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 15

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 15

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).

TIJE STATE OF VERMONT.

aus, who attained the age of nearly seventy eight years, was a member of the Congregational church, with which she became identified in her youth and in which she was a cheerful, zealous and massuming worker.

On the 6th of December, 1842, Numan Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Susan E. Con- ant, who was born in New Haven, Addison coun- ty, Vermont, on the 14th of April, 1822, and who passed away April 3, 1900. Of this union were born three sons and one daughter, of whom only two are now living,-George A., whose name in- itiates this review; and Wiliam H .. , who is a resident of New Haven, this state, where he is engaged in farming.

George A. Hunt was reared on the old home- staed farm which he now owns and occupies, and until the death of his honored father he con- tinued to be associated with him in the care and management of the estate. His early educational training was received in the district schools of Waltham and the Vergennes City School. He thus laid an excellent foundation for that broad and practical fund of information and knowledge which has come to him through reading and through active association with men and affairs during the years of an active and sucessful busi- ness career. His homestead farm is one of the best in this county, having been equipped with excellent improvements of a permanent nature, while throughout its entire area of two hundred and twenty-five acres are shown unmistakable evidences of the excellent management and punc- tillious care brought to bear in its cultivation. The estate is devoted to diversified farming, ac- cording to modern scientific methods, for Mr. Hunt realizes fully that to attain the maximum of success in connection with husbandry it is quite as essential to use judgment and executive ability as it is in any other line of business en- terprise. In connection with the agricultural department of his farm business he also devotes special attention to darying and to the raising of high-grade sheep, and his success in these lines has been of tantamount order. He has thus gained the reputation, and fully merits the same, of being one of the most progressive and success- ful farmers of the locality, and his course has been such as to commend him to the highest con- · fidence of the community in which he has passed

his entire life, his friends being in number as his acquaintances,

Taking a lively interest in all that tends to conserve the advancement and material pros- perity of the town, he has not held aloof from ac- tive participation in the public affairs of a local nature and has rendered effective service in va- rious offices, having been lister of the town for four years, road comissioner for two years, and having been a valued member of the board of education, in which he held the position of school director for four years. He has also been town auditor, serving for several terms. Mr. Hunt gives an uncompromising allegiance to the Re- publican party so far as national issues are con- cerned, but in local affairs he is somewhat inde- pendent in attitude, reserving the right to sup- port those men and measures which meet the ap- proval of his judgment and considering it no violation of partisan fealty to take this course.

On the 23 of December, 1890, Mr. Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Ella M. Barnard, who was born October 9, 1870, in Bristol, this county, the daughter of Rufus H. and Amelia (Shaw) Barnard, now residents of Bristol, and of this happy union four children were born, namely: Ralph Newman, Albert George, Vera May and Harold Ray.

WILLIS N. CADY.

Willis Noble Cady, who follows farming and deals in wood in Addison county, makes his home three miles from Middlebury. He was born in this locality on the 7th of August, 1860, and is a representative of one of the old families of this portion of the state. His father, Gardner Cady, was born in New Haven, Addison county, April 26, 1823, and is a son of Isaac Cady, who was a native of Stafford, Connecticut, born October 5, 1777. He was reared on a farm in his native state and in 1799 came to Vermont, settling in New Haven, Addison county, where he cleared a place. He afterward took up his abode in Windsor, Vermont, where he operated a fur- nace, but, returning to New Haven, he there owned and operated several farms. After his re- tirement he came to Middlebury in 1846, and here his death occurred September 30, 1850. He

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

had a family of seven sons and eight daughters, age of seventy-seven years. Mrs. Everts, the of whom only one is now living.

