USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Gazetteer and business directory of Windsor County, Vt., for 1883-84 > Part 14
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David Wheeler, from Jaffrey, N. H., came to Cavendish in 1804. In 1829 he located on road 4, upon the farm now owned by his grandson, Frank H. Wheeler. He married Mary Powers, and reared three children, Mary L., Daniel H., and Peter P. David died in 1870, aged eighty-two years. Daniel H. married Susan Davis, reared two children and now resides on the farm with his son, Frank H. His other son, Daniel D., is a captain of artillery in the regular army.
Jonathan Chapman, from Connecticut, came to Cavendish about 1800 and located on road 18, upon the farm now owned by William Wilson. For his first wife Mr. Chapman married Huldah Peck, in 1801, by whom he had one child, Alona. For his second wife he married Polly Adams and reared five children, two of whom, Friend and George A., are living. His third wife was Patty Adams, who died without issue, and his fourth wife, Betsey Park- hurst, also died without issue. Mr. Chapman died July 13, 1858, aged eighty- two years. Friend Chapman married Rozilla Whitcomb, and resides in Cav- endish village.
John Smith came to Cavendish from Boston, Mass., in 1801, and located on road 48, upon the farm now owned by his son Ryland. Two of his three children, Ryland and Elliott J., are living. The latter married Malinda W. Howe, of Chester, Vt., and celebrated his golden wedding in 1879, They have four children.
Zaccheus Blood came to this town from Massachusetts, in 1804, locating at
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TOWN OF CAVENDISH.
Proctorsville, where he carried on the saddlery business for many years. He died in 1841, aged sixty-six years. His son, Albin G., born May 28, 1816, occupies the old homestead.
Stephen Stoddard came to Cavendish in 1812, locating on road 45, upon the farm now owned by his son Cheselton. He reared six children, and died 1858. His wife died May 16, 1849. But three of the children, Mrs. P. Bailey, Charles and Cheselton, now reside in the town.
John Stearns, from Massachusetts, came to Cavendish in 1815, locating on road 18, upon the farm now owned by his son, Christopher W. He reared eight children, and died August 12, 1848, aged fifty-nine years. But three of the children, Luke, John H., and Christopher W., are now living.
Dan Grout was born in Baltimore, Vt., in 1791, and at the age of twenty- four years came to Cavendish and located upon the farm now owned by his son, W. W. Grout, on road 13. He reared a family of six children, and died in 1854. His widow resides with her son Henry, aged eighty-one years.
Asa Whitcomb, from New Hampshire, came to Cavendish in 1817, locating on road 18, upon the farm now owned by Henry Belcher, where he died Jan- uary 5, 1835, aged seventy-one years.
Otis Robbins was born in Templeton, Mass., June 13, 1805, came to this town, from Cavendish, in 1822, entering the store of Ingalls & Fletcher, as clerk. In 1827 he became a member of the firm and continued in trade until 1881. He has been town clerk and selectman a number of years. Mrs. Robbins died February 24, 1883.
Ivory Blood, from Massachusetts, settled on road 18, in 1835. He married Susan Lindsey and has had six children, three of whom are living.
John Davis, a native of Massachusetts, came to Cavendish, from Reading, Vt., in 1837 and remained here until his death, September 4, 1847. His wife, Elizabeth Herrick, died in April, 1849. Only three of their eleven children are now living. The youngest, Gen. George F., born December 20, 1815, came here in 1838 and built a store at Cavendish, remaining in trade fifteen years, since which time he has been engaged in farming. He was cashier and director of the Proctorsville Bank, State senator in 1856-'57, and during the latter year was appointed quartermaster-general of the State militia, holding that position seven consecutive years. He represented the town in 1859- '60 and has held most of the other town offices. He married Addie R. Cobb and has had five children, three of whom are living. For his second wife he married Bertia Carpenter, who was born in Brockport, N. Y., and has been somewhat noted as an advocate of the abolition of slavery, woman's rights, etc.
Roswell Smith, son of Elijah Smith, an early settler of Windsor, came to Cavendish in 1836, where he has since resided.
Kendall Taylor came to this town, from Weston, in 1839, engaging in the manufacture of boots and shoes, which business he followed until 1861, since which time he has been postmaster. He married Lorinda McClellan and has one child, Martha S.
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TOWN OF CAVENDISH.
John F. Deane, born in Weathersfield, Vt., June 29, 1817, came to Cav- endish village in 1840. He studied law with Salmon F. Dutton, was admitted to the bar in 1814, and has practiced his profession here since that time. He was State senator in 1878-'79, States' attorney in 1865-'67, rep- resented the town ten years, was a delegate to the constitutional convention in 1850, and was court reporter three years.
