USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Gazetteer and business directory of Windsor County, Vt., for 1883-84 > Part 15
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I19
TOWN OF CHESTER.
1840. Hannah, half sister of Pardon, Sr., married Joseph Williams and has three children, Joseph, William and James. Charles Field, brother of Han- nah, married Mary Wilson, and had children as follows: Fanny, who married a Mr. Pease ; Charles, who married Mary Foster and only recently gave up a well-rounded life, and some of whose children still reside in Ches- ter ; Betsey, who married a Mr. Hill ; Elan, who only a few years since lived and died in Andover; Orrin, who married a Mr. Hoar ; and Rest, who became a Mrs. Foster. Dorcas Field, a half sister of Pardon, married a Mr. Williams and has three children, Thomas, Arthur and Mrs. Ezekiel Davis, most of whom are known to the older inhabitants of Chester. Susan, another half sister of Pardon, married a Mr. Chandler, and had three children. James Field, Jr., married a Miss Taylor and lived for some time on the farm now known as the town farm of Chester, he afterwards moved to Clarendon, where he died. His children were Moses, who became a Baptist clergyman, Seneca, now living in Fairhaven, Vt., Mary and James.
Johnson Fuller, from Rhode Island, came to Chester in 1785, when there were only three frame buildings in the South village. Mr. Fuller was in the privateering service during the Revolutionary war and died at the North village a few years since, aged ninety-two years. He had a family of nine children, one of whom, Catharine, married William Howard.
Paul Tobey, from Massachusetts, settled in Chester about 1788. He married Betsey Parker and reared nine children, one of whom, Andrew P., married Martha E. Boynton, of Springfield, Vt. This union resulted in five children, four of whom, Myron S., Mary E., and Emma E., on the home- stead with their mother, and Pauline, wife of Highland Chandler, are living.
Ichabod Onion came to Chester, from Dedham, Mass., about 1790 and purchased one hundred acres of land where the South village is, paying there- for $1.50 per acre. He established a tannery soon after and continued the business nearly forty years, and died in 1837. His son Horace, who subse- quently changed his name to Horace Deming, born in 1798, married Julia Deming, and now resides at the South village. Their children were named Charles, Mary, Riley, Frederick H., Fanny E., Julia, and Maynard F.
Nathaniel and Thomas S. Fullerton came to Chester in 1790, with their father, Abram, engaged in mercantile pursuits and accumulated a large property. Nathaniel died in 1872, aged ninety-seven years. Thomas S. died in 1824. Henry N. Fullerton, son of Nathaniel, married Lucretia W. Gowdy and engaged in the wholesale dry goods trade in Boston, where he remained ten years, was in the woolen manufactory at Cavendish twenty years, came back to Chester in 1873, and died here in 1883. Frederick Eugene Fullerton, son of Nathaniel, married Miss P. A. Wentworth, of Bellows Falls, located here in 1848, and reared four children.
William Hosmer came to Chester at an early date and reared a family of eight children, six of whom were sons, of whom Amasa, Ira, William and Jesse H. spent their lives here, rearing large families. Jesse H. filled the
I20
TOWN OF CHESTER.
offices of sheriff and constable many years, and died in 1839, aged forty-nine years, leaving four children, only one of whom, Mrs. N. S. Lee, is now living. Jesse H., who now resides on North street, is the eldest son of William P. and grandson of Jesse H.
Daniel Perry was born in Sherburne, Mass., January 27, 1767, married Sally Whitmore in 1793, and came to Chester in 1794, locating about sixty rods off road 40. A few years later, in 1816, the log house was superseded by the frame structure in which the youngest son, Alonzo, now resides. Daniel reared twelve children, most of whom became scattered, and died March 31, 1855, aged eighty-eight years. Mrs. Perry died October 2d of the same year.
(THE WILLIAM CHANDLER HOMESTEAD.)
William Chandler, son of Willard, was born on the homestead, on road 10, now occupied by John A., April 4, 1798. He married Louisa Ellison and reared seven children, viz .: Charles E., Aurilla M., Angelica L. (Mrs. David Hazelton, of Worcester, Mass.), Adoniram J., a Baptist clergyman of Clinton, Conn. ; John A., Gilbert R., who died in 1855, and William, also deceased. Charles E. married Georgiana Whitcomb, of Springfield, and has reared five children, as follows : Henry E., Nora G., Helen W., Grace M., and Eddie, of whom the latter died in 1872. Four now reside on the homestead, which was built in the spring of 1857, a substantial stone structure, located two and one-half miles from Gassett's Station. and the same distance from North Springfield. William Chandler was an industrious farmer, a good citizen, and greatly esteemed by all who knew him. His widow residing with her son John A., on the homestead, at the age of seventy-six years, and who furnished the accompanying engraving of the place, retains an interest in the estate.
