USA > Vermont > Essex County > Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887 > Part 47
USA > Vermont > Caledonia County > Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887 > Part 47
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Obel and Simeon Shattuck came to this town soon after 1790, from Fitch- burg, Mass. Obel commenced operations as a farmer where his grandson, Samuel F., now lives. He married Polly Farley, rearing a family of fifteen children, all of whom are deceased. He died December 27, 1823, aged fifty- three years. Simeon settled on the place now owned and occupied by M. S. Mathews. He married Lucy Chandler, rearing six children, and died May 20, 1826, aged fifty-seven years.
Peter W. Cofran was born in Northfield, N. H., September 14, 1771. He married Rebecca Howett, and came to this town in the summer of 1792, bringing his household effects the entire distance in an ox cart. At that date there were but few families in town, and they were obliged to go to Peacham to mill and to buy goods. He first settled on road 25. He died September 22, 1856, and Rebecca, his widow, died November 20, 1857.
John Love married Sarah Emerson, of Concord, N. H., and moved to this. town from Londonderry, N. H., in 1796, first settling on road 12, where S. D. Gray now lives. Mr. Love moved here the first of November, having previously engaged a man to fell one acre of trees for him and build a house. When he got here the trees were felled but the house was not built. Conse- quently he moved into the house of Jacob Guy, where they lived through the winter-J. Guy, wife and child, and four in the Love family. Early in the spring a small framed house was erected, with a stone fireplace and a covering of bark. Inside the house there was a ladder leading to the cham- ber. Betsey, a little girl of Mr. Love's, in attempting to climb this ladder, fell from it into a kettle of hot embers and was so severely burned that she lived only a short time. Mr. Love lived here until 1827. The following
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TOWN OF WHEELOCK.
incident is related by one of Mr. Love's daughters, now living: In the fall of 1799, Mrs. Love, on going to the door of their cabin in the evening and hearing a rustling in the field near by, told her husband that she thought a bear was in the cornfield. Mr. Love shouldered his gun and started to route master bruin. Arriving at the cornfield, he could see a large object moving among the corn, so he at once fired at the animal, and returned to the house. The next morning he went out to investigate the effects of his night's adven- ture, when he discovered that he had killed his own horse, which had wan- dered from the pasture into the cornfield.
Ebenezer Chandler was born at Canterbury, N. H., in 1755. He married Sarah Sargent, of that place, and moved to this town about the year 1798, settling near what is now known as Chandler pond, where he resided until his death, which occurred June 12, 1842. He was a member of the Freewill Baptist church, and among the foremost in promoting its interests, being one of the committee who erected the church edifice in the southern part of the town. He reared a family of nine children, as follows ; Submit, Sarah, John, Hannah, Elijah, Patty, Theophilis, Comfort and Ebenezer. John was born in 1785, married Marion F. Darling, and settled where his son Moses D. now lives. He reared four children, and died February 1, 1875. Theophilis was born in 1796. He was a farmer and followed the vocation with zeal for those pioneer days. He married Ruth Hoyt, October 17, 1824. After their marriage he built the house where his son Thomas now lives, and where he resided until his last illness. He died in Herman, Ill., September 16, 1871, he, at that time, being in the west visiting relatives. His wife, Ruth, died May 14, 1866.
Abner, Thomas and Barnard Hoyt, three brothers, from Canterbury, N. H., were early settlers in Caledonia county ; Abner at South Wheelock, Barnard a mile north, and Thomas in Danville. From these have descended the Hoyts of Lyndon and the other towns surrounding. Abner had four sons, Thomas, Samuel, Walter and Abner, all of whom settled in Lyndon.
Nathaniel Hart came to this town about eighty-three years ago. He was a native of New Market, N. H. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade, but followed farming after coming to this town. He reared a family of seven children. His son Nathaniel was born in this town, and always lived on the "Hart farm," so-called, with the exception of one year, which was spent in Waterbury, Vt. He followed the vocation of farming. He died in the fall of 1865, at the age of sixty-two years. Of his five children, only two are living, Lavina D., wife of Bradley Ingalls, in Sheffield, Vt., and William, who lives on the homestead, on road 27.
