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 90
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127
Charles P. Abernathy spent the early years of his life upon the farm belonging to his father, and was an attendant at the district schools of New Haven, and this was supplemented, later, by a course of study at the Williston high school, where he remained for three years. He then settled on eighty acres of land in New Haven, Vermont, inherited from his father, upon which he erected a beautiful residence, which he occu- pied for six years. He then bought a hotel and conducted it two years, and subsequently en- gaged in the grocery and meat trade in the vil-
507
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
lage of Bristol for fifteen years. During his resi- dence here he bought land, laid out a street and built nine houses, which he disposed of. In addi- tion he constructed a reservoir on the top of a mountain, which gave employment to twenty-five men for months, and brought the water three miles, in order to supply the town. When the work was accomplished, he disposed of the water system to Newcomb Munsill, and removed to Weybridge, where he was engaged in agricul- cultural pursuits for six years. During the fol- lowing three years he conducted a grocery and meat business in Middlebury. In 1898 he pur- chased the farm on which he is now located, on Bristol Flats, which was then known as the Eddy homestead, and was formerly called the Boyn- ton farm, which consists of two hundred and fifty acres of ground, and is devoted to the raising of general farm products. In the year 1901 he cut a large quantity of hay and raised twelve hun- dred bushels of potatoes. Mr. Abernathy en- gages extensively in stock-growing, and has fine strains of cattle, sheep and swine. His herd of milch cows now numbers nearly fifty. He takes an active interest in all matters that tend to ad- vance the welfare of the town. He served in the capacity of district clerk for a number of years while in Weybridge, and secured the establish- ment of a good school in his neighborhood, but since then has refused to accept positions of trust and responsibility which were tendered to him by his townsmen.
March 16, 1870, Mr. Abernathy married Miss Orpha L. Landon, who was born July 13, 1852, in Weybridge, Vermont, a daughter of Amos Landon, a prosperous farmer of that town, and his wife Jerusha Rockwood. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy: Carlton, the eldest, born April 2, 1871, who is engaged in the tailoring business in Chicago, Illinois, married Bethia Gray, and their children are Ruth, Grace and Janet. Janet E., born June 14, 1873, died February 5, 1902 ; she was a beautiful girl, be- loved by all who came in contact with her ; she began teaching at the age of seventeen years, and afterward took the course of the Normal School at Potsdam, New York, and the Vermont Acad- emy at Saxton's River, Vermont. In 1897 she went to Providence, Rhode Island, and continued teaching in that state, being principal of the gram-
mar room of the Harris public schools at the time of her death. Landon, born October 28, 1879, is now a student in the medical department of the University of Vermont, at Burlington. He was married in 1901, to Miss Edna Miller, of Des Moines, Iowa. Jay Barlow, born October 17, 1884, who also resides at home and is attend- ing the public schools, completes the family cir- cle.
WILLIAM H. GEE.
William H. Gee, a prosperous farmer and re- spected citizen of Monkton, Vermont, belongs to a family which has been for three generations resident in the state, and has added largely to the number of its good citizens.
Frank Gee, grandfather of William H. Gee, was born in 1800, in Canada. He had a family of ten children, all of whom grew up, but only three of whom are now living, namely : Henry, who is a resident of Providence, Rhode Island ; Joseph, a farmer living in Bristol, Vermont ; and Frank, a blacksmith, residing in the same place. Mr. and Mrs. Gee were both members of the Catholic church. The former died at Middlebury, Ver- mont. His wife died at the age of sixty, presuma- bly in the same place.
Edward Gee, son of Frank Gee, was born in 1835, in Canada, and at the age of eighteen came to Middlebury, Vermont, where he worked at the trade of a blacksmith. He married Rosalie Greenough, born in 1838, daughter of John Greenough, a farmer of that town, who died there at the age of sixty-nine. Mr. and Mrs. Gee had ten children, all of whom are living, are pros- perous in worldly affairs, and reside not far from their mother, to her great joy. Their names are : Edward, living in Ferrisburg, Vermont ; Louise, living in Monkton, Vermont ; Frank, a farmer in the last named place; Helen, living in Bristol, Vermont ; Loretta, married to A. P. Brown, a merchant in Bristol, Vermont ; William H., men- tioned at length hereinafter; John, living in Plattsburg, New York; Virginia, living in Bristol, Vermont, married to James McDonough. a merchant of that place; Benjamin, in business with his father ; and Lena, who remains at home.
