USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Gazetteer and business directory of Windsor County, Vt., for 1883-84 > Part 19
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TOWN OF LUDLOW.
adapted for grazing and cultivation. The lumber is mostly hard wood, the varieties of maple, beech, birch and ash predominating. The declivity of Center mountain abounds in spruce and hemlock, and the two highest of the table lands were found at the settlement of the town, heavily wooded with pine of the largest size.
The prevailing rocks in the geological formation of the territory are the different varieties of gneiss and talcose schist. In the northwestern part there is quite a ledge of quartz rock, while serpentine and steatite abound in the eastern part, where is found also beautiful specimens of verd antique marble. Gold exists in small quantities along Black river and other parts of the terri- tory, while fine specimens of iron ore, in considerable quantities, are found.
In 1880 Ludlow had a population of 2,008, and in 1882 was divided into nine school districts and contained thirteen common schools, employing two male and nineteen female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $2,199.06. There were 522 pupils attending common schools, while the en- tire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $2,618.06, with William W. Stickney, superintendent.
LUDLOW, a post village and station on the Rutland division of the C. V. R. R., is beautifully located in the central part of the town, on Black river. It was incorporated December 21, 1832, and has about 1,500 inhabi- tants, five churches, (Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Universalist and Roman Catholic), one academy, one graded and two district schools, a good hotel, two public halls, a weekly paper, a thoroughly equipped steam fire de- partment, a cornet band of eighteen pieces, one Masonic and one Good Temp- lar's lodge, three dry goods and general merchandise stores, three clothing, shoe, and gents' furnishing stores, two jewelry stores, one tin and stove store, one hardware, one furniture, and one crockery store, and one grocery, two drug stores, book store, and music store ; it has also one woolen- mill, one doll-cab and toy manufactory, one listing-mill, two lumber-mills, two grist-mills, and the usual compliment of mechanic, millinery and black- smith shops, etc. Aside from this it is surrounded by an industrious and thrifty farming community, and is, altogether, a lively and charming place.
The Black River Academy, located at the village, was incorporated by the legislature in 1834. It has a fine building occupying a commanding situation near the center of the village, and for beauty of prospect is un- rivaled by any place in the vicinity. The present officers of the institution are as follows : Hon. W. H. Walker, president ; Surry W. Stimson and L. G. Hammond, vice-presidents; Hon. F. C. Robbins, secretary ; and Alva F. Sherman, treasurer.
Warner & Hyde's job printing office, located on Main street, was estab- lished by Mr. Warner about thirty years ago, and continued by him until 1879, when Mr. Hyde was admitted as a partner.
Duane C. Barney's marble shop, located at the village, was established in 1867, where he has since done a flourishing business.
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TOWN OF LUDLOW.
The Ludlow Woolen Mills, J. S. Gill, of Boston, proprietor, operates 3,000 spindles, thirty-eight looms and seven sets of cards. They employ about 150 operatives and manufacture 150,000 yards of broad goods per year.
The Ludlow House, H. L. Warner, proprietor, is finely located on Main street. The building has lately been extensively repaired and is now a thoroughly good hotel in all respects. Good accommodations are offered summer boarders, who, with the facilities for fishing, hunting, drives, etc., find this a most desirable place to spend the summer.
LUOL
(LUDLOW HOUSE.)
Whitcomb & Atherton, millers and bakers, have their mill located on Jewell brook and their bakery on Main street. They do a business of about $100,000.00 per annum.
John P. Warner's machine shop was established in 1865.
James Roberts's listing manufactory, located on Jewell brook, turns out about 900 pounds of listing per week.
The Ludlow Toy Manufactory, located on Black river, was established by a stock company, in 1873, with William H. Walker, president. The works employ about thirty hands in the manufacture of toy wagons, etc.
William J. Barrett's corn-hulling establishment, located on Pond street, was established by him in 1877. He hulls about 100 bushels per annum.
Anson J. Sawyer's tannery, located on Jewell brook, was established by James B. Horr, about forty years ago, and came into the possession of the present proprietor in 1853. Mr. Sawyer tans about 20,000 hides per year.
William S. Lawrence's saw-mill, located on a branch of Black river, was built by Jonathan Carpenter in 1838, and came into Mr. Lawrence's hands in 1871. He manufactures about 300,000 feet of lumber per year.
George D. Pinney's granite works, located on road 16, turn out all kinds of monument and building work.
The Freeman Stone Company was organized in 1876 by A. B. and S. D. Freeman, who carried on the business until 1882, when ex-Governor Redfield
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TOWN OF LUDLOW.