Edward Barrett came to Proctorsville, from Ludlow, in 1846, and remained here until his death, of heart disease, in June, 1849. His widow, Abby Bassett, died in February, 1871. They had a family of four sons, Edward S., Charles F., Daniel K. and Joseph H., three of whom are now living.
The First Baptist church of Cavendish, located at Cavendish village, was organized by Rev. Aaron Leland, with forty-six members, in 1803. Rev. Jonathan Going, Jr., being the first pastor. The first church building was a wood structure located at the center of the town, built in 1801. In 1834 a brick structure took its place, and in 1878 the present wood building was erected, at a cost of $4,500.00. It will comfortably seat 250 persons, and is valued, including grounds, at $6,000.00. The society now has sixty mem- bers, with Rev. Foster Henry, pastor. In 1870, by the will of the late Hon. Richard Fletcher, of Boston, a native of Cavendish, the church came into possession of a valuable parsonage, a pastor's library of 200 volumes, and a fund of $4,000.00. The income accruing from $1,000.00 is to be annu- ally expended in increasing the pastor's library, while the interest on the re- maining $3,000.00 is to be annually expended, either in repairs upon the parsonage or for the support of preaching.
The Methodist Episcopal church of Cavendish was organized at an early date, many of the earliest settlers being Methodists. The society formerly wor- shipped at the old union church, built in 1801, holding their meetings there until 1840, when they built a church at the village. In 1882-'83, mainly through the perseverance of the pastor, Rev. A. B. Enright, the society built a new edifice, a fine wood building costing $4,300.00. It was thought by many that the money could not be raised, but subsequent events proved how vain were their fears. Liberal donations came in from every side, Hon. Redfield Proctor sending his check for $1,250.00, the Crescent Mill Co. $650.00, ex-Gov. Fletcher & Son $300.00, etc., until not only was money enough donated to place the society entirely out of debt, but also enough to leave some yet in the treasury. The whole property is now valued at $5,500.00. The society has sixty members, with Rev. A. B. Enright, pastor.
The First Universalist church of Cavendish was organized at an early date, Rev. Warren Skinner being the first pastor. Their church building, a stone structure, capable of seating 250 persons, was built in 1844, and is now valued, including grounds, etc., at $2,500.00. The society has twenty members, with Rev. J. S. Gledhill, pastor.
St. Mary's Roman Catholic church, located at Proctorsville, was organized by Rev. Charles O'Reilly, with 100 members, in 1860. Their church build-
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
ing was erected during that year, at a cost of $2,000.00. The society now consists of thirty families, with Rev. Father Lane, acting pastor, services being held once in four weeks.
C HESTER, one of the oldest towns in the county, lies in the southern part of the same, in lat. 43º 17' and long. 4° 21', bounded north by Cavendish and Baltimore, east by Springfield, south by Grafton, in Windham county, and west by Andover. It contains an area of 32,242 acres, was first chartered by New Hampshire to John Baldridge and others, by the name of Flamstead, February 22, 1754. Under this charter, however, no settlements were made, nor is it mentioned in the town records, hence it is probable that the proprietors forfeited their claims by not complying with the requirements of the charter deed. A second charter, to Daniel Hayward and his associates, in seventy-four equal shares, was granted by the same province, November 3, 1761, naming the town New Flamstead. Under this charter the proprietors held a number of meetings, but none in Chester until about the year 1764. In 1763, Thomas Chandler, Sr., being interested in the settlement of Walpole, N. H., and elected a selectman of that town, turned his attention towards the colonization of New Flamstead. During that year he succeeded in raising a small colony, principally from Woodstock, Conn., and Worcester and Malden, Mass., and commenced the settlement of the town. On the 14th of July, 1766, a third charter of the town was issued, this time by New York. Under this charter, Thomas Chandler and thirty- four of his associates became proprietors of the town, and its name was changed to Chester, and under this charter, or by authority derived from it, the lands of Chester are now held.
