History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 10

Author: Lovejoy, Mary Evelyn Wood, 1847-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Burlington, Vt., Free press printing company
Number of Pages: 1280

USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Royalton > History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911 > Part 10

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"Gen. Elias Stevens was more than six feet in height, broad- shouldered, and a little stooping, large features, long nose, end quite prominent; eyes gray. He would be called very plain. He had a commanding personality, strong voice, great will force

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

and mental power. He was not a professor of religion, but was strictly moral and upright, and temperate. He was ready at all times to give hearty support to all efforts for law and good gov- ernment.''

Gen. Stevens had eleven children, all of whom were probably born in Royalton. Only a few of them lived in town after reach- ing maturity. Descendants of Phineas are now living in Syca- more, Illinois.

Lieut. Joseph Parkhurst was one of the earliest settlers of Royalton. He was here in 1778, and probably some time before that. A Joseph Parkhurst figures in the early history of Sha- ron, but Joseph, the father of Benjamin, is known to have lived there, and it is possible that Joseph, the father of Lieut. Joseph, may also have settled there for a time. The place from which our Lieut. Joseph came, when he removed to Royalton, cannot be affirmed. At a March meeting in Sharon, 1768, both "Jo- seph" and "Lieut." Parkhurst were chosen assessors. There was, then, in Sharon a Lieut. Parkhurst, who was not our Lieut. Joseph, as he was born in 1750, and would then be only eighteen. Among the original grantees of Sharon in 1761 were Joseph and Joseph, Jr. If Benjamin Parkhurst had a brother Joseph, this Joseph, Jr., may have been he. Our Lieut. Joseph appears in the record of the first town meeting, Dec. 1, 1778, when the voters approved of his protest. This protest was his negative vote in the General Assembly, Oct. 21, 1778, on the question, whether the counties should remain as they were, which vote was to de- cide whether the New Hampshire towns should become a part of Vermont or not. The reason given by the minority, which voted No, was, that in March the whole state was divided into two counties, and the towns east of the Connecticut had not then joined, and so were never annexed to any county, and would be out of the protection and privileges of the state. When the vote was declared, the minority protested and withdrew, Lieut. Joseph among them. He was our first representative. He was chosen as an agent to sit in Convention at Dresden, at a meeting held July 12, 1779. He was Captain of a militia company in 1780, the muster roll of which may be found in the chapter on "Revo- lutionary Affairs." He was probably unmarried when he came to Royalton and settled on 16 L. A., near the Handy fordway. His father's death in 1779 is recorded here, and his parents may have lived with him. His mother died in this town in 1797. Asa Perrin in his diary refers to her funeral in the meeting house, January 18th, calling her the mother of Joseph. He had three wives and eleven children. A daughter, "Sukey," mar- ried William Woodworth, and another, Alvira, married Oramel Sawyer, men well known in Royalton. One of Alvira's daughters

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

married Gen. Alonzo Jackman. Capt. Parkhurst continued to serve the town in various capacities for a score of years. Like Gen. Stevens, he does not seem to have joined the church, but he was called upon to act for it on many occasions. His mother, Judith, was one of its members. He died in 1830, and Dea. Joseph, his son, succeeded him on the farm.

