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 77

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 77

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Dr. Nichols married, first, in 1868, Cynthia Jilson, the daughter of a well known farmer of Stamford. She died at the age of twenty-two years, having borne two children, of whom but one is living, Hattie M., who married Miner Wright, of Sadawga, by whom she has one child, Walter M. Wright. Dr. Nichols married, second, Jennie M. Prentice, who was born in Middlefield, Massachusetts, a daughter of Joseph Prentice. Mr. Prentice was born in Worthing- ton, Massachusetts, where he learned the trade of a scythe maker, which he followed in connection with farming in the towns of Worthington, Cummington, and North Adams, living in Massachusetts until shortly before his

H. Nichols.

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

decease at Stamford, Vermont, January 20, 1884, at the age of sixty-eight years. Of the union of Joseph Prentice and Elvira J. Ayers, of Cummington, four children were born, of whom three survive, namely: Joseph Monroe Prentice, of North Adams, Massachusetts, Sarah Sebia, wife of Charles N. Brown, of Stamford, Vermont, and Jennie M., wife of Dr. Nichols. The deceased child was Emma C. Prentice, who died August 22, 1847. Mrs. Prentice died in 1874, aged fifty-six years. She and her husband were devoted and consistent members of the First Congregational church. Jonathan Prentice, fa- ther of Joseph Prentice, rendered valuable service in connection with militia organization in prepar- ing for the war of the Revolution. Mrs. Dr. Nichols is a member of the Baptist church, and has served as president of the Ladies' Aid So- ciety.

ELISHA SMITH.

Representing as he does one of the oldest fam- ilies of Addison county, the subject of this review is well entitled to an honored place in the rec- ords of this section of the Green Mountain state. The family has borne an active part in the devel- opment of this section and the line of descent is traced to Samuel Smith, who came from his native town of Parsippany, New Jersey, to Ver- mont in 1770. He was born in 1720, became a prominent factor in the early history of the state, and here he spent the remainder of his life, dy- ing November II, 1798, at the age of seventy- eight years. His wife, Hannah Allen, was born in 1726, and died December 22, 1800. They were the parents of nine children. Nathan Smith, his son and the grandfather of our subject, was born April 16, 1752, in Parsippany, New Jersey, but in 1770 came with his father to Bridport, Addi- son county, Vermont, where he followed agricul- tural pursuits. He was a valiant soldier during the memorable war for independence, in which he served as a "minute man," and was present at the taking of Ticonderoga. He was captured during the service and was taken as a prisoner to Canada, where he was held for nineteen months, but on the expiration of that period made his es- cape and started to return to Vermont. On the way, however, he was recaptured, but ultimately

escaped and returned to his home, where his death occurred February 19, 1835, near the close of his eighty-third year. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Wait Allen, was a cousin of the famous Ethan Allen, and was a native of Tin- mouth, Vermont. She became the mother of four children, all of whom are now deceased, and her death occurred December 13, 1830, at the age of sixty-six years.

Hiram Smith, a son of Nathan, was a native of Bridport, born March 17, 1793, and his en- tire life was spent on the old home place in Ad- dison county, where he passed away in death May 10, 1867, at the age of seventy-four years. He took an active part in the public affairs of his county and was called upon to serve in many pub- lic positions, ever discharging his duties to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. As a com- panion on the journey of life he chose Anna Starkweather, a native also of Vermont, her birth occurring March 3, 1796, in Stowe, this state, and her father, Elisha Starkweather, was a prominent minister of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Smith reared three children, but Elisha is now the only survivor of the family. The mother was called to her final rest June 13, 1855, at the age of fifty- nine years, dying in the faith of the Baptist church, of which she was a worthy and consist- ent member, while her husband was identified with the Universalist denomination.

Elisha Smith was born December 1, 1828, in Bridport, and spent the early years of his life in a number of different localities, residing in Brid- port, and attending school at Williston, Bakers- field and Shoreham. After putting aside his text books to engage in the active duties of life he embarked in agricultural pursuits with his father, thus continuing until his twenty-third year, at which time he became the owner of a farm in West Addison. Continuing the cultivation of that tract for the succeeding twelve years, he then came to his present place, which is located on the town line of Addison and Bridport, and he is now the owner of two hundred and seventy-five acres of fertile and well improved land. His farming operations have been carried on in late years in partnership with his son. At one time our subject was the owner of about nine hundred acres of land, being for many years one of the most extensive farmers in this part of Addison

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

county, and in addition to general farming he was also largely engaged in the raising of horses and a fine grade of sheep. In every sense he is a pro- gressive and up-to-date farmer, pursuing his methods in a thoroughly business like way and he reaps a substantial and satisfactory reward.

