USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Wells > History of Wells, Vermont, for the first century after its settlement > Part 6
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Culver, Samuel, Jr., married Polly, daughter of Andrew Clark, by whom he had five children, viz: Chalina, who married Benjamin Lewis, Jr., Erastus, Samuel 3d, Daniel and Seth ; she died in -; he next married Miss Curtis of Rupert, by whom he had three children, Sylvester, John and Polly E. ; Erastus married Amanda, daughter of Joshua Potter of Pawlet, and lived on the Titus F. Cook place in Pawlet, where he died in 1865, aged 52. Samuel married Betsy, daughter of Joshua Potter, and now resides in Pawlet, where he has reared a large family ; Daniel married Lucy Clemons and resides in Poultney. Mr. Culver moved to Wisconsin in 1848, accompanied by the three last children. Seth went to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. Mr. Culver died in Wisconsin some years since.
Culver, Rogers, succeeded to the homestead of Joshua Culver. The following are the names of his family : Horace, who married his wife in Williston, Vt., and moved West ; Lura, who unfortunately became deaf ; Amanda married a Mr. Gregory of Pawlet. Mr. Culver moved to Michigan in 1832.
Dart, Ebenezer, was a resident in town several years ; he was in the revolutionary war throughout, and received a pension therefor. IIis wife's name was Hannah Pratt. He died near fifty years since.
Davis, John S., from Granville, N. Y., in 1815 ; his wife's name was Tryphena Olds ; he reared a large family, viz. : John married Lois Smith, Clarendon, Vt .; George married
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Flavina Woodworth of Granville, N. Y. ; Stephen died in 1867, in Argyle, N. Y .; Ira married Lura, daughter of I. D. Beardsley ; Cyril married Barbara Moody of this town, and resides in Granville, N. Y. ; Polly, Annis, Lucretia, Sarah, Tryphena, Esther married John Rowe of this town, and Betsy who married Orsamus Huff. Mr. Davis served in the Revolution, and received a pension for many years preceding his death which occurred in 1845, aged 96.
Dean, Danforth, from Pawlet in 1840, married Narcissa Pepper, also from Pawlet; his occupation was a bricklayer and mason ; he raised a family of five children, viz : Simeon, Phipps, Danforth, Seth, Jane, and Catalina. He died in 1856, aged 72.
Derby, Azariah, from Connecticut, and settled on the farm now owned by John Barden, Esq .; he left town in 1816 ; he married Susannah , also from Conn .; the children's names were Chester, who married a Miss Church of Pawlet ; Azariah, Jr., married his wife in Middletown (name cannot be obtained) ; Susannah married Guy C. Newell of Tinmouth, and died shortly after, and was buried in this town, aged 17, in the year 1805; Orilla married Jedediah Derby, Jr., and Letitia, who was unmarried. The family moved West.
Derby, Jedediah, came with his brother Azariah, and set- tled east of the Methodist meeting house in East Wells ; he married widow Elizabeth Carey, also from Connecticut. The children's names were, Jedediah, Jr., married Orilla Derby ; John married Laura, daughter of John D. Beardsley, then of this town ; Nathan married Harriet Beardsley, sister of the above ; Betsy married Abijah Paul of Tinmouth ; Polly married Waterman Perkins of Middletown. Mr. Derby
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moved West in 1816, where his wife soon after died; he then married the widow of Simon Francis, daughter of the late Samuel Lathrop of this town.
Farrar, Calvin, moved into town in 1832, and lived on the Josiah Cross place ; he came from Rupert ; he married Abigail, daughter of Shubael Barden ; the names of the children were Lydia Ann, who married K. C. Thompson, and lives in town ; Ellen, who married Merritt Woods ; Philetus, who married Annis Jones of Rupert ; Emmet, who married Sarah Jane, daughter of L. D. Lewis, and Seymour. They all reside in town.
Fenton, Walter, married - - Cone, and lived on the farm now owned by Enoch Cone. He reared a family ; one daughter named Laura, married David Howe; another, named Aurora, married Benjamin Goodspeed ; the sons were Abner and Noah ; Abner married Polly, daughter of Stephen Good- speed ; he went to Ohio, leaving one son named Franklin ; Noah resides in Poultney.