Gardner C. Cady, was reared in New Haven township, where he remained until his removal to his present home in Middlebury, in 1844. He was educated in the common schools and in the academy at Poultney, Vermont, and was reared · to the occupation of farming. He remained at home until March 6, 1844, when he was united in marriage to Eliza L. Everts, a daughter of Martin Everts, whose grandfather, John Everts, was one of the pioneer settlers of Addison county. Gilbert Everts, the father of Martin, was a far- mer by occupation and followed that pursuit in Salisbury, Vermont. He was twice married, hav- ing first wedded Rebecca Chapin, and their chil- dren were Martin, Timothy, Silas, Charles and Henry. The mother died and the father after- ward married Mrs. Kelsey. He then removed to Beckmantown, New York, where his death oc- curred. Martin Everts, the father of Mrs. Gard- ner C. Cady, was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, October 7, 1765, and was there reared. He came to Addison county, Vermont, about 1794, and lo- cated on the farm which is now the home of Mrs. Cady. He cleared the place and built thereon a log cabin and made other substantial improve- ments. The first frame house is still standing. There Martin Everts spent his remaining days, his death occurring September 3, 1842, when he was almost seventy-seven years of age. He was well known in the community as an honorable, upright man, and had considerable influence in public affairs. He was twice married, his second wife being Electa Noble, who was born in West- field, Massachusetts, in 1780, and came to New Haven, Vermont, when twelve years of age. Her father, Roger Noble, was one of the pioneers of New Haven and there built the house which is now known as the General Nash place. He died in 1816. His wife, Martha (Foote) Noble, was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, June 10, 1754, and died in Middlebury, January 30, 1831. Her father was Daniel Foote, a pioneer of Middle- bury, and formerly resided in Dalton, Massa- chusetts. She had two children by her first hus- band, Enoch Dewey, and by her second marriage to Roger Noble, she became the mother of six children, the eldest being Electa. She died at the

mother of Mrs. Gardner Cady, died August 16, 1871, at the advanced age of ninety-one years and two days. She had eleven children, the eldest living being George M., a resident of Battle Creek, Michigan. Eliza Laurens, born Septem- ber 28, 1824, is the other surviving member of the family.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardner C. Cady have since their marriage resided continuously on the home farm, which is a large one, highly cultivated. Mr. Cady has held the office of trustee and select- man, and was formerly quite prominent in pub- lic affairs, all recognizing his loyalty to duty and his trustworthiness. Eight children were born to this worthy couple: Martin, who graduated in 1869 at Middlebury College, and is pastor of the Western avenue Methodist church, of Chi- cago, Illinois; Charles, a farmer residing near his parents; Isaac W., who is employed in the Deering works in Chicago; Frances E., wife of Seth R. Patrick, a farmer of Salisbury, Vermont ; Henry Olim, a graduate of Northwestern Uni- versity and now a missionary at Chenteu, West . China ; Willis N., the subject of this review ; Mary E., who for a number of years has suc- cessfully engaged in school teaching in Middle- bury ; and Gilbert E., a Methodist minister of Bristol, Vermont. The last named is a graduate of Middlebury college. The parents hold mem- bership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Middlebury and have long been active workers in the denomination, Mr. Cady serving for many years as steward.

The subject of this sketch, Willis N. Cady, spent his early years at home and pursued his preliminary education in the common schools, subsequently attending the high school at Mid- dlebury. . He afterward engaged in teaching for a 'number of terms and was a capable educator. He remained at home until thirty years of age, assisting his father in the work of carrying on the home farm and then, in 1889, came to his present farm, comprising one hundred and sixty- five acres of good land, on which he carries on general farming and dairying. Everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appear- ance and modern methods of farming are fol- lowed, with the result that the land is made to

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

yield a good return and the farm is productive and profitable. Mr. Cady has erected new build- ings upon his farm.

On the 16th of June, 1886, Mr. Cady was united in marriage to Sarah Martina Hammond, who was born June 16, 1864, near Middlebury, a daughter of Henry W. Hammond, also a na- tive of the same locality and a granddaughter of William T. Hammond. The last named was also born in the same town, one of the prominent farmers and stock raisers of this locality, making a specialty of the production of merino sheep. He was a deacon in the Congregational church and an earnest Christian man. He married Sarah Olmstead, also a native of this portion of the state and she, too, was a member of the Congre- gational church. She had two children, one of whom, Henry W. Hammond, became the father of Mrs. Cady. He was reared in this town and attended private schools and the Fairfax Acad- emy. He followed farming and sheep-raising for many years, but is now living retired. He has held a number of offices in the village, in- cluding those of road commissioner and trustee. His wife, Abigail Martin, is a daughter of John and Sarah Martin, of Ferrisburg. They have four children : Mrs. Cady ; John H., a farmer of Middlebury; William; and Dora, wife of Fay Martin, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elizabeth Hammond, an aunt of Mrs. Cady, is the widow of Josiah Dewey, who was a prominent mer- chant of New York and afterward followed farm- ing in this locality until his death. He served as a representative of Middlebury in the general assembly.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Willis N. Cady is blessed with two children, Eliza G. and Mil- dred, and they lost one son, Ralph, in infancy. In political views Mr. Cady has always been a stanch Republican and for ten years has held the office of school director. In 1898 he was elected a selectman, and each year up to 1903 has been re-elected. He has likewise been clerk of the school board for two years. He has served as steward of the Methodist Episcopal church of Middlebury for fifteen years, as assistant Sun- day-school superintendent and teacher for many years and as clerk of the stewards for six years, all of which goes to show that he has the con- fidence of his brethren in a high degree. He is

