USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 57
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48 1
TOWN OF BRANDON.
tiss and James Sawyer, purchased of O. Blake for £100, one-half of the forge and privilege in the village, Curtiss & Sawyer owning a quarter interest each. The deed was dated July 3, 1792. Avery had the management of this forge until his death in January, 1803. Elijah Avery, his brother, had been clerk in a store in Hartford, Conn., and he bought the first goods offered for sale in this town. His goods were kept for a time at the house of his brother Daniel, but he opened a store soon after in the village, on the site of the building afterwards known as Ketcham's store, which stood just west of the old Chase House. He sold a " coat's cloth " to Jacob Farrington for seven dollars per yard and took corn at twenty-five cents per bushel in part payment, being twenty-eight bush- els of corn for a yard of cloth. Daniel Avery, another and younger brother of Elijah, succeeded in the possession of the farm on which the latter resided during his life. Stephen Avery, the other brother who was a resident of Bran- don, purchased of Lorin Larkin on the 12th of March, 1793, for two hundred and sixty-seven pounds, one-half of the grist-mill and privileges in the village. He resided in town at different periods for a number of years. John Stiles came here in 1786, and lived on the west side of the creek until his death. Alexander Beebe came in 1786, and erected his house nearly opposite the Dodge brick-yard, now owned by John A. Conant. He owned half interest in the " Strong's mills," which he sold to Isaac Strong in April, 1790. Jacob Simonds came here from Hampton, Conn., about 1786. He had by two mar- riages six sons and twelve daughters, all of whom but two sons, who died in infancy, lived to adult age and became married. He died September 3, 1797, at the age of seventy-eight years. Philip Jones came from Stamford, Conn., about the year 1786. He resided for a long time and until his death on the farm subsequently possessed by his son, Alvin B. Jones, and now in the hands of Sylvester Moulton. He was a blacksmith by trade and had a trip-hammer shop below the upper falls, in the village. Jacob Farrington came from Kings, Columbia county, N. Y., and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of Asa Eddy, of Clarendon, joining on Gideon Horton, Joseph Barker and Timothy Buckland. Only a few months before Eddy had purchased this parcel of land of Captain Thomas Tuttle, who began upon it. It is still in the hands of the Farrington family. Captain Daniel Farrington obtained the property from his brother, Edward, in February, 1796. Samuel Burnell, esq., came here from Woodstock, Conn., in 1787, and resided in town for more than fifty years. He died July 5, 1838. Stephen Tucker began here in March, 1787, on land which now forms a part of the Asa Burnell farm, a little northwest of the town farm. Samuel Tucker purchased of Nathaniel Sheldon, for forty pounds, fifty-five acres of land, " near the town plat, being the south part of the lot George Rob- ins formerly lived on," a part of the present farm of N. T. Sprague. Deacon Ebenezer Wooster was the first to settle on the farm recently occupied by Will- iam Kimball, but he afterwards exchanged with James Whelan for the Riley
31
482
HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
Hull farm, now owned by Dr. E. A. Smith. Deacon Merriam came from Wal- pole, N. H., in 1787, and began the cultivation of the farm, which included the place now in the hands of Robert Johnson. He was the first hatter in town. His brother, Deacon Jonathan Merriam, in 1795 bought the farm which was afterwards the property of Hon. E. N. Briggs. Judge Hiram Horton was the first to begin work on this tract. Benjamin Merriam, brother to the foregoing, and a merchant, came here about 1791, and first kept his goods at the house of his brother, David. Vinton Arnes purchased of Hiram Horton in April, 1788, eighty-two and one-half acres lying on the old Stage Road, and being on the north contiguous with the south line of Leicester, recently the farm of Joseph P. Durant. Case Cook came here in 1788 and began on a piece of land lying south of Arnold Hollow. He removed to the West. In the same year Thaddeus Collins purchased of his brother-in-law, Deacon David Mer- riam, fifty acres, being then wild land, now the property of Robert Johnson. In the fall of 1798 he sold this place to Nathaniel Harris and went West. Jabez Lyon came from Woodstock, Conn., in the spring of 1787, and began the cul- tivation of the well-known Lyon farm. Here he resided until his death in 1843. Solomon Tracy, from Walpole, N. H., purchased in 1788 seventy five acres adjoining the place of