USA > Vermont > Addison County > History of Addison county Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 86
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" Whereas, a number of pretenders in the name of proprietors of Whiting have presumed to warn a proprietors' meeting of the town of Whiting to be holden at Jonathan Fassett's, Esqr., in Pittsford, on the last Tuesday of this inst. May, in order to chequer out said town of Whiting for a draft of the first division lotts, contrary to the minds of the first proprietors and settlers under them and the order of justice and equity,
" Now we want to know what business a parsel of pretended land jockeys have to lay out and chequer out a town that has been settled and incorporated these seven years ? By what authority or power, or in whose name you pre- sume to do this we know not. The original proprietors we know, but who are you ? Be you who or what you will, we advise you to take the counsill of the wisest of men, that is, to let alone contention before it is medled with.
"Now, in the name and behalf of the inhabitants of the town of Whiting, who are legally settled and lawfully possessed of the same, we strictly forbid you and publickly protest against your proceedings.
" AARON PERSONS,
" JOHN SMITH, Selectmen."
" JOHN WILSON,
" Whiting, May 27, A. D. 1783.
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TOWN OF WHITING.
Although jealousies and ill-feeling existed for years between these factions, the matter was practically adjusted on the 16th of October following the date of the meeting.
The next proprietors' meeting was the first held in the town, convening at the house of Gideon Walker, June 8, 1784, Mr. Walker being chosen moder- ator. It appears from the records of this meeting that the proprietors, having previously settled one vexed question, had to encounter another of no less grave character. Encroachments were being made upon their charter limits on the right hand and on the left. They therefore made provisions for choos- ing a committee on the 12th of the following month, consisting of Ezra Allen, Samuel Beach, and Gideon Walker, to adjust these conflicting claims, by which Cornwall gained " all that portion of land lying west of the north part of Leicester " (Leicester's claim then extended some distance north of Salisbury village), and north of the present line of Whiting, embracing a belt of land from a half to three-quarters of a mile in width. Leicester and Salisbury also had a portion, so that Whiting was reduced from its original 14,424 acres to about 7,024 acres ; but a considerable portion of that lost was swamp-land and then considered worthless. The proprietors, stung with disappointment at losing so much of their territory, resolved to secure to themselves the most valuable of the remaining land, and therefore caused the public lots to be located, so far as possible, in the swamps. Although at the time such a course could not but be regarded in an unenviable light, time has shown that, for the present and future generations, it has resulted more favorably than it otherwise would, for the rea- son that the land remained unleased until it became quite valuable on account of its timber.
Settlements .- For a period of nine years after the grant of its charter noth- ing was done toward the settlement of Whiting. One of the conditions of the charter deed, however, was that the "grant must be improved and in posses- sion in ten years from date, to a certain extent." Hence was rendered neces- sary the meeting at Wrentham in 1772, recorded above, and the agreement with John Willson. Willson effected a partial survey of the tract before the close of that year, and before the next August took actual possession, with several other families, among whom was that of Elihu Marshall. The latter ojcated upon what is known as Walker Hill, and tradition has it that his was the first family to locate in the town. His house stood about a hundred rods east of the old Walker tavern stand. Willson located on the bank of Otter Creek, nearly east of the present Calvin Kelsey farm, or on the stage road about one and a half miles northward from the present Whiting meeting-house. The records, or rather traditions, that have been left of these early settlements are meager and uncertain; but there is little doubt but that the full complement of fifteen families was in the town previous to, or soon after, the breaking out of the War of the Revolution. This latter event put a stop to migration, and
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
those who had made improvements here left their possessions, either to take part in the great conflict or to seek localities more remote and less liable to in- vasion by the enemy. Immediately after the close of hostilities many of these settlers returned, bringing other families with them.
As we have intimated, much that is stated of the town at that early date is traditional, and hence very liable to error. It is certain, however, that the proprietors' records and other reliable sources show conclusively that twenty men, some of them with families, had begun settlements here as early as the autumn of 1783, viz., John Willson and family, Aaron Persons and family, John Smith and family, Jeremiah Parker, Jehial Hull, Ezra Allen, Ebenezer Wheelock, Jonathan Cormick, Charles Brewster, Joseph Williams, Jeremiah Williams, Captain Benjamin House, Aaron Holbrook, Alfred Hathaway, David Fisher, Preserved Hall, Jonathan Cook, Benjamin Andrus, E. Brown, and a Mr. Adams.