The surface of the town is considerably diversified with hills and valleys, but the soil is generally good. The uplands afford excellent pasturage and pro- duce an abundance of grain, while the lowlands are rich and fertile, affording excellent crops. The timber is mostly hard wood, with some hemlock, spruce, and pine. The maple is quite abundant and from it is made large quantities of sugar. Williams river is the principal water-course. It is formed here by the union of three considerable branches, which unite, nearly in the same place, about a mile southeast of Chester village, affording good mill-sites. The rocks entering into the geological formation of the territory are mostly gneiss. In the western part, however, talcose schist predominates. Two beds of steatite are also found, one in the southwestern and one in the north- western part of the territory The gneiss, at some points, passes into granite, affording opportunities for quarrying granite as well as gneiss. About a mile north of Chester village a mineral spring was discovered in 1860, the waters. of which, it is said, contain valuable medicinal remedies, possessing unusual properties for the cure of cutaneous diseases. About a mile north of Chester
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
Depot the railroad passes through a swamp which at one time must have been a pond, and became covered over with vegetable matter. When the road was built, the workmen, after having made quite a heavy fill of gravel from an adjacent terrace upon the muck of the swamp, were surprised one morning after a heavy shower in the night to discover that the road upon which they had been at work had sunk several feet, and was out of sight. Many additions of gravel had to be made to the road before it was sufficiently high and permanent for cars to pass over.
In 1880 Chester had a population of 1,901, and in 1882 it was divided into seventeen school districts and contained seventeen common schools, employing one male and twenty-three female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $2,400.39. There were 450 pupils attending common school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $7,808.42, with Mrs. H. H. Gowing, superintendent.
CHESTER, a post village located in the southeastern part of the town, lies principally along one main street, extending northwest and southeast, there being near its center a small park studded with maple trees. It contains three churches (Congregational, Baptist and Episcopal), one hotel, three general stores, a clothing store, tailor's shop, drug store, hardware store, jewelry store, two millinery shops, marble shop, harness shop, etc., and a factory for the manu- facture of children's carriages.
CHESTER DEPOT (p. o.) is the name given a small village gathered about the depot of the C. V. R. R. It has one hotel, a wholesale and retail hardware, coal and flour store, one general store, a jewelry store, fancy goods store, millinery shop, etc., and one chair stock factory, furniture store, machine shop, and engine house, and the usual compliment of other mechanic shops, etc.
NORTH CHESTER, another small post village, lies just northeast of Chester Depot with only Williams river between them. It contains about thirty dwellings, one church (Universalist), one hotel, a cheese factory, soapstone mill, one general store, blacksmith shop, etc.
GASSETT'S STATION (p. o.) consists of a score of dwellings gathered about the railroad station in the northwestern part of the town. It has one store.
FACTORYVILLE is the name given to a partly detached portion of Chester village.
S. H. Piper & T. G. Thompson's saw-mill, located on North Branch, is operated by both steam and water-power. They are engaged in the manu- facture of chair stock, lumber, shingles, eave-spouts, etc.
Durastus Gowing & Co.'s grist-mill, located at North Chester, was built in 1883 upon the site of a mill destroyed by fire in 1882. The firm does custom work.
The Chester Steam-Power Co. was organized as a stock company April II, 1881. Their works are leased by Loring Atwood, for manufacturing chair- stock.
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
The Chester Dairymen's Association's cheese factory, located at North Ches- ter, is conducted by Milton H. Bemis, and manufactures cheese from the milk of about 400 COWS.
W. L. Ware's grist-mill, located at Chester, is operated by water-power and does custom work.
Quartus D. Gowing's grist and feed-mill, located at Chester Depot, is opera- ted by water-power. He does a large merchant business.
Loring Atwood's steam chair-stock factory, located at Chester Depot, gives employment to fourteen hands.
J. D. Powers's chair-stock factory, located at Factoryville, is operated by water-power, and gives employment to six hands.
Holden's soapstone mill, located at North Chester, is operated by water- power, and gives employment to four men.
Willard Bailey's grist and saw-mill, located on road 33, is operated by water-power and does custom work.
Russell Cobleigh's children's carriage factory, located at Chester, gives em- ployment to fifteen hands and turns out 3,000 children's carriages, 2,000 doll carriages, and 2,000 hand-sleds of all kinds, per annum.
C. Walker's cabinet shop is located at Chester. He has been in the busi- ness since 1832.
Under the second charter from New Hampshire the proprietors held a number of meetings, but none in Chester until about the year 1764. Their first appointed clerk was John Goulding, who held the office from 1761 to 1763. Thomas Chandler, Jr., was then elected to succeed him, and was clerk until the organization of the town, in 1767. During the year 1763, the elder Chandler, with his sons, John and Thomas, removed to the town and were soon after followed by Jabez Sargeant, Edward Johnson, Isaiah Johnson, Charles Mann, William Warner, Ichabod Ide, and Ebenezer Holton, from Woodstock, Conn., and Worcester and Malden, Mass. From this time for- ward the settlement increased so rapidly that on the 16th of January, 1771, the town had 152 inhabitants, the fourth largest in what is now Windsor county, the town of Windsor being the most populous. In 1791, this popu- lation had increased from 152 to 981.