John Balch, from Francestown, N. H., came to Chester about 1795, locat- ing on road 22, where he purchased a large tract of land. He married Lydia Reed and reared a family of eleven children, of whom three daughters reside in Chester, two sons in Springfield, Vt., one daughter in Reading and one in
I2I
TOWN OF CHESTER.
Townsend. Clark, the second son, married Sabrina C. Sheldon and died here May 29, 1882, aged seventy-five years. His widow and nine children survive him.
Jesse Fisher came from Massachusetts and located in the northern part of the town in 1797. He married Jerusha Armstrong and reared six children. One of these, Jesse, married Abigail M. Harrington and has three children.
Isaac Coleman, from Rhode Island, came to Chester with his family of five children in 1880. Millard F. and Chester F., sons of James and grand- sons of Isaac, now reside here.
John P. Bryant came to Chester about 1800, with a family of seven chil- dren. One of these, William A., became a Methodist minister, and his son, William N., is now a practicing physician in the town.
Joseph S. Holden located in the northern part of the town in 1800. In 1833 he built a saw-mill on North Branch and did a successful lumber busi- ness for many years. Mr. Holden was also a skillful mechanic, and manu- factured dentists' tools, etc., for a time. He now resides with his son, George W., at the age of ninety-two years.
Moses Riggs located in Chester about the year 1800. He married Esther Billings and reared three sons and three daughters. His grandson, Henry H., son of Franklin, resides in the northwestern part of the town.
Ephraim Ingraham, from Walpole, N. H., came to Chester previous to 1800. He married Sally Kiblin and reared six sons and three daughters. Hubbard married Betsey Church, and had two daughters, Lizzie and Hannah. Lizzie became the wife of John P. Stevens, and has one daughter. Hannah is the wife of Warner Church, and has one son and one daughter.
Isaac Allen came to Chester from New Hampshire, in 1804, and engaged in blacksmithing at the North village. Five of his nine children are now living, of whom Mary A. Sherwin and Rebecca reside on the old homestead.
Philemon Robbins, born at Sterling, Mass., in 1783, came to Chester about 1815. He became a prominent man and served as a justice of the peace for many years.
Thomas Thompson, one of Timothy Thompson's seven children, was born here on the old homestead, on road 22, December 16, 1814. He married Sarah F. Atwood, in 1839, and reared a family of six children, two of whom, Frederick H. and Forest G., now reside here, and died June 30, 1883. Mrs. Susanna Guild is the only one of Timothy's children now living.
Philemon Parker, a son of one of the victims of the battle of Lexington, was an early settler in Peru, Vt., and came to Chester in 1820. He had a large family of children, four of whom settled in Chester. John Parker, the youngest son, married Miss E. Johnson about 1833, and erected the house now occupied by his only son, James. John died February 26, 1874, aged seventy-five years.
Daniel Adams, born in Cavendish in 1795, married Catherine Hartwell, and came to Chester in 1822. Of this family, Ira H. and Alpheus A. be-
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TOWN OF CHESTER.
came active business men. Alpheus engaged in mercantile pursuits under the firm name of Adams & Park, and died in 1882. Ira H. is still a resi- dent of the town.
Ormond W. Fletcher, son of Jonas Fletcher, a soldier in the war of 1812, was born in this town, married Frances M. Weston, of Springfield, Vt., in 1831, and engaged in mercantile pursuits at the North village in 1879, where he now is conducting a successful business.
David A. Sherwin, from Windham, Vt., came to Chester in 1838, and en- gaged in the mercantile business with M. C. Richardson, building up a pros- perous trade. He served the town as selectman thirteen years. He died in 1865, aged sixty-five years.
The First Congregational church of Chester was organized in 1773, and Rev. Samuel Whiting was settled by this town and Rockingham, Wind- ham county, for five years. He officiated one-third of the time at Chester and the remainder at Rockingham, after which the society had no settled pastor for thirty-six years. In 1825, Rev. Uzziah C. Burnap was settled here, and continued till 1837, since which time there have been several changes. The first church building was erected in 1789, a structure 40 by 50 feet. The present building was erected in 1729, and is now valued, including grounds, at $10,000.00. The society now has 180 members, with Rev. H. L. Slack, pastor.