Calvin Parkhurst was a brother of Joseph, about three years younger. He was even more of a public servant than was Joseph. It is likely that the two brothers came to town about the same time. Calvin was elected collector in 1779. He served in the militia, and was a member of Capt. William Heaton's Company. He was then sergeant, and served thirty-six days, having enlisted Sep. 20, 1777. He was placed in command, as captain, of the eight men raised by Royalton and Sharon for guarding the fron- tier in 1780. He served as lieutenant in his brother's company of militia. The confidence of his fellow citizens in his ability and uprightness did not wane, and we find that he was elected to the legislature in 1780, 1782, 1786, 1788-9. He voted against admitting the New York towns to Vermont, at the session of the Assembly in Windsor, April 11, 1781. In 1789 he was one of a committee to count the votes for governor, and was one of the two from Windsor county, who were chosen with a like number from each of the other counties, to escort Governor Robinson into the town of Westminster, where the Assembly was gathered. He had been elected Colonel in the militia on or before 1789, and is thus called in the Assembly Journal of Oct. 15th, when he was placed on a committee for nominating a committee to draft a constitution for a college in Vermont. He was also a member of a committee for nominating a committee for receiving sub- scriptions and donations to the college. He was "Major Park- hurst" in 1791, when he presented the petition for a lottery to be granted for building a bridge over White river. An act was passed Oct. 28, granting such a lottery. In 1782-3 he was chosen selectman in Royalton. In 1784, "Captain" Calvin Parkhurst was placed on a committee by voters of the town, and the next year "Major" Calvin Parkhurst was elected selectman. That year he was chairman of a committee to prepare a petition to the Assembly to alter the act concerning the survey of town lines, or to have it repealed. He served the town many times as mod- erator. He married Permela Robinson soon after the burning of Royalton, and had four children. He died of small pox at Rutland, in the prime of life. His place of burial is not known, but his wife is buried in Norwich. She married for a second husband, Walter Waldo.

John Billings came to Royalton about 1778. From the His- tory of Woodstock it is learned, that, as a young man, he made

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

several voyages from New London, Conn., to the West Indies, and that in 1775 he enlisted as a Revolutionary soldier. He set- tled in Royalton in the west part of the town, and was original grantee of 19 and 20 Town Plot. The name of Mr. Billings does not appear in the town meeting records until September, 1781. The three succeeding years he was chosen lister. In 1786 he is called "Captain" Billings, and was elected fence viewer. He was a prominent member of the Baptist church, though dif- fering somewhat in the matter of belief. His wife, Olive, also had her own opinions regarding religious faith and practice, and the church spent considerable time and energy in an effort to convince them of their error. He was employed by his neighbors in the settlement of estates, and withal was a man of integrity and ability. He had a wife and three children when he removed to Royalton. He was the father of Oel Billings, at one time a merchant in Royalton. The Hon. Frederick Billings, son of Oel, was his grandson.

John Hibbard was a man highly respected by his townsmen. He was entrusted with the duty of securing the charter for the town in 1779, when the voters awoke to the fact, that they really did not know what the divisions of the town were, and they needed the charter to substantiate their claims before the state government. He made the journey to New York state between the dates, June 28 and August 23, and received as remuneration for obtaining the charter £151.1. The same year he acted as "corester" for the church, and served two or more years as tith- ingman. He continued to serve the church in different ways, though not as a communicant, until a Baptist church was formed. He then became an active member of that church. He was in- terested in higher education, and was one of the men who en- deavored to secure a grammar school for Royalton in 1782. He was elected to various town offices, and placed on committees for the transaction of important town business. He seems to have served in the militia, and in 1786 in a town meeting record he is called "Lieut." Hibbard. He had five children, four of them sons. These children were probably all born before he came to Royalton. One son, John, Jr., was a Baptist minister in town for several years. Gen. Lovell Hibbard was his grandson. Polly, a daughter of Elder John Hibbard, married Daniel Wood- ward. John Hibbard was original grantee of 28 and 29 Town Plot. His home was so far west that it did not suffer at the hands of the redskins.

Another solid citizen of the town in its earliest days was Daniel Rix, who came from Preston, Connecticut. He was one of the settlers who had families of considerable size when remov- ing to Royalton. Of his seven children only one, Jerusha, could

