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 II, Part 101

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1044

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 II > Part 101

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attention to railroading, then to clerking in a flour and feed store, later as a journeyman at the watch and jewelry trade, the carriage-ma- ker's trade, machinist at the lathe, planer, milling machine, bench work and assembling, blacksmith trade, carpenter trade, tinsmith and the plumbing trade. Whatever work Mr. Woodward per- formed was well done, and he was always seek- ing some plan to improve on old methods. Sel- dom did a piece of workmanship leave his hands without showing some ingenius device or labor- saving convenience which he had evolved from his fertile brain. In 1879 he took up his residence in Randolph, Vermont, and there erected a com- modious house, which proved a model of con- venience and comfort. Throughout it showed his skill both as an architect and constructive mechanic, everything being in good proportion and so as best to conserve space while obtain- ing a combination of the useful with the orna- mental.

On March 9, 1876, Mr. Woodward married Miss Julia Annie Skinner, daughter of Lewis Skinner, of Royalton, Vermont, and the follow- ing named children have been born to them, who inherit to a liberal degree the mechanical ingenuity and all-around natural ability of their father, and the kind and loving disposition of their mother, Walter Carlton, a graduate of Dartmouth College and now pursuing a thor- ough medical and surgical course at Harvard; Carroll Newcomb, remaining at home; Bessie Ellen, a graduate of the Normal School; Guy Eric, a student of high promise at Dartmouth College, who is anticipating taking up the pro- fession of civil or mechanical engineering ; and Alice Gertrude, a graduate of the Randolph Nor- mal School. Mr. Woodward advises the young men, not only of the New England states, but anywhere, to find at the earliest possible mo- ment (or what is better yet, advises their parents to find for them and to begin to gently lead them that way when quite young) the work they are best fitted for by nature, whether it be a profession or the trades, and then set themselves to drilling until they have got all of importance that has been written in books on their chosen line, and in this way make men of themselves whose power and influence will be felt in the world.

GEORGE STEVEN DOWLEY.

George S. Dowley, deceased, who acted in the capacity of president of the Vermont National Bank, and was one of the most eminent finan- ciers of the state of Vermont, was born in Wards- boro, Vermont, August 16, 1843, a son of Darius L. and Anstis (Baldwin) Dowley, the former nanied being engaged in agricultural pursuits in the southwestern portion of the town of Wards- boro. Subsequently the parents of George S. Dowley removed to Brattleboro, where he ac- quired his literary education in the public schools ; later he graduated from the high school and then pursued a two years' course of study under the competent preceptorship of the former principal of the West Brattleboro Academy. Shortly after completing his studies he commenced his busi- ness career, in the winter of 1862, in the office of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Company, under the supervision of E. F. Brooks, where he assisted in the bookkeeping and made collections. At that time the collections were made monthly, and often the boy had from four to six thousand dollars in his possession. His alertness and unusual capability for business, combined with his trustworthiness, attracted the attention of business men, and in 1863 Philip Wells, who was then cashier of the Bank of Brattleboro, offered him a position in the bank, which young George accepted; thus at the age of twenty years he entered upon what proved to be his life work. His position in the Bank of Brattleboro, now the Vermont National, was that of teller ; he quickly proved his aptitude for the work, and, having a wonderful comprehension of financial affairs, he was promoted four years later. in 1867, after the death of Philip Wells, the former cashier, and a short term by Frank Wells, to the responsible position of cashier. He acted in this capacity until the year 1889, when, after the death of W. P. Cune, the president of the Bank, he was appointed to be his successor. From that time on his personal history has been completely identified with the history of the bank, and under his management the growth of the bank was rapid, but none the less secure ; it has a clientage such as few country banks possess, and in no way is the result of Mr. Dowley's work bet- ter shown than in the high rank accorded to the

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Vermont National Bank, which stands at the head of all the New England banks as regards its surplus and the percentage of its surplus and un- divided profits to its earnings. Mr. Dowley was only the eighth president in order of succession, and only the fifth cashier, and he enjoyed a stand- ing which was unquestioned among the bank men of New England.

