History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 65

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 65

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"1803, June 24-Mr. Anseen (?) Preached a Sarmon to the Free- masons."

"1808, June 9-Mr. Catling made an oration at freemasons meet- ing."

This led to the question, "Was there a Masonic organization in. Royalton earlier than the charter indicates?" Mr. H. H. Ross, Grand Secretary of Vermont, replied to the question as follows :

"So far as I can ascertain from the records in this office, Federal Lodge, No. 15, of Randolph was chartered Oct. 17, 1798, and thereafter Royalton was within its jurisdiction. George Washington Lodge, No. 24, of Chelsea was chartered Jan. 18, 1804. If Royalton was nearer this latter lodge than to Federal Lodge, it would come under the juris- diction of George Washington Lodge until the granting of a charter to Rising Sun Lodge, Oct. 6, 1807. I should presume, however, that Federal Lodge still retained jurisdiction over Royalton. Undoubtedly, Masons belonging to Federal Lodge resided in Royalton, and occasional meetings may have been held there. Such arrangements were some- times entered into."

ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR. RISING SUN CHAPTER, NO. 12.

Contributed by Mrs. E. J. Fish.

What is known as the Order of the Eastern Star was intro- duced into Vermont by the founder, Robert Morris, LL. D. The exact date is not known, but Dr. Morris travelled extensively in New England before 1860, and conferred the degrees of the "Adoptive Rite of Freemasonry," as it was called, prior to one of his visits to the Holy Land, and appointed delegates to con- tinue his work of the Eastern Star thus begun. Of these depu- ties two only are known to be alive at this date, and both are honorary Grand Patrons of the Grand Chapter, William H. Ful- lerton of Manchester Depot, and A. H. Copeland, a former citi- zen of Middlebury, now a member of the Star of Bethlehem Chapter, No. 114, Jurisdiction of Illinois. These brethren per- formed considerable labors in this state, and have left the record of several "families" established at Waterbury and Barton, only one of which, Mignonette, afterward became a chapter under the name of "Orient," No. 13, Barton. The first regular chapter organized was Mt. Anthony, No. 1, Bennington, December 21, 1869, which is still in existence.

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

Chapters rapidly followed in Vermont the institution of the Grand Chapter of New York, Nov. 3, 1870, until six came to- gether at Brandon, Nov. 12, 1873, and established the Grand Chapter of Vermont. Numbers 1 and 3 are the only chapters now in existence which participated in the convention.

Three steps had thus been taken: (a) conferring degrees in Masonic Lodges on Masons, their wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers; (b) the organization of these members-at-large into "families"; (c) the reorganization of the whole order into chap- ters, under a Grand Chapter.

During the late '50's of the nineteenth century, Doctor Mor- ris had attempted the first completed system of the Eastern Star, . under a "Supreme Constellation," with a very ornate Ritual which involved an almost incalculable amount of money properly to exemplify, but this proposal was of short duration, and it was left to the Founder's assistant, the late Robert Macoy of New York City, in 1866 and onward, to evolve the chapter system as now known. This scheme was successful.

The Grand Chapter of Vermont established in 1873 entered at once upon its successful career, so that at its second meeting, June 3, 1874, prospects of several additional chapters were re- ported to support the original six. At the fourth session held at Putney with Golden Rule Chapter, No. 3, June 7, 1876, the Grand Patron reported that, "June 17, 1875, I commissioned Brother J. W. Metcalf of South Royalton to constitute Rising Sun Chapter, No. 12, and install its officers. He performed that duty and returned his commission, with his proceedings thereon indorsed." At this session of 1876 the chapter was represented by Mrs. Joanna Culver, Worthy Matron, and she held the proxy of the Worthy Patron. J. W. Metcalf received the appointment of Grand Marshal, and was installed.

While the Grand Chapter records of the early years are quite meagre, and do not always agree with the files of docu- ments preserved in the archives, fortunately many interesting papers have been preserved, from which extracts are made as follows :

The dispensation bears the date of April 5, 1875, for a chap- ter at Royalton. The officers were, Mary M. Bailey, Worthy Matron; Joanna M. Culver, Associate Matron; John W. Met- calf, Worthy Patron. In 1877 William W. Culver as Worthy Patron, and his wife, Mrs. Joanna Culver, as Worthy Matron, represented the chapter at the annual session of the Grand Chapter. In 1878, at Bennington, Mr. Culver was elected Grand Patron and served two years, being re-elected in 1879. As Grand Patron his name is signed to charters of Diamond, No. 14, Dan- ville, and Beulah, No. 15, Randolph, a normal growth under his administration.

