History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 107

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170

USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 107

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).

171.1.15, 2LNAS CLARK. Mor ion vi Bara .. Ehs and Balinda Kidder, who removed D's from Woodsfield, Vt., meCummaken. in :33, Wi bom in Fairhaven, Inty 25, 1820. He was the ak ron a family of the robben hud resided for the most part of his life on the Inpestet where is thed September 20, 1883. He was married in September, 1847, to Sarah Bowman Ihren do aghier o. L @ for and Hammah Hoxie Dy r, of Rutland, Vt., by whom he had a tanoby od Four -ons. His wie abel ful ;. 18-6, and he w is married a second time De- cember 8. 18.2. get inud no chiolot of his second wife.

Mr. 1.1.clasthed hepselli: common schools. He accepted quietly and filled honor- ble numerem Mener al lust nor mertalles in the affairs of his town, county and commu- mts. Election of the board of beless in 1847, a selectman in 1858, and later treasurer of the town, In the tedted , re-cheated in all these positions. He was for many years an act- im justice of the peace and it's judgene wor . highly esteemed. When, in 1876, without his I. now ledge, for sale Me presented by les friends to the count convention as a candidate Ur he oftenf & carry it vr. comaby Court, the members of the har gave him their Funkt einlegen and fre dede det held the office for two years. Hon. Hort H. Wheeler, ance page of an Den or Condo the Umted Stites for the District of Vermont, presided of the Boom Has atedy Court dann most of this period.

Mr. INS nousde rent a patrone sivice during the war, in his offices as selectman am treas paccohe , He was gel and stressful m raising both money and men. He was said, come log in the common with R. C. Colburn, of the large and

supporter of flo Angeosn, il Cho 75, He was a href or in the National Bank of Poultney, Sinonofthe tors of the Hel Nitional Bank of Fairhaven and served

Pedro. Kyodowe, That in the death of Mr. Ellis, we have lost one whose counsels were alsus prisen and food gas, store, weil attention to the dunes of his position excited our

Welderod: Tail Hos choFra tes bass me who has been one of its board of directors sam its Prosbillion on losme os president, has lost one to whom its prosperity was ever a suite of delogin and so khog a Largech indebted for its success, and whose efforts in its

You To the arter the directed in write these resolutions on the records of the Bank an Esta- 1-0) Copy of de - ne to The family of the dece ised.

E NIEKIS, MARTIN G. coulson of Gilbert and Hannah ( Werkst Lysets of Salisbury, Cowy was born in Salefor?, Vt., on the 2d day of July, 1818, Ins parents having re- move thatare at in early din. His education was obtained at the Middlebury Academy, and completed & Middlebury College. In March, 1840, he came to Rutland and began the study of law in the office of the Hon. Solomon Foot. He was admitted on the 22d of April, 1843,

889

MARTIN G. EVERTS. - HON, BARNES FRISBIE.

in Roomnil County Court, and continued his studies for four years thepettini bs E porumusi his for pop proefter, Mr. Foot. On the 12th day at July, 1849. b &B; nel mo Fl heds, d.nrkiopet Top/ mes Porter, of Rutland.

Pro- anan in aris county have been electe I to fill -o miny and . 0050 jor Jo- po-sme 15 felinale Tem Ma Everts. He was elected tomar ci. select in nl someten gere

1853 00 2654. 0ml m 18;5 und 1876 ; State Sen itor in 1859 atal isco He ers, Birthedmotor, municipal Gule of Huland ten years, and a member of the exampong coming of the air

beautiful ments of domates , not be better described thanh chopping. of the Radboud Poway ba. 1 ken on the day of lus deoh The following somos didie by Hon D E. KwhMon, ton. W. C Punton und Captar J. C. POUR POROte Were adopter

the announcement of the sus inessof our long time professional totalmente Der. " the thing we so gi ny Comed nis . one 1pont 1. The leine,

ing fact that the hunted mal partout atda fion . merged in the gummi pale strin

hght.