About the time the New York charter was issued, in 1766, the county of Cumberland was organized and Chester was made the shire town. Thomas Chandler was appointed chief judge of the county court, and his son, John Chandler, clerk. The erection of the courts, building of the jail and court- house, the riots connected therewith, and the final removal of the seat of government to Westminster, however, have all been spoken of in connection with the county chapter, so it would be superfluous to go over the ground again here. On the first Monday in June, 1767, the town was organized. At this meeting a full quota of officers was appointed, though no record is found of any town officers until 1772 ; but all the records to be found made during that time are in the handwriting of Thomas Chandler, and he was no
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
doubt the town clerk each year, and the other officers were chosen also. But on the 19th of May, 1772, the inhabitants "met at the court-house in Chester, Cumberland county, Province of New York, and chose Thomas Chandler town clerk and supervisor; Charles Mann, David Hutchinson, John Stone and Joshua Church, constables; Jabez Sargeant and George Earl, assessors ; Thomas Stone and Josiah Johnson, collectors ; William Gage and David Hutchinson, overseers of the poor ; Timothy Olcott, Jona- than Tarbell and George Earl, commissioners of highways ; and Moses Gile and John Smith, fence viewers." The first justices of the peace were Thomas Chandler and Daniel Heald, in 1786. The first representative was Thomas Chandler, in March, 1778. The first born was Thomas Chester Chandler, son of John and Esther Chandler, December 26, 1763. The first death was that of Lucy, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Chandler, August 28, 1763.
Among the distinguished persons who have resided in Chester may be mentioned Nathan Smith, M. D., C. I. M. S., London, a professor in Yale college and lecturer in the Vermont University, who resided here many years in his early life. Col. Thomas Chandler, under whose particular influence and agency the charter under New York was obtained, was a man of quick apprehension, hasty in his movements, and dogmatical, and was said to have been instrumental in the massacre at Westminster, and afterwards died there. Thomas Chandler, Jr., was also conspicuous in the formation of the State government, being one of the commissioners of confiscated estates, one of the judges of the first supreme court and first secretary of State. Elder Aaron Leland, in early life, took an active part in politics as well as religion, and filled several offices of trust in town, county, and State, was town clerk, one of the selectman, and representative a number of years, judge of the county court, speaker of the house of representatives, and lieutenant-governor of the State. His portly appearance in person overawed some, while his light and airy deportment sometimes displeased others. Lucius Hubbard, Esq., edu- cated at Yale college, was for a number of years the only lawyer in the town. He was a man of science and died young.
Daniel Heald, Esq., was one of the early settlers from Concord, Mass., where he resided at the commencement of the Revolutionary war, was a soldier in the battle at Concord bridge, and in the service at Cambridge, the same season and also at Ticonderoga. In 1776 he built a log house in Chester, upon the same lot on which he resided until his death, in 1833, in the ninety- fifth year of his age. He shared fully the confidence of his townsmen, being town clerk twenty years, from 1779 to 1799, and represented the town in the legislature thirteen years.
William Atwood, from Rhode Island, came to Chester in 1774, locating. upon a farm where Chester village now is. Here he built a log house which was used as a hotel for some time. He reared a family of eleven chil- dren, most of whom, however, migrated to distant places. Rufus inherited the
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
homestead, which he occupied until his death. Oliver and Jeremiah spent their lives in the town. Oliver married Miranda Bacon and reared twelve children, nine of whom attained an adult age. The daughter of James, (Mrs. Sarah F. Thompson,) one of the nine, now resides on road 9. Jeremiah pur- chased a farm on the South Branch of Williams river, in 1786, the same now occupied by Ransom Sherwin. He married Zilpha Willard, September 18, 1788, and they both died on the old homestead in 1837, he at the age of seventy-three years and she aged sixty-eight years. Seven of their nine chil- dren spent their lives in the town, one of whom, Alpheus, still resides here, aged eighty years.
Abraham Sawyer, from Templeton, Mass., came to Chester in 1778, and soon after built a saw-mill where Powers's mill is now located. About the year 1800 he built a grist-mill near the former. Mr. Sawyer had two sons, Abraham, Jr., and Joseph. Joseph married Abigail Mann and had one son and one daughter. The son, Thomas Sawyer, built a woolen-mill here in 1822 and a grist-mill in 1816.
John Putnam, son of John Putnam, of Farmington, Conn., came to this town about 1783 and located on road 20. He married Molly Baker, by whom he had children as follows : Jesse, Robert, John, Jr., Molly, Betsey, John, 2d, Rachel and Sally. Albert A., son of Jesse, married Mary A. S. Ward and now resides at the South village. John Putnam, Jr., located in the northern part of the town, on road 6. His son, Orric, died on the place his widow now occupies.
