USA > Vermont > Grand Isle County > History of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vermont : With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers. > Part 73
USA > Vermont > Franklin County > History of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vermont : With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers. > Part 73
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Soule, A. G., born August 12, 1811, was the son of Joseph and Esther (Whitney) Soule. He first married Elizabeth Pierce Putnam, of Boston, who died in June, 1863. He married, second, Adaliza Sherman, September 13, 1865, by whom he had four children : Albertine Gertrude, born April 30, 1869; Augusta Eugenie, born July 16, 1872; Albert Gallatin, born December 24, 1875, died March 17, 1876; and Elizabeth Putnam, born November 6, 1877. Mr. Soule was a thorough business man and a liberal supporter of the Episcopal church, of which he was a member for many years. He held all the important offices of the town, some of them for many years, performing all the duties incident thereto with a discretion equalled by few. He represented his town in the Assembly, was a senator from Franklin county, and was recognized as a wise and prudent legislator. He followed mercantile pursuits in St. Albans and Fair- field, and had large farming interests which demanded his supervision and care. He carried his keen perception of duty and right into all the relations of life. He was a wise counsellor and conscientious advisor, and lives in the hearts of those who knew him. He died March 17, 1883.
Soule, H. Allen, who was born May 4, 1834, is a son of Hiram Allen Soule. He is a farmer by occupation, and was educated in the schools of Franklin county. He married Mahala T., daughter of Andrew and Esther (Lobdell) Buck, October 19, 1857. Andrew Buck, born September 20, 1797, is still hale and hearty in his ninety-fourth year. His portrait in a group of three others, showing four generations, is in the possession of Mr. Soule. The latter's children are : Mira E., born September 30, 1858; Marion E., born July 23, 1860; Esther L., born December 22, 1864; Arthur B., born August 21, 1867 ; Andrew W., born August 22, 1876; Carlton A., born August 3, 1876; and Nathan L. B., born August 6, 1878. Marion E. married Charles S. Campbell, of St. Albans, and they have one son, Harold Andrew, born November 26, 1868. Esther L. is the wife of Buell C. Campbell, a Methodist clergyman, of South Newmarket, N. H. A specialty
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of Mr. Soule's is the raising of thoroughbred (registered) Ayrshire cattle, in which bus- iness he has been very successful. He has been lister and selectman of his town, and served as justice of the peace for fifteen years. Politically he is a Republican. He has made transcontinental trips for the settlement of estates and other business entrusted to his charge.
Soule, Timothy, was one of the first settlers in the town of Fairfield. His father, Joseph Soule, came here from Dover, Conn., about 1790, where he educated and trained a large family to habits of industry and usefulness. Timothy came to Fairfield when about twenty-two years of age and settled in the west part of the town, where he acquired a handsome property. His life embraced the stirring events of the Revolution and the general features of history of our government and nation. He died in Fairfield, December 27, 1860, aged ninety-two years and ten months. His wife was Betsey Elliott, of Connecticut, who died about 1843, and by whom he had a family of twelve children. James Monroe Soule, son of Timothy, was born June 10, 1817. and died February 15, 1889. He married Mariette E. Payne on May 29, 1853, a daughter of Aaron H. and Polly Ann (Sherman) Payne. Mr. Payne was born in Connecticut, June 11, 1779, and died in Cambridge, Vt., April 11, 1887. His wife survived him for about three years. The life of Mr. Payne was marked by integrity of purpose, and of him it is said "during all his years his character was without reproach." James Monroe Soule was a man of ability and sterling integrity. He declined many solicitations to accept offices of trust and honor, but was a town representative in 1869-70. He was the father of three children, one of whom, Helen Josephine, died in childhood October 4, 1859. Ashton P. Soule, a son, succeeds to the parental home, and with his mother occupies the house-now repaired-built by his grandfather. He was born in Fairfield, October 19, 1862, and married Ola J. Cleveland in February, 1888. She is the daughter of Elisha P. and Lydia Cleveland, of Georgia. Mr. Soule is the successful manager of a large farm, and is well informed on all the current topics of the day. Marion Soule was born September 23, 1868, and resides at the family home.
Soule, W. S., oldest son of Joseph A. Soule, who is a native of Fairfield, Vt., was born in the same town May 26, 1850. He was educated in the schools of Franklin county, at Barre, Vt., and in a business college at Troy, N. Y. He has been in business for the past fifteen years, and for twelve years has been located at East Fairfield, where he has a general store. Mr. Soule married Anna S., daughter of R. S. Read, of East Fairfield, and they have one child, Hubert, aged three. He has two sons, Reuben and Read, aged respectively nine and seven, by a former marriage.