. Fenton, Franklin, married Laura Ann, daughter of Alfred Munson, and resides on the premises formerly occu- pied by Dr. Joseph Munson, and carries on the carriage making business.
Francis, Nathan, came from Wallingsford, Conn., in 1783, and with him came three brothers, viz: Jonathan, who mar? ried Abigail, daughter of Abel Merriman, and soon after died ; another, named Hezekiah, died soon after coming to Wells, and Joel, noticed below. Nathan married Miss Abigail Thompson, also from Wallingsford, and settled on the place now possessed by widow Lucinda Francis ; he raised a large family, viz: Lola married Alvin Goodspeed ; Polly married a Mr. Smith of Castleton; Sally married a
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Mr. Allen of Whitehall, N. Y. ; Lucinda Amanda married Roswell Woodworth, and one son named Jared. Mr. Francis had nearly completed his dwelling house, and went to Poult- ney to obtain glass and other materials for its finish, was taken sick and died in Poultney ; this was in 1794. His age was 42. Jared, his son, married Temperance, daughter of Jacob Sykes of Pawlet ; two sons and four daughters were the fruits of their marriage. Nathan, Alvah, who was acci- dentally shot by the careless use of firearms at a meeting to count the game of a squirrel hunting party, where the writer . now resides ; he was in his thirteenth year ; Emily married Perrin Lewis, in December, 1825, and died in November, 1826, in the 20th year of her age, deeply lamented ; Lucina married Winslow Goodspeed, Jr. ; Emeline married Jonathan Francis of Middletown; he died some years after. She next married Robert R. Woodard of the same town. By Mr. Francis she had one daughter named Temperance who mar- ried Cephas Stone, and has moved West, and one son. Delia married Martin Parks and resides in town. Mr. Francis' wife died in 1827, aged 39. He afterwards mar- ried widow Lucinda Coy of Middletown. He died in 1846, aged 61. The widow lives with her daughter in Castleton. Mr. Francis was a member of the legislature two years, besides holding various town offices. Nathan married Harriet, daughter of Enoch Cone of Poultney, and resides on the Joseph Button farm, so called. He reared a family of seven children ; Arcus, who died in 1853, aged 20; Marcellus ; Emily, who married Hiram Buxton who died in 1855, in Wisconsin. She returned home and afterwards married George Hladwin of Danby, where she now resides ; Ellen married Miletus, son of Nelson Paul, Esq., and lives in
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Middletown ; Gertrude married Edgar O. Barden, and is a widow ; Cornelia and Eliza, who died in 1861, aged 14. Mr. Francis was representative from this town in the legisla- ture of 1852 and 1853 ; he has held the office of Selectman and Overseer ; Marcellus, his son, married Elizabeth Lyon of Danby and has three children, Malon, Hattie and Georgie. He resides near his father's.
Francis, Joel, married Sybil Butts, by whom he had three children, James, Joel Jr., and Elizabeth, his wife dying in 1809 ; he next married Clarissa Colvin of Manchester, sister of the Colvin said to be murdered by the Bourns in Man- chester. By this marriage there were the following children : Sybil married Thomas Pratt, and died in 1838, aged 37 ; David, who married Zilpha Stevens ; she died in 1849, he still remains a widower ; Hiram lives in town, on the John Broughton place ; he, for a number of winters, was a school teacher, and held the constable's office several years ; Samuel married Laura Lincoln of Poultney, and lives in Middle- town ; Daniel resides in town, at his trade making carriages and cutters. Clarissa married Aaron Stevens and lives in town.