calm and pirk

yond the gone

proval of the Reign ofthe b . theon

emerged into i: Pomer cho .49:0 5

until his death,

FRISBIE, HON. BARS. ES, 905 000 1 42060 23. 1815. Pierogimolldomme nd voibel on lis father's farm soll bounty-nur vedra id ige. He was Hogy aff itto uluive a ile academy three years, and mandel to Join belege where he was an enterdi cal moral class; but, as he was then twenty-four war ders, he decided in comments along the study of a profession, and accordingh chong Vie onice of C. H. Himmelen. hogyan practice at Middle town, and begin the Surferplay He was adiantethe the for the S- tember term of Rutland County Conft, 1842. The Mat ver if. : 15 Jimt-for lovin company with General B. Davemnot in Brandon, Vt He th itmek Adoihop conto opened an office in Bristol, in that any mis, and there she canel at or the, por- 40 15- quiring a good business ; but after three or four years of sheetsful pulence, he hecho nobel and he returned to his father's in Mildleto vn. H . A.4 0' of A08 | 15p picuncom while in Bristol, from which he has never tally recover I, miel his heart site had a full and active practice in his profession ; though he has ant, hoy me mens, been kan out business. He removed from Middle town to Louliney im 18%, Where he he ever sen-

1 Thi, was an enor. They had three children, a> will be seen below.

890

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

sided ; and. while lung in the former place, kept an office, as he has since, in Poultney. A nervous affection, the result of the dyspeptic trouble alluded to, has induced him to avoid, rather than seek employment in the trial of cases in court. He held the office of assistant judge of Rutland County Court in the years 1852, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1862, 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866, 1883, 1884, 1885, and the term for which he was last elected does not expire until De- cember 1, 1886. He was appointed court auditor for Rutland county in 1867, by the Supreme Court. This office be held until 1880, when it was provided that the duties of court auditors should be performed by the State auditor. He represented Middletown in the Vermont Legis- lature in the years 1854 and 1855, and Poultney in the years 1867, 1868, 1869 and 1872.

He was married to Mary A. Johnson, of Bellows Falls, on the roth of August, 1843. Six children were the result of this marriage ; four are now living, three daughters and a son. One daughter married C. C. Gove, who is now the principal of Monson Academy, in Massachu- setts. The wife died February 14, 1879.

The foregoing brief sketch of the life of Judge Frisbie, which was contributed to this work, while true in all respects, does not seem to be as comprehensive as its subject deserves. While the various offices held by Judge Frisbie, as detailed above, have been ably administered by him, it is still true that the physical debility alluded to has so crippled his powers and di- minished his ambition in the past as to render it impossible that he could rise to the profes- sional station which his learning and mental powers fitted him for. The peculiar nervous dis- turbances following his first physical disease, which none can understand who has not suffered from them, almost forced him to dissipate his time and energies in different directions as a means of relief. He thus became, in a measure, one who has been looked upon as ready and willing at all times to perform this or that duty for the public or private benefit, and whether it was at all remunerative to him or not. The amount of labor thus performed by him during his life, while undoubtedly properly appreciated, is still, perhaps, hardly realized by his ac- quaintances ; but it has all been done with that willing generosity which is a part of his very na- ture. His fellow citizens have made him superintendent of schools and have placed him in many positions of trust, requiring ability and labor, but which do not often make an adequate return to the laborer. He is a writer of more than common power, particularly upon historical subjects, which he has made a deep study ; of this fact the reader of this work must be fully aware. In the year 1880 he, in connection with Dr. Currier, of Castleton, projected the Rut- land County Historical Society, which has done an excellent work, although yet young in years ; it is now the only historical society working in the State and is destined to accomplish a most valuable service, long after its founders have passed away.