widely and favorably known in this community, where his entire life has been passed, and de- serves mention as one of the representative citi- zens of this portion of the state.

THE CLARK FAMILY.

The Clark family, though of Anglo-Saxon extraction, became connected through marriage, so runs the family tradition, with the descendants of Joseph of Arimathea, who after the cruci- fixion of our Lord was banished by the Jews from Judea with Philip, Lazarus, Mary Magdalene and Martha. They were put into a vessel without sails or oars and set adrift to perish, but were driven to the shores of Spain, thence finding a way into England. Concerning the family the following is taken from the Clark Genealogy by A. P. Clark, A. M., M. D.

"It seems from all accounts, without resorting to speculation, that the ancestors of this ancient family of Clarkes had before the Norman con- quest been dwellers in England, and had been influential in the building and management of the priories and abbeys of that country."

The following is from the History of North- ampton by Payson W. Lyman :

"The name Clark was derived from the name of an office, and signified clerk, or learned man. This title, in process of time, became the surname of the person who held the office, and 'Clericus,' afterward Clark, became the cognomen or sur- name by which all his descendants were dis- tinguished. The word clerk was also abundantly employed in the north of England to express lawyer as well as priest, and this accounts for the extreme frequency of the name. In an ancient record of Surrey, in the county of Durham, Eng- land, among many others, we find the following entry : 'Gulilmus Clercus tenet triginta acres et reddit unam marcam-' William Clark holds 30 acres, for which he pays one mark." A mark was 15 s. 4 d.

Some one writing of the ancestry of Rev. Dorus Clark, says :

"Their piety was not of a formal type, which is heartless and therefore useless. It was cordial, sincere and saving; all the families of his ances- tors have been the decided friends of education, of social order and of liberty regulated by law.

Samuel Clark.

---

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

They generally belonged to the middle class of citizens,-the most substantial and the most re- liable class. Their names may not appear in the registers of heraldry, they were only anxious that they may be found in the Book of Life. They were 'More noble blooded than all the blood of all the Howards,' for their patents of nobility date long before the Conquest, and their coats of arms are emblematic of whole generations that have 'fought a good fight' and have finished their course. The name is derived from dignitaries, temporal and ecclesiastical. The name Clark means a learned person, one who could read and write ancient and medieval lore. Medieval bearers of this name were proud of it."

The earliest Clark of this line of whom we have knowledge was William Clarke, who was born in England, probably in Plymouth in Devonshire, in 1609. With his wife Sarah, he sailed from Plymouth, England, in company with Rev. John Warham, Rev. John Maverick and other Puritan families from Devonshire and Dorsetshire, in the ship Mary and John, Captain Squeb, master, on the 30th of March, 1630, and they arrived at Nantasket on the 30th of May, 1630. Obtaining a boat they rowed up the Charles river to a place called, by the Indians, Mattapan, and began their settlement, which subsequently and now bears the name Dorchester. William and Sarah were members of the church there as early as 1637. In 1659 he removed to Northampton, five years after its settlement, pro- ceeding on foot, while his wife rode on horse- back, having two baskets, called panniers, slung upon the horse, carrying one boy in each basket and one on her lap. The town granted him twelve acres of land bordering on Mill River, and he erected a log house upon land which is now the site of Smith College. In 1681 a negro servant of Samuel Walcott, of Weathersfield, set fire to this dwelling by taking a brand from the hearth and swinging it up and down in a search for food. He was sentenced to be hanged, and the law had its course. The new house, erected in the same year, remained standing until 1826. In 1661 William Clarke organized a trained band of militia, consisting of sixty men, for defense against the Indians. The number being in- complete and not entitling them to a captain, he was chosen to the highest office, that of lieu-