When twenty-three years of age, on December 18, 1851, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Ellen Whitford, a native daughter of Addison, where her father Peleg Whitford was also born, and he was long one of the prominent farmers of the town, but is now deceased. His wife bore the maiden name of Caroline Trask. Four chil- dren have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, namely : Anna T., now Mrs. Edward Goff, whose husband is a farmer of this county, and they have four children, George, John, Evelyn and Ellen; Cyrus, also a farmer of Addison county, married Alma Hamilton, of Bridport, and they have four children. Mary H., Carrol C., Mabel E. and Herman E .; Benjamin W. is at home; and Cora Ellen is also with her parents. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and has been a teacher in Middlebury for a number of years. Mrs. Smith received her education in Vergennes and Burlington, Vermont, and she al- so followed the profession of teaching for a time. Mr. Smith gives his political support to the Re- publican party, but he has never cared to accept public preferment, although he has been called upon to serve as selectman for a number of years, also as lister for one year, and twice he repre- sented his town in the legislature. In religious faith, he is a Universalist. He has had a wide acquaintance among the leading business men of the county, and, while quiet and unassuming, is influential in public matters and helpful to all worthy local interests.

NELSON THAYER.

Through the greater part of the nineteenth century Nelson Thayer was an honored resident of Bennington, and many still remember him pleasantly on account of qualities which made him popular with his associates and won him the respect of all with whom business or social rela- tions brought him in connection. At the time of his demise, he was one of the oldest citizens of Bennington. His birth occurred on a farm

inst at the eastern limits of the village, March 29, 1798, and with the exception of a few years which he passed at Wardsboro, Vermont, he spent his entire life in this city and county. He was a descendant in direct line of one of the oldest and most honored Pilgrim families of New England, and his own career added luster to an untarnished family name.

In Rupert, Vermont, on the 18th of March, 1824, Mr. Thayer was united in marriage to Miss Lucretia Elwell, and they began their domestic life in Wardsboro, Vermont, where for three years Mr. Thayer conducted a general mercantile store, and then returned with his family to Ben- nington in 1827, soon afterward occupying the okdi family homestead of Simeon Thayer. In the same year, with his wife and a child of ten months, he went by way of the Erie canal to Lodi, beyond Buffalo, to visit a sister. That was a long journey in those days, and it seemed quite an undertaking to make the trip. When they were living in Wardsboro, Mr. Thayer purchased the first cooking stove ever taken to that village, and people came for miles to see it. His wife had been accustomed to using a stove before her mar- riage and found it a severe test on her patience to cook at a fireplace. After removing to the farm near Bennington, Mr. Thayer conducted a large brickyard, manufacturing the brick used in the construction of many of the best buildings of this place, including the Free Library build- ing. He also purchased a large tract of moun- tain land, and speculated in lumber on a large scale. After the death of his son, when Mr. Thayer was sixty-five years of age, he sold the farm and built a fine house in the village, in which he made his home until his death. He was fond of travel and in his later years spent much of his time in visiting his children, several of whom lived in Buffalo, New York, and in Erie, Pennsylvania. In his business affairs he was enterprising and progressive, and carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook, brooking no obstacles that could be overcome by persistent and honorable effort. He met with gratifying success and secured a compe- tence for the evening of life.

To Mr. and Mrs. Thayer were born eight children who are yet living, while four have de- parted this life. Those who still survive are Mrs.

JAMES B. MEACHAM.

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

L. D. Hamlen, of Bennington ; Mrs. W. C. Rid- dell, of Buffalo; Mrs. R. K. Hughes, of Erie; Mrs. J. B. Meacham; Mrs. Enos Gould, of Buf- falo; O. C. Thayer, of Erie, Pennsylvania; R. H. Thayer, of Buffalo, New York; and D. J. Thayer, of Pittsburg. One son, Edward, laid down his life for the Union at the time of the Civil war. Very strong were the family ties in the Thayer household, great and enduring af- fection existing between the parents and children. Mr. Thayer was a man of unquestioned probity, of strong purpose and upright, honorable man- hood. In public office he was faithful to the trust reposed in him and in business life was straight- forward and reliable. To his friends-and they were many,-he was kindly and considerate, but his highest and most noble qualities were mani- fest at his own fireside in the midst of the family circle. He passed away at the age of seventy- six vears, and his loss was mourned throughout the entire community.