Francis, John, from Wallingsford, Conn., in 1783, married Sarah Blakeley ; then a wilderness from Goodspeed's saw mill to the east line of the town. We have heard Mrs. Francis state that they crossed Mill Brook from the saw mill spoken of to where the Joel Clemons house stands, to the number of fourteen times. They raised a large family ; Hannah marrid Joshua Parks ; Esther married Zachariah Emory of Lysander, N. Y. ; Sylvia married Palmer Frisbie of Middletown ; Mary married Consider White of Tinmouth. Dosia married a Mr. Butts of Lysander, N. Y. ; Nicy mar-
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ried John Mosher of Tinmouth ; Sally married Lemuel Fuller of Middletown ; John Jr. married Harriet Stevens of Mid- dletown, and moved West in 1829. Mr. Francis moved to Middletown, and died in 1813 ; his widow afterwards mar- ried Robert Hotchkiss of this town.
Francis, Simon, brother of John, came from Wallinsgford, Conn. He married Elizabeth Lathrop, daughter of Samuel Lathrop, Esq. IIe was a member of the Legislature several years. He moved West, where he died several years since. Some of his descendants still remain there.
Fuller, Timothy, came from Barnstable, Mass., in 1794, and settled on the farm that Iliram Francis now owns. He married Mary Rider, and raised a large family, all of whom have left town. Mr. Fuller was an inoffensive and withal an honest man, and often became a victim to his credulity, by believing others to be as honest as he himself was. One circumstance we will relate. He, in company with Erastus Coy of Middletown, and Azariah Derby, Jr., took turns to watch bears that infested a certain cornfield. A staging was built in the centre of the field ; it being on a side hill it was a considerable distance from the top to the ground on the lower side. It was Mr. Fuller's turn to take his position on the staging one night with his gun to watch the wily intruder. Mr. Coy loaded the gun, but the charge was a large quantity of powder but no buckshot, and told Mr. Fuller if he heard a cracking among the brush, he must shoot, even if he did not see the bear. Mr. Coy crept slily to the edge of the field and commenced breaking some dry sticks across his knee. The noise soon raised Mr. Fuller up to a sitting position, and bringing the gun to his shoulder to give bruin a good reception. He waited a moment to hear
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the noise again ; in a moment the brush cracked ; no sooner than heard, he pulled the trigger, and in an instant Mr. Fuller found himself and gun several feet in the field below the stand ; the report soon brought some to the spot and inquired if he had killed the bear, Mr. Fuller was not certain that he had been fortunate enough to kill the bear, but thought the bear would have been in more danger had he been at the other end of the gun.
Fry, Levi, came into town in 1783, and lived in the eastern part of the town. He was a believer in the rodsmen's hum- bug. It was he who pretended to find the chest of money alluded to by Mrs. Glass (see Cowdry's sketch). He died about the year of 1820.
Fry, David, brother of the above, had one son named David, who married Almira, daughter of Jesse Doud of Poultney. She died in 1823, leaving one daughter named Almira. Next he married Relief Pierce by whom he had three children, James, Benjamin and Mary ; the two last live in Conn. ; James was killed in Poultney a few years since by the falling of a tree. Mr. Fry married a widow Mary Robbins for his second wife. She came into town with her husband in 1778; she was of Dutch descent. They built their hovel a few rods east of Pond Bridge, near an- alder swamp. We have heard her relate about the starving time in 1789 ; she would go to the pond and catch some fish, dress and cook them before the fire, adding a little salt ; this constituted her daily meals for some time. She died in 1841, aged over 90. She had one daughter named Maria, who married a Mr. Kilborn of Poultney. They moved to Rupert and lived in that part of the town called Clark Hollow; it was there she chased and treed a bear with a child in her
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arms, and watched Bruin till some neighbors came and killed him ; we had this from her own mouth. She died in Mid- dletown in 1866, aged 93.
George, King, lived in the eastern part of the town. He married Mary Hall, daughter of Mathew Hall. He had two sons, Ira and Eli, who died young ; his wife died in .. He next married a widow Dimon of Argyle, N. Y. He had a step-son named Anson Nichols ; he enlisted in 1823 in the naval service of the United States, under. Com- modore Porter, in his expedition against the pirates, and never returned. Ira married Hannah, daughter of Simeon Atwater, and resides in town. The children were Margaret, who married Charles Aldice, of Granville, N. Y. ; she died, leaving a daughter named Minnie ; Mary C., who married David Logan of Washington City, where they now reside ; Emily, who married William Cooper of Granville, N. Y .; they reside in town. Mr. Cooper served with credit in the late war.