Hon. Thomas Jefferson Cree was born in New Boston, N. H., October 28, 1806. January 1, 1834, he married Anna Stone, daughter of Deacon Moses Stone, at Cabot, Vt., and on the same day moved to Wheelock, where he resided till his death, November 9, 1880. In 1834 he was appointed post- master, the first in Wheelock Hollow, holding the office till 1848, when he
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TOWN OF WHEELOCK.
resigned. He was sheriff of the county in 1840-41, and associate judge two years before the county buildings were removed from Danville to St. Johns- bury, represented the town in 1848 and 1849, was senator for the county in 1862 and 1863, and had repeatedly served the town in all its offices. He also acted as agent for Dartmouth college many years, as collector of rents on lands in town owned by that institution, and finally bought a large share of said lands himself. Mr. Cree was a practical surveyor, had run almost every farm line in the town, and was always appealed to in determining dis- puted boundaries between his townsmen. While sheriff he gave considerable attention to the study of law, and afterwards continued to study with John Beckwith, of Sutton. In 1847 he was admitted to the Caledonia county bar, and had a good practice until his last sickness. In his early life he was a house carpenter, and first came to Wheelock, before his marriage, with the contractor who erected the churches in this town. All through life he was an industrious, hard working man, very public spirited, possessed excellent judgment on all questions, and was most highly esteemed by all who knew him.
John Heath was a son of Benjamin. He was born in Canterbury, N. H., and moved to this town about 1801, first locating on the farm where F. Dar- ling now lives. He married Submit P. Chandler, and reared a family of seven children, all of whom grew to maturity, four of whom are still living, John and Alonzo in Albany, Vt., and Ebenezer P. and Lauritine, wife of Thomas Chandler, in this town.
Thomas Noyes was a native of Canterbury, N. H., and came to this town, in company with his brother, about 1800, both settling in the southern part of the town.
Moses Darling was a native of Holderness, N. H., and a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He settled in this town about 1800, and reared a family of fourteen children. His son Mesiach was about ten years of age when he came with his parents to this town. He married Sarah Carter, rearing a family of three children, Ferdinand, John and Lucy.
John Sulloway was born in Bow, N. H., July 22, 1777, and came to the eastern part of this town, and purchased about sixty acres of land in the spring of 1800. Here he erected a rude log house, with fire-place of stone, spruce bark for a floor, and covered with the same material as was customary among the early settlers. In about three years he returned to Bow, married Rachel Eastman, and again returned to this town. His efforts being seconded with success, he erected a commodious house, about the year 1825, where Eli E. Hammond now lives. He reared a family of six children, two sons and four daughters.
Israel Porter and his brother Abijah were natives of Danvers, Mass., and came to this town in 1801. Israel took up a tract of land on road 56. He was born March 27, 1773, married Sally Nourse, and died March 24, 1842.
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TOWN OF WHEELOCK.
His widow died March 8, 1862. Of their fourteen children, only one is liv- ing-Mrs. Asa B. Hubbard, in this town.
Benjamin Morgan was born in Sanbornton, N. H., in 1798, and when about seven years old he moved to this town with his father, Stephen Morgan. Stephen first settled on road 9, where he erected a log house and commenced clearing the forest. He married Annie Gibson, of New Hampshire, and died in 1860, his wife having died in 1850. His son Benjamin, born in 1791, mar- ried Abigail Nelson, in 1835. He died February 2, 1880.
Ward Bradley came to Wheelock in 1800, from Corinth, where he had been a clerk in a store. He opened a store for himself near the center of the town- ship with a stock of goods worth about thirty dollars. He after a few years (five or six) moved down to where Wheelock village now stands, and bought the store of the Fairbankses, which stood where the hay scales now are, and until the spring of 185 1 he and his sons Sewall and Hial conducted the busi- ness. Ward Bradley built the first tannery of importance at Wheelock village. He was the father of two sons and four daughters. Two of his daughters still live in Sheffield, Mrs. Charlotte Ingalls and Mrs. Harriet East- man. Sewall Bradley had a family of seven children, was representative, town clerk, etc., in Sheffield, and at the time of his death president of Lyndonville National bank. He died in September, 1885. Three of his children are still living.
Samuel D. Gray is a son of Eliphalet Gray, who was a native of Barrington, N. H. Samuel D. was born in this town, May 13, 1813, being one of a fam- ily of fourteen children. He married Elvira Keniston, and has reared a fam- ily of three children, one of whom, Isaac K., lives in this town.
Jesse G. Gray, son of Eliphalet and Polly (Allard) Gray, was born in Wheelock, in 1833. His life has been spent in farming, dealing in cattle, and trafficking. He has been lister, selectman, representative 1870-72, justice of the peace, notary, deputy sheriff eight years. He married Eliza A. Twombly, and has one daughter. He is now proprietor of Wheelock Hotel. His grand- father, Jeremiah Gray, moved to Wheelock, from Gilmanton, N. H., about 18ro, with a large family, and settled near the Sheffield line.