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

have been born in this town. If he came here before the sum- mer or fall of 1779, the records do not show it. It would seem that any newcomer who was capable of holding town office, was at once put into the harness by the voters. Mr. Rix was put on a ministerial committee Dec. 15, 1779, which is the first mention made of him. At the next March meeting he was chosen mod- erator, selectman, sealer of weights and measures, and member of the ministerial committee. The next year he was moderator, selectman, pound keeper, member of the ministerial committee, and grandjuryman. His numerous offices must have been sat- isfactorily filled, for the following year he was moderator, select- man, and treasurer, and that he might not have any idle time, they elected him hoghayward, and fence viewer, and placed him on a committee to see that three bridges were built. That year, as one of the selectmen, he aided in dividing the town into dis- tricts. Later in the same year he was on a committee for hiring a minister. Whether it was that his honesty was above that of his fellow citizens, or he had a better equipment, certain it is that his steelyards were made a standard of weight in 1782. He continued using his time and his talents in the service of the town for a quarter of a century. In May, 1780, he bought fifty acres of Elisha Kent on the east side of 10 Large Allotment. That was where he was living on October 16, when his home was destroyed during his absence in Connecticut, as noted in the "Burning of Royalton." The minister's lot of thirty acres joined his. The last years of his life were spent on the farm in 53 Town Plot, which his son, Elisha, bought in 1812, after selling the Kent place. Elisha's father had deeded this place in 1798, and evidently gave up active life on the farm. Daniel Rix is buried in the North Royalton cemetery, which was originally a part of the farm where he died, and his son, Elisha, and grand- son Edward. A reference to the genealogy of the Rix family will show that many of them lived in town a part or all of their lives, and were among the most prominent and valued citizens of Royalton. William Rix descended through Elisha Lee, and Daniel G. Wild, the chief donor to this volume, descended through Garner Rix, another son of Daniel the pioneer. Of his descend- ants now residing in town there are Pearl Dewey and family, his brother Glenn Dewey, Dea. John Wild and sons John, Jr. and Rev. Levi, and Mrs. William Skinner, daughter of William Rix. The name Rix has disappeared from the town list, the last of the name to die here being Edward, who died in 1907. Daniel Rix is described as being six feet in his stockings and straight as an arrow. He was chosen deacon of the church in 1787. The history of the church shows that he was independent in thought, and tenacious of his opinions. He was liberal in his religious

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

views, too much so for the strictest orthodox members, and the result was complaints that he was "embracing and propagating sentiments contrary to the Gospel." This was in 1814, and the Deacon was not allowed to hold his views in peace until after 1822.

In a marriage record of Coventry, Conn., we are told that Daniel Gilbert of Sharon, Vermont, married Jerusha Benton on Oct. 2, 1772. By this means it is known that Mr. Gilbert was settled in Sharon that year. In March, 1773, he appears in Sharon records as collector. In August, 1776, he was there chosen as one of a committee "to meet in the county to do Busi- ness Respecting the New Government," which shows that he was thought to be a man of judgment and reliability. On Feb. 20, 1777, he was chosen a member of the committee to ask the advice of neighboring ministers in getting a candidate to preach on pro- bation for Sharon and Royalton. The May following he was chosen a "dillicate" to the Convention at Windsor, to be held in June. It was in this Convention that the name "New Connecti- cut," first given to the New Hampshire Grants when they de- clared their independence, was changed to Vermont, and his vote was given for this change. In a memoir of William Gallup by his son, Dr. Joseph A. Gallup, is found a list of delegates to the Convention held at Windsor, July, 1777, for adopting the Con- stitution of Vermont. In this list Daniel Gilbert is credited to Royalton. This is probably a mistake, as his residence at that time seems to have been Sharon. He took the freeman's oath there March 3, 1778, and was elected to the Assembly as repre- sentative that year, and he also represented the town in 1782-83, 1785, and 1791. Sharon sent him to the Convention at Benning- ton, which adopted the Constitution of the United States in 1791. His first appearance in Royalton records is under date of June 28, 1779, when it was voted that, if the town was chartered again, Daniel Gilbert should be accepted as one of the proprietors, and he accordingly became one of the original grantees. He settled on the Dana-West farm, mostly in Sharon. From this time Capt. Gilbert, like Elias Curtis, vibrated between two towns, in his case, Royalton and Sharon. As nearly as can be made out from deeds and other records he was in Sharon between the dates, 1772-79, 1782-91, 1811-1818, and in Royalton the other years between the dates 1779 and 1811. He died in Sharon in 1818, and is buried in the South Royalton cemetery. Soon after the death of his wife in 1799, he bought what is known as the "Pierce Tavern," and removed there, where he kept a hotel and did a thriving business. The house is spoken of in one record as a "red" house, and he left it with much the same appearance as it left the hands of Phineas Pierce, Jr. Capt. Gilbert did not