Mr. Thayer was survived for some time by his wife, who had been his able assistant as well as faithful companion for so many years through the journey of life, but death reunited them. Mrs. Thayer was born in Rupert, Vermont, June 3, 1801, and passed away in her ninetieth year. She survived her husband seventeen years and spent her last days with her children, dying at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Enos Gould, in Buffalo. She reared a family of children who are certainly a credit and honor to her, and her three surviv- ing sons and one of her grandsons acted as pall bearers at the funeral. A local paper said of her :

"Mrs. Thayer's numerous household appar- ently limited her sphere of activity. She was at home most of her days, and it was here that her wisdom and efficiency were displayed. The prob- lem which often seems a vexatious one, of ade- quately caring for each member of a large fam- ily, found in her a complete solution. No house was ever kept better than hers, no family of chil- dren more comfortably provided for. It was at hoine that her force of character produced its admirable results, and who shall say that its scope was circumscribed? Her influence over her chil- dren was destined to be widely felt. Through them she found an extended sphere, and who shall say that her strong life of unusual quick- ness of perception, of rare decision and of prac-

tical faith found not its great opportunity? Mrs. Thayer's ambition for her children was a promi- nent characteristic. They were at school, invari- ably and promptly. They were at the church. services, and represented their mother in an en- larging area of social duties. They were where- ever they could reasonably hope to receive or be- stow a benefit; and the motive of their useful- ness in its beginning was to be found at home in the mother's heart. It is not to be wondered at that these sons and daughters have risen up to call her blessed. The strong tie binding them to their mother is unbroken. Her last words were for her children. With a perfectly clear mind she entreated them without exception to meet her in Heaven. And the love with which these children bear their mother in memory fails of expression. Perhaps no lines can have better answered to their feeling than these read at the burial service :

"Sleep, mother, sleep, with your hands on your breast,

Poor weary hands, they needed their rest ; Well have we loved you, but God loved you best, 'Tis thy God giveth rest !"

JAMES B. MEACHAM.

For many years a distinguished member of the bar, James Bartlett Meacham was honored and respected by all by reason of his sterling per- sonal worth as well as his professional ability. A native of Massachusetts, he was born in Will- iamson, November 27, 1828. His ancestry could be traced back through several generations to James Meacham, who was born March 19, 1733, and on the 22d of June, 1756, married Lucy Rugg. His death occurred July 28, 1812, and his wife passed away June 22, 1803. Among their children was James Hawkins Meacham. the grandfather of our subject. He was born Decem- ber 25, 1769, and was married September 30, 1795, to Nabby Warner, a sister of Seth Warner. He died March 26, 1837, and her death occurred April 16, 1862. They had six children. Eliza : Lucy, who died in infancy ; James. Abigail, Eme- line and Lucy. Of this family James Meacham was the father of our subject. He was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, February 3, 1805,

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

and on the 20th of November, 1827, married Al- mira Bartlett. His death occurred May 20, 1883. His sister Emeline reached the eighty-second year of her age. She was born in Williamstown in 1812. in the house in which she died and was a member of the fourth generation of Meachams to occupy that place. She was greatly attached to her home, and it is said that she was never away from it for more than six weeks at a time. From the age of twelve years she held member- ship in the Congregational church, and her life was that of a sincere and devoted Christian.

James Bartlett Meacham spent the days of his childhood and youth in the place of his na- tivity, and his early education was supplemented by a course in Williams College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1852. In 1854 hé became a resident of Bennington, and until his death remained one of the valued and re- spected citizens of the community. He studied law in the office of James L. Stark, then one of the leading attorneys of this part of the state, and was subsequently associated in practice with J. Halsey Cushman. Mr. Meacham was a coun- selor, not an advocate. His unwavering loyalty to his clients was well known, and he had a good clientage, connecting him with many of the most important law matters of his district. His knowl- edge of jurisprudence was comprehensive and ac- curate, and he was therefore well qualified to give advice on knotty legal problems. For many vears Mr. "Meacham was collector of taxes in Bennington, and his fidelity to the public inter- ests was well known. He frequently served as administrator of estates and his honesty was pro- ' verbial. He also held the office of village attor- ney and was town agent for several years, while other offices of trust and responsibility he filled with loyalty and skill.