John Stiles. John McCollom was a Scotchman, and served in Wolfe's army. He came from Stamford, Conn., and settled on the farm since known as the Samuel Gray farm. His son David, in 1794, built the saw-mill afterwards known as Wood's, and later as Jones's mill. Solomon Soper purchased of Jedediah Winslow, in 1789, the first division on the right of Nathaniel Russell, also "} of the forge, or iron works and privileges in the village." It is thought that he came here as early as 1786. He traded several years in the village, near the old Ketcham store. Prince Soper, brother of Solomon, came from Dorset somewhat later, and resided a number of years in the village, near the site of the present residence of Josiah Rosseter. He kept here the only tavern then in the village. Colonel James Sawyer came to Bran- don about 1790. He was a merchant of much enterprise. Rev. Enos Bliss, the first settled pastor of the Congregational Society here, purchased in the fall of 1792 a little more than sixteen acres of land south of the street leading from the old house of Lorenzo Kimball to Samuel B. Spaulding's old brick store. Jesse Prout came here from New Milford, Conn., in the same year. He was a blacksmith by trade. John Prout, esq., attorney and counselor at law at Rut- land, is his grandson. Josiah Parmenter came here from Northfield, Mass., in 1794, and bought land and buildings near Curtiss's mills, in the village. Al- though a tanner by trade, he relinquished the business soon after he came here. He was for many years an acting justice of the peace. Captain Nathan Par- menter, his brother, came from Northfield, Mass. He was also a tanner and shoemaker, and carried on the business somewhat extensively for several years. His shop was near the bridge in the village. It is said that his first works were
483
TOWN OF BRANDON.
about fifty rods below the furnace. He built the house in which N. T. Sprague, esq., now resides. He died in January, 1851, at the age of eighty-one years. Daniel Pomeroy came here in 1794. He was a clothier, and purchased of Cur- tiss in December, 1794, an acre of land (with a house, shop and horse-shed thereon), which was situated in the village near the falls. He at the same time purchased water-power for a fulling-mill, with the provision that he was not to injure the grist-mill or saw-mill. Solomon Hines came from Greenwich, Mass., in 1795. He built the mills now called Brezee's mills, in process of which he met with a fall which may have hastened his death. He died April 28, 1798. Benajah Douglas came here from Ballston, N. Y., in 1795, although he was probably a native of Hancock, Mass. He purchased of Captain Nathan Dan- jels, for six hundred and twenty-five pounds, several parcels of land amounting in all to three hundred and ninety acres, embracing the Douglas or Blackmer farm, now owned by E. D. Thayer. He was a prominent man in town, hav- ing been elected five times (during the first fifteen years of his residence here) to represent the town in General Assembly, and as often a selectman. He was also for many years a justice of the peace here. He has been described as be- ing "a man of much self-confidence and buoyancy of spirits, was always ready in meetings, 'open to remarks,' with a 'word of exhortation'; at least, indeed, he was given to much speaking. He had a vein of humor which he did not always retain within due bounds." He had nine children, of whom the eldest, Stephen Arnold, a physician, was the father of the famous Illinois senator, Ste- phen A. Douglas. Joshua Bascom purchased of Solomon Hines, on Septem- ber 20, 1795, for one hundred and forty pounds, one hundred acres of land, being part of the " Governor's lot." Mr. Bascom was the first to cultivate this lot. He was killed by the fall of a tree, which he was chopping, in June, 1797. Zephaniah Hack, of Greenwich, Mass., purchased in December, 1795, one hun- dred and twenty-five acres, which formed also a part of the "Governor's lot," excepting Brezee's mill privilege. Mr. Hack remained here until his death, July 22, 1847. Arza Tracy came from Hampton, Conn., about 1795. He was a carpenter and joiner. Salmon Farr, sr., came here from Leicester in 1795 and purchased one hundred acres of land of Nathaniel Sheldon, which are now occupied by Pascal Gibbs. Silas Keeler came from Chittenden on the 28th of September, 1796. He obtained of Hiram Horton, James Sawyer and Moses Barnes, selectmen, a lease of the first division on the propagation right, one hundred acres, for " as long as wood grows or water runs." He resided here until August 16, 1845, when he died at the age of seventy-five years. Seth Keeler came also from Chittenden in 1796, and served an apprenticeship with Deacon David Merriam, the hatter. He died September 13, 1850, at the age of seventy-four years. Deacon John Arnold came from Clarendon in 1798 and purchased sixty acres of land in Arnold Hollow. In 1800 his brother Caleb purchased of Abner Buckland one hundred and ten acres adjoining
