USA > Vermont > Bennington County > History of Bennington County, Vt. : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 57
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About 1820 a Mr. Haskell and Stephen Martin moved into town, but not to reside permanently. The first permanent settler in town was Joseph Cro- sier, who came in 1823 with two sons, Joseph jr. and David, and located on one of the " Packard Survey" lots, near the south line of the town.
That portion of the town was then a dense forest. They cleared up a piece of land, planted corn and potatoes, cut a road from their place to Heartwe !!- ville, built a log-house and covered it with bark. They went through the for- est some three miles to some " meadows" in Woodford, cut and stacked a sup- ply of hay, and then ventured to Halifax, taking with him his family, a yoke of cattle and a cow, but afterward returned to his forest home where he continued to reside till his death in 1844, at the age of fifty-eight. He left six sons who were for many years identified with every interest of the town. About this time also William Eaton, known as the "Searsburg poet," came to town, and located about a mile north of Mr. Crosier's place, on the farm now occupied by D. B. Leroy. He moved away in 1826, and Mr. Crosier's family were alone in town till 1827, when Beniah Gallup came from Halifax and located on another of the Packard survey lots, about a mile west of the Crosier place. The march of civilization then moved north, and in 1828 Mason Pike located one mile north of the William Eaton place; then came Nicholas Grousbeck and Joseph Eames in 1830, and others soon following. The town was organized at a meeting called on the 18th day of March, 1833, by Samuel H. Blackmer, a justice of the peace from Bennington. At this the following officers were elected; Joseph Eames. town clerk and moderator; Joseph Crosier, Hiram Wild and David Crosier, selectmen ; Oliver Preston, treasurer ; Luther Park, Hiram Wild, Joseph Eames, listers; John Knapp, constable; Nicholas Grousbeck, grand juror; Ma- son Pike, highway surveyor; Solomon Rich, pound-keeper; Nicholas Grous- beck, tithingman. Other minor officers were also elected. Luther Park was
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TOWN OF SEARSBURG.
the first representative to the Legislature in 1833. Hon. Trenor W. Park for some time resided here in his youthful days near the place now occupied by Allen E. Briggs, and but a short time before his death he with a party of friends crossed the mountains and took a lunch at the old spring which had quenched his thirst so often in his boyhood.
The Searsburg turnpike, leading from Wilmington to Bennington, was be- gun in 1830, and for the next four years the population of the town seems to liave increased quite rapidly for a mountain town. A hotel was built by Fe- man Lamb, on what is now the Robinson place, and for many years was a suc- cessful and reliable house. This hotel was burned in 1871 and has never been rebuilt. The turnpike was also a successful venture. From its completion until the opening of the Troy and Boston Railroad a large share of the freight and passengers from Troy to. Boston and intermediate places passed over this road. The writer of this chapter in his young days has frequently seen forty and fifty passengers with the necessary accompaniment of Concord coaches and baggage-wagons pass over the route on a summer morning. But the glory of the stage route and the halcyon days of the stage driver have departed, and a single horse with buggy or sleigh, as the season demands, now conveys the daily mail. A Mr. Bridge of Wilmington, at that time owned several freight teams, and run from Wilmington to Troy, N. Y., and often through to Boston, Mass. It used to be a custom with him to send a trusty teamster to Troy with a load of lumber or country produce, with instructions to invest the proceeds in flour and grain. He would then start for home peddling his flour and grain to the inhabitants on the road, and if he sold out before reaching home he re- turned to Troy and bought more, and so continued his sales until the people on the route were fully supplied, and he finally reached home with a load. Old men who were his teamsters in those days have told the writer that they were frequently out two weeks at a time on the road.
