Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 35

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 35

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).

[For sketch of Cornelius W. Clark, see Bench and Bar.]

Barney Cosgrove, son of Thomas and Nancy (Donnelly) Cosgrove, was born in 1799, and in 1822 married Isabell, daughter of Francis and Nancy (Newell) Bailey, by whom he had one daughter, Jane, and a son, Thomas, who came to America with their parents in 1826. Mr. and Mrs. Cosgrove located on a farm in Barre, Washington county, where was born to them three sons and three daughters, of whom Nancy M. died young ; James B. resides in Chelsea ; Nancy, 2d, died at the age of thirty years ; Francis served in Co. B, 4th Vt. Vols., and died in 1872; Joseph was killed by a horse at the age of six years ; and Sarah (Mrs. George Wise) died at the age of thirty-two years. Mr. Cosgrove removed with his family to this town in 1866. James B. was born in 1835, and in 1863 married Edna A., daughter of Farnham and Mary (Flanders) Barnes, by whom he has one son and two daughters, viz .: Charles J., Ida May, and Lillian Isabell. Mr. Cosgrove owns and occupies a farm on road 37.

Rev. Edward E. Herrick, son of Elisha and Samantha ( Martin) Herrick, was born in Randolph in 1835, graduated at the University of Vermont in 1856, and in 1859 entered Andover seminary. September 3, 1862, he enlisted as a private in 15th Regt. Vt. Vols., and was subsequently promoted to 2d lieutenant, and in 1863 to Ist lieutenant. He was ordained in 1864, and preached at Rochester, Colchester and Wilmington. In May, 1870, he located in this town, where he has since remained.

Edwin M. Collins, son of Moses C. and Joanna (Carr) Collins, was born in Washington, this county, in 1832. He spent his early life upon a farm, and later, in company with L. M. Tabor, engaged in mercantile pursuits at West Topsham, where he held the office of postmaster from 1854 to '57. In 1862 he was appointed deputy sheriff, and in 1870 was elected sheriff of the county, since the expiration of which term of office he has been deputy sheriff. He removed to Chelsea village in 1886, and now has charge of the county jail. He married Luthera J., daughter of Anson and Lorenda (Currier) Wood, of Topsham, in 1856, and they have two sons and one daughter, viz .: Frank E., a druggist at Worcester, Mass .; Nettie D. (Mrs. A. F. Smith), of Topsham, and Carl C., who resides at home.

Charles W. Bagley, son of David and Sarah (Andrews) Bagley, was born

16*

242

TOWN OF CHELSEA.

in Topsham in 1810. He married, first, Elvira Hyde, in 1830, who died in 1843, and second, Charlotte M., daughter of Jonathan and Dorothy (East- man) Magoon, in 1844, by whom he had children as follows: Charles, who served in Co. G, 9th Vt. Vols., and died in Hampton hospital, April 11, 1864 ; Elvira (Mrs. E. F. Peters), of this town ; Sophia (Mrs. E. B. Dickinson), also of this town, and Maria (Mrs. Fred Lacy), of Adams, Mass., the last two daughters being twins. Mr. Bagley resides on Court street, in Chelsea village.

Nathaniel Gilbert Moore, son of Willard and Sally (Sanborn) Moore, was born in Chelsea in 1839. He married Alma, daughter of John and Polly (Bacon) Grant, of Tunbridge, in 1858, and they had one daughter and two sons, viz .: Jennie Elizabeth, John W., a student at Tuffts college in Massa- chusetts, and Willard G., who resides at home. Mr. Moore is a farmer, and resides on the farm where Samuel Moore and Asa Bond first settled, in the southern part of the village.

