Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 9

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 9

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Roswell Farnham

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married for his second wife Nancy Bixby, the sister of his deceased spouse, on the 29th of April, 1822. By her he had two children, one of whom, named Laura Ann, now resides in Boston, Mass., and the other is Roswell Farnham.

Captain David Bixby, the maternal grandfather of Roswell Farnham, was born in Boxford, Mass., in the year 1755. At the very commencement of the hostilities culminating in the Revolutionary war he joined the patriot volunteers, was present in the actions at Lexington and Bunker Hill, and did excellent service in Rhode Island. After that he went to sea on board a privateer, and returned home in possession of considerable prize-money at the end of his first cruise. The second venture was not so fortunate. His ves- sel was captured by a British frigate, when but a short distance out of port. He himself was conveyed to England, lodged in Dartmoor prison, and there, in common with other American captives, suffered great privations for eleven months. When liberated by exchange he returned to his native land, settled in Haverhill, Mass., and married Nancy, daughter of Dr. John Pecker. From Haverhill, Capt. Bixby removed to Pepperell, Mass., and in 1795 again changed his residence to Piermont, N. H., where he died December 18, 1838, aged eighty-three years, esteemed by all who knew him.

Somewhat more than thirty years ago the younger members of the Farn- ham family restored the original orthography of their patronymic, which was doubtless written as it is now. England contains five parishes by the name of Farnham. In one of these, in Surry, is a market town of the same name that contains a castle which is the principal palace of the Bishops of Winchester.

When the subject of our sketch was born, his father was in business on Court street, Boston. He soon after removed to Haverhill, Mass., and in 1840 removed to Bradford, Vt., where he continued to reside until his death, December 20, 1860. Mrs. Farnum died January 30, 1860.

Roswell Farnham prepared for college in the academy at Bradford, under the instruction of Moses P. Case, A. B., and J. S. D. Taylor, A. M. While thus engaged he assisted in the cultivation of the paternal home. Lacking the means to enter college when fully prepared for matriculation, he pursued the studies of the freshman and sophomore classes at the same institution, under the direction of William C. Belcher, A. M. In September, 1847, he joined the junior class at the University of Vermont, in Burlington. He graduated in August, 1849, and received the degree of A. M. in 1852. Immediately after graduation he entered upon active duty as a teacher in the academy at Dunham, Lower Canada, or Province of Quebec, as it is now denominated. There he remained a little over twelve months. From Dunham Mr. Farn- ham removed to Franklin, Vt., where he took charge of the Franklin Aca- demical Institution. He remained here a little over three years, and then took charge of the academy in his own town for two years. During the last of his days of teaching he was giving such attention to the study of law as he could, and at the close of his engagement in the academy at Bradford he

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completed his legal studies with the genial but somewhat eccentric Robert McK. Ormsby. He was admitted to the Orange county bar January 23, 1857, and at once formed a partnership with his preceptor in the law, which lasted until the summer of 1859, when he opened an office alone. During that year he was elected state's attorney for Orange county by the Republi- can party, and was subsequently re-elected twice by the same political organ- ization. His practice gradually increased until he had a fair share of the legal business of his locality. Just before the war broke out he was a non- commissioned officer in the militia company known as the Bradford Guards. When on the 23th of April, the order of the governor came, detailing that company as a part of the First Regiment of Vermont volunteer militia, Mr. Farnham was commissioned as its second lieutenant. The Bradford Guards left home on the 2d of May, joined the First Regiment, left the state on the 9th, and was stationed for the greater part of its three months' service at Fortress Monroe and at Newport News, Va. Lieut. Farnham was made provost-marshal of the post at Newport News, under the command of Col. J. Wolcott Phelps, who was then in charge of more than four thousand troops at that point. While stationed in that locality the battle of Big Bethel was fought, on the 10th of June. Lieut. Farnham was present and took part in this engagement with the five companies of the First Vermont Regiment and other troops on the field, although he was on detached service. After the term of the First Regiment had expired he returned home with it, but when the Twelfth Regiment was organized, in the summer of 1862, including the Bradford Guards, he again entered the service, first as captain, and then as lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and served through its term.

In the winter of 1862-63 Mrs. Farnham spent three months in camp with her husband, sleeping under canvass in the camps near Fairfax Court House and Wolf Run Shoals, Va.

