Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I, Part 3

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1032

USA > Vermont > Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I > Part 3

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).

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

These qualities were die largely to the fact that the very pure spring water for which Brattleboro has long been famous was employed in the man- facture of the paper. This paper, and that made by the Brandywine mills, were the leaders, for quality, of all papers then in the American mark- ets. At abont sixty years of age Mr. Holbrook mainly withdrew from active business, and en- joyed for the remainder of his life a period of well earned leisure. In the northern part of the village he built a house, surrounded by extensive grounds, and there passed the rest of his days in the enjoyment of the many sources of pleasure to be found in a quiet country life.

Mr. Holbrook was closely identified with the Congregational church of Brattleboro, where he held the office of deacon, and was foremost in all its work of benevolence, aiding the cause of re- ligion by every means in his power, above all, by that most potent of all means, the force of example. Of Mr. Holbrook's political prefer- ences we know only that he must have been, first, a Federalist, and then a Whig, as was evinced by his admiration for Alexander Hamilton, and his (lislike of "Tom Jefferson," as he was wont to style the founder of the Democratic party.

Mr. Holbrook married, November 30. 1786, Sarah Knowlton, aged nineteen, daughter of Hon. Luke Knowlton, who came to Vermont from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where most of his family were born. He was one of the first settlers and most influential citizens of Windham county, and was one of the earliest judges of the supreme court of the state and also of the Wind- ham county court. Mrs. Holbrook was a lady of much personal beauty and grace of manner, and during her after life in Brattleboro had great influence in the social life of the town. She was also a woman of remarkably strong and beautiful Christian character, which found its fullest ex- ercise in the duties of wife and mother, which she was peculiarly fitted to discharge. Mrs. Holbrook had many recollections of life in Ver- mont in the early days, and one of the reminis- cences which were listened to with thrilling in- terest by her grandchildren and great-grand- children was the following: One day, when she and her mother happened to be the only inmates of the house, they heard a great noise outside, and going to the window saw a big bear in the

act of ripping the boards from the pig-pen, and then, seizing a pig, carry it off to the woods near by. When the men of the family returned they were told of the incident, and, with guns in hand, started in pursuit, tracking the bear by his foot-prints in the snow, and also by the blood of the pig. They finally overtook and shot the mon- ster, dragged him home, cut from his carcass several good bear steaks for consumption by the family and made of his skin a comfortable robe for the bottom of the sleigh. It may perhaps be a matter of surprise to their descendants that the carly settlers should have taken up their abode in situations as exposed as the great elevation of Newfane Hill appears to be, but we are told that there were several inducements for the selection of such a habitation, the chief among them being that they were there comparatively safe from sur- prise by the Indians. The savages, it seems, made annual journeys along the valleys of the Connecticut and its tributaries from Canada to Long Island Sound, in order to enjoy the fish and oysters from the salt waters. Moreover, by dwelling on the hills, they escaped the malarial fevers to which the settlers in the soft, damp soil of the valleys were exposed.

Frederick Holbrook, son of John Holbrook and Sarah (Knowlton) Holbrook, was born in East Windsor, Connecticut, February 15, 1813. He was the youngest of a family of ten children, and the only one born out of Vermont, during a brief residence at Warehouse Point, returning to Vermont an infant in his mother's arms. He was from the first surrounded by home influences of the kind best calculated to strengthen such a character as he afterward developed, and he was equally fortunate in his preceptors. For two years he studied at the Berkshire Gymnasium, Pittsfield. Massachusetts, where he enjoyed the instruction of Professors Dewey and Hopkins, the latter, Matthew Hopkins, afterward president of Williams College. Having completed his edu- cation, in the course of which mathematics re- ceived a large share of his attention, he visited Europe, thoroughly explored England, Scotland and Ireland, and also spent some time on the continent. In consequence of his habits of ob- servation and reflection this European tour con- tributed largely to the formation of his character and subsequent beliefs. Returning home in 1833,

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

he devoted his energies mainly to a pursuit which had always possessed especial attractions for him, that of farming, applying to it the results of the information which he had gained in regard to the art while traveling in Europe. Noticing with alarm the decay of an industry so essential to the greatness and prosperity of our country, he wrote a series of articles on agriculture, remarkable for their vigor of style and accuracy of statement, which were published in the leading agricultural journals of the United States. In response to the solicitations of Luther Tucker, proprietor of the Albany Cultivator, he prepared some articles which were so enthusiastically received that he was induced to agree to supply contributions of this nature permanently. Mr. Holbrook's theo- ries were always submitted to the test of experi- ment before being laid before the public. He was no mere doctrinaire, but could guide the plough and swing the scythe as well as wield the pen with elegance and force.

