Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 33

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., The Syracuse journal company, printers
Number of Pages: 836

USA > Vermont > Orange County > Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888 > Part 33

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Thomas Moore was one of the first settlers, and the father of Thomas P. Moore, the first child born in town, as has been previously stated. The latter was born October 16, 1785, and married Polly, daughter of Andrew and

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Polly (Bliss) Tracy, and had born to him ten sons and five daughters, of whom Sarah B. (Mrs. Erastus Bugbee) died in 1848; Andrew W. is also dead ; Thomas P., Jr., married Laura Puffer, and resides in this town ; Cyrus T. resides in Sturbridge, Mass .; Dr. Nathaniel D. died in Massachusetts ; Salmon H. died in California ; Horace D. married Elizabeth E. Coke, and has two daughters ; Edson J., a Congregational clergyman, married Margaret Toulman, and resides in Norfolk, Mass .; William H. died young ; Nancy A. (Mrs. Capt. Charles M. Tewksbury) is a resident of Winthrop, Mass .; Alma A. married Solon M. Davis, of Canaan, N. H, in 1856, and has two daugh- ters, Ellen F., who resides at home, and Laura J. (Mrs. John Hazlet); Zuar E. was killed at the battle of Bull Run in 1861 ; one child died in infancy, and Francis died at the age of eleven years. Mr. Davis, mentioned above, enlisted in 2d Regt. N. H. Vols, in which he served three years. He is a live stock dealer in Beloit, Iowa.

Ichabod Bixby, son of Ichabod, was born in Tolland, Conn., in 178.4, and in 1787 came to this town with his parents, and located on West hill. In 1809 he married Sukie Lewis, who bore him five sons and five daughters, of whom F. P. was born in 1811 ; Mary (Mrs. O. S. Walker) resides in Williams- town ; Martin lives in Plattsburgh, N. Y .; Harriet in this town ; Sarah is the widow of F. D. Hemingway; George F. resides in Plattsburgh, N. Y .; H. L. is a farmer and photographer, and resides on West hill in this town. The latter was town representative in 1886-87.

Caleb and Dea. Ivory Douglass, brothers, came to this town in 1789. They were sixth in descent from Dea. William Douglass, who emigrated from Scotland in 1640, and settled in New London, Conn. Caleb married Grace Morgan, and had born to him seven sons and three daughters, only two of whom are now living-Guy in Danville, Caledonia county, aged eighty-eight years, and Edward in this town, where he was born in 1804. He spent his early life upon a farm, and later taught school for ten terms. He married Esther M., daughter of Buel and Betsey (Camp) Barnes, in 1834, and had born to him five daughters, of whom Louise E. (Mrs. William Marston) and Ellen M. reside in this town. The latter married Willis Scales in 1871, and they have one daughter, Mary Ellen, born in 1883. Edward Douglass is still living, and owns a farm on road 21 corner 22. Hon. Stephen A. Douglass was a lineal descendant of Dea. William, mentioned above.

Solomon Annis was born in Lebanon, N. H., in 1764, and in 1789 came to this town and located upon the farm now occupied by his grandson, Holton S. In 1791 he married Susanna Bosworth, and reared four sons and five daughters. One son, Solomon, born in 1808, married Climenia, daugh- ter of Ebenezer Allen, in 1831, and had born to him one son and three daughters. The son, Holton S., was born in 1844, and in 1868 married a daughter of Thomas and Rhoda (Renwick) Miller. Mr. Annis owns and occupies the homestead upon which he was born.

