USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Royalton > History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911 > Part 30
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On Oct. 13, 1800, the Assembly considered a petition from Joel Marsh, Elias Stevens, and George Dana "praying that the Legislature will pass an act granting to them and their asso- ciates the exclusive privilege of making a Turnpike Road from the mouth, and on the northerly side of White River as near said River as may be, through Hartford, a corner of Pomfret and Sharon, to the mouth of the second branch in White River in Royalton, being about twenty one miles." The bill was referred to a committee, of which Jacob Smith was a member. This com- mittee reported that it ought to pass, and it received the ap- proval of the governor and council Nov. 1, 1800. Elias Stevens and Elias Curtis were appointed a committee by the company, to survey the road. They completed the survey to Sharon Nov. 11. The survey in Royalton began at the old Sharon line forty-seven rods from the center of the road by George Dana's horse sheds, and extended to the bank of the river, passing Capt. Gilbert's house two miles from Sharon line, running on to Isaac Morgan's, 148 rods, then 122 rods to Flint's potash works, then 68 rods to the lower end of Cotton Evans' meadow, then 258 rods to the south side of the meeting-house, then 211 rods to Capt. Skinner's house, then 341 rods to Benjamin Park- hurst's house.
Two gates were allowed, which were to be open when no one was attending them. One of these gates was on Sharon line. The corporation was liable for damages on account of defective roads or bridges. Commutation was allowed by paying a cer- tain sum monthly or yearly. At each gate were to be sign
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boards with the rates of toll, and if a stingy man tried to avoid the toll by driving around the gate, he was to be fined. Toll was not exacted of those going to or from public worship, or to or from any grist or saw mill, or on military duty, or on ordi- nary domestic duties. Accounts were to be laid before the Supreme Court every fifteen years, and when expenses and in- terest at the rate of twelve per cent were paid, the Court had power to dissolve the corporation, and vest the property of the road in the State.
Royalton seems generally to have had very peaceable rela- tions with this corporation for fifty odd years. This harmony was doubtless due to the fact, that there were no bridges to maintain. The selectmen drew an order in favor of Daniel Woodward for $30, on Aug. 20, 1844, "it being the sum he paid the road commissioners for sitting on the subject of White River turnpike this month, as per order of court." This would in- dicate that there was a little breeze of discord at that time. Fifty years is long enough to change the personnel of any organiza- tion, and the conditions under which it was formed. Many of the turnpike corporations had ceased to exist before 1850, and it is very likely that toll had ceased to be exacted rigidly in the later years of their existence. On Jan. 1, 1852, the White River Turnpike Company met at Sharon and voted, that when Hart- ford, Sharon, and Royalton or their agents should pay $30, or any one of the towns should pay $10, they should be entitled to the turnpike road in such town. George Lyman was chosen agent to close and finish up the business with the power of di- rector.
There had been some tentative negotiations before this, for a special meeting was called Sep. 2, 1851, when it was voted to take the turnpike "on the same principles that the towns of Hartford & Sharon have by paying the nominal sum of ten dol- lars, and instruct the selectmen to repair the same and divide it into Highway Districts." George Lyman as agent for the corporation receipted for the ten dollars received at the hand of Forest Adams, selectman, March 24, 1852, and this turnpike was a thing of the past in Royalton.
The petition of Charles Marsh and Levi Mower and their associates for a turnpike from Woodstock Court House to the meeting-house in Royalton was granted Nov. 6, 1800. The con- ditions of this turnpike were almost identical with those of the preceding. A part of the toll rates were "for every four- wheeled pleasure carriage drawn by one beast, thirty cents- for each wagon or cart drawn by two beasts, fifteen cents-for each sled or sleigh drawn by two beasts, twelve cents-for all horses, mules, or neat cattle led or driven, besides those in teams or carriages, one cent each.
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By some strange oversight the survey of this turnpike is not recorded in Royalton. The subsequent alterations are found. The turnpike entered Royalton in 25 Large Allotment, and ran through lots 25, 24, 28, 27, 26, 30, and across the bridge at "Foxville" a little farther down stream than the present bridge.
Other members of the corporation not named were Jacob Smith, William Leverett, Zebulon Lyon, and Stephen Jacob. The first meeting was to be held at Joel Dickenson's in Royalton on the second Monday of December, 1800. Three years were allowed for completing the road to the acceptance of the judges of the County Court. Two toll gates were allowed, and the company could erect others, but not exact additional toll.
