Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 8

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 8

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Col. Dickey is in the enjoyment of physical and mental vigor, and being at ease pecuniarily, it is to be hoped that he will long remain so. He is still influential in the great political party to which he belongs, and for more than thirty years he has been in great demand as a political speaker both in Ver- mont and New Hampshire. After the election of Grover Cleveland as Presi- dent, many of the most influential Democrats of Vermont, such as Minister E. J. Phelps, Col. B. B. Smalley and the members of the bar and judges of the Supreme Court, urged Col. Dickey's appointment to the office of United States district attorney for Vermont ; but before the term of the then incum- bent had expired, through the influence of Col. W. F. Vilas, the postmaster- general, whose father was a friend of Mr. Dickey, the President tendered him the office of postmaster at Bradford, and after learning that the office paid better than that of the district attorney he accepted the appointment and his son has the main charge of the business in the postoffice.

Col. Dickey has for a great many years been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a lay delegate to the General Confer- ence of that church in 1872 and again in 1876. In 1880 he was appointed · by the board of bishops of the Methodist Episcopal church delegate to the Ecumenical Conference of all Methodists held at London, England, in 1881, but ill health prevented his attendance. He was married, July 9, 1846, to Harriet M. Chubb, of Corinth, a most estimable and accomplished christian woman, and in their married life of more than forty years have lived happily together. They have had born to them three children-two daughters and one son. The daughters died young, the son, George A. Dickey, a member of his father's profession, lives at Bradford. Col. Dickey has never courted popular favor. He was and is always ready to express himself freely upon all questions. He is independent in character and has the courage of his convictions.

John W. Batchelder, son of Samuel Batchelder and Jane Wilson, daughter of Thomas Wilson, of Windham, N. H., was born in Bradford, December 9, 1812, upon the David Norcross farm. His grandfather, Isaiah Batchelder, and family removed from Warren, N. H., to Bradford, near the close of the last century, and settled on a farm on the west side of Wright's mountain, where he resided for twenty years, and then removed to Springfield, Erie county, Pa. When the subject of this sketch was about six months old his parents removed to Topsham, where he passed his boyhood working upon his father's farm during the summer and attending the district school in the win- ter. He finished his school days by a term at Bradford academy and a short time at the school at Norwich. He continued his studies, however, some- what longer under the private tuition of Dr. Hinckley, of Topsham, and of

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Rev. James Mulligan, of Ryegate, Caledonia county. In 1840 he commenced the study of law with Philip H. Baker, of whom an account is previously given, but his instructor dying during the next year he finished his studies. alone, and was admitted to the Orange county bar at the December term of court, 1843. He continued to practice his profession in Topsham until 1854, when he removed to Newbury and opened an office there. In Topsham he was town clerk, town treasurer and town agent for the prosecution and de- fense of suits for seven years ; justice of the peace ten years; representative to the legislature two years ; and a member of the Constitutional convention for its term. He was also register of probate and assistant judge of the Orange County Court for two years each. From Newbury he removed to. Bradford in March, 1856, where he remained until October, 1867, when he took up his residence in Almont, Lapeer county, Michigan. While in Brad- ford he did a fair collecting business and was much employed in the settle- ment of estates. He was elected in 1863 one of the directors of the Bradford bank, chartered by the state, and from January 1, 1865, until its. affairs were wound up, was its cashier. In Michigan he did but little law business, his time being occupied in the loaning of money and dealing in real estate. At the end of four years he returned to Bradford, but he remained here only two years when he removed again to Michigan, and at this date (July, 1887,) is living with his daughter, Mattie J. Kidder, in the town of Al- mont.

Judge Batchelder was united in marriage, January 15, 1844, with Miss. Sarah Clark, of Newbury, by whom he had two children, John C., born June 20, 1850, and Mattie J., above named, born October 19, 1846. Mrs. Batch- elder died July 15, 1880. The son is a fine organist and plays that instrument in St. Paul's church, Detroit, and has a large class of pupils in music. Judge Batchelder is in good health and never used glasses in his life.

