USA > Vermont > Windsor County > History of Windsor County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 62
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Weeden, Benjamin F., was born in Hartland, Vt., May 23, 1835. His great-grand- father, Thomas Weeden, moved from Rhode Island to Hartland, Vt. Samuel, his third child by the first marriage, was born in Hartland, May 6, 1792. Ile was twice married. Ilis first wife was a daughter of Simeon Willard, of Hartland. His second wife was Martha B. Cady, born December 11, 1800, died December 10, 1873. Samuel Weeden died July 29, 1870. Benjamin F. was six years old when his father moved from Hart- land to Reading. He lived in the latter town thirteen years. In 1854 he moved from Reading and settled on the farm in Bridgewater, which, upon his death, came into the possession of his son, Benjamin F., which he still owns and carries on. Benjamin F. married January 18, 1864, Sarah A., daughter of Moses and Sarah (Thompson) Shaw. She was born in North Bridgewater, August 30, 1834. Her father was a son of Isaiah Shaw, who located in Bridgewater in 1783. Her mother was a sister to Prof. Zadock Thompson, author of "Thompson's Gazetteer of Vermont."
West, Lorenzo O., was born in Pomfret, Vt., January 2, 1841, the eldest in a family of nine children of Ezekiel, jr., and Mary E. (Stafford) West. The tradition in the family is that John West was the ancestor of the family in this country ; that he camne
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
from Ireland, was a bridge builder by trade, and lost his life by an accident while em- gaged in his occupation. Ezekiel West, son of John, born in Vermont, at an early day moved with his family to Lockport, N. Y., in that portion known as the Holland Pur- chase. Here Ezekiel West, jr., was born March 16, 1816. He married about 1839, in Pomfret, Mary E. Stafford, of Bridgewater. Ezekiel West, jr., died in Bridgewater, April 29, 1887. His wife died in Sherburne, in May, 1889. Their children were Lo- renzo O., Mary A. (deceased), Ezekiel, Emily M. (deceased), Luther N., John L., James L., Elsie M., and Edna M. (deceased). All those living are residents of Vermont. Lo- renzo O. enlisted as private in the First Vermont Light Artillery, January 2, 1862, and served in that battery ten and a half months. At the end of that service he enlisted in the regular service, First Regiment, Company F, Heavy Artillery, then serving as light artillery, and continued in that regiment three years. Upon his re-enlistment from the volunteer to the regular service, it was by orders of the general government, General Order 154, Special Order 501 for the Gulf Department. He received his discharge No- vember 18, 1865. He receives a pension on account of injuries received in the service. He married, December 15, 1866, Nancy A., daughter of Isaac B. and Nancy F. (Bisbee) Gates. Mrs. West was born in Sherburne, Rutland county, Vt., June 23, 1846. Isaac B. Gates, her father, was the son of Abel and Judith (Chase) Gates. Isaac Bisbee, her ma- ternal grandfather, was a Scotchman by birth, a soldier in the Revolutionary war. His wife was Mary Baker, of Cape Cod. Isaac B. Gates died in Woodstock, April 19, 1879 Nancy F., his wife, is still (1890) living in Woodstock. Their children were Benja- min F., Nancy A., Lestina S., Stella J., Thomas W., and an infant. Mr. West has fol- lowed lumbering and farming. He owns and carries on the " Leavett Wood " place on Bridgewater Hill. The children of Lorenzo O. and Nancy A. West are Ida M., Jessie L., Edith L., Arthur L . Herbert .1., Vernon L., Flora J., and Perry O.
CHAPTER XXIX.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF ANDOVER
A NDOVER is an irregularly outlined town of about eighteen thou- sand acres, located in the southwestern part of the county, and is bounded on the north by Ludlow; east by Chester ; south by London- derry and Windham, in Windham county ; and west by Weston. The surface of the town is uneven and the soil and timber similar to those of other towns located on the eastern slope of the Green Mountains. Markham Mountain and Mount Terrible lie along the western borders of the town. There are no important water-courses, but the town is well watered by the head branches of the Williams River.