Proctor, of Rutland, became a partner. The works are located on Black river, about a mile and a half below the village, where the firm manufactures 2,000 gross of scythe stones and uses 2,000 tons of material per year, in the manufacture of soapstone goods, giving employment to twenty men.
Paul D. Sears's shingle manufactory is located on Snell brook. Mr. Sears does a flourishing business.
Joseph Harris's saw-mill and chair-stock factory located on Jewell brook, is operated by a forty horse-power engine and cuts about 100,000 feet of lumber per month.
Eli P. Kingsbury's saw-mill, located on Jewell brook, cuts a large amount of lumber per year.
The settlement of the town was commenced in 1783-'84, when Josiah and James Fletcher, Simeon Read, James Whitney and Ephraim Dutton came on from Massachusetts and began clearings upon the alluvial flats bordering up- on Black river. In 1791 the population had increased to 179 persons. The town was organized and the first town meeting held March 31, 1792, at the house of Stephen H. Read, when Jesse Fletcher was chosen town clerk, and Peter Read, afterwards for many years pastor of the Congregational society, was elected representative.
Jesse Fletcher, born in Westford, Mass., November 9, 1762, married Lucy Keyes, of Westford, August 8, 1782, and came to Ludlow as above mentioned. From that time till his death he resided on the same farm in Ludlow, where all his fifteen children (except the oldest) were born. Charlotte, his first child, was born November 8, 1782 ; Stephen, born January 23, 1784, was killed by being run over by a sleigh February 18, 1790 ; Michael was born February 12, 1785, and died at Indianapolis, Ind. ; Fanny married Dr. Calvin Bliss ; Jesse, born September 21, 1787, died at Mount Clemens, Mich. ; Elijah, born July 28, 1789, died in Lynchburg, Va .; Timothy, born March 10, 1791, settled in Lynch- burg, Va., where he lived till the war of the rebellion, when he returned to the old homestead where he was born, and where he died August 5, 1870; Lucy, born June 25, 1792, married Dr. Richard Williams, of Newark, Wayne county, N. Y., and is the only survivor of Jesse and Lucy Fletcher ; Stephen, born January 10, 1794, died at New Orleans, La., August 17, 1818 ; Laura, born September 1, 1796, married Dr. Calvin Button, of Newark, Wayne county, N. Y., and died there in 1844; Calvin, born February 4, 1798, married Sarah Hill, of Urbana, Ohio, who died in September, 1854, when he married for his second wife Mrs. Keziah Price Lister, nee Buckhurst. He was the elev- enth of fifteen children, most of whom, it is remarkable, lived to receive an education and go out into the world. Under the teachings of an excellent father and of a mother of more than ordinary ability, he early learned those habits of industry and self-reliance which, coupled with upright principles, uni- formly characterized his manhood life ; while performing all the duties exacted from a boy on a New England farm he very soon manifested a great desire for a classical education. This desire was stimulated by the concurring advice
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TOWN OF LUDLOW.
of his mother and the witnessed success of his brother, as he had a few years before completed his college course. Depending on his own earnings for the means of obtaining an education he set about preparing himself for college. At his request his father gave him his time and he went from home. We next find him in Pennsylvania engaged in a brick-yard ; but his brickmaking shortly came to an end. His intelligence soon attracted the attention of a gentle- man named Foote, by whom he was induced to go to Ohio. He studied law at Urbana, O., with Hon. James Cooley, and ultimately became Mr. Cooley's law partner. In January, 1821, Mr. Fletcher settled in Indianapolis, Ind., where he practiced law successfully and held the office of State senator seven years. He died there May 26, 1866, his death resulting from a fall from his horse. He had a family of eleven children. Miles J., the twelfth child of Jesse, was born November II 1799, and resided in Marlboro, N. Y. Dexter, born June 5, 1801, died October 25, 1803 ; Louisa, born April 12, 1804, mar- ried Joseph Miller, of Newark, Wayne county, N. Y., where she died. Stough- ton A., born August 22, 1808, married Maria Kipp, of Newark, N. Y., Aug- ust 25, 1836. She died in 1841, when he married for his second wife Julia Butler, February 20, 1844, and for his third wife, Mrs. Julia A. Johnson, of Chester, Ohio, and resided in Indianapolis till his death, in March, 1882. Stoughton A., son of Calvin, born in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1831, is a banker there and has a manufactory for building stationary engines and boilers, em- ploying about 600 men. He owns the old homestead in Ludlow, which he occupies as a summer residence.