Moses Smith Prichard was born in Bradford, April 8, 1822, and graduated at the University of Vermont in August, 1841. Among his classmates were. William Trotter Barron, afterwards a judge of the Illinois courts at Chicago,. Elliot T. Farr, spoken of before, and Hon. Frederick E. Woodbridge, former member of Congress from Vermont. Mr. Prichard studied law with Hon. J. W. D. Parker, at Bradford, and was admitted to the Orange county bar, December 21, 1844. He probably never practiced law to any extent in the county as he went very soon to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he opened a law office and has resided ever since. He has been a judge of the County Court for a time, but was succeeded by his brother, Amos P. Prichard, who is now deceased. Judge Prichard married Miss Betsey Ann True, of of Janesville, by whom he has three children.

John S. Dorsey Taylor was admitted to the Orange county bar at Chel- sea, June 18, 1845. He was born in Shelburne, Vermont, was graduated at the University of Vermont in 1840, and soon after leaving college came to Bradford and taught the academy about three years. He afterwards taught

BENCH AND BAR.

in Plattsburgh, New York, and in St. Albans, Vt., at which latter place he died several years ago. He never practiced law but made teaching his pro- fession.

John Westley Peckett was born in Bradford in January, 1825, where he resided until the spring of 1847. He received his education at the common schools of his native town and at the Bradford academy, except one year passed in attending upon the academy at Potsdam, New York, where one of his uncles resided. During his school days he taught school two winters in Fairlee, one in Orford, N. H., and one in Bradford village. In the school lyceums he early developed a readiness for debate which undoubtedly influ- enced him in the choice of his profession. He studied law with Hon. J. W. D .. Parker, at Bradford, and was admitted to the bar at the January term, 1847, of the Orange County Court. The next spring he went to Milan, Erie county, Ohio, where he resided and practiced law until the summer of 1855, when he removed to Brooklyn, N. Y., and since 1876 he has been engaged in the law business in New York city. Mr. Peckett has been fortunate in making some money in a business outside of his profession, and spends his summers at a hotel near the Franconia mountains, in which he has a large pecuniary interest.

Charles R. Rogers, oldest brother of James and William H. Rogers, men- tioned in these sketches, was born in Orford, N. H., August 25, 1823. He was educated at the Haverhill, N. H., and Bradford, Vt., academies, studied law in the office of Hon. Josiah Quincey, at Rumney, N. H., in 1845 and '46, and was admitted to the bar of Grafton county in 1847. He com- menced practice in the town of Barnstead, N. H., but after practicing there a few years and forming, in the mean time, a warm friendship with Hon. Franklin Pierce, afterwards President, in answer to an urgent call he went to Paterson, N. J., to teach in the public schools. He soon gave up teaching and opened an office there for the practice of law. While there he married Miss Fanny Clark, a beautiful and accomplished lady of that city. The fruit of this union was five sons and one daughter, Miss Susie Rogers, who is now (1888) teaching in the public schools of Paterson. In 1854 Mr. Rogers removed to La Cross, Wis., where he practiced law until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion. He was district attorney for a while and held other public offices. He delivered many lectures upon schools and edu- cation and was often called upon to speak at political meetings. He enlisted in the Second Wisconsin Cavalry, and served two years, when he was dis- charged for disability. He came to Bradford in 1864 and remained three years, practicing law ; but his business was not extensive. At the time of the St. Albans raid he enlisted in the provisional cavalry raised to repel hostile incursions, went to the frontier and served as long as required. He went to Burlingame, Kansas, in 1869, and entered into partnership with his brother James in the law business, and remained there until his death from paralysis, November 20, 1883. Mr. Rogers was a man of good ability, genial in dis- position, and a brilliant talker.

ORANGE COUNTY.

Thomas William Wallace Austin, the oldest child of Seth Austin, previously mentioned, and his first wife, Jane E. Gibson, was born in Bradford, Septem- ber 26, 1828. He attended the common schools of the town and took quite an extended course of study at Bradford academy, under the instruction of Messrs. Case, Taylor and Belcher, successive principals of that school. He was a good mathematician, pursued his studies in surveying and the higher mathematics, and read a good deal of Latin and Greek. He commenced the study of law with his father and continued his studies under a Mr. Johnson, of Derby Line, and was admitted to practice in Orange county in June, 1849, when not quite twenty-one years of age. Young Austin was possessed of good ability, but got into some trouble and went to sea. He was left on the Sandwich Islands by his captain, broken in health, whence he returned home after the death of his father, and died at Bradford the same year, of consump- tion.