tenant, which was then considered a very im- portant position, and it secured to him ever after- ward the distinguished title of Lieutenant Clarke. He commanded this company in King Philip's and other Indian wars. From 1660 to 1680 he was a selectman, was one of the seven incorporators of the first church, was one of the judges of the county court and was deputy from Northampton to the Massachusetts general court from 1663 to 1682, and bore the title of the "Most Worshipful William Clarke." His wife Sarah, died September 6, 1675, and for his sec- ond wife he chose Mrs. Sarah Cooper of Spring- field, who died May 8, 1688. His death occurred July 19, 1690, at the age of eighty-one years, and his descendants have erected a monument to his memory in the cemetery at Northampton. His children were: Sarah, born April 4, 1638; Jonathan, born August 1, 1639; Nathaniel, born November 27, 1641 ; Experience, born January 30, 1643; Rebecca, born in 1649; John, born in 1651; William, born July 3, 1656, and Samuel, born March 19, 1659.

William Clarke, born July 3, 1656, at Dor- chester, Massachusetts, moved with his parents to Northampton when two years of age. On the 16th of July, 1680, he married Hannah Strong, a daughter of Elder John Strong, who was of the Warham and Maverick company to sail from England on the vessel Mary and John. Wiliam Clarke removed to Lebanon, Connecti- cut, of which town he was an early settler, large land owner and a prominent citizen. With a Mr. Dewey, he purchased a large tract of land in the northern part of Lebanon from the Mohegan Indians, and the title of this tract was after- ward confirmed by the government. This transaction is known in history as "The Clarke and Dewey Purchase." He was one of the fifty- one original land proprietors of Lebanon, was also a representative to the general assembly of Connecticut for thirteen years from 1705, for sixteen years was a selectman of the town, and for twenty-five years held the office of town clerk. He was a captain in the militia and served in the wars with the Indians. His wife, Hannah, died January 31, 1694, and on the 31st of Janu- ary, 1695, he married Mary Smith, who died April 23, 1704. His death occurred at Lebanon, May 9, 1725, at the age of sixty-nine years. By

---

- -

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

the first union seven children were born, and by his second marriage he became the father of the following: Timothy, Mary, Gresham, David and David.

Timothy Clarke, born October 12, 1095, mar ried Deborah Beard on the 10th of May, 1722. His death occurred July 12, 1752. In the old cemetery in Lebanon is the following inscription :

"Here lies ve body of Lieutenant Timothy Clarke, a man prudent, peaceable, charitable. pious and useful in his life, beloved while he lived, lamented when he died. He departed this life in ye calm and peaceful hope of life eternal July 12, 1752, in the fifty-seventh year of his age."

The old town records bear the following :

"Timothy Clarke, leather scaler, surveyor of highways, fence viewer, and brander of horses."

In the land records of Lebanon may be found the following :

"William Clarke, of Lebanon, for the love and good will and affection for his son Timothy grants him 1021 acres, January 23. February 22, of the same year, he grants to his sons, Wil- liam and Timothy, one hundred and ninety acres. These granted lands I, William Clarke, and Dece Dewey purchased of Major Clark and Mr. Buckingham, of Saybrook."

Samuel Clark, the second son of Timothy and Deborah (Beard) Clarke, was born at Leb- anon, Connecticut, November 13, 1729, and al- ways lived in that part of the town then called "The Crank." He was a farmer by occupation, but served in the war of the Revolution, and the following is the record of his service, according to the records of the adjutant general, state of Connecticut. "Private in Captain John Wat- son's company, Colonel Benjamin Hinman's reg- iment. Discharged in Northern Department, November 3, 1775. Private in Captain Jona- than Johnson's company, Colonel Philip B. Bradley's regiment. Enlisted June 25, 1776, dis- charged November 16, 1776. Taken prisoner at Fort Washington. Private in Captain William Belcher's company, Colonel Jedediah Hunting- ton's regiment. Enlisted May 12, 1777, term three years, and was discharged May 12, 1780." On the 26th of June 1755, Samuel Clark mar- ried Sarah Cushman, a lineal descendant in the seventh generation of Robert Cushman, who "af-

