USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Morristown > History of Morristown, Vermont > Part 4
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James Matthews was living in town when the second census of 1800 was taken, on the road leading to Tyndall Hill on the farm long known as the Hill place. He married Clarissa Ketchum and had a family of eight children. He died in 1868. His son, Leonard, born in 1826, carried the mail between the Corners and Morrisville for many years, dying in 1900. Another son, Addison, who was unmarried. for many years owned the farm on the brow of the hill west of the Corners, occupied in 1935 by Harry Fisk. His later years were spent with his brother, Leonard, at the Corners.
Another name familiar to anyone acquainted with the history of the town is that of Cole. Three brothers, John, Asa, and Ebenezer, sought their fortunes in the new town- ship just previous to or in the early years of the nineteenth century. The oldest, John (1752-1842), was a Revolu- tionary soldier, noted for his huge stature and great strength. Those of his descendants most closely con- nected with the town came in the line of his son, Harvey, who first married Lydia Pottle, by whom he had three sons, Horace, Hiram, and Heman, and a daughter, Huldah.
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Horace married Caroline Wilkins and died in 1863 while serving in the Civil War, leaving two daughters, Lizzie and Laura. The former married Henry Fisher and has two sons, Claude, who has been a clerk in the local postoffice for several years, and Harold of Palo Alto, Calif. Heman left no sons to carry on the family name, but two daughters, Alice, deceased, and Emma, who married Lysander Bar- rows of Stowe. The daughter, Huldah, married C. Wright Boardman, and her descendants are given in connection with that family. John Cole's second wife was Mary . Springer, by whom he had three sons, John, Levi, and Daniel. The last named married Amelia Reed and had four children, Effie, Eulalia, Etta, and Alberto. The son lives on his father's farm in what is still known as the Cole Hill District.
Ebenezer and Asa moved here in 1801 from Cornish, N. H. Ebenezer (1766-1849) married Ruth Pierce and so far as is ascertainable is represented in town now by a great-grandson, Arthur Douglass. His daughter, Sally, married Jonathan Douglass who, with his, son, Albert, lived for years on the farm occupied in 1935 by Henry Ross. Of Albert's children, one son, Arthur, resides at the Corners. Lucy, another daughter of Ebenezer, married Warren Goodell, but their four children, Emmaline, who married Elias Merritt; Lucy, who married Sewell Baker, and the two sons, Bliss and George, have no direct descendants here.
Asa (1772-1852) settled in the northern part of the town by the Hyde Park line on land which remained in his family for a century and a portion of which is still owned by a descendant, Melville Brigham. One of his sons, Daniel (1800-1868), married Lucy Burke. Not all of Daniel's children grew to maturity, but one of them, Charles, married Laura Clark and had two sons, Henry and George, who still reside here. The latter married Winni- fred Foss and has been a R. F. D. mail carrier for years. A second son of Asa's was Morris Cole (1801-1890), who married Mary Chaplin and was the father of Albert Cole, a respected citizen of Morristown throughout his life, and of Mary Adela, who married Elisha Brigham in 1848, and her descendants are given in connection with the Brigham family.
A name prominently connected with the early develop- ment of Cadys Falls, and a familiar one in the history of
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the town is that of Gates. This family originated in Essex, England, and in the tenth generation came to Hing- ham, Mass., in 1638. Later they migrated to Preston, Conn., where was born Nathan Gates (1754-1838), the one who came to Morristown. He served as private in the Sixth Connecticut Regiment at the siege of Boston in 1775 and gained the rank of Lieutenant. In 1777 he married Tamerson Kimball. They lived in Plainfield, N. H., for a time, coming from there to Morristown in 1801.
Lieutenant Gates was the father of eleven children and the ones most closely identified with the town through their descendants were Nathan, Jr., Daniel, Lovell and Elizabeth.
Nathan, Jr. (1778-1858), soon after coming to Morris- town, married Martha, daughter of Abner and Mary Brig- ham, and had six children. The oldest was Nathan Brigham Gates, who had one son and three daughters, of whom only two lived to maturity. The son, Benjamin N. (1830-1893), married Delia Whittier and had one son, Calvin Leo, who married Abbie L. Bullard. C. L. Gates was a well known business man, one of the few Democrats whom the town has sent to represent it at Montpelier. He was Postmaster during the Wilson Administration, and his daughter, Mary, the only one of his three children to reside in Morristown, has been clerk in the postoffice for several years.
