USA > Vermont > Windsor County > History of Windsor County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 46
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Smith, Miles, was born in Unity, N. H., April 28, 1826. When he was one year old his father removed to Acworth, N. H. He is the eldest son of Kimball and Angelina (Cummings) Smith. When nineteen years of age he began to work in cotton-mills and was at Lowell, Mass., from 1845 to 1851, and came to Springfield in 1854, to take charge of Fullerton, Martin & Co.'s mill, remaining here till 1860. Three years after this he entered the snath works, and on the formation of a stock company became one of the stockholders. He married Lucy Ann Lawton; she was his first wife, and there was one child, viz., Ida, wife of F. H. Lippincott, of Chelsea, Mass. His second wife was Thank- ful Fletcher. Of their two children one died in infancy; the other is Jennie N., wife of Thomas Chenoyeth, of Springfield.
Spaulding, Nathaniel, son of John, was born in Cavendish, Vt., October 7, 1801, and married Anna Swift. Their children were Melinda, died young; Julia Ann, widow of Samuel H. Nutting, resides in Chester, Vt .; Charles Elliot, lived in Cavendish, Vt. (de- ceased) ; Henry, also a resident of Cavendish ; Francis P., lives in Springfield, Vt .; Eliz- abeth, wife of Rev. Geo. W. Winslow, a Methodist minister located in Illinois; Emily J. (deceased), married Henry Martin; Sarah J., wife of A. D. L. Herrick, of Chester, Vt .; and James Almon, died at the age of twenty years. Nathaniel became a resident of Springfield in 1852, and died January 1, 1879. Anna, his wife, died December 11, 1880.
Spaulding, Francis P., son of Nathaniel, was born in Cavendish, Vt., June 18, 1837, and married H. Florence, daughter of Marshal Myrick. He has two children, viz .: Fred M. and Morton M.
Townsend, Frederick Van Alstyne, was born at Reading, Vt., April 9, 1824, and is the
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eldest son of William and Hannah G. (Bigelow) Townsend. He was engaged in farm- ing previous to becoming a member of the above firm. He married Aurelia Royce, and has three children, viz .: Ervin Aistyne, resides at Sioux City, Iowa; Amasa W., resides in Lebanon, N. H .; and Mary A.
Walker, Captain John, son of Matthew Walker, who came from Connecticut to Clare- mont, N. H., in 1783, was born in Connecticut in 1776, and died in Springfield, De- cember 25, 1844. On becoming of age he came to Springfield, and was married to Philena Spencer, by whom he had eleven children, viz .: Thedotia (deceased), married George R. Gill; Nancy M., widow of Aaron P. Lynde, resides in California, aged ninety years ; Mary Ann (deceased), married N. G. Spencer ; Philena (deceased), married Leon- ard Ellis; Louisa, died at the age of thirteen years; Matilda, widow of William W. Whitney, resides in Springfield ; John O .; Ralph, died in Springfield ; Kate, wife of Jo- seph Wheeler; and James R.
Walker, James R., son of Captain John, was born in Springfield, August 27, 1820, and married Maria L. Whipple, of North Charlestown, N. H. Their children are Arthur ; Julia, wife of John A. Walker, of Markesan, Wis .; Ann M .; and Ada, who died at the age of twenty-two years.
White, Joseph, was born at Springfield, Vt., December 18, 1833. He has been con- nected with the snath works since March, 1852, and is the only one now at the works who was there when he began. He married Harriet L., daughter of Dr. Calvin Hub- bard, and has two children, viz., Katharine and Walter M.
CHAPTER XXII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF NORWICH.
TORWICH is in the extreme northeastern part of the county of N Windsor, and is bounded north by Thetford, in Orange county; east by the Connecticut River and Hanover in New Hampshire; south by the town of Hartford; and west by the town of Sharon. Norwich, being one of the Connecticut River towns, is among the best of the agricult- ural districts of the county ; the lands in general are quite productive and susceptible of the highest cultivation.
Throughout the town mountain formations abound, the general trend of the short and broken ranges being about north and south, but there is less of extreme height in the hills of Norwich than is the case with the towns farther west. Some of the hills are dignified with names, such as Meeting-House Hill, in the central part of the town; and in the northeastern part is Bloody Mountain, the locality being formerly noted for its deposits of copper; in the extreme southern part is Griggs Mount- ain, a considerable elevation extending east and west about three miles.
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
In the northwestern part are two parallel ridges, or hill elevations, be- tween and on either side of which are comparatively good farming and grazing lands.