St. Germain, Marshall, born of French parentage in Canada, November 20, 1836, came to Fairfield, Vt., in boyhood. He enlisted, September 20, 1861, in Company B, First Vermont Cavalry, Capt. George G. Conger, was under General Hatch in the Army of the Potomac, and served under Generals Custer and Kilpatrick with Sheridan. He par- ticipated in many battles, among which were the second battle of Bull Run, a cavalry fight at Brandy Station, Va., October 11, 1863, and at Gettysburg, where he distin- guished himself for his bravery. He also at another time saved his captain's life and his company from capture by his brave action. He went through the battles of the Wilderness in 1864 (May), the first engagement being at Mine Run. He was taken prisoner in March, 1863, and confined in Libby Prison. Mr. St. Germain was again taken prisoner in May, 1864, was in the hospital at Richmond, was afterwards taken to Andersonville, thence to Camp Florence, S. C., and was paroled in the following autumn. He was at Savannah and afterwards at Annapolis while under parole. His discharge from the service was dated at Brattleboro, Vt., February 6, 1865. He married Philena M., daughter of Aleck and Mary Bashaw, February 18, 1868, and four children have been born to them : Henry H., born December 4, 1869; Marshall, born August 25,1870 ; Amelia M., born May 11, 1876; and Laura Emma, born March 12, 1878.
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
FRANKLIN.
Bell, Jason, from Connecticut, settled in Chittenden county, and had three sons and three daughters, of whom Norman settled in Malone, N. Y., in 1829, and reared six children, one of whom, Edwin R., born in 1826, came to Sheldon in 1846, and was in mercantile busi- ness there until 1855, when he removed to Franklin and continued in that trade until 1860. In 1861 he was appointed deputy collector and inspector of customs, which office he held until 1885. Since then Mr. Bell has been justice of the peace, town agent, and state senator in 1888. He married Mrs. Martha A. Hawley and has one son, George E., who married Miss Emma Chadwick.
Cleveland, Solomon P., came from Georgia to Franklin about 1838. He had ten children. Two of his sons were Elisha H. and Dwight S. The former was born in 1822 in Georgia, Vt., and was educated at the local schools of Franklin. He has been justice of the peace for twenty-five years, was for two years county judge, and served as selectman besides having held various other town offices. In 1840 he married Lydia M. Cheney, who died in 1888. Their only daughter, Bertha A., married H. C. Pomeroy. Judge Cleveland is a successful farmer and a representative citizen. He is well read and ever ready to promote the interests of his community.
Felton, William, born in 1779, came from Vernon, Vt., to Franklin in 1803, where he died in 1852. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, was representative in the Gen- eral Assembly seven times from 1818 to 1834, and was a member of the Constitutional Conventions of 1822 and 1828. He married Caroline Connable, and they had seven children, of whom Charles, born in 1811, married Ona Tracey, of Sheldon. Charles Fel- ton was representative in 1855, and member of the Constitutional Conventions of 1849, 1856, and 1870. He has all his life been an ardent advocate of temperance, having been temperance editor of the St. Albans Messenger for thirteen years, and also of the Ver- mont Century. In early life he was prominent in the cause of anti-slavery. He has five sons: Walter and Herbert in Mexico, Emerson and Charles in Chicago, and Ly- man M., an active business man in Franklin and Highgate.
Gates Family, The .- Simon, Stephen, and Jacob Gates in 1638 came to America from England. Simon had three sons, of whom Simon, jr., settled in Marlboro, Mass., and had six sons. One, Solomon, born in 1721, lived in Worcester, Mass., and had six chil- dren, of whom Paul married Zerviah Spooner, November 29, 1792, and had five sons : Samuel, Paul, Philip, Horace, and Clark. They were the first couple married in Frank- lin. Paul, jr., married Eunice Temple, and they had four children : Spooner, Harrison, Martha, and Elizabeth, of whom only Harrison is living. Harrison married Rebecca Shedd, and their son, Charles W., married Mary E. Hayden and is now a merchant in Franklin village. The only descendant of Clark Gates, who married Mrs. Fanny M. Cheney, is D. J. Gates, who married Mary A. Spaulding, by whom he had three sons and one daughter. Mr. Gates is a successful farmer, and is one of the selectmen of Franklin. Samuel Gates had three children : Sophia, Minerva, and Cadmus, all of whom are living. Horace Gates's children were Horatio (deceased) and Zervia. Philip had born to him five children, viz .: Julia, Rodney, Sidney, Helen, and Joan, of whom only Rodney and Helen survive.