Geer, Alby, lived in the south western part of the town ; his wife's name was Cynthia Bennett, of Pawlet. He raised a large family of children ; Temperance, Elias married Lovina Paul; Cyrus married Lucy, daughter of Phineas Lamb ; Cromwell, Alphonso Alonzo ; Sheldon married Han- nah, daughter of Samuel Bellamy ; Polly, Lucy and Lotie. With the exception of Cyrus the children all left town. Mr. Geer died about fifty years since. Cyrus resided in town until his death, which occurred in 1862. His son Seth married Laura, daughter of Walter Lewis; she died soon after. He next married Mary Pierce of Pawlet, by whom he had two children. IIe enlisted in 1862 in Co. B, 14th Reg. Vt. Vols., for the term of nine months. He was in
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the battle of Gettysburg; while in service he contracted a disease from which he never recovered ; he died in 1863, soon after he returned home, aged 33. His widow after- wards went to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y.
Glass, Rufus, from Connecticut in the year of 1786, settled on the farm now owned by J. J. Rowe. His wife's name was Huldah Fuller. He had a family of eight children ; Rufus, who married Abigail Webb; William married Jerusha, daughter of Gould Styles of Middletown ; Polly, who was unmarried, and died in Marengo, Ill .; Arunah, who married Sarah Smith ; Alice, who married Gould Styles jr. ; she died in 1810; Susanna married Solomon Brown ; Lucinda, who married Elijah Pray ; Roxana, who married Oliver Smith of Granville. N. Y. Mr. Glass and his wife both died in the spring of 1813, with the epidemic.
Glass, Arunah, lived on the homestead of his father until 1855, when he moved West to Marengo, Ill. He had two sons, Rufus and Henry. Rufus married Louisa Glass of Pavillion, N. Y., both of whom went with their father West. Mr. Glass died in 1860, aged 64. His son Henry married Betsy Hulett of Granville, N. Y.
Glass, Samuel, from Connecticut in 1786, married Abigail Munger, and resided on a farm adjoining his brother Rufus. His family consisted of Anthony, Eli, Calvin who married Lura Cone of Poultney; Eunice who married a Mr. Wood- worth, Ruby, and Charlotte who married Elieda Sprague ; Anthony died of consumption when young ; Calvin moved west in 1817, and is now living in Henderson Grove, Ill. ; * Charlotte is a widow and lives in Rupert, Vt. Mr. Glass died in the Spring of 1813, and his wife in 1834, aged 76.
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She was a woman of kindest feelings, and her attentions to the needy and sick will long be remembered.
Goodspeed, Josiah Sen., came into town 1794. He mar- ried Jemima Blossom. IIe came from Barnstable, Mass. His family consisted of Ansel, Josiah jr., Alvin, Sylvia who married Samuel Goodspeed ; Hannah who married Timothy Nye. Mr. Goodspeed and his wife lived together nearly sixty years, and both died in the spring of 1826, each of the age of 79.
Goodspeed, Ansel, came into town in 1794; he married Lydia Marston ; the names of his children were Eunice, who married Benjamin Cook ; Sophia married Andrew Clark jr .; Oliver married Laura Collins of Clarendon ; Clarissa married Septon Smith ; Prince married Polly Clark, who is dead ; Sally married David Cooper and moved to New Hampshire, and is dead ; Lydia married Alvah Mitchell and now resides in town ; Peter, Amanda married Abel Parker, jr., and is dead ; Paulina married Ethelbert Lewis ; Socrates H. mar- ried Jane Cone, and moved to Illinois several years since ; Ansell jr. married Abba, daughter of Steven Goodspeed. Mr. Goodspeed was town clerk forty-six years ; for many years a justice of the Peace, a representative two years. He was one of God's noblest work-an honest man ; he was kind, even to a fault. He died April 15th, 1847 ; his wife in 1850, aged 80.