In 1874 the heads of families were as follows: Jeremiah Austin, Richard Day, Samuel Beach, Ebenezer Drury, esq., Gideon Walker, Aaron Beach, Thomas McNeill, and Jehial Smith. To these were added in 1785 John Branch, Ichabod Foster, Joel Foster, Benjamin Foster, Asa Hawes, Amos Palmer, Daniel Washburn, David Graves, John Branch, Shubel Branch, and Abel Branch, a bachelor, and probably a few others. In the three years im- mediately following, the additions, so far as we are able to learn, were as fol- lows: Jehial Munger, Joseph Needham, Philemon Metcalf, Henry Wiswell, Job Hutchinson, Priest Remilee, Elijah Kirkham, Benjamin Andrus, Benjamin Rowley, David Brown, Esquire Brown, Elisha Barker, Stukely Stone, Elihu Ketcham, Christopher Stone, Josiah Stone, Aaron Mack, Ezra Cashman, John Jordan, and Jonas Hubbard.
According to this data there must have been at least fifty families in the town in 1788, and if we allow the average five to each family the population must have been 250 souls. In the year 1800 this number had increased to 404, while the grand list for 1806 was $7,668.
The locations selected by a few of these early settlers we have been able to trace as follows: Jeremiah Parker, upon the present Daniel Parker farm, about two miles west of Judge Abel Walker's; Abner Smith, upon the farm now owned and occupied by Judge Walker; Silas Adams, upon the farm owned by Allen Ketcham and occupied by Calvin Ketcham; Benjamin Andrus, upon the Deacon Stillman Brown farm, now owned by James McDonald; Esquire Brown, also upon the James McDonald place; Ezra Allen, in the first house south of Asahel Hubbard's; Ebenezer Wheelock, on the present Solomon Foster place; Samuel Beach, great-uncle of Judge Abel Walker, upon the farm now owned and occupied by Thomas G. Farr; Ebenezer Drury, in the western part of the town; Aaron Beach, on the farm occupied by Calvin Ketcham; Ichabod Fos- ter, in the northern part of the town; Joel Foster, upon the farm now owned
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TOWN OF WHITING.
and occupied by Daniel Holmes; Benjamin Foster, in the western part of the town; Asa Hawes, about a mile west of Abel Walker's, upon the farm now owned by George S. Walker; Daniel Washburn, in the southern part of the town, upon the Gustave Webster place; John and Abel Branch, upon the place now occupied by Frank Daniels; Philemon Metcalf, about three-quarters of a mile west of Abel Walker's, upon the farm carried on by Abel and George S. Walker; a Mr. Wiswell, upon the Calvin Ketcham place, and another of the same name where Judge Abel Walker now lives; Job Hutchinson, first house north of Asahal Hubbard's, on the place now owned by Laertes Needham; Priest Remilee, first house west of Job Hutchinson's, now the Justin Goodrich place; Elijah Kirkham, on the old Dr. Mack place (he and his wife and child were drowned in Lake Champlain, their horse breaking through while attempt- ing to cross on the ice); Benjamin Rowley, north of the central part of the. town; David Brown, in the southwestern part of the town, upon the farm now occupied by George W. Lavounty; Elisha Barker, in the southern part of the town, upon the farm owned by A. N. Manchester, of Brandon, Vt., and occu- pied by Henry J. Hitchcock; Elihu Ketcham, in the house now occupied by Thomas Ketcham and owned by Allen Ketcham; Christopher Stone, where Clarissa Smith now lives, in the western part of the town; Jonas Hubbard, where Calvin Hubbard and F. G. Douglass now own.
In the spring of 1783 Gideon and Jesse Walker, father and son, came to Whiting and purchased of Elihu Marshall the improvements he had made on the banks of Otter Creek. Here they planted grain, cut hay, etc., preparatory to removing their families hither, which they did in the spring of 1784, from Rutland, using the ice of Otter Creek as a highway until they reached "Brown's Camp" near Miller's bridge, in Salisbury, which was on the old Military Road leading from Ticonderoga to Charlestown, or Number Four, N. H. Jesse Walker used to relate that for a period of three weeks he and his father sub- sisted entirely upon potatoes and English turnips, seasoned with a small quan- tity of salt, and all that time labored arduously in refitting the old Marshall log house for the reception of their family; and that on their return to Rutland they passed through Pittsford, where they procured a loaf of bread made of Indian meal and baked on a board before the fire, which he claimed was the sweetest morsel that ever passed his lips.