Farnham Barnes came from Connecticut and located in Chelsea, about 1827, near where Azariah Barnes now lives, on West hill, where he cleared a farm. He married Mary Flanders (widow Bean), who bore him two sons and two daughters, viz .: Azariah, Edna A. (Mrs. James Cosgrove) and Elgin D., of this town, and Jennie (Mrs. George Filean), of Hanover, N. H. Elgin D. was born in Chelsea in 1846, and married Carrie O., daughter of Samuel and Laura (Dickinson) Hatch, in 1875. Mr. Barnes kept the Gulf Spring House in 1885, and is now owner and proprietor of Orange County Hotel, at Chelsea village.

The Congregational church, the first religious society in town, was organ- ized April 10, 1789, by Rev. Isaiah Potter, of Lebanon, N. H., Rev. Asa Burton, of Thetford, and Rev. Stephen Fuller, of Vershire, five years after the settlement of the town. For twenty years the church was small and weak; though the town had rapidly filled up with settlers, they were mostly not of a religious turn of mind. For six years (or to 1795) religious meet- ings were maintained with some degree of regularity in dwelling houses and barns, but seldom conducted by an ordained clergyman. In 1795 a town house was built on the site now occupied by the store of John B. Atwood, and the hall therein was occupied on Sundays for purposes of worship till 1810. During the summer of 1795 it appears on record that preaching was maintained at the expense of the town, the preacher being Mr. James Hobart, then a theological student with Rev. Asa Burton, of Thetford. In 1799 an ecclesiastical society was formed, and Rev. Lathrop Thompson was settled over the church as pastor, his salary being fixed at $334, " payable in wheat, rye or Indian corn, at cash price." The arrangement did not prove a happy one, and after much friction it was dissolved by mutual agreement in 1805. In March, 1807, Mr. Calvin Noble, a graduate of Middlebury college, began preaching here, and was ordained over the church in the following Septem- ber. This pastorate, which was terminated by his death, in 1834, was one of

243

TOWN OF CHELSEA.

great acceptability, and it is from the date of his settlement that the subse- quent prosperity of the church takes its beginning. In 1810 the county court-house was built, and was used by the society for religious services, until in the next year a disagreement as to its use with a new society of the denom_ ination called Christians led to the wise decision to build a house of worship of their own, which was begun October 4, 1811, and dedicated in June, 1813. This building, a wooden structure, was repaired and remodeled in 1848, and again in 1876, and will now comfortably seat about 400 persons. A brief list of Mr. Noble's successors in the pastorate may be of interest. They are : Rev. James Buckham, 1835-41, now living in Burlington, in his ninety- second year ; Rev. Benjamin B. Newton, 1842-46 ; Rev. Thomas S. Hub- bard, 1847-54, still in the active work of the ministry, and now preaching in Tunbridge ; Rev. James C. Houghton, acting pastor, 1857-65 ; Rev. Salem M. Plimpton, acting pastor from January 1, 1866, till his death, September, 1866; Rev. William A. James, 1867-69 ; and Rev. Edward E. Herrick, the present pastor, who has preached here from May, 1870, having been installed pastor February 14, 1871. The first revival of religion in this town was in 1809, under Rev. Mr. Noble's preaching, when forty-two persons united with the church; again in 1819 there were forty-seven additions, and in 1831 seventy-three, these all being in Mr. Noble's pastorate. The greatest reception of members, however, was in 1842, when Rev. Mr. Parker, an evangelist, labored here, at which time one hundred and four were received. In 1867-68, during Mr. James's pastorate, there was a notable in-gathering, and there have been several seasons of special religious interest during the present and other pastorates. The Sunday-school has a membership of 150, with an average attendance of about 100.

The Methodist Episcopal church, located at Chelsea village, was organized in 1825, it being included in a circuit embracing in its territory Chelsea, Tunbridge, Royalton, Vershire, Corinth, Washington and Orange. This circuit was continued until 1839, when Chelsea was set off as a separate station. A part of the time the church on West hill has been united with this. In 1877 it was annexed to the church at East Brookfield, which arrange- ment continued until 1885, when it was again included in the Chelsea village charge, the same pastor administering to both societies. The first house of worship, the present wooden structure, was erected in 1835, at a cost of $2, 100. It will comfortably seat 300 persons, and is valued, including grounds, at $4,000. In 1860 the society purchased a commodious parsonage, built of brick, which is now valued at $1,500. The church is in a prosperous con- dition, with 174 members, including probationers, under the pastoral charge of Rev. James E. Knapp. The Sunday-school has a membership of 125, with an average attendance of seventy five.