Charles Mathewson was born in Rhode Island, August 26, 1794, and moved. to this town in 1815. He married Sarah Williams, settled on road 17, cor- ner 19, and reared a family of eleven children. His son E. C. married Lucy E. Marsh, and lives on road 19.
James Horne was born in Middleton, N. H., July 5, 1790. He married: Nancy Ellis, September 12, 1812. In the spring of 1819 he moved to the eastern part of Goshen Gore, now Stannard, where he lived only about a year, when he moved to the southern part of this town, where his son James G. now lives. He was a man marked for good habits and integrity. He died August 5, 1869, aged seventy-nine years, and his widow died September 15, 1870, aged eighty-two years.
Hon. Charles Rogers was born in Alton, N. H., in 1824. His father, a.
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TOWN OF WHEELOCK.
native of Rochester, N. H., married Mary Hurd, of Rochester, who bore him nine children, all of whom are now living. He came to Wheelock with his family in 1829, where he spent his after life engaged in farming. He died in :1876, aged ninety years, and his wife died in August, 1881, aged ninety-two years. Hon. Charles Rogers is a farmer and land surveyor. He has repre- sented Wheelock in the legislature of 1852-54, 1861-62, 1878-79-80-81, served as assistant judge 1869-70, senator 1872-74, and has been town clerk, . treasurer and agent since 1873, justice about twenty years, and held every office in the gift of the town. He married Mary H., daughter of Hiram and Caroline Melvin, of Wheelock, in 1852, has three daughters living, buried two infant sons and one daughter, Carrie J., aged nineteen years.
The following is a list, as far as known, of those that volunteered from the town in the War of the Union :--
Asa Allard, Clark Willey, Oscar Bogue, William H. Jones, John F. Kelley, William J. Ramsey, Daniel S. Jones, John Wines, Asa Miles, Robert Alston, Artemas C. Whitney, James Highly, Edwin C. Clement, Chester A. Larnard, :Stephen O. Elkins, Levi A. Smith, Stephen S. Cree, Walter W. Chase, Isaac K. Gray, Spencer Drake, Jr., S. R. Willey, Hiram M. Thomas, William L. Ayer, John Sheldon, Norman W. Caswell, John Gadley, Milo Blodgett and Reuben Kelley.
The Freewill Baptist church, at South Wheelock, was organized by Elder Joseph Boody, their first pastor, with nine members, in 1800. In November, 1796, the town voted to build a meeting house-the first one in town. It was built the following year, was a large two story edifice, and, like others of its kind, was never finished. Enough was done however so that meetings were held in it. It was never lathed and plastered overhead. Their present wooden structure, which will seat 150 persons, was built in 1884, and is val- ued at $1,800.00. The society now has thirty-eight members, with Elder R. J. Russell, pastor. Among the names of ministers who have had charge of this church may be mentioned Elders Page, Robinson, Mainard, Gilman and .Allen.
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
ESSEX COUNTY.
A VERILL is a sparsely settled township, lying in the extreme northern part of the county. It has an area of about thirty-six square miles, and is bounded on the northeast by Canaan, southeast by Lemington, southwest by Lewis, and northwest by Norton. Its charter was granted June 23, 1762. It is watered by a considerable branch of the Nulhegan river, sev- eral streams which fall into the Connecticut, and some which pass off north- erly into Canada. It also has several ponds.
The surface of the town is less hilly and broken than most towns in the county, and the soil is said to be very good, being well adapted for growing grain and hay, yet very little of the land has ever been cleared, though a large amount of fine timber has been cut. A turnpike was built through the north- ·ern part of the town, from Canaan to Norton Mills, many years ago, and a new road from Wallace pond was built about two years since, which joins it on the northwestern line. Upon these roads some half dozen families have settled. Upon the northwestern shore of Great Averill pond is the steam saw-mill of the Averill Lumber Company. This company consists of G. H. Fitzgerald and E. C. Robinson, of Island Pond, who give employment to about fifty men in the manufacture of rough lumber, lath and clapboards.
In 1880 Averill had a population of forty-eight. It has no schools.
B LOOMFIELD* lies in the eastern part of the county, in lat. 44° 48 and long. 5° 18', and is bounded northeast by Lemington, southeast by the Connecticut river, southwest by Brunswick and northwest by Lewis. The surface of the town is uneven, presenting every variety of scenery, which from some of the hills is truly grand and impressive. A few small but
* For this sketch we are indebted to William B. Perkins.