Mr. Holbrook's public official life began with his election to the office of register of probate for the district of Marlboro, and in 1850 he was elected to the presidency of the Vermont State Agricultural Society, of which he was one of the founders, the first address delivered before the association having come from his lips, and for eight consecutive years he was elected to this position. In 1849 and 1850 he represented his fellow citizens in the state senate, and, while a member of that body and acting as chairman of a special committee on agriculture, he proposed a petition to Congress for the establishment of a na- tional bureau of agriculture, which project re- ceived the indorsement and commendation of the president of the United States in his message to Congress. It was favorably received by the rep- resentatives of the several states, by whose act- ion-approved by the chief magistrate-the de- partment of agriculture became a reality.

As a natural result of these beneficent serv- ices, in 1861 Mr. Holbrook was placed in the gubernatorial chair of Vermont by a gratifying majority of votes. Called to this post of gravest responsibility in one of the darkest hours of our national history, Governor Holbrook proved him- self to be the man for the hour and the place. His courage was unfailing, his hope and cheer unfaltering. They inspired not only the people

of his own state, but the overburdened soul of our martyr president.

Governor Holbrook's Thanksgiving procla- mation of November 11, 1861, while it applies especially to the dark days in which it was issued. will always be a source of inspiration to the Anglo-Saxon race on this side of the sea. as the following sentences from its preface will abund- antly prove : "Until the coming of that blessed kingdom when 'the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion and the fat- ling together, and a little child shall lead them. human life, whether individual or collective, miist be a conflict, and its achievements the result of toils, trials. fortitude, and faith. The discipline of adversity rather than the softer influences of prosperity gives character and power to a people. As the most precious odors exhale their choicest fragrance when incensed or crushed, so a peo- ple chastened by adversity develop their finer and nobler qualities, acquire fortitude to bear with lofty cheer the trials by which themselves and their institutions are proved, and energy to surmont difficulties and triumph over evil. It was through dangers and difficulties that our fa- thers first made a lodgment on the shores of New England ; and amid discouragements, privations and sorrows which would have overwhelmed the spirits and shaken the faith of other men. that they instituted and observed a day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise." Recounting the var- ious reasons for thanksgiving, foremost among which was the fact that men of all parties, pur- suits and shades of opinion rallied spontaneously to the defense of the Union, he adds: "Let the fervent praver arise for wisdom and virtue to guide nis in this momentous period, that we may acquit ourselves as becomes a people so favored by ancestry and God. And though in our thanks- giving at this time there may be less of carol than of solemn sound, yet, if thinking of father, hus- band, brother, or son, now upon the tented field or in the soldier's grave, let us remember that it is noble to battle or die for our country; and if affection must drop a tear to the memory of the departed, let us also give thanks for their unsel- fish endeavors and heroic death in a grand and righteous cause."

Gloriously did the Green Mountain state re-

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

spond to these ringing words, sending forth over tlerty thousand soldiers to the defense of free- dom, two of Governor Holbrook's own sous be- ing among the number. In all his following proclamations we hear the same heroic note, strengthening and quickening the sources of our national life.

In 1862 Governor Holbrook, in one of his messages to the legislature, expressed the hope that the state would ever "gratefully remember the patriotic devotion manifested by those who, unable to bear the arms and endure the hardships of the soldier, have nobly aided and encouraged others to do so," adding, that "the lasting thanks of every patriot are due to the women of Ver- mont."

Governor Holbrook's utterances during this trying time in reference to the financial problems then before the state, were marked by the same calm, courageous wisdom which characterized all his expressions in regard to public affairs. Un- der the guidance of Governor Holbrook Vermont was the first state in the Union to provide hos- pitals for its soldiers. The preservation of life and the benefit to health which were thus insured it is impossible to estimate. For his inspiration in this, as in all other noble and wise endeavors, Vermont owes its war governor an incalculable debt of honor and gratitude.

