USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Gazetteer and business directory of Lamoille and Orleans counties, Vt., for 1883-84, pt 1 > Part 4
USA > Vermont > Orleans County > Gazetteer and business directory of Lamoille and Orleans counties, Vt., for 1883-84, pt 1 > Part 4
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).
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"This convention, whose members are duly chosen by the free voice of their constituents, in the several towns, on the New Hampshire Grants, in
28
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
public meeting assembled, in our names, and in behalf of our constituents, do hereby proclaim and publicly declare, that the district of territory compre- hending and usually known by the name and description of the New Hamp- shire Grants, of right ought to be, and is hereby declared forever hereafter to be considered, as a free and independent jurisdiction or State, by the name and forever hereafter to be called, known and distinguished by the name of New Connecticut, alias Vermont : and that the inhabitants that at present are or may hereafter become resident, by procreation or emigration, within said territory, shall be entitled to the same privileges, immunities, and enfranchise- ments, as are allowed ; and on such condition, and in the same manner, as the present inhabitants, in future, shall or may enjoy ; which are. and forever shall be considered to be such privileges and immunities to the free citizens and denizens, as are, or, at any time hereafter, may be allowed, to any such inhabitants, or any of the free and independent States of America : and that such privileges and immunities shall be regulated in a bill of rights and by a form of government, to be established at the next adjourned session of this convention."
This independence Vermont pursued, asking no favors, enjoying no bene- fits of the Union, and sharing none of her burdens, until March 4, 1791, when she was admitted as one of the Federal States, with the full rights and immunities belonging thereto. Thus the State exists to-day-so may it al- ways exist.
The territory whose history we have thus attempted to briefly outline, is situated in the northwestern corner of New England, and lies between 42° 44', and 45° of north latitude, and between 3º 35', and 5º 29' east longitude, reckoning from Washington, the most eastern extremity being in the town of Canaan, and the most western in the town of Addison. Its length, from north to south, is 1573 miles, and the average width from east to west, 573 miles, thus giving an area of 9,056} square miles, or 5,795,960 acres.
The constitution of the State was adopted July 2, 1777, and has remained without very material alterations, the chief being the substitution of a senate of thirty members, apportioned to the several counties according to popula- tion, and chosen by a plurality of the freemen of the several counties, in lieu of a council of twelve members chosen by a plurality of the votes of the State at large ; and in 1870, a change from annual to biennial State elections and meetings of the legislature. The frame of government now provides for : Ist. The executive, the chief officers of which are governor, lieutenant- governor, and treasurer, all of whom are elected biennially, by the freemen of the State. 2d. A senate of thirty members, elected as before mentioned. 3d. A house of representatives, consisting of one member from each organ- ized town, elected by the freemen thereof. 4th. A judiciary, the officers of which are all elective, the judges of the supreme court, (who are also chan- cellors,) by the senate and the house of representatives, in joint assembly ; the assistant judges of county courts, (a judge of the supreme court presides in each county court,) judges of the probate courts, sheriffs, State's attor- neys, and high bailiffs, by the freemen of the respective counties ; and justices of the peace by the freemen of the several towns. The State election is
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29
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
held in September, biennally, and a majority of all the votes cast is required to elect every officer, except senators and other county officers, including in the latter justice of the peace elected by the several towns; but in March, the freemen of each town meet for the transaction of the public business of the town and the election of all town officers. Every term of town officers is limited to one year, or until others are elected, and all town elections are therefore annual. The governor's power of appointment is very limited, ein- bracing, ordinarially, his secretary and military staff only ; but he has power to fill any office created by law, where the appointment is not fixed by the constitution or a statute, a case which has rarely occurred ; and also to fill any vacancy occurring by death or otherwise, until the office can be filled in the manner required by constitution or laws. By recent statutes, the governor may nominate, subject to approval by the senate, various officers. The heads of the various State bureaus, (except the treasurer,) and generals of divisions and brigades, are elected by the senate and house in joint assembly,-the former officers biennially, and generals when vacancies occur. The general assembly meets in the even years, on the first Wednesday in October.