25*
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TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD.
very productive meadows are found on the banks of the Connecticut and Nulhegan rivers, but in places the upland bluff extends to the river. The meadows of William R. Silver and Milton Cook are fine and in a high state of cultivation. Milton Cook has a fine herd of Jersey cows and is a flourish- ing farmer. A good part of the soil is good, some very excellent. On the hills towards the East and Black branches of the Nulhegan river is some very fine farming land. Charles Cook owns a large amount of fine land and is a prosperous farmer. He pays special attention to raising fat stock, and excels in this vocation. There is considerable land only valuable for the growth of timber and pasturage. The market for country produce at South Bloomfield and North Stratford, N. H., directly opposite, is very good. The timber lands are fast being denuded of their growth by the great capacity of the Nulhegan Lumber Company. Much of the timber is also being put into Connecticut river and sold to the lumber companies operating on the same. The Nulhegan river and its tributaries, the East and Black branches, with the Connecticut along its eastern front, constitute the rivers of the town. Bloom- field is a pleasant and generally healthy place in which to live. Its inhabi- tants constitute a community which is certainly up to the average for intelli- gence, morality, and religion. It has no place where intoxicating liquors are sold, and is conseqently free from that greatest curse of mankind as far as not to deal it out to others. Unfortunately a very few are so unhappy as to sometimes procure and imbibe the liquid poison from without the town.
In 1880 Bloomfield had a population of 627. In 1886 it had four school districts and five common schools, employing one male and ten female teachers, to whom was paid an average weekly salary, including board, of $5.00 and $5.31 respectively. During the year 155 scholars attended school. The entire income for school purposes was $760.07, while the whole expend- itures were $703.05, with Mrs. H. Fuller, superintendent.
Bloomfield was chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth, June 29, 1762, under the name of Minehead. The charter of the township was granted to Rev. Noah Waddams and sixty-three others, in seventy equal shares, two shares being granted to Governor Wentworth, one share to the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, one share for a glebe for the church of England, and one share for the first settled minister, and one share for the benefit of a school in said town. After the independence of the United States, the glebe share was granted for the use of schools by legisla- tive enactment. The town is six miles square, containing 23,040 acres. A share consisted of three lots and one town plot of one acre. Andrew Beers made a survey of the first division of lots, on the Connecticut river, afterwards surveyed by E. W. Judd, in 1798. The survey of Jonas Baker, in 1802, is the one that was finally accepted, and has always been acted upon as the true survey. This survey divided the town into lots of 112 acres each, three lots to each share. On July 23, 1802, a proprietor's meeting was held, at the house of Gaius Kibbe. " Voted, to draw the several lots laid out, and Jonas
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TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD.
Baker, an indifferent person, was appointed to draw the same." The follow- ing persons who had made " pitches " previous to the allotment were allowed to retain the lots upon which they had made improvements in lieu of their drafts, viz .: Ayers and Raymond Fuller, Peter Mills, Esq., Harvey Johnson, Stone Mills, Gaius Kibbe, Victory Jennison, Job Holbrook, A. Parmenter, Cummings Buffington, Ebenezer Wright, James P. Frazier, Abijah Mendil, Isaac Lampkin, Job Holbrook, Jr., Daniel Austin, Daniel Holbrook, Asahel Wright, David W. Holbrook, Christopher Morey, William Babb, Timothy Ross, Charles Ashley, Col. - -- Ashley, Ebenezer Wright, Jr. Besides these John French, who came from Brattleboro, Joseph Stevens, Gratis Spencer and Samuel Healy were among the early settlers in the town. The descend- ants of the Holbrooks, Fullers, Stevenses, and Frenches are still inhabitants of the town. Also the descendants of Arad Silver, Joseph Clough, Ebenezer Lurvey, and Abraham Broker, early settlers, are still residing in this town.
A meeting of the freeholders and other inhabitants of the town was held at the dwelling house of Gaius Kibbe, on the 9th day of August, 1802, for the purpose of effecting an organization of the town by electing officers. The meeting was called by Mills De Forrest, a justice of the peace of the town of Lemington. The following persons were present: Gaius Kibbe, Ayers Fuller, Abijah Mendil, Thomas Lampkin, Job Holbrook, John J. French, James P. Frazier, Raymond Fuller and Asahel Wright, and took the oath of allegience to the state of Vermont, and freemen's oath. Gaius Kibbe was chosen moderator of the meeting. The following town officers were chosen : Gaius Kibbe, clerk ; John J. French, Ebenezer Wright and Job Holbrook, selectman ; Harvey Johnson, Ayers Fuller and John J. French, listers; Thomas Lamp- kin, constable. The first freemen's meeting was warned by Thomas Lampkin, constable, and was held at the house of Gaius Kibbe, September 7, 1802. The vote for governor was, Isaac Tichenor three votes, Israel Smith six votes. Leut .- governor, Paul Dillingham eight votes, Nathaniel Niles one vote. Gaius Kibbe was elected town representative.