In conclusion, it is but just to say that the various public stations to which Judge Frisbie has been called have been filled with credit to himself and for the good of the community ; while in his private life, few have reached his years bearing with them more of the unselfish regard and esteem of their fellow humanity.

ILSON, EDSON P., was born on the 5th of October, 1839, at Reading, Windsor county. T He is of English descent. His great-grandfather, John Gilson, jr., grandson of John and Sarah Gilson, from England, was a native of Groton, Mass., his birth having occurred on the 12th day of May, 1726. He married Prudence Lawrence, of Groton, on the 19th day of Jan- uary, 1764. She was a descendant (5th generation) of the well-known John Lawrence, of Watertown, Mass., born at Wisset, England, in the year 1609.

John Gilson, the father of Edson P., was born in Ringe, N. H., on the Ist day of July, 1798, and came to Reading with his father in early boyhood. He was the youngest of three son, and was blessed with six sisters. On the 31st day of March, 1824, he married Lucy Stearns, of Reading, Vt. The fruit of this union was eleven children, six boys and five girls, of whom five boys and two girls are now living.

The subject of our sketch is the youngest of the sons now living. The loss of his mother at the age of nine years left him entirely dependent upon his own slender resources. At that early age he worked on a farm for his board and clothes, and when he was eleven years of age he went to Cavendish, Vt. During the three years preceding his sixteenth year, he worked in a tannery in Proctorsville, and during the winter months attended the district school, working mornings and evenings for his board. Having thus early evinced an aptitude and faithfulness for business, which promised certain success, after proper educational training, he accepted the advice of his uncle, Josiah Gilson, esq., urging him to devote his every energy for a time to school studies, and his offer of assistance, if necessary. He went to the South Woodstock Institute one year, and to the Chester Academy three terms, paying nearly all his expenses by tea hing in district schools during vacations at Ludlow and Rockingham. In 1860 he ac- cepted the position of teacher in a boys' academy at Winchester, Franklin county, Tennessee. Owing to the outbreak of the Civil War. he returned in June, 1861, to the north, and until the summer of 1862 taught in Proctorsville and Duttonsville in the town of Cavendish. He then

891

EDSON P. GILSON - ALBERT W. GRAY.

came to Rutland, and entered the employment of the Bank of Rutland. In 1864 he was cashier of the First National Bank of Springfield, Vt., which position he retained until the spring of 1866, relinquishing his opportunities there for an interest in the marble business at Center Rutland. In June, 1866, with Charles Clement and Farrand Parker, of Castleton, he purchased, for $150,000, the quarry property at West Rutland. of Adams & Allen, of Fair- haven, the name of the new firm being Clement. Parker & Gilson. On July 23, 1870, Mr. Clement sold his interest to Henry Dewey, of Bennington, and the firm name became Parker, Gilson & Dewey. August 21, 1873, Colonel Parker withdrew and the firm was Gilson & Dewey until May 14, 1874, at which time Waldo P. Clement and John N. Woodfin secured an interest in the business. The style was this time changed to Gilson, Clement & Woodfin. On September 4. 1879, Mr. Clement sold his interest to his partners, whereupon the firm assumed its present form and name of Gilson & Woodfin. A mill of eight gangs of saws was erected immediately after the purchase of the property from Adams & Allen, at a cost of nearly $30,- 000. Additions to the mill were made from time to time as the trade demanded, so that their mill now has twenty-one gangs of saws and large finishing shops, sufficient for filling orders for marble in any shape, promptly and well. From the first this enterprise has kept pace with the foremost houses in its line, having for years employed, on an average, about one hundred and twenty-five men, and produced, according to the two-inch measure, from 1 50,000 to 260,- 000 feet of marble per year. The quarry is situated in the heart of the great West Rutland marble deposit, and produces all varieties of what is known to the trade as " Rutland marble." Besides his position as senior member of the partnership which conducts this extensive busi- ness, Mr. Gilson has found leisure to serve in other capacities no less creditable. He has been for many years a justice of the peace for Rutland, and is now one of the trustees of the graded school district. He has held the position of secretary and treasurer of the Producers' Marble Company ever since its organization, and vice-president of the Killington National Bank from the beginning of its existence. His naturally deep interest in the various marble enterprises of the world led him in the winter of 1883-84 to sojourn for six months in Italy, and make a thorough inspection of the famous Carrara marhle deposit. Mr. Gilson has been a communi- cant of the Protestant Episcopal Church since 1861, being baptized and confirmed in May of that year by Bishop Otey at the Diocesan Convention held in the Diocese of Tennessee. He has been twice married, first to Anna E., daughter of Charles Clement, esq., on the 15th of June, 1865. She died in October, 1874. On the Ist of February, 1877, Mr. Gilson married, for his second wife, Harriet E. Morgan, of New York city, where the ceremony was performed. Their children are, Robert Morgan, born January 20, 1878, and John Lawrence, born October 26, 1881.