At the expiration of his second term of service Lieut .- Col. Farnham returned to the practice of law in Bradford, where he has since resided. In 1865 to 1868 he was a member of the Republican state committee. In 1865 he was the Republican candidate for the representation of the town, but was defeated, Bradford then having, as it has for many years since, a Democratic majority. In 1868 and 1869 he was a member of the state senate from Orange county. He was the first commander of Washburn Post, No. 17, G. A. R., which was organized in 1869. In 1876 he was a delegate to the National Republican convention, which nominated Gen. Rutherford B. Hayes for the presidency, at Cincinnati. He was also one of the presidential electors the same year. Of the Board of Education he was a member in 1873, '74 and '75. He has been for the past ten years one of the elective trustees of the University of Vermont, and of the State Agricultural college.

On the 23d of June, 1880, he was unanimously nominated as the Repub- lican candidate for governor of Vermont, and was elected by a majority of 25,012 votes, receiving 47,848 votes against 21,245 cast for Hon. E. J.

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Phelps, the Democratic candidate, 1,578 for Hon. Madison O. Heath, the Greenback candidate, and thirteen scattering votes.

During the year 1887 Governor Farnham was the president of the Ver- mont Officers Reunion Society, and presided at its annual meeting held at Brattleboro, October 18, 1887, at which ex-Governor John D. Long, of Massachusetts, made the address. He is, at the present time, president of the Vermont Bar Association.

Roswell Farnham was married on the 25th of December, 1849, to Mary Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Capt. Ezekiel Johnson, of Bradford. Mrs. Farnham proved to be a congenial and excellent helpmeet for her husband, and from the date of their marriage was associated with him in teaching to a great extent, so long as he remained in the educational profession. Three living children are the fruit of their union. Of these, Charles Cyrus, who graduated at the University of Vermont in June, 1886, is now a student at the Columbia College Law school, in New York city. Florence Mary is a member of the senior class in the Fine Art department of the Syracuse, (N. Y.) university, and William Mills is in attendance upon the academy at Bradford, making his home with his parents.

The foregoing is principally abridged from the Biographical Encyclopedia of Vermont, 19th century, published in 1885.

George Bowen Damon was the son of Dr. George and Lucy J. (Burt) Damon, who were both born in Lyndon, Vt. Their early married life was spent in Hatley, Province of Quebec, where, March 31, 1835, George B. was born. When he was eight years old the family removed to Glover, Vt., living there and in Barton about ten years. In 1854 the parents removed to Barnet, where they were living at the time George B. entered upon the study of law and where the father, in 1862, died. The son received his education in the common schools and at the academies in the towns where the family had resided. During the winter of 1856-57 he was in Montpelier, reading law with Hon. T. P. Redfield. The summer following, in company with his friend, W. W. Grout, now member of Congress from the Second District in Vermont, he took a term of instruction at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and after- wards continued the study of law with Charles C. Dewey, Esq., at Wells River, for about a year and until he was admitted to the Caledonia county bar, December 8, 1858. He was afterwards admitted to practice in Illinois, October 3, 1859, and in Ohio, January 9, 1866, as certificates in the hands of his sister show. Some time before his admission to the bar in Illinois he had removed to Chicago and opened an office there with William Roscoe Deane, Esq., under the firm name of Deane & Damon ; but this partnership was soon dissolved, and he returned to Vermont. In the spring of 1860, after his return from Chicago, he went to Bradford and entered into partner- ship in the law business with Judge J. W. Batchelder, where he remained in practice until September, 1861, when he went to Wells River. In the sum- mer of 1862 he assisted in raising Company G., of the Tenth Vermont

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Regiment, for the war of the Rebellion, which was recruited in Bradford, Newbury, Thetford and other towns in the vicinity, and rendezvoused at Bradford. When the company was organized Mr. Damon was elected its captain, and was commissioned August 2, 1862. That he did his duty well appears from the fact of his being promoted to major, December 19, 1864, to lieutenant-colonel, January 2, 1865, brevetted April 2, 1865, for gallantry be- fore Petersburg, Va., and appointed to the position of colonel June 15, 1865. During the early part of his service he was detached from his regiment and was on staff duty with Gen. Getty. He was a courageous and brilliant member of the staff, and when he returned to his regiment he did efficient duty there. The following is from the report of Gen. Peter T. Washburn, as adjutant and inspector-general of the state, for the year ending October, 1865 :-