ter long and tedious negotiation obtained a patent under the great seal of the Virginia Company connived at by King James and his ministers by which the Leyden Pilgrims were allowed to set- tle in America." He hired at London the May- flower for the emigrant Pilgrims, but was him- self left in England to care for and facilitate the trans shipment of those of the band who by rea- son of the breaking down of the Speedwell re- mained behind for a time. Robert Cushman was born in England between the years 1580 and 1585, and on the 9th day of November, 1621, he, with his son Thomas, who was born in England in February, 1608, came to America in the ship Fortune. About 1635 Thomas was married to Mary Allerton, a daughter of Isaac Allerton, who came to this country in the Mayflower. To Samuel and Sarah (Cushman) Clark were born seven sons and four daughters: Samuel, Asaph, Sarah, Parthena, Deborah, Eliphaz, Elijah, William, Samuel, Lora and Asaph. The father of these children died in Lebanon, Sep- tember 27, 1807, and was there buried, while his wife Sarah (Cushman), died April 18, 1812, at the age of seventy-six years.

Samuel Clark, ninth child of Samuel and Sarah (Cushman) Clark, was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, February 28, 1777. When eight- een years of age he went to Bernardston, Mas- sachusetts, where he taught school, and later was clerk in a store at that place and in Greenfield and Leyden. He subsequently removed to Dover, Vermont, where he married Susan John- son, who was born September 12, 1778, and was a daughter of Captain David and Susanna (Rus- sell) (Smith) Johnson. Their marriage was celebrated on the Ist of September, 1800. In 1804 he removed from Dover to Guilford, Ver- mont, where he was successfully employed in trade for nine years, three of them in company with Mr. John Bernard, of Boston, removing back to Dover, Vermont, in 1813. In March, 1815, he removed to West Brattleboro, Vermont, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was town representative during the years of 1820 and 1826, and for three years thereafter was a member of the assembly of Vermont. He was the first assistant judge of the county court in 1833, and in 1836 was a delegate to the conven- tion for revising the state constitution, when the

THE STATE OF VERMONT.

senate in place of the assembly was instituted. He was chiefly instrumental in obtaining the charter for the old Brattleboro, now the Ver- mont National Bank, of which he was for twenty years a director. He was the first trustee of the hospital for the insane at Brattleboro, holding that position for thirteen years, was a justice of the peace for fourteen years, was an active mem- ber of the board of trustees of Brattleboro Academy, and ever manifested a lively interest in the institution by large gifts for building and other purposes, and by his faithfulness in seek- ing to promote the welfare of the school. His interest in the church with which he was con- nected was deep and unabated. He had four sons ; Lafayette, born June 7, 1801; Amandrin, born January 26, 1803, and died unmarried, June 19, 1849; Samuel Cushman, born January 23, 1808, died unmarried, March 10, 1864; Stanford Rus- sell, who was born January 4, 1812, and died April 2, 1858. Samuel Clark passed into eter- nal rest on the 9th of April, 1861, and his wife Susan died August 12, 1863.

Lafayette Clark, the eldest son of Samuel and Susan (Johnson) Clark, was born in Dover, Vermont, June 7, 1801, and came with his father to West Brattleboro, in March, 1815, where both the father and son passed the remainder of their days. Until 1831 he was in his father's store, first as clerk and later as a partner. Though of a modest and retiring disposition, his townsmen learned to appreciate his sterling qualities and sound judgment, and for many years he was prominent as an officer of the town and as a member of the community. He represented the town in the legislature in 1843 and 1844, was town clerk for thirty-eight years, a justice of the peace for forty-five years, and for more than fifty years was a trustee of Brattleboro Academy, dur- ing forty years of which he served as clerk of the board. He was a trustee of the Vermont Sav- ings Bank for many years, being also its presi- dent for several years, and was a director of the Vermont National Bank, of Brattleboro, for nine years and for four years its president. In every position to which he was called he proved him- self worthy of trust and honor, an efficient and faithful public servant, and was regarded by all as a sincere friend. For many years he served as clerk of the Congregational church in West

Brattleboro, of which he was a member and earn- est supporter. In April, 1828, Lafayette Clark married Mary, daughter of Dr. Russell Fitch, of West Brattleboro. No children were born to this union, but he became the father of the or- phan children of his youngest brother, Stanford Russell. His long and eventful life was remark- ably noble and unselfish and none regarded him with more honor than those nearest him, who turned to him for counsel and help. His wife Mary died August 1, 1866, and his death oc- curred August 21, 1881.

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.

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 15

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