Y RAY, ALBERT W., was horn in Dorset in the county of Bennington, State of Vermont, I September 30, 1810. He was a son of Aaron and Hannah Higby Gray. The father was born in Connecticut and with four brothers emigrated to Dorset during the time of the early settlement of that town. The father of Aaron Gray was an officer in the American army in the Revolutionary War and was killed in the service of his country. The mother of Albert W. was born in Hubbardton, Vt. Her father was one of the patriots of the Revolution, and was in the battle of Hubbardton. Aaron Gray was a carpenter and joiner, and after struggling along for a few years in Dorset, he moved with his family to the State of Ohio, then a new and unsettled region, with a view to improve his fortune. Albert W. was then nine years old. After the family had resided in Ohio about two years the wife, Hannah, chied. This was a severe blow upon her husband from which he never fully recovered. By reason of that and other misfortunes in his new home, he became discouraged and resolved to return to Dorset with his family. He arrived at his old home penniless and sent his son Albert to live with his uncle, a brother of Aaron, in Charlotte, Vt. Here Albert W. lived with his uncle until fifteen years old. Then his father took him home and put him at work with him on jobs of building and repairing for a few months when he was " bound out." Albert W. was an apprentice to Henry Gray, a relative, until he should arrive at the age of twenty-one years. Henry Gray was a millwright and was one of the early settlers, and Albert W. Gray went to live with him to learn this trade, and thus the latter became a resident of that town until his death. He Jived with Henry until he was twenty-one years old, learned the trade, and became at that age one of the most skillful workmen at the trade in this section of the State.

At the age of twenty-one Mr. Gray engaged in business for himself with diligence and en- couraging success. H- soon became known as a scientific and close workman, and his ser- vices were in demand in the erection of mills in quite an extensive region in this section of Rutland county. In a few years, he had accumulated sufficient to purchase a home for himself and family. He had a genius and inclination for inventing, and gave much of his time to the study and experimental application of mechanical principles, and in that way wore upon his earnings which he had saved in the few years' work at his trade of millwright. His first in-

892

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

Went on los a vpro- Keller. in 1836. patented soon after. This was , gaut hoplement and went To par genel us, and in its dans was regarded as one of the me Let us kind. In 1844 P-bmy vid -hora Tiver, which perhaps had as much ment . an nun Wind of its kind then gougla om desgin patented and for a few years manufactured what he could in a small erod wy the energy top gearknien to and lim. Soon after the merlion of the horse-power hen anend of fire for the triunfar ture of wrought nails. The wedle first machine of r's mitne free gal wear a practical working there seemed no doubt, An incorporated comp if w -60 regards with . ( pital of $100,000, and commy need the manufacture of ce potr The mansso Moldoven. At that tin e iron and labor webes bem Europe that For 1 30 jas mila he! unmered out there, and the tarift so low they could be imported nl - apporte with Mr. Gra 6 in whine, though one man with the Gray manboa would produce t manymiles me time stilt Clown men could hammer out. for . bref time " The Millones Wingent Nail company " suspended work, but Mr. Grat inten lat an improve- mon ophon with stunde rapid manufacture. In this he was confident of ces- but this for mails were out h m wrought non by machinery and this mduced Mr. Grat ino function this project.