William Henry Gee, sixth child and third son of Edward and Rosalie Gee, was born May S,
508
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
1800, in the borough of Monkton, Vermont, where he spent the early years of his life, re- ceiving his education in the common schools. For eleven years he assisted his father in his trade of blacksmith, which he enlarged and made very profitable by adding to it the business of a wheel- wright and painter. At the end of that time he bought the farm which he now occupies, and erected all the present buildings, improving it in various other ways, and now follows the occu- pation of a general farmer, his estate covering an area of one hundred and twenty acres.
Mr. Gee is a Republican in politics and takes an active interest in the affairs of the town. His neighbors have manifested their confidence in him by making him school director and sending him as a delegate to the state convention, but he has steadily refused to serve in any other official capacity. He is an attendant at the Catholic church.
Mr. Gee married, in 1892, Berenice Partch, born in 1870, in Hinesburg, Vermont, daughter of Lyman C. and Louise (Martin) Partch. Ly- . man C. Partch was one of the early settlers in the town of Hinesburg, Vermont, where he fol- lowed agricultural pursuits all his life, and died at the age of sixty years. Louise ( Martin) Partch was born in Ferrisburg, Vermont, and her death, like that of her husband, took place at the age of sixty years. Further information concerning the Martin branch of the family will be found in the sketch of Martin Fletcher Allen. Mr. and Mrs. Partch had four children: Medad L., now following the trade of a miller in Fer- risburg, Vermont; William, a farmer living in Hinesburg, Vermont ; Berenice, referred to above as the wife of William H. Gee; and Ruby.
HON. NELSON DEWEY PHELPS.
Hon. Nelson Dewey Phelps, of Barre, Ver- mont, is a representative of an ancient family of English origin, which for nearly three centuries has been prominent in the colonial and national annals of New England. William Phelps, the fonder of the family in America, was born Au- gust 19, 1599, in Tewkesbury, England, that an- cient Saxon town which, more than a century be- fore, had witnessed one of the greatest battles of
the War of the Roses, a battle which resulted in victory for the White Rose, one of that long series of conflicts in the course of which first one flower and then the other gained the ascendency until the union of the houses of York and Lancaster restored peace to the kingdom and founded the Tudor dynasty. The birth of William Phelps took place a few years before the brave and bril- liant reign of "that bright occidental star, Queen Elizabeth," was succeeded by the narrow-minded rule of the "schoolmaster king" whose opposi- tion to the Puritans, expressed in the declaration that he would "harry them out of the land," re- stilted in the planting of the New England colo- nies. That William Phelps belonged to that noble company of non-conformists, or that he was at least in sympathy with them, is indicated by the fact that he emigrated to Massachusetts in the vear 1630, and settled at Dorchester, whence, in 1635, he removed to Windsor, Connecticut. Of the name of his first wife, as well as of the time and place of his marriage, no mention is made, but we are infornied that in Windsor, Connecti- cut, he married his second wife, whose name was Mary Dover. The date of the death of this emi- grant ancestor is not given, but it may be sup- posed to have taken place at Windsor, Connecti- cut, that town remaining the residence of the fam- ily for at least two subsequent generations. . Timothy Phelps, son of William and Mary (Dover) Phelps, was born September 1, 1639, probably at Windsor, Connecticut. He served in the colonial army with the rank of lieutenant, and no doubt participated in King Philip's war, perhaps forming one of the party who effected the capture of that warrior. . He married, May 19, 1661, Mary Griswold, and resided through- out his life at his birthplace.
. Nathaniel Phelps, son of Timothy and Mary (Griswold) Phelps, was born January 27, 1677, at Windsor, Connecticut. No details of his life have reached us, with the exception of the fact that he married, March 28, 1700, Hannah Bissell. It would seem, however, that he removed, before middle life, to Hebron, Connecticut, and that his death probably occurred at that place.
Solomon Phelps, son of Nathaniel and Han- nah (Bissell) Phelps, was born July 29, 1716, in Hebron, Connecticut, and married, May 10, 1738, Temperance Barber. His life appears to have
-----
Helson Phelps.
509
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
been wholly uneventful, and was no doubt passed entirely at his birthplace.