The first saw-mill in town was built by James Crosier, at the head of "Dev- il's Stair Falls," and had quite a run of business for several years. From this saw mill the inhabitants seem to have been mostly engaged in clearing up and improving their lands till in 1842, when Squires & Swift built a tannery about one mile west of the Wilmington line, on the Deerfield River. This enterprise employed ten or twelve hands, and was very successful, manufacturing annu- ally upwards of one hundred tons of sole leather. It was sold by Squires & Swift to Sayer & Bracket, and by them to Shaw & Metz, and continued in operation until 1866. In 1845 a destructive fire occurred, destroying several acres of valuable woodlands in the central and eastern parts of the town. In the same year the "Sloane Mill" was built at the foot of the mountain on the Deerfield River by Solomon Rich, and was occupied as a saw-mill and wash- board and clothes-pin factory by S. and G. W. Doane and others, until about 1866, at which time the firm of Doane & Stanley began making grain meas-
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HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
ures and butter boxes. The mill was burned in 1872, and was rebuilt by s . mon Doane in 1877 and 1878. Simon and George W. Doane came here about 1845, and were for many years intimately identified with the best interests . : the town. At the death of Simon Doane in 1878 the "Doane Mill" passed : Mason & Butterfield, and has since been used in manufacturing lumber and cot bedsteads. In 1845 Aaron Pike built a saw- mill near the Somerset lier on the river, and later engaged in making bedsteads. In 1866 the mill was burned, but was replaced by a larger one by Leonard Smith of Troy, N. Y., with Royal W. Irish as foreman. This mill continued to be occupied as a bed- stead and lumber-mill until the year 1887, when it was purchased by the Deer- field River Company and torn down by the latter and removed to Readsboro. In 1850 a saw-mill was built by Haynes & Livermore at the junction of the east and west branches of Deerfield River, but never was very successful, therefore it went to decay in about ten years thereafter.
For some years prior to 1850 there had been a disagreement between Searsburg and Wilmington in regard to the boundary line between the towns, and after "acting" on the matter several times in town meetings without any definite result, a petition was sent to the Legislature in 1852 asking for the appointment of a committee to settle and establish the line between Searsburg and Readsboro on the west, and Wilmington on the east. The Legislature appointed Isaac T. Wriglit, of Castleton; Edward D. Barber, of Middlebury ; and John F. Deane, of Cavendish; who, after a full hearing in the matter, de- cided in favor of Searsburg and Readsboro. The trouble seems to have orig- inated as follows: Wilmington was chartered under the name of Draper by Benning Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire, June 17. 1763. In the year following a grant was sent by Governor Wentworth to Robert Rogers of three thousand acres along that tract of land which afterwards became Reads- boro; and immediately afterwards he made another grant to General Phineas Lyman of two thousand acres, under the name of Wilmington, extending northward from the Rogers grant, and covering the northeast corner of what was afterwards Readsboro, and the east part of what was afterwards Searsburg. This grant was some two hundred rods wide and six miles long. The charter of Draper became void for some reason, and Governor Wentworth made an- other under the name of Wilmington, and surveys under that name were made in 1769 and 1777. In making these surveys they seem to have covered not only the original Draper charter but also the Lyman grant. In the hearing before the Legislative committee Searsburg claimed a certain white ash tree as their true southeast corner. In their investigations the committee found that this ash tree gave Wilmington their full charter distance and one hundred and twenty-five rods more, while Searsburg was somewhat short. They also found that the ash tree stood in the true northerly continuation of the west lines of Whitingham, and rendered decision accordingly. But there has ever
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TOWN OF SEARSBURG.
since been some controversy concerning the title of lands along the Lyman grant, some claiming under the Wilmington and others under the Searsburg titles. Searsburg is still short of her charter distance east and west, and the re- cent discovery of a very ancient line extending from Stratton to the Massa- chusetts line makes it quite evident that she is entitled to another addition on the west.
In 1856 George W. Doone built a saw-mill and washboard and clothes- pin factory at the foot of the Devil's Stair Falls. At the close of the war in 1865 he sold to George J. Bond. This mill was burned in 1869 and immedi- ately rebuilt by Mr. Bond, and is one of the two active mills in town at the present time, the Medbury mill being the other. The latter mill was first built by Clark Harris in 1851, was burned in 1871, and rebuilt by A. B. Med- bury, and changed to a bench screw factory. In 1887 it was again burned, and rebuilt by the R. Bliss Manufacturing Company, by which concern it is now operated.
