USA > Vermont > Windham County > Whitingham > Green leaves from Whitingham, Vermont: a history of the town > Part 13
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"The old oaken bucket, the iron bound bucket,
The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well."
In front of this house the hay scales were located, and the mystery supposed to exist under the platform drew many an inquisitive youth to that locality in the days of June trainings and ginger bread.
Ephraim Smith kept a store at the "corners," about a mile southerly from the common. He was promi- nent in town affairs, town clerk from 1818 to 1826, inclusive, and representative two years.
George Boardman was in business several years at the centre, his store was near the southwest corner of the common where Henry Goodnow lately traded.
Emory Greenleaf and Royal Houghton were both in trade here about 1820. Houghton was postmas- ter in 1826 for one year only.
Reuben Winn commenced trade here in 1833, and continued in business till 1846, when his partner, Rufus Chase, died. Mr. Winn was the ablest man who ever did business in Whitingham. He was one of the selectmen eight years, being chairman during the war. He was state senator 2 years, postmaster
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I I years, and held some office in town or county 44 consecutive years.
Rufus Chase was a popular merchant, a singer and a gentleman, but died in early manhood.
Henry Goodnow was a well known trader here for many years. His store was at the lower end of the common, near which he built a new house. He was postmaster 9 years. Shoreham Goodnow was also in trade at the same place for several years.
Henry S. Goodnow was in trade at the centre, and postmaster 4 years next previous to 1857.
Alfred Bowen traded at the centre and Jackson- ville, Eli Green at the residence of his father, Alfred Green, more than a mile southwesterly from town.
Eli Green was a representative to the Legislature four years in succession next previous to 1852.
Saxton Plumb first traded at Point Pleasant a mile northeasterly from Jacksonville, where he was post- master 8 years. He had the name of the office changed to Jacksonville, and by so doing the village before known as Martin's Mills and New Boston, took its present name, Nov. 4, 1834, in honor of Gen. Jackson who was then president of the United States. At this place Mr. Plumb was postmaster 5 years. He was merchant, politician and postmaster. Laban J. Childs and Adin T. Childs were from Wilmington but in trade at Jacksonville in 1845, and they were both postmasters that year, 6 months each.
Philander H. Sumner had a store at Jacksonville,
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and was postmaster there from 1847 to Oct. 27, 1851. Martin Brown did a large miscellaneous business at Jacksonville, and also successfully managed a large retail store. He was postmaster from 1854 to 1856.
Norris L. Stetson, Albert C. Stetson, W. P. Jones, Edwin C. Starr, S. A. Clark, O. N. Stickney, M. W. Stickney, W. O. Hunt, John H. Sears, E. P. Read, Wm. A. Brown, H. A. Wheeler, and Clarence H. Shepardson, were merchants in Jacksonville.
Norris L, Stetson was representative in 1867 and 1868, and postmaster from 1851 to 1854, and from 1865 to 1867, and from 1870 to 1885. Albert C. Stetson was postmaster from 1867 to 1870.
George W. Chase, Eli T. Green, Cyrus Temple, Abraham Chase, Thaddeus Wheeler, Henry C· Mil- lington, Herbert E. Knowlton and Albert L. Cook, have been in trade at Sadawga. Green was post- master there in 1865, Millington in 1878, Knowlton in 1887, and Cook in 1889 up to the present time.
Sadawga postoffice was changed in name and call- ed Whitingham, February 23, 1882.
Several others have, from time to time, been en- gaged in mercantile pursuits as clerks or proprietors.
The principal business firms have been, William & Joseph Goodnow, Noyes & Thayer, Austin & Booth, Smith & Boardman, Greenleaf & Houghton, Higley & Booth, Houghton & Booth, Boardman & Winn, Winn & Chase, Brown & Stetson, Brown & Wheeler, Stetson & Jones, Stickney & Hunt, Chase & Green.
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FARMERS' INTEREST COMPANY.
In 1837 a mercantile project was developed, of a different character from anything Whitingham had before known, and so radical in its general features that many looked upon it as a revelation in trade.
It consisted of the formation of a copartnership composed of about a dozen responsible farmers, under the firm name of "The Farmers' Interest Com- pany," the object being to accommodate the people, especially the farmers, by showing them how to run a country store of their own, under the manipulation of an agent who owned nothing. Cyrus Ballou was employed as agent, and Maturin Ballou Jr. was clerk. They had nothing to lose, the proprietors had, and they lost it.