484
HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
John's traet. Nathaniel Harris bought the present farm of Captain David Mer- riam, sixty acres, in 1798. Rev. Ebenezer Hebard began to preach as a can- didate for settlement by the Congregational Church in May, 1799, and was ordained on the following January first, and remained in the pastorate of this church until September 7, 1821. Elam Gilbert came toward the close of the last century. His residence was for a time on the south side of the creek, and afterwards in the village. Walter Sessions came here shortly before 1800, and originally settled on the farm now occupied by William McConnell, whose dwelling-house formerly stood about forty rods northeast of its present site, on the old Stage Road, as first laid and traveled past Mr. Schofield's and Captain Gilbert's. When the road was changed to its present route, Mr. Sessions moved and fitted up the present house for a tavern, which he kept for several years. He followed Captain Gilbert as postmaster, until the office was brought into the village. Jonathan Stearns, sr., came from Hardwick, Mass., early in the present century and resided on the farm adjoining Sugar Hollow on the south. He and his wife both died in April, 1812, of the epidemie that prevailed with dreadful fatality at that time. A. S. Cook was born in Addison county, January 18, 1816. He resided there until his eighteenth year; then a year in Shoreham ; then in Salisbury, where, on the 18th of October, 1837, he married Marilla Smith. He came to Brandon in 1852. He was a charter member of the old Allen Grays, named after Ethan Allen. This company was organized in 1854, and consisted of thirty-six members, all in gray uniforms. Captain Cook has been marshal in New England fairs (town, county and State) for six- teen years in succession. Has been acting justice of the peace fourteen years. He owns what was formerly the Locke farm, one and one-half miles southeast from the village. His wife died August 28, 1883.
Having thus given as good an account of the early settlers here as can be obtained, the writer now proposes to return to the organization of the town, and the early action taken to improve and utilize the natural advantages afforded by the wilderness lands and streams of that time, and perhaps to give some idea of the quaintness of method and vigor of spirit of these giants of former days.
The organization of the town was effected on the seventh day of October, 1784. The act of organization being, however, illegal by virtue of the law requiring meetings for such purposes to be held in the month of March, was rendered effectual and valid by a special act of the General Assembly, enacting that "such proceedings in the choice of town officers as were had and acted by the inhabitants of the town of Neshobe on the seventh day of this instant Octo- ber, 1784, which would have been valid and according to law had the same been had and done in the month of March, as the law directs, be and they are hereby established and confirmed as legal and authentic as though the same had been had and done in the said month of March, and that the said town of
485
TOWN OF BRANDON.
Neshobe shall be ever hereafter called and known by the name of Brandon." Unfortunately, the record of the first meeting, though still in part preserved, is so mutilated that a list of the first officers cannot be obtained from it. The earliest obtainable are those elected in March, 1786. They are as follows :-
Thomas Tuttle, moderator of the meeting; Hiram Horton, town clerk ; Simeon Avery, Abraham Gilbert and Moses Grannis, selectmen ; David Buck- land, treasurer ; James Ambler and Joseph Barker, constables; Edward Che- ney, Ephraim Flint and Simeon Bigelow, listers ; James Ambler, collector of town rates ; Ephraim Flint, leather sealer ; Moses Gilbert, grand juryman with Gideon Horton ; Captain Thomas Tuttle and William Dodge, tythingmen ; Samuel Kelsey, Peter Whelan, Nathan Flint and Gideon Mott, haywards ; Amos Cutler, horse-brander ; William Dodge, sealer of weights and measures ; David Buckland, Peter Whelan, Samuel Schofield, Edward Cheney, Nathan Daniels, John Stiles and Stephen Durkee, surveyors of highways; Nathaniel Sheldon, A. Gilbert, James Ambler, Amos Cutler, Solomon Soper, Moses Barker, Simeon Avery, Ephraim Flint, Ephraim Strong, Alexander Beebe, Captain Thomas Tuttle and Amasa Polly, petit jurors; Abraham Gilbert, David Buckland, Solomon Tuttle, William Dodge and Stephen Durkee, fence viewers ; Lorin Larkin, pound-keeper.