The waylong way of Mr this is an inventor was that of his improved horse-power in 1856. 1700000las Tene, for opened ce about ten years, he had been engaged with his oldest som. Leonoss my Tom ers of the horse-power of his first invention, mn fre small way almenoel His improved power was selected improvement, and apparently as near per-

nor stemme get applying the whole power of the horse to the work to be done. It sehan solo bit de das the most dumble machine, and best of us kind in use. The garage thale for you. 'a pros and the whole is constructed with words to case and faciliti a ME wane

Meeting pun ker & werden, read his home in Middletown in 1857 which had been used as a whoop mejory, and filled in @gh att hiery and fixtures for the manufacture of his Babyfor wcs He wasbek di debt to some extent, but with the confidence his Finale they need to by Leriguise, and in the shape of capital sutacient to estab- ish bos tada Tel :9 99) & Avail wodar: her was forthcoming. He took in with him his two Si opbyg T. Sie hat passer by mechanical skill, on & perhaps excelled him in busi- prapory Deninthe. The surfer sadly increased : the movie som became such the Duke de For the concern found itself established in an active and present time, De was too many ve is before the increasing demand male it necessary 0036 11 forzeof workmen

In 1875 Mr. Gary disposed of Instructor tothe me the age of red with a competence, and the sun kat since pu-er-130 - 60. .. . 1 . Gb in the manufacture, and necessirhy n ihcreise

The Vermont is more prosperous or stands Thurs -power- In A. W. Gray's Sons.

Alot W. can To! lako partemasa woj is the restof mankind. Only a few months at the Dominant se bring catering de -lamp eiro mon in zert received ; vet he was well versed

Mitwem Mek to in- intimate friends, if not to his ac- Restant be, and most men. These two faits of charrier c tum for Me 4 : 58 80' maddel mm to become a benefactor of his race. It is not ofover . samide tous les of factors of which he was the father and founder, in

As Aniny hed aver coffee subin the Eu of his town He was one of eight who repre- SRL A Horseof Logoky a lie Cogerrouen Lowention Held at Montpelier in 1857. He rep- Send Lids biw: Tih Letriom .- A Versomom he years 1806 and 1867. He discovered Ao 16006 1 5pa02- 02008 095 th !we war 1808. Theresult of this discovery was to make

A large hotel und other buildings have been erected

Mr. trong hay wire marne !: the hrst ! me to Angohne Skinner, by whom he had four MIren. how i n g: the formel. ap! two daughters, Mrs. Abigail Barritt who lives m Hadevi SPER ger Bob gel The. Jeph . Clark, who was has a family and lives in Pawht. 100 . Most dah of his fist wik he married Martha Holbrooke, of Sandy Hill, wao withf abe daughter amyikes him.

Mr. Giddy het woord Tay Agept? Minculty a large portion of his hife, supposed to have been produce type -cone such that close application to the matter of his inventions in the earl part of Fe fer, though we kept ifp an ctive life until within the last year, when he has. bren grada de 1086e Del losing artritis. October 26, 1885, he died.

This toment osa held from his late residence at Middletown Springs, October 28, 1885, at there sak i huye attend ince. Rev. O. Myrick, of the Congregational Church preached

893

ALBERT W. GRAY. - LEONIDAS GRAY.

the sermon. Places of business were closed. The horse-power manufacumy anh ore bond. of which he was president were draped in mourning, and the general espresso of dopeople was one of sorrow at the departure of one who had done so much for the boun.