244

TOWN OF CORINTH.

C ORINTH lies in the central part of the county in latitude 44° 2' and longitude 4° 42,' bounded northerly by Orange, Topsham and Newbury, easterly by Bradford and West Fairlee, southerly by Vershire, and west- erly by Washington. It was first chartered by New Hampshire, February 4, 1764, to Col. John Taplin and others, and a confirmatory grant was after- wards procured from New York, by Henry Moore and others, February 2, 1772. It contains an area of 23,040 acres.

The surface of this township is generally very uneven and broken, and the elevations abrupt, yet the land is, in almost every part, susceptible of cultiva- tion. The soil consists of a dark loom, mixed with a small portion of. sand, is easily cultivated, and is very productive. The land was originally timbered with hard wood except on the streams, where there was a mixture of hemlock, spruce and fir. There is nothing peculiar in its minerology. Specimens of feldspar, garnet, serpentine, hornblend, mica and rock crystal have been found. The rocks are principally of calciferous mica schist formation. An extensive bed of copper ore extends through the town. The first discovery of this ore in the town was made by Ira Towle, and the first attempt to work it was made by a Mr. Barber, of New York, who made several excavations on the bed, and obtained considerable ore from the surface ; but the encourage- ments were not sufficient to induce a great investment of capital, and the lease which he had was suffered to expire. In 1854 the "Corinth Copper Company" commenced their labors upon the bed, and continued the explor- ations commenced by Mr. Barber. After having worked the mine about two years the company became satisfied of the impracticability of working the surface layer for ore, and it was again abandoned. From this surface work, which had been unprofitable to all engaged in it thus far, the truth of the ex- istence of an immense amount of valuable copper ore has become well estab- lished. "The Union Copper Company" also worked the mines for a number of years, getting out large quantities of valuable ore. The place where the " mines were worked is known as Pike hill, in the northern part of the town.

In 1880 Corinth had a population of 1,627 souls. In 1886 the town had fifteen school districts and fifteen common schools, employing six male and twenty-three female teachers, who received an average weekly salary, includ- ing board, of $7.05 and $4.87 respectively. There were 272 scholars, six - teen of whom attended private schools. The entire income for school pur= poses was $2,300.11, while the total amount expended was $2,383.58, with Corydon Fellows, superintendent.

WEST CORINTH (p. o.) village, located about one and one-half miles from the west and two and three-fourths miles from the south line of the town, consists of one store, a grist and saw-mill, one church (Free Baptist), and a dozen dwellings.

EAST CORINTH (p. o.) lies in the northeastern part of the township, ex- tending over the Topsham line. A branch of Wait's river passes through the village from north to south, furnishing power for grist and saw-mills, bobbin

245

TOWN OF CORINTH.

factory, and several shops, and joins the main stream near the village, which contains twenty-five or thirty dwellings, a church, graded school, two or three stores, etc. A fine brick hotel, stage lines to various points, and a telephone are among the public conveniences.

CORINTH, a post village locally known as Cookeville, is situated about one mile south of the center of the town, and contains two stores. Cookeville acad- emy and graded school, two blacksmith shops, one carriage and one harness shop, a grist-mill, hotel, and twenty or twenty-five dwellings. The principal part of the village lies upon the hillside, about 150 or 200 feet above the south branch of Wait's river. It is supplied with a telephone, and a daily stage runs to Bradford.

CORINTH CENTER, a hamlet three-fourths of a mile east from Cookeville, con- tains a Congregational church and half a dozen farm houses. A general store was formerly kept here.

CORINTH CORNERS, a hamlet situated in the southwestern corner of the town, contains one church, a school-house, saw-mill and a dozen dwellings.