The principal streams of the town are Bloody Brook and the Ompom- panoosuc River, both being tributaries of the Connecticut. The first named of these streams has its course entirely within the limits of the town; its headwaters are on both sides of the northwest mountain, and thence it flows southeasterly across the town and discharges into the Connecticut River in the southeast corner of the town, where now is situated Norwich village. The river that bears the rather awkward name of Ompompanoosuc has only a few miles of its course in Nor- wich : it enters the town from Thetford on the north, courses across the northeast corner of the town, and discharges into the Connecticut near the small village of Pompanoosuc. Both of these principal streams of the town afford the best of water-power, which has been profitably utilized.
This town was brought into existence by a charter from the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, and bore the date of July 4, 1761, the same day upon which the adjoining town of Hartford was chartered, and probably contained the same conditions as the latter in respect to the first meeting of the proprietors. The town was char- tered under the name of Norwhich, but common consent dropped the first "h" in the name. The grantees named in the charter were resi- dents of Connecticut, and in that province the proprietors held their first meetings and organized the town, not only as proprietors were in the habit of organizing, but in the same manner as towns were organized by freemen, residents upon the soil of the town. In this respect Nor- wich is to be numbered among the exceptional towns of the vicinity and State, for at the time of that organization there was not a single rightful occupant of the town ; but as this was one of the requirements of the charter, the proprietors had no option in the matter. Their first meeting was held August 26, 1761, at which time these officers were elected : Town and proprietors' clerk, Eleazer Wales ; constable, Andrew Crocker ; selectmen, Samuel Wert, Abner Barker and Joseph Storrs.
Following this preliminary organization the proprietors were fre- quently called together to take the necessary steps for making the town
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surveys, apportioning the lots, making drafts by lots for the division of the lands owned by them. All of these proceedings were completed and the town ready for settlement during the year 1762, but it was not until the succeeding year that the period of pioneership actually began, and then but very slowly. The first settlers to make improvements were Jacob Fenton, Ebenezer Smith and John Slafter, who came to the town early in the spring of 1763, and made clearings, built log cabins, and otherwise prepared for permanent occupation. These men were the pioneers and first occupants of the town, but they were not entirely alone in the region, for there were other pioneers on the east side of the river, in Hanover town, and a small settlement in Lebanon, the town south of Hanover. The towns north and south of Norwich were not occupied until nearly two years later. Concerning the fortunes or mis- fortunes experienced by these three pioneers of Norwich, there seems to have been a slight conflict of opinion among early authorities, and not wishing, at this late day, to attempt furnishing the correct version of the matter, the writer feels constrained to reproduce the statements of Zadock Thompson :
" In 1762 the town was partly lotted, and the next year Jacob Fenton, Ebenezer Smith and John Slafter came here from Mansfield, Conn., built them a camp and began improvements. In July, Smith and Slafter left Fenton on Wednesday for the purpose of hoeing corn in Lebanon, and returned on Saturday evening, when they found Fenton dead in the camp. It appeared afterward that Mr. Freeman, of 'New Hampshire,' happened over here, and finding Fenton sick and alone, he tarried with him until he died, and then went to Lebanon for help to bury him. Freeman returned and Fenton was buried July 15, 1763, aged sixty-five years, and a monument erected over him. In the summer of 1764 four men moved their families into the town, and from this time the settle- ment advanced with considerable rapidity, mostly by emigrants from Mansfield and Preston, Conn."
The three men were the pioneers of the town, and began their lives here in the northeast part of the town, near the location of the present village of Pompanoosuc. In the year following (1764) four more settlers with their families came to the vicinity, among them Samuel Hutchin- son, Nathan Messenger and Samuel Partridge, the family of the latter,
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
however, not coming until the next year (1765). It is said that Nathan Messenger was the first pioneer to winter in the town. His right was near the site of Norwich village, as was also Samuel Hutchinson's.
Samuel Partridge made his improvements in the west part of the town, south of the hamlet called Beaver Meadows. He returned to Con- necticut during the fall of 1764, and remained there that winter, return- ing, however, the next spring, and bringing with him his wife and par- ents. The father, whose name was Samuel, became an extensive land owner in the " Meadows " vicinity, having there 1,000 acres.
General Peter Olcott was one of the eminent men of Norwich. In May, 1777, he was appointed by New York to the position of commis- sioner of confiscated estates ; and in 1778 to the same office under Ver- mont; was a member of the Windsor convention of June, 1777, also of July and December of the same year. In 1777 he commanded a regi- ment of Gloucester county militia, and was summoned with it to march to the relief of Bennington ; was councilor from the first session until October, 1779; again in 1781-90; lieutenant- governor, 1790-93 ; and judge of the Supreme Court, 1782-84. He died at Norwich in Septem- ber, 1808.