On October 29, 1862, Mr. Meacham was united in marriage to Miss Corinna Thayer, a daughter of Nelson and Lucretia Thayer, of Ben- nington, in which city she was born, April 6, 184I, and here she still makes her home. Three children were born of this union, but Edward, who was born on the 16th of March, 1865, died on the 13th of October, 1885. The second son, William, born in Bennington, December 30, 1867, is married and is now engaged in business in Baker City, Oregon. James Bartlett, Jr., was born

in Bennington, March 29, 1875, and is now lo- cated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A nephew, Dr. Franklin Meacham, was a major and sur- geon of the United States Volunteers in the Philippines, being chosen from a large number to take charge of the hospital there during the recent war. He now makes his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he has a large practice. He married and has twin daughters, Frances and Helen.

Mr. Meacham continued an active and hon- ored member of the bar of Bennington until about a year prior to his death, when he was taken ill and never rallied, passing away on the 17th of July, 1893. Thus a useful and noble life was ended ; a career in which diligence, enterprise, close application and honesty won a just reward, and gained for him the respect and confidence of all with whom he was associated. A meeting of the Bennington bar was called to take action upon the death of Mr. Meacham and passed the following resolutions :

"Resolved, that in the death of James Bart- lett Meacham, Esquire, we are called upon to mourn the death of one long associated with the bar. That he has by his uniform rectitude, firm- ness of character, faithfulness to principle, un- swerving integrity and courtesy, in the continu- ous practice of his profession, since December, 1857, left a memory which it will be forever pleas- ant for his large circle of professional and public friends to recall.

"As a lawyer, faithful to the interests en- trusted to him; as a counselor, conservative and conscientious ; as a citizen, kind of heart and gen- erous in his impulses, against whom no word of calumny has ever been justly spoken, in his death we recognize a public and professional loss.

"Resolved, that to his family, we, the profes- sional associates of the deceased, offer this sin- cere token of sorrow and respect, conveying to them our regret and sympathy in their deep be- reavement."

Honorable in business, loyal in citizenship, charitable in thought, kindly in action, true to every trust confided to his care, the life of James Bartlett Meacham was of a high type of man- hood. He was one of the lawyers of the Ver- mont bar who lives in the memories of his con- temporaries encircled with the halo of a gracious

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presence, charming personality, profound legal wisdom, purity of public and private life and the quiet dignity of an ideal follower of his' calling. He was for many years in active business at the Bennington bar, and comparatively few may en- dear themselves to so great an extent to their professional associates and to those with whom they come in contact in the discharge of public duties.

ELI TIFFANY.

The business success of Eli Tiffany has been so distinctive that his methods are of interest to the commercial world. He has based his. business principles and actions upon strict adherence to the rules which govern in- dustry, economy and strict, unswerving in- tegrity. His enterprise and progressive spirit have made him a typical American in every sense of the word, and he well deserves mention in this history. What he is today he has made himself, for he began in the world with nothing but his own energy and willing hands, to aid him. By constant exertion, associated with good judgment, he has raised himself to the prominent position which he now holds, having the friendship of many and the re- spect of all who know him.

Mr. Tiffany is a son of John and Eliza- beth (Marsden) Tiffany, and was born in Horbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, September 9, 1830. His father and grandfather were also natives of the same land. The latter, Abraham Tiffany, was an engineer, and followed that voca- tion throughout his entire life. His wife, also a native of Yorkshire, became the mother of a large family, but all have now passed away. Both grandparents died in Yorkshire. It was in the family home there that the father of our subject was reared. He became a carder in a woolen mill and was always identified with manufacturing interests. He married Elizabeth Marsden, who was born in England, as were her par- ents. Mrs. Tiffany was one of a large fam- ily, and by her marriage she had nine' children, four of whom are still living: Frank, who is

associated in business with Eli; Sarah Ann, a widow residing in England; and Jenny, who is also a widow. The father of this family died in England at the age of seventy-six years, and his wife passed away at the age of ninety-two. They were both members of the Episcopal church and were consistent Christian people.