It is supposed that Thomas Lampkin was the first settler in town, and that he came in 1796. Gaius Kibbe, for a number of years from the first settle. ment of the town, seems to have been the most influential and important man in town. It is supposed he came from New York city, as he held five full shares of land in the town, conveyed to him December 7, 1801, by Isaac Kibbe, of New York city, supposed to be his father. He was the representa- tive of this town to the general assembly in the years 1802, '03, '04, '05 and '08, and again in 1813 ; town clerk for the first six years of the town's corpo- rate existence, and usually holding other town offices. In 1814 he resigned his offices in town and removed to New York. The population of the town increased very slowly. The first inhabitants were poor and had many ob- stacles to overcome to obtain a living. Money, as was the case throughout this newly settled country, was exceedingly scarce and difficult to obtain.
e
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TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD.
Many persons did not live in the town but a short time before becoming dis- couraged and quitting it.
John French, who came from Brattleboro, Vt., in 1803, was a man of more than ordinary ability. He held town offices much of the time. He held the office of town clerk from 1808 to 1813, and again from 1828 to 1840. The records as kept by him are a marvel of exact, plain and fine penman- ship, and are a great credit to his memory. On the 9th day of November, 1830, by legislative enactment, the name of the town was changed from Minehead to Bloomfield. At this time there were but twenty-six ratable polls and nineteen houses, and a list for taxation of $689.57. From this time to 1852 the town received valuable additions of men and families of sterling worth and character, which have been of great and permanent advantage to the town. Ebenezer Burbank and his sons William and Selden, and Stephen Foss, from Thornton, N. H., Gardner Merrill, Milton and Charles Cook, N. M. Johnson, John Pulsifer and sons, all from Campton, N. H., Prince Snow and sons, from Massachusetts, are especially of this character. Most of them are now deceased, some have gone to the far west, but some and their de- scendants still remain in town.
Bloomfield furnished her full quota for the War of the Rebellion, twenty- seven in number. Seven more of her residents served with honor in the war, but were credited elsewhere. The killed in battle were Alvin Martin, Charles Snow, Oliver Morse and Daniel Morse. Those that died of disease in the army were Nelson Noyes, William Cooper, Stephen Fuller, William Robin- son, Walter S. Johnson and Enoch C. Fuller. Those that lived to come home were Alonzo A. Martin, Ezra W. Martin, Sumner Snow, Nathan M. Johnson, Newell Stevens, Calvin Fuller, Myron C. Fuller, E. P. Moulton, George A. Currier, Alburn A. Currier, John W. Stevens, I. M. Wood, Sam- uel O. Shoff, Charles B. Silver, Carlos. T. Pulsifer, Elwin Holbrook and Rev. Selden B. Currier.
The Nulhegan Lumber Company .- In 1865, what was known as the Bald- win saw-mill, erected by E. A. & W. L. Baldwin, about 1849, was purchased by S. R. Jackson and Alfred and Enoch Perkins. Improvements were made and lumbering operations were commenced on a larger scale than had been previous to that time. The village at South Bloomfield began to slowly in- crease in population and the erection of dwelling houses. This company, under different firm names, continued to increase the business of the mill un- til a falling off of the water-power, in consequence of the mill pond filling up with sediment, and the financial crisis of 1873, brought the company nearly to a stand still in their operations. The village in consequence began to lose its population, and business improvements in the place entirely ceased. In the fall of 1880 Joseph H. Danforth, of Stratford, N. H., and Charles C. Tibbitts formed a partnership with Enoch Perkins, a member of the old firm (Alfred Perkins having died in the fall of 1879). The new firm is styled the Nulhegan Lumber Company. This gave a large addition to the resources of
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TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD.
the company, and in consequence a lively impetus was given to the business of the place. The population and building of dwelling houses rapidly in- creased. Extensive improvements were made on the mill, a 150 horse-power engine was put in and supplemented with an improvement of the water-power, and the capacity of the mill was raised from three million to ten million feet of lumber per annum. These improvements amounted to some $25,- 000.00. The company was now apparently making money, and furnished work for a large number of men, when, on February 20, 1885, the mills and all in them were destroyed by fire, causing a loss of $35,000.00. It was then
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