Nathan B. Gates' youngest daughter, Alice, married Horace Day and they had one son, Clarence, whose family have been residents here much of the time.
The second son of Nathan Gates, Jr., was Daniel F. (1804-1859), who married Lavinia Jordon. One of his daughters, Ellen, was the first wife of Henry D. Bryant, who was prominent in the local business world of the 80's and 90's. A son, Amasa O., was for years the leading druggist in town.
The fourth son of Nathan, Jr., was George Washington (1810-1890), who married Betsey Smith and their grand- son, Ernest W., was in business in town for many years and Postmaster from 1924 to 1933.
The fifth son of Nathan, Jr., was Sylvester L. (1809- 1897), a life-long resident of the town, who married as his first wife Lydia Ferrin, daughter of John and Hannah Ferrin. To them were born two daughters, one of whom, Mary, married William Cheney, and to them were born a daughter, Winnifred, and a son, Thomas C.
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The third son of Lieutenant Nathan was Daniel Gates (1781-1869), who married Sally Spaulding. Of their twelve children, descendants of two have spent their lives here. Susan A. married Truman C. Ryder, father of Elmer Ryder and grandfather of Harold and Bessie Ryder. Sanford (1824-1856) married Diantha Town and their daughter, Sanfordora, married George E. Town. Their four children, Grace (Mrs. Fred Wilson), Gerald, Winifred, and Lila, live in the eastern part of the town.
The fourth son of Lieutenant Nathan was Lovell (1784-1865), who married Hannah Coates. Their oldest son, Irvine, married Hancy L. Pike of Sterling. . Of their children the oldest, Celeste, married Eli B. Gile and left no descendants, while their three sons, Elmer, Carroll, and Bert, were well known here in their day. The other son of Lovell was Orsemus, who lived in Cadys Falls until his death, in 1909. His only child, a daughter, Benelia, married A. J. Sherwood, a prosperous farmer in the west- ern part of the town. Lovell's daughter, Harriet Carola, married Danforth Eaton, a long-time resident of Morris- town.
The sixth child of Lieutenant Nathan was Elizabeth (1787-1866), who married David Reed. Her great-grand- daughter, Ida A. Lilley, married William H. Towne and . their great-grandson carries on the line of Lieutenant Nathan to the eighth generation.
JOE AND MOLLY
Jacob Walker is always referred to as the first settler of Morristown, but years before his coming and before the charter was granted, Indian Joe and Molly had explored this region and found it good.
Joe was born in Nova Scotia, but his tribe was practi- cally annihilated by the English at the siege of Louisburg and he was brought up by the St. Francis Indians and served with Capt. John Vincent's Indian Company in 1777-1778. This early experience of his probably accounted for his hatred of the English and led him to serve as scout for the colonists during the Revolution. Thus he became familiar with Northern Vermont and
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about 1780 selected the Lamoille Valley for his fishing and hunting ground and for a time established his wigwam on Butternut Island on the bank of this river a short distance below Morrisville. It was during his stay here that he and Molly visited General Washington at his headquarters on the Hudson, where they were received with respect and given many presents in return for Joe's services to the patriot cause.
The pioneers of this and other towns were indebted to him for many kindnesses, and many stories are current of his helpful acts and also of his quick wit. Miss Lou Rand related hearing her grandmother tell of the many ways in which he befriended Jacob Walker. Once when a panther menaced the Walker home, the Indian warned the occu- pants, and himself shot the beast. Again the first winter this family spent in town, when their supply of food was. almost exhausted, Joe shot a moose and shared the meat with his white friends before he took any to his own wig- wam. It is told that he and Molly were once starting on a season's hunting and trapping and called at Esquire Taylor's tavern in Wolcott. He asked for a glass of rum, for which he was charged six cents. When he returned in the spring, he stopped for another glass and laid down six cents as before, but Taylor demanded ten, saying it cost as much to winter a barrel of rum as a horse. Joe drew himself up, looked at the esquire a moment, and said: "Ugh, it don't take so much hay, but heap more water."