In the land of his nativity Eli Tiffany spent the days of his boyhood and youth. His educa- tional privileges were limited, for at an early age he began to earn his own living by working in a woolen mill, where he was employed until nine- teen years of age. On March 4, 1851, he landed

ELI TIFFANY.

in America, whither lie came because of the fav- orable reports of the business opportunities af-

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THE STATE OF VERMONT.

forded in the new world, and resolved to take ad- vantage of these. Coming to Waterbury, Con- necticut, he was employed to take charge of the new machinery for the Waterbury Knitting Com- pany. In 1857 he removed to Meriden, Comecti- cut. where he was employed in a similar capacity by the firm of Powell & Parker for two years, and then went to Glastonbury, Connecticut. While there he invented an automatic ribbed knitting machine, on which he received a patent, May I, 1860. In 1858 he had removed to Thompsonville, Connecticut, and subsequently connected himself with George Cooper in the manufacture of the knitting machine which he had evolved from his fertile brain. The year 1866 witnessed his re- moval to Cohoes, New York, where he formed a partnership under the firm name of William Wood & Company, for the purpose of producing knit cuffs and drawer bottoms for underwear- knitting mills throughout the country.

In 1870 Mr. Tiffany came to Bennington, where the firm of Tiffany & Cooper was formed for the purpose of constructing ribbed knitting machinery, and soon an extensive business in this line was built up. In 1874 the original patents were extended, and in 1880 Mr. Tiffany estab- lished a new industry in connection with his brothers; independent of the firm of Tiffany & Cooper. The new house engaged in the manu- facture of knit underwear, and the excellence of the quality and the reliability of the firm soon se- cured a flourishing business and made the con- cern a profitable one. During the early part of 1886 the firm of Tiffany & Cooper was dissolved, our subject purchasing the interest of his part- ner and admitting his son Frank M. Tiffany, and the business was carried on under the firm of E. Tiffany & Son. In 1890 another son, Louis L., became a partner, and in 1896 Mr. Eli Tiffany bought the business of Tiffany & Sons, and sub- sequently there was a consolidation of the business established by the sons with the parent house, and the present firm, Tiffany Brothers, is ac- counted one of the most modern industrial inter- ests of Bennington, furnishing employment to a large number of workmen. They have a large patronage, construct ribbed knitting machinery, and their machines have not only been introduced widely in the United States and Canada, but are also used to a considerable extent throughout the

world. Within the past year ( 1902) they have sent a number of machines to South America. Mr. Tiffany possesses exceptional inventive genius, especially along the lines of knitting ma- chines. He has secured no less than fifteen patents for different devices, and these have proved of great practical benefit to the world of trade, as well as being a source of income to him- self. In 1888 he purchased an interest in the Colombia Navigation & Commercial Company, of which he was the vice-president, this concern do- ing a very successful business in trading and in carrying freight and passengers along the coast and up the rivers of the United States of Colom- bia in South America.

- In August, 1863, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Tiffany and Miss Phoebe E. Cooper, of Thompsonville, Connecticut, a daughter of James and Ann (Glover) Cooper. After thirty years of happy married life she was called to her final rest on the 29th of April, 1893, leaving three children, Frank M., Louis L. and Wiliam J. One child died in infancy.

Although a Republican in politics and a firm advocate of the principals of his party, Mr. Tiffany has never sought political prominence. He has, however, for the past ten years served as a trustee of the Bennington graded schools, and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend, who does all in his power to raise the standard of the schools and make education a means of prac- tical benefit to the young. Socially he is identi- fied with the Improved Order of Red Men, and he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Public-spirited and progressive, he is a liberal contributor to any worthy cause or movement that tends to advance the welfare of men, or pro- mote the progress and upbuilding of his city. About twenty years ago he revisited his old home in England, spending some months in roaming about among his childhood haunts and renewing the acquaintances of his earlier years. He has traveled quite extensively, gaining that culture and broad knowledge which only travel can bring. In 1893 he went to the West Indies and visited Carthagena in the United States of Colombia, but his deepest affections is for the land of his adoption, and America has no more loyal son than Eli Tiffany. Few men are more prominent or more widely known in the enter-

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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 77

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