In the war of 1861-65 Searsburg took a part as honorable as any of the other towns of the State. furnishing twenty-one men under a quota of twenty by enlistment, and six by draft in a quota of four. All the drafted men paid commutation. Those who enlisted previous to the call of October 17, 1863 were: Feronda W. Fisher, Foster Grousbeck, William O'Brien, Andrew J. Pike, George C. Shippee, William E. Shippee, William W Vorce, John A. Whitcomb, and Horatio R. Wilson. Those credited under call of October 17, 1863 for three years were: George J. Bond, Silas M. Haskins, Nathan Mann. Volunteers for one year: Francis Goodell, James R. Leroy, Almeron Grover. Volunteers for nine months: Charles Bond, Allen E. Briggs, Eli Briggs, George Farrington, Dighton Jennings, and Benjamin F. Wilson. Of these Foster Grousbeck, William O'Brien, A. J. Pike, George C. Shippee, William Shippee, William W. Vorce, and H. K. Wilson were wounded in action. None were killed, and but one, Nathan Mann, was taken prisoner. He was taken prisoner June 23, 1864, experienced the full horrors of Andersonville prison, was exchanged, and died from the effects of prison life a day or two after reaching home. George C. Shippee, William O'Brien, and Benjamin F. Wilson have since died, and Francis Goodell died in service.
Lumbering and the manufacture of merchandise from wood has for years engaged the chief capital and labor of the town. The timber is beech. birch, maple, spruce, fir, and hemlock. The soil is a gravelly loam. Along the Deerfield River the soil is rich, and yields good returns for labor, but the town is quite hilly and only a small part is susceptible of tillage. Corn, oats, pota- toes, and hay are grown successfully, and wheat of good quality and good yield is also raised, but farming has declined very much since the war. The town is well adapted to grazing. The Deerfield River and its tributaries fur- nishes a series of the best water-power in Southern Vermont, and cheap and
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HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
unlimited supplies of hardwood lumber offers the best of inducements to t .. manufacturer.
The name of the first child born in town is unknown; the first marris - was David R. Heath of Corinth, to Elizabeth Morse of Searsburg, December 4, 1837, by John Knapp, justice of the peace.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WINHALL.
T HIS town was chartered September 16, 1761, under Benning Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire, to Osce Webster and sixty- one others, in sixty-eight shares, and derived its name from two proprietors, a Mr. Winn and a Mr. Hall.
The town was laid out six miles square. It was the intention to commence the survey at the southeast corner of Manchester, and measure east six miles ; but, by mistake, it was commenced at the northeast corner of Stratton, where that town joins Jamaica, and measured six miles west, leaving a gore of land between Winhall and Manchester, which was also joined to Winhall. The town is bounded north by Peru, east by Jamaica and Londonderry, south by Stratton, and west by Manchester, and lies twenty. five miles northeast from Bennington, and southwest from Montpelier eighty-nine miles. Bondville, the principal village, is located in the eastern part of the town, near the Jamaica line, on Winhall River.
The township is east from the Manchester station of the Bennington and Rutland Railroad station eleven miles, and four and one-half miles west from the nearest station on the Brattleboro and Whitehall Railroad, with which it is connected by daily stage. There is also a daily mail route from South Lon- donderry west through North Winhall to Peru, with post-office at North Win- hall The westerly part of the town is rather high, and not extensively inhab- ited. There are no very high peaks, however, and the general character of the surface is fair for a mountain town. Stratton mountain on the south, Peru on the north, and Windham or Glebe mountain on the east, provide an abun- dance of picturesque scenery.
Winhall River, which takes its rise in a pond in the southwest corner of the town, passing through the southerly part, and emptying into West River, in Jamaica, gives fertility to the pleasant plains and excellent mill privileges for manufacturing industries.
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TOWN OF WINHALL.
The principal road leads from Brattleboro, through Jamaica to Manchester. The roads are generally good.
The soil, best adapted to grazing, is on an average with other mountain towns.
The two postoffices in town are Bondville and North Winhall.
There are six school districts. There are several saw mills, one grist mill, and one chair factory. Large quantities of lumber are exported annually.
There is a Methodist Church at Bondville where regular meetings are held, and other religious services are frequently held in the school-houses.
There is one hotel, kept by Mrs. Julietta Morgan.
Nathaniel Brown, from Massachusetts, commenced the settlement in 1780 in the northern part of Winhall. In June, 1786 he deeded his farm to Joshua Barnard. The latter served in the French and Indian War, also in the Revo- lutionary War. Mr. Barnard also migrated from Massachusetts. The prem- ises mentioned are now occupied by his grandson, Joshua Barnard, esq., who has served as captain of a company of State militia, and who has held the usual town offices, including that of representative. He married Lydia Walker, of Peru. They had five children, all of whom are deceased. His son, Lucius (the late Dr. Barnard, of Jacksonville, Vt.), served in the Third Vermont Bat- tery in War of the Rebellion. His only surviving descendants are the children of his daughter Mary, who married Counselor Joseph G. Martin, of Manchester.
