History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 70

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 70

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one of the first thinkers and writers not merely of America, but of the present age."

Mrs. Jennie Bennett (Hagan) Brown was a unique charac- ter, who, for several years during her girlhood, was a resident of South Royalton, and frequently visited the town as long as she lived.

She was born in Lowell, Mass., July 30, 1860, the daughter of John B. and Janette (Bennett) Hagan. Her father was born in Belfast, Ireland, and her mother in Tunbridge. Her father died when she was ten months old. When Jennie was five years old, she described her spirit father, his acts and words the few months he lived with her. At eight she began to read spirit writings. When she was ten months old, her mother removed to Tunbridge, and when she was two, they with an aunt, Mrs. Jane Hoyt, the widow of Dr. Moses Hoyt, bought a house in South Royalton, which stood in about the same place that the Abbott harness shop now occupies.

Mrs. Brown got her education in part in the public schools of South Royalton, and in the academy at Plymouth, but chiefly from general reading and home study. She early showed her ability as an improvisatrice. Once when called upon to "speak a piece" at school, she asked to be excused from rehearsal, and when her turn came to go on the platform, she gave a beautiful extempore poem. She was then fourteen years of age, and was soon called upon at times to exhibit her talent as poetess in church socials. On one occasion she gave a lengthy poem of much beauty on "White River," a subject given her by the Rev. S. K. B. Perkins, who was then pastor of the Congregational church in South Royalton.

She was puny, and not allowed to go before the public in any large gathering, until she went to Nebraska at about the age of sixteen. Her first and last public address was in Arlington, of the same state. She was at first patronized by the Spiritual- ists for public addresses and extempore poems, but later by all denominations. She was conscious of what she said after she was seventeen. She said of herself, "I open my mouth, and the words drop out."

She was sent as a delegate to the International Spiritualist Convention in London, and, as a result, was four times called to Europe to address audiences. The London Daily Times thus ex- pressed its impression of her: "This American lady has been one of the most striking and interesting features of the Interna- tional Convention at St. James' Hall. Her inspirational powers are beyond question." The Pall Mall Gazette said, "Mrs. Hor- ace D. Brown of the state of Texas, U. S. A., is the marvel of the century in her impromptu literary productions." With her rare

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gift she combined a sweet disposition, great charm of manner, and a winning grace.

In the fall of 1905 she addressed the faculty and students of Colorado University, delivering a lecture, followed by impro- vised poems from subjects suggested at the moment by any one in the audience. She acquired a handsome property, and estab- lished a lovely home in El Campo, Texas, where she lived with her second husband, Horace D. Brown. Her first marriage with B. D. Jackson of Grand Rapids, Mich., proved unfortunate, and they separated.

Mrs. Brown was called to Arlington, Neb., to deliver an cration at the funeral of Mrs. Onthank. She had bruised a limb slightly, before she left home. In going from a warm to a cold climate it is thought she took cold. Blood poisoning set in, and she died within a week. Her death occurred Jan., 1907.

She was philanthropic in spirit, and ready to aid any needy person or organization, though her talents commanded high re- muneration. One short poem of hers is subjoined, which, per- haps, does not conform so strictly to poetic rules as some others, but possesses grace and sweetness, and will recall the young school girl, who always had a smile and a pleasant word for all, while residing in South Royalton. A cut of Mrs. Brown will be found in another place.

"A SONG FROM THE SEA.

Where the ocean sings with a joyless song,

I have gathered this sea-weed brown,

I have placed it here with a tender care,

And gently sealed it down;

For alas, alack, who of us can tell

The sigh in the weed, or the song in the shell?

I sometimes think in the weed so brown

Is the gleam of the hair where a youth went down;

I sometimes think in the shell so bright

Is a blush from a cheek that the sea washed white,

And this shell as white as a shining pearl Is the sphere of the breast of a sweet drowned girl. And I sometimes think that this long gray moss Is a part of the beard that old Neptune lost; Again it seems in a thought of mine,

That the star-fish, strayed from its salt sea brine,

A beautiful Star of Hope must be,

That Aurora dropped from her ear to the sea.

