USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Gazetteer and business directory of Lamoille and Orleans counties, Vt., for 1883-84, pt 1 > Part 13
USA > Vermont > Orleans County > Gazetteer and business directory of Lamoille and Orleans counties, Vt., for 1883-84, pt 1 > Part 13
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
The year following Mr. Eaton's settlement, a number from the same vicinity in New Hampshire made beginnings in the town, two by the name of Mc- Connell, one of whom, Jonathan, located near the confluence of the North Branch with the Lamoille. He soon after erected a saw and grist-mill, about which has subsequently grown the present village. Among these early set- tlers were the Millers, Rogers, Mills, Simons, Smiths, Greggs, etc. From 1790, to 1800, a second class of settlers arrived, mostly from New Hamp- shire and Massachusetts. From New Boston and .Amherst, N. H., there were families of Dodges, Balches, Wilsons, Ellingwoods, Reddingtons, Primes, 'and others. From Belchertown and other places of Massachusetts came the Ferrys, Clarks, Wheelers, Atwells, and Johnny Wier. The latter, from Boston, was a sea-faring man, and developed into quite a character. He possessed no education and no money ; but by close economy he paid for his farm, and subsequently engaged in mercantile pursuits, amassing quite a snug property. Between 1801, and 1805, another class of settlers arrived, from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other towns in Vermont, among whom were the Griswolds, Burnhams, Morgans, Obers, Perkins, Patchs, Waterses, Nicholses, and Watermans.
The allotment of the town was made in 1788 or'89. The lots were designed to contain 300 acres to each proprietor, besides an allowance of five per cent. for roads. . The survey, however, was very incorrect, some lots containing a much larger number of acres than others adjoining them, and zigzag lines were found to run from corner to corner of lots, enlarging one by diminishing another, which caused much litigation among the early settlers, but in all cases the courts established the lines and corners where they could be proven to have been run and marked.
The town was organized, and the first town meeting held March 4, 1789, when Jonathan McConnell, was elected town clerk ; Jonathan McConnell, Ensign Samuel Eaton, and Jeremiah McDaniel, selectmen ; Nehemiah Bar- rett, constable ; George Gregg, Samuel Miller, and Thomas McConnell, assessors ; Jonathan McConnell, treasurer ; and Ensign Jeremiah McDaniel, collector. The first justice of the peace was Jonathan McConnell, in 1790. The first representative was Noah Smith, in 1789. The first deeds but on file, though not recorded, were in June, 1790. The first deed recorded, was one from Thomas McConnell to John Sanders, October 15, 1790. The first record of votes cast for governor was in 1807, the whole number then being thirty-nine. The first child born in the town was a son of Aaron Smith,
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TOWN OF JOHNSON.
who was named Johnson Smith, in reference to his being the first birth in the township. The mother, Mrs. Smith, when her child was but two or three months old, in view of the approaching winter and the scarcity of provisions, started with her child, accompanied by her husband to Onion river, and thence, on foot and alone, traveled to Bennington to spend the winter with her friends. The first death was that of a Mr. Fullington, who was on his way from New Hampshire to Fairfax ; and while passing the Lamoille, in what is now Morristown, at an old hunters' or Indians' camping place, he discovered some English turnips well grown and very inviting, of which he partook freely upon an empty stomach, which produced a violent attack of bilious colic, of which he died the night following, at the dwelling of Thomas McConnell, and was buried in a trough dug from a bass-wood log, upon the farm now owned by Merritt C. Foot. The next death was that of a young man by the name of Smith, who had but a short time previous accompanied his brother and family into town, and was at work, or from some cause, at the mills which McConnell was building, and accidently went over the dam or falls and was drowned. The first mail was carried. through the town in 1802-'03, by John Skeeles, of Peacham, on horseback, to St. Albans and back once a week, and Arunah Waterman, Jr., was the first postmaster. The first settled minister was Elder Joel P. Hayford, a young man, who very generously surrendered his claim to the right of land granted to the first set- tled minister, to the selectmen of the town, to be leased by them in perpet- uity, the avails of which to be applied to the support of the gospel for all coming time.