The Proprietors .- A number of the inhabitants of Lebanon and other towns in Connecticut having petitioned the colonial governor of New Hampshire for a grant of land on the west bank of the Connecti- cut River, he granted, on the 13th of October, 1761, the town of An-
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TOWN OF ANDOVER.
dover, containing 23,500 acres, to Nathaniel House and his associates, subject to the conditions of the charters given in those days. In accord- ance with this charter a meeting of the grantees was held November 4, 1761, at Lebanon, Conn., and in 1765 a party of twenty persons had made preparations to remove into the town, when they became discour- aged by the publication of his majesty's orders declaring the western bank of the Connecticut River to be the eastern boundary of New York.
Under date of May 6, 1765, the proprietors addressed a memorial to Lieutenant-Governor Colden, of the province of New York, in which they stated that they had expended $462 for improvements, besides making attempts to settle the territory, and asked that their titles to the lands of the town be ratified by the provincial government of New York. This petition was not noticed until June 15, 1772, when a con- firmatory grant was recommended by the council of New York. Yet the patent was never conferred, and the lands of Andover have always been held under the New Hampshire charter.
The following are the names of the original grantees of the town : Nathaniel House, Nathaniel Dunham, Asahel Clark, Timothy Wash- burn, John Demman, Jonathan Brown, James Wright, Jonathan Sweet- land, Thomas Perkins, Nathan Demman, William Sweetland, John Gibbs, jr., Elisha Bill, Rufus Reade, William Hunt, Eliphalet House, Philip Bill, Stephen Hunt, jr., Gain Miller, Nathaniel White, James Sims, Joseph Wright, Joseph Loomis, Simeon Curtis, Thomas Lyman, William Dow- ner, Freeman Ellis, David Strong, Orlando Mack, Jesse Townsend, john Nelson, David Townsend, Constant Woodward, Benoni Clark, Thomas Lyman, jr., Orlando Mack, jr., Robert Hunter, Robert Bennet, Benajah Bill, Samuel Sprague, Benoni Loomis, Israel Woodward, jr., John Sprague, William Sims, John Lawson, Aaron Clark, Benjamin Hull, Joseph Hibberd, Benjamin House, Solomon Tupper, Davison Kings- bury, Stephen Hutchinson, Ezekiel Thomas, Samuel Fisk, Israel Wood- ward, M. H. Wentworth, Theodore Atkinson, Peter Eastman, John Miller, Benjamin Emerson, Simon Stephens, John Rand, Jacob Sawyer, Peter Morse, Stephen Emerson, sr., Benjamin Leister.
There were also the rights reserved at the time by the chartees for the first settled minister, the propagation of the gospel, etc.
At a proprietors' meeting held August 25, 1762, Israel Woodward,
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
William Sims, Ezekiel Thomas, Nathaniel House and Elisha Bill were appointed a committee to divide the grant into lots. William Sims was chosen clerk and treasurer, and held the position until December 1, 1768, when Lieutenant Amos Babcock was elected his successor. The latter was also sent to New York to perfect the title of the grant.
There seems to have been no meeting of the proprietors held between 1768 and 1774. December 8, 1774, a meeting was held at Enfield, Conn., and the town was redrafted into lots. The first meeting held by the proprietors in the town was at the house of John Simonds, but the rec- ord bears no date of it. At this meeting it was voted to lay a road from Chester to the west line of the town, for which an appropriation of two hundred pounds was voted. Captain John Simonds was elected treas- urer, and James Keyes, collector. The committee appointed to lay out the road was Jacob Pease, Moses Warner, James Keyes and John Si- monds, jr. At a meeting held June 17, 1779, Moses Warner was elected proprietors' clerk, and six hundred pounds were appropriated for survey and building of highways. The last meeting of the proprietors was held September 20, 1781.
Early Settlers .- The first settlement was made in 1768 by Shubael Geer and Amos Babcock. Their stay was short, but during Mr. Geer's residence he had a son born, who was called William, and this was the first birth in the town.