To placate Pomfret and Woodstock, which towns did not take kindly to the turnpike, considerable favoritism was allowed at the toll gate near Daniel Dana's in Woodstock. In the course of events David Bosworth in 1838 was appointed gate keeper. The gate had been open a part of the time before his advent, but Mr. Bosworth was going to live up to the law in let- ter and spirit, and seemed to think that "domestic concerns" had been given too broad an interpretation. Accordingly, he exacted toll of every one. Naturally, this course created a stir and opposition. Mr. Dana in his History of Woodstock says, "On one side was a powerful party consisting of the town of Woodstock and the people living adjacent thereto, and on the other side was a powerful party, consisting of David Bosworth." And Mr. Bosworth won out, setting up the toll gate when the authorities tore it down, and continuing placidly to exact toll with impartiality.
There was a good deal of dissatisfaction in Royalton re- garding this turnpike, and the condition of the bridge over the river which it was to support. The road does not seem to have been a paying investment, and it was not kept in proper repair, the bridge becoming really unsafe. The company tried to avoid responsibility by changing its route and crossing the bridge at the center of the town. Their right to do this was questioned, but finally at a meeting Sep. 9, 1830, the town voted, "That if the Royalton & Woodstock Turnpike company will lay out & support their road across the bridge over White River near Royalton Meeting house & support sd Bridge as part of sd turnpike the town of Royalton will pay the sum of twenty five Dollars annually for the term of twenty years to said com- pany towards the support of sd Bridge." On the 13th of the same month Edwin Edgerton as sole director of said company accepted the proposition, and became bound to support the bridge.
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A legislative act of 1839 made it within the power of the supreme court and county courts to take the turnpikes whenever the public good required them for public highways. The pe- tition of Titus Hutchinson and ninety-nine others for a free road from the house of Jacob Fox, "crossing the bridge over the river and coming on the present Turnpike road as much of the way as shall be necessary, laying out new routes by some of the steep hills, laying the same through a part of Royalton, Barnard, Pomfret and Woodstock to the Court House Common in Wood- stock," came up in the May term of court at Woodstock in 1841. The petitioners were represented by Titus Hutchinson, and the Turnpike Company by Tracy & Converse, Royalton by the Hon. J. S. Marcy. The company asked that the petition be dismissed, on the ground that the road was to run over the whole route of the turnpike, but they were overruled, and ex- ceptions were taken. A committee was appointed to lay out a road, if they should think the public good required it. They did so, their report was accepted at the November term, exceptions were taken, the report was recommitted, and ordered to be brought in at the next term. The petitioners were allowed to amend their petition so that the road should begin at the meet- ing-house, as it stood in 1800.
The company made a list of eighteen objections, the chief being, that the report showed no need of a new highway, that the legislative act under which the commissioners acted was void and unconstitutional, the damages too small, there was no serv- ice of said petition, and no notice to appear in court, all of which were overruled, and the road ordered to be open by May 1, 1842. The turnpike died hard, but it was dead.
The lack of a recorded survey of this turnpike may, per- haps, be explained by a reference to Zebulon Lyon's letter in reply to an inquiry in 1810 of the Surveyor General regarding the accuracy of maps and surveys. Mr. Lyon wrote that the turnpike in almost every instance was the same as the old road, except straightened where there were short brooks. The old road was laid out in 1793, and the places then mentioned were Joseph Bowman's, Luther Fairbanks', and Abel Stevens'. When the turnpike took the risk of the center bridge, a new survey was made. Beginning at the foot of the hill south of David Williams', it ran 122 rods to Williams' line, 200 rods to the gulf, 110 rods to the Ross house, 96 rods to the Rix bridge, 84 rods to the Rix road, 66 rods to E. Parkhurst's land, 31 rods to the schoolhouse, into the county road, and so on to the meet- ing-house in Royalton village. In 1838, after the town had built a bridge at "Foxville," a new survey began at the same place as before, extending 236 rods to a point opposite E. Rix's
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barn, 76 rods to the top of the hill, 214 rods to the bridge, across it, then 26 rods to the White River Turnpike. Of course from this time the town would not pay the $25 yearly agreed upon for the support of the center bridge, as the com- pany had turned back to its old route.