Thomas Murdock was a member of the Westminster convention of January 15, 1777, and the Windsor convention of June 4, 1777. He was councilor and member of the Court of Confiscation in 1778, and until October, 1779 ; and judge of the Windsor County Court, 1782-87. He represented Norwich in 1780 and 1782. He died at Norwich in 1803.
Paul Brigham was a native of Connecticut, born January 17, 1745, and came to Norwich in May, 1782. In his native State he held the rank of captain of militia in the Revolutionary service, and in Norwich was ad- vanced to the major-generalship. He served as assistant judge of the Windsor County Court 1783-86, and again 1790-95 ; was chief judge in 1801; judge of probate in the Hartford district in 1800; high sheriff, 1787-90; representative in 1783, 1786 and 1791 ; member of council, 1792-96; member of constitutional conventions of 1793, 1814, and 1822; was lieutenant-governor from 1796 to 1820, except during the years 1813 and 1814. He died July 15, 1824, aged nearly seventy - nine years.
Although Norwich had a sufficient population to entitle the inhabit-
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TOWN OF NORWICH.
ants to hold town meetings earlier than 1768, it was not organized until the month of April of that year, the administration of its affairs, previous to that time, being in the hands of the proprietors. The first town offi- cers elected by the residents of the town were as follows: Moderator, Nathan Messenger; town clerk, Thomas Murdock ; selectmen, Lieuten- ant Partridge, Captain Johnson and Nathan Messenger; constables, Thomas Murdock and John Slafter ; tithingman, Medad Benton ; fence viewers, Elisha Partridge, - Thatcher, Thomas Murdock and Jacob Burton. The succession of town representatives from 1778 to the pres- ent time will be found on later pages of this chapter.
In the proceedings had by the representatives of the towns in the con- ventions at Dorset this town took an active interest, but was not then represented ; but it was represented in the first convention held east of the mountains, that at Westminster in January, 1777, the records show- ing the presence of Major Thomas Murdock and Jacob Burton, the former being one of the committee to examine into the number of towns of Cumberland and Gloucester counties that had voted in favor of the new State. Also, in the somewhat famous convention at Windsor, June 4, 1777, the town of Norwich was represented by Colonel Peter Olcott, Major Thomas Murdock, and Jacob Burton, each of whom signed the " revised declaration."
It would appear from the foregoing statements that the people of Nor- wich were earnestly and heartily in favor of the formation of the new State ; and so they were subject to certain conditions that need an ex- planation. There was great friendliness of feeling, and many things in common between the people in this locality and those on the east side of the Connecticut River, and there was, moreover, a strong desire on both sides that the towns be united under the same government .. About this time there was much favorable discussion of the project of forming a union with the New Hampshire towns, as soon as the inde- pendence of the new State should be declared, and its affairs assume some tangible shape. With this union in view, a number of the towns west of the Connecticut River went into the conventions, and did every possible thing in hastening the declaration of separate independence, be- lieving that the union with the eastern towns would speedily follow, and become firmly and permanently established.
61
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
In accordance with their expectations and desires the new State was formed, and subsequently, on June II, 1778, sixteen towns on the east side of the river were received into and made a part of Vermont. But this union was not regarded favorably by the authorities of New Hamp- shire, and in addition to that there was much feeling in opposition to it in the State generally, and west of the mountains particularly. Finally, the matter reached such a situation that the question was submitted to the towns to determine whether the union should stand or be dissolved, and the latter proposition was carried. The union was therefore at an end, much to the dissatisfaction of Norwich and several other towns in the vicinity. The final result was that this town, together with a num- ber of others, united in a petition to Congress, setting forth the circum- stances under which they had favored the new State, and being disappointed and misled, were desirous of having Congress understand that they were not in favor of the admission of Vermont to the union of States. Twice were these petitions sent to Congress, first in August, 1779, and again in February, 1780. The towns represented were Hartford, Norwich, Sharon, Royalton, Fairlee, Newbury and Barnet. Peter Olcott, of Norwich, was the agent sent to Congress to present the petitions. Subsequently, however, a second union with New Hamp- shire towns was formed, and then the people of the disaffected towns of Vermont ceased their opposition to Vermont's admission as one of the United States; and when the dissolution of this second union became imperative, the town had so grown in population, and public sentiment had so changed, that there was no murmuring or discontent on the part of her people.