Gideon Walker was a native of Rhode Island, born in 1736; he married Rachel Foster in 1765, and, after residing in Rutland for a time, where he built the first grist-mill in the town, came to Whiting, as we have stated ; and a part of the old farm is still in the possession of his grandson, Amos E. His six sons, Jesse, Levi, Amos E., James O., Gideon, jr., and Samuel V., all settled on adjoining farms. His daughter Rachel became the wife of Aaron Beach, brother of Samuel Beach, and their child, Norah, was the first born in the township. Gideon, jr., was massacred at the surrender of Fort Niagara, during the War of
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
1812. James O. built a tavern in 1800, which is still known as the old Walker tavern stand, now owned by George S. Walker. Gideon, sr., served in the Revolution, receiving his commission as ensign from Governor Chittenden in 1781. When the British were going south toward Bennington, after the battle of Hubbardton, they impressed him and his four oxen into service. Before they reached Bennington he escaped, however; but his oxen " made beef for the British." He was chosen moderator of the first proprietors' meeting held in the town, which convened at his house. He took an active interest in public affairs, and died in 1793. His representatives now living in the town are two grandsons, Judge Abel and Amos E., and a great-grandson, George S. Walker. Judge Abel has been county judge two years, represented the town in the Legislature during the years 1839-40 and 1843 ; was a delegate to the conven- tion to revise the constitution of the State ; has been a justice of the peace about forty years, and has held all the offices in the gift of his townsmen. He has also done much law business, and has quite a local reputation as a public speaker. Whitfield Walker, a grandson of Jesse, was an able man, whose death in 1874, in his eightieth year, was greatly lamented. To a manuscript history of the town prepared by him we are greatly indebted for the material in this history of Whiting, while Judge Walker has rendered valuable service in bring- ing the statements down to the present time.
Major Samuel Beach, who was the first representative of the town in the Legislature, first surveyor, and first delegate to the Constitutional Convention, was born in New Jersey. While still a child his parents removed to Virginia, and finally came to Vermont previous to the Revolution. He was in Castle- ton with Ethan Allen just before the taking of Ticonderoga, and was sent by Allen to rally the Green Mountain Boys. He started on his mission at day- light, tramping through the wilderness to Rutland, thence to Pittsford, Bran- don, Leicester, Salisbury, and Middlebury, and from thence to Cornwall, Whit- ing, and Shoreham, a distance of sixty-four miles, between the rising and the setting of the sun. The following day, at early dawn, he entered the fort by the side of Allen. His grandson, James E. Parker, has in his possession a pair of silk stockings worn by his grandfather on that memorable day ; also the staff he carried on his weary journey, and a silk vest presented him by Washington, which has the general's profile woven in the silk in over thirty different places. He served throughout the war, either as a recruiting officer or in the line, and in his later years received a pension of $40 per month. He died at the age of about eighty years, leaving no sons ; two daughters survived him, one of whom, a maiden lady, occupied the old homestead until her death, a few years since. After the war he received a major's commission in the militia, and was ap- pointed county surveyor. Though having had only common educational ad- vantages, even for that time, he was an extensive reader and was well ac- quainted with the early and progressive history of his country, and much more
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TOWN OF WHITING.
than an ordinary politician ; but unfortunately for his prospects of success he adhered for a time to the fortunes of the elder Adams, and thus became un- popular in his town, which was thoroughly Jeffersonian and democratic. The monument marking his grave in the church-yard at Whiting village bears the following legend :
" Major Samuel Beach, died April 10, 1829, aged seventy-seven years. An officer in the War of the Revolution, and one of the few who, under Allen, sur- prised and took Ticonderoga."
Captain Joel Foster represented the town in the Legislature from 1797 to 1800, inclusive. The late Whitfield Walker has left the following estimate of his character : " He was a man of commanding talents and extensive reading for those early times. He was gentle and courteous in his bearing, humane and generous in his actions, full of sympathy for the sick and distressed, and always ready to relieve either their wants or sufferings, or both, as opportu- nity presented or necessity required. He was full of the milk of human kind- ness, and, like a Howard, was first in ascertaining and first in relieving the wants and sufferings of his fellow-townsmen, as far as his means or ability would permit. What he practiced himself he preached to others, and when his own means did not afford the full measure of relief, he was not slow in pressing others to action. He was in deed and in truth a philanthropist with- out dishonor and without peccability or meanness."