Samuel Miller, one of the early settlers, came from New Hampshire and settled upon the farm now owned by his grandson, Herman B. Miller, on road 37. Mr. Miller served in the revolutionary army. On one expedition against the Indians of Genesee county, N. Y., he nearly perished from hunger. He possessed a strong, rugged constitution, a true, upright character, and during his long life here he gained the respect of all with whom he was brought in contact. He reared a family of eleven children, and died in 1837, aged seventy-five years. Samuel R., the second son of Samuel, was born in 1774, and for many years was a resident of the town. He died in 1853. His family consisted of five children, only one of whom, Herman B., who now occupies the old homestead, settled in the town. Herman B. has six children, three of whom reside in the town.
Daniel Mills, one of the early settlers, came from New Hampshire and settled in the western part of the town. Here he resided several years, then moved further down the river, where he resided until his death, aged eighty- one years. Of his family of seven children, five settled in the town. Daniel, his third son, born in 1779, came here with him, and died in 1855, leaving a family of six children, three of whom settled here. Daniel's second son, John C., born in 1818, has always resided in the town, with the exception of two years spent in the late war. He has four children.
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TOWN OF JOHNSON.
Solomon Balch, from New Boston, N. H., emigrated to this town among the early settlers, and located on road 18, upon the farm now occupied by Mrs. J. A. Balch. Mr. Balch held a prominent position among his towns- men, whom he served in many official positions, among which that of justice of the peace, which office he held for a period of over thirty years. Enos C., grandson of Solomon, and only son of Solomon, Jr., now resides on Railroad street. Robert, the oldest son of Solomon, born in 1804, held many of the town offices, and died in 1874.
Zachariah Whiting, from Francestown, N. H., came to the town at an early date, and located on road 12, where his son, Almon, is now living. He had a family of eight children. Zachariah, Jr., born in 1827, still resides in the town, on road 19.
Nathan Atwell, from Hollis, N. H., came into Johnson among the earliest settlers, and located on road 11, upon the farm now owned by his son, James. He resided here until his death, at the age of eighty-four years. Six of his family of thirteen children are now living. James, the twelfth child, born in 1814, resides on the old homestead. Benjamin and Asher E. are aged respectively seventy-eight and sixty-five years.
David Foster came here from New Hampshire in 1790, and settled in the southeastern part of the town, where he resided until his death, at an ad- vanced age, having reared a family of six children. Obadiah, his second son, born in 1771, resided in the town until his death, in 1850. Seven of his eight children became residents of the town. Obadiah, Jr., was born in 1811, and died here in 1870. One of his two sons, Roswell, born in 1838, now resides here, on Railroad street.
Ralph Ellenwood, a native of Amherst, N. H., and a veteran of the revolu- tionary war, came to Johnson in 1792, and located upon a tract of land about a mile and a half west of the present village. At the time he came here he had a family of five children, which was subsequently increased to ten. James, the second child, born at Amherst in 1786, was a resident of the town until about ten years previous to his death, when he removed to New York. Of his family of eight children, the only one living is Maria E., a resi- dent of this town.
Levi Clark, from Massachusetts, came to this town about 1797, and located in the eastern part, where he resided until his death, in 1852, aged eighty-one years. Two of his eight children settled in the town. Darius G., his fifth son, born in 1811, has always resided here. He has held many of the town trusts.
Elisha Dodge, from New Boston, N. H., immigrated to Johnson in 1799, and located on road 11, where he resided a number of years. He reared a family of eleven children, six of whom are now living, three in this town.
Perly Clark, from Connecticut, came to Johnson previous to 1800, and located near Perkinsville, where he resided about thirty years, then went to Brookfield, Mass., remained eighteen years, then returned to Johnson and
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TOWN OF JOHNSON.
remained until four years previous to his death, which occurred at Brook- field, at the age of ninety-seven years. James D., grandson of Perly and son Horace I., now resides in Eden, un road 3.
Arunah Waterman, from Norwich, Conn., was one of the original proprie- tors of Hyde Park. He left Norwich in February, with an ox and horse team, and was seventeen days on the road, arriving in Hyde Park on the fourth of March, 1801, the day that Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated presi- dent of the United States, and designed to settle on his own lands ; but shortly after his arrival he purchased the farm in Johnson upon which Jonathan Mc- Connell located, and built mills where the village has since grown up. He took possession on the first day of April, 1801, where he continued to live until his death, August 17, 1838, in the ninetieth year of his age, having pre- viously served as justice of the peace and member of the legislature for a number of years. Asa, the eldest child of Arunah, located on road 44, where he resided until 1852, when, at the age of eighty years, he removed to road 46, where he resided with his son, David Sanford Waterman, until his death in 1860. He had a family of ten children, only one of whom, D. Sanford, now resides in the town.