"On the 25th of March, 1865, about two o'clock, P. M., Lieut .- Col. Damon, commanding the regiment (the Tenth Vt.). was placed in command of the picket line of the division in front of Forts Fisher and Welch, for the purpose of making an attack upon the pickets of the enemy. The line was. composed of about one hundred and sixty men of the Fourteenth New Jersey on the right, and two hundred and thirty men of the Tenth Vermont on the left. The line was about one mile in length, with open ground on the right half, while the left portion was immediately in rear of a narrow belt of woods. The picket line of the evening was strongly intrenched behind earth-works, and at an average distance of three hundred yards. The 122d and the roth Ohio Regiments were also placed under command of Lieut .- Col. Damon, as a supporting column, and were formed one hun- dred yards in rear of the right center. At three o'clock the whole line moved forward at double quick, and at several points the position of the enemy was reached, but they delivered so severe a musketry fire from their breast-works, their forts, a few hundred yards in rear, opening at the same time with artillery, that the attacking line was compelled to retire to its original position. The attacking force was strenghtened, and at about four o'clock, P. M., the line again advanced and carried the works of the enemy, capturing nearly the entire picket force in their front, and held their intrenched line. Col. Damon commanded the left portion of the picket line, consisting of 230 men of the Tenth Vermont. The regiment captured, in the charge, one hundred and sixty prisoners, including several commissioned officers.'

The official report of Col. Damon is given in the same volume. He was honorably discharged and mustered out of service June 28, 1865.

Soon after his return from the war Col. Damon went to Cincinnati, and early in 1866 opened an office for the practice of law with a young man by the name of Hagan ; but finding that there was not business enough for two, Col. Damon became the agent for Sargent, Wilson & Hinkle, school book publishers, of Cincinnati. He removed to St. Louis in the fall of 1866, but remained in the employ of the above named firm until May, 1874, when he came to Boston and there became the general agent for New England of Ivison, Blakeman & Taylor of New York, for the sale of their publications. He remained in Boston in their service until 1881. About a year later,

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already broken in health, undoubtedly the result of exposure in the army, he removed to Des Moines, Iowa, and there acted as the agent for Sheldon & Co., a book firm in Chicago, and died there April 20, 1885.

He married Miss Susan Underwood, daughter of Hon. Abel Underwood, of Wells River, in February, 1859. They had two daughters, both living. This marriage was annulled sometime in 1873, and in October of that year he married Miss Margurite Cournoyer, of St. Louis, who survives him. There were no children by the second marriage.

Col. Damon was a very bright and agreeable gentleman of more than ordinary ability. He was a fluent and attractive speaker, and would undoubtedly have made a success of his profession had not the habits of mind acquired by three years' service in the army made him impatient of the drudgery and detail incident to starting a good practice in the law.

Harry Niles Worthen, son of Thomas Worthen, of Thetford, was born about 1837. He was educated at Thetford academy, and graduated at Nor- wich (Vt.) university. He studied law with C. W. Clarke, Esq , of Chelsea, and was admitted to Orange county bar January 16, 1861. He was assist- ant United States marshal for taking the census in Orange county in 1860. In the fall of 1858, while a student with Mr. Clarke, having had something of a military training at the Norwich university, he came to Bradford once or twice a week and drilled the Bradford Guards, then a new organization. Upon the organization of the First Vermont Regiment for the war of the Rebellion he was appointed its major, being mustered into the United States service May 2, 1861, and mustered out of service in August, 1861. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Fourth Vermont Regiment the same day that he was mustered out of the First Regiment, and resigned his commis- sion July 17, 1862, and never afterwards entered the service. He was sutler for a time. After the war he entered into company with Asa M. Dickey, of Bradford, in the practice of law, and after that partnership was dissolved he practiced for a time alone in the same town. Since then he has lived in Boston several years engaged in the patent right business, and is now settled in Michigan. He married a Miss Chase, of Lebanon, N. H.