Henry Wiswell was the first carpenter in the town. He came from Mead- way, Mass., and died here at the age of about seventy-five years, leaving sev- eral children.
Dr. Aaron Mack was the first physician in town. He was succeeded by Dr. Flagg, and he by the following: Asher Nichols, Russel Clark, Cyrus Car- penter, Isaac Ives, Franklin Branch, Hiram Seely, Seneca E. Parks, and William P. Wright. The latter, who is still in practice here, was born in Shoreham December 1, 1816, a son of Jonathan and Sally (Powers) Wright. At the age of twelve years he went to live with ex-Senator Dan S. Wright, of Whitehall, a relative, with whom he read medicine and remained until twenty-two years of age. In the mean time he attended a course of lectures at the Vermont Academy of Medicine at Castleton, and in 1838 graduated from the Berkshire Medical College at Pittsfield, Mass. He married Mary J. Fletcher, of Shel- burne, May 12, 1841, and removed from Shoreham to Whiting in 1846.
Whiting, although a purely agricultural town and possessing less than half the area of its neighbors, has cause to be proud of the list of prominent men it can show, for it has furnished no inconsiderable contribution to the profes- sions-literature, medicine, politics, divinity, and art. One mayor of the city of New York it has furnished in the person of Aaron Clark, whose father, David, was drowned here in Otter Creek, in 1799, and two comptrollers of the State of New York, A. G. Flagg and Asher Nichols. Hon. Jesse Walker,
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
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" poet, scholar, and man of law," a cousin of Judge Abel Walker, was judge of Erie county, N. Y. The father of Hon. Philetus Sawyer, United States senator from Wisconsin, and one of the wealthiest men in that State, was a blacksmith in Whiting, while other names equally prominent might be cited.
The first frame house erected in the town was built about the year 1788, by Dr. Aaron Mack, half a mile west of the old stage road, on the road leading from the north part of the town to Shoreham. It was antique in style, and doubtless to our modern eyes would appear grotesque, with gambrel roof and attic windows. Still, at that day it was considered quite grand, the height of architectural beauty. Following the example of Dr. Mack, others soon changed their log houses for more commodious structures. Among those who early adopted this innovation of style was Luther Drury, who erected a low frame house, 30 by 40 feet, in the northern part of the town, where he opened a tav- ern, the first ever kept in the township. Next in train, Deacon Jehiel Munger, a native of Brimfield, Mass., built a two-story house, the first of the kind in Whiting, its size being 30 by 40 feet. This was soon followed by one erected by Joseph Needham, differing from the former only in having a square instead of a gambrel roof. Both of these buildings are now standing, the first on the road leading from the meeting-house to Shoreham, the second on the " gov- ernor's right," in the southwestern part of the town. Stukely Stone, from Rhode Island, and I. Parks, from Massachusetts, a son of one of the original proprietors, soon after erected two-story buildings, both of which are now standing. They all show the marks of age, dilapidation, and decay, having been built previous to 1800.
In the petition or protest sent to the proprietors at Pittsford in 1783 it is intimated that the town had been incorporated seven years previous, and the protest is signed by Persons, Smith, and Willson, as selectmen. But no record of a town meeting is to be found previous to that of July 13, 1784, when Sam- uel Beach was chosen moderator, and John Willson, Eber Murray, and Gid- eon Walker were appointed as a committee "to lay out all needful roads." On the 24th of the following month another meeting was held, when Samuel Beach was appointed to "lay out settlers' lots," and Ezra Allen, John Willson, and Jehiel Smith " a committee to say how they should be laid," and to attest all bills brought forward. Jehiel Smith was appointed collector of taxes, and Samuel Beach treasurer. It was not until March 8, 1785, however, accord- ing to the town records, that a complete complement of town officers were elected, as follows: John Willson, town clerk; Gideon Walker, John Willson, and Ezra Allen, selectmen ; Jehiel Smith, constable; Philemon Metcalf, grand juror ; Joseph Merrifield, tithingman ; and Gideon Walker, Jonathan Conick, Curtis Smith, Ezra Allen, and Benjamin Pond, pathmasters.
At a meeting held on the 20th of December of the same year it was voted that "Samuel Beach attend the convention in Cornwall," and he was also ap-
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TOWN OF WHITING.
pointed a justice of the peace. It was also " voted to choose a committee to look out a proper place as near the center of the town as may be for a place to bury the dead, as near as it may be convenient to the place where it will be the place for the meeting-house. Committee, Thomas Tuttle, Ira Haws, Samuel Beach, Jehiel Smith." Their report, choosing a location about a mile south of the present burial-ground, was accepted January 10, 1786.