Bissell Phelps, son of Solomon and Temper- ance (Barber) Phelps, was born February 16, 1754, at Hebron, Connecticut. Soon after he attained his majority the Revolutionary struggle was ushered in by the fight at Lexington, and Bissell Phelps seems to have been among the first who enrolled themselves in the patriot army. He held a captain's commission from Quartermaster General Nehemiah Hubbard under General Washington, and must have been present at the siege of Boston and during the disastrous cam- paign in New Jersey, the gloom of which was re- lieved by the victories of Trenton and Princeton. After the arrival of General Lafayette, in the summer of 1777, Captain Phelps resigned and re-enlisted under the French commander, serving until the close of the war. It might be supposed that when the restoration of peace permitted him to abandon the hardships of a soldier's life, Cap- tain Phelps would gladly have settled on the homestead, there to pass the remainder of his days amid the quiet and retirement of familiar scenes, but instead of this, he removed,-for what reason we are not informed,-to Middlefield, Massachusetts, whence he further migrated in 1791 to Waitsfield, Vermont, making the journey with his two yoke of oxen, and doing the work of a pioneer in his place of destination. Captain Phelps was twice married: first, January 12, 1775, to Lovina Skinner, who died March 28, 1802: and February 27, 1803, to Sally Water- man, born January 31, 1772, at Killingly, Con- necticut. Captain Phelps closed his long, useful and adventurous life at the great age of ninety- one, dying in Waitsfield, Vermont, October 25, 1845. His wife survived him many years, pass- ing away April 6, 1871, in the one hundredth year of her age.
Alexander Phelps, son of Bissell and Lovina (Skinner) Phelps, was born October 6, 1780, at Hebron, Connecticut. The migrations of the family took place during his infancy and boy- hood, and in Waitsfield, Vermont, he resided for the remainder of his life. He married Rachael Steele, daughter of John and Sarah (Coff) Steele, of Tolland, Connecticut, where she was born June 19, 1780. Alexander Phelps enjoyed a more peaceful existence than his father, but
without inheriting his longevity, his death oc- curring May 29, 1826, when he had scarcely reached the prime of life. His wife outlived him more than thirty years, dying at Waitsfield, Ver- mont, July 8, 1857.
David Martin Phelps, son of Alexander and Rachael (Steele) Phelps, was born October IO, 1824, at Waitsfield, Vermont, and received his education at the schools of his native town. Dur- ing the early years of his life Mr. Phelps fol- lowed the occupation of a farmer, but possessed abilities which fitted him for the administration of affairs. and at the solicitation of those who were desirous of availing themselves of those abilities and also of securing for Mr. Phelps a suitable field for the exercise of his powers, he removed to Burlington, Vermont, where he acted as the representative of several commercial houses. Mr. Phelps was a Republican in politics, and took an active part in town affairs. His neighbors testified to the esteem and confidence in which they held him by electing him to the office of representative in the state legislature. During the Civil war Mr. Phelps was prominent in the enlistment of men for the army, and by every means in his power rendered efficient aid to the soldiers, both in the field and in the hos- pital. He was a member of the Congregational church, in which he served as deacon. Mr. Phelps married, at Waitsfield, May 28, 1857, Zilpha Brooks Dewey, born at Berlin, Vermont, a descendant of Thomas Dewey, the American ancestor of the Dewey family, who came to this country in 1633. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps were the parents of two children : Nelson Dewey, men- tioned at length hereinafter; and Henry Alex- ander, also born at Waitsfield, Vermont, Octo- ber 15, 1861. Mr. Phelps died September 18, 1869. and his wife expired October 31, 1894, in Barre, Vermont.
Nelson Dewey Phelps, son of David Martin and Zilpha Brooks (Dewey) Phelps, was born February 27, 1859, in the town of Waitsfield, Washington county, Vermont, and his elemen- tary education was received at the common schools of his native town and of Burlington. Later he attended a graded school at Northfield, Vermont, afterward becoming a student at the Barre Academy at Barre, Vermont. His early life was spent on his father's farm in Waitsfield,
510
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
and four years were passed in Burlington. In 1884 he went to Barre, Vermont, where Orvis Jackman was then conducting a hardware busi- ness on North Main street. This business Mr. Phelps purchased, and on January 1, 1885, his brother, Henry Alexander Phelps, bought an in- terest in the establishment, which has since been conducted under the firm name of Phelps Broth- ers. January 1, 1892, they moved into the Gor- don block, where they have one of the best equipped stores in their line in the state. Under their skillful management the business has been nich enlarged and is in an extremely flourish- ing condition. The activities of the firm are not limited to the care of this establishment, exten- sive as it is, but they are also much engaged in plumbing and heating, and are large real estate dealers.