Many years before his death it seems he was beginning to lose his skill as a hunter, for, on November 7, 1792, the State Legislature in response to a petition, appointed John McDaniel of Hyde Park his guardian and authorized McDaniel to purchase such supplies as were necessary not to exceed three pounds per year. Later the state granted him a pension of seventy dollars annually. Joe's troubles increased as the Saffords built a dam across the river, and their mill began to pour forth sawdust which interfered with his fishing. Then, too, neighbors were encroaching too closely on every side. So he left the valley to spend the remainder of his days in Newbury, Vt., where he died . in 1819. He is buried in the Ox Bow Cemetery there, and the marble slab marking his grave bears the simple inscription, "Joe, the Friendly Indian."
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At the session of the Legislature of 1886 an attempt was made to secure funds to erect a monument to him, but it was not successful. Many years later it was pro- posed to name a portion of the new cement highway after him, but that was not done.
Morristown has preserved his name and that of his wife in the two bodies of water lying between the Ran- dolph and LaPorte Roads and similar memorials occur in the towns of Cabot and Danville. As the State of Wash- ington honors Chief Tacoma, and Massachusetts perpet- uates the name of Massasoit, so the Lamoille Valley may well keep alive the memory of Joe and Molly.
CHAPTER V
CHURCHES
TT IS a well known principle of physics that water seeks its own level. It is equally true that the intellectual and spiritual life of a community will rise no higher than its schools and churches, which, of course, have their origin in the lives of its citizens.
These first settlers in Morristown were as sturdy and strong in their religious convictions as in their physical bodies. Unlike many others this town was settled by men from many different sections of New England instead of a band from one locality, and this fact may account for the diversity of religious beliefs held from the first. Within thirty years after the first settlement, four different denominations had established churches, while others have been added since, including such short lived sects as the Millerites, who had a preacher here in 1847.
Jedediah Safford, son of the first settler in Morris- ville, used to say that he sawed the first log, ground the first grist, and heard the first sermon preached in town. This first sermon has been attributed to Elder Bogue, a Baptist minister, but as early as 1798 the noted evangelist, Lorenzo Dow, held preaching services in John Safford's barn. This man was one of the unique characters in the
early religious history of the country. When but nine- teen, this Connecticut youth began his career as an evangelist, and during the first years of his work traversed large sections of New England and within fifteen years had traveled on horseback and on foot all over New Eng- land, and New York, had gone into Canada, and south as far as Georgia and Mississippi, often preaching four and five times a day. He traveled as an independent preacher, but his sympathies were with the Methodist Church and most of his converts affiliated with that body. His enemies described him as "in habit and appearance more filthy than a savage Indian," but in spite of his harsh voice and uncouth appearance people gathered to hear him, his largest audience being estimated at 7,000. The earnest- ness of purpose which led him to travel over hills and through valleys in all kinds of weather and over all kinds of roads or with no roads at all; his devotion to a cause
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which led him to persevere in spite of opposition from the religious leaders of his day, attracted and moved his hearers in spite of his eccentricities. His work, carried on amid such difficulties, bore fruit in some of the neigh- boring towns and undoubtedly helped to keep religious feeling in this town strong.
At the second town meeting, of which there is any record, held on September 2, 1806, a committee was appointed to arrange for the organization of a religious society and Samuel Cooke, John Cole, and Ralph Tinker were chosen to draw up a subscription paper for signers to form a Congregational Society. Just how much this committee did is not known, but the vote was in line with the law passed by the Vermont Legislature in 1798 requir- ing every person of adult age and a legal voter to help support some religious body. It is a fact that the Congre- gational Church was the first one organized and its records have been kept much more fully than any of the others, so it is possible to give its story more in detail for that reason.
Its earliest records were burned, but the account of its founding was contained in a historical sermon preached by the Rev. Septimius Robinson in 1859. From this ser-
the following facts are taken, the first record mon
begins thus: "At a conference holden at Jacob Walker's barn Saturday, July 13, 1807 several persons came forward and manifested a desire to unite in church covenant. After the examination of some persons relative to the sub- ject the meeting was adjourned until nine o'clock in the morning of the Monday following. At the time appointed
meeting began with prayer, the Rev. J. Hovey, pastor of the Cong. church in Waterbury." After further examina- tion the church was organized and the following officers were elected:
Moderator, Crispus Shaw; Clerk, Dr. Ralph
Tinker. Dates are not given in the list of members at first, but it seems evident that thirteen people constituted the newly organized body. One man stands out promi- nently in these early years, Deacon Cyril Goodale. Though no date of his election is recorded, he seems to have been the first deacon and he held that office until his death, in 1854. For a series of years the church depended upon
him mainly to conduct religious services. Meetings were held in private houses until 1815, when the first town house was built east of Jacob Walker's and then gatherings were usually held there.