Isaac Sawyer Belcher was born in the town of Stockbridge, Windsor county, on the 27th day of February, A. D., 1825. His father, Samuel Belcher, was a prosperous and intelligent farmer. At the age of fifteen, young Belcher was sent to the academy at Royalton, in the same county, where he remained two years, fitting for college. In 1842 he entered the University of Vermont, from which he graduated with honors in 1846. In the fall of that year he came to Bradford to assist his brother William C. Belcher, now a lawyer in San Francisco, Cal., in the academy here, of which the latter was principal. While teaching, he pursued the study of law with Hon. J. W. D. Parker, a leading lawyer of the place, and was admitted to the bar of the County Court, at Chelsea in Orange county, June 20, 1849. He did not practice long in Orange county, but removed to Windsor, his native county, and was there admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Vermont in 1852. On the 20th day of May, 1853, he started for California by the Nicaraugua route and reached San Francisco the 16th day of June following. He proceeded soon to Oregon ; but after a sojourn there of a month he returned to California and engaged in mining on the Yuba river. Not meeting with satisfactory results, he opened an office for the practice of law at Marysville, where he has since resided. His brother, above mentioned, was for a time in company with him in the law business.

In 1861 Mr. Belcher came east and married Miss Adeline N. Johnson, of Augusta, Maine, by whom he has had four children.

In 1855 he was elected district attorney for Yuba county, and in 1863 judge of the Tenth Judicial District, which latter position he held for six years. In 1872 he was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court of California to fill a vacancy occasioned by the death of Mr. Justice Sprague. At the close of his term he again returned to the practice of the law. In 1881 Judge Bel- cher was elected trustee of the state library, which position he still holds. He was a member of the Constitutional convention held in 1886. In the spring

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of 1885 he was appointed Supreme Court commissioner, which honorable and responsible position he now fills.

On the 11th day of November, 1885, Hon. Leland Stanford, United States senator from California at the time, and his wife, executed a grant to twenty- four trustees for the purpose of founding and endowing a university for both sexes, with the colleges, schools, seminaries of learning, mechanical institutes, museums and galleries of art necessary and appropriate to a university of high degree, to be located at their Palo Alto farm in the counties of San Mateo and Santa Clara, California, and to be called The Leland Stanford, Junior, University, in memory of their deceased son. Of this magnificent gift and great trust Judge Belcher is one of the trustees.

" The Resources of California," a publication issued at San Francisco in September, 1886, says : “ Judge Belcher is a man of remarkable strength of mind and soundness of judgment, and his fellow trustees will find in him a valuable coadjutor in administering the noble trust confided to their keeping."

For the last twenty years Rodney Lund, Esq., has been among the lead- ing lawyers in Boston. His practice has continued to increase from the time he first opened an office in that city, and as his sterling qualities have become known he has been crowded with business not only from the city where his office was located, but also from his old friends and acquaintances in Ver- mont. Mr. Lund was born in the town of Corinth, April 28, 1830, being the youngest of three children of Thomas and Anna Lund. In his youthful days he attended the district school and later the academy in his native town. At the age of sixteen he entered a printing office in Bradford, intending to learn the business ; but after a year's service he was obliged to leave on ac- count of its effect upon his health. He then commenced to attend the academy at Bradford for the purpose of fitting himself for the study of law, teaching common schools winters, to aid his slender pecuniary resources. After a short but well improved course of study at the academy he began the study of law with Hon. William Spencer, of Corinth, then late chief judge of the Orange County Court, and completed his studies with Robert McK. Ormsby, Esq., of Bradford, and was admitted to the Orange county bar at the January term, 1852. He immediately opened an office in Corinth, but in 1853 removed to White River Junction, then an enterprising and rapidly growing village, but which did not fulfill its first promise. Mr. Lund was married, September 13, 1854, to Miss Elmyra Jane Chubb, youngest daugh- ter of Joseph and Sally Davis Chubb, at her home at Wolcott, Vt., by the Rev. William Cummings, of that town. He immediately took up his resi- dence in West Lebanon, N. H., still keeping his office at the village of White River Junction in Vermont, about half a mile distant, where he remained until 1860, when he removed to Montpelier and entered into partnership in the law business with Joseph A. Wing, of Montpelier, and Nelson A. Taylor, then late of Washington, Vt., under the firm name of Wing, Lund & Taylor. The firm enjoyed a good practice while it existed, and the gentlemen who