GOOSE GREEN is the local appellation of a meadow basin lying at the junc- tion of roads 46, 47, 58 and 59.

Moses Spear's grist-mill, at West Corinth, leased by C. F. Blake, is operated by water-power and does custom grinding.

R. C. Streeter's saw mill, at Corinth Corners, has been owned by the present proprietor since 1875. He does custom work. A tub factory was added in 1879.

The Mc Duffee saw mill, located at East Corinth, was built in 1880 by J. C. Burns, the present proprietor, on the site of a mill erected by Caleb Tap- lin, and which was washed away by a freshet. The capacity of the mill is 800,000 feet of lumber annually.

In the spring of 1777, previous to the settlement of the town, Ezekiel Colby, John Nutting and John Armond spent several weeks in the town manufacturing maple sugar. They started together from Newbury, each with a five-pail kettle on his head, and with this load they traveled, by a pocket compass, twelve miles through the wilderness to the place of destination near the center of the township. This year Mr. Colby moved his family into Corinth, which was the first family in town. The next year Mrs. Colby gave birth to a son, the first child born in the town. He was named Henry, and the proprietors of the town, according to the established custom, gave him one hundred acres of land.

In 1779 Edmund Brown, Samuel Norris, Jacob Fowler and Bracket Towle moved their families here, and the same year John Aiken, of Wentworth, N. H., erected the first grist mill, which went into operation the year following. Previous to this the settlers had to go to Newbury, twelve miles distant, for their grinding. They traveled on foot, with their grain upon their backs, their only guide through the forest being "blazed" trees. In 1780 several other families came in, and this year the town was organized. George Bond-

246

TOWN OF CORINTH.

field was elected first town clerk ; Hezekiah Silloway and John Taplin first selectmen ; David McKeen first constable ; and Nehemiah Lovewell first representative. During this year Lieut. Elliot built a small fort here, where he was stationed with twenty men to defend the settlers against the incursions of the Indians and tories, which were by no means infrequent.

Col. Wait and Major Kingsbury, in 1781, with two companies of soldiers, built a fort near the center of the town, on what is called Cooke's hill, and made this their headquarters. October 16, of this year, five men from this fort, viz .: Moses Warner, John Barret, John Sargeant, Jonathan Luce and Daniel Hovey, being on a scout, and proceeding down Winooski river, were fired upon by a party of sixteen tories. Warner, Sargeant and Barret were wounded, the latter mortally. He lived about forty hours and was buried near the margin of Winooski river, in Colchester. The others were taken to Quebec, where they remained until the next spring, when they were allowed to return to their homes. In 1782 a British scouting party from Canada, about twenty in number, under Major Breckenridge, after annoying the settlers of Newbury, killing one man and taking another a prisoner, proceeded to Corinth, where they compelled the settlers to take the oath of allegiance to ); the British king.

Col. John Taplin, one of the proprietors, early settled in the northeast part of the town, and was the first of that name to locate here. Nathan Taplin, a grandson of Col. John, came to Corinth from Southbury, Mass., at an early day, and was the first settler on a farm on road 36, where Nathan Taplin now resides, and where he remained until his death, in 1824. He married Elizabeth Taylor, of Massachusetts, and their children were Susan, Betsey, Lovina, Sophia and Elliot. The latter located on the homestead farm in this town, where he remained until his death, November 9, 1870, aged ninety-two years: He married, first, Sally Woods, by whom he had one daughter, Sally; and second, Sarah Locke, by whom he had children as follows: Elizabeth, Lucinda, Sophia, James, Elliott, Nancy, Harriet, Susan, Elmira and Nathan. The latter married Caroline A. Bickford, of Corinth, daughter of Paul and Charlotte (Mahew) Bickford, and their children are Elliott C., Sarah A. Charles B., Addie B, Carrie M. and James O. He is a resident of this town, on the farm settled by his grandfather, and where he has resided since his birth. Peter V. Mahew, a Revolutionary soldier, was a resident of this town, where he died at the advanced age of ninety-nine years and six months.