The Center Turnpike Company was incorporated in 1800, Nov. 4, extending from Middlebury to the courthouse in Wood- stock, and also a road was to leave "the aforesaid road at the most convenient place, and to extend to the mouth of the sec- ond branch of the White River in the town of Royalton." One gate was to be allowed on the extension to Royalton. The Royalton and Woodstock Turnpike seems to have served the purpose of this extension. The Center company had a survey made of the White River branch Nov. 8, 1806. It began a few rods east of the Second Branch where the White River and Randolph turnpikes met, and extended up the river as the old road ran to Samuel Wheeler's, past Joseph Bowman's, the houses of John Bliss and Thomas Bacon, crossing the road at the last point, then on to Bethel line. Jesse Williams was the surveyor. This gave an extension towards West Bethel.
Leonard Farewell was a prominent member of the Randolph Turnpike Company. He had to wait a year before he suc- ceeded in obtaining a charter. The road was incorporated Nov. 8, 1805. The Legislature appointed Elias Stevens, Cor- nelius Lynde, and Nathaniel Wheatley as commissioners to lay out the road. The survey was made on the 20th of the same month. It began at the north end of the White River Turn- pike, five rods south of Jacob Fox's, near the mouth of the Second Branch, and extended to Bethel line, then on through Bethel and into Randolph. Daniel Paine was the surveyor. It seems to have followed the old road up the Second Branch, with one exception. John Kimball was the only one receiving any damages, and he was to have $35 if the old road was discon- tinued, otherwise, $60.
The following attested by Leonard Farewell, clerk of the Randolph Turnpike Company, is recorded in the town records under date of Nov. 30, 1833: "At a meeting of all the pro- prietors & owners of the Randolph Turnpike holden at the house of Jacob Fox in Royalton in the County of Windsor on the 18th day of November 1833 voted unanimously by the pro- prietors of sd Turnpike that they from this time surrender up their charter of incorporation & surrender up sd Road to the public agreeable to an act of the Legislature of the State of Vermont Passed on the sixth day of November 1833."
The fordways in Royalton were an important part of its road system for twenty or more years. It is very likely that the
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Indians in their journeys up and down the river had already left a trail indicating some of them. Perhaps the one used by the first settler, Robert Havens, was one later spoken of in 1792 as leading from Nathaniel Morse's to Daniel Rix's. It was 259 rods south of the mouth of the First Branch.
The first mention of any fordway in the records is that of the "old fort fordway" in 1781, when the pound was located west of it. It must have been used as early as the building of the fort in 1776. It is still an available fordway for the town. It was surveyed on the south side of the river in 1797, on the line between Elisha Kent, Jr., and Joseph Safford. It was sur- veyed on the north side in 1829. It was discontinued Jan. 15, 1849, on condition that, if the public convenience required it at any time, the selectmen were to have the right to open it, and the town would not be liable for damages to those owning the premises. The last time that it was re-opened was during the building of the new iron bridge at South Royalton.
The Durkee fordway and the Handy fordway are referred to in 1782. What seems to be the former was surveyed in 1795. It began on the line between Isaac Skinner's and Jacob Saf- ford's, on the road from Daniel Clapp's to Darius Dewey's, run- ning to the south bank of the river, across it into the road by the meeting-house. This is generally called the "Rix ford- way." It must have been used from the earliest days, as it was not far from this fordway that Benjamin Parkhurst settled. The Handy fordway is described as being one rod above Stevens bridge. One might think this received its name from the heroine, Mrs. Hendee, but it is referred to as at the "hendy lot." It is impossible to connect this lot with any land belonging to Robert Handy. He may have lived near the Milo Dewey place before the land was allotted under the Vermont charter, as Robert Havens lived on the George Cowdery place. Perhaps they took "squatters' rights," as so many others did in those days.
One other fordway is mentioned as early as 1792, then called a fordway to Pinney's, which is probably the same as the one near John Marshall's, now the home of Mrs. John Hinkley. A fordway still earlier mentioned was connected with a second, the two lying at opposite ends of an island. These are named first in a deed of 1787, given by Calvin Parkhurst, when he sold a four-acre island located between a fordway called "Shorts intervail fordway" and the one leading from Zebulon Lyon's to John Kent's. The course of the river and the islands in it have changed so much that it is difficult to verify the places mentioned, but this island seems to have been partly in the rear of the common in Royalton village, extending above the present
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bridge. No trace of "Short" has been found, and it may have been a nickname, or he may have rented land. This island ap- pears to have come into the possession of Dr. Denison. The Lyman fordway referred to so frequently may have been the upper one of these two, which is thought to be the one near Mr. George Joy's in the village. There was surely one fordway, at least, leading to the center of the town, as Mr. Lamb, in re- porting on places for building a bridge refers to it.