Besides his work for the bank, Mr. Dowley has served for a long term of years as the Brattle- boro town treasurer, and acted as county treas- urer and treasurer of the village school district until he declined re-election. He was a director in the Vermont Valley Railroad Company and in the Vermont Live Stock Company; he was the treasurer of the Brattleboro and Western Rail- road Company, the Lyons Granite Company and many other organizations, while the individual trusts reposed in him, as trustee, administrator and executor, were many and arduous, and all were fulfilled with his characteristic ability and sterling fidelity. He also served as aide de camp on Governor Fuller's staff with the title of colonel. His religious connection was with the Universa- list church of Brattleboro, to the support of which he contributed liberally.

Mr. Dowley was united in marriage, May 17, 1870, to Miss Ada E. Esterbrook, a daughter of the late William H. and Adeline S. (Thayer) Esterbrook. They occupied a handsome house and grounds on Main street, which had been fitted up with all the refinements and elegancies which generous means and artistic skill could command. Mr. Dowley died November 24, 1896, at the age of fifty-three years. The direc- tors and employes of the Vermont National Bank tendered their sincere sympathy to his fam- ily and gave suitable expressions to the great sorrow they experienced in this bereavement, and testified to the high regard and esteem in which they held him, and to their recognition and ap- preciation of the energy, fidelity and untiring in- dustry with which he always discharged the re- sponsible duties that devolved upon him. The will of the late George S. Dowley provides for a series of the noblest monuments that can be erected to the memory of any man. Its public bequests, amounting altogether to sixty-seven thousand dollars, have been given for local purposes. Fifty thousand dollars was bequeathed for educational

purposes, to be known as the George S. Dowley Educational Fund; ten thousand dollars to the Free Library ; five thousand dollars to the Brattle- boro Retreat for the Insane; one thousand dollars to the Brattleboro Home for the Aged and Dis- abled, and one thousand dollars to the Prospect Hill Cemetery Association.

Mrs. Dowley is a descendant of Thomas Es- terbrook, a resident of Swansea, Rhode Island, who was united in mariage to Miss Sarah Wood- cock, daughter of John and Sarah Woodcock. Thomas Esterbrook died April 11, 1713, in the eighty-fourth year of his age.

Thomas Esterbrook, son of Thomas and Sarah Esterbrook, was born October 18, 1670, and married, prior to 1703, for his second wife Miss Elizabeth Thurber, daughter of John Thurber, whose father was John Thurber, who. came from England with his wife Priscilla and. became the progenitor of the family of that name in Swansea; the name was originally spelled Thurbero. Mrs. Esterbrook died September 27, 1724.

Robert Esterbrook, son of Thomas and Eliza- beth Esterbrook, was born August 12, 1705, and was united in marriage, June 15, 1727, to Miss. Sarah Luther, who was born December 25, 1707, daughter of Elder Samuel and Sarah Luther, of Warren, Rhode Island, the former named being born October 25, 1663, and died July 23, 1714 ; he was a son of Samuel Luther, who was born in 1636, died September 20, 1716; his father was John Luther, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who was killed by the Indians in 1645 while on a trad- ing expedition in Delaware Bay. The entire party who accompanied him were killed with the exception of a boy, ten years of age, who was supposed to have been his son Samuel, who after- ward became a Baptist elder.

Warren Esterbrook, son of Robert and Sarah Esterbrook, was born August 23, 1748, and mar- ried, January 18, 1770, Miss Rosamonde Haile, daughter of William Haile, who was a son of Barnard and Elizabeth Haile. Warren Ester- brook settled in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1779, where for a short period of time he worked at the carpenter's trade in the then sparsely settled East Village, but later he removed to a farm in the southwestern portion of the town ; he followed farming until he became totally blind, which.