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It was customary for the Congregational Church of that period to have an Ecclesiastical Society in connection with the church, and in 1823 such a body was organized with the following officers: Moderator, Samuel Cooke ; President, Elisha Brigham; Vice-President, Dennison Cooke; Secretary, James Tinker; Treasurer, Samuel Cooke ; Collector, Ira Edwards; Chaplain, Cyril Goodale. The first record of any preaching service is as follows: "Preaching and sacrament Lord's Day April 13, 1817 by Rev. Mr. Parker." It is uncertain how much regular preaching was enjoyed during this period, but in June, 1817, occurs the following record: "Rev. Nathan Rawson began to preach with us June 8, 1817. June 24th at a conference at the Town house agreed with Mr. Rawson to preach with us four months or one third of a year for which we are to give him one hundred dollars next winter, one half in money, the remainder in grain."
This first settled pastor in Morristown was a man of recognized ability, who was born in Mendon, Mass., in 1780, of a long line of distinguished ancestors. One of them served as Secretary of Massachusetts for thirty-five years, another was so influential in the affairs of that colony that "he was complimented as being the General Court's oracle." Another of his more distant forbears was Archbishop of Canterbury in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and Bacon called him "the greatest and gravest prelate in the land." Still another was an evangelist among the Indians. and Cotton who preached his funeral sermon said of him, "We usually took it for granted that things would be fairly done when he had a hand in doing them." The same missionary spirit which led him doubtless influenced young Rawson to come to the new settlement of Vermont about 1809. He first located in Hardwick, in 1811, as the first Congregational pastor and served there acceptably for more than six years. Then . he came to Morristown, but the struggling church here was too weak to support a settled minister and he left to fill other pastorates in other sections of the state.
On September 8, 1824, a call was extended Rev. Daniel Rockwell, which ran in part, as follows: "We do now agree to give you a small piece of land near the meeting house and build upon it a comfortable dwelling house. House is to be built and said land and house to be legally conveyed to you within the term of two years from your
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settlement to be yours and your heirs forever. We also agree to pay you on the 15th day of January $150 annually one third of which is to be paid in money the remainder in grain. We also further agree to pay you said Society's share of public ministerial money which we suppose will be at least $20 annually. Until the parties shall other- wise agree we expect that you will appropriate one half of the time, every other week only. We also agree that you may appropriate two weeks out of said time to visit your friends.
"Signed "Cyril Goodale "Ebenezer Cole Com.
"Crispus Shaw"
In addition to the advantages set forth in the above call another inducement for Mr. Rockwell was the fact that he could occupy a fine modern church, Some years previous a Baptist Church had been organized, and these two denominations became the joint proprietors of what was undoubtedly the finest church ever erected in the county. It was a brick structure with a two story pulpit reached by winding stairs and galleries on three sides, and stood on the brow of the hill just east of the brick house occupied in 1935 by Mr. Hadlock. Its towering spire was a landmark for a long distance around. It was built by popular subscription, and it speaks volumes for the devo- tion of these people that they would undertake such a task with their limited means. They were certainly building for the future since the edifice was capable of seating 1,000 people, while the population of the entire town, according to the census taken two years previous, was less than 800. It must have been a grievous disappointment to them when, ten years later, the building was declared unsafe and it was torn down in 1849.
The first Congregationalist minister to preach in the brick church was the Rev. Jotham Waterman, who came here from Connecticut. His term of service was short. According to the records "the funds for the support of preaching the present year being nearly expended a vote was passed that it be not advisable to employ the Rev. Mr. Waterman any more at present." Tradition says he was so intemperate in his use of liquor that some of the church members called a meeting and drew up a temperance
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pledge which was signed by some fifty people. Mr. Water- man failed to appear at this meeting and was not engaged for a longer period.