Another fordway of which little, if any, mention is made in deeds and surveys, is the one where Tilly Parkhurst lived at the time of the Indian raid, and where his son, Phineas, was shot by the Indians, when he attempted to cross White river. This has later been known as the James Williams fordway. The Williams farm is now owned by Mrs. Della H. Tenney.
It is not likely that the town would survey and maintain any considerable number of fordways. That did not prevent the use of what might be called private fordways, of which, no doubt, there were several, and of which no record has been found.
Elias Lyman, a merchant at Hartford, was a middleman for the transmission to Boston by boat of farm products for the surrounding towns. White river empties into the Con- necticut at Hartford, and it occurred to some enterprising heads in Royalton that it would be a good thing to have water com- munication with the Connecticut river, and thus increase facili- ties of transportation. Accordingly, the legislature in October, 1796, was petitioned by Elkanah Stevens, Daniel Gilbert, and Jacob Smith, all of Royalton, for a grant to them of the ex- clusive privilege of locking White river from its mouth as far as the meeting-house in Royalton. The petition was referred to a joint committee, and allowed to lie until the next session in February, when it was favorably considered by the Assembly, but the Governor and Council decided it should be put over until the following session. The petition was granted and the bill concurred in, Nov. 1, 1797. A part of the bill reads as follows :
"It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont. That Elkanah Stevens, Daniel Gilbert, Jacob Smith and their associates, be and they hereby are formed into, constituted and made a body politic and corporate, by the name of 'The Company for Locking White River,' and they and their successors, and such other persons as shall be hereafter admitted members of said company, shall be, and continue a body politic and corporate, by the same name forever. And the said com- pany shall have the exclusive privilege of erecting and con- tinuing locks on White river in the State of Vermont, in such places as they think necessary, from the mouth of white river
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.
up said stream, as far as Royalton meeting house, under the fol- lowing limitations and restrictions."
The company was to forfeit all rights if the work was not completed in ten years. Toll for loaded boats was to be twenty cents a ton, and the same for every thousand feet of boards and timber. How much work was ever done on this system of lock- ing, and, if completed, how long it was operative, has not been learned. Mr. Stevens became involved, and it may be that the enterprise was abandoned, but it shows the wide-awake spirit of the men who were working for the upbuilding of the town.
CHAPTER XVIII.
BRIDGES.
It is likely that some small bridges were built by individuals before the Indian raid. If the construction of any of the larger bridges was discussed, it would have appeared in the records of the proprietors, which were burned in that catastrophe. The Connecticut Courant was for a time the paper patronized by Vermonters for their advertisements. In it Vermont advertised at one time a State lottery, and through it she sent out her "Appeal to the World." In this same paper Comfort Sever, Justice of the Peace, on July 11, 1780, three months before the raid, gave notice of a proprietors' meeting to be holden at the house of Lieut. Elias "Stephens" on the second Tuesday of September at 1 o'clock, to choose officers and "to see if the proprietors will build a bridge across the first branch." What- ever their action was, the project was delayed for nearly two years.
The first bridges to be built in town were over the smaller streams. The river was fordable in various places, and the ex- pense of a bridge across it was too heavy for the comparatively few settlers previous to 1784. So we find that the earliest men- tion of bridges, dated Mar. 21, 1782, dealt with the building of the smaller bridges. This was the day of their regular town meeting, and it was voted to raise two pence on the acre on all the land in the town except public land and the undivided land for the use of building three bridges, one half to be paid Oct. 1, 1782, and the other half to be paid Oct. 1, 1783. The money was to be paid to the committee or collector in hard money or labor. Benjamin Parkhurst, John Hibbard, Lieut. Durkee, Mr. Rix, Lieut. Parkhurst, and Lieut. Stevens were the committee to see that the bridges were built. Elias Curtis did not wait for the committee to act, but erected a bridge at his own lot, per- haps near where the second bridge is, over the First Branch above Pierce's Mills. He owned 34 and 39 Dutch. The voters met again August 8th to see about hiring a minister, and at this time they voted to relinquish the taxes of Mr. Curtis for build- ing this bridge on his lot. They also chose Huckens Storrs,
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Robert Havens and Joseph Havens a committee to build the bridge or oversee the work at the mills of Mr. Storrs.