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

hold so many and important offices in Royalton as he did in Sharon. He was placed on a ministerial committee Dec. 15, 1779. On his return to the fold of Royalton after his sojourn in Sharon, the voters seemed rather shy about putting him into office. It is not until 1793 that he appears as a town officer in the capacity of lister and highway surveyor. In 1796 he was chairman of a committee to estimate the cost of building a bridge over the mouth of the First Branch. In 1799 he was employed as agent to treat with the town of Ellington, Conn., regarding the care of Abial Craw, a man whom the town had supported in his sick- ness. For this service he received $78.67. His name is found in the first list of the town, 1791. His list was £20.10. In 1803 he had prospered to such an extent that he led all in the size of his list, which was $546. He was the only man that had money at interest that year, according to the record, and he owned to having $3333.33. He was last listed in 1810. He was married three times, his last wife surviving him. By his first wife he had no children, but they adopted a niece of his wife, Nancy Benton, who became the wife of Cornelius Goodell. He was a kind father to Nancy, as he was to his step-children, the offspring of his third wife by a former husband. To one of these he deeded "for love" a generous lot of land. His military record will be found under another head. In the "Royalton Alarm" his company of eighteen men pursued the retreating Indians, while Capt. Park- hurst's Company evidently staid at home to guard the town.

The list of families in town as given in the census of 1790 follows. The first figure opposite a name shows the number of free white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of families, the second figure indicates the number of free white males under 16 years, and the third figure stands for the free white females, including heads of families. The spelling as given in the census has not been changed.

Allyn, Silas, 2-4-3; Anderson, Thomas, 1-1-2; Anderson, William, 1-1-2; Back, Lyman, 1-1-3; Backus, Stephen, 1-1-2; Banister, Artimus, 2-0-4; Banister, Timothy, 1-2-3; Bacon, Jarub, 1-1-4; Bacon, Thomas, 2-0-3; Benton, Medad, 2-0-2; Billings, John, 2-2-6; Bingham, Thomas, 3-5-5; Bliss, Jonathan, 3-3-3; Bloyes (Bloss), Reuben, 1-0-2; Boardman, Jo- seph, 2-4-1; Bowen, David, 2-0-2; Brown, Aaron, 1-2-1; Brown, Alexander, 1-1-5; Burbank, Abijah, 1-2-3; Burbank, Abijah, 1-0-2; Burbank, Henry, 1-2-1; Burroughs, John, 1-0-2; Burroughs, Stephen, 1-0-2; Church, Ebenezer, 2-1-3; Clapp, Daniel, 1-1-2; Clapp, Samuel, 1-3-2; Cleaveland, Chester, 1-0-3; Cleaveland, Jedediah, 1-1-4; Cleaveland, Samuel, 1-1-1; Cleaveland, William, 1-0-2; Crane, John, 2-0-0; Crandall, Gideon, 1-2-3; Curtis, Samuel, 2-2-2; Curtis, Zabad, 2-2-2; Dame (Dains), Ebenezer, 1-1-3; Day, Benjamin, 2-2-2; Day, Benjamin, Junr, 1-2-2; Dewey, Darias, 1-1-2; Dewey, Ebenezer, 4-0-2; Dewey, Ebenezer, 1-1-1; Dewey, Pollus, 1-3-2; Dunham, Ebenezer, 1-0-3; Dunham, Jesse, 1-2-3; Durfy, Benjamin, 2-1-4; Durfy, James, 1-2-1; Durkee, Timothy, 1-1-3; Durkee, Hermon (Heman), 3-2-2; Durkee, Timothy, 2-1-2; Dutton, Amasa, 3-3-3; Evins,