Since his retirement from the leadership of his state Governor Holbrook, never an office- seeker, has declined to be again drawn into pub- lic life, but in various ways, as a private citizen, his best efforts have been devoted to the welfare of the community. Chairman, for many years, of the board of trustees of the Vermont Asylum, his object has ever been the best good of the pa- tients and the best welfare of the institution. As legislator. governor and private citizen, his ca- reer has been that of a public benefactor.

Fx-Governor Holbrook is now (1902) ap- proaching his ninetieth birthday. As the years pass. each bringing with it some increase of hon- or, his personal friends and the public unite in. sen ling congratulations on each anniversary of his birth. His vigor, both mental and physical, is unimpaired, and his interest in public affairs as keen as ever. He thus describes himself at the age of eighty-eight: "I am happy and con- tented. I try to make myself useful. I walk

several miles every pleasant day. I attend to my correspondence. I do my own writing. I read aloud several hours daily, largely from the poets and works of imagination. This tends to prevent introspection when one is old. I try to be a young old man." It is surely the wish of all who read this description of a happy, beneficent old age that it may be prolonged for many years. When the New York Evening Post celebrated its centennial, ex-Governor Holbrook sent a letter of congratulation in which he said that he remem- bered, when he was a boy, seeing his father, who was probably a subscriber to the paper before the birth of the ex-Governor, sitting by his blazing wood fire of an evening, with a copy of the Evening Post in one hand, and in the other an oil lamp, by the light of which he scanned every page of the paper.

Ex-Governor Holbrook married, January 13, 1835, Harriet, daughter of Joseph Goodhue, of Brattleboro. Their children are: Franklin F., born March 1, 1837 ; appointed military agent of Vermont in caring for her soldiers, in the autumn of 1861 ; filled acceptably that position throughout the entire course of the war, and is now a manu- facturer of agricultural implements in Boston. William C., born July 14, 1842, enlisted in the Fourth Vermont Volunteer Militia; was com- missioned lieutenant ; subsequently commisisoned colonel of the Seventh Vermont Volunteer Militia, and is now a judge in New York. John, born July 17, 1852, was, until his deccase, en- gaged in business in Pennsylvania.

Franklin F. Holbrook, son of ex-Governor Holbrook and Harriet (Goodhue) Holbrook, married Anna, daughter of Joel Nourse, of the firm of Nourse, Mason & Company, of Boston. They have three children: Frederick, an engi- neer and contractor, at present engaged upon the subway of New York city, where he has con- tracts amounting to over one million dollars. Among the other important contracts, handled by Mr. Holbrook, was the Oregon Short Line Rail- road. He married, in New York, a daughter of Norman S. Cabot, and they have three children. Percy, the second son of Franklin F. Holbrook, is engaged in the manufacturing business, is also a railroad engineer by profession and has had charge of the construction of several railroads running through the state of Oregon, since which

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

time he has been identified with manufacturing in New York city, with a company who manu- facture a device, of which he is the inventor and patentee. Franklin F. Holbrook also has a daughter, who is a distinguished artist, and is president of the art department of the Risley School for Ladies in New York.

ELLERY CHANNING FAY.

The Fay family, which has been represented in the seventh, eighth and ninth generations, re- spectively, by John Fay, Daniel Bishop Fay and Ellery Channing Fay, who became prominent in the public affairs of the commonwealth, had its origin in David Fay (1), who came from Eng- land and settled at Sudbury, Massachusetts, prob- ably about 1650. His family came later.

John (2), son of David, came to America in 1656, when eight years of age, and located at Marlboro, Massachusetts. In 1668 he married Mary Bingham, who bore him four children, of whom John was the oldest. He became the father of four other children by a second marriage, and he died December 5, 1690.

John (3).) son of John, was born in Marl- boro, Massachusetts, November 30, 1669, and died January 5, 1747, aged seventy-eight years. He married Elizabeth Wellington, and they be- came the parents of ten children.