William Taplin, with five brothers, came to Corinth about 1780, and were among the early settlers in the town. They all located on Taplin hill, and William was the first settler on road 15, where his grandson William now resides. He married Martha Chamberlain, and his children were Martha, Mansfield, Abigail, William, Rachel, Hannah, Richard, Isaac, Micah and John, all of whom lived to mature age. Isaac married Susan Tenney, of this town, daughter of Eliphalet Tenney, and located on the homestead farm, where he died in 1843, aged forty-eight years. His children were E. Tenney,

247

TOWN OF CORINTH.

Hannah and William. The latter married Alice, daughter of Richard and Polly (Felch) Taplin, of this town, by whom he has had one daughter, and resides on the farm settled by his grandfather, where he has spent his whole life. E. Tenney Taplin married Mary Smart, of Rumney, N. H., daughter of Elisha and Betsey (Knight) Smart, and they have one daughter, Susan T. He resides on road 14, where he has lived since he was five years of age.

Capt. Nathan B. Taplin, who served in the War of 1812, was a native of Corinth, where he remained until his death. He married Hannah Stevens, of this town, and their children were Michael, Amanda, Lowell, Edwin and Edson (twins), Nathan, Martha and Aristarcus. The latter married Sophronia Sawyer, daughter of Thomas and Annie (Martin) Sawyer, of this town, and- their children were Harry, Emily, Abbie A., Mary and Frank. Aris- tarcus died in October, 1880, aged sixty eight years, and his widow survives him, aged seventy-five years, a resident of East Corinth village.

Joseph H. Taplin, a native of this town, married Julia A., daughter of Joseph and Sally (Robie) Taplin, of Fairfield, Vt., and their children were Edward (deceased), George W., Joseph E., Sarah (Mrs. A. H. Little) and Mary M. He died in 1883, aged sixty-six years. His widow resides on the homestead farm. George W. married Ellen K. Mowle, of East Cambridge, Mass., and they have two children, Edith M. and Charles E. Joseph E. mar- ried, first, Emma C. Layton, and their children were as follows : Edward R. (deceased), Helen J. and Frank. By his second wife, Phebe A. Quimby, he has two children, Anna E. and Emma I.

Caleb Ladd, a native of Massachusetts, came to this town between 1780 and 1790, among the early settlers, and located upon a farm off road 16, where he remained until his death, at the age of fifty years. He married Betsey Taplin, and their children were John, Caleb, Sally and Bodwell. The latter married Hannah, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Martin) Sawyer, and located on the homestead farm, where he died in 1867, aged seventy years. His children were Caleb, Charles B., Emily and Thomas S. The latter mar- ried, first, Lydia, daughter of Willian Martin, of Bradford, by whom he had three children, Ida, William and Annie S., and second, Caroline Andruss. Mr. Ladd is again a widower, and resides on road 37. He is a public spirited citizen, and held the office of selectman four years.

Simon Johnson, a native of Massachusetts, came to Corinth in 1780 and built one of the first grist and saw-mills in the town. He remained here until his death, aged seventy years. He married Judith Manchester, and their children were William, Isaiah, Eunice, Phebe and Dolly. William fol- lowed the triple occupation of clothier, tanner and blacksmith. He married Mary McKeen, of this town, and their children were Atlantis, Mary, Silas and William. The latter married Betsey, daughter of Gouldburn and Susan (Page) Taplin, and their children are Ellen, Susan and Charles R. He has been a resident of East Corinth village for a quarter of a century.

Reuben Stevens, son of Daniel, one of the early settlers of Corinth, was

248

TOWN OF CORINTH.

born in this town, where he made his home until his death in 1883, aged eighty-two years. He married Rebecca, daughter of James and Esther (Church) Dickey, of Topsham, and their children were Mary J., Carlos, Emily M., George W., Alma S. and Samuel C. The latter married Nancy, daughter of Charles and Dorothy (Hall) Emerson, and their children were Willie C., who died August 3, 1876; Georgianna, who died January 3, 1865 ;. Cora E., who died July 1, 1866 ; Maud E. and Lenwood R. He resides in this town on a farm on road 10, where he has lived for over forty years.