Mr. Phelps is an extremely public-spirited citizen, taking an active interest in all the affairs of the community. He served for several years as chief of the fire department of Barre, and for a considerable period acted as superintendent of the water works. In 1901 he was elected mayor of Barre by a non-partisan vote, and his adminis- tration of that office was such as to promote the very best interests of the city. Mr. Phelps is a member of the Republican party and in the mem- orable compaign ending September 2, 1902, he was elected one of the senators from Washington county to the state senate for a term of two years. During the session of the legislature he was ap- pointed on the following committees of the senate: committee on corporations ; committee on fish and game; and committee on printing.
Mr. Phelps is a member of the Masonic order, affiliating with Granite Lodge, F. & A. M., of Barre. He also belongs to the Fish and Game League of Vemont, and is a member of the fol- lowing social and sporting organizations: the St. Bernard Club; the Vincitia Club of Barre; and the Burlington Yacht Club of Burlington. Mr. Phelps married, at Montpelier, Vermont, September 13, 1880, Miss Annie Maria Joslin, daughter of Cornelius Emerson and Josette- (Dimas) Joslin, and had one child, Blanche An- nie, born March 29, 1881, and died July 9, 1887. Mrs. Phelps, who was born at Waitsfield, Ver- mont. is a descendant of Thomas Jocelyn (as the name was originally spelled), who was born in
1592 in Lancaster, England, and came to Amer- ica in 1635, being a passenger on board the ship Increase. He settled first at Scituate, Massa- chusetts, whence he removed to Hingham, and finally made his home at Lancaster, Massachu- setts.
EDGAR HENRY DAVENPORT.
This name is a well known and honored one in Windham county, and, in the person of other members of the family, has become honorably known throughout all New England. Edgar H. Davenport is extensively interested in real es- tate in Brattleboro and vicinity, and is the owner
EDGAR HENRY DAVENPORT.
of the celebrated medicinal spring whose un- doubted curative properties have made it for a number of years the mecca of a large number of people in search of health. It is at present known as the Lawrence and Wesselhoff water cure.
511
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
The family of which Mr. Davenport is a mem- ber was brought to this country by two brothers who emigrated from old England, where they had lived in the town of Davenport, and which re- ceived its name from the family. One of these emigrants settled in Virginia, and the other in New York state. From the latter sprung the family of Edgar Henry Davenport. His father was Calvin N. Davenport, a native of Leyden, Massachusetts, where he was a farmer and cattle dealer, and where he died at the age of forty- seven years, leaving a wife and six children. His wife's maiden name was Lucy W. White; they had nine children, three of whom died in infancy. Of those living, Charles N., came to be a lawyer of prominence ; Martin V. was a farmer in Ley- den, Massachusetts, now retired; George W. is a retired lawyer whose active life was passed in the courts of Wilmington and Brattleboro; Will- iam W., a cattle and wool dealer living in Ley- den, Massachusetts, and one of the wealthiest men in his community, married Mary G. Knox, of Gill, Massachusetts, and has four children : Steven T., Mary, Charles and Bertha. The sev- enth child of the family is Steven T., who was a practicing lawyer at Wilmington and Brattle- boro, but has now retired and lives at Green- field, Massachusetts ; he married Alice S. Warner, of Dover, Vermont, and his son, W. A. Daven- port, is a lawyer in Greenfield, and a man of con- siderable prominence in the Democratic politics of the state. The youngest member of the family was Edgar H. Davenport.
Edgar Henry Davenport was educated in the common schools of his community, which train- ing was supplemented by more advanced courses at what is known as Powers Institute at Bern- ardston, and Green Mountain Institute at Wood- stock. He, like his brothers, took up the pro- fession of law, doing the necessary reading in the office of his brother, Steven T., at Wilming- ton, and Charles N., at Brattleboro, and further with Judge H. H. Wheeler of Jamaica. He was admitted to the practice of his profession in September of 1871, and became a member of the bar of Windham county, in which he still re- tains his membership. He, however, practiced law but one year, having entered into other pursuits. His life has been a very active one in the buying and selling of real estate, in
the handling of wool, and engaged in a general store at West Brattleboro. As stated before, he is responsible for the development of the cele- brated medicinal spring spoken of above, and to which he has given a great deal of attention. Mr. Davenport is a supporter of the principles of Jefferson in politics, though he is rather inde- pendent in the matter of voting. He is a worthy member of the Baptist church, together with his family. His wife's maiden name was Emily E., a daughter of B. L. Barnard, of Wilmington ; they are the parents of five children: Frederick B., who died in infancy ; Blanche H., Madge I., Clara H. and Amy L. Davenport. Mr. Daven- port is a gentleman whose genius has mastered the situation at all times, and whose genial nature and many fine qualities have made him a most popular citizen of his community.