This store, formerly a cabinet and paint shop, was located about a mile southwest from the centre of the town, near the residence of Dr. Gillett. The follow- ing cut represents this building as it then appeared.
The agent and clerk were inexperienced in mer- 28
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cantile usages, and irresponsible financially. They loved fun better than success in business. They had fun and the farmers paid the bills.
This was more than half a century ago, in the bal- my days of rum and molasses ; and when any of the proprietors went to the store on business, it was considered expedient to invite them into the back room to sample the drinks before looking over the accounts, as this preliminary embellishment tended to suddenly develop most of them into millionaires, and also attest the disinterested civility of the agent and his genial clerk.
The credit of the company was above suspicion, for it rested on the solid basis of many farms, inter- larded with bank accounts and other personal prop- erty. The merchants in Boston who supplied the goods were secure, and willing to furnish food for revelry while the credit of the company was unim- paired. This was a novel but speedy way to dispose of a homestead without an equivalent other than bad habits and ruined health.
The end came, the managers vanished, and the duped farmers "refused to be comforted" for more than a generation. The rivalry engendered between this company and the merchants in other parts of the town outlived those who were active participants in this scheme of fraud; and the jealousy thereby evolved is felt at the present time. The entire man- agement seemed to be conducted under the exhiler-
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ating delusion that success in business depended largely upon New England Rum. This store was the favorite resort of the idle, the intemperate, the illiterate and the hopelessly wicked.
Long winter evenings were spent there, away from the family fire-side, and devoted almost exclusively to telling sensational stories and drinking black-strap. After a few drinks some would become so rich as to think they owned not only the store but most of the town, and make a display of their liberality by treat- ing all present, without regard to nationality or age. The vagabond here met his wealthy neighbor, hoping to share his hospitality, and none went away empty.
After a short struggle with the king of horrors, the desolator of homes, the father of snakes, the re- plenisher of sheol, the liberality of the proprietors would become suddenly adorned with the admiration of a few half conscious drunkards. Among those thus charmed by this sort of destructive liberality, was one - Pike, about 50 years of age, stout built, well proportioned, hard fisted, and naturally good natured, but a terror under the rule of Medford and molasses.
One stormy evening in winter the boys assembled at the store to witness one of these bachanalian se- ances. It was not necessary to turn down the lights, there being only one oil lamp in the store and that · somewhat dim. Pike was there, a little dazed, but quite talkative, bantering the clerk behind the coun-
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ter. His eyes looked like a Connecticut River fog, and a dreamy uncertainty seemed to pervade his stur- dy frame. The boys obtained a new clothes line and began to surround Pike with it in such a way as to bring him into close quarters when they pulled on each end of the rope. All this preliminary work went on unnoticed by Pike until the rope began to tighten upon him. The boys thought him securely bound, hand and foot, and began to exhibit their mirth at the apparent helpless condition of their vic- tim, when he gave a sudden spring-the rope broke and Pike was free, to the terror of all present. He then undertook to wreak his vengeance on the boys, but they vanished like a midnight dream.
After a few minutes they again entered the store separately as though it was their first appearance that evening, unrecognized by Pike, and soon the cul- prits were all standing around their victim, listening with solemn interest to his loud execrations and threats against those wicked boys.
This is but a mild sample of the business carried on at the store of the Farmers Interest Company, and this kind of nonsense took the place of legitimate trade. The result was failure, and culminated in the complete financial ruin of several wealthy farmers.
TOWN STRUCTURES.
The public buildings of the town have not been numerous, the most important being the old meet-
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ing-house, built in 1799. The school houses have been built from time to time as they were needed, some of them being rude and in winter uncomfortable. But there was one structure built by the town in 1806 which seems to be worthy of notice, the specifica- tions being more elaborate than those of the church which it has outlived. This was the town Pound, located at the northeast corner of the common. The following vote, passed by the town, March 3, 1806, has a direct bearing on the pound question :-
March 3, 1806. Voted to build a Pound of Stone of the follow- ing Dimensions (viz) 30 feet Squair Within the Walls, the Walls to be six feet high four feet thick at the bottom two feet thick on the top with a Squair timber on the top frame together with a Stone Post to Hang the Door or gate on with a hole drilled in the Said Post for the Hinges to be set in, Said Pound to be Completed by the first Day of July next, Said Walls to be Handsomely faced on the inside and Decently faced on the outside to the acceptance of the Select Men.