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

Cotton, 2-1-1; Fairbanks, Luther, 1-1-6; Fitch, Ebenezer, 1-1-3; Fish, David, 3-5-4; Freeman, Joshua, 2-0-0; Fuller (Tullar?), Daniel, 2-1-2; Gates, Rosimond, 0-1-5; Gilbert, Nathaniel, 1-0-0; Green, Adrijah (Irijah), 1-1-2; Havens, Daniel, 1-1-2; Havens, Joseph, 1-2-4; Havens, Robert, 1-1-1; Hibbard, James, 4-0-2; Hibbard, John, 1-3-5; How, Samuel, 1-2-1; How, Squire, 1-1-4; How, Theodore, 1-3-5; Hutchinson, John, 2-0-4; Kent, Elisha, 1-2-2; Kent, Elisha, 1-1-2; Kimball, Jared, 1-0-2; Kimball, John, 2-1-3; Kimball, John, 1-2-5; Kimball, Richard, 1-0-3; Kingsley, Elias, 1-0-1; Kinney, Bradford, 2-0-4; Lion, Zebulon, 1-3-2; Lyman, Asa, 1-0-2; Lyman, Eliphalet, 1-0-1; Lyman, Daniel, 1-0-2; Lyman, Ezekiel, 2-0-3; Lyman, Samuel, 1-2-1; Lyman, William, 1-0-2; Medcalf, Samuel, 2-0-2; Miles, Ephraim, 1-3-2; Morgin, Isaac, 1-3-4; Morgin, Nathan, 1-2-5; Morse, Nathaniel, 1-0-3; Munroe, Isaac, 1-3-1; Nobles, Nehemiah, 1-4-2; Page, Nathan, 1-2-2; Palmer, Paul, 1-3-1; Parkhurst, Benjamin, 1-3-5; Parkhurst, Calvin, 3-1-5; Parkhurst, Jabez, 2-0-4; Park- hurst, Joseph, 2-1-5; Parkhurst, Tilley, 1-1-2; Parks, John, 2-1-1; Paul, Hibbs (Kiles), 1-3-2; Perrin, Asa, 1-0-3; Perrin, Asa, 1-3-1; Perrin, Nathaniel, 1-0-2; Pierce, Jeddediah, 3-3-4; Pierce, Nathaniel, 2-1-1; Pierce, Palmer, 1-3-1; Pierce, Willard, 1-2-2; Pinney, Asa, 1-2-3; Reed, Nathaniel, 1-2-2; Richardson, Godfrey, n 1-2-3; Richardson, Jesse, 1-2-3; Richardson, Sanford, 1-1-2; Rix, Daniel, 4-0-3; Rugg, David, 1-1-2; Rust, Jeremiah, 1-1-2; Safford, Jacob, 1-0-2; Serls, Samuel, 1-2-2; Serls, John, 2-0-3; Sever, Comfort, 1-0-1; Sheppard, Timothy, 3-1-1; Skinner, Isaac, 1-1-2; Skinner, Luther, 1-1-1; Smith, Mary, 0-1-4; Stevens, Abel, 2-1-6; Stevens, Elias, 3-2-8; Sylvester, Seth, 2-2-1; Taylor, Elnathan, 1-0-2; Terry, Daniel, 1-0-3; Stone, Nathan, 1-1-2; Triscott, Experience, 1-0-2; Triscott, Jeremiah, 1-2-4; Waller, John, 1-0-0; Warriner, John, 1-0-3; Washburn, Asahel, 1-0-1; Waterman, Abraham, 1-4-2; Waterman, Wil- liam, 1-1-1; Wells, Ebenezer, 1-0-6; Wells, Jonathan, 1-0-2; Williams, Silas, 1-4-3; Wheeler, Josiah, 1-5-3; Woodward, Ebenezer, 1-1-4; Wood- worth, Timothy, 1-3-4; Young, Ebenezer, 1-3-2.

CHAPTER VIII.

EARLY MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.

We pride ourselves on our advance in civilization, and some- times think with pity of our forefathers, who were content to live their simple lives, who could find abundant enjoyment in their homely duties, and were not daily seeking some new diver- sion, some new discovery, or some new method of rapidly acquir- ing wealth. If we have gained in some respects, are we sure that we have not lost in others ?