Sewell Newton, from Weathersfield, Vt., came to Johnson in 1800, and resided here until his death. Luther D., his only son, born in 1808, resided here until his death, in 1862, having reared a family of six children, only one of whom, Sewell, settled in this town.
William Heath, from Lancaster, N. H., located upon the farm now owned by his great-grandson, Madison O. Heath, about 1800. Madison located there in 1865, not knowing at that time that it was the spot where his ances- tors had built their cabin so many years ago. James M., son of Lufkin Heath, and grandson of William, was born in Johnson in 1810, but spent most of his life in Cambridge. Madison O. and Marian L. were his only children, the latter being the wife of William H. Griswold, of Cambridge. Madison married Amanda M. Mott, in 1856, and has three children living, Franklin S., Wilmer H., and Mary, wife of Charles H. Loomis. Mr. Heath, an attorney-at-law by profession, was postmaster in Cambridge in 1873-'74, and has been judge of probate for Lamoille district, and register of probate in 1878. He has also served as a representative of the Methodist church on several occasions.
Ebenezer Dike emigrated to Morristown from Woodstock, Vt., in 1800, where he commenced a settlement near the center of the town. Linus, his second son, born in Woodstock, reared a family of eight children, five of whom are living. Wilson, the fourth child, resides in this town, on road 47.
Benjamin Ober came here from New Boston, N. H., in 1801, and cleared for himself a farm a little north of the center of the town, where he resided until his death, in 1861, aged eighty-three years. He had three children, all of whom settled in this town. Norman, his second son, born in 1815, now owns the old homestead, on road Io.
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TOWN OF JOHNSON.
Joseph Andrews, Jr., born in Essex, Mass., in 1792, came here with his parents in 1807, and continued his residence here until his death, in 1862. He had a family of seven children, five of whom are living. Joseph, the sixth child, born in 1823, occupies the old homestead, on road II. Isaac, the second child, born in 1809, has never been absent from the old farm for a period exceeding two months in his life. Edward P., the only living child of Isaac, born in 1839, also resides on the old place.
Amasa Winslow came from Massachusetts about 1804, and settled in West- field, Orleans county, where he died, in 1821. Don A., his oldest son, born in 1824, now resides in this town, on road 47.
Josiah Morgan, from New Hampshire, came into Johnson about 1810, and located on road 19, where he remained a few years, then removed to Canada, where he died, leaving a family of five sons. In 1832, Benjamin O., the third child, came back to Johnson, and, in 1848, located upon tlie place he now occupies, on road 19.
Josiah Jones immigrated to Johnson from Massachusetts, about 1800, and located in the eastern part of the town, where he died, in 1844, aged sixty- six years. Five of his thirteen children settled in the town.
John Griswold, from Weathersfield Vt., settled in the northern part of this town, in 1812, where he resided until 1839, then removed to Eden, where he died, in 1852, aged eighty-five years. John, the youngest of eleven children, born in 1823, now owns a portion of the old farm, on road 23.
Samuel B. Waters came to this town in 1814, bought a farm, and re- sided here all his life. Of his family of five children all but one are living. Mr. Waters held many of the town offices, and also took an active interest in religious affairs, having acted as deacon of the Congregational church many years. Samuel G., his eldest son, born in 1816, now occupies the old home- stead, on road 20.
Thomas Farnham, from New Boston, N. H., came here in 1816, and located on road 15, upon the farm now owned by his son William. He was a tailor by trade, and died in 1869, aged ninety-four years. Joseph, his fourth child, resided near William.
Joseph Manning, from Marblehead, Mass., came to Johnson in 1824, and located upon the farm now owned by Isaac A., his only son. Mr. Manning was a sailor in early life, but learned the carpenter and joiner trade later, and erected many of the old houses now found in the town.
John Cristy, from New Hampshire, came here in 1825, and located in the northern part of the town, where he resided until his death, in 1868, aged seventy-eight years. Robert C., the second of his six children, born in 1827, now resides here. He has held most of the town trusts.
William McLenathan came to Johnson from New Hampshire about 1827, and settled in the eastern part of the town, where he died in 1877, aged seventy years. His eldest son, William, now resides here.