ORANGE COUNTY.

composed it were each excellent lawyers in his own department. Mr. Lund had considerable musical talent, which made him at one time one of the most zealous members of the military band in that place, and for a while he was organist of the Unitarian church there. He took an interest in every- thing that looked to the welfare of the village of Montpelier, and for a time was treasurer of the famous fire engine company Capitol No. 5. Mr. Lund was deputy secretary of state for Vermont for five years embracing the busy times of the Rebellion and of the Fenian raids in Vermont. In 1867 he- was compelled by his failing health to seek the sea coast, and consequently removed to Boston, where he at once entered into partnership in the busi- ness of his profession with Hon. Robert S. Burbank, which business connec- tion existed until the fall of 1885, when the firm of Lund & Welch, which still exists, was formed, the junior member of the firm being Charles H. Welch, Esq. Mr. Lund always took an active part in politics. When but a lit- tle past his majority he was elected a member of the Republican State Central Committee of New Hampshire, and aided in the campaign which made New Hampshire a Republican state for the first time, and he has ever since mani- fested a lively interest in all public topics, although of late years his large professional business has engrossed most of his time. Mr. Lund and his wife are members of the Warren Avenue Baptist church. They have never been blessed with any children.

Baxter B. Stiles was born in 1825, in Vermont. Until eighteen years of age his life was passed in the peaceful pursuits of the farm. From that time until twenty-two he attended the Newbury seminary several terms. He studied law in Orange county, and was admitted to the bar there at the June term, 1852, of Orange County Court, but opened an office in Bethel, Wind- sor county. When Hon. J. W. D. Parker removed from Bradford to Janes- ville, Wis., Mr. Stiles bought out his practice and took up his abode in Brad- ford ; but he did not remain there long. The same year he removed to Chicago, where he remained till 1861. In April of that year he moved to Denver, Col., where he was soon appointed clerk of the Supreme Court of the territory, which office he held for seven years. In 1862 he was made alder- man, in 1865 city clerk, and during the same time assessor of the city. Upon his election to the legislature, in 1867, he resigned five city offices. In 1869. and '70 he was elected mayor of Denver, and again in 1877.

William Caldwell Belcher, an older brother of Isaac S. Belcher, mentioned elsewhere, was a native of Stockbridge, Vt., and graduated at the University of Vermont in 1843. He taught the academy at Bradford from 1845 to. 1848, and in 1849 taught a select school in Bradford village. He studied law with Hon. J. W. D. Parker, of Bradford, and with Hon. Levi B. Vilas, of Chelsea, and was admitted to Orange county bar July 5. 1853. He soon went to Marysville, Cal., where he entered into partnership in the law busi- ness with his brother, who had settled in that city at an earlier day. After remaining in Marysville for a number of years, having good success in his

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business, he removed to San Francisco, where he still resides. Mr. Belcher was a fine scholar, having fitted, while teaching in Bradford academy, two young gentlemen, John Quincy Adams Fellows, now of New Orleans, La., and Roswell Farnham, of Bradford, for admission to the junior class in the University of Vermont. He never married.

Richard H. Heath practiced law in Bradford in 1855, in company with Hon. Charles B. Leslie, who was then judge of probate. Mr. Heath was born in Topsham about 1825. His parents were Samuel and Sarah (Hard- ing) Heath. He studied law with Joseph Potts, Esq., of Barnet, and was admitted to the Caledonia county bar in 1853. He lived and practiced his profession in Barnet until he came to Bradford. He went west in 1856 and settled at Fort Madison, Iowa, where he continued in the practice of the law for about five years, and then engaged in other business. About 1863 he was taken sick, and was compelled to go to Texas, Kansas and into the Rocky Mountains for his health, where he remained for more than a year, and finally got some employment on the Pacific railroad at civil engineering, in which he was proficient. He then returned to Fort Madison and engaged in the commission business, but was ruined by the fall in the price of wheat, in which he had been speculating. He was soon after elected judge of the Police Court, which place he held about three years, when he resigned and went into the civil engineering and land surveying business, which was his occupation as long as he lived. In 1877 he was county surveyor of Lee county, in Iowa, and city engineer of Fort Madison, the county seat of Lee county. He was re-elected county surveyor several times. Mr. Heath never married, and he died in January, 1888.