No other attempt was made to make a settlement until after the be- ginning of the Revolution. During the month of June, 1776, Moses Warner, John Simonds, John Simonds, jr., Eli Pease, Jacob Pease and James Keyes came from Enfield, Conn., and made the first permanent settlement. This party of settlers followed up the Connecticut River as far north as Barnet without finding a place satisfactory as a location. They came to Andover, and Warner selected a farm on the east side of Markham Mountain, the others choosing farms on the west side, now Weston. Following the records, we find the name of Frederick Rogers as early as 1780, who kept the first tavern in town. About a year later Samuel Brown and Thomas Adams became residents of the town. Joel and Samuel Manning, with their families, moved into town from Town- send, Mass., in 1789, bringing all their effects in an ox-cart. Their brothers, Joseph and Benjamin, were also early settlers in Andover.
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TOWN OF ANDOVER.
Samuel Pettengill came from Andover, Mass., about 1790. Ebenezer Cummings sold a farm in 1794, between Simonsville and Peaseville, to John Manvur, a native of Dracut, Mass., who removed from Temple, N. H. Mr. Cummings removed to the northern part of the town, where he erected works for the dressing of cloth, but afterwards removed to Ludlow, where he died. Abner Gutterson came from Milford, N. H., and settled where his descendants now live in 1794 Moody Stickney settled a farm near the center of the town in 1795, and eleven years afterwards sold it to his brother Joseph, whose descendants now occupy it. Jonathan and Peter Putnam came from Hancock, N. H., in 1797, and at the same time Joseph Dodge became a resident. They located near the middle of the town. Joshua Jaquith settled in the town in 1787, and also Samuel Burton, who came from Wilton, N. H., in 1791. Jonas Adams came from Jaffrey, N. H., in 1794, and settled on the east hill; he was the father of Alvin Adams, the founder of the Adams Express Company, the latter being a native of the town. Hart Balch moved from Dublin, N. H., in 1788, and settled three-quarters of a mile from the center of the town. His son, Joel, became prominently identified with town affairs, and had two sons born in the town who became con- spicuous Universalist ministers, the Rev. Aaron Leland Balch and Rev. William S. Balch.
After the close of the Revolutionary war Andrew Bradford settled in the eastern part of the town, residing there with his family for a num- ber of years. David Howard became a resident in 1791, emigrating from Uxbridge, Mass. David Bachelder moved into town in 1796. These were the principal settlers in Andover previous to the beginning of the nineteenth century.
First Town Meeting .- The town was organized at a meeting held March 27, 1780, at the dwelling house of Frederick Rogers. Moses Warner was chosen moderator and town clerk ; James Keyes, Frederick Rogers, and John Simonds, jr., selectmen ; and Eli Pease, highway sur- veyor. The annual town meeting is held in March of each year. The first grand list we find is as follows, and bears date of July 29, 1782 : Captain John Simonds, 59 pounds, 10 shillings ; Lieutenant Samuel Brown, 32 pounds; Frederick Rogers, 27 pounds ; John Simonds, jr., 31 pounds ; Ebenezer Simonds, II pounds; Moses Warner, 24 pounds ;
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
John Chapin, 15 pounds ; Eli Pease, 20 pounds; Thomas Adams, 20 pounds ; Ezekiel Pease, 28 pounds, 10 shillings ; Ezekiel Pease, jr., 9 pounds; Stephen Burgess, 12 pounds ; Daniel Wear, 6 pounds ; John Gowdy, 6; total, 282 pounds.
We also give the first men of Andover who took the freeman's oath for election of representatives to the General Assembly : Ezekiel Pease, Solomon Howard, Joshua Jaquith, Peter Allen, Augustus Pease, David Howard, Frederick Rogers, Henry Hall, John Gowdy, Phineas Wheeler, Bunker Clark, Samuel Minard, Samuel Brown, Ebenezer Simonds, Thomas French, William Brown, Alvin Simonds, Dan Foster, Captain John Simonds, Stephen Burgess, Thomas Adams, John Stiles, Joseph Howard, jr., Aaron Nichols, Abadialı Pease, John Simonds, jr., John Chapin, Ezra Sexton, Timothy Nichols, Dan Simonds, Ezra Chapin, Samuel Smith, Eli Pease, Joshua Dale, Silas Spaulding, Joseph Howard, Ichobald Perry, Thomas Knowlton, Joshua Jaquith, jr., Moses Warner.