The valley of the Black river in Vermont, beautiful and picturesque hills on either side, has no fairer spot than that on which is situated the old Jesse Fletcher mansion near the eastern edge of Ludlow, as you cross the line of Cavendish. In the west the Green Mountains seen through the avenue of maple's which border the highway. The house is situated on the second of three successive bottoms of a primeval lake. It overlooks a meadow in front watered by a remarkable spring discovered by Jesse Fletcher in 1783, a spring which has been neatly re-arranged with marble masonry by Stoughton A. Fletcher, Jr., and dedicated with appropriate inscriptions to the descend- ants of the discoverer. Here was the home of Jesse Fletcher and Lucy Keyes his wife, where they reared their fifteen children. The tall Lombardy poplars that once lined both sides of the roads are with one exception gone, but a great elm tree spreads over the western end of the mansion while stately maples cast their grateful shade over the roadway. One of the chil- dren (Lucy) is still living. The old mansion is the property of Stoughton A. Fletcher, of Indianapolis, Ind., the grandson of Jesse and the son of Calvin, under whose generous hospitality the old place is a rallying point for the tribe of Jesse.
Ephraim Dutton, one of the first settlers; was born in Westford. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade and built the first house and first church in town. Mr. Dutton reared a large family of children, none of whom are now living.
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TOWN OF LUDLOW.
The youngest, wife of Dea. Spaulding, died in April, 1883. Lucinda, another daughter, married Ira W. Archer, in 1828, and reared six children, viz : Sarah, Richard, Rosina, Selina, Victoria and Albert. Richard and Albert enlisted in the late war ; Richard was killed and Albert died in a hospital, of disease. The four girls are living, Sarah and Rosina in Minnesota, and Selina and Victoria in Ludlow. Ephraim died at about the age of eighty years.
Asher Spaulding, a native of Massachusetts, came to Ludlow in 1795 and built a log house upon the farm now occupied by Baldwin Spaulding. He died at Ackworth, N. H., of hydrophobia, contracted by skinning the body of a mad fox. Artemas, son of Asher, born here April 28, 1801, has been an extensive farmer and cattle dealer. Dexter, son of Artemas, follows the same business.
Mrs. Sally H. Moore, widow of Abel Moore, resides with James Pollard, upon the farm where she was born eighty-eight years ago. She has never ridden in a railroad car, stage nor steamboat, never attended a circus nor Fourth of July celebration, and has indulged in only one picnic.
Charles Stimson, born in Mendon, Mass., came to Ludlow in 1799, at the age of four years, and has resided here ever since. His son, Surry W., born here, now resides at the village.
Orrin Bates, one of the early settlers of the town, came here from Stur- bridge, Mass., in 1800, and located about a mile south of Ludlow village. He reared a family of five children, four of whom are living, and died in 1816, aged thirty-seven years. Of the children, Norman resides in Chester, Warner in Sherburne, Cornelia in Plymouth, and Almira in Ludlow village.
Thomas Bixby, from Westford, Mass., came to Ludlow at an early date, locating upon the farm now owned by Calvin Bixby, which has never since been out of the family possession. Calvin, who resides at the village, has reared a family of seven children, all but one of whom are living.
Edward Wilder, born in Sterling, Mass., came to Ludlow about 1808, locat- ing where Daniel Cooledge now resides. He died here in 1866, aged eighty- seven years. Four of his nine children are now living, viz. : Edward L. and Josiah S., of Ludlow, Isabel E. Howe, of Manchester, N. H., and Lestina Brown, of Afton, Iowa.
Zachariah Parker, born in New Ipswich, Mass., came to Ludlow in 1821, and still resides here, aged eighty-seven years, Charles S., son of Zachariah, born in Ludlow, carried on a mercantile business here about twelve years; and for the past twenty-five years has been an auctioneer.
Darius Gassett, a native of Massachusetts, came to Windsor county about ninety years ago, locating in Andover, where he remained the rest of his life. Darius, Jr., came to Ludlow about 1830, and now resides at the village.
Leonard Sears, born in Rochester, Mass., came to Ludlow, from Mont- pelier, in 1836, and has aince resided here. His son George W. came here with him and has reared a family of five children.
I57
TOWN OF LUDLOW.
Parker Pettigrew, one of the early settlers of the town, came here with his father, Andrus, when twelve years of age. His father kept the first store in the town, about three miles south of the village. Parker died at the advanced age of eighty-three years. Josiah W., son of Parker, has held most of the town offices, and is a highly respected merchant.
Stowell Howe, was born in Gardner, Mass., came to Ludlow, in 1850, and died here in 1873, aged sixty-two years. His widow and three children survive him.
Thomas Kenworthy, born in Lancashire, Eng., came to America about 1843, and came to Ludlow about 1859. He is a wool spinner and has worked in the mill here ever since he came to the town.