Amos Hood was born in Topsfield, Mass., in 1769, and came to Chelsea

15*

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in 1794, where he followed the occupation of carpenter and joiner. In. 1792 he married Sally Ramsdell, by whom he had four sons and four daughters, all of whom are dead except Ira. His wife died in 1822, and for his second wife he married Rachel May Coburn, a widow, by whom he had two sons, Albert and Thomas. Ira Hood was born in this town in 1810. He is a shoemaker by trade, and married Achsah M. Green, in 1833, who died in 1879, when he married for his second wife Ellen A., daughter of Lyman and Hannah (French) Titus, in 1881. Mr. Hood is proprietor of a boarding-house on North Main street. Amos R. Hood, son of Amos, was born in this town in 1804. He married Abigail, daughter of Jacob Celley, by whom he had two sons and two daughters, viz .: William F., who resides in this town ; Julia (Mrs. Rogers), of Lowell, Mass .; C. I., much noted for his sarsaparilla and other medicines, also of Lowell ;. and Arcelia. William F. married Maria Burgess, and they have two children, Julia and Abigail. He is a druggist on Main street in Chelsea village, upon which street his residence is also located.

Dea. Samuel Lincoln came from Windham, Conn., to Chelsea, about 1798, and located in the southern part of the town. He was married, and his children were Samuel, Elihu, Shubael, Oshea, Levi, Mary, Phila, Achsah, Ruth and Betsey. Oshea married Polly Smith and reared six sons and three daughters, of whom two sons and three daughters are living, viz .: Urial, John A. and Ruth (Mrs. Daniel B. Howe), of Massachusetts. John A. was born in this town in 1813, and spent his early life upon his father's farm. He married Parmelia S., daughter of Jeremiah and Jane (Mahew) Webber, in 1848, and had born to him five sons and two daughters, viz .: George A., Ruth A. (Mrs. C. Dodge), William and Herbert, who died in infancy, Carrie A. (Mrs. Rinaldo Hood) and Charles O. Mr. Lincoln is a farmer, and resides in the southern part of the town, on road 57.

Lement Bacon, son of Ebenezer and Lucy (Bentley) Bacon, of Wood- stock, Conn., was born in 1789. He was married and had three children, viz .: Christopher B., Lement, Jr., and Lucy E. For his second wife he mar- ried Celia, daughter of John and Sarah (Fish) Butler, and had born to him children as follows : Sarah F. (Mrs. George S. Harris), Mary B. (Mrs. Royal Hatch), and Josiah D., who reside in Nebaska ; Charles C., of Boston, and John B., of this town. The latter married Sarah P., daughter of Masa H. and Persis (Austin) Morey, in 1858, and had born to him three children, viz .: Sarah F., who died in infancy, John L., a bank cashier at White River Junc- tion, Vt., and Mary S., who died February 1, 1883, aged seventeen years. In 1848 Mr. Bacon engaged in the mercantile business in Chelsea village, where he held the office of postmaster for twenty-four years, his term of service ending in 1885. He has also been county treasurer and president of the First National Bank of Chelsea. His residence is on Church street.

Nathan Flint was born in Windham Conn., April 17, 1762, and removed to this town about 1789. In 1783 he married Olive Redington, by whom he-

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had five sons and four daughters. One son, Nathan B., was born on the homestead in this town, August 25, 1798. He married Sylvia, daughter of Jonathan W. and Sylvia (Hastings) Hemenway, in 1836, and reared a family of three sons and two daughters, viz .: John M., Joseph N., Abel R., Martha R. and Olive G. John M., the only one of these children now living, mar- ried Harriet M, daughter of Theron and Rebecca (Whitney) Thayer, in 1864, and they have three daughters, Martha Edith, Mary Alice and Emma Florence. Mr. Flint owns and occupies the old homestead, which has never been out of the possession of the Flint family.

John Bailey, from Massachusetts, settled in Chelsea at an early day. In 1843 he married Bernice Smith, who bore him two sons and four daughters, of whom George was born in 1846, and spent his early life upon a farm. He married Sarah P., daughter of Joseph and Rhoda (Whitcomb) Kenerson, and has two children, Dean H. and Ethel M. Mr. Bailey is a dairyman, and resides on road 61.

Robert Andrus, who was born in Lebanon, N. H., in 1783, came to this town at an early day. In 1813 he married Roxiana Barker, by whom he had three sons and three daughters. For his second wife he married Betsey Woodworth, in 1829, who bore him children as follows : Alma M. (Mrs. Henry Lewin); Lucy, who died young ; Elizabeth J. (Mrs. George F. Ful- som), who died in 1875; and Calvin N. The latter married Lavinia H., daughter of Jacob and Rachel (Larned) Young, of this town, in 1849, and had born to him three daughters, viz .: Ella M., Sarah L. (Mrs. J. F. Hemen- way) and Frances. He died April 6, 1880, on the place where he was born, and which has always been in the possession of some member of the Andrus family.