I have placed them here with their natural grace,

To fill your heart and please your taste, And trust they will bring to you as to me The sacred song of the solemn sea."

William Rollin Shipman, D. D., LL. D., was born in Gran- ville, May 4, 1836. When he was nearly three years old, he

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came with his parents, Harvey and Betsey (Eaton) Shipman, to Royalton. His father bought the farm, which later was sold to John D. Fales, and is now owned by Horace White.

He must early have outgrown the instruction to be obtained in the little schoolhouse in District Six, for in 1852 he is found in Royalton academy as assistant pupil, a tribute to his industry and proficiency. In 1854 he was one of the regular teachers in the academy, and again in 1856. He worked his way through his preparatory course and through Middlebury College, which he entered in 1855, graduating with high rank in 1859. He then became principal of the academy at South Woodstock, and held the position with marked success for four years.

He was a Universalist in religious belief, and with others raised funds for the establishment of Goddard Seminary in Barre, with which institution he was closely connected as trustee and member of the executive committee for many years, holding the latter office until his death. He was ordained in Vermont as a Universalist clergyman in 1865.

In 1864 he became Professor of Rhetoric, Logic, and Eng- lish Literature in Tufts College, and later was made Dean of the College of Letters. He received the degree of A. M. from his alma mater, of D. D. from St. Lawrence University, and of LL. D. from Tufts and Middlebury. In 1899 he had a year's leave of absence. He went west, and he made two trips to Eu- rope, once by special gifts of friends. In 1905 he was chosen Chaplain of the Vermont Association in Boston. He was a man of strong intellect and personality, respected and honored as a profound thinker and scholar. He died Jan. 15, 1908.

The Hon. Frederick Billings, LL. D., is held in memory by Royalton, not only with a sense of pride, but of gratitude. He was a native of the town, born here Sep. 27, 1823, the son of Oel and Sophia (Wetherbe) Billings. His grandfather, John Billings, was one of the original grantees of the town, and his father was born in Royalton. Mr. Billings attended school in the "red schoolhouse" in District 9, and in Royalton academy, until twelve years of age, when his father removed to Woodstock. In an address delivered at the Centennial of the First Congrega- tional church, Mr. Billings humorously refers to that removal in these words:

"I shall never forget the day, forty-two years ago last month, when my next older brother, Charles, and I started, with the cow and the pig, the others of the family and the household goods having gone before. As we climbed yonder hill the pig gave out and would go no further, and, to my unsophisticated heart, when that pig stopped, the whole world stopped. But good Franklin Joiner, who lived on the top of the hill and lives there still, and I trust is here today, came with his wagon to our aid and helped us start the pig and the world again. Ir. all my fifty-four years of life, that seems to me about the greatest kindness I ever received."

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Mr. Billings returned to Royalton in 1837 for a year's study in the academy, but finished his preparation for college in the academy at Meriden, N. H. At the age of seventeen he entered the University of Vermont, and graduated in 1844.

He was a brilliant student. At first he was inclined to study for the ministry, but was diverted from his purpose, and began the study of law with O. P. Chandler of Woodstock. In 1846 he was appointed Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs by Gov. Eaton, and held this office for two years. In 1849 he went to California, and opened the first law office in San Francisco. He became a member of the firm of Halleck, Peachy, Billings & Park, Gen. Halleck being the senior member. The firm dissolved in 1861, and then Mr. Billings went to England with Gen. Fre- mont to look after some estate of the General's.

He wielded an influence in political life, though he did not care to enter the arena as a contestant. He did accept the posi- tion of attorney general of California. His California friends urged Pres. Lincoln to give him a Cabinet position, which shows their estimate of his ability. His literary taste was exquisite, and he was at one time urged to take the presidency of the Uni- versity of California. He received the degree of LL. D. from the U. V. M. in 1890.

He returned to Vermont, and in 1869 bought the Marsh estate in Woodstock, on which he spent large sums of money, and made it as beautiful as the large baronial estates of the Old Country. Here he spent his summers with his family, but in the winter their home was in New York City, where his widow still resides. He did much for the town of Woodstock, especi- ally in beautifying its churches. He was made president of the Woodstock National Bank, and director of the Woodstock Rail- way Company. He was a director of the Nicaragua Canal Co., and an official in various banks, insurance, and railroad com- panies.