Mr. Rockwell accepted the call as given and on October 19, 1824, an ordination Council was held at the home of Ebenezer Cole on West Hill. It was a stormy day and after the examination the whole Council spent the night at Mr. Cole's, and the following day the ordination service was performed. Because Mr. Rockwell was the first minister to be really settled in town, he received the ministerial lot not far from Jacob Walker's. He was a man greatly beloved by his church and respected by the townspeople. He shared his time with the Congregational
Church of Johnson, where he was equally liked. He set a worthy example for the long line of ministers who have succeeded him in the different pulpits in town. .He remained here after the close of his pastorate, preaching for short periods at different places, and in 1835 moved to the Western Reserve and later to Illinois, where he died.
With the downfall of the splendid brick church, it became necessary to plan for a new edifice, and the Congre- gational Church decided to change its location to the new village of Morrisville, although "at the time of building the meeting house not one member of the church lived in the limits of this large school district nor but four, all females, in the territory north, east, and south of us." But in 1832 and 1833 the LaPorte Road was opened and soon settled by thrifty prosperous farmers, whose names figure largely in the history of the church of that period. Deacon Horace Felcher owned the farm later known as the Malvern Stock Farm, or New York Farm, Wingate Web- ster the Rand place, Frederick Powers the old poor farm, and John Ferrin the farm just north of that; and for all these Morrisville was more convenient to reach than the Corners. The change seems to have been effected with- out any friction which may have been due, in part, to the wise leadership of the Rev. Septimius Robinson, whose pastorate deserves more than a passing word, for his guid- ance, both in church and in the affairs of the town, was wise. More than any other one person he was the founder of Peoples Academy, and was for many years president of its Board of Trustees. £ He was diplomatic, both in and out of the pulpit. Judge H. H. Powers relates that once while at the Corners the choir, without his knowledge,
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introduced a violin into the musical part of the service. It was expected that he would not approve of the innova- tion, but he made no comment. The first hymn was sung with violin accompaniment. In announcing the second . one Priest Robinson, for thus he was called by everyone, simply said, "the choir will please sing and fiddle Hymn number 48."
Septimius Robinson was the sixth in direct descent from John Robinson of Pilgrim fame, and was born in Dorset, Vermont, in 1790. Not until he was thirty-one did he begin to study for the ministry with several clergy- men of the Rutland Association. Licensed to preach in 1823 and ordained pastor at Underhill in 1824, he con- ducted a revival service in which the church was nearly doubled. Then he went to Fairfax, where he preached half the time and divided the balance between Fletcher and Waterville. For six years previous to his coming to Morristown he was acting pastor at Milton, where about eighty were added to the church. During his stay here
about 100 joined the local church. In addition to his eight children, several of whom settled here, he adopted his niece, Emily Redington. One son, William Albert, fol- lowed his father in the ministry and came from Homer, N. Y., to deliver the sermon in connection with the Centen- nial of 1890.
Mr. Robinson gives the story of his call and first impressions of the church here as follows: "On returning from a journey into the state of New York, I found a mes- senger from the Church inviting me to visit the place and preach the next Sabbath. I complied, found a large meeting house not rendered very comfortable for winter meetings. Spent two Sabbaths with a people evidently in earnest to obtain the stated administration of the Gospel yet evidently in the lot of churches unable to sustain the ministry without aid from the Home Missionary Society. Before leaving town on Monday a regular call in due form was presented me to settle in the ministry here. With some misgivings I consented to bring my family here and subsequently accept the call to settle here as pastor."
Thus was begun a quarter of a century of fruitful service. In 1856 it became necessary to enlarge the church, which fact is recorded as follows: "The pastor would here record with gratitude to God, His smiles and His good hand upon the Congregational Society in making
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them enlarge and improve their house of worship so as to render it commodious and tasteful by the addition of sixteen feet to the length of the house so as to add twenty four more seats, by the erection of a new and beautiful pulpit, by removing the old gallery and forming a new orchestra for the choir and by rendering the walls beauti- ful by tasteful paper, by making the house warmer and more pleasant both for speaker and hearers. It was com- pleted about the sixth of September and on Wednesday the eighth as the whole interior was new was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Sermon on the occasion by Rev. Charles Parker of Water- bury. Prayer by the pastor. To the Triune God be the Glory."
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