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great affliction he bore patiently during the re- maining twenty years of his life ; he participated in the Revolutionary war and was the recipient of a pension for the remainder of his life. His death occurred June 29, 1838, and his wife passed away April 26, 1813, aged sixty-two years. Wil- liam Haile, the father of Rosamonde Haile, married Miss Elizabeth Franklin in 1747. His children were Lillis, who married Jere- miah Bowen, of Barrington; Barnard, who married Miss Mary Hill, who was lost at sea in 1778 ; Sylvester, who was said to have been cap- tured by the British during the Revolution and who died in captivity ; Betsey, who married John Harris; Ruth, who died at the age of twelve years; John, who married Miss Sarah Brown, and Rosamonde.

Barnard Haile, father of William Haile, was born in 1687, and married, January 24, 17II-2, Miss Elizabeth Slade, who was born December 2, 1695, a daughter of William and Sarah (Holmes) Slade, and granddaughter of Edward Slade, who was born in Wales. William Slade came to Somerset, Massachusetts, about the year 1680, and was united in mariage to Miss Sarah Holmes.

Rev. Obadiah Holmes, grandfather of Sarah Holmes, was born at Preston, Lancashire, Eng- land, in 1607 ; he was a grand juror at Rehoboth in 1649, and his death occurred October 15, 1682. He had a son, Jonathan Holmes, whose daughter Sarah married William Slade; she died Septem- ber II, 1761, at the extreme old age of ninety- seven years.

Richard Haile, father of Barnard Haile, was born about the year 1640, and was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Bullock, who was born Feb- ruary 16, 1652, daughter of Richard and Eliza- beth (Ingraham) Bullock. Mr. Haile died Sep- tember 29, 1720, and his wife died February 15, 1729 or 1730. Richard Bullock, father of Mrs. Haile, was a resident of Rehoboth in 1643 ; he was appointed collector of excise June 8, 1664, and served in the capacity of town clerk from 1659 to 1668. His wife passed away January 7, 1660.

James Esterbrook, son of Warren and Rosa- monde Esterbrook, was born in Warren, Rhode Island, in 1775. He removed with his parents in 1779 to Brattleboro, Vermont, and remained with them until he attained his majority. Mr.

Esterbrook married Miss Polly Stuart, daughter of Colonel Daniel Stuart, of Revolutionary fame, and settled on the Hadley farm near the family homestead. He engaged extensively in the dairy business for many years, and subsequently be- came conspicious in the local militia, in which he was promoted to the rank of major. Mr. Ester- brook died March 5, 1856. Their children were: Maria, born September 7, 1800, married, July 31, 1822, Rufus Pratt, of Brattleboro, and she died October 19, 1857. Charlotte E., born June 13, 1802, married, April 10, 1825, William Bullock. Daniel S., born April 17, 1804, married, May 6, 1832, Miss Betsey Gladdon, who died September 19, 1869, both having been residents of Brattle- boro, Vermont. Dorothy N., born January 27, 1806, became the wife of Salmon Fessenden, October 5, 1828; Mr. Fessenden was born July 23, 1804, and resided with his father until 1821, when he purchased a farm at Halifax, Vermont, but later resided at Salem, New York, Hinsdale, Warwick and Keene, New Hampshire; Mr. Fes- senden died in December, 1891, and his wife died May 27, 1878. Nancy, born October 8, 1808, became the wife of Wesley Jacobs ; her death oc- curred April 28, 1849. Mary Ann, born No- vember 6, 1810, was united in marriage, July 4, 1838, by the Rev. Addison Brown, to Harvey Houghton, of Brattleboro, Vermont; Mrs. Houghton died March 18, 1861. James H., born August 10, 1812, married Miss Nancy S. French ; he died April 9, 1862. William H. was born July 31, 1814.