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

The charter of the Royalton Chapter follows : "ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR.

'We have seen His Star in the East and are come to worship Him.' To all to whom these Presents may come-Greeting:

In the name and by the Authority of the GRAND CHAPTER OF THE STATE OF VERMONT, ADOPTIVE RITE, known by the distinctive title of the

ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR.

Whereas, a Petition has been Presented to us by Sisters Hattie V. Metcalf, Pamelia A. Boyd, Gertie C. Stoughton, Joanna M. Culver, Mary M. Bailey, Lucretia Hinckley, Lizzie R. Henry, A. C. Freeman, Annette W. Lyman, Ella R. Thatcher, Susan H. Pierce, Sarah P. Eastman, Martha J. Dupuis, Lucy B. Kilburn, Mary N. Pierce, Laura C. Inman, K. R. Skinner, Ella P. Skinner, Annie Skinner, Laura Smith, Annette L. Quimby, who having received, in a legal manner, all the DEGREES OF the ORDER, and being the Wives, Widows, Sisters and Daughters of Master Masons in good standing in their respective Lodges, praying for a Warrant authorizing them to establish a Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, under the title of Rising Sun Chapter, No. 12, to be held in Royalton, County Windsor, State of Vermont, and it appear- ing for the interest of the Adoptive Rite that their petition should be granted,

Know Ye, that we, the Grand Patron, Grand Matron, Associate Grand Patron, and Associate Grand Matron, by the authority of the Grand Chapter, do hereby grant the prayer of said petitioners, and that the organization may be complete do appoint Brother John W. Metcalf a Master Mason, Worthy Patron; Sister Mary M. Bailey Worthy Matron, and Sister Joanna M. Culver Associate Matron of said Chapter.

And we do further authorize and empower said Patron, Matron and Sisters to confer the Five Degrees of the Adoptive Rite, according to the ceremonial and lectures approved by the Grand Chapter, upon all worthy applicants possessiong the constitutional qualifications for the same. And we do further authorize and empower our said Sisters and their legal successors, to do and perform all and singular matters and things relative to the Adoptive Rite within the jurisdiction of said Chapter. And they are further authorized to elect and reject appli- cants at their discretion; By and with the consent and assistance of a majority of the members of said Chapter present upon such occasions, duly summoned, to Elect and Install the Officers of the Chapter, as vacancies may happen, in manner and form as is or may be prescribed by the Constitution of the Grand Chapter of the State.

Given under our hands and the seal of the Grand Chapter this Second day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five. A. L. Robinson Grand Patron.

J. S. Batchelder Associate Grand Patron.

Mary S. Scranton Grand Matron.

Mary C. Deming Associate Grand Matron.

S. J. Young Grand Secretary."

As nearly as I can ascertain the following persons served Rising Sun Chapter as Patron and Matron: John W. Metcalf, elected Worthy Patron in 1875; Mary M. Bailey, elected Worthy Matron in 1875, re-elected in 1876; Willard Bailey, elected Worthy Patron in 1876; William W. Culver, Worthy Patron in 1877 ; Joanna Culver, Worthy Matron in 1877; Joseph W. Waldo,

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

Worthy Patron, and Nettie M. Waldo, Worthy Matron, dates uncertain.

In 1887 Rising Sun Chapter failed to make its report to the Grand Chapter. On March 8th, 1900, it was reinstated at South Royalton with five of the old members and twenty-six new ones. After lying dormant for more than a dozen years it started off anew with more than thirty members, and has ever since been a bright star in the constellation. Beulah Chapter, itself insti- tuted by Rising Sun Chapter, exemplified the work. This chap- ter had been instrumental in the restoration of Rising Sun Chap- ter, and it was eminently fitting that it should perform this im- portant part of the work. Joseph W. Waldo was elected Worthy Patron, which office he held until his death in 1903. Mrs. Eliza L. Fish was elected Worthy Matron. Dr. E. J. Fish was elected Worthy Patron in December, 1903, and still holds that office. Mrs. Jennie Hewitt was elected Worthy Matron in 1904, and Mrs. Nettie Sargent in 1906. In 1908 Mrs. Carrie Hazen, who had served the chapter as its faithful secretary for eight years, was elected Worthy Matron.