Thus we place upon the pages of history the names of those who were instrumental in settling the wilderness and mountains of Andover. We append the population of the town at the different dates of taking the United States census : 1800, 622; 1810, 957 ; 1820, 1,000; 1830, 975 ; 1840, 878; 1850,725; 1860, 670; 1870, 588 ; 1880, 564.
Members of the Constitutional Conventions .- Moses Warner, 1793 ; Samuel Manning, 1814; Oliver Farrar, 1822; Edward Simmons, 1828; Joel Balch, 1836 ; Joseph Dodge, jr., 1843 ; John Adams, 1850.
Senator .- Henry J. Parker, 1888.
Representatives from Andover .- John Simonds, 1781-82; Samuel Brown, 1783 ; John Simonds, jr., 1784; Benjamin Cox, 1787 ; Freder ick Rogers, 1788-91, 1794 ; Moses Warner, 1792-93, 1795-97, 1800, 1810; Alvin Simonds, 1798, 1801-05 ; Moses Rowell, 1799, 1802 ; Samuel Burton, 1804; William Stevens, 1806; C. G. Persons, 1807 ; Cyrus Smith, 1808 ; Joel Manning, 1812; John Wait, 1813-15; Sam- uel Manning, 1814-16-18 ; Joseph Kirk, 1817; Oliver Farrar, 1819- 21 ; Joel Balch, 1820-22-23, 1835 ; Edward Simonds, 1824-28, 1833; Orin Hazeltine, 1829-30; William Warner, 1831-32; Jerry Adams, 1834; John B. Manning, 1836; T. B. Manning, 1887; Joseplı Dodge, jr., 1838-40, 1844-45, 1853, 1862-63 ; Solomon Howard, 1841- 43, 1850, 1857 ; Charles Sherwin, 1846; John Adams, 1847-49 ;
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TOWN OF ANDOVER.
George W. Stickney, 1848, 1858-59, 1861, 1864-65 ; A. A. Constan- tine, 1854-55 ; C. Leonard, 1860; Horace Burton, 1866-67 ; Frederick A. Way, 1868-69, 1878, 1882; Albert E. Stannard, 1870-72-76 ; Henry J. Parker, 1874 ; Isaiah Lovejoy, 1880 ; Darwin A. Benson, 1884- 86-88. In the years not noted the town was not represented.
Selectmen, from the Organization of the Town .- James Keyes, 1780 ; Frederick Rogers, 1780, 1784-86, 1788-90 ; John Simonds, jr., 1780- 86, 1792 ; Moses Warner, 1781-82, 1787-89, 1792-96, 1798-99, 1806, 1810-II; Ezekiel Pease, 1781-83; Samuel Brown, 1782, 1784-85 ; Stephen Burgess, 1793 ; Thomas Adams, 1786-87 ; Augustus Pease, 1787-90, 1793-95 ; Daniel Allen, 1790-91; Daniel Sherwin, 1791, 1794- 95, 1797 ; Samuel Pettingill, 1791; Solomon Heywood, 1792; Samuel Manning, 1793; Wm. Stevens, 1796; John McNeal, 1796; Jonathan Cram, 1797-98, 1806; David Spafford, 1797; Amasa Piper, 1798-99; James Par- ker, 1799; Samuel Burton, 1800-05, 1807-09; Phineas Parker, 1800; Joel Manning, 1801-02; James S. Parker, 1801-03; Cyrus Smith, 1803, 1807-08, 1813, 1817-20 ; John Burton, 1804-05 ; Isaac Peabody, 1804-05 ; Jonathan Putnam, 1806, 1812-19; Joseph Dodge, jr., 1807- II ; Darius Gassetts, 