The first mill erected in the town was a saw-mill, built by Jehiel and Moses Munger in 1803. It stood on a small stream, the power being adequate for its use only about three or four months during the year, and entirely insufficient to meet the wants of the inhabitants. Accordingly another mill was constructed, some fifty rods below the former, in the year 1812,.and both were kept in oper- ation during the spring and fall of each year, until 1830, or thereabouts, when both were abandoned on account of the insufficiency of water. In 1825 An- drew M. Baldwin built a mill in the northwestern part of the town, which pos- sessed about the same advantages as the former, and which, like them, was after a time given up as unprofitable.
Whiting village, located near the center of the town, on the Addison branch of the Central Vermont Railroad, contains the only post-office in the town. The village has two churches (Union and Baptist), one store kept by R. D. Needham, who has been here since the spring of 1878, a blacksmith shop, a blacksmith and carriage-shop combined, a school-house, and about sixty inhab- itants.
The present town officers are Dr. William P. Wright, clerk; W. W. Need- ham, Daniel Holmes, and T. J. Ketcham, selectmen; Jay Wooster, constable; R. D. Needham, superintendent of schools; F. G. Wright, A. H. Hubbard, and C. F. Church, listers; C. K. Williams, overseer of the poor; and G. S. Walker, agent.
The inhabitants of the town of Whiting have always deserved the credit due to patriotism, and have performed their part in all the contests in which the country has been engaged. When the great Southern Rebellion broke out and volunteers were called for, the town came promptly forward with men and money to sustain the government. The following list of names shows the en- listed from the town in Vermont organizations, as far as they are known:
Volunteers for three years, credited previous to call for 300,000 volunteers of October 17, 1863:
P. A. Baker, C. W. Baldwin, C. Billings, N. Bissette, F. Hubbard, G. W. Labounty, I. Lafayette, O. Merritt, J. E. Parker, A. Smith, jr., D. Sweeneir, A. Sweet, E. Sweet, L. Sweet, J. Thomas.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse- quent calls:
Volunteers for three years .- C. Cook, C. O. Foster, C. N. Hart, N. Hart, S. E. Jennings, P. Lafrance, D. W. Norton, W. H. Simonds, J. H. Wideawake.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
Volunteers for one year .- E. Ayres, L. G. Barrett, G. H. Clays, S. Sawyer. Volunteer re-enlisted .- D. Sweeneir.
Enrolled man who furnished substitute .- A. H. Hubbard.
Volunteers for nine months .- J. B. Casey, G. Counter, S. Foster, V. Kel- sey, D. L. Kilbourne, L. J. Needham, P. F. White, H. Williamson.
Furnished under draft .- Paid commutation, W. H. Casey, D. A. Gale, J. H. Needham, H. Simonds.
ECCLESIASTICAL.
During the few years subsequent to the settlement of the town, like all new colonies, there was less attention paid to religious matters than at a later stage of improvement. Still, the pioneers of Whiting sustained well their inherited predilections towards the Christian cause, and, when opportunity afforded, gladly heard the message of peace spoken by itinerant preachers, or at times attended meeting in Orwell, at the old Baptist Church. On the 19th of February, 1799, a Congregational Society having ten members was organ- ized by Rev. Benjamin Worcester, and six days later a Baptist Society with twelve members was formed, a branch of the Orwell church. On the Ist of January, 1800, Rev. David Rathbone received and accepted the call of both churches in union, and was installed as the first settled minister. He was a lame man, who from his birth had not walked without crutches, and when he preached always sat. His reply to the call to settle here, under date of Janu- ary I, 1800, was as follows:
" To the Town of Whiting, Addison County, State of Vermont:
"Gentlemen .- Having received your polite invitation and call to take charge of you under the character of a gospel minister, I can tell you sincerely, as far as I have the knowledge of my own heart, that I seek not yours, but you, and really wish you happiness and prosperity, therefore, viewing your central situ- ation without a minister, also viewing your present union, and the desire of both denominations to have unworthy me for your minister, and wishing every circumstance according to my ability, I am compelled to accept of your call, and do in this way manifest my willingness to become your minister, wishing you to consider me a man full of imperfections, and one who will constantly need your prayers, councils, reproofs, and support, and shall consider myself yours in the gospel. DAVID RATHBONE."
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