Rising Sun Chapter now has a membership of 71 members. It has been well represented in the Grand Chapter through all its active life. In 1876 John W. Metcalf was appointed Grand Marshal. In 1878 William W. Culver was elected Grand Patron. In 1904 Mrs. Eliza L. Fish was appointed District Deputy Grand Matron. In 1903 Dr. E. J. Fish was appointed D. D. Grand Patron. In 1905 Mrs. J. H. Hewitt was appointed Grand Mar- tha, and in 1908 Mrs. Carrie Hazen was Grand Ruth. Thus Rising Sun has been well represented in the Grand Chapter of Vermont, was entitled to a seat in the General Grand Chapter of the United States through its Grand Representative, Mrs. E. J. Fish, in 1904.

Perhaps the most eventful and successful convocation of the Order of the Eastern Star ever held in the Masonic Hall at South Royalton was the annual convocation of District No. 3, in 1908. Mrs. S. B. Buell, D. G. M., of So. Strafford, and Mr. Charles F. Wood, D. G. P., of Woodstock, presiding. The chap- ters in District No. 3 are, Ascutney, No. 2, Windsor ; Rising Sun, No. 12, South Royalton; Winona, No. 43, White River Junction ; Woodstock, No. 46, Woodstock; Unity, No. 49, South Strafford; Hope, No. 50, Rochester.

Rising Sun Chapter entertained the several chapters and exemplified the opening ceremony. Other chapters performed the ritualistic work assigned them by the Deputy Grand Matron, Mrs. S. B. Buell. The exercises were interspersed with vocal and instrumental music, and after the banquet postprandial speeches of a facetious nature followed.

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

For information regarding this history of the Order of the Eastern Star I am indebted to Brother H. L. Stillson, Grand Secretary, of Bennington. For more than twenty years he has served the Order as its secretary. The Grand Chapter of Ver- mont owes its strength and ability to Brother Stillson, more than to any one other person, by reason of his long continued, faith- ful, and efficient records of its life, organization, and growth.

THE WASHINGTON BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

Mr. Frank D. Brooks is the possessor of a little board-cov- ered book published in 1812, containing Washington's Farewell Address and the Constitution of the United States. It was pub- lished for the Washington Benevolent Society, and was printed and sold at Windsor by Thomas M. Pomroy. It was the prop- erty of Benjamin Parkhurst. The first leaf after the title page contains a printed form of certificate with blanks to be filled out, and each member of the Society seems to have had one of these books. The certificate in Mr. Parkhurst's book reads thus : "No. 90 This certifies, That

Mr. Benjn. Parkhurst of Royalton

Has been regularly admitted a Member of the

Washington Benevolent Society of the County of

Windsor State of Vt. instituted on the 6th day of February 1812 at Royalton

Jacob Smith vice President.

David Pierce 2d Secretary."

The number "90" shows a good-sized membership. How many other Royalton people were members of this Society is not known.

An advertisement in the "Washingtonian" printed at Wind- sor, June 28, 1813, says the Washington Benevolent Society es- tablished at Royalton and Barnard voted to celebrate July 4th at the meeting-house in Barnard. Gen. Joseph Foster, Moses Cutter, and David Pierce, Jr., were then the corresponding com- mittee for the Society. In Chapter VIII mention was made of the celebration in Royalton on July 4, 1814, under the auspices of this same Society. It is probable that the organization did not long exist after the close of the War of 1812.

TEMPERANCE MATTERS.

The settlers of Royalton, like most men of those days, in- dulged more or less freely in intoxicating liquors. It was a mark of poverty or disrespect not to furnish liquor of some kind to guests. No public function, no family gathering, no wedding, no funeral, no military affair was thought to be properly con- ducted without the pleasant stimulus afforded by alcoholic bev- erages.

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

The founders of the State were by no means insensible to the dangers arising from a too free sale of intoxicants. The in- fant State had not yet thrown off its swaddling clothes, when, Jan. 24, 1778, the Governor signed the following resolution :

"Whereas it has been represented to this Council, that divers per- sons (to the great disadvantage of this State) have bought & sold to the Inhabitants in small quantities, & at Exorbitant prices, (& Con- tinue so to do) certain Spirituos Liquors, whereby drunkenness, Idle- ness, Quarrels, &c. &c. is promoted among us, which Evil to prevent in future, have thought fit and do hereby Resolve that the Committees of Safety, Selectmen, & Constables of Each Town within this State, shall meet Together at some convenient place within each respective Town on the second day of March Next, & Nominate by their Major Vote a Sufficient number of suitable persons to keep houses of public entertainment for Travellers for the year Ensuing, or until otherwise ordered by the General Assembly of this State, & return their Names to this Council, or to any two of the members thereof, who are hereby fully Authorized and Impowered to Grant License for that purpose Taking one Dollar or six shillings as a fee for the Same.