How do the social gatherings of the present compare with the old-time days of cheer and jollity ? It is true that there was not so much time for relaxation then, but, for that reason, per- haps it was all the more enjoyed and appreciated. Each season brought its round of social festivities. In early fall, there was the husking party in some large barn. The floor was cleared and well swept, and made suitable for the seats of the fair maid- ens, who were to sit on bundles of cornstalks, and deftly strip the dry, yielding husks from the golden ears. Each maid must be wary, for, if by chance a red ear is spied in her hand, she must pay the forfeit to the one whose quick eye first detects it. As the ripe fruit bounds, ear by ear, into the baskets or on a pile, the merry jest goes round, and the laughter of youths and maidens scares the tiny mice from their hiding places, and then what a scampering of feet, mingled with feminine shrieks of real or assumed fear!

After the shocks of corn have all been denuded of their fruit- age, comes the bountiful repast, the delicious cooking of the skill- ful housewife; no fancy dishes served a la mode, but good old fashioned cakes, cookies, pies and doughnuts, passed around on pewter platters, for each to take just what he likes best, and all he wants. Last of all the barn floor is once more cleared and swept, and then follow the old games, in which, perchance, there is a little too much running and saluting, but better in the open than on the sly. They begin early, and are all at home and asleep before the striking of the midnight hour.

The apple parings were somewhat similar, except the gath- erings were in the house. Two or more young men would bring

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

out the apple parers, fastened to one end of a board, and plac- ing the board in a chair, sit on it to keep it in place, then select an apple, fasten it to the fork of the parer, take the specially constructed knife in the left hand, and beginning at the blossom end, deftly move the knife over the surface of the fruit, while, with the right, they turned the crank that made it revolve. Off went the sheared apple into a tray, and a ready worker seized it, quartered it, and snatched the next one as it bounded into her dish. A third person cored the quarters, which were handed to still another, who was armed with a long wire or needle, bent over at one end, to which a long piece of twine was attached, and it was her business to string the apple quite in the middle of each piece, so that it would not break off, and when the string was filled, its two ends were fastened together, and the skein of apples was taken by still another worker, and fastened to a wooden frame for drying. The young men in their awkward attempts to help or hinder had to endure the raillery and mock reproofs of their fair companions. Both sexes had a part in these recreations, though they may seem more like work than play.

The quiltings were the especial pride of the feminine part of society. They often betokened an approaching wedding, and then what an opportunity for discussing the prospects of the bride-to-be! One set of quilting frames sometimes did duty for a whole neighborhood, and when a boy was seen carrying them by a house, all the women therein began to speculate on the proba- bility of their having an invitation to the quilting. Some quilt- ings were very select. It would not do to ask everybody, unless the owner of the quilt was indifferent to the length and quality of the stitches. Then, too, swiftness was considered, for it was desirable to get the quilt off in one day, or perhaps, in one after- noon. If the four working on one side were slow, then the swift ones on the other would have to roll up their side oftener, and it was best to keep the two sides even. There was often much keen rivalry to see which side would be ready "to roll" first. The lines had to be straight, and the chalked string held by two and snapped so as to leave a mark, was in constant demand. When the last stitch had been taken, the bars were quickly un- rolled, out came the pins holding the quilt in place, and it was shaken and ready for the binding. The supper crowning the work was, generally, a marvel of good things, and recipes were freely interchanged.

Donation parties were the especial privilege of the minister. It was an easy way, sometimes the only one of paying church dues. Though much has been said about these parties contrib- uting undesirable additions to the larder of the minister's wife,

HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

and subtracting therefrom what they could not well spare, yet generally they were the reverse of this, and much appreciated by the pastor and his family, and looked forward to with pleasant anticipations. Just as one has a feeling of excited curiosity when he puts his hand in a grab bag, so the minister and his helpmeet grew light-hearted and joyous over the discovery of valuable gifts in the neatly tied bundles. It brought pastor and people into closer touch with each other, and was not, by any means, wholly one-sided.

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History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 10

Author: Lovejoy, Mary Evelyn Wood, 1847- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Burlington, Vt., Free press printing company Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Lovejoy, Mary Evelyn Wood, 1847-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Burlington, Vt., Free press printing company
Number of Pages: 1280