Stephen (4), son of John, was born in Haver- hill, Massachusetts. May 5, 1715, and died May 17, 1781. He removed to Bennington, Vermont, where he kept the most noted tavern in that part of the state. It was called the Catamount Hotel, and was the headquarters of the American officers at the time of the battle of Bennington. Stephen Fay was the father of eleven children ; one of his daughters became the wife of Governor Moses Robinson, and another was married to General David Robinson.

John (5), son of Stephen, was born December 23. 1734, and he was killed in the battle of Ben- nington, August 16, 1777. His wife, who was Mary Fisk, died fifteen days later. They were the parents of eight children.

Nathan (6), son of John, was born in Ben- nington, November 15, 1760, and died February 18, 1838. His home was at Richmond, Vermont,

from the time when he was eight years old. He was the father of ten children.

John (7), son of Nathan, was born in Rich- mond, Vermont, July 31, 1783, and died in Wil- liston. He was a farmer by occupation, and rep- resented his town in the legislature. He married Polly Bishop, a daughter of Daniel and Edith (Steel) Bishop, of Jericho, Vermont, and to them were born the following named children: Ros- well B., who married Ann Cuttler, of Richmond, and to whom were born five children ; Electa, who became the wife of Reed Brown, of Williston, and bore him seven children ; Roxana, who became the wife of Cory Thompson, of Jericho, and to whom were born five children; Daniel Bishop, named further hereinafter; Julius, who married Susan Swift, of Monkton, and afterward Georgiana Livingston, of Burlington, each of whom bore him a child ; Ransom, who died at the age of nine- teen years ; Hiram John, who married Hester Morton, of Williston, and to whom were born five children ; and Edith, who became the wife of John Whitcomb, of Williston, to whom she bore one child.

Daniel Bishop Fay (S), second son and fourth child of John, was born in Richmond, Vermont, July 8, 1819. He was educated in the common schools of his native village. He was a farmer by occupation, and a man of strong traits of charac- ter, upright and enterprising. He represented Williston in the legislature in 1864, when he served on the mileage and debenture committees, and in 1865, when he was a member of the com- mittee on agriculture. He was a Universalist in religious belief. December 31, 1843, he married Amelia M. Taylor, who was born January 9, 1825. a daughter of Brimage and Miriam (Taplin) Taylor, of Williston. Of this marriage were born three children : Ransom T., born October 4, 1844. who was a soldier during the Civil war, serving in Company E, First Vermont Cavalry Regiment ; Odella A., born April 28. 1865. and who was married to Clayton J. Wright, of Williston, Octo- ber 2. 1890: and Ellery Channing Fay.

Ellery Channing Fay (9), only surviving son of Daniel Bishop Fay, was born August 10, 1846. in Williston, Vermont. He was afforded an ex- cellent English education. beginning in the com- mon school. and then taking an advanced course in the Williston Academy under the preceptorship

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of the scholarly Professor Cilley. From 1872 to tions upon which the United States of to-day 1877 he was engaged in mercantile business. hu 1877 he removed to Jericho and purchased the farm where he now resides, and gives his atten- tion to the management of his landed and other interests.

He is numbere I among the most active and progressive citizens of his county, and he has labored industriously to promote its interests in industrial, educational and social lines. He has occupied numerous local offices. In 1890 he rep- resented Jericho in the legislature, and served as chairman of the committee on agriculture. In 1808 he was elected from Chittenden county to a seat in the state senate, and served as chairman of the committee on printing, and on the general committee. . During his legislative terms he made a most creditable record, known as a most indus- trious and capable member, and entirely devoted to the furtherance of the well-being of his county and the state.

Mr. Fay was married January 10, 1868, to Miss Louise Wright, born June 8, 1847, a daugh- ter of Smith and Clarissa (Leggins) Wright, of Williston. Three children were born of this mar- riage : Herbert Ransom, born January 21, 1869, and dicd July 1, 1885 ; Ellery Wright, born May 16, 1887: and Josephine Louise, born February 5, 1889. The mother of these children died Jan- uary 13. 1900. Mr. Fay was married October 30, 1901, to Miss Melissa Hapgood, born August 31, 1861, a daughter of John and Deborah ( Blair) Hapgood. of Jonesville.

HON. PAUL DILLINGHAM.