William H. Esterbrook, son of Warren and Polly Esterbrook, acquired his education in the common schools of West Brattleboro, Vermont, and later, in partnership with his brother James, under the style of James & William Esterbrook, was engaged in the stove and tinware business in Brattleboro, which they conducted success- fully. This connection existed until several years prior to his death, when Mr. William Esterbrook retired from the active duties of business life. He was a zealous and faithful member of the Universalist church, of which he, his brother and two other gentlemen, Messrs. Arnold Hines and Alfred Simons, were the founders. He was united in marriage, October 28, 1845, by the Rev. L. J. Fletcher, to Miss Adeline S. Thayer, who was born at Dummerston, Vermont, a daughter

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of Louis and . Lucina Miller Thayer. Their children are: Ada, born October 5, 1846, mar- ried, May 17, 1870, George S. Dowley, of Brat- tleboro, Vermont; May A., born July 14, 1848, married, March 16, 1868, Lucius H. Richardson, of Brattleboro; Cynthia J., born in 1852, died in 1853; and Charles W., born in 1854, died in 1863. The father of these children died Septem- ber II, 1896.

Mrs. George S. Dowley is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of the Colonial Dames of Vermont by virtue of her lineal descent from Colonel Daniel Stuart, Jr., who served as an officer in the patriot army dur- ing the war of the Revolution, and was at the battle of White Plains and in the campaign in New Jersey.

FRANCIS GOODHUE.

Francis Goodhue, a retired citizen of Brat- tleboro, was for many years of his life a promi- nent business man of that city. As a dry-goods dealer, a wholesale grocer, and as manager of the well known Brooks House for many years, he won for himself an excellent reputation for wisdom and prudence in his dealings. Being now nearly seventy years old, he does little ex- cept look after his money, which he has well in- vested.

Mr. Goodhue comes of a highly respected and influential family well known in the vicinity of Brattleboro. The line is as follows: William Goodhue (I). Deacon William Goodhue (2), the second son, born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1645, married Hannah Dane, of Andover, and died October 12, 1712, the father of eleven chil- dren: Joseph Goodhue (3), born at Ipswich in 1676, married, first, Abigail Low, and, second, Mrs. Elizabeth Gilbert, and had eight children. Francis Goodhue (4), born June 2, 1710, at Ips- wich, died September 8, 1799, married Sarah Fowler, and had eight children. Francis Good- hue (5), born December 13, 1735, died February 10, 1810, removed from Ipswich to Weathers- field, Vermont, married Christina Brown and Lucy Wells Lord, and had two children. Francis Goodhue (6), born October 26, 1767, died March 16, 1839, having removed to Brattleboro; he married Mary Ann Brown, and had five chil-

dren. Joseph Goodhue (7), born October 27, 1794, died June 22, 1862, married Sarah Ed- wards, of Northampton, and had five children. Francis Goodhue (8), born August 26, 1822, married Mary E. Brooks, and two children are living : Ellen B. Van Kleck, of Poncho, Colorado, and Francis Goodhue.

Colonel Joseph Goodhue, father of Francis, was for many years one of the prominent agri- culturists of this section. His farm embraced what was known as the Goodhue Meadows, an extensive tract, now occupied by the Retreat. Here he carried on general farming on a large scale, with marked success. His methods were both progressive and practical, and redounded to his financial benefit. He spent his last days in Brattleboro, his residence being located on what is now the Brooks Library site. And it was here that his death occurred. During his young manhood he married Sarah Edwards, daughter of Eli Edwards, of Northampton, Massachusetts, and they had five children; the first three daughters grew to maturity and mar- ried men of influence : Mary Ann married Will- iam P. Kuhn; Harriet, Governor Frederick Hol- brook; and Lucy, Dr. C. Hall, of Northampton, Massachusetts; Francis is mentioned below ; Sarah married Dr. Chapin, who was at one time assistant physician of the Retreat, and later con- nected with the Flatbush Hospital, at Brooklyn, New York.

Colonel Goodhue possessed those forceful traits of character, and a genius for commanding, which pre-eminently qualified him for public leadership. Being also popular and interested in military affairs, he was made colonel in the state militia, an honor which he bore with much credit for some time. As a Democrat he was influential in politics, and very ably filled several town offices.