This Pound was built by Oliver Fuller for $34.98, and it has defied the storms of more than 80 winters.
The most extensive public work in this town has been the constructing of highways and bridges. But few roads were laid out previous to establishing high- way districts, which was done May 14, 1807, when 13 districts were designated by vote of the town. After this numerous roads were laid out, built and kept in repair, at considerable expense to the town.
But the building of bridges had much to do with the prosperity of the town, most of them being for
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the particular benefit of those who resided in the westerly part, therefore, it was not easy to convince a Jacksonville voter that he ought to help pay for a bridge to especially benefit a resident of Sadawga.
In 1818 the inhabitants of the town, in town meet- ing assembled, undertook to bridge sectional feeling as well as the Deerfield, and applied to the Legisla- ture for pecuniary assistance. At the March meeting in 1818, the town "Voted to petition the Legislature of the State at their next session to grant a Lottery for the purpose of erecting a Bridge across Deerfield River near Ira Davis' or Jeremiah Wheeler's."
John Roberts, Amos Brown, and Ephriam Smith were a committee to carry this vote into effect.
March 7th, 1825, the town "Voted to raise $200 to build a bridge 'across D. river Ira Davis'."
In 1829 John Brigham, Joseph Goodnow and Amos Brown were appointed a committee to build a bridge across Deerfield River. March 1, 1830 Abra- ham Chase and James White were added to the Bridge committee.
April 6th, 1832, the town "Voted not to build a bridge where it was located by the commissioners." Oct. 24th 1835, the town "Voted to choose a com- mittee to build a bridge across D. river where it was built before. Nehe-
Elischer Potranno miah Sabin, James White and Elisha Putnam, to contract for the mak- ing of Sd Bridge across Sd D. R. Voted that the
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town build a covered Plank Bridge across said river."
These bridges were comparatively inexpensive and temporary, most of them being carried away when- ever the water was very high. But it cost the town much more to supply these frail structures annually than it would to have built them more permanent, at greater expense.
In 1836, $1.600 were raised to pay for the bridge built over Deerfield river, near the residence of John Parsons. June 27, 1837, "the bridge below John Parsons' was located and established by the select- men," William Bond Jr., Harvey Brown, and Hough- ton Sawyer. This bridge was warranted to stand ten years. It stood 32 years and was finally swept away by the freshet in 1869. May 22, 1840, the town "Voted to build a Trussle Bridge on the old But- ments near Davis,' with the subscription of the in- habitants the other Side of the River."
October 5, 1869, nearly all the bridges in town were swept away, and the same thing has happened once since that time.
POST OFFICES.
Whitingham was without a post office 36 years, covering the period of its greatest prosperity in the · increase of population. The mails were carried by various persons, without much regularity and with but little regard to speedy delivery. There had been no change in the rates since the organization of the
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regular department under the constitution, in 1789.
A letter written on a single piece of paper was subject to 8 cents postage when carried any distance under 40 miles ; over 40 and under 90 miles IO cents ; over 90 and under 150 miles 122 cents ; over 150 and under 300 miles 17 cents ; over 300 and under 500 miles 20 cents ; over 500 miles 25 cts.
In 1816 these rates were changed so that a single letter carried not over 30 miles was 614 cents ; over 30 and under 80 miles 10 cents ; over 80 and under 150 12 /2 cents ; over 150 and under 400 miles 18 34 cents ; over 400 miles 25 cents.
Prepayment was optional with whoever sent the letter, and dunning letters for small amounts, when vigorously applied, became a terror to the timid.
In 1816, under the administration of James Madi- son, the first post office was established in Whiting- ham. The first postmaster was Adin Thayer, a mer- chant of the town, who held the office four years, when it passed into the hands of a noted clergyman, Rev. Linus Austin, who retained it six years.
This office was located at the centre of the town, where it remained 66 years, and was discontinued Feb. 20, 1882. Its business and name was there- upon transfered to Sadawga and that office is now known as Whitingham.
There is no better index to the business prosperity of a town than the post office. Its location generally shows where the centre of trade is, and the number
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of letters sent and received indicate the advancement or decline of thrift among the people.
The history of Whitingham's progress in business, in education and intellectual development, is more clearly shown by its postal service than by any other record which has been preserved.
There has been five post offices in Whitingham since 1815, the last taking the name of the one dis- continued Feb. 20, 1882. The record is as follows :
WHITINGHAM.
POSTMASTERS, AND WHEN APPOINTED.