Captain Wilder Dearborn, son of Asa and Anna (Emerson) Dearborn, was born in Chester, N. H., in 1794, and removed to this town with his parents in 1800, where he spent his early life upon a farm. He married Persis, daugh- ter of Joseph Hamilton, in 1820, and reared a family of three sons and four daughters, of whom Nancy resides in this town ; Julia died in 1849, aged twenty-four years ; Catharine died in 1850, aged twenty-three years ; Frank- lin and H. W. reside in this town ; Azuba ( Mrs. J. F. Stone) resides in Clare- mont, N. H .; and Calvin died in 1863, aged twenty-five years. Dea. Franklin was born on the homestead farm in 1829, and there spent his early life. In 1859 he married Sylvia F., daughter of Joshua and Lucy (Andrus) Folsom, and reared a family of one son and three daughters, viz .: Frank H., Persis S. (Mrs. John M. Comstock), Minnie L. and Hattie H. Mr. Dearborn has been a deacon of the Congregational church since 1872, and has filled acceptably the office of selectman. He owns and occupies the old home- stead where he was born, on road 39.

Ebenezer Perkins was born in Massachusetts in 1788, and in 1806 settled in Chelsea. He married Lucy Hood and had born to him one son and two daughters, viz .: Louisa (Mrs. Isaac Slack), John H., of Washington, and

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Sarah J. H. (Mrs. Fifield Bohonon), of Chelsea. John H. was born in this town in 1816, and was reared upon a farm. At the age of nineteen he removed to Mexico, and started the first cotton-mill in that country. After remaining here five years, he settled in Washington, in this county. He mar- ried Silence Caswell, and had born to him three sons, viz .: Fernando M., Nathan H., of Washington, and Carson F., of Iowa. Fernando M. was born in 1845; and spent his early life upon a farm. In 1865 he removed to Glou- cester, Mass., where he followed the occupation of book-keeper. He married Anna J., daughter of Charles H. and Ellen J. (Poland) Marsden, in 1870, and removed to Washington, where he lived on a farm until 1875, when he returned to this town and bought the Daniel Fuller farm on road 39. Mr. Perkins has one son, J. Oliver, born in March, 1871.

Daniel Wyman was born in Sullivan, N. H., in 1787, and came to Chelsea in 1810, locating on the farm now occupied by his daughter, Sarah A. (Mrs. Foster Grow). He was twice married, first to Susannah Dagget, in 1811, who bore him one child, and died the same year of their marriage, and second to Anna Wilson, daughter of John and Ann (Underhill) Wilson, in 1814, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. Mr. Wyman was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and died August 14, 1870, his wife having died in 1863. Of their children, Sarah Ann married Foster Grow, a jeweler of this town, who died in 1882 ; Thomas W. resides in Stanstead, Canada ; John is a banker in Des Moines, Iowa ; Charles is a jeweler in St. Albans ; George D. is collector of customs at Derby Line ; and Mary A. married James E. Morris, of Lowell, Mass., in 1848, and resides with her husband and sister, Mrs. Grow, on the homestead where the sisters were born.

Harry and Nathaniel Hale, sons of Col. Nathan Hale, a Revolutionary soldier, settled in Chelsea in 1807. They were born in Rindge, N. H., and came to this town from Windsor, Vt. Harry married Phebe Adams, of Rindge, and had born to him thirteen children, viz .: Polly, Phebe, Louisa, Henry, Safford, John G., William, Matthew, Mark, Thomas, Abigail G., Robert S. and Laura C. His first wife died in 1855, and for his second wife he married Lucinda Eddy, a lineal descendant of Miles Standish. Nathan and Harry were engaged in mercantile pursuits in this town for many years, and both were engaged in keeping tavern. Nathan Hale's family consisted of three sons and two daughters. He died in this town January 10, 1849, at the age of seventy seven years. Harry died June 2, 1861, aged eighty-one years. In speaking of the latter, Rev. Abner Morse, in a genealogical history of the Grant family, thus writes :-