It was voted at this meeting that every man's yard be a pound for the en- suing year. In 1787 it was first voted to divide the town into districts (six in number) and support schools. Joseph Barker, Abraham Gilbert, Gideon Hor- ton, David June, Ephraim Strong, Noah Strong, and David Buckland were appointed a committee to undertake the division. At the same meeting, Jan- uary 27, 1787, Jedediah Winslow, Captain Thomas Tuttle, and Simeon Avery were appointed to procure " Mr. Thomas Tolman as a minister of the gospel for the town, under directions to offer him thirty pounds for the first year, and five pounds additional annually until the amount should be sixty pounds, which he should then receive as long as he should remain." It was deemed necessary in those days to encourage and foster private industry by public action. Wit- ness that on the 9th day of February, 1787, it was voted that mills be built on the upper falls; Gideon Horton, Simeon Avery, John Mott, Joseph Barker and Nathaniel Daniels being appointed a committee to superintend the con- struction of the same. At the same meeting it was voted "that the five acre pitch which is the school falls be let to build iron works on if there be found iron ore sufficient to supply the same," and chose Nathaniel Sheldon, Nathan Daniels, Hiram Horton, a committee to search for the said ore, and said com- mittee are to lay out a 3d division to the school right of 50 acres, or such quan- tities as they shall think best. Among the other resolutions of this meeting were two prescribing the laying out of a road from Pittsford line by Noah Strong's, which was the east road to Leicester line, four rods wide, and of the road from David Buckland's to the town plot. In the fall of 1787, it was
486
HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
"voted that hoggs shall run at large the present fall provided that they have a good ring in their noses." Following this, and in ludicrous proximity to it is a resolution that David June, Abraham Gilbert, Gideon Horton, David Buck- land and Jacob Simonds act as committee to "pitch" the most suitable place for the erection of a meeting-house ; but " moral suasion " alone was not then sufficient to curb the law-breaking proclivities of a few of the inhabi- tants, and on the following March a vote was passed that the sign-post and stocks be set west of the bridge, near by it, on the north side of the road just above the mills. It is probable that this vote was not exactly complied with, for Mr. John A. Conant remembers distinctly the whipping-post, on the corner of Park and Main streets in front of the site of the Brandon National Bank. Back of it was the five acre, or school lot, which extended east as far as the site of the Brandon House and twice as far north. It was for a long time leased to John Conant. Among the various internal improvements determined upon were the procuring of a burial ground, for which purpose on the 25th of March, 1788, Solomon Soper, Gideon Horton and Moses Barnes were chosen com- mittee; and the building of a bridge over Otter Creek (which it was nec- essary to repeat in November, 1789); and in November of the following year, the building of another bridge over the little river by Alexander Beebe's mills. Meetings were frequently held in the meeting-house.
The bridge over Otter Creek must have been constructed within a year or two of this time, for on the first Tuesday in March, 1792, it was "voted to raise a tax sufficient to pay Mr. James Sawyer and Elijah Avery for the rum which was expended in raising the bridge over Otter Creek, the sum of which is five pounds and eight shillings lawful money, to be paid one-half in money and the other half in wheat at 3s. 4d. pr bushel, or salts at 14s. per hundred, to be collected by the 20th of instant March. Voted that Johnson Field, Abra- ham Stewart and Benjamin Hulbert be exempted from paying their proportion of said tax." This vote indicates not only the general sentiment at the time in regard to the drinking of intoxicating beverages in a State afterwards to be- come prohibitory against it; but further, the great scarcity of ready money. A tax of about twenty-five dollars could be met by many only on the condi- tion that wheat and salts be held a legal tender. Another quaint vote was passed at this meeting to the effect that Nathaniel Fisk be a district by him- self to support a school peculiar to his own liking.
On the 3d of May, 1792, it was voted " that the people of the Congrega- tional order in said Brandon have liberty to set up a meeting-house in the highway at the turn or corner near Prince Soper's." This may have been the earliest public recognition of the Congregational Church as the ward of the town, but from this time, if not from an earlier date, the tax payers were obliged to contribute each his contingent to the support of this order. The separation of church and state was in part effected on March 25, 1795, by the passing of
487
TOWN OF BRANDON.
a vote " that any inhabitants of the town of Brandon that shall bring a certifi- cate from the deacons of the Baptist Church in said Brandon to the town clerk in the month of August annually, they certifying that the person or persons holding said certificate do actually to their acceptance assist in supporting the gospel in their order, shall be exempted from paying taxes to support the Con- gregational Church in said town." At the same meeting Nathaniel Fisk and John Seton were exempted from the payment of any tax whatever for the support of the gospel " except they choose it."