Adin Thayer,
Henry Goodnow,
October 26, 1816. August 27, 1853.
Linus Austin,
Thomas Wrinkle,
August 31, 1820. January 7, 1862.
Royal Houghton,
May 25, 1826.
Newell B. Hall, December 3, 1863. Nehemiah Sprague Jr., October 26, 1864.
Elliot Brown, March 13, 1827.
Joel Wilcox,
March 20, 1867.
Russell Stafford,
John E. Butler, January 3, 1838. May 6, 1869. Nathan L. Butler, Henry S. Goodnow, February 16, 1843. June 7, 1870.
Reuben Winn,
Reuben Winn,
May 28, 1850. June 15, 1874. This office was discontinued February 20, 1882.
Horace Roberts,
August 8, 1829.
Point Pleasant, located about a mile northeasterly from Jacksonville, was at one time a place of some note, having a church, a post office and some show
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as a trade centre. Some thought its future more promising than that of Jacksonville.
POINT PLEASANT.
Saxton Plumb, James Roberts, April 10, 1826. November 19, 1831.
This office was discontinued November 4, 1834.
In 1834, the locality called "Slab Hollow," "Mar- tin's Mills" and "New Boston," was named Jackson- ville, in honor of president Jackson, and thereupon the post office at Point Pleasant assumed the name of Jacksonville through the management of Saxton Plumb, who was seeking to again become postmaster. This office has the following record :
JACKSONVILLE.
Saxton Plumb,
Ira Stafford,
Nov. 4, 1834. Aug. 20, 1856.
David D. Wilcox, Paul H. Cudworth,
March 14, 1839. April 15, 1857. Laban J. Childs, Edward L. Roberts,
Jan. 24, 1845. Feb. 23, 1860.
Adin T. Childs, July 29, 1845. Feb. 20, 1865.
Philander H. Sumner, June 21, 1847.
Norris L. Stetson, Oct. 22, 1851.
Albert C. Stetson, Oct. 25, 1867. Norris L. Stetson, March 28, 1870. Herbert G. Porter,
Martin Brown, June 27, 1854. Oct. 21, 1885. George D. Foster, Clarence H. Shepardson, Jan. 15, 1856. Aug. 7, 1889.
The village of Sadawga, known fifty years ago as "The Springs," became quite a trade mart and bet-
Norris L. Stetson,
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ter postal accommodations were demanded by those engaged in business thereabouts. In 1851 an office - was established there, named Sadawga, and business increased so rapidly that the need of such office was clearly demonstrated, and shows the following record :
SADAWGA.
George W. Chase, Samuel B. Pike,
Dec. 31, 1851. March 20, 1866.
Eli T. Green,
Cyrus Temple,
July 26, 1865. March 25, 1868.
Chas. P. Murdock,
Hosea W. Brigham,
Nov. 30, 1865. Dec. 9, 1872. Henry C. Millington, Dec. 16, 1878.
On the 23d of Feb., 1882, the name of this office was changed from Sadawga to Whitingham, and the following appointments have since been made:
WHITINGHAM.
George S. Goodnow, Herbert E. Knowlton,
Feb, 23, 1882. March 26, 1887. Horatio N. Hix, Albert L. Cook,
March 31, 1882. July 24, 1889.
The above facts show that Whitingham has main- tained a postoffice under its original name, with the exception of three days, three quarters of a century.
Typical of the possibilities of mankind, it died Feb. 20, 1882, was raised on the third day and transport- ed to a more genial location where it may forever remain to perpetuate the memory of its Alma Mater.
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The center of the town, where nearly all the busi- ness was done fifty years ago, has been without any postoffice since 1882. Its churches have crumbled and perished under the rigors of climate, the lapse of time and criminal neglect. Its academy, its stores and other places of business are remebered only by the oldest inhabitant or through the uncertain chan- nels of tradition.
PAUPERISM.
It was customary, not long ago, to dispose of town paupers, annually, by auction, and whoever bid the lowest was entitled to the services of the poor person upon whom he bid, for the ensuing year. Paupers were not kept for the fun there was in it, but for the pay received, and it was said that a low price meant starvation or hard work, perhaps both.
In cases where persons, long and well known resi- dents of the town, who had seen better days and guilty of nothing but misfortune and poverty, were sold under the hammer, soul and body, from year to year, to some man mean enough to bid lower than any one else, with the expectation of profit at that, it seemed as though barbarism had taken possession of the body politic.