Francis Goodhue entered life under propitious circumstances. Born in Brattleboro, August 26, 1822, he received his early education in the well conducted schools of that town, acquiring habits of industry and exactness, much to his future benefit. Later he attended the academy of that place, where he was well grounded in the higher branches. Deciding, upon leaving school, that he possessed the necessary qualifications for a business career, he took a position as clerk in the

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establishment of John R. Blake & Company, of Brattleboro. Strict attention to business and a courteous bearing toward customers soon won him the favor of the firm and he remained here seven years. Not content, however, to occupy a subordinate position for long, he finally opened a store of his own and engaged in the dry-goods business. Previous experience readily enabled him to draw custom, and wise financial manage- ment to establish his industry on a firm founda- tion. From year to year he enlarged his stock of goods, and, continuing to meet with good suc- cess, remained in the business for thirty-five years. After closing out he opened a large wholesale and retail grocery store in the city, which he conducted with his usual good fortune until 1868. By this time he had acquired considerable wealth, which he had invested, and which required con- siderable of his attention; so he now undertook the management of the Brooks House, then owned by his brother-in-law, which gave him time for attending to his other interests. He served as the efficient manager of this hotel for thirteen years, being quite as popular with the traveling public as he had previously been as a merchant.

Mr. Goodhue married Mary E. Brooks, the attractive daughter of Captain William Brooks. A woman of much ability, she was well known in the best circles of Brattleboro for many years. She died August 4, 1901. By this marriage there were six children, four of whom died dur- ing infancy. Francis M., Jr., married Miss Bet- tie Evans, of Philadelphia, and they now reside in that city, where he is engaged in the lumber business. They have had five children, two daughters and three sons. Ellen B., the second child of Mr. Goodhue, married Henry Van Kleck, now a prominent lawyer of Denver, Col- orado, where he is also engaged in the real es- tate business.

Mr. Goodhue is a man who has always kept abreast of the times, and has never been found wanting in interest concerning things pertaining to his city's welfare. He was one of the most efficient members of the old volunteer fire de- partment for twenty years. Having inherited a taste for military affairs, he also served as a member of the Lafayette Light Infantry of Brat- tleboro for some time. He has always evinced

a live interest in religious affairs, in fact, in all good works, and attends the Congregational church. His success in life has been mainly due to his conservative business management, and an unusually large power of attracting friends. Mr. Goodhue was originally .an old-line Whig, and, since its formation, a stalwart member of the Republican party.

DUDLEY KIMBALL ANDROSS.

As senior surviving colonel of the Vermont troops, and an honored veteran of the Civil war, Dudley Kimball Andross, of Bradford, Vermont, is descended from a family which for more than a century and a quarter has been ably and promi- nently represented in the state. His maternal great-grandfather, Captain Broadstreet Spaf- ford was taken prisoner at Charlestown during the French and Indian war, and was taken to Canada. He served with honor as ensign dur- nig the Revolutionary war. He was the first settler at Fairfax, in 1783, and was moderator of the first town meeting. Obadiah Kimball, great- uncle of Colonel Dudley K. Andross, was killed in the battle of Bennington. Dr. Bildad Andross, paternal great-grandfather of Colonel Dudley K. Andross, was an early settler in Bradford, and the first physician, and one of the most active pa- triots of the times.

In 1775 Dr. Andross was a member of the court at Westminster, and he signed the "State- ment of Facts" relating to the historic massacre there. In July, 1766, he was appointed justice of the peace for the whole of the New Hamp- shire grants that were included in the county of Albany, and he was one of the committee of safety. In the following year he continued to serve in the last named body, and was also moder- ator, selectman and supervisor. In May, 1777, he and Benjamin Baldwin were elected delegates to the Windsor convention, called to form a con- stitution for the new state of Vermont. They were both prominent members of that body, and in 1787 Dr. Andross was elected a representative in the state legislature, and he served during sev- eral terms afterward. Dr. Andross married Mary Stebbins, an aunt of Dr. Arad Stebbins, who succeeded Dr. Andross in medical practice in the town of Bradford. Dr. Andross and his-