Goodspeed, Peter, son of the above, was a young man of promise, and was highly esteemed and respected by his acquaintances ; but his life was cut short by a most melan- choly accident on the 4th of July, 1821 ; in jumping out of a wagon he broke his leg; care, all that could be bestowed upon him, was rendered ; his limb was amputated but of no
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avail; he lingered a few days in direst agony and then died, aged 21.
Gifford, Gershom, moved to Wells in 1786, and settled on the place now owned by Hoel Clark ; he married Miss Thank- ful Wightman ; he came here from Bennington ; his father's house stood on the ground where the battle was fought ; the family took refuge in the cellar to shield them from the bul- lets, but their stay was short ; they were soon obliged to leave, as the house took fire in height of the battle, and was consumed. Mr. Gifford died in 1795; his children were John, Samuel, David, Sally, and Polly who married Joseph Button jr. Mr. Gifford's widow afterwards married a man by the name of Kennedy, and had one daughter by the name of Anna ; she died in Poultney in 1837, aged 85.
Gillet, Jonathan, was one of the first settlers in the eastern part of the town ; he settled on a lot a few rods north of the residence of Franklin Hadaway ; he had two sons and one daughter ; one of his sons lived and died in Tinmouth ; his name was Philarmon. Mr. Gillet came to his death by falling off from a hay mow upon a rake stale standing upright against the mow ; the force of his descent caused it to enter his body which killed him instantly.
Gibbons, Garret, from Ireland, married Mary Meena, and - resides on the Shubael Lamb farm ; he had three children, James, who married Joanna Dobbin ; Mary, who died in 1869, aged 15, and John.
Goodrich, David, came into town in 1832 ; he came from Granville, N. Y. ; he reared three children : Orrin, who left, a few years after coming to town; William married Abba, daughter of Benjamin Lewis, by whom he had three children ; Edwin, who is now a merchant in Fairhaven ;
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Rensselaer, who lives with his brother; Melissa married George Carter ; Mr. Goodrich's daughter Julia married Benjamin Giddings of Poultney, where they now reside. Mr. Goodrich died in -, aged 74.
Grover, Calvin, married Nancy Leach of Middletown; the children were Cyril, Mary who married Merritt Lewis of this town ; James B., William and Martha. William enlisted in the Union service in 1861, a member of Co. F, Harris' Light Cavalry, N. Y., and died in service. Mr. Grover moved to Middletown some years since.
Grover, Lyman, married Aseneth, daughter of the Rev. Shubael Lamb of this town, and now resides in town. He has no family.
Goodrich, Daniel, was an early settler on the west street, so called, on the farm now occupied by Ira Goodspeed ; he married Bethiah Shepherd ; he reared a large family : Roswell, George, Daniel jr., Halsey, Viana, Ruth, Lucy, Hannah and Laura. Roswell lived in town several years, and built the grist mill now occupied by Orville Goodrich, in the year of 1808. A few years after, he sold his mill and left town, George and Daniel went to Williston, Vt. ; Halsey resided on the homestead till the year of 1833. He then purchased the grist mill that was built by his brother Roswell, which he owned till his death in 1857, aged 60. He married Julia Lawrence of Weybridge, Vt .; he had a family of five children : Orville, who occupies and owns the mill ; Adna and Anna died ; Mary and Erwin H .; Viana married Raymond Hotchkiss, and died in 1804, aged 24; Ruth married Albmarle Williams ; Hannah lived unmarried, and died in 1865, aged 72; Lucy married David C. Blossom, and died in 1852, aged 65. Laura married Lucius Cook,
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and resides in Chatauque Co., N. Y. Mr. Goodrich died in 1826, aged 74 ; his wife in 1826, aged 67.