The Baptist church of Chester, was organized in 1788, and built a house 40 by 30 feet the same season, which they continued to occupy until 1835, when it was removed and the present brick edifice erected, now valued at $6,000.00. Elder Aaron Leland was pastor of the society from 1788 until his decease, in 1833, a period of forty-five years. Rev. A. R. Wilson is the present pastor.
St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal church, located at Chester, was organized in 1868. The first Episcopal services held here were in 1867, by Rev. Charles S. Hale, of Bellows Falls. Regular services soon followed and a mission was organized by the name of St. Philip's mission. In 1868 Rev. Mr. Flanders was called, the present church organized at Easter, with ten communicants, which number has since increased to eighty-eight. The church building was erected in 1871, and is valued, including other property, at $14.000. The present rector, Rev. Thomas S. Ockford, succeeded Mr. Flan- ders in October, 1882.
The First Universalist church, located at North Chester, was first organized in 1827, and re-organized in 1871. The church building, a stone structure capable of seating 300 persons, was built in 1845, and is now valued at $4,- 000.00. The society has no regular pastor at present.
123
TOWN OF HARTFORD.
H ARTFORD is one of the most important towns in the county. It lies in the northeastern part, in lat. '43° 40' and long. 4º 37', bounded north by Norwich, east by the Connecticut river, which separates it from Lebanon, N. H., south by Hartland and west by Pomfret. This was the first township granted by New Hampshire east of the Green Mountains after the close of the French war, receiving its charter July 4, 1761. The grantees, sixty-four in number, were principally from Lebanon, Conn., of whom Prince Tracy, James Phinneo, Jr., and Jonathan Marsh constituted the proprie- tors' committee. It has an area of 27,000 acres. Within a few months after the charter was obtained, sixty-four fifty-acre lots were laid out, one of which was given to each proprietor to hold in severalty. In 1763 the township was surveyed and proper marks placed at the corners and between the corners at the end of every mile, while at the same time allowance was made for high- ways and some of them partially prepared for use. These improvements were made by ten of the grantees. From the time the town was char- tered until its organization, the proprietors displayed much energy in effecting a. settlement, and by their strenuous efforts the requisites of the charter under which the lands were held were faithfully fulfilled.
Hartford has, like most other towns of the county, an uneven surface, yet its river basins and many pleasant valleys afford a large area of level, arable land, while nearly the whole township is susceptible of profitable cultivation and possesses a warm, easily cultivated soil. The principal water-courses are White, Connecticut and Quechee rivers, all of which afford many valuable mill- sites. Connecticut river, as before mentioned, forms the eastern boundary of the township, flowing through a valley that is proverbial for its picturesque beauty. White river flows across the town from the northwestern corner of the same to about the center of the eastern border, where it unites with the Connecticut. This stream also flows through a valley of incomparable loveli- ness, forming a beautiful picture as it winds along, now rapidly over rock and pebble, then settling down to a wide, sober current, as if to ruminate on its own loveliness, careless alike of the picturesqueness of its path and the beautiful landscape scenery surrounding it. Dotted along its course are the villages of West Hartford, Centerville, Hartford and White River Junction. Quechee river flows a very irregular course through the southwestern part of the town, forming for a short distance the boundary line between Hartford and Wood- stock. Upon it are situated the villages of Quechee and Dewey's Mills. Just South of Dewey's Mills the stream flows through the celebrated Quechee chasm. This chasm is one of the most interesting natural curiosities in the State, and no visitor to Hartford should miss seeing it.
The rocks entering into the geological structure of the town are mostly of the calciferous mica schist formation. In the eastern part of the township, however, extending from Hartland through into Norwich, bounded by lines drawn about half a mile respectively east and west of Hartford village, the
I24
TOWN OF HARTFORD.
rocks are of clay slate formation, while east of this, talcose schist predom- inates. A bed of gneiss, forming the geological structure of the western part of Hartland, extends a short distance into Hartford, lying directly south of Quechee village. No minerals of importance have ever been discovered. Quechee springs, located about two miles from Quechee village, were dis- covered in 1840, and at one time were quite celebrated for the medical qualities of their water, which is strongly impregnated with muriate of soda and carbonate of lime, with lesser traces of carbonate of soda and muriate of magnesia. Throughout the town are numerous specimens of terrace forma- tions. Along the valley of White river they are numerous, though in the vicinity of Quechee chasm are found the most beautiful examples. In a pasture just at the head of the chasm, opposite Dewey's mills, are five, one above the other, all as clearly defined as though thrown up by the hand of a skillful landscape gardener. Each side of the chasm there can be traced an old river bed, marking two ancient courses of the stream before it wore away the deep gorge that now serves as its channel. These terraces and river beds afford conclusive evidence that an extensive pond or lake once covered the land here, and that it was slowly drained as the stream forming its outlet wore its bed gradually lower and lower, cutting out the schistose rock, until Quechee chasm was formed and the final process of drainage completed.