SHERROD BROWN.
Sherrod Brown, a valiant and efficient soldier of the Civil war and a respected citizen of New Haven, Addison county, inherits his military spir- it from Revolutionary ancestry. His first Amer- ican progenitor was John Brown, who was born in 1600 in Hawkingdon, England, and came to Massachusetts previous to 1636, in which year he died at Boston.
Solomon Brown was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, and assisted in the heroic defense of that village during the famous British expedi- tion against Concord in April, 1775. At that time Solomon Brown was only eighteen years old, and he is credited by authentic records with the shot which first drew British blood on that occasion. After the Revolution he became a regular soldier, and was appointed military storekeeper at Fort Schuyler, New York. He was one of the first settlers of the town of New Haven, Vermont. purchasing the right to a farm on Beech Hill. one and one-half miles south of the present village of New Haven. His second wife, Eunice (Bigelow) Brown, was the mother of six of his children. of whom there were seventeen in all. She was born in 1775 and died in IS36. He was one of the first deacons of the local church, and died June 6, 1837, aged eighty-two years and five months.
Ira Brown, son of Solomon, was born August 22, IS07, in New Haven, and died there February
512
THE STATE OF VERMONT.
and eventually came into its possession, and was always a farmer. A man of quiet tastes, he sought no part in political affairs, but was at- tentive to his farm and considered a good farmer, thrifty and industrious. A wide reader, he kept well informed upon the course of current events, and was in a position to judge intelligently of the world's progress. In political principle an ad- herent of the Whig party, he naturally became a Republican upon the lapse of the old party name. He was an ardent admirer of Horace Greeley, and continued to read the New York Tribune through his life. He was identified with the Congregational church. In 1835 he was mar- ried to Eliza D. Bogue, who was born June 5, 1812, in Enosburg, Vermont, and died October 25, 1804, at her home in New Haven. She was a daughter of Ebencezer and Laura Bogue, of Scotch lineage, the name being spelled Booge by the Scotch immigrants who brought it to this country. Five sons and one daughter were born to Ira and Eliza D. Brown. The first, Willard, was a clergyman of the Congregational church, and died in September, 1900, at Interlachen, Flor- . ida, aged sixty-two years. Sherrod is the second. Wickliffe died February 20, 1865, at the age of twenty-two years, at Point of Rocks, Virginia, from fever incurred in service as a member of Company C, Ninth Vermont Volunteers, in the Civil war. He enlisted in February, 1864. Co- rintha B. is the wife of Kiles Paul, of East Berk- shire, Vermont. Frank F. died at the age of twenty-one years, and Winfield at eight.
Sherrod Brown was born September 20, 1840, on the homestead in New Haven, which is now his property. Through most of his life its cultiva- tion has been his chief occupation. As he grew up he assisted in the toils of the farm, at the same time pursuing his education in the local schools, the district institution and Beeman Academy. When the war came upon the country he resolved to give his service to the preservation of its integ- rity, and enlisted in September, 1862, in Company F, Berdan's First United States Sharpshooters. During three years of service he maintained the honor of the family name, and was honorably dis- charged with a creditable record. Being attached to the Army of the Potomac, he was under fire in
20, 188.1. He grew up on his father's homestead, the following engagements : Snicker's Gap, Fredericksburg, Richard's Ford, Chancellorsville, the Cedars, again at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Upperville, Wapping Heights, Culpepper Court House, Auburn Creek Ford, Brandy Station, Lo- cust Grove. At the latter engagement he was permanently disabled by a gunshot wound, No- vember 27, 1863, he was sent to a hospital, where he remained two months. On partial re- covery, he was detailed as quartermaster's clerk at Fort Schuyler, where his grandfather had served so long before.
On his discharge from military service, Mr. Brown returned to his native town and resumed the cultivation of the home farm, which now be- came necessary on account of his father's advanc- ing years. In 1872 he went to Sioux City, Iowa, where he was employed for some time in a flour- ing mill and packing house. Returning again to the farm in 1875, he remained until 1876, when he went to Westport, New York, and continued to reside there until 1884, conducting a meat market during most of this period. Since the last named date he has been a resident of his native town, and now resides in the village of New Ha- ven, while his son operates the farm.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.