General L. A. Grant, the last commander of the First Vermont Brigade in the late civil war, son of James Grant, was born on the premises now occupied by John and George Barnard.
Prominent among the descendants of the early settlers now in town are the Williams', Bensons, Bolsters, Kendalls, Gales, Burbanks, Hewes', and Taylors.
The first military company was organized in 1796, Francis Skinner, cap- tain, for the War of 1812. Charles Bailey, Francis Burbank, Cephas Williams, and Samuel Hunt were drafted.
The following is the list of soldiers furnished in the late war : Lucius M. Barnard, Joshua A. Shattuck, Horace G. Tafit, Gersham Taylor, Joseph B. Williams, Ormando M Williams, Elijah G. Winship, William T. Allen, Daniel O. Kinsbury, Ezra B. Kingsbury, Martin H. Kingsbury, Judson L. Rawson, George F. Slade, Ora Slade, jr., Charles Dean, Otis G. Eddy, George H. Phil- lips, Charles H. Phillips, Warren J. Sheldon, Gilman J. Thompson, William H. H. Burbee, George P. Burbee, Peter Burbee, James H. Crawford, Jonathan V. Allen, Lorenzo D. Axtel. George E. Leson, Elbridge Brooks, Joseph E. Butterfield, Franklin J. Gale, Edward W. Hill, George H. Hill, Elijah Hinck- ley, George W. Johnson, Franklin G. Lackey, James H. Lackey, John E. Mason, Samuel L. Norcross, William J. Percy, Chauncey B. Robbins, William A. Shattuck, Montraville Witherell, John O. Benson, Charles T. Brown, Horace A. Burbee, Dana F. Kidder, William Leonard, John Leonard, William R. Liv- ermore, and George H. Lyon.
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HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
The following are the names of those who were drafted and paid comon; tion : Crawford Amidon, Myron Benson, Oscar Blodgett, John B. Cudwor. Jonas W. Hunting, Luther G. Perry, William A. Slade, Cephas Williams, at .: Almon S. Witherell.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LANDGROVE.'
L ANDGROVE is situated in the northeast corner of Bennington county and is bounded north by Weston, east by Weston and Londondery, south by Londonderry, and west by Peru. It is six miles long from north to south, and about two miles wide in the northern part, and half a mile wide in the southern part. Captain William Utley with his son, Asa, were the first set- tlers. They moved from Connecticut with their families in the spring of 1769, and stopped in what was then the town of Andover, now Weston. They there cleared a small piece of land and planted corn and potatoes, but soon went about two miles farther west and made another stand on a branch of West River now called the Utley Flats, supposing they were in the town of Bromley, now Peru. After remaining here a few years they discovered they were on a gore of land between Andover and Bromley. They then with about twenty others made application and obtained a charter from the government of Vermont in November, 1780 of all the lands lying between Andover, now Weston, and Lon- donderry on the east, and Bromley, now Peru, on the west-7,220 acres. They then proceeded to survey and allot the town, and establish the west boundary of the town between this and Peru. After the town of Peru became considerably settled the proprietors of that town became dissatisfied with the Utley line, as they called it, and claimed further east some more than two lots to the Munn line, which they claimed to be the original line. This was the occasion of con- siderable excitement and litigation between the proprietors of these towns. The inhabitants living on this disputed territory, all but two, purchased under Landgrove titles, voted and paid taxes in Landgrove. The two purchased under, and voted and paid taxes in Peru, and remained in this situation many years without any interpositon of the towns until 1834, when the town of Peru by a vote caused all the inhabitants living on such disputed territory to be set in the grand list of that town, and enforced the collection of taxes, which im- mediately caused suits at law to be commenced to be defended by the towns.
' By Hon. George K. Davis.
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TOWN OF LANDGROVE.
These suits were, however, discontinued by compromise between the towns, and in 1835 the Legislature of the State, by the request and joint petition of the towns, established the jurisdictional line a little west of the center of said disputed territory, which has ever since remained. The town was organized March 15, 1800.