The town records for March 7, 1825, contain the following suggestive statement:
Struck off old Mrs. Williams to Jonathan Dalrymple for $48.50 per year. Struck off old Mr. Tyler to Eli Hosley for $46.00 per year.
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The records seem to indicate that some of the paupers of Whitingham were ugly as well as poor, or the fol- lowing vote would not have been called for:
March 3, 1813. Voted, That the rules for governing the poor in said town shall be as follows, viz., That the persons to whom the Overseers of the Poor shall bind out or otherwise agree with to take the charge of and keep any of the poor of said town, shall, under the direction of the said overseers, be the officers to inflict, any or all of the punishments allowed by law on any person (if ne- cessary) so committed to their care and keeping, Provided, they shall in no case exceed or extend any kind of punishment beyond what the law allows.
Whitingham not having a work house, as provided by law, clearly exceeded its authority when it voted to substitute the overseers of the poor for a board of officers who could only exist in such towns as had provided a workhouse. The facts are, there was no law of the state that authorized corporal punishment of a pauper, or any punishment, except by implica- tion, such as would insure a compliance with salutary rules made by towns that had provided a workhouse; and such rules would have no binding force to war- rant the punishment of a citizen for their violation, unless they were adopted in legal form as by-laws, and properly promulgated.
The following quotation from the laws of Vermont indicates all the authority Whitingham had in this matter, and perhaps suggests that its vote was only an apparition shrouded in municipal solemnity :
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Every town which has provided, or shall provide a work house, may at any legal meeting appoint all proper officers for the govern- ment of such house, and make all necessary rules, orders and reg- ulations, not repugnnat to the laws of the state.
It will be observed that the statutes do not provide for any punishment whatever, though it seems fair to maintain that the regulations of a workhouse should include the proper enforcement of good order, but Whitingham had no such house, and the pauper franchise was annually for sale on the auction block, to the lowest bidder. It is sad enough to become a pauper through misfortune, but to be sold as a slave after becoming old and disabled, must be humiliating to a sensitive mind, and such are to be found even among the poor. This method of dealing with the unfortunate was not original with Whitingham, but came from a more ancient commonwealth, and yet of American parentage.
The insane poor, and even the insane rich, were formerly obliged to suffer for want of proper care. They were frequently caged like wild animals and there made to remain day and night, year after year. John Bemis was insane when a young man and con- fined in a cage about 20 years. This cage was made in 1820, as the following record will show:
Whitingham, February 16, 1820 .- Received of the Selectmen of Whitingham an order on the Town Treasurer for Eight Dollars and twenty-five cents in full for Building a cage for Mr. Bemis.
OBED FOSTER.
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Since the State has taken the matter in hand and furnished hospitals for such unfortunates their con- dition has been more in accordance with humanity. - The Asylum at Brattleboro was opened in 1836.
LAWYERS.
Whitingham has produced many able counsellors, not only for her own benefit, but has made liberal contributions to other towns to which they have im- migrated and become distinguished.
JAMES ROBERTS Sr. was the first person admitted to the Windham County bar from Whitingham, of which there is any record. He was admitted late in life at the June term in 1812, when 66 years of age, and his admission to practice in the Supreme court was in August, 1812. He was 32 years old when the town was organized, and probably practiced sev- eral years previous to his admission.
His name was on the grand list in 1782, and he took the Freeman's oath in March, 1784. He was probably in town when it was organized, for his son John was born there May 15, 1781. He was select- man 14 years, and represented the town in the legis- lature 12 years; a Justice of the peace 20 years, and for a term of years Associate Justice of the Windham county court, and afterwards Chief Justice of the said court for many years. He was possessed of rare abilities and highly respected by his fellow townsmen. He died March 12, 1825, at the age of 79.
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HORACE ROBERTS, son of James, was born April 4, 1787. He represented the town in the legislature 2 years, was postmaster 7 years, and Justice of the peace many years. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1818, and soon went to Marietta Ohio, where where General Rufus Putnam of Rutland Mass. had then recently established a colony of New England men and women in the interest of the Ohio Land Company, where he established the first academy, planned and superintended the building of the first church, (now in use) and organized the first Bible Society and the first Sunday School in Marietta.
He was a lawyer of considerable ability, and why he should leave the western Eldorado and return to the bleak hills of Whitingham does not now appear of record. He practiced his profession in Whiting- ham several years previous to his death, in 1837.
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