William Henry Rogers, son of Charles and Permelia Rogers, was born at Piermont, N. H., December 7, 1842, and removed with his parents to Brad- ford when three years old. He received his education at Bradford academy, and during the war of the Rebellion enlisted as a private in the 15th Ill. Infantry, in which regiment he served two years, being at the time of his dis- charge 2d lieutenant of Co. I. He was with Sherman in his march to the sea. He afterwards studied law with Gov. Farnham, of Bradford, and was admitted to the Orange county bar at the December term, 1866. He re- moved at once to Fort Atkinson, Wis., where he has since resided in the practice of his profession. He has been district attorney of Jefferson county, Wis., four years. August 16, 1869, he married Angenette Horton, of Brad- ford, Vt., and has had two children, both of whom are living, viz .: Charles

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Britton Rogers, born July 25, 1871, and Frank Horton Rogers, born July 15, 1874.

Orvin Gambell was born in the town of Barnard, Windsor county, May 23, 1844. In 1851 his father removed to the town of Randolph, where he con- tinued to reside until his death in September, 1874. Mr. Gambell fitted for college in the Orange County Grammar school, and entered the University of Vermont in September, 1862. He remained at that institution until May, 1864, when he entered Dartmouth college, where he graduated in the class of 1866. After graduating he entered the Law school at Albany, N. Y., and was admitted to the bar in the city of Albany in May, 1867. In August of that year he entered the law office of Asa M. Dickey, in Bradford, as a clerk, and in January, 1868, formed a co-partnership in the practice of law with Mr. Dickey. This partnership continued until November, 1871, when it was dis- solved. Mr. Gambell continued the business at Bradford and Mr. Dickey removed to St. Johnsbury. In September, 1872, Mr. Gambell was elected state's attorney of Orange county, and held that office for two years. Jan- uary 1, 1878, he formed a co-partnership with John H. Watson, and a few months afterward sold out his interest in the business to Mr. Watson and re- moved to the city of Troy, N. Y., where he now resides and continues in the practice of his profession. He is a member of the firm of Warren, Patterson & Gambell, and this firm has an extensive and constantly increasing business. Mr. Patterson is a native of Orange county, having been born in the town of Corinth. Mr. Gambell is a man of more than ordinary ability and had a large and successful practice while in Orange county. Had he chosen to re- main in Vermont he would to-day undoubtedly have been among the best lawyers of the state.

Riley H. Mardin was the second child of Joseph and Lucy W. Mardin, and was born in Albany, Orleans county, Vt., January 24, 1834. His parents removed to Compton, Lower Canada, now the Province of Quebec, when he was less than one year old, and remained there nine years, after which they re- turned to Vermont and lived in Brookfield and Randolph some ten years. They then emigrated to Wisconsin; but the son, having in view the profession of the law, and being entirely dependent upon his own labor for whatever edu- cation he might acquire, remained in Vermont. He attended a few terms of the district or common schools in Randolph, Vt .. and Bath, N. H., and then entered the Orange County Grammar school at Randolph, a part of the time taught by Hon. William H. Nichols. He was here about two and a half terms, half a term at the academy at McIndoe's Falls, in the town of Barnet, Vt., and two terms at Newbury (Vt.) seminary. He began the study of law with the Hon. William Nutting, in 1858, while boarding with his son and while attending school at Randolph. Father Nutting, as he was called, had then retired from active practice. In the fall of 1859 Mr. Mardin entered the office of Hon. David R. Lang, of Bath, N. H., as a student at law, and read "off and on," as he says, until August, 1861, when he enlisted in Co. B, of

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the Fourth Vt. Regt. of Infantry, and went with it to the front. He was dis- charged from service in November, 1862, upon a surgeon's certificate of disability, and returned to Vermont. But having recovered his health he re- enlisted in the Ninth Vt. Regt., December 22, 1863, and again went to the front and served with his regiment till March, 1865, when, after examination, he was commissioned as second lieutenant in the 127th Regt. of United States Colored Troops and took part in the campaign from around Rich- mond to the Appomattox. He was again discharged from service, on a sur- geon's sertificate of disability, and returned to Vermont in a greatly debilitated state of health, from which condition he has never fully recovered. After somewhat improving in health he again took up the study of the law with Hon. Philander Perrin, of Randolph, and was admitted to the bar in Orange county at the June term of the County Court in 1867. He commenced practice at East Corinth the next fall, but in the spring of 1868 he removed to Bradford, where he remained till the spring of 1873, when he removed to Bristol, Addi- son county, Vt. He went west in the spring of 1882, and has continued in the practice of law up to the present time at Fergus Falls, Otter Tail county, Minn. In politics he has always been a steadfast temperance Republican. He was superintendent of schools in the town of Bristol for three years next prior to his going west. In January, 1886, he was appointed by the District Court judges a court commissioner for Otter Tail county, to fill a vacancy occcasioned by the death of the commissioner who was elected to the office in the fall of 1885 for four years. A court commissioner, in Minnesota, is a court at chambers, authorized by law to hear and determine all ques- tions or issues that a common law judge can hear and decide at chambers.