Green, Alonzo, son of George Green, a merchant of Swanton, Vt., was born in that town in 1815, and came to Franklin about 1845 and engaged in trade. He was a lead- ing man in church and town affairs, and held many positions of trust and honor. He was senator in 1859 and in 1860, and was town clerk for about twenty-five years. He married, first, Debbie Marvin, who bore him no children. He married, second, Lucinda Spaulding, by whom he had seven children: George S., a physician at Enosburgh; William A., who died in the civil war; Sarah L., who married Judson Cheney ; Charles
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F., who resides in Washington ; Mary (deceased); Winnie, who married Henry Ewing ; and Debbie M., who married J. E. Toof. Mr. Toof was engaged in trade in Franklin for several years, and although a resident of Canada he is interested and prominently identified with the business interests of Franklin county.
Powers, Edgar J., M.D., was educated at the common schools of Franklin and grad- uated from Castleton Medical College in 1860. He immediately commenced the prac- tice of his profession in Franklin, where he has continued to the present time. He has been an allopathic physician of prominence. His practice formerly extended through fourteen towns in Franklin county and four in Canada, but owing to ill health he has been obliged to curtail it to his immediate vicinity. He married Rosemond Pomeroy, and their children are Elwyn, Dennis O., Morton H., Mary M., Martha P., Thomas E., Rossie M., and Smiley S. Dennis O. Powers, who was born in 1857, graduated at Bur- lington and practiced medicine for two years in Highgate, and is now a physician in Franklin. Morton H., born in 1859, graduated at Burlington, practiced four years in Berkshire, and is now a leading practitioner in Fairfax.
Powers, John, came to Northampton previous to the French and Indian war, in which he served. His son Joel, born in 1763, lived in Massachusetts and moved to Franklin in 1806, locating on the place now occupied by Edward Powers, being one of the first in that part of the town. He married Mary Galusha, and they had nine children. Sam- son S., William, and Levi settled in Franklin. The former was born in 1794, and mar- ried Margaret Elerick, by whom he had three children : Edward, born in 1826; Edgar, born in 1828; and Edoline. Edward Powers married Elnora Fuller and has two chil- dren, Alma W. and Warren. Mr. Powers has taken great interest in the Indian history of his locality, and has one of the finest collections of Indian relics to be found in New England. He has one of the first mill-stones that ever turned in Franklin. It is of red granite, and was cut from a rock in that town on the old Hubbard corner, by Edwin Prouty's grandfather, taking three months to finish it. The stone was run by Joel Powers.
Truax, Elias, son of Jacob Truax, was born in 1727, and came from Albany, N. Y., in 1793, and settled in Canada near the Franklin line. He married Elizabeth La- grange, and they had seven children, of whom one son, Elias, born July 4, 1772, mar- ried Anna Wightman and died in his 103d year. He had eleven children, of whom Elias, born in 1802, married, first, Lucinda Holden, and second, Melissa, daughter of Dr. Pomeroy. His third wife was Eleanor Hibbard, and his children were Thomas, who enlisted in Company F, Seventh Regiment Vermont Volunteers, and died near New Or- leans, July 3, 1862; Sewall, who was major of the First Oregon Cavalry ; Lester, of the state of Washington; Charles E., sergeant First Oregon Cavalry ; and Stephen Pom- ery, a farmer in the north part of Franklin, who married Anna M. Shepard, and has four sons : Herbert, Charles, Frank, and Elburn.
Welch, Rodman E., was born in Berkshire, Vt., in 1845, was educated at the Literary Institute of Fairfax, and was graduated from the Bellevue Medical College in March, 1872. He settled in Franklin the same year, where he has since continued in the practice of his chosen profession. Dr. Welch is an allopathic physician, and is a member of the State and County Medical Societies. He was president of the County Medical Society for two years, and at the present time is health officer of the town of Franklin. He served eighteen months as a private in Company A, Fifth Vermont Volunteers, was com- mander of Marsh Post, G. A. R., and for three years, in 1890, he was appointed United States pension examiner. He married Emily P. Morrow, of Enosburgh, and they have three daughters.
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
GEORGIA.
Ballard Family, The .- The surname Ballard stands not only for one of the pioneer families of Georgia, but for a family that has been as prominently connected with the social and political history of the town as any within its limits, and for a family, too, that has contributed as much to the prosperity of the town as any other that can be named. Josiah Ballard, the pioneer, was born February 7, 1766, and died April 11, 1836. Polly Loomis Ballard, whom Joseph married on November 14, 1793, was born May 5, 1775. Their children were as follows : Laura, born; November 11, 1794, married Truman Chase, of Westford, and had a family of five children; Orrin, born May 26, 1797; Joseph, jr., born July 10, 1799, became a Baptist minister, and died in Norwalk, Conn .; Hiram, born August 25, 1801; E. Miranda, born October 28, 1808, married Chloe P. Jocelyn, Sep- tember 20, 1836; Royal T., born October 21, 1810; Polly, born May 17, 1813; and Loomis, born March 1, 1816.