" Esquire Hale has been no office seeker, but has been much sought for office. In 1807 (the year he came to Chelsea) he was urged by members of the legislature from Orange county to accept the office of sheriff, but he utterly refused in deference to older residents of the county. In 1814 he accepted the appointment (then made by the legislature). By the town of Chelsea he was chosen very many times lister, selectman, treasurer, justice of the peace, overseer of the poor, grand juror, trustee of the United States

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surplus fund, and, in 1828, 1832 and 1836, representative to the legislature. In 1832 and subsequently he was appointed clerk of the supreme and county court for Orange county, and the same year chosen by the legislature a bank commissioner, and by annual elections continued in this responsible office for five years. At the organization of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Orange county, in 1840, he was chosen a director, and held the office ten years, serving as president the last five years. He has long been a life director of the American Bible society, actively engaged with other benev- olent institutions, and held a high place in the regards of good men and the public at large."

Jonathan W. Hemenway, born in Petersham, Mass., in 1784, came to this town about 1810, and located where J. F. Hemenway now lives. He mar- ried, first, Sylvia Hastings, who bore him three sons and four daughters, and second, Sally Hibbard. By his second wife he had two sons, Alpheus H., of Worcester, Mass., and Rev. Francis D., who died in 1884. For his third wife he married Achsa, daughter of Nathan and Elizabeth (Lincoln) Hood, in 1840, who bore him one son and two daughters, of whom J. Frank was born in 1841, and married Sarah L., daughter of Calvin N. and Lavinia (Young) Andrus, in 1877, and has two daughters, Sarah A., a teacher, and Florence L. (Mrs. George B. Colby). Mr. Hemenway is a breeder and dealer in pure registered Jersey cattle and Merino sheep, and owns and occupies a farm of 250 acres, upon which he was born.

William Carpenter was born in Taunton, Mass., in 1781, and located in this town in 1811. He was twice married, first to Hannah Seaver, who bore him four sons and five daughters, and second to Polly Smith, in 1828, by whom he had four sons-Smith M., Daniel, Nelson and Alva. Smith M., who was born in 1829, spent his early life upon a farm. He married Cath- arine I., daughter of Israel and Olive (Andrews) Bryant, in 1855, and had born to him six sons and four daughters, viz .: William, Jason M., Mary M., Annette O. (Mrs. William Austin), of Brookfield, Adelbert B., Walter W., Edwin H., Meda A., Daniel H., who died at the age of six years, and Minnie I. Mr. Carpenter died in 1881. His widow survives him, and resides on the old homestead, on road 51. Their son Jason M. married Ellen J. Tubman, of St. Johnsbury, in 1883.

Josiah Robbins was born in Alstead, N. H., in 1776. He settled in Ran- dolph, and in 1805 married Fanny Goss, by whom he had seven sons and four daughters. He came to this town about 1816, and located on West hill. Of his children only two are now living, viz .: Maria R. and George W. Maria R. was born in this town in 1818. She married Elijah Coburn, son of Micah and Sarah (Geer) Coburn, in 1836, and had two sons, Warren E., who died in infancy, and Charles J., who was born in 1845 and died in 1868. She also bad an adopted son, Curtis A. Coburn, who died in 1866, aged twenty-four years. Elijah Coburn died in 1877, and Mrs. Coburn resides in Chelsea village.