Daniel Davis, a Revolutionary soldier, served during a large portion of the war for Independence, receiving at its close his pay in continental currency. With this money he purchased of Jesse Burk, of Westminster, 125 acres of land in Thomlinson, now Grafton, Vt. He made this purchase April 7, 1784, without seeing the land, the only stipulation being that it should " not be a lake or a mountain." He built a log cabin on his farm, and September 10, 1786, took Experience Sawyer, daughter of Abraham Sawyer, to preside over it. In 1789 Mr. Davis exchanged farms with his father-in-law, thereby coming into possession of the farm on road 49 in Chester, now owned by his grandson, Lemuel H. Davis. The house he occupied was built in J799. Daniel had a large family of children, whose descendants are numer- ous in this vicinity.
Hugh Henry, from Ackworth, N. H., came to Chester prior to 1780, and located upon what is now known as the Henry homestead, about a mile east of Chester village. Here he kept the first tavern in the town, and also kept a store for a long time. Mr. Henry was a prominent man in public affairs, held many of the town offices, and died in 1849, aged seventy-nine years. He married Susan Dodge and reared one son and three daughters. The son, Hugh H. Henry, was born October 31, 1814, graduated from Dartmouth college about 1833, married Sarah Henry, of New Hampshire, and had a family of five sons and five daughters, as follows : Mary, Hugh, Martha D,
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
Julia, Clark, Charles F., Arthur H., Patrick, William and Sarah E., all of whom, except Sarah E., who died in July, 1882, now are residents of the town. Hugh studied law and was admitted to the bar. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Co. K, 16th Vt. Vols., became a lieutenant, and was mustered out in 1863. He then entered the provost marshal's office and remained a year and a half, and resumed the practice of his profession at Chester in 1866, where he has been since. Mr. Henry married Alice A. Ordway, in May, 1872, and has a son and a daughter, Hugh and Emma C. He represented the town in 1870, '72, '74, and '76, and was in the senate in 1880.
Major Abner Field was one of the early settlers of Chester. He was born in Cranston, R. I., July 5, 1754, and married Rebecca Payne, of the same town, February 22, 1779. He was a prominent man, and represented the town when the legislature met in Westminster, and died from a cold, contracted while a member, his death occuring at Chester, December 10, 1792. Abner W. Field will perhaps be remembered by some of the older inhabitants, an active and intelligent man who represented Chester two or three times in the legis- lature. Robert, William and Stephen Field were sons of Major Abner. Robert married Lydia Field, daughter of Pardon Field. William died un- married, Stephen married Mary Jordan, moved to Troy, Wis., and became one of the leading men in that section. Robert Field, when quite an old man, moved to Gerry, N. Y., where he died, leaving a numerous family.
James Field, who came to Chester not far from 1787, was born in Provi- dence, R. I., July 31, 1738, and died in Chester in 1827. He married Hannah Stone, by whom he had one son, Pardon. After the death of Hannah he married her sister, Jane, by whom he had several childen, viz. : Hannah, Charles, Dorcas, Daniel, Elijah, Diana, Susan and James. Pardon Field was born in Cranston, R. I., at Field's Point, April 13, 1761, married Elizabeth Williams, a descendant of Roger Williams, and emigrated to Ches- ter about 1786, locating upon the farm now occupied by Samuel Abbott, and which was occupied for a number of years by James and Henry, son and grandson of Pardon. Pardon had ten children who reached maturity, viz : Hannah, born June 5, 1782, married John Kibling, went to Ellisburgh, N.Y., and died there. Lydia, born May 16, 1784, married Robert Field, before mentioned. James, born March 27, 1788, married Mehitable Thurston, and died at Chester, July 8, 1850. Jeremiah, born May 8, 1790, married Eliza Simmons, moved to Ellisburgh, N. Y., was a lawyer by profession, and died there April 13, 1861. Abner, bom November 28, 1793, married Louisa Griswold, and died in Springfield, December 19, 1864. Joseph, born Janu- ary 22, 1796, married Abigail Thurston, and has resided in or near Ogdens- burg, N. Y., for a great many years. Sarah, born March 27, 1798, married Stephen Austin, and lived and died in Weston. Welcome, born October 14, 1802, married Calista Earle, and died in Anoka, Minn., August 14, 1883. Pardon, Jr., born April 10, 1805, married Mary Hoar, and at her decease, a Miss Fish. Pardon Field, Sr., died in Chester in 1842, and his wife died in
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