Dudley Kimball Andrafs

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wife were members of the Congregational church of which he was one of the nine organizing members, and which was under the pastoral care of the Rev. Gardner Kellogg, and the Doctor and wife were held in high esteem. Their residence was on the Lower Plain, north of the road which now leads to Piermont Bridge, and near the Con- necticut river, and known as the Andross Land- ing. Their children were: Naomi, who mar- ried Edward Sawyer, of Piermont, New Hamp- shire, and whose son, Joseph Sawyer, Esq., was a man of honorable distinction in Fiermont ; Lucy, who married Colonel Webb, of Lunenburg, Vermont, and settled in that place; Cynthia, who married Thomas Richards, of Piermont, New Hampshire: Mary, who married Seth Ford, also of Piermont, but who later became a resident of Fairfax, Vermont, and died there in the course of a few years, his wife returning with her chil- dren to Bradford, where she died of spotted fever, March 15, 1813; Levi Stebbins, who married Prudence Spafford, of Fairfax, Vermont, and who afterwards removed to Bradford, Vermont ; they were the parents of the following four chil- dren, all born in Fairfax: Prudence S., who married Clement Chase, of Cornish, New Hamp- shire (a relative of Chief Justice Chase), to whom were born' one son and one daughter; Naomi, married to William Barker, a harness- maker of Bradford, and to whom were born four sons and one daughter; Broadstreet Spaf- ford; Mary, who married David Tilton, of Bradford.

Broadstreet Spafford Andross, son of Levi Stebbins and Prudence (Spafford) Andross, re- mained in Bradford. Mr. Andross was dis- tinguished for his courage and bravery, and when still a very young man, occupied in floating tim- ber down the Connecticut river, he rescued from drowning a boy who, now a man and a resident of New York city, has ever remained a true and grateful friend to the family of Mr. Andross. So great was the gratitude of the rescued boy and his parents, that the noble act was never for- gotten. After the death of Mr. Andross, Mrs. Andross was presented with a golden goblet bearing the inscription : "A tribute of gratitude from John Munn, rescued from drowning by Broadstreet Spafford Andross, A. D., 1816."

Broadstreet Spafford Andross married Mary 37 X

Kimball, of Hampstead, New Hampshire, having issue of five sons and three daughters: (1) Steb- bins, born October 1, 1813, married Keziah Libbey, of Maine, and to them were born three sons, Leonard, Charles and William, and two daughters, Adaline and Ellen. Adaline lost her life at the burning of Charlestown depot, near Boston. Ellen married a Methodist minister, the Rev. Mr. LeBarron. Mr. Stebbins Andross was for several years in charge of the railroad depot at Bradford, but finally removed to New York. (2) Harriet K., born September 24, 1816, mar- ried John K. Horner, of Fairlee. Two daughters were born of this marriage, one of whom, Mary Helen, married Edgar Rowell, of Bradford, her sister Harriet having long been a member of the family of Adams Preston, Esq., of Bradford ; she is now the widow of Edgar Rowell, who was a veteran of the Civil war. The parents' are both deceased. (3) Charles L., born August 4, 1818, married Harriet Clark, daughter of Samuel Clark formerly of Bradford, who lost an arm by the ac- cidental discharge of a cannon on a Fourth of July. (4) Mary. S., born September 14, 1820, died at the age of twenty-two years. (5) Dudley Kim- ball is mentioned at length hereinafter. (6) E. Porter, born December 25, 1825, married Sarah Whitcomb ; they reside in Piermont, New Hamp- shire, and have several sons and daughters, three of the sons having gone to California. For nine months of the Civil war E. Porter Andross served in the Fifteenth New Hampshire Regiment, and was at the siege of Port Hudson. (7) Helen L. died in infancy. (8) Moses C., born January 26, 1836, went to California and was for some time engaged in mining; a man of ability, integrity and influence he has been much occupied in public affairs, having served as United States assistant assessor in the state of California for six years, and as senator in the state legislature for four years. He married a Scotch lady in California, and they are the parents of two sons. Mr. Broadstreet An- dross, the father of this family, died at Bradford, November 27, 1838, in the fifty-fourth year of his age.

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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 II, Part 101

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed Publication date: 1903 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1044

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1044