The first officers in 1778, were as follows : Thomas Chittenden, governor ; Joseph Marsh, lieutenant-governor ; Ira Allen, treasurer ; T. Chandler, secre- tary of State ; Nathan Clark, speaker; and Benjamin Baldwin, clerk.
Lamoille county, as now constituted, once formed a part of the original counties of Albany, Charlotte, Bennington, Rutland, Addison, Chitten- den, Franklin, Orleans, and Washington. The old Dutch county of Albany, with Albany, N. Y., as its capitol, extended north to the Province line. During the controversy between New York and the New Hampshire grantees, numerous writs of ejectment, executions, and other legal processes were issued out of, and made returnable to the courts at Albany, and were served, or at least were attempted to be served, by the sheriffs of that place. On March 12, 1772, New York, in order " that offenders may be brought to justice, and creditors may recover their just dues," proceeded to set off from Albany, and erect a new county, called Charlotte, on the western side of the mountains. Skeensboro, now Whitehall, N. Y., was made the shire town, and Philip Skeene appointed chief judge of the court of common pleas. . After the organization of the State, however, on February 11, 1779, Ver- mont was divided into two counties, the Green Mountains forming the di- viding line, the portion on the east being called Cumberland, and that on the west Bennington county. Each county was divided into two shires, that on ' the east into Westminster and Newbury, and Bennington and Rutland, on the west. This division remained till the extra session of the legislature, in February, 1781, when the county of Rutland was incorporated from Benning- ton, and Windsor and Orange counties were incorporated from Cumberland, and the name of Cumberland altered to Windham. Rutland county in turn extended through to the northern line of the State, for a period of four years, eight months, and five days, during which time courts were held at Tin-
30
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
mouth. The State then, on October 18, 1785, dismembered the old county, incorporating from it a new one, called Addison, and made the towns of Ad- dison and Colchester half shires. Chittenden county was then in turn set off from Addison, October 22, 1787, and November 5, 1792, Franklin and Orleans counties were incorporated. In 1834, Nathan Smilie, Isaac Gris- wold, Nathaniel Read, John Fassett, R. Read, Joseph Waterman, Thomas Waterman, Joshua Sawyer, W. P. Sawyer, Almon Tinker, Joseph Sears, Thomas Taylor, P. G. Camp, and others, petitioned the legislature for a new county, and the bill passed the house, but was laid over in the council. The next year, however, it passed both branches of the legislature, and Lamoille county was incorporated October 26, 1835. It then embraced twelve towns : Eden, Hyde Park, Morristown, and Wolcott, from Orleans county ; Belvidere, Cambridge, Johnson, Sterling, and Waterville, from Franklin county ; Elmore and Stowe, from Washington county; and Mansfield, from Chittenden county. In 1848, Mansfield was annexed to Stowe, and in 1855, Sterling was divided between Johnson, Morristown, and Stowe, leaving the county with but ten towns.
Lamoille county, next to Grand Isle the smallest in the State, lies north of the central part of the same, between latitude 44° 24', and 44° 46', and long- itude 4° 7', and 4º 34', bounded north by Franklin and Orleans counties, east by portions of Orange, Caledonia, and Washington counties, south by Wash- ington county, and west by Franklin and Chittenden counties. Its extent from north to south is about 27 miles, and nearly the same from east to west, thus giving it an area of about 420 square miles, or 268,800 acres, which contains a population of 12,684.
In surface it is varied by all the charms of nature, from towering cloud- capped mountains to the sylvan dales and silvery lakelets that adorn its nestling valleys. Turn which way you will, the lover of the beautiful in nature cannot fail to meet with that which will both charm and captive the senses. Upon the north and west rise Mansfield, Sterling, and White-face mountains in their splendor. Upon the south and east are Hog-back and Elmore mountains, while between them extend broad intervales of excellent farming land.