Ballard, Harrison H., is descended from pioneer stock in Georgia. He was the fifth of seven children of Hiram and Olive E. (Walker) Ballard, and at the age of fifteen commenced farm work, helping his father, who was in feeble health. Eventually he be- came the owner of his father's farm by paying to his brothers and sisters the value of their shares in the property. The place contains 225 acres, and is known as one of the best and most productive farms in Georgia. Besides being a farmer Mr. Ballard has raised some of the best horses in the county. On December 17, 1874, he married Tina, daughter of Frederick Andrews, of Ypsilanti, Miclı. By this marriage three children have been born. Mr. Ballard is interested in Georgia politics, not, however, as an office seeker, but as one who feels an interest in the town's welfare. He is always at the polls at election time, for he knows that in Georgia there are some interesting and exciting contests, and it cannot be said that Mr. Ballard holds entirely aloof from participating in them.
Ballard, Joseph, the well known and successful farmer of Georgia, was born on the farm he owns, and on which he now resides, on the 8th of July, 1838. He is descended from one of the old families of the town, and of a family each generation of which has produced strong men mentally and physically. His parents were Orris and Chloe Priscilla Ballard, and of their family of seven children he was the second. He has al- ways lived on the home farm, which descended to him upon the death of his father, but he had to pay the other heirs the value of their shares of the property. The father died in May, 1883. In 1864 Jeseph Ballard married Mariette Augusta, daughter of Chellis Kingsley, of Georgia, of which marriage four children have been born. Mr. Ballard has been an actice man in the political affairs of Georgia and has held a number of town offices. For three years prior to 1890 he was selectman, and has served as lister for a number of terms. He is a strong Republican and a leader in his community.
Bliss, Orville S., born in Georgia on the 27th of June, 1826, is the son of Abner and Eloise (Nichols) Bliss, and of their children the eldest. These children were Orville S .; Harriet, wife of Jared Dee; Edward C., who died in Mexico in 1869; Edgar E., who died in 1858; Frederick F., now of Westford; and George A., who was killed in the army June 1, 1863. Orville S. Bliss married, November 30, 1853, Eunice H., daughter of Hiram Soule, of Fairfield, of which marriage three children have been born, as fol- lows: Abner, a merchant of Georgia; Clara, now principal of the Elm street primary school of St. Albans; and Nelle, of Georgia. In 1862 Mr. Bliss moved to Fairfield, but his residence in that town continued only about five years, when he returned to Georgia. He has been a somewhat prominent figure in the political affairs of Georgia, but has never been an office seeker. His ideas on political questions are decidedly radi- cal, for he despises knavery and sham and all things pertaining to machine methods.
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His attitude has frequently brought upon him the anathemas of his opponents, but his course lias always been characterized by fairness and candor. His life has been devoted to promoting the interests of the county and its citizens.
Caldwell, William A., was born in Georgia on April 23, 1823. Charles Caldwell, his grandfather, came from Guilford, Conn., prior to 1800, and settled in the town of Georgia. His children were Samuel, Ira, George, William, Charles, jr., Allen A., Rachel, Abigail, Harriet, Mary Ann, Catherine, and Susan, the last named of whom is the only one now living. Ira, the second child, was born in April, 1800, and married Mary Blake. They had a family of five children, as follows: Mariette, William A., Ira S., George, and Homer A. Of these only William and Homer are now living. When William A. Caldwell was ten years old his father died, and the care of the family fell upon the mother, but as the father left a comfortable property the family necessities were easily supplied. In 1856, on February 27th, William A. married Adelia M. Bal- lard, of Georgia. Mr. Caldwell is reckoned among the leading men of his town, and occupying that position he has been frequently honored with town office. He was one of the selectmen from 1869 to 1874; in 1872 he was elected representative; and in 1873 he was chosen town constable and collector, and has since held these offices. Besides this he is well known as a successful business man. He owns the old property at the Center, and is otherwise interested in Georgia's best institutions.