Elisha Johnson, born in Middlebury, Vt., came to Ludlow, in 1851, and located upon the farm now owned by his son Elisha. He has held the office of selectman seven years.
John L. Buckmaster, born in Shrewsbury, Rutland county, came to Lud- low in 1856. He is a farmer and dealer in " Yankee horse rakes," though he has been engaged in mercantile pursuits several years.
Charles Stimson, born in Massachusetts, came to Ludlow in 1802, Jocating on South hill, where he resided until about 1865, when he removed to the vil- lage. Surry W., son of Charles, has been high sheriff of the county twelve years, and has also been deputy sheriff several years. Artemas Spafford, born in Sterling, came to Ludlow when about twenty years of age, was town clerk thirty-one years, and died in 1862. William P., son of Artemas, has held the office of town clerk twenty-four years.
The Baptist church in Ludlow .- As early as 1806, there were thirteen Bap- tists in town. In 1819, a union meeting-house was built, now used for the Academy and town hall, and was occupied by the Baptists nearly one-half of the time, they being members of the churches in Andover, Cavendish, and Chester. April 18, 1825, the first Baptist church was organized, consisting of forty members, and the following year Joseph Freeman was ordained as its pastor. His successors were Elias Hurlbut, J. M. Graves. and A. Allen, June 30, 1835, seventy-eight members, dissatisfied with the low standard of temperance prevailing, and despairing of effecting any reform in the old or- ganization, withdrew, and formed the second Baptist church. In their cove- nant was this pledge : " We engage to use no ardent spirits except for medici- nal purposes." Most of the remaining members of the first church subse- quently united with the second, and the first ceased to be recognized by the Woodstock Association in 1837. J. M. Graves, the pastor of the first church, was among those who formed the second. Darwin H. Ranney became pastor in 1836; William Upham in 1837 ; J. M. Graves, a second time, in 1838, Baxter Burrows in 1841; Nathaniel Cudworth in 1849; Ira Pearson in 1853; John P. Farrar, in 1872, J. A. Johnston in 1877 ; Lewis B. Hubbard, in 1881 ; and J. B. Child, in 1882. The following persons have served as daecons: first church, Moses Mayo, Andrew
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TOWN OF NORWICH.
Pettigrew, Luther Howard, Janna Wilcox, John Pierce, Martin Howard. Second church, Janna Wilcox, Moses Dodge, Asa Fletcher, Roswell Smith, Samuel L. Armington, Abel A. Bachelder, Ora J. Taylor, James Petti- grew, John Hull, Alvah F. Sherman, John A. Dennett. Present number of members, 191. The present house of worship was erected in 1840 at a cost of $2,000.00, and was repaired in 1878 at an expense of $1,800.00. It will comfortably seat about 400 persons. A pipe organ was purchased in 187 -. The vestry, containing four rooms, was built in 1878.
The First Universalist church of Ludlow is a brick structure, capable of seating 300 persons and valued, including grounds, at $5,500.00. It was built in 1837. The society now has forty-five members, with Rev. J. S. Gled- hill, pastor.
The Ludlow Congregational church was organized by Rev. Peter Read, its first pastor, September 25, 1806, with twenty-four members. The present church building was erected in 1840, a wood structure capable of seating 300 per- sons, and valued, including grounds, at $2,000.00. The society numbers 122 members, with Rev. R. B. Grover, pastor.
The Methodist Episcopal church, located at Ludlow village, was organized by Rev. N. F. Perry, in 1872. The church building, a wood structure capa- ble of seating 300 persons, is valued, including grounds, at $7,200.00. The- society has eighty members, with Rev. Elihu Snow, pastor.
The church of the Annunciation (Roman Catholic), located at Ludlow village, was organized by its first pastor, Rev. J. C. Mclaughlin, with 290 members, July 23, 1876. The church building, capable of accommodating 400 per- sons, was dedicated July 23, 1876, and is valued, including grounds, at $5,- 500.00. The society has 200 members, with Rev. Henry Lane, pastor.
N ORWICH lies in the northeastern part of the county, in lat. 43 45 and long. 4° 42', bounded north by Thetford, in Orange county, east by the Connecticut river, which separates it from Hanover, N. H., south by Hartford, and west by Sharon. It was chartered by New Hamp- shire, by the name of Norwhich, July 4, 1761, to Samuel Slafter, Jacob Fen- ton, Judah Hatch, Eleazer Wales and about fifty others, containing an area of 23,040 acres. The "h" was not retained in spelling the name.