1809; Joel Balch, 1810-12, 1814, 1820-22, 1826, 1829, 1835-36; John Pettingill, 1812-13 ; Thomas Dodge, 1814-15 ; Abner Feltt, jr., 1815-16; Abraham Brown, 1816-19, 1827-28, 1831- 32, 1840-41 ; Jerry Adams, 1820, 1829-30; Edward Simmons, 1821- 25, 1828-32 ; Benjamin Morse, 1821-22, 1831-33 ; Samuel Clark, 1823, 1835-36; William Dyer, 1823 ; Solomon Howard, jr., 1824-25, 1832- 34, 1839, 1851 ; Eli Burke, 1824; William Warner, 1825-27; Orin Hazeltine, 1826; Edward Manning, 1827-28 ; Abiel Pierce, 1830; John B. Manning, 1833, 1847-50; Sewall Smith, 1833 ; Charles W. Chandler, 1834-36; John Adams, 1834; Joseph Dodge, jr., 1837-40, 1842-46, 1848-50, 1853-54, 1860-63 ; Nathaniel Lord, 1837-38 ; Will- iam Clark, 1837; Ephraim Puffer, 1838; George W. Stickney, 1839- 40, 1847-54, 1858 ; Henry Heald, 1841-46, 1855, 1864; Lyman Par- ker, 1841-42, 1856; Alden Gutterson, 1843-45 ; Charles Sherwin, 1846-47 ; Franklin Austin, 1851-52, 1855-56; Joel Stannard, 1852 ; Richard Ward, 1853-44, 1858 ; Harvey Carlton, 1855 ; Lyman Shel- don, 1856-57, 1860, 1862-63 ; Spencer Taylor, 1857 ; Jesse Andrews, 1857, 1859 ; Bishop F. Howard, 1858-59, 1864-66; Sylvanus L. Marsh,
79
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
1859; Isaac B. Puffer, 1860; Capen Leonard, 1861 ; Horace Burton, 1861-63 ; L. Stearns, 1864 (elected, but did not serve) ; O. M. Leonard, 1864-65 ; William Pierce, 1865 ; Albert L. Stannard, 1866-69, 1875-76, 1879-81; Frederick A. Way, 1866-69, 1881; Henry J. Parker, 1867, 1871-74; Phineas R. Carlton, 1868-73, 1882, 1884-86; James H. Heald, 1870-71, 1873-74 ; Rufus E. Edson, 1870, 1877-78, 1882, 1884 ; Samuel H. Nutting, 1872; A. J. Peabody, 1874 (resigned) ; Stephen Dudley, 1874; Alden Jaquith, 1875-76; Isaiah Lovejoy, 1875-81 ; A. D. L. Herrick, 1877-78; W. F. Feltt, 1879-80; Benjamin G. Thompson, 1883-84, 1888; C. A. Osborne, 1885, 1888-89 ; Platt T. Marsh, 1885-87; J. D. Taylor, 1886-87 ; Horace Bailey, 1887 ; William Rowell, 1888-89 ; Darwin A. Benson, 1889.
Town Clerks since the Organization of the Town .- Moses Warner, 1780-82, 1787-96, 1798-99, 1810-11; John Simonds, jr., 1783-85 ; Samuel Brown, 1786; Jonathan Cram, 1797 ; Samuel Burton, 1801-09 ; Jonathan Putnam, 1812-19; Cyrus Smith, 1820 ; Edward Simonds, 1821- 25, 1828; William Warner, 1826-27; Nathanial P. Dodge, 1829-31; Sewall Smith, 1832-36 ; Joseph Dodge, jr., 1837-46, 1862-63 ; John B. Manning, 1847-49 ; George W. Putnam, 1851-60; Alonzo C. Gutter- son, 1861-62 (removed west in the latter year) ; J. D. Pettingill, 1864- 65 ; William Pierce, 1866-67 ; Lewis Howard, 1868-75 ; Charles M. Gutterson 1876 to the present time.