He could not wholly avoid politics, and in 1880 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and presented the name of George F. Edmunds for President in one of the finest speeches of the convention.

When Jay Cooke failed in 1873, Mr. Billings bought stock in the Northern Pacific Railroad, and became its president. It was his enterprise that pushed this road through to completion.

His benefactions were numerous, among them the purchase of the Marsh library, and the gift of the same to his alma mater, together with a fine library building, now known as the Billings Library. Mr. Billings remembered the academy in Royalton at a time of need, by a generous gift, and also gave $1,000 to the church of his fathers, which donation has been mentioned in

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another place. The gift of his widow to aid in the publication of this volume shows the continued interest of the family in the town of Royalton.

His energies were directed into several channels, and the strenuous life he was called upon to lead undermined his health at a comparatively young age. He succumbed to a stroke of paralysis, and died Sep. 30, 1890. At the time of his death it was said of him, that he was at his best in his social and religious character, that he was kind and affectionate, "a noble example of well-rounded Christian manliness."

No town ever produced a more remarkable character than Truman Henry Safford, who was born in Royalton, Jan. 6. 1836. He was a very delicate, nervous child, and it is owing to the good sense and intelligence of his parents, especially his mother, that he was spared to the world. He was the son of Truman Hopson and Louisa (Parker) Safford.

At the age of twenty-two months he learned his letters from blocks entirely by himself. Hopson Barker, who was living in Swanton in 1906, wrote that he was the only living person who was a member of the Safford family when Henry was a child, that the boy went to school but a few days because of frail health, and when he became stronger, he had outgrown the power of the teachers to instruct him. At the age of six he remarked to his mother that, if he knew how many rods it was around the farm he could give its circumference in barley-corns. When given the distance, 1,040 rods, he thought a few minutes and then said 617,760 barley-corns was the answer. At the age of nine he could equal the greatest feat of Zerah Colburn, which was to multiply five figures by five figures mentally. When nine and a half years old he prepared an almanac, which is said to have been correct. In this almanac appeared a sketch of young Safford's life, written by Robert McK. Ormsby, a lawyer and author of some note living in Bradford. At this time Rev. George Denison, then a professor in Kenyon College, was visit- ing his father in Royalton, and he examined the young prodigy, and then wrote of him, "I believe him to surpass anything on record in the history of man, and to open a door by which we are permitted to see something of what our minds are, and what they can become when this natural body shall have been ex- changed for the spiritual." Before he was ten he was given examples in algebra, mensuration, and trigonometry, to which he would give answers mentally within two minutes.

It seems strange that the boy's intellect was not ruined by the severe tests made of it by those who doubted his rare gift. He was but ten when the Rev. Henry W. Adams, agent of the American Bible Society, tortured him for three hours. He asked

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him, finally, to give the result of multiplying 365,365,365,365,365 by itself. His actions are thus described by Rev. A. Stevens, A. M., in the Ladies' Repository of April, 1849: "He flew around the room like a top, pulled his pantaloons over his boots, bit his hand, rolled his eyes in their sockets, and then seeming to be in agony, until, in not more than one minute," he gave the answer. "The boy looked pale, and said he was tired. He said it was the largest sum he ever did." Fortunately, such unwise demands upon his powers were not allowed to continue, and he was spared to contribute to the world's learning, rather than to be sacrificed to the curiosity of unbelievers in his precocity.

Though his special gift seemed to lie in the direction of mathematics, particularly astronomy, he mastered with equal ease other natural sciences.

In 1847 Edward Everett, then President of Harvard, and Prof. Benjamin Pierce interested themselves in Henry, and his father sold his farm in Royalton to John L. Bowman, and re- moved to Cambridge, Mass. It must have been about this time that J. R. Lowell wrote a facetious letter to a friend about young Safford. The friend published the letter, and Lowell wrote a note of apology to the boy's father, saying he himself was the one most injured by the publication of the letter.

In Cambridge, under wise instruction, Henry prepared for and entered Harvard, graduating in 1854 with high standing. He was then given a position in Harvard observatory, which he held for ten years. He next became director of the Dearborn observatory of the old Chicago University, which position he held for another ten years. In 1876 he went to Williams as Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy, and held this position until his death. From this college he received the degree of Ph. D.