One of the most notable occasions in the early history of this town was that which witnessed the session of the Governor and Council and the General Assembly of the State, in June, 1785, and the occasion was deeply and fully appreciated by the entire people ; for although it was an adjourned session, and not one for the inauguration of the State officers, the chief executive of the State was accompanied by an escort of cavalry, and at Norwich they were met by a body of militia under the command of Colonel Paul Brigham. Thus for the brief space of two or three weeks Norwich was the temporary seat of government of Vermont. A glance over the pages of the journal of the Governor and Council
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TOWN OF NORWICH.
shows that the measures adopted, and others that were proposed and discussed, were of the same general character as were incident to the similar meetings at other towns during that period. The only important feature at this session, except the generally important character of all of the early sessions, was the impeachment proceedings against John Barrett, a justice of the peace of the county, and a citizen of Springfield. Justice Barrett was summoned before the Governor and Council on the 9th of June upon a charge of malfeasance in office, and duly appeared. Stephen Row Bradley conducted the prosecution, while Mr. Barrett appeared in his own defense. The result was that the accused be sus- pended from office for the term of six months, and pay the costs of the prosecution.
It was customary for the Governor and Council, in their sessions with the General Assembly, to meet at various places in the new State, as cir- cumstances and convenience might suggest ; but this was the only meet- ing of these representative bodies in the town of Norwich, and was brought about, it is believed, through the influence of General Peter Olcott and Major Thomas Murdock, both of whom were then council- ors, and aided by the additional influence of Lieutenant-Governor Paul Spooner, of Hartland. At that time the town of Norwich was repre- sented by Jacob Burton.
Another chapter of this work gives an account of the part taken by the county in the war of the Rebellion. During the course of the war the town of Norwich is credited with having furnished 166 men, who entered the service under and subsequent to the first call for three years' volunteers. For the three years' service the town enlisted 106 men ; for one year, 4 ; for nine months, 31 ; for naval service, 9; miscellane- ous credits, men not named, 10; volunteers, re-enlisted, 6. In addition there were enrolled men who furnished substitutes, 5; furnished under draft and paid commutation, 8 ; procured substitutes, 3. A grand total of 182.
At the time of taking the census enumeration of inhabitants in 1771 by New York, Norwich was found to contain 206 residents, that being three more than Windsor, and it was, therefore, the most populous town in the county. In 1791 the population had increased to 1, 158, it then being the fourth town in the county in number of inhabitants. The
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
greatest population was attained in the town in 1830, when it was 2,316; but since that time there has been a slow and constant decrease, shown by the census reports of each decade, until that of 1880, which gave the town a population of only 1,47I, a little more than half as many as fifty years before.
Representatives in General Assembly .- 1778, Abel Curtis, Joseph Hatch ; 1779, none; 1780, Thomas Murdock, Elisha Burton ; 1781, Abel Curtis, Peter Olcott ; 1782, Abel Curtis, Thomas Murdock ; 1783, Paul Brigham ; 1784, Elisha Burton, Elijah Gates ; 1785, Jacob Burton ; 1786, Paul Brigham ; 1787, Elisha Burton, to 1789; 1790, Joseph Hatch ; 1791, Paul Brigham; 1792, Aaron Storrs ; 1793-94, Daniel Buck ; 1795, John Bush; 1796, Ebenezer Brown; 1797-98, Roswell Olcott; 1799-1800, Elisha Burton; 1801, Peter Olcott; 1802, Pierce Burton; 1803-04, Hezekiah Goodrich; 1805, Pierce Burton ; 1806, Daniel Buck; 1807-08, none; 1809-13, Pierce Burton; 1814, Israel Newton ; 1815-19, Don J. Brigham ; 1820-23, Aaron Loveland ; 1824- 28, Thomas Emerson ; 1829, Cyrus Partridge; 1830, Elias Lyman, jr .; 1831-32, Elias Lyman ; 1833-34, Alden Partridge ; 1835-36, Cyrus Partridge ; 1837, Alden Partridge ; 1838, Thomas Hazen ; 1839, Alden Partridge ; 1840, Aaron Loveland ; 1841-43, Ira Davis ; 1844, Ebenezer Spear, 2d ; 1845-46, Shubael Converse ; 1847, William Love- land ; 1848, none; 1749, Ebenezer Spear, 2d; 1850, Ebenezer D. Brown ; 1851, Samuel Goddard ; 1852-53, L. S. Partridge ; 1854-55, Franklin L. Olds; 1856-57, William E. Lewis; 1858-59, Joseph T. Loveland ; 1860-61, John Loveland ; 1862, Joseph Pratt; 1863, Will- iam E. Lewis ; 1864-65, Aaron G. Pease ; 1866-67, Joseph T. Love- land ; 1868-69, Ebenezer B. Brown; 1870-71, none ; 1872-73, Will- iam E. Lewis; 1874-75, John Dutton ; 1876-77, Bartlett Sargent ; 1878-79, William E. Lewis; 1880-81, Samuel H. Currier ; 1882-83, H. V. Partridge ; 1884-85, A. V. Turner ; 1886-87, George Messenger; 1888-89, Aaron Loveland.