Town Treasurers since the Organization of the Town .- Moses Warner, 1780-81; Samuel Brown, 1782-85, 1798-1802; Ebenezer Simonds, 1786; John Simonds, jr., 1787-92 ; Ebenezer Cummings, 1793-97 ; Joel Manning, 1804-05; James S. Parker, 1806-13 ; Abner Gutterson, 1814- 18 (died in office) ; Joseph Stickney, 1818-29; Joel Balch, 1830-32 ; Joseph Dodge, jr, 1833-34 ; Alden Gutterson, 1835-36; George W. Stickney, 1837-38, 1851, 1858-70 ; George W. Putnam, 1839-43 ; Har- vey Carlton, 1844-47 ; Henry Heald, 1848-56 ; Albert D. L. Herrick, 1871-75 ; C. M. Gutterson, 1876-89 The records do not state whether a treasurer was elected in 1803.
Religious History .- There have been in this town at different times societies or classes of the following religious denominations : Baptist, Universalist, Congregationalist, Methodist and Free Will Baptist. The only regular organized society in the town at present s the Baptist.
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TOWN OF ANDOVER.
This church was organized August 31, 1803. Previous to that time the inhabitants of this denomination in the town attended Rev. Aaron Leland's church at Chester. The first member of the Baptist church who moved into the town was Samuel Manning. The first Baptist min- ister who preached in town was Rev. Joseph Elliott. The others who preached in the town in private houses, school-houses, and in the open air at an early day were Revs. Higbee, Choate, Bailey, Coombs and Mc- Collins.
As early as 1798 the town was divided into two parishes. On Octo- ber 1, 1806, a council was formed of the following members of the Bap- tist church : Elder Jeremiah Higbee, of Alstead; Deacon Nathaniel Shep- herd and Joseph Hall, of Windsor ; Elder Samuel Smith, of Wardsboro ; Elder Ariel Kendrick, of Cornish; and Elder Stephen Choate and Jacob Batchelder. At this meeting Rev. Joel Manning was ordained as the first minister over the church. A church building was erected in 1809, 30 x 40 feet in dimensions, in the northeastern part of the town on what is known as East Hill. Rev. Mr. Manning was pastor over the church more than twenty years, and the following have since occupied the pul- pit : Revs. Rodney Manning, Calvin Monroe, Elias Hurlburt, John Pierce, Calvin Baker, D. W. Burrows, Harvey Crowley, Alfred A. Constantine, Lyman Culver, E. F. Smith, Calvin Fisher, A. J. Walker and T. E. East- man. The present pastoris Rev. L .E. Kenney. A new church was erected at Peaseville in 1868, which is 35 x 41 feet.
A meeting- house 44 x 52 feet was built in 1820 at the center of the town, and was called the Congregationalist Union church. Services were held there at irregular periods, and there was no settled pastor. The building was burned down in 1862.
The Universalist church was organized in town in 1807. Rev. Cor- nelius Persons preached in this church four or five years .. Services were held as late as 1852 and among those who supplied the desk at different times were Revs. Warren Skinner, Hemphill and Loveland.
No Methodist church has ever prospered in Andover. In 1814 or 1815 a class of about twenty members existed for a few years in the northern part of the town.
During the year 1848 the Union church, 30 x 40 feet, was built at Simonsville. In the same year Elder H. R. Crain organized a Free Will Baptist church which worshipped there, but it was short lived.
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HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.
Two Mormon ministers visited the southern part of the town between the years 1830 and 1838, and made some converts who removed to Ohio.
Schools .- The first person who taught school in Andover was Miss Betsey Stevens in 1793. She taught in what was known as the old Ab- bott house. The first schoolmaster was Antepast Howard, who taught the first winter school. Previous to this, according to the town records, we find that at a meeting held March 3, 1788, Timothy Nichols, Ante- past Howard, Ezra Chapin, Thomas Adams, and John Simonds, jr., were appointed a committee to divide the town into school districts. Subse- quently the town was divided into three districts, and Samuel Brown, Ebenezer Simonds and Joseph Howard were elected trustees.
The first school-house, as far as can be ascertained, was built in the northern part of the town about 1805, and another was built a few years later, between Simonsville and Peaseville. There are at present seven school districts in the town.
Physicians of Andover .- The only physician