He was not only a teacher, but an author. Among his pub- lications are a catalogue of polar stars for Williams, one for the War Department, and a volume on mathematical teaching. He was a member of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, Leipsic, Ger- many, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and associate of the Royal Astronomical Society of England, and of other learned societies in Europe and America.

The intellectual splendor of his early life suffered an eclipse, due, perhaps, to overstrain, but his powers were still wonderful. He had great quickness of vision. It is related of him, that, going into a library at one time, he stood back a few feet and took in the several hundred books on the shelves at one glance, and then said, "Here is the book." This was not an exceptional incident, but his custom in library work.

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Several years before his death he had a stroke of paralysis, from which he never fully recovered. He died in Newark, N. J., June 13, 1901. Pres. Carter of Williams in his funeral address said of him, "He came nearer to Goethe's claim that 'by reading one page in a book he could tell all that there was in it,' than any one I have ever known." His faith in religion was firm, and he had a horror of the subtle assaults made on it. He died in the good old faith of his fathers, proclaimed in the first church in Royalton.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE MARCY FAMILY.

Contributed.

John Sullivan Marcy was born in 1799 in Woodstock, Ver- mont, came to Royalton shortly prior to 1839, and continued his residence there during the greater part of his active life; and the honorable record that he made upon the Bench, in the Leg- islature, in a responsible station under the Federal Government, and in the practice of his chosen profession, is a notable part of the annals of the town.

He was the son of Alvan Marcy, and was a descendant in the fifth generation from John Marcy, who came to this country and settled in Roxbury, Mass., where he was admitted to Eliot's Church in 1685.

He was a lawyer of marked ability ; of a deliberate, but force- ful intellect, characterized by keen and accurate perceptions, clear reasoning, and sound judgment. Chief Justice Redfield of the Supreme Court of the state said of him, "There is no mem- ber of the Windsor County Bar whose opinion on legal ques- tions has more weight than his." He was appointed and served for many years as one of the Judges of the Windsor County Court, with credit to himself, and to the entire satisfaction of the bar.

He was a member of the State Legislature, and held the responsible position of Judge Advocate at the time of the Civil War. He studied law with the Hon. Roger Vose, of Walpole, N. H., whose daughter, Rebecca Hubbard Vose, became his wife.

Roger Vose, himself, was one of the prominent citizens of New Hampshire, and was for many years Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and also Chief Justice of the Court of Sessions of Cheshire County, and served two terms as a member of Congress, and became an intimate friend of Daniel Webster, who was a member of Congress at the same time.

From the union formed by Judge Marcy with the daughter of his preceptor, Roger Vose, the following children were born :

Frederick Vose Marcy, who died in Quincy, Ill., in 1884.

CELEBRITIES.

William Rollin Shipman. Frederick Billings.

Truman Henry Safford. Jacob Collamer.

Frederick Voso Marcy. Judge Robert E. DeForest.

Judge John Sullivan Marcy. Henry Sullivan Marcy.

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Edward Augustus Marcy, who died in 1869, in Royalton, Vt. Henry S. Marcy, who died in 1897, in Belmont, Mass. Ellen Maria Marcy, who died in 1871, in Quincy, Ill. Katherine Vose Marcy.

Rebecca Bellows Marcy.

Mary Sophia Marcy, who died in 1899, in Champaign, Ill. Harriet Elizabeth Marcy, who died in Royalton, Vt., in 1865.

Frederick Vose Marcy, after the completion of his college education, entered the legal profession, and took up his residence and practice at Quincy, Ill. His comparatively early, and, as it seemed, most untimely decease, deprived the state of his adop- tion of one of its brightest ornaments. A college mate, and life- long acquaintance, himself a lawyer of distinction, thus writes of him :

"Frederick Vose Marcy was educated in Royalton Academy and graduated at Dartmouth in 1852. After teaching in the South for sev- eral years, he studied law and was admitted to the Bar at Quincy, Illinois, in 1857. Of all the distinguished men who originated in Ver- mont, perhaps none were superior and few equalled Marcy in variety of talents and brilliancy of intellect. One who knew him well in his college and professional life writes, 'In college he was easily first in everything, and his brilliancy in all departments, scholarship, in debate, and as a writer, was a tradition in college circles for many years after his graduation. He was not merely a recitation scholar; his class standing never seemed to interest him, and his studies were quite as much outside the class work as in it. His acquaintance with litera- ture and the best books was probably not equalled by any college scholar of his time. By the common consent of his professional asso- ciates he was the ablest lawyer at the Quincy Bar, which had no superior in ability in the state, and possibly not in the country.'