Conger, George Parker, a native of St. Albans, was born November 24, 1816, the son of Reuben and Sarah (Neil) Conger, and of their nine children the third. The early years of his life were spent in various occupations, he having worked as wheelwright, speculated, and been in the railroad business for a number of years prior to 1861. In that year, in September, he raised Company B, First Vermont Cavalry, and was elected and commissioned its captain. After serving about a year Captain Conger resigned and returned home, eventually buying a farm in the north part of Georgia, where he lived until he moved to his present home at the Center. Captain Conger has been three times married, first to Dolly Basford, by whom he had one child, Stephen. His second wife was Fanny (Hyde) Dearborn, a widow by whom he had no children. The third wife, to whom he was married in June, 1881, was Catherine A. Bliss, widow of Abel Bliss, but whose maiden name was Catherine A. Dunham.
Curtis, James K., son of Elijah Curtis and grandson of John Curtis, was born in Bur- lington on the 20th of February, 1845. His father, Elijah, was born in Stanstead, Can- ada, and came with his father, John, and family to St. Albans about 1832. Elijah learned the trade of wheelwright in Burlington, but in 1851 he came to Georgia and became en- gaged in farming. He married Caroline Beals, of St. Albans, and had four children : Joseph, who died in infancy ; James K .; Sarah C., who married John R. Holyoke; and Ather- ton T., who also died in infancy. James K. Curtis was reared on the farm, and is now known as one of the most successful and enterprising farmers of Georgia. His farm consists of 340 acres, than which there is none better in the whole town. He has been prominent in town affairs, being a leading and representative Republican. In 1878 and 1879 he was lister; in 1880 he represented the town; he served as selectman in 1881; and in 1890 was chosen lister for another term. In January, 1872, Mr. Curtis married Martha E. Allen, by whom he had four children : Atherton T., Helen L., Edward A., and Harry B.
Dee Family, The .- Elijah Dee came to Georgia from Saybrook, Conn., in 1791, bringing his wife and children and personal effects on an ox-sled in the dead of winter. These children were John, who died in Illinois; Marian, who married Abner Bliss; Elijah, who married Clara Loomis, and after her decease married Polly Post; Jared, who married Harriet Bliss; Hiram P .; Ella and Clara (twins) ; and George B., Will- iam, Washington, Hannah, Jeremiah, Parmelia, Mercy, and Polly. Some of these children were born in Georgia. The children of Elijah and Clara (Loomis) Dee were Diana and Angusta, both of whom are now dead. Those by the second marriage were Clarissa, Polly, Harrison, Gustavus, Elijah, Jared, William, Henry, Azuba, Clarissa, 2d,
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
and John. Jared Dee, whose home is commonly called " the checkered house " on ac- count of its peculiar construction, is one of the substantial farmers of Georgia. On January 31, 1856, he married Harriet Bliss and has four children, as follows: Hiram P., a lawyer of St. Albans; Ellen and Clara (twins) ; and George B.
Hotchkiss, Cephas Appolos, born in Georgia, June 27, 1834, is a son of Cyrus and Mary (Towne) Hotchkiss and the grandson of James Hotchkiss, a pioneer of the town. The latter has a family of three sons and four daughters, but Cephas was the only child of Cyrus and Mary. Cyrus Hotchkiss was a merchant of the town doing business at Georgia Plains, and in the store Cephas A. was educated in mercantile pursuits. But his father was also prosperous as a farmer, and the son, following in the paternal foot- steps, became himself a successful agriculturist. Cyrus died in 1875 and Cephas inher- ited his goodly fortune. In local politics he has been quite prominent. His first polit- ical trust in 1858 and 1859 was as lister, and from that time to the present he has held some town office. In 1870 and again in 1876 he was elected representative. In 1890 he was first selectman. That Mr. Hotchkiss is an extensive farmer is evidenced by the fact that his lands embrace some 575 acres. He has been thrice married. His first wife, whom he married August 10, 1859, was Cordelia M. Ladd, by whom he had six children. She died January 23, 1876, and April 22, 1877, he married Mariam J. Bliss, who died nine months later. His third wife was Hattie M. (Hotchkiss) Learned, to whom he was married October 12, 1887.
Hubbard, Orrin C., was one of the most enterprising husbandmen of Georgia, whose excellent farm is situated on the road leading from Georgia Center to the county seat. He is not a native of the town, but was born in Swanton, April 18, 1840. His parents were Curtis B. and Sarah Hubbard, and of their three children he was the second. Orrin worked on his father's farm until he became of age, when he enlisted in the in- fantry service, but on account of his grandfather's sickness he was called to the care of his grandmother and their property. To release himself from his enlistment he was obliged to procure a substitute at a sum of $300. In 1863 Mr. Hubbard became a per- manent resident of Georgia and has since lived there. In 1870, on the 16th of March, he was married to Pollie A. Howard and they have one daughter, Sarah J. About 1875 he purchased the Kimball farm, that on which he now lives, of about 175 acres, and his efforts and industry have made it one of the best farms in the town.
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