The surface of the town is uneven, yet nearly all of its territory admits of cultivation, producing all kinds of grains and grasses, and some excellent orchards. The soil is well watered, the principal water-course being the Con- necticut river, which is here about thirty to forty rods in width. Ompompa- noosuc river enters the township from Thetford, two miles west of the Con- necticut river, and, after running three miles across the northeast corner, min- gles its waters with those of the Connecticut. It is a rapid stream, with a gravelly bottom, about six rods in width, and affords a number of good mill-sites.
I59
TOWN OF NORWICH.
Bloody brook rises in the northwestern part of the town, and, passing a little westerly of Norwich village, falls into the Connecticut just below Norwich depot. This stream also affords some good mill-seats. Its name, says an old tradition, is derived from a bloody battle fought here during the French war. This is undoubtedly erronious, however, as the name was undoubtedly derived from a family by the name of Blood, residing near its banks. On each of these streams are fine tracts of intervale. Smalley's brook is a small stream which falls into the Connecticut between the Ompompanoosuc and Bloody brook. Mosher's brook rises in the southern part of the town and unites with the Connecticut in Hartford. The timber of the meadows was originally elm, bass, ash and butternut ; on the plains and hills near the rivers, principally white pine, and further back maple, beech, birch, hemlock, etc. 'The largest body of water is Tilden pond, which lies about a quarter of a mile from the Connecticut, near road 32. It covers an area of about twelve acres. The Messrs. Tilden, its owners, have lately stocked the pond with black bass.
The principal rock entering into the geological structure of the town is of the calciferous mica schist formation. This underlies the whole of the western and central part of the territory. The eastern part of the town is made up of two parallel ranges of clay slate and talcose schist. In the northern part, east of Union Village, there is a small bed of steatite. Extensive beds of iron ore exist in the northwestern part of the township, and copper has been discovered in the eastern part. Cyanite, or sapphire, is also found in lami- nated masses connected with quartz and mica. Beautiful specimens of actyn- olite are found, and anthracite in small quantities. The Passumpsic railroad crosses the eastern part of the town, with stations at Norwich and Pompa- noosuc.
In 1880 Norwich had a population of 1,471, and in 1882 was divided into seventeen school districts and contained sixteen common schools, employing six male and twenty-one female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate sal- ary of $1,739.24. There were 326 pupils attending common school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 3 Ist, was $1,412.08, with C. P. Flanders, superintendent.
NORWICH is a post village located in the southeastern part of the town. It has two churches, two public schools, one store, a blacksmith shop, tan- nery, paint shop, carriage shop, and about twenty-five or thirty dwellings. The village is located on a broad street with two others branching therefrom all well shaded and lined with residences, many of which are a century old. The oldest of these is the one now occupied by Mrs. Messenger, built by Capt. Joseph Hatch in 1771. Just off Main street is the old Norwich Mili- tary Academy building, which was used for educational purposes for many years, until the Norwich University was removed to Northfield, a few years since.
POMPANOOSUC (p. o.) is a hamlet and railroad station located in the north- eastern part of the town, consisting of about half a dozen dwellings.
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TOWN OF NORWICH.
BEAVER MEADOW is a hamlet located in the western part of the town.
UNION VILLAGE is located in the northern part of the town, lying parly in Thetford. In Norwich it contains a Methodist church and blacksmith shop, in Thetford a general store, postoffice, saw-mill, provender-mill, paint shop, etc., and altogether about twenty dwellings.
Leslie S. Patterson's saw-mili, on road 13, is built on a water privilege deeded from Goshen Bartlett to Hezekiah Johnson, in 1776. The original mill was washed away and the present one was built about fifty or sixty years ago. It was originally a saw and grist-mill and was rebuilt as such, but the grist-mill was taken out in 1869. In 1872 it was purchased by Mr. Patter- son, who has since operated it. It contains a circular board saw, two split- ting saws, band-saw, planer, and shingle machine, and a small provender- mill. It turns out eight to ten car loads of chair-stock, and about 800,000 feet of rough and dressed lumber annually.
Messenger & Hazen's tannery, located at Norwich village, was built by Dea. Sylvester Morris about fifty years ago. After a few years he sold it to Asa Blanchard who operated it about fourteen years then sold out to E. Wadsworth. Mr. Wadsworth retained the property until 1868, then sold to the present proprietors, who tan about 8,000 sides of leather per year.
W. L. Booth's saw-mill, located on road 49, is operated by water-power and cuts 300,000 feet of lumber annually.
J. B. Rand's grist-mill, located on road 69, is operated by both steam and water-power, has three runs of stones and grinds 30,000 bushels of merchant corn, and does 20,000 bushels of custom grinding per annum. There is also sold here about 100 tons of cotton seed meal per year.
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