The Dillingham family of Waterbury, Ver- mont, represented in the present generation by Senator William Paul Dillingham, traces its an- cestry, and with it that of the Paul family, whose members intermarried with it, to the early colonial days of New England. In its various generations it has been remarkable for its men of great in- tellect and ability, and those who have filled high places in civil and military life.

The parent stock was of Governor Win- throp's colony, and from it came those who were conspicuous in the establishment of those institu-

were founded. Of these was Paul Dillingham, who was a soldier in the French war, and glori- ously fell in the assault on Quebec which pre- ceded the surrender of that famous stronghold to Wolfe, in September, 1759. He was a son of John and Esther (Paul) Dillingham, and his mother was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1701. Panl Dillingham was also born in the town named, and he married, December 18, 1753. Annie Paul. Their son Paul, born in Middle- boro, Massachusetts, October 10, 1759, rendered faithful service during the Revolutionary war. In Boston, in April, 1782, he enlisted in Captain Abbott's company of Colonel Tappan's regiment. from which he was transferred to Captain Strong's company, Colonel Jackson's regiment of the Massachusetts line, and thence to Captain Dix's company in the same regiment, May 17, 1784. he married Hannah Smith, a daughter of Job Smith, who was sheriff of Franklin county, Massachusetts, In 1799 Paul Dillingham was a resident of Shutesbury, Massachusetts, and in 1805 he settled with his family in Waterbury, Washington county, Vermont, and tilled a farm. He died July 14, 1848, at the ripe age of eighty- nine years.

Governor Paul Dillingham, son of Paul and Hannah (Smith) Dillingham, filled a large place in public life during a long and exceedingly act- ive period. He was born in Shutesbury, August 10. 1799. When he was six years old his parents removed to Waterbury, Vermont, where he began his education in the common schools. For two years he was a student in the Washington coun- ty grammar school at Montpelier, then under the masterly charge of Seneca White, a graduate of Dartmouth College, and here he acquired what was equivalent to a broad academical education, and formed a taste for learning which remained with him throughout his life, and led to a most generous acquisition of knowledge. In 1820, when he had just attained his majority, he com- menced the study of law under the preceptorship of Hon. Dan Carpenter, of Waterbury, with whom he formed a partnership in 1824, when he had been admitted to the bar, and this association was pleasantly and profitably maintained until Mr. Carpenter was elevated to the bench.

Mr. Dillingham's service at the bar covered

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the long period of fifty-two years, terminating with his retirement in 1875, when he had reached the age of seventy-six years. In deep knowledge of law and as an advocate before a jury, he con- stantly maintained his position at the head of a bar, which during his time was of great ability and has never been surpassed in the history of the commonwealth. During all these years he was also conspicuously identified with public affairs. From 1829 to 1844 he was town clerk of Water- burv. He was a representative in the legislature in 1833, 1834, 1837, 1838 and 1839. From 1835 to 1837 he was state's attorney for Washington county. He was a member of the constitutional convention of 1836, and he proved so useful a member that he was returned to the succeeding constitutional conventions in 1857 and 1870. In 1841-2 and 1861 he was a state senator from Washington county.

In 1843 Mr. Dillingham was elected to Con- gress, in which body he served during two ses- sions and was a member of the judiciary com- mittee. He strongly favored the admission of Texas as a state, and gave his support to the policy of President Polk which precipitated the war with Mexico. In this he was not moved by any sympathy with slavery, or desire to aid in its extension ; he was a firm believer in that doctrine of manifest destiny, as it was termed, which, to his mind, had determined territorial expansion. One of his speeches upon this subject, delivered before the house of representatives, was couched in terms which now, in the light of the events of 1846-48 and in those more momentous ones dur- ing the administration of the lamented President McKinley, seem almost prophetic.

His manly independence and sterling patriot- ism were splendidly exhibited when the war of the Rebellion broke out. He was one of the most masterly leaders of the Democracy in his state during what has been termed the intellectually golden era of the party. In the state conventions he had met with Saxe, Eastman. Smalley, Kel- logg, Stoughton, Thomas, Field, Chittenden, Po- land, Redfield, Davenport and others,-an array of talent such as no political organization in Ver- mont had known before or has seen since,-and with these he debated in intense earnestness, and his wit and eloquence flashed brightly against them. His personal force of character had been

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Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I, Part 3

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed Publication date: 1903 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1032

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1032