Clarksville, a small village in the middle of the town, contains one saw and grist-mill, blacksmith shop, post-office, and nine dwelling houses. The saw and grist- mill was built about the year 1850. It is now owned by the Abbott Brothers. There is one of the best water privileges in this section, and has always been used quite extensively in the manufacture of lumber and chair stock. Landgrove Hollow is a small hamlet of dwelling houses in the south- ern part of the town on the old stage road from Chester to Manchester. About the year 1820 Simeon Leland opened a store in this place, and in a few years after a tavern known in old stage times as the "Leland Coffee House." About this time "Squire" Leland established a line of mail stages from Manchester to Charlestown, N. H. This line was, without doubt, the most popular of any across the Green Mountains. Simeon Leland was the father, and the old Cof- fee House the birthplace of the Leland brothers, who with their sons have made a name as hotel keepers more widely known than any other family in this county. The old Coffee House is still standing unoccupied, and has been kept in repair by the Leland family until recently.
Schools .- The number of school districts in town is three. They were or- ganized Ist, April 1, 1820; 2d, June 30, 1821 ; 3d, September 26, 1827, and none have been added since.
Churches .- The only religious denomination in town is the Methodist. The people organized a society at an early date. Among the prominent members and leaders were Elijah Woodward, Robert G. Clark, Robert Park, and Joseph Farnum. The church is at present, and has been since its organization sup- plied by circuit preachers. The present church building was erected in 1857. This church has always sustained a goodly number of members, and the soci- ety and Sabbath-school has always exerted a healthy influence in the commu- nity.
Landgrove is noted in this locality not only for the enterprise and industry of its citizens, its well cultivated farms, its many tidy and pleasant homes, but also in a social, moral and religious point of view as being second to none of its neighboring towns.
West Branch Grange was organized October 8, 1874. It has ever been in a healthy condition, having a goodly number of members who meet regularly twice each month for social intercourse and discussion of topics relating to the best methods or farming, etc. They have a library of about forty volumes of choice literature which afford its members profitable reading.
The first postmaster appointed by the government was Selah Warner; he 63
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HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
held the office until about 1860, when Henry L. Richardson was appointed. who held until 1877. Warren W. Wiley held from 1877 to 1878, and from 1878 to the present time Mrs. R. R. Wiley has been the incumbent.
Biographical Sketches of Pioneers and Prominent Residents .- Dr. Amori Benson was born February 12, 1797. He was a resident of this town for many years, and the only physician of this and the adjoining town of Peru for a nuin- ber of years. Being a man interested in all public affairs he was honored with the more important town offices, and was a justice of the peace nearly forty years, and one sought more generally than any other in town to decide differ- ences of opinion arising between parties who could not themselves agree, and in the justices courts he was looked upon as a fair and impartial judge. Hc raised a large family of children, among whom can be named Amori, jr. and Darwin, who have each gained for themselves prominent positions in business circles. Darwin has for many years been treasurer of the Fitchburg Railroad system, and Amori occupying a prominent position under his brother. A daughter, Abigail, married Captain William Robinson, of Putney, who is an ex- tensive paper manufacturer. Dr. Benson had one son killed in the late war, and the pioneer himself died June 26, 1876, aged seventy-seven years.
John Martin, the first permanent settler in the south part of the township, came from Warren, R. I. in 1801. He married Deborah Wilson of Bristol, R. I. She went with him on horseback to Vermont. At that time there were only footpaths across the mountains to Manchester and Cliester. Provi- sions were carried on the backs of horses. Bears were so numerous that it was not uncommon to see one crossing the bridle path. John Martin erected the first frame house in town. He accumulated a large property, and died in 1843, leaving four children; William, who now resides in Chester; John, who went to New York at an early age, entered into mercantile business and died a millionaire in 1872; Nancy, who married Henry Godfrey and now resides in the town of Will, Ill .; James, who married Lucy Gray, of Weston, daughter of the elder Dr. Henry Gray, and grand-daughter of David Carpenter, resided in Landgrove many years, holding the usual town offices and representing the the town in the General Assembly and his county in the State Senate. He died in Londonderry June 24, 1887, leaving three sons; John H. Martin, a farmer of Richmond, N. H .; James L. Martin, a lawyer of Brattleboro, Vt .; and Joseph G. Martin, a lawyer of Manchester, Vt. James L. Martin removed from Landgrove with his father in 1868 to Londonderry. He represented the town several times, was speaker of the house from 1878 to 1884.
One of the most wealthy of the early settlers was Barchias Abbott, wlio settled in town in 1797. He belonged to the Society of Friends, and was famil- iarly known as "Quaker" Abbott. He was several times elected to represent the town in the State Legislature, but never attended it. He held many of the important town offices, but never attended a town meeting. He died at
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