The three bridges were not completed Mar. 27, 1783, when it was voted to accept the report of the committee, and their amounts for building the three bridges, the total being £135. The committee was to stand good and finish the bridges. On Christmas day of that year the committee were instructed to add to their accounts the labor done in raising the bridges, and on June 19, 1784, a committee of three, all of whom were on the building committee, were chosen to adjust the accounts of the building committee. It found that the town was in debt £22. 19. This was to be raised on "the Poles and Raitable Estates. "
On Jan. 6, 1784, the committee that had built the three bridges, except Mr. Durkee, was chosen to draw up a subscrip- tion paper to see what could be obtained towards building a bridge across White river. It would seem that the efforts of this committee were not very fruitful. It must be remembered that the town was erecting a house for the minister, and laying out new roads, and had just built three bridges, probably over the two branches. The town records do not show it, but the selectmen chosen in 1783 petitioned the Legislature Feb. 28, 1784, for permission to raise the money for the proposed bridge by lottery. Lotteries were so common for building roads and bridges, that they were scarcely thought of then as wrong in principle or harmful in practice. Yet they had to conform to law, and be legalized by legislative enactment. The following bill was passed March 2, 1784 :
"That the Selectmen of the town of Royalton, in Windsor County, which shall be chosen in the present year, have liberty to raise by way of lottery, a sum not exceeding one hundred and forty pounds, for the purpose of building a bridge over White River in said town, about twenty rods below a place commonly known by the name of the Handy Fordway, under such regulations as the authority in said town shall direct; they the Selectmen giving sufficient bonds to said authority for the faithful performance of their trust. And, that it be understood that this State are in no wise accountable for the same."
The bridge place had been selected some time before, as the road surveys of May 24, 1783, refer to the "bridge place." This site was not far from the site first selected for a meeting house, and had the advantage of rocky projections on either side of the river, making the stream narrow at that point, and fur- nishing a solid foundation for the abutments.
The next notice of the bridge is dated Aug. 9, 1785, when it was voted that the tickets of the Royalton bridge lottery so- called that remained unsold at the close of the drawing of the lottery should be at the "risque" of the town. And again on
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Nov. 29th Elias Curtis, Lieut. Lyon, and Major Calvin Park- hurst were chosen a committee to take charge of all the tickets that should remain unsold at day of drawing, for use of the town. How successful this lottery was, we shall probably never know, but it is quite evident that it did not net the necessary amount for building the bridge, for on April 17, 1786, it was voted to try to raise the remainder of the money for building the bridge over White river by subscription, and if the whole of the money that the managers of the lottery were bound to pay for said bridge more than was already raised could not be raised by subscription in six months, then the subscription was to be null and void, and the same was to be raised on the polls and ratable estates of the inhabitants of the town to be paid in wheat at six shillings a bushel by the first day of November, 1787. On Mar. 16th previously, the proprietors had voted "That the proprietors will give all the money that is in the hand of the Perdential Comitt for the use of Building or help building a Bridge over white River in Royalton near the handy fordway and that the Manargers of Royalton Lottry give Bond to sd Committee for their faithfull performance in Laying out the money on sd Bridg." Lieut. Lyon, Deacon Fish, and Benja- min Day were chosen a committee "to call on the Perdential Commt for the money that is in their hands, and the perdential Comtt are Ordered to Deliver it to the Above Comt and the sd Lion fish and Day are Ordered to Delivered to the Manergers of Royalton Lottry and take Bonds of sd Manergers for the same that it shall be Laid out on sd Bridg that is Mentioned in the second vote of this Meeting." Not enough funds were yet collected, and the next September the town voted to pay to the managers of the lottery the grain collected for the men for raising the large bridge over White river to the amount of 195 days' work. They chose John Hibbard, Esquire Curtis, and Elias Stevens a committee to examine Mr. Wilcox's accounts in regard to said bridge, and make report to the town.
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