Mr. Mardin was married, at Lebanon, N. H., December 24, 1863, to Emily M. Clifford, of Randolph, by whom he had two children, Charles Sumner, born October 2, 1864, now an admitted attorney and principal of the graded school at Elizabeth, Otter Tail county, and Carrie E., born March 31, 1867, now Mrs. W. A. Slooper, living in Omaha, Neb. Mrs. Mardin died while the family resided in Bradford, and Mr. Mardin married for a second wife Miss Amanda F. Hunt, a native of Bath, N. H., who is still living. While attending school and studying law Mr. Mardin supported himself by any kind of manual labor that would pay the best, such as farming, working in saw-mills, rafting on the Connecticut river and teaching school. He has always been a man of unbounded pluck and energy, and has succeeded where many men of larger ability and better education would have failed. He receives a pension from the United States government for disabilities received in the service of his country.

Watson Thomas Dunmore was born at Rush, Susquehanna county, Pa., on the 28th day of March, 1845. He worked on his father's farm until he was nineteen years of age, when he entered the Wyoming seminary, at Kingston, Pa., and fitted for college. He entered the sophomore class at the Wesleyan university, at Middletown, Conn., in September, 1868, and

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graduated in 1871. He came to Bradford in the fall of that year as principal of the academy and high school, and remained in that position two years. He gave good satisfaction and was highly esteemed, not only by his pupils, but by the citizens of the town. He commenced the study of law in the office of Mr. Farnham while he was teaching. In the summer of 1873, after he had ended his term of teaching, he went to Wilkes Barre, Pa., and entered the law office of Wright & Hand to complete his studies ; but finding that it would take much longer to be admitted there than it would in Vermont, he returned to Mr. Farnham's office and completed his studies, and was ad- mitted to the Vermont bar in Orange county June 3, 1874. Being short of -

funds he again became a pedagogue, and assumed the duties of principal of the graded school at Susquehanna Depot, Pa., in September, 1874. After being there one term he got released for the purpose of becoming superin- tendent of public schools at Hornelsville, N. Y. He went to the latter place in January, 1875, and remained there till the close of the school year, when he resigned to enable him to go to Utica, N. Y., to practice law. He received the degree of LL. B. from the Hamilton College Law school in June, 1875, and was thereupon admitted to the New York bar. He com- menced practice in Utica in September, 1875, and soon had a lucrative business. In November, 1886, he was elected special county judge of Oneida county, and at the date of this writing is performing the duties of that office.

He married, July 9, 1878, Miss Minnie E. Goodier, of Utica, by whom he has five children.

George A. Dickey, son of Asa M., was born in Newbury, November 14, 1855. The year following his parents removed to Bradford. Here he received a common school education. When he was fourteen years of age the family removed to St. Johnsbury, where he attended the academy several terms, and afterwards the Vermont Conference seminary at Mont- pelier. He read law in the office of Dickey & Blodgett, at St. Johnsbury, and was admitted to the Caledonia county bar at the June term, 1877. In the fall of the same year he entered the Law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he graduated in 1879. In the spring of 1880 he removed to Bradford, where he practiced his profession until 1884, when he removed to Larned, Kansas. He entered zealously into the political con- tests of that year, and made many stirring campaign speeches at the various- political meetings that were held all over the county, and was president of the Cleveland and Hendricks club of Pawnee county. He engaged quite extensively in land speculations in addition to the practice of his profession. In August, 1886, he returned to Bradford and resumed his law practice in that place. During his residence in Bradford he has been associated in some of the most prominent cases at the Orange county bar. He possesses fine legal intuition, is a forcible and spirited debater, and is highly successful as an advocate. In the spring of 1877 he married Miss Laura M. Ransom, of St. Johnsbury. They have two boys.

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Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, Part 9

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