Daniel Hildreth and wife were among the early settlers in Chelsea. He

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purchased a farm in the northeastern part of the town, and located upon it in 1814. Mr. Hildreth was of Puritan stock. He was born in Pepperell, Mass., May 2, 1783, and died on his farm in Chelsea, November 16, 1858, aged seventy-five years. On June 9, 1814, he married Clarissa Tyler, daugh- ter of Jonathan Tyler, of Piermont, N. H. She was born in Piermont, July 5, 1794, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Harriet N. Porter, in Vershire, April 16, 1870, aged seventy-five years. She was the mother of six sons and six daughters, all born upon the old homestead in Chelsea. Of these children only four are now living, namely : Azro B. F., the oldest, born February 29, 1816, now living in Iowa ; Albert Gallatin, born February 25, 1829, now living in Lowell, Mass .; Almira Maria, widow of Edward Wason, of Corinth, born February 10, 1818 ; and Harriet Newell, wife of Lyman Porter, of Corinth, born April 25, 1831.

In 1642 Richard Hildreth came, with a small colony of- Puritans, from the north part of England, and first settled in Woburn, near Boston, Mass. He afterwards lived and died in Chelmsford, and now lies buried in the cemetery there, near the Merrimac river, three miles above Lowell. This Richard Hildreth was the progenitor of all the Hildreths in this country. The orthog- raphy of the name has undergone several changes. It came from Switzer- land several centuries ago when, during religious persecutions there, certain ones of that name fled to England. The records of the general court of Massachusetts state that, on two different occasions, lands, in what is now Chelmsford, were granted to this Hildreth, one time to Richard Heildreich, and another time to Richard Heildreth. Richard Hildreth, the historian, and at one time editor of the Boston Atlas, was a cousin of our Daniel Hildreth.

The Tylers were also of English origin. The first family of that name came from England in 1682, and settled in Connecticut. Afterwards two of the sons removed to Piermont, N. H., while another went to New Jersey, and subsequently to Virginia. President John Tyler was of the Virginia family.

Daniel Hildreth was a man of much energy and force of character, and was very industrious. When he located upon his farm in Chelsea it was mostly covered with dense, heavy timber. Year by year the forest was cut away and the land brought under cultivation. Stock raising and wool grow- ing was his principal business. In all his business transactions Mr. Hildreth was a min of the strictest integrity. His word was as good as his bond.

Besides the four children now living, three others were married. Daniel Elbridge, born July 18, 1822, died at South Newbury, July 22, 1874, where his wife and one son now reside. His two grown-up daughters died at that place within a few years after the death of their father. Mary Caroline mar- ried Charles McCoy, of Peterboro, N. H., and was the mother of six sons and one daughter. She was born in Chelsea, August 5, 1824, and died in Lowell, Mass., April 15, 1886, where her husband, three sons and one daugh- ter now reside. Amelia B., born October 24, 1837, married Samuel Burt, of

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Corinth, and died in that town, in childbed, May 19, 1861, aged twenty-three years.

All the other children of Daniel Hildreth were unmarried and died in youth or infancy. The elder son, A. B. F. Hildreth, married Liveria A. Knight, oldest daughter of Josiah Knight, of Fryeburg, Me. They had but one child, a daughter, who died in Iowa, in her seventh year.

Almira Maria Hildreth married Edward Wason, of Corinth, and is the mother of two daughters, now living ; one is married and the other single. Her husband died in Corinth, March 11, 1883, aged eighty-one years.

Albert Gallatin Hildreth married Mary M. Barnes, in Montpelier. She was the mother of four sons and one daughter. She died in Lowell, Mass., December 17, 1874. On February 24, 1876, Mr. Hildreth married Mrs. Abbie R. Lawrence, in Lowell, where they now reside.

Harriet Newell Hildreth married Lyman Porter, of Corinth, February 6. 1855. She was the mother of three sons and four daughters, only one of whom is living, John L., a young man of much promise, who is now a book- keeper or teller in a bank in Boston.