Reuben Page, a Revolutionary soldier, was a native of Massachusetts,. whence he came to Corinthi as one of the earliest settlers, and was the first occupant of the so called Page farm, on road 10, where George Prescott now lives. Here Mr. Page remained until his death at the advanced age of 100 years. He married Betsey Stevens, of this town, and their children were John, Daniel, Samuel, Ephraim, William, Reuben, Charles, Abigail, Eliza, Polly and Betsey. William married, first, Clarissa Seaver, and their children were Charles, William, Diantha Orissa, Sarah, Melvina, Clarissa, John and Frank. The latter, who has been a resident of East Corinth village for fifty years, married Hannah Sawyer, and their children are Sidney C., Mary A.,. Frank E. and Flora A. S.

Joseph and William Fellows, from Salisbury, Mass., were early settlers at Corinth Corners. Joseph married Elizabeth Lowe and brought his bride to. this town in 1791, although he first came here and improved his land in 1781, when nineteen years of age. His clearing was upon the farm now occupied by his grandson, Corydon. He built the first saw-mill at the Corners, in 1791, and the same year sawed the boards for his house, which he moved into in 1792, and which is still standing, the oldest house in the place. He died in 1843, aged eighty-eight years, and his wife in 1848, aged eighty-seven years. They reared three sons-Samuel, Joseph and Hubbard-and two daughters. The three sons and one daughter married and located in the same district. Joseph was actively interested in town affairs. Hubbard held the offices of selectman and representative several terms, and was a man of prominence. He died in 1862, aged sixty-two years. He married Mary A. Eaton, by whom he had eight children, five of whom are living, viz .: Liberty E. in Iowa ;. Hubbard F. in Dakota; and Corydon, Carolin and Sarah L. upon the old homestead. This farm is near the geographical center of Orange county, and an effort was made to locate the county buildings here before Chelsea was. chosen as the county seat.

Alpha Metcalf, son of Samuel and a native of Oakham, Mass., came to Corinth in 1788, at the age of eight years. He remained here until his death, in 1867, aged eighty-seven years. He married Mahetable Stevens, of Enfield, N. H., and their children were Edward, Hannah, Sophia, John and Alpheus. The latter married Emily, daughter of Charles and Lydia (Wright) Child, of West Fairlee, and has resided on the homestead farm since his birth. He

249

TOWN OF CORINTH.

has held the office of selectman four years, town auditor seven years, and justice of the peace eight years, and is the only survivor of the family.

Daniel Stevens, son of Daniel, was born in Salem, N. H., July 19, 1764, and died July 19, 1851. He married Martha Bedell, of Salem, who was born September 14, 1766, and died May 22, 1847. Mr. Stevens came to this town, November 17, 1788, and was the first settler on a farm on road 11, where he remained until his death. He served his country faithfully in the War of 1812, participating in several battles. His children were Hannah, Michael, Sarah, Abigail, Daniel, Jacob, Sally, Reuben, Polly, Eliza, Caroline and George W. Reuben married Rebecca Dickey, of Topsham, and his children were Mary J., Alma, Carloss, Emily, Samuel C. and George W. The latter married Mary M. Corliss, of this town, daughter of Hiram, and their children are Henry C., Frank A. and Almond C. Mr. Stevens resides in this town on road 9, where he has lived for twenty-three years. Michael Stevens, who served in the War of 1812, married, first, Mary Corliss, who bore him wo childien, Horatio N. and Susan, and second, Eliza C., daugh- ter of Joseph Clark, of Newbury, and their children were John E. and Jonas W., who occupy the homestead farm, and Daniel, Helen M., Caroline A. and Oscar H.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 35

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