In 1880 Hartford had a population of 2,955, was divided into fourteen school districts and contained eighteen common schools, employing seven male and twenty-three female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $2,890.00. There were 580 pupils attending common school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $4,- 459.00, with N. B. Hazen, superintendent.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION is a pleasant little post village located in the eastern part of the town, at the confluence of. White river with the Connecti- cut, being one of the largest railroad centers in the State. It has a fine, large union depot, four churches (Episcopal, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Universalist), a large hotel, several stores of various kinds, an extensive con- fectionery and cracker manufactory, and the usual compliment of mechanics' shops, etc.
HARTFORD is a pleasant little post village located about a mile west of White River Junction, on White river. It has one church (Congregational), a good hotel, several stores, a harness shop, rake factory, chair factory, saw-mill, grist- mill, etc., and about a hundred dwellings. Pease's Hotel is a fine, well-kept house, a great favorite with both traveling people and summer sojourners. One of the old land-marks of the village, it has been in the possession of the Pease family for over half a century, and the present proprietor, Charles W. Pease, not only keeps up the good reputation of the old hostelry, but constantly in- creases its popularity by adding modern improvements from time to time, and in looking sharply after the comfort and entertainment of his guests. No more genial, affable landlord than Mr. Pease exists, no pleasanter place than Hart-
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TOWN OF HARTFORD.
ford village can be found for spending the summer, and no more comfortable, home-like public house than Pease's Hotel opens its doors to the stranger.
QUECHEE, a post village and station on the Woodstock railroad, lies in the southern part of the town, on Quechee river. It has one church (Congrega- tional), several stores, a grist-mill, tannery, woolen factory, etc., and about seventy-five dwellings. The river here affords an excellent water-power, to which the village probably owes its existence. This water-power was utilized at a very early period of the town's history. In 1765 the town voted a liberal grant of land for the building of a saw and grist-mill, but it is hardly probable that they were built in accordance with this vote, though the saw-mill was built previous to 1770. In 1783 the town voted to grant Gov. Joseph Marsh cer- tain privileges " so long as he, his heirs or assigns should maintain a grist-mill on these falls in good repair," and it is probable that a grist-mill was erected at once, so as to secure this grant from the town. One authority says it was built by Elisha Marsh, and as Joseph and Elisha Marsh were associated in several business enterprises, they may have built this mill together. The town records indicate that a fulling-mill was erected here at some time pre- vious to 1779, as a transfer of a fulling-mill by Joseph and Elisha Marsh to John Carpenter is recorded in August of that year. This mill was probably used only for finishing the home-made cloth brought in by the neighboring farmers. In 1788 John Carpenter deeded the property to Jonathan Burch. In 1789 Burch deeded it to William Stewart, and during the same month Stewart deeded it to Elisha Marsh.
It is said that the first woolen factory here was built in 1808, by Capt. Ray- mond, of Vershire, Vt., although his name does not appear on the land records as ever owning or conveying such property. It was a small wooden building with a blacksmith shop in the basement. In 1809 two brothers by the name of Harwood-Benjamin and Eleazer-came to town and put machinery in the mill. Their name was usually pronounced " Herod," and many of the old in- habitants remember them only by this name ; but according to the land records it is spelled " Harwood," which is undoubtedly correct. Eleazer owned the real estate alone. These brothers made the first cloth in Quechee, the wool being picked by hand, and the spinning was done by hand-power. The yarn was put out around the neighborhood and woven by hand-looms. The cloth was finished at the mill. In 1814 the Harwoods built the first brick factory, the basement of which was used for a tenement. In 1819 Eleazer Harwood deeded it to his brother-in-law, Abel Penfield. In 1820 the Harwood Bros. failed, after which Penfield continued the business for a short time. In 1821 Samuel Tyler & Co. came from Smithfield, R. I., and started the mill on cassi- meres and satinets. The company consisted of Samuel Tyler, Abel P. Cham- berlain, James Harendeen and Daniel Winchester. In 1824 Abel Penfield deeded to Samuel Tyler & Co., and in 1825 Tyler & Co. failed. The prop- erty then passed to John Downer, Elihu Ransom, Chester Davis and P. Bead- ford Wolcott, constituting the " Quechee Manuf'g Co." John Downer was
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TOWN OF HARTFORD.