The antipathy prevailing at this time against inoculating for the prevention of the small-pox is manifested at this same meeting as follows: " Voted that no person in Brandon shall after this time enoculate for the small pox during the present spring." And on the 9th of September following, at a special town meeting, it was " voted that all who would choose to have the small pox in Brandon by enoculation the present fall are permitted the same, provided they will submit to such restrictions as are [prescribed] by the selectmen." Again on the first Tuesday of March, 1804, it was " voted that the selectmen be added to assist a certain committee which was appointed the last fall to regulate the small pox in town by ' inoculation,' but one physician to be al- lowed to perform the inoculation, and no one to be'inoculated after April first." The physician's fees were regulated by this committee.
No less curious are the evidences in some of the records of an assumption by the town of fatherly authority, or something akin to it, a species of sump- tuary legislation. For example, on the 20th of June, 1798, it was " voted that the selectmen shall oppose -- in getting a bill of divorce from his wife."
On the fourth of March, 1800, a vote was passed providing that a pauper, therein named as a town charge, be set up at public vendue to the lowest bid- der for his support for one year. John Lull "bought her," for the first quar- ter, at eight dollars ; and for the fourth quarter at seven dollars and sixty-six cents ; Hiram Horton for the second quarter at eight dollars. Such was the method of providing for all the town charges in those days.
We have now reached a period within the memory of living man. Mr. John A. Conant, one of the oldest men now living who have passed the most of their lives in Brandon, was born here on the Ist of December, 1800, being the third son of John Conant. His memory is distinct as far back as 1810, a time when the village of Brandon had become pretty well settled. Indeed the place could well be dignified by the title of village as early as 1805. As we have seen, the town was rapidly settled after the cessation of hostilities in 1783, and that before 1800 nearly every farm was occupied. Mr. Conant is author- ity for the statement that there is a smaller population in town to-day outside of the villages of Brandon and Forestdale than there was in 1810. He ac- counts for this by the fact that though all the farms are occupied now, they are larger than they formerly were, the small farms being merged into the large.
488
HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
From the beginning to a recent date the population has steadily increased. In 1791 this town had a population numbering 637 souls. In 1800 it had grown to 1,076; and in 1810, to 1,375. At this latter date nearly the entire village was on the west side of the creek. Between the site of the Brandon House and that of Mrs. Howe's residence there was not a building, nor was there a build- ing between the site of the Methodist Church and the north and south street at the end of Park street. Franklin street was opened about the year 1811 or 1812. The line of travel was about one and one-half miles east of the present village, passing the tavern of Abraham Gilbert. The post-office was kept there until about 1813. Among the early industries of the town lumbering can scarcely be deemed prominent. No lumber was sawn beyond what was nec- essary to supply demand. Pine was the prevailing timber. John Conant had two saw-mills in town, one on the five-acre plot on the upper falls, back of the Brandon House, and the other where the grist-mill now stands on the lower falls. On the site of the marble mill now owned and operated by S. L. Goodell, was a grist and saw-mill owned by Ebenezer Childs. Before 1820 there were four grist-mills in town, one still called Brezee's mills, from a former owner, which was built between 1795 and 1800 by Solomon Hines, and which stood on the south side of Otter Creek, another on the lower falls in Brandon village, owned and operated by John Conant. This was the first grist-mill erected in town. Mr. Conant obtained possession when he came here in 1797. The third mill stood on the upper falls in the village and was owned by Pe- nuel Child and his sons, Adolphus, John, Penuel and Augustus. The fourth mill, that of Ebenezer Childs, has been mentioned.
In this period there were four taverns in town outside of the village. Willis Goodenow kept one on the south line of Brandon on the old stage road; John Mott kept another about a mile further north; Richard Gilbert about a mile north of Mott; and Joshua Goss ran one where the town farm now is. In the village of Brandon were: the hotel which stood on the site of the Brandon House, built before the beginning of the present century by Captain Jacob Simonds, and kept after him by Matthew W. Birchard, who began about 1810 or 1811 ; the tavern built and kept by Penuel Child, being the present dewll- ing-house of Mr. George Briggs, and after about 1818, the tavern known in later times as the Chase House, from the last proprietor Captain John W. Chase. This house is still standing nearly opposite the residence of Mr. Conant. Isaac Hill first kept it; in 1853 and 1854 Captain A. Cook kept it, it being then called the Eureka House. C. O. Cheney followed him.
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