Further Resolved that if any person or persons within this State not Licensed as above shall after the 30th day of March next presume directly or indirectly to sell any kind of Spirituous Liquors, in any less Quantity than one Quart, nor any quantity to be Drank in or about his, her, or their house or houses, for any such offense being thereof duly convicted before three of the Committee men of the Town where such offence is Committed, (who are hereby fully authorized and impowered to hear and Determine the same,) shall forfeit & pay the sum of Six pounds Lawful Money, the one half to be applied for the use of the Town where such offence is committed, and the other half to be given to the person Complaining & prosecuting to effect."

This was one step toward regulating the sale of liquor, but was too short-reaching, as can readily be seen. It had special reference to the sale of drinks at hotels.

The church did come to have a sense of the impropriety, even sinfulness, of a too free indulgence in alcoholic stimulants, and it is a matter of record, that communicants so indulging either voluntarily confessed their weakness, or were called to account and required to make public acknowledgment of their failing. Descendants of worthy, and in most respects, upright, ancestors would be grieved to read the confessions of their hon- ored forefathers, and to avoid giving needless pain, the names of those who are quoted as illustrations of the state of society in those early days will in no case be given. One confession dated October 12, 1792, reads :

"Last week on Tuesday evening after training, I was guilty of intemperance, whether it was owing to the want of food, or a proper guard over myself-but find myself to have drank to excess & in this way am guilty of a breach of the laws of Christs kingdom -- & I feel it my duty to confess my sin before God & man, desiring this church to forgive me & also their prayers to God in the name of the great head of the church that my sin might be pardoned & I for the future kept from dishonouring the religion which I profess to own."

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

One more apparently voluntary confession is given :

"Dear Brethren: I now take this opportunity to humble myself before God and this church, begging the pardon of Almighty God and the forgiveness of my Christian brethren, for being guilty of breaking the commands of God, despising his laws, and casting contempt on the church by being overtaken in liquour, and by my conduct have caused the people to laugh at religion and despise the cause of Christ.

I do now beg your prayers for me that I may be ever careful to keep up my watch and to live as a follower of Jesus Christ, and to adorn my profession by a Christian walk."

These two confessions are an excellent proof of the subtle power of intoxicants in weakening the will. Both of these men were Christians with manliness and courage enough to confess their faults, and really desired to be free from them, but it did not seem to occur to either of them or to the church, that the only safe way was to let the fire-water alone.

Not all of those caught in the snare of intemperance be- longed to the class of men just quoted, and one more example is given to show the action taken in such cases. Before complaints could be brought, they must have been preceded by private ad- monition.

"The complaint of to the Congregational church in Royalton showeth, That whereas brother a member of sd church hath walked disorderly by drinking spirituous liquors to that degree that he has been intoxicated therewith, and also that he hath fre- quently been found playing cards which is against his Christian pro- fession and wounding to religion,

And as your complainant hath taken the previous steps enjoined by our Saviour as understood and practiced in this church, your com- plainant finds himself in duty bound (as his previous steps have proved abortive) to take this last step by making his grievance known to the church, requesting them to deal with him according to the directions of our Saviour in such cases." This was dated June 22, 1808.

The pastors themselves were too often indulgers in stimu- lants to their harm and the harm of the church. It is related that on the occasion of some public work, one of the leading citi- zens had furnished free drinks at the hotel. The parson had kept tally for the drinks. As it happened there was a prayer meeting that evening. The room was very warm and close. The pastor gave out a hymn to sing, and as he did not sing himself, the heat, and the whiskey which he had imbibed a little too often during the day, were a trifle too much for him, and he fell asleep while they were singing. When they were through, they waited for the prayer, but the reverend gentleman was in dreamland. A good deacon at his elbow nudged him and whispered, "They've sung, parson ! they've sung !" Half awakening, he sleepily re- sponded, "Charge it to

The other professions suffered from this evil. The church severely disciplined one doctor for the offense of over-indulgence.

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

It is not to be supposed Royalton was an exception to the other towns in having a large number of men who could not curtail their appetites for strong drink. Such an evil grows. In the selection of their representatives to the General Assembly they doubtless chose the best talent in town. The man, however, was not always free from the drink habit. As told elsewhere, one lawyer was "representing Royalton" when hugging a lamp post.