Goodsell, Daniel, settled on the farm now owned by D. S. Parks, then an unbroken wilderness. The following letter we received from Mrs. Nancy F. Glass, a daughter of his, and we copy it entire ; she now resides at Marengo, Ill. :
" In a very early day, grandfather Isaac Goodsell went to Wells, Vt., and purchased land, settled on it, calculating to make that his future home ; but soon the Revolutionary war broke out, and the depredations of Indians were fearful, so he returned with his family to Washington, Conn., where he formerly resided ; his wife's name was Elizabeth How. In the year of 1787, Daniel Goodsell, his son, came to take possession of those lands ; he married a wife in old Canaan, Conn. ; her name was Abiah Dean ; he moved his wife and child to Wells in the year of 1788, where he resided sixteen years ; he had a family of six children; his mind then set for the west ; he sold his possessions, moved to Honeoye, Ontario Co., N. Y., where he lived till he was 61 years old, when he departed this life ; his wife remained till she was 76. The children were scattered over a considerable terri- tory. The oldest son, Hiram, died in Ohio, at the advanced age of 74; two died in Richmond, Ontario, one in infancy, three yet living ; Beebe is in Iowa, near the City ; his age is 72; and two are living in Illinois, one at the advanced age of 78, and the age of the other is 66. A little incident occurred soon after Mr. Goodsell went there to live ; one evening as he was walking up from Wells city to his resi- dence, between Pond Mountain and Moose Horn, the road dark and narrow, densely studded with pine, beech and other foliage, a bear presented herself before him, dancing
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about, asking for a supper; soon another came behind him; he told them to look out, and be off, and away with them- selves; they would stand upon their hind paws, and fall at full length before him, and often changing their positions around him, almost touching him as they passed ; he kept scolding at them, and he finally thought if he could reach a bunch of shingles, which was lying by the roadside, he could scare the bears ; he finally pressed his way onward till he reached the shingles; he accordingly drew two from the pack and made them snap like a pistol; the bears were frightened and ran up Pond Mountain, making the rocks and stones rattle ; he soon reached his place of abode in safety, thankful that he had escaped so awful a death. But several of these voracious animals had to pay the penalty of death where he set his deadfalls ; they were caught and poor Bruin had to die. Pioneers of a new country have many perils to undergo. One year there was a great scarcity of bread and all kinds of vegetables, and it seemed as if many would starve before harvest ; one woman rubbed out rye for herself and children, with her own hands; then boiled it, for three weeks ; then came the harvest; Mr. Goodsell brought a bushel of wheat from Shaftsbury to Wells on his shoulders, by which his family did not suffer, as many others did. - When my father moved to Wells, he moved in with Mr. Elijah Parks, lived there till he built a house* on his own land ; there they lived like two brothers till he moved to the west. Now I have done, and have written this imperfect sketch with my own hand which is trembling, my eyes failing, the silver chord is loosening, and the pitcher broken
*This house is still standing.
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at the fountain ; and I about 78, shall soon go to my long home. I was born in Wells, in the year '90.
NANCY F. GLASS."
To Mr. R. Parks.
Goodspeed, Winslow, from Barnstable, Mass., came to town in 1794; married Lydia Merchant of Granville, N. Y .; she died a short time after ; he next married Vinsa Swift ; he raised a large family : Jonathan S., who resides in Gran- ville, N. Y., Winslow, Aaron who is a physician and resides in Granville, N. Y., Almon who lives in town, Norman, Abel, and Gad ; none of the last reside in town ; the latter went to Ohio and died there; the daughters were Lydia, Vinsa and Persis; Lydia and Vinsa died with the consump- tion ; Persis resides in town. Mr. Goodspeed died in 1842 ; His wife in 1868, aged 90. Mr. Goodspeed was a teacher of music, and chorister, in the early days of this town.
Goodspeed, Winslow jr., married Lucina, daughter of Capt. Jared Francis, and resides east of the village ; his family con- sists of the following, viz : Frances L., who married Phineas C. Paul, and died in 1863, aged 23 ; William and Wallace (twins) ; Leonora, who married Andrew Green of Granville, N. Y. ; James, George S., and Franklin. Mr. Goodspeed has held various town offices, and discharged his duties-with attention and promptness. He owns the saw-mill on Mill Brook, so called, and also a turning machine from which an extensive business is carried on.
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