president, and Chester Davis manager. Le Baron Putnam subsequently ac- quired an interest in the concern. This company enlarged the business and put in new machinery for the manufacture of cassimeres. In 1828 or'29 they took down the brick mill, built by the Harwoods in 1814, blasted out a wheel- pit, laid the foundations, and built a small part of the walls of the upper or main factory building that was carried off in the freshet of 1869. In 1830 the company failed, leaving the building but very little above the foundations. In 1831 the outside was completed, probably by the creditors. In Decem- ber, 1836, after several fractional transfers, arising doubtless from executions against the Quechee Manufacturing Co., William Jarvis, Daniel Bowen, Lyman Mower, G. H. Mower, O. P. Chandler, Hampden Cutts, Francis K. Nichols and John Chase, Jr., deeded to the Mallory Woolen Co. Probably no manufacturing was done here between 1830, when the Quechee Company failed, and 1836, when the Mallory Co. began. In 1832 the Middlebury Bank, which was a creditor of the Quechee Co., deeded a two-thirds part of the mill to Harvey Waters, and in the same year Waters deeded to Peter Farnam, Lewis Mills and John D. Wheeler. In 1836, the various fractional inter- ests were concentrated in the Mallory Woolen Co. By the records this com- pany originally consisted of William Jarvis, Lewis Mills, Francis K. Nichols and John Chase, Jr. The company made broadcloths, starting with a capital of about $50,000.00, and in less than four years it had about all disappeared. William Jarvis advanced money to pay its debts and took a mortgage on the property. In 1840 he foreclosed and took possession, and the Mallory Co. ceased its existence. In 1840 Francis K. Nichols & Co. leased the mill, the company being Francis K. Nichols, John Chase, Jr., Daniel Smith, Abraham Stearns and Reuben Daniels. The first shoddy made in this county was made in 1840, in this mill, by this concern. They continued until 1843, when they became embarrassed financially, but compromised their indebtedness and formed a new partnership under the name of Chase, Smith & Co., com- posed of the same parties that were in the firm of F. K. Nichols & Co. They continued to manufacture shoddy into satinets until the latter part of 1845. January 1, 1846, A. G. Dewey & Co. leased the mill and continued the shoddy business for nearly two years, Mr. Reuben Daniels being associated with Mr.
Dewey. From 1847 to 1857 the mill was idle. In this latter year Denison Taft and Joseph C. Parker came from Barre, Vt., and bought the mill of William Jarvis. They started it the same year and began the manufacture of fine Quechee flannels, which has been continued until the present time. In 1858 Taft sold his share of the real estate to J. C. Parker, who thus became the sole owner. Taft, however, retained a half interest in the business of the mill. and the same firm name was used. Taft & Parker ran the mill until 1866, when Parker sold one-fourth of the real estate to William S. Dewey and one-fourth to William Lindsey. Dewey and Lindsey also bought Taft's interest, and the name of the firm was changed to J. C. Parker & Co. Octo- ber 4, 1869, a terrible freshet carried away the grist-mill and the upper or main
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TOWN OF HARTFORD.
factory building, which latter was built in 1831. In 1870 it was rebuilt. The new factory building is of brick, larger and more substantially built than was the old one. In 1876 Mr. Dewey retired and was succeeded by a son of J.
C. Parker. Since this time, there has been no change in ownership. The firm now consists of J. C. Parker, William Lindsey and J. W. Parker. The mill contains seven sets of machinery, with the latest improvements, and pro- duces 1700 to 1800 yards of flannel per day, giving employment to about eighty operatives. In 1866 a pullery for pulling pelts and a tannery for tanning the skins was established in the basement of the lower factory build- ing. This business has been continued to the present time. Upwards of forty thousand pelts are worked yearly, and the wool used in the manufactur- ing of flannels. J. C. Parker individually rebuilt the grist-mill in 1870, and has run it until the present time. It is a substantial brick building, standing above the upper factory. It contains the best machinery for grinding all grains, the wheat department being particularly complete.
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