Y RAY, LEONIDAS, senior member of the firm of A. W. Gray's Som Midtown # Springs, Vt., was born in Middletown, Vt., on the ioth day of December. 1834. He is a son of Albert W. and Angeline (Skinner) Gray. The life of Leonidas Group events an ex- ample worthy of emulation by the youth of our country. In all respects his early years were the same as those of the most successful and eminent men of our times. Born to poverty, he was compelled to lend a helping hand to his father in his struggle for the support of his family, and as a consequence his advantages for an education were limited. This severe early disci- pline and experience he now believes to have been the foundation for his success in life, and the stepping-stone to his present high place among the prosperous and prominent men of his State and country. During the years leading up to 1856 the father of our subject followed various occupations. He was engaged in millwright work, operated a saw-mill and manufactured a corn-sheller of his own design. In these pursuits Leonidas rendered his father valuable assist- ance, and the performance of the manifold duties which devolved upon him in this connection proved a most excellent school of preparation for the important place which he was destined to occupy in the business which then commenced its slow but sure growth. In 1856 Leoni- das was admitted to a partnership in his father's business, and they began the manufacture, from designs of the father's invention, of their now celebrated horse-powers and threshing-ma- chines, the perfection of which has been gradual, the result of thoughtful study and inventive genius, and which stand to-day without a peer. The building of these machines at first was necessarily slow and of a limited character, for the tools and appliances used in their construc- tion, owing to the scanty means of the company, were not of the best, and for several years the labor was done mostly by hand. The first power used in their factory was one of their own tread machines. The growth of the business demanding greater facilities and more room, special machinery for particular parts of the work (the inventions of the Grays) and more space were added. At first the machines were constructed in a small room sixteen by thirty- four feet in size. This space soon proved insufficient, and more room was added from time to time to accommodate the gradual but steady increase in the business, until now the firm find no unemployed space in their immense factory, consisting of one structur one hundred and seventy-five feet long by ninety-five feet wide, and four stories in height, and ten other buildings that are used for storage purposes, blacksmith and forge shops, ranging in size from one hundred and sixteen feet long by forty feet wide, down to forty by thirty feet. This firm now manufactures more tread machines than any other factory in the world, and their powers and threshers find a market in all of the grain-growing countries on earth, even where the plowing is done with a crooked stick. It is proper to state in this connection that honor for the great success achieved by the Grays in building up this marvelous business, is due first to Albert W. Gray for his great mechanical skill and inventive genius ; second, to Leonidas Gray for the perfect system that was adopted and is yet maintained in their factory, and that i, manifested in all their business transactions. He was the financier of the concern from its start, and has conducted the affairs of the firm through its early vicissitudes, and through its long period of prosperity with a master hand. The firm continued as A. W. Gray & Son until 1866, when another son of the inventor, Albert Y. Gray, was admitted to a partnership in the business, and the firm name was changed to A. W. Gray & Sons. The firm as then consti- tuted continued the business, adding new improvements, the result of new inventions, until 1875, when Albert W. Gray sold out his interest to his sons, and th . firm name was again changed to A. W. Gray's Sons. Previous to this last change, the water power, which had been substituted in place of the horse-power before referred to, proving inadequate to propel the vast amount of machinery used in the factory, a fire-proof engine room was built and a larger engine placed therein, and steam used in connection with the water, In 1881 the firm in- vented and applied a very important improvement in their threshing machines, which is used by no other manufacturer of threshers. In 1885 they added a new and valuable appliance to their horse powers, on which they have secured a patent, and their machines as now con- structed are beyond question the best in the world. The life of our subject, as will be seen by a glance at the foregoing brief sketch of his business career as connected with the firm of which he is now the senior member, has allowed him no opportunity or time to take in active part in public affairs, even had he been inclined to do so. In 1880 he consented to represent his town in the State Legislature, that being the only official position he ever accepted at the hands of his townsmen. The same may be said of his brother, Albert Y. Gray, who repre- sented the town in that body one term.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 107

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co. Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170