Ecclesiastical History .- The orthodox Congregationalist has always been the leading religious denomination in Norwich. As early as 1770 the Rev. Peter Powers, the pioneer preacher of Newbury, held services in Norwich and formed a church which was the fifth organized in the State. On August 31, 1775, Rev. Lyman Potter was ordained minister.
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TOWN OF NORWICH.
He was a native of Salisbury, Conn., and was graduated from Yale Col- lege in 1772. Though the town now had a settled minister, they had no place of worship, services being held in a large barn erected by Gov- ernor Olcott. After considerable discussion in reference to a site the foundation for the first church was laid July 9, 1778, about a mile and a half north by west of the present village of Norwich. It cost six hun- dred and ninety-four pounds and was lathed and plastered on the in- side, and clapboarded on the outside, but never was painted and had no steeple or bell. The town purchased the building in 1785 and the Ver- mont Legislature met there in June of that year. The first deacon of the church was Joseph Smalley. At the time of the ordination of Mr. Potter the church membership was thirty-six. Revivals were held in 1776, 1780 and 1781, and about forty were added. Mr. Potter asked for his dismissal in March, 1801, which was granted in August of that year. He removed to Steubenville, O., where he died in 1826. Rev. James W. Woodward became pastor in 1804, and continued until June 8, 1821. The last service held in the old church was on December 28, 1817, it having been purchased December 24, 1817, by Constant Mur- dock for one hundred dollars at auction. A new house forty by sixty feet was immediately built near the site of the old one, and was dedi- cated January 1, 1818. Mr. Woodward was followed by Rev. Samuel Goddard in 1822, who continued his labors till 1844, when he died. The society under his charge was very prosperous, the membership in 1839 numbering two hundred and forty-seven. The church was with- out a settled pastor until May, 1846, when Rev. Edward B. Emerson was installed ; he was dismissed in March, 1853. In May, 1854, the first church was dissolved, its members connecting themselves with neighbor- ing churches, about sixty uniting with the church at Norwich Plains. The building was purchased at auction by Charles A. and Granville Slack in 1857 for one hundred and fifty dollars, and taken down. Town meet- ings were held in these two churches for three-quarters of a century.
The present Congregational church, located at the village of Norwich, was built in 1817 and dedicated by Rev. James W. Woodward on No- vember 20th of that year. The society was organized June 19, 1819, with eleven members, and Rev. R. W. Bailey was settled as pastor No- vember 24, 1819, and remained four years. From 1823 to 1831 the
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
pulpit was supplied by Revs. James W. Woodward, J. R. Wheelock, S. W. Boardman and Dr. Shurtleff. On December 28, 1831, Rev. Thomas Hall was installed and continued about three years. For the next six years Rev. Dr. Shurtleff supplied the church and during his ministry two revivals were held : one in 1835, conducted by Rev. Jede- diah Burchard, and the second in 1839, by Rev. Sherman Kellogg. Over one hundred persons became members of the church. From 1840 to 1853 the pulpit was supplied by Revs. J. D. Butler, Sherman Kellogg, David Kimball and Rev. Professors Haddock, Noyes and Brown, of Dartmouth College. In 1852 the church was moved from the common, in front of Norwich University, to its present location. The following pastors have supplied the pulpit since that date : Rev. A. G. Pease from January 2, 1855, to July 24, 1857 ; Rev. S. W. Boardman to Septem- ber 1, 1859; Rev. Austin Hazen from March, 1860, to March, 1864; from that date until June 1, 1865, the pulpit was supplied by the presi- dent and professors of Dartmouth College. On the latter date Rev. William Sewall began supplying the pulpit and was installed September 27, 1866. He resigned July 2, 1876, and was dismissed October 18th, of that year. The present pastor, Rev. N. R. Nichols, began his serv- ices in the early part of the spring of 1880.
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