Azro Benjamin Franklin Hildreth has been a newspaper editor many years. From 1842 to 1852 he carried on the printing and publishing business in Bradford, in this county. He there edited and published a weekly newspaper called the American Protector, which advocated protection to American industry, and supported Henry Clay for President. After the defeat of Mr. Clay he eschewed politics, and changed the name of his paper to Vermont Family Gazette, and made it a literary family newspaper. He also published a monthly magazine called the Green Mountain Gem, which had a wide circu- iation. Besides these publications he printed for Asa Low, of Bradford, several school books, such as readers and spellers, and also the Youth's Almanac, the astronomical calculations of which were prepared by that youth- ful prodigy, Truman H. Safford, of Royalton, then but nine years old. In 1852 Mr. Hildreth sold his entire printing and publishing business in Brad- ford, and in the spring of 1856, with his wife and daughter, removed to Charles City, Iowa, where he again established himself in the printing and newspaper business. In that new western state he has held various public offices of honor and trust. He has been especially identified with the edu- cational interests of Iowa. As member of the State Board of Education-a legislative body created by the new constitution-he exercised a marked influence in framing the laws that are now in force for establishing the supe- rior educational system of that state, a school system hardly equalled by that of any other state in the Union. To-day the percentage of illiteracy in Iowa is the least of all the states. Mr. Hildreth was instrumental in the enact- ment of a law which opened the doors of the State University at Iowa City for the admission of young ladies to that institution upon equal terms in all respects with the young men. He was also the author of a law which pro- vided that the Bible shall not be excluded from the public schools. While a

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member of the general assembly at Des Moines, in 1864, Mr. Hildreth, by his own individual exertions, procured the passage of a memorial to Con- gress by which he obtained from the general government a liberal grant of lands to aid in the construction of a railroad on or near the 43d parallel, from McGregor, on the Mississippi river, and passing through Charles City to Chamberlain, on the Missouri river, in Dakota. This road is owned and operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company, and is now doing an immense business. Mr. Hildreth has for a number of years been president of the school board of Charles City, and has held various other offices of trust and responsibility at that place. In 1870 he sold out his newspaper and printing business there, and retired to private life.

Levi Thompson, with his wife, Sally Oaks, and family, came from Strafford to this town in 1819. Of his children, Lewis, who was born in 1801, learned the shoemaker's trade. He married Melinda, daughter of David and Han- nah (Mastin) Sanborn, and reared a family of four sons and three daughters, of whom Ira was born in this town and adopted the occupation of his father. He married Nellie E., daughter of Josiah and Sybil A. (Roberts) Minard, in 1876, and their children are Fay L., Eva M., Leonard I. and Silas A. Mr. Thompson resides in Chelsea village, on Maple street.

Charles H. Perkins, son of David, was born in Chelsea in 1824. He married Martha A. Sylvester, a native of Maine, in 1854, and had born to him one son, Charles D., and one daughter, Carrie E., who died in 1875, aged twenty years. Charles D. was born in 1858, and in 1883 married Celia H., daughter of Moses and Mary (Woodworth) Hackett. He worked at the wheelwright trade in Northfield, Washington county, for two years, and later bought a farm of ninety-six acres on road 22, where he now resides.

Thomas Godfrey, son of Henry and Ruth (Pinnock) Godfrey, was born in Washington in 1809, and in 1824 became a resident of Chelsea. He is a carpenter and builder by trade, and has erected many dwellings, and also the Orange County Hotel and several school houses. In 1830, in company with several other gentlemen, he opened the Vershire copper mines. Mr. Godfrey married Sarah F., daughter of Jonathan and Chloe (Upson) Emerson, of Chelsea, in 1834, and had born to him four sons and three daughters, of whom Olivia S. (Mrs. Hamilton W. Dearborn), Charles E. and Dr. Frank H. reside in this town. Mr. Godfrey is prominent in the administration of town affairs, and held the office of justice of the peace a number of years. He resides in the village on North Main street.

Captain William H. H. Hall was born in Randolph, April 8, 1823, and came to Chelsea at the age of two years. He was educated at the Nor- wich (Vt.) university, and graduated in military science in 1847. He taught school for a time in Kentucky, and in 1848 removed to California, and later, in 1850, to Oregon, and thence, in 1860, to Warren, Vt. It 1861 he organ- ized a company of volunteers, and was mustered in as captain. He remained in the service until 1862. In 1855 he married Sarah A., daughter of Samuel

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Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 33

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., The Syracuse journal company, printers Number of Pages: 836

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., The Syracuse journal company, printers
Number of Pages: 836