purchase the farm now occupied by his son, Andrew, and also accumulated considerable other property. He married Miss Cynthia French, of Westford, in Septem- ber, 1823, and had a family of six children. His son Andrew now has in his possession a cane used by his father on his first journey to Fletcher.
Bradford Chase, born at Sutton, Mass., in July, 1783, married Polly Drury, of Walpole, N. H., removed to this town with his wife and six children in 1830, and located in the eastern part of the town, upon the farm now owned by his son, Stilman, who is seventy-three years of age.
Otis Sherman, born at Grafton, Mass., in 1788, came to this town with his
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family in 1833, and located upon the farm now occupied by his son, Dennis, on road 15. He had a family of seven children, only one of whom, Dennis, now resides here.
During the late war, Fletcher furished three commissioned officers and sixty-seven enlisted men, thirteen of whom died in the service.
The Union Church, located at Fletcher village, was built by the Baptist, Congregational, and Universalist societies, in 1830, and rebuilt in 1870, though it is now used only by the Methodist and Universalist societies.
The Universalist Society, of Fletcher, was organized in 1870, with forty members, by Rev. S. Guernsey, the present pastor. The society now has about fifty members.
The Methodist Church, located at Binghamville, was organized in 1850. The building was erected in 1870, by the Baptist and Methodist societies. It will seat 250 persons, and is valued at about $4,000.00 The society now has forty members, with Rev. N. W. Wilder, pastor.
RANKLIN, a township lying in the center of the northern boundary of the county, in lat. 44° 58', and long. 4° 2', bounded north by St. Armand, P. Q., east by Berkshire, south by Sheldon, and west by High- gate, was granted by the State of Vermont, October 24, 1787, and chartered March 19, 1789, to Jonathan Hunt and five others, under the name of Huntsburgh. The grant was to contain the usual thirty-six square miles, but as the surrounding towns were first surveyed, it left for this town a tract of only 19,040 acres. The charter of the town, which is now in the possession of the town clerk, reads as follows :-
" The Governor, Council, and General Assembly of the Freeman of the State of Vermont :- To all people to whom these presents shall come, greet- ing. Know ye that whereas the Honorable Jonathan Hunt, Esq, and his associates, our worthy friends, have by petition requested a grant of the land within this State for the purpose of settling a new plantation to be erected into a township; We have therefore thought fit for the due encouragement of their laudable designs, and for the other valuable causes and considerations us hereunto moving, do, by these presents, in name and by the authority of the Freemen of the State of Vermont, give and grant unto the said Jonathan Hunt and his associates and their heirs and assigns forever, the following tract of land hereinafter described and bounded, to be divided and holden by them respectively as follows : * * That each proprietor shall cultivate five acres on each share, and shall build a house at least eighteen feet square on the floor, or have one family settled on each share within the time prescribed by the Statute laws of this State, or the land shall be forfeited and revert to the Freemen of the State. * * In testi- mony whereof we have caused the seal of this State to be affixed this roth day of March, A. D., 1789, in the thirteenth year of the Independence of this State.
" THOMAS CHITTENDEN.
" By His Excellency's Command,
" JOSEPH FAY, Sec'y."
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TOWN OF FRANKLIN.
The town was divided into sixty-nine rights or shares, of which Jonathan Hunt received thirty-one ; Samuel Hubbard, eighteen ; Joseph - Fay, seven ; John Bridgeman, four ; Hon. Ebenezer Walbridge, three ; Ebenezer Marvin, one, and one share each for the following five objects: For a college within the State, for county grammar schools throughout the State, for the first settled minister, for the benefit and support of the ministry, and for the benefit and support of the schools within the town. The name of Hunts- burgh was retained until October 25, 1817, when it was changed by the legislature to the one it now bears.
The surface of the land is uneven yet not abrupt, the only hills of any prominence being Bridgeman hill, west of the Center village, and Minister hill, lying about a mile north of the same. The soil is mostly a gravelly loam, with an occasional mixture of clay and sand. In the western part area num- ber of clay knolls, where brick was manufactured to some extent at one time. Taken all in all, the soil is generally good, though in most localities it is better adapted to grass than grain growing, so that many of the inhabitants are en- gaged in dairying and breeding grade cattle. The higher land was originally covered with a heavy growth of hardwood timber, mostly beech, birch and maple, while the low lands produced large quantities of hemlock and cedar. Much of this timber still remains, from the maple of which quantities of sugar is manufactured. Rock river, the principal stream, flows through the western part of the town, and together with several brooks, affords the only mill- power, and even this is meagre. Franklin pond, a small lake lying near the center of the town, has an average width of about one mile, and is three miles long. Its outlet, flowing northeasterly into Berkshire, affords a good water-power. Another small pond lies in the extreme eastern part of the town, surrounded by an extensive marsh. The geological structure of the territory is made up generally of two systems of rock,-talcose conglomerate and talcose schist, the former constituting the western, and the latter the eastern part of the town. Slate and limestone are occasionally found, and some small beds of quartz. Small quantities of hematite, a species of iron ore, have been discovered, and, in 1877, a small deposit of silver ore was found on the farm of L. Hefflon, in the northern part of the town. The de- posit has never been thoroughly examined, however, so that its quality and quantity are not known.
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