James Rogers, older brother of William H. Rogers, mentioned elsewhere, was born in Orford, N. H., on the 18th day of October, 1826. He was the son of Charles and Permelia (Ramsey) Rogers, the former a native of Orford and the latter of New Hampshire, being of Scotch-Irish descent. James was the third son among eleven children. Until he had attained his nineteenth year Mr. Rogers had but limited advantages of education, receiving only what the common schools afforded and much of the time being engaged in labor on the farm and in his father's scythe-stone quarry in Piermont, N. H. At the age of nineteen he left home and engaged in farm labor for a short time, and then attended school at the academy in Bradford, Vt., to which place his- father removed in 1845. In vacations and winter evenings he worked at grinding scythe-stones in his father's scythe-stone factory, earning good wages and supporting himself in this way for four years ; and during this time he fitted himself to enter the junior class at Dartmouth college, where he took the regular classical course, graduating therefrom in 1851. After leaving col- lege he taught three years in the academy at Sandwich, N. H. He studied law in Bradford, Vt., with Robert Mckinley Ormsby, Esq., and was admitted to the bar of Orange county in 1854, Hon. Jacob Collamer presiding over the court at the time. He commenced the practice of law at Paterson, N. J.,

ORANGE COUNTY.

and in 1855 was married to Mary B., only daughter of Dr. John and Hannah Harper, whose loss he was called to mourn on the 9th of March, 1873. He had three children, Julia and John H. now living, and Lizzie who died in in- fancy. Some years ago he married again and his second wife survives him. In common with many eastern people, Mr. Rogers moved to Kansas during the troubled days of 1856 and settled in Burlingame, Osage county, where he continued to reside until his death, July 27, 1880. He practiced law for several years after going to Kansas, and was also engaged in farming. He took an active part in border troubles, being a prominent Free State man, though a Douglas Democrat in politics, and the main object in his going to Kansas was to assist in making it a free state. He labored in this direction with great energy, corresponding with the journals of the east and interesting such individuals as he might in this great question. His letters on the sub- ject were extensively published and he exerted a wide influence in securing immigration into the state. His law business in 1861 had largely increased, yet he continued to take a large interest in education. He was a member of the school board at the time of his decease, was for several years trustee of the Normal school at Emporia, and regent of the Agricultural college at Manhattan. He was the first president of the Burlingame Union Agricul- tural Society, serving in that capacity for several successive terms, and during the same time was a member of the State Board of Agriculture. He was re- presentative in the state legislature in 1863 and '64 and was state senator in 1867 and '68. While in the House, it was owing almost entirely to his influ- ence that the usual grand jury system was abolished, and he made the first speech in the Kansas legislature in favor of negro suffrage. He was a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, being one of the charter members of the lodge at Burlingame, and had attained the master's degree. On the occasion of Mr. Rogers's funeral, July 28, 1880, William Thompson, Esq., delivered an address at Burlingame which, in accordance with a resolution of Corinthian Lodge, No. 79, A. F. & A. M., was published in the Osage County Chronicle of August 12, 1880, and from this address most of the above facts are taken.

Roswell Farnham was born in Boston, Mass , July 23, 1827. He is of the sixth generation in line of direct descent from Ralph Farnum, who emigrated from England to America, settled in Andover, Mass., and there married Mary Holt, in 1658. Ephraim, the grandson of Ralph Farnum, was one of the original settlers of Concord,-then and subsequently called Penacook,-New Hampshire, and there his descendants settled, and there the grandfather of Mr. Farnham was born, but his father, Roswell Farnum, was born in Ply- mouth, N. H., October 14, 1792. The father married, on the 14th of September, 1817, Ruth, daughter of Capt. David Bixby, of Piermont, N. H., and became by her the father of Cyrus Conant Farnham, who was born in Haverhill, N. H., on the 27th of June, 1818, and died of typhoid fever on the 25th of February, 1863, at Memphis, Tenn., while employed in the mili- tary telegraph office of the United States government. Roswell Farnum

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Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 8

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