Though this anecdote was all too true, the citizens of the town were really too intelligent and conscientious not to foresee at an early day, that they must fight this evil. The hotels kept and dispensed liquor as a matter of course. These supplied the public, but nearly every home had large quantities of alcohol in some form constantly on hand. In the inventory of the estate of one prominent man were found ten barrels of cider. Cider mills and distilleries were in several parts of the town in active operation, run by church members. The manufacture and sale of intoxicants was not yet thought to be wrong, and so disrepu- table. All stores sold and advertised spirituous liquors.

There were not wanting men in New England, of rugged and stern natures, who early began a crusade against the power of rum. A Rev. Dow of Thompson, Conn., in his zeal for tem- perance in 1814, answering the objection that some could not live without liquor, thundered out, "Well, die then! better die sober than live drunk." Little ripples of remonstrance here and there swelled to a temperance wave, increased by the pub- lished lectures of Dr. Lyman Beecher.

This agitation found a response in Royalton. As is to be expected, the church took the initiative in an attempt to arrest the growing evil of intemperance. It is recorded that on Mar. 28, 1827, Dea. Dewey and "Brother Collamer" were a com- mittee to bring in a resolution respecting temperance. Jonathan Kinney is said to have been the first one to circulate a temper- ance pledge. The pledge spread on the church records was:

"Considering the dangerous tendency of the habitual use of ardent spirits, we the subscribers from a deep sense of the duty we owe to the community and ourselves hereby pledge ourselves to each other to abstain wholly from the use of ardent spirits, except as a medicine when prescribed by a physician."

This is the Dewey-Collamer pledge, and is similar to, if not the same, pledge which was circulated in other parts of the state. Later, family pledges were circulated, and in the Burbank fam- ily is still preserved one of these with the names of the members of the family who subscribed to it in 1843.

In its newly awakened zeal the church perhaps attempted too much. It made an effort to amend its by-laws, so that those uniting with it must subscribe to the temperance pledge. It was not successful in this effort.

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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT

The legislature in 1830, 1833, and 1834 framed laws regu- lating the keeping of hotels. At their March meeting in 1844 the voters

"Resolved that the Selectmen & Civil Authority of the Town of Royalton are hereby instructed not to recommend any individual as a suitable person to keep a Tavern in the Town of Royalton, who has been, now is, and probably will continue to be a dealer in distilled Spirituous Liquors. But instead thereof that they be requested (to present) a remonstrance to the Court against the Licenceing of any such person to deal in such liquors."

It was not enough to become abstainers at home, they in- tended to guard their youth from public temptation so far as possible. Liquor was still sold by some stores, but dealing in it had become less and less respectable, as the public conscience became more keenly sensitive. It was well that the door of public traffic in intoxicants had been partly closed, before the new settlement at South Royalton sprang up. A new, and not altogether desirable, class of men was introduced by the need of workmen on the railroad, and of carpenters to build the houses and stores which naturally followed the completion of the railroad. Liquor was freely sold in this budding village, and many an innocent farmer's boy was led into its use, and acquired a love for it, from which some of them were never quite able to free themselves.

In 1847 the town voted, 191 to 90, in favor of no license; the next year the vote stood 115 to 73; in 1849 it was 163 to 56, and the following year, 152 to 46. An incident related by Wil- liam W. Culver refers to this period in the history of temper- ance in Royalton. He writes :

"When a small boy, at my earnest solicitation, my father allowed me to accompany him to town meeting. I held his hand as he passed in line to the ballot box. ' Near us was 'Jake Fox' holding in his trem- bling old hand a no-license ticket. My father remarked, 'How is this, Mr. Fox? You have always used and sold liquor.' 'I know it,' he answered, 'but I have lived long enough (he was then about eighty as I remember) to see that its use is harmful, and desire to see it put beyond reach, so it may do no more mischief.'"

Along with some faults, Mr. Fox possessed many virtues, and this recognition of the evil of intemperance, and a desire to aid others in withstanding it, is a noble virtue, which it is a pleasure to chronicle.

In 1851 the selectmen granted Nathan Dane, druggist, a license to sell intoxicating liquor for medicinal, chemical, and mechanical purposes, and to Benjamin F. Morgan a license to sell cakes, pies, custards, small beer, and cider for one year. The fault does not seem to have been in licensing the sale of strong drink, but in not preventing its illegal sale. For the next two years doctors were licensed to sell it, and grocers were allowed

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History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 65

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