Asa Andrews, from New Boston, N. H., came to Johnson in 1828, and set-
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TOWN OF JOHNSON.
tled upon a farm near the central part of the town, where he died, in 1871, aged seventy-four years.
Charles Leland, from Baltimore, Vt., located in Lowell, Orleans county, in 1829, where he resided until 1855, when he removed to Johnson, and has since been engaged in the manufacture of starch.
Reuben Whitcomb, from Orange county, came to Johnson in 1829, and located in the eastern part of the town, where his grandsons, C. R. and Frank Whitcomb, now reside. He married Mary French and reared a family of five children, Eliza M., Raymond, Reuben, Frederick, and Louis J.
George W. Hill, of this town, commenced his business life as an apprentice in the office of the New Hampshire Patriot, at Concord, in 1816, remaining there until he became of age. He then went to Montpelier, and, in 1826, started The Patriot and State Gasette. He continued in the manage- ment of the concern until the anti-masonic days of 1836-'38, when the pa- per came under the control of Clark & Marston, and he removed to Lowell, Orleans county, where he entered the custom house, remaining two years, then came to this town, where he has since resided.
During the late war Johnson furnished 140 enlisted men, twenty-seven of whom were killed in action or died of wounds received or diseases contracted while in the service. Bounties were voted by the town as follows: Septem- ber 6, 1862, "to pay nine men $50.00 each." The men were raised, paid, and sent to the war. December 19, 1863, "to pay $300.00 each to ten men." They also were hired, paid, and sent. September 19, 1864, "to pay the heirs of George E. Whitfield $50.00, and pay E. D. Carter $50.00;" which was accordingly done. January 19, 1865, " voted to raise a tax of 100 cents on the dollar of the grand list, to defray the expense of raising men for the war;" and "voted to leave the raising of men to fill our quota to the select- men to manage at their discretion." Nothing was done under this latter vote, as the war closed soon after.
The Baptist church, located at Johnson village, was organized Nov. 7, 1808, with fourteen members, Rev. David Boynton being the first pastor. The first church building was erected in 1832, and gave place to the present structure in 1855. The society is in a prosperous condition, with Rev. J. A. Pierce, pastor.
The Congregational church of Johnson, located at Johnson village, was or- ganized September 20, 1817, by Isaac Smith, Joseph Dodge, Samuel Waters, Sarah Dodge, Mary Farnham, Sally Stickney, and Mary Waters. Rev. John Scott was the first pastor. The first church building was erected in 1832, and was replaced by the present wood structure in 1851. This building cost $3,000.00, will seat 280 persons, and is now valued, including grounds and parsonage, at $5,500.00. The society has 100 members, is free from debt, and supports a good Sabbath school, withRev. Azro A. Smith, pastor.
The Methodist Episcopal church, located at Johnson village, has eighty-three members, with Rev John S. Tupper, pastor. The church building will seat 250 persons and is valued at $2,500.00.
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TOWN OF MORRISTOWN.
MORRISTOWN.
ORRISTOWN, an irregularly outlined town in the central part of the county, lies in latitude 44° 32', and longitude 4° 20', bounded north- easterly by Hyde Park, southeasterly by Elmore, southwesterly by Stowe, and northwesterly by Johnson and Cambridge. It was granted No- vember 6, 1780, and chartered to Moses Morse and sixty-four associates, August 24, 1781, containing 23,040 acres, until November 14, 1855, when a portion of Sterling was annexed to its territory. Sterling was a township chartered February 25, 1782, and settlement commenced therein in 1792. The people, however, soon grew tired of a separate organization. The first division of the township was made October 30, 1828, when, by an act of the legislature, two miles from the western part of the township were set to Cam- bridge. This was a mountainous part of the town, and included Smuggler's Notch. November 14, 1855, the remainder of the town was divided between and annexed to Johnson, Morristown and Stowe. When the town voted to divide and annex to other towns, the vote stood forty for and ten against, so the town surrendered its organization, and all its records were left in the Mor- town archives.
In surface Morristown is moderately uneven, except in the western part, the portion annexed from Sterling, where it is quite uneven. The soil is of good quality and easily cultivated, rendering the town, in point of agricultural products, second to none in the county. The timber is principally maple, beech, birch, hemlock, etc. The territory is well watered by numerous streams, the principal water-course being the Lamoille river. It enters the town near the eastern corner, passing by Morrisville and Cady's Falls, and after running four miles in the northeastern past of the town, again returns into Hyde Park. Along this river are some excellent tracts of intervale. Several good mill-sites are found throughout the town. In the southeastern part of the town are two ponds, Mott's and Joe's. The latter is a pretty lit- tle sheet of water, and rendered of considerable importance, in an historical point of view, from the fact that upon its shores once dwelt the old Indian, Joe, after whom the pond was named. A few words in reference to the old Redman, " the last of Coossucks," may prove of interest :-
"Captain Joe was born," says Thompson's Gazetteer, in Nova Scotia, but upon the overthrow of the eastern Indians, he, while quite young, went to St. Francis. His wife was called Molly. Joe was mild and inoffensive in his disposition, and used to boast that he had never pointed a gun at a man.
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TOWN OF MORRISTOWN.
He had a strong antipathy to the English, who had killed his friends in Nova Scotia, and during the Revolution was a warm friend to the American cause. He and Molly once visited and shook hands with Gen. Washington, at his headquarters on the Hudson river, and ate at the General's table after the officers had dined. After the war, such was his dislike to the king of England, he would never enter his domains, though strongly urged by the In- dians to return to St. Francis. Having followed a moose two days, on one occasion, and finding at length that it had crossed the line into Canada, he stopped short and said, . Good bye, Mr. Moose,' and relinquished the pur- suit. He spent his time principally in hunting through all the north- western parts of the State, and many anecdotes are related respecting his encounters with the wild beasts of the forest. Joe survived Molly many years. When he became old and unable to support himself, the legislature of Vermont granted him an annual pension of seventy dollars. He died at Newbury, February 19, 1819, aged about eighty years. His gun was found loaded, and was discharged over his grave."
The geological structure of the town consists of an immense bed of talcose schist, cut, in the eastern part, by a long, narrow bed of clay slate. These formations, however, are modified by the several rocks that usually enter into this strata.
In 1880, Morristown had a population of 2,099, and in 1882 was divided into fourteen school districts and contained fourteen common schools, em- ploying one male and thirty-six female teachers, to whom was paid an aggre- gate salary of $3,477.68. There were 559 pupils attending common school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $4,052.22, with I. N. LeBaron, superintendent.
MORRISVILLE, a post village located in the northern part of the town on the Lamoille river, and also a station on the St. J. & L. C. R. R., which crosses the northern part of the township, is one of the most thriving little villages in the State. The country surrounding the village abounds in exquisite scenery, rendering drives and strolls, in any direction that fancy may direct, most delightful. A few rods west of the village the picturesque Lamoille trembles on the brink of a precipice twenty feet deep and thirty broad, then dashes itself over, in a beautiful sheet of water, to the channel below. This channel the early settlers denominated the "pulpit," from the resemblance of a rock at the north end of the chasm. The foundations of this rock, however, the action of the waters gradually weakened, until finally, a few years since, it tottered and fell, so the resemblance is not as apparent as it once was. On the west side of the chasm the rocks rise perpendicularly to the height of thirty feet, and the beholder, while standing on the edge of this precipice, sees the whole body of the river plunged down at his feet into this boiling caldron, from which it escapes through a channel at the south end, and im- mediately spreading itself out, encircles numerous islands, whose high, jagged points are covered with a thick growth of cedar and fir, and altogether presents
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TOWN OF MORRISTOWN.
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(THE PEOPLE'S ACADEMY AND MORRISVILLE GRADED SCHOOL .. )
a scene of grandeur and beauty seldom surpassed. The rocks at the foot of the falls present many curious specimens of the wonder-working power of water, there being large pot-holes worn in the solid rock, some of which are nearly eight feet deep and four feet in diameter. These falls not only form a sublime picture of nature, but they afford one of the best mill powers in the State. This natural facility long since was utilized, and the hum of machin- ery in several busy manufactories of various kinds is constantly heard. The first mill in the town was built here in 1798, by Capt. John Safford, who came here from Windsor, Mass. He also built the first frame house. In 1812, he built the first grist-mill. The postoffice was established here April 1, 1834, with Levi B. Vilas, postmaster. The village now has, aside from its manufacturing interests, four churches, (Methodist, Congregational, Uni- versalist and Christian,) an academy and graded school, two hotels, twelve or fifteen stores of various kinds, and a thrifty population of about one thousand.
CADY'S FALLS, a handsome little post village lying about two miles north-
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