For many years he was counsel for the city, and won great dis- tinction in conducting their important litigations. At a meeting of the Quincy Bar to honor his memory, it was said of him, 'Mr. Marcy was possessed of a mind logical in analysis and comprehensive in its grasp, and we accord to him a just sense of his integrity, prudence and learn- ing, with power of argument in the discussion of intricate questions rarely shown by the ablest members of our profession. He was a great jurist, a profound thinker, with intellect of the highest order, and the most able member of the Quincy Bar.'

In special pleading he had not a superior, if an equal, in the United States. He was a fine classical scholar. His favorite pastime was reading the classic authors in the original, and the time spent in his library with his books was his pleasure and recreation. Retiring and modest in manner, he shunned publicity and never courted praise.

In private life he was a most agreeable companion and great favor- ite. As a conversationalist he was original, versatile, sparkling, a natural wit, and always said the right thing at the right time. All his acquaintances were his friends and he had no enemies."

Henry Sullivan Marcy, another son of the subject of this sketch, was educated at Royalton Academy, graduated at Dart- mouth College, married Emeline Perham of Bethel, Vt., and rose to unusual prominence in the business world. The great prob- lems of railroad transportation became his study, and in that

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pursuit he acquired such insight and proficiency, that his services were in constant demand. In the progress of his promotion, he filled with singular ability many important positions in the rail- road world, and finally, on Nov. 1st, 1899, was chosen president of the Fitchburg Railroad, and held that responsible place until his death. The following extract from resolutions adopted, two days after his decease, by the directors of that road, shows the high esteem in which he was held.

"When eight years ago Mr. Marcy entered upon his duties as Presi- dent, he brought to us an invaluable experience, and a remarkable administrative ability. During this period difficult questions of ex- treme importance have arisen, as to which he has never acted without careful reflection, and the wisdom of his decisions has been proved by results. He was gifted with unusual self-control, so that he never spoke or acted hastily. While always ready to accept suggestions or advice, he was able to perform his duties with a quiet self-reliance, which was his distinguishing characteristic. His relation with other railroad companies was amicable, and his inclinations were always for peace. The prosperity of the Fitchburg Road in these years that have passed, is largely due to the unqualified integrity and wise administra- tion of its late President."

A daughter, Rebecca B. Marcy, married Robert E. DeFor- est, of Bridgeport, Conn. Mr. DeForest, who was Principal of Royalton Academy for a time, is a prominent member of the Connecticut Bar, has been Corporation Counsel, three times Mayor of the city, a member of both branches of the State Leg- islature, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Fairfield Coun- ty, and twice a member of Congress.

Another daughter, Mary Sophia Marcy, married the Hon. Henry Trevett, of Champaign, Ill., who was four times elected Mayor of that city, and is one of the leading business men of that part of that state.

THE SMITH FAMILY IN VERMONT.

Contributed by Elder Junius F. Wells.

The sojourn of the family of Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, in the state of Vermont, was between the years 1791 and 1816. During this period of about twenty-five years they resided in the towns of Tunbridge, Randolph, Sharon, Royalton, and Norwich, and for about a year in Lebanon, N. H.

The family came from Ipswich and Topsfield, Essex county, Mass., where its ancestors were original settlers. The prophet's ancestry is briefly given, back to the first American progenitor, as follows :

He was the fourth child and third son of Joseph Smith, Sen., born July 12, 1771, Topsfield, Mass., and Lucy Mack; married January 24, 1796, at Tunbridge, Vt.

BIRTHPLACE OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET SHARON-ROYALTON, VERMONT

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History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 70

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