Mount Mansfield, consisting of three distinct peaks, lies in the southern part of Cambridge, extending also into the towns of Underhill and Stowe. Its summit, 4,389 feet above tide water, is the highest point of land in the State. The name Mansfield is derived from the contour resemblance of the mountain to the face of a human being, the three peaks being designated as the Chin, the Nose, and the Lips. The Chin furnishes one of the grandest and most extensive views in New England. Standing upon its summit in a clear day, the observer looks down upon the country extending from the base of the mountain to Lake Champlain as he would upon a map, and beholds in the outspread panorama an agreeable diversity of hills and villages, forests and cultivated fields, villages and streams of water. Further along in the
31
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
picture may be seen Lake Champlain, which at intervals is observed, far to the north and south, peering out in the blue distance like inlaid masses of highly polished silver, to give light and beauty to the scene. The valley of the lake may be traced its entire length, beyond which arise the majestic and picturesque Adirondacks, which give a romantic beauty to the background of the picture, and terminate the vision in that direction by their numerous pointed summits. Turning to the east, the wavy line of the horizon is broken by the sharp outlines of the White Mountains, which rise up in the dim dis- tance sixty miles off, and form a marked feature in the landscape, while the intervening space is filled with innumerable summits of hills and mountains, with deep extended valleys, showing the location and courses of the Con- necticut, Winooski and Lamoille, and their numerous tributaries. To the north can be seen the wide-spread valley of the St. Lawrence, and by the aid of a glass in a clear day steamers may be seen gliding upon its waters. The well-known figure of Montreal mountain, from which Cartier first looked upon the mountains of Vermont, rises in the hazy distance.
Sterling Mountain is about four miles northeast from the chin, in the town- ship of Morristown. Its altitude is a little less than 4,000 feet, and were it not for the proximity of Mansfield, would doubtless be regarded as one of the favorite resorts for "sight-seeing ;" for the same enchanting glories are visible from this peak that meet the eye on Mansfield. Between these two mountains a deep gorge intervenes, known as Smuggler's Notch, through which, in the early settlement, a bridle road was kept open, and tradition says contraband goods were secreted in and found their way through it ; but lat- terly no one disturbs its solitude, except those seeking an exhibition of nature in her wildest and most romantic haunts.
The country is well watered by numerous ponds and rivers. The La- moille river forms the principal water-course. It enters in the southeastern part of Wolcott, and receives two streams from Eden-Wild branch and Green river; thence it flows through Morristown, and receives three other streams from the south ; and the Gihon, from Eden, empties into the La- moille, in Johnson, and at Cambridge, Waterville branch on the north, and Brewster river and Seymour branch on the south. It leaves the county in Cambridge, entering Franklin county. In Johnson and Hyde Park are some large intervales, and the stream moves slowly ; in Morristown and Wolcott the meadows are small and the stream is swifter. In Johnson there are two falls in the river. Cady's and Safford falls in Morristown are fine water- powers, and there are many small branches that afford good mill-privileges. Waterbury river and its branches water Stowe, and there leaves the county. Ponds are very numerous. Among the most interesting are Bear Head and Lake of the Clouds, on Mt. Mansfield ; Sterling, one mile in length by half a mile in width ; Elmore, which lies in Elmore, one mile or more in length-on one side a neat village, and on the other a craggy mountain ; in Belvidere, at the . base of Belvidere mountain, a pond a mile and a half in length, and one small
32
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
pond in the western part of Waterville. In Hyde Park there are twelve ponds, and in Eden there are twenty, large and small.
GEOLOGICAL.
Nearly the whole county overlies a bed of rocks of the talcose schist forma- tion. In the western part this bed is cut by a range of gneiss which has an average width of about five miles and extends the whole length of the county. In the eastern part there extends a parallel vein of clay slate, bearing a mean width of about one mile. Soapstone is found in Waterville, Johnson, and near Sterling pond. In Wolcott there is an inexhaustible whetstone ledge. Wolcott and Elmore have a large copper-bed which will be, some day, a great place for mining. Ochre is found in Hyde Park and Cambridge, and near Sterling pond. Lead is also said to have been discovered by the Indians in Belvidere. Veins of gold and silver have also been discovered, but not in quantities sufficient to warrant remunerative working.
STAPLE PRODUCTIONS.
Most of the county is an uncommonly fine farming territory, with a soil varying from clay and gravel to the finest alluvial deposits, and well adapted to grazing purposes and the manufacture of butter and cheese. Considerable attention is also given to raising fine bred horses and cattle. As the soil, etc., will be found more particularly mentioned in connection with the several town sketches, we will, at this point, only give some idea of the extent of the products by the following statistics, taken from the census reports of 1870. During that year there were 106,638 acres of improved land in the county, while the farms were valued at $5,675, 180.00 and produced 18,257 bushels of wheat, 2,740 bushels of rye, 61,836 bushels of Indian corn, 168, 103 bushels of oats, 2,777 bushels of barley, 20,224 bushels of buckwheat, and 333, 185 bushels of potatoes. There were also 2,703 horses, 8,886 milch cows, 1,375 working oxen, 9,377 sheep, and 2,480 hogs. From the milk of the cows was manufactured 984,378 pounds of butter, and 39,199 pounds of cheese, while the sheep yielded 50,022 pounds of wool.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
An Agricultural Society was organized at an early date, and has been con- tinued in various forms since, though it has nearly dwindled out several times. In 1872, it was reorganized as the Lamoille Valley Fair Ground Company, with R. R. Waite, of Stowe, president ; Alger Jones, of Wolcott, treasurer ; and A. A. Niles, of Morrisville, clerk. The fair ground is sit- uated in Morristown, and is one of the best located and finest arranged in the State. The present officers of the society are as follows: Hon. George W. Hendee, of Morrisville, president ; W. S. Pond, of Eden, vice-president; H. D. W. Doty, of Hyde Park, treasurer ; and A. A. Niles, of Morrisville, clerk.
7
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LAMOILLE COUNTY.
MANUFACTURES.
The first manufacturing in the county was purely domestic. It was in the early days when the beautiful spring weather always found the men busy at the " break and swingle-board," and within doors the busy hum of hetcheling, carding, and spinning, was constantly heard. The early settlers were obliged to raise their flax and manufacture their own wearing apparel, for it must be remembered it then required sixty-four bushels of barley to buy one yard of broadcloth, and one bushel of wheat to purchase a yard of calico. The first general business and article of commerce was potash or salts of lye, which was manufactured in every town. Following this, as grain became more abundant, was the manufacture of distilled liquors. This business was car- ried on quite extensively, there being at one time ten distilleries in the town of Cambridge alone. The great mart for this article was at Montreal. Next came the hemp trade. A large manufactory for dressing the hemp for market was erected in Waterville ; but this soon died out and the factory was converted into a woolen-mill. The manufacture of starch has also been con- ducted quite extensively, and is carried on to a considerable degree at the present time. All through this period, however, as is common in all timbered districts, the manufacture of lumber has received great attention. The prin- cipal manufacturing interests of to-day are lumber, in its various branches, starch, woolen goods, butter, cheese, etc., all of which will be found noted in connection with the sketches of the several towns wherein they are con- ducted. According to the United States census report of 1870, the county had 106 manufacturing establishments, operated by four steam engines and eighty-one water-wheels, giving employment to 251 persons. There were $229,775.00 invested in manufacturing interests, while the manufactured products were valued at $403,825.00.
COURTS AND COUNTY BUILDINGS.
The act of the legislature incorporating the county provided that when some town should erect a suitable court-house and jail, the county should be deemed organized. This of course gave rise to much competition, as each town would naturally wish to secure to itself the advantages and dignity ap- pertaining to the county seat. The lower portion of the county considered it the most advantageous to have Johnson made the shire town, while the northern portion wished to have it vested in Morristown. Finally the mooted · question was left for a committee to settle, and Joshua Sawyer, a member of the bar, who exerted a great influence in public matters, secured the county seat for Hyde Park, and the buildings were erected there. The town bore the expense of erecting the buildings, and the court-house was built, and the county courts held there in December, 1836, where the supreme court now meets on the third Tuesday in August, and the county court on the fourth Tuesday in April, and first Tuesday in December. The building is a wood 3
11
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LAMOILLE COUNTY.
structure, containing a convenient court-room, jury room, etc., and the county clerk's office, and office of the probate judge. In 1875, an addition of twenty-five feet was made to the length of the building.
The first county officers were as follows: Judges, Jonathan Bridges, Mor- ristown ; Joseph Waterman, Johnson ; State's attorney, O. W. Butler, Stowe ; judge of probate, Daniel Dodge, Johnson ; sheriff, Almerin Tinker, Mor- ristown ; bailiff, Luther H. Brown, Eden; clerk, Philo G. Camp, Hyde Park. The other chief county officers, since its organization, have been as follows :-
CHIEF JUDGES.
Stephen Royce . .
1836-50
Milo L. Bennett.
1850-51
Asahel Peck*
1851-57
Asa O. Aldist
1857-65
John Pierpoint #. May term, 1862
William C. Wilson
1865-70
Timothy P. Redfield § .
1870-74
Jonathan Ross
Dec. term, 1874
H. Henry Powers.
1875
ASSISTANT JUDGES.
Jonathan Bridge
1836-38
Joseph Waterman
1836-38
Isaac Pennock
1838-40
Gardner Gates.
1838-40
David P. Noyes
1840-42
Nathan H. Thomas.
1840-42
John Warner
1842-44
Calvin Burnett.
1842-44
Nathaniel Jones
1844-46
Moses Fisk 1844-46
Vernon W. Waterman
1846-48
Alpheus Morse 1846-48
John West
1848-49
John C. Bryant 1848-49
Henry Stowell 1849-51
John Meigs. 1849-51
1851-53
Giles A. Barber
1851-53
Nathan Foster
1853-55
Samuel Pennock
1853-55
Alger Jones
1855-57
* Presided a part of the May Term, 1863, and May term, 1867.
+ Excepting May term, 1862, and May term, 1863.
# Presided a part of May term, 1863.
§ Presided a part of Dec. term, 1875.
[ Presided a part of April term, 1881,
James M. Hotchkiss
T
1829586
LAMOILLE COUNTY. 35
Eli Hinds.
John C. Page. .
1857-59
Eli N. Bennett.
1857-59
Samuel M. Pennock
1859-61
Norman Atwood
1859-61
Jerome B. Slayton
1861-63
William C. Atwell
1861-62
Samuel Plumley .
1862-64
Thaddeus Hubbell
1863-65
Lyman W. Holmes
1 865-67
Russell S. Page.
I 866-68
Farwell Wetherby
1868-70
Thomas Potter. .
1869-72
Prince A. Stevens 1870-72
Amasa Stevens
1872-74
James T. Parish.
1872-74
Allen B. Smith .
1874-76
Albert M. Woodbury
1874-76
James W. Stiles 1876-78
John H. Page. 1876-78
Leander S. Small 1878-82
Edwin H. Shattuck
1878-80
Chester W. Ward
1880-81
Reuben A. Savage
1881
Horace Wait .
1882
COURT AUDITORS.
David P. Noyes
Vernon P. Noyes.
Vernon W. Waterman
1850-80
STATE'S . ATTORNEYS.
Orion W. Butler
1836-38
Solomon Wires
1838-40
Harlow P. Smith
1840-42
W. H. H. Bingham 1842-44, 1849-51
Luke P. Poland .
1844-46
William W. White
1846-48
Whitman G. Ferrin.
1848-49
George Wilkins
1851-53
Thomas Gleed .
1853-55
John A. Childs .
1855-57
George W. Hendee
1857-59
Reuben C. Benton
1859-61
H. Henry Powers
1861-63
Philip K. Gleed*
1863-65
* Also appointed by the assistant judges of the Lamoille county court, October, 1869, to fill a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Charles J. Lewis.
1855-57
Lyman B. Sherwin. 1864-66
Charles S. Parker 1867-69
O
8
W
--
36
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
Richard F. Parker
1865-67
Charles J. Lewis. 1 867-69
Marcellus A. Bingham 1869-72
Albert A. Niles.
1872-74
Leonard S. Thompson 1874-76
Edgar W. Thorp.
1876-78
Volney P. Macutchan.
1878-80
Richard F. Parker
1880-82
Philip K. Gleed
1882
SHERIFFS.
Almerin Tinker
1836-38
Riverius Camp.
1838-40
Martin Armstrong.
1840-42
Nathaniel P. Keeler
1842-44
Horace Powers.
1844-46
Jason Crane
1846-48
George W. Bailey.
1848-49
Vernon W. Waterman
1849-51
Samuel M Pennock
1851-53
Elisha Bentley
1853-54
Russell S. Page
1854-55
Emory Town.
1855-57
Charles S. Parker
1857-59
Erastus P. Fairman
1859-61
Orlo Cady
1861-63
John B. Seaver ..
1863-65.
David Randall
1865-67
William C. Doane.
1867-69
George W. Doty
1869-72
Norman Camp.
1872-74
Nason Chaffee .
1874-76
Lyman B. Sherwin.
1876-78
Jonas T. Stevens
1878-80
Norris C. Raymore
1880-82.
Herbert C. Lanpher
1882
COUNTY CLERKS.
Philo G. Camp*
1836-48:
Nathan Robinson 1848
Harlow P. Smith
1 848-49
Edward B. Sawyer
1849-51, 1853-61, 1868-75
Carlos S. Noyes
1851-53
Leander S. Small .
1861-68
W. H. Harrison Kenfield.
1875
* Wm. Camp died in the autumn of 1848, and Nathan Robinson succeeded him for the remainder of his term.
37
LAMOILLE COUNTY.
MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY BAR.
NAMES.
RESIDENCE.
WHERE ADMITTED.
WHEN ADMITTED.
Orin W. Butler*
Stowe .
..
Franklin Co .... Washington Co.
Nov.
1834
William H. H. Bingham
Lamoille
Dec.
66
1841
Leander S. Small
Hyde Park
¥
¥
1849
Henry J. Stowell.
Cambridge
66
66
May
1855
Waldo Brigham.
Hyde Park
¥
1857
H. Henry Powers
Morrisville
66
66
Dec.
66
1859
Madison O. Heath.
Johnson . .
Dec.
1861
George L. Waterman.
Hyde Park
66
May
1862
Carlos C. Burke.
Morrisville
Dec.
1862
W. H. Harrison Kenfield
Hyde Park
1862
Leonard S. Thompson
Stowe .
Orleans
Oct.
66
1869
Albert A. Niles .
Morrisville
Lamoille
May
1870
Volney P. Macutchan.
Stowe . . . .
66
66
Dec.
66
1874
Henry C. Fisk.
Morrisville
66
66
April
1878
Wallace H. Parker.
Cambridge
66
66
1878
Carroll F. Randall.
Hyde Park
1878
Thomas Jefferson Boynton
Johnson . .
66
1881
Henry Moses McFarland ..
Hyde Park
66
66
1881
66
1845
Edward B. Sawyer
¥
1851
George W. Hendee
Morrisville
66
66
May
66
1860
Asahel M. Burke.
. ..
1860
Richard F. Parker
Wolcott .. .
May
1875
Edgar W. Thorp.
1875
Joel W. Page.
Waterville.
.
* Died, 1883.
Lamoille has never been prolific of crime, and the county has yet never convicted a person of a capital offense. In 1867, two men in Eden, Mc- Dowell and Finnegan, quarrelled about some land, and at last attacked each other with axes. The fight was short. McDowell received a slight wound, then buried his axe in Finnegan's side, inflicting a wound that resulted in his death in an hour. He was tried, and discharged on the ground that the deed was done in self-defense, for, it was claimed, had he not struck the fatal blow, Finnegan would.
THE POOR.
Those who from age, infirmity, or otherwise, become unable to support themselves, and are so unfortunate as to be obliged to rely upon public charity for support, are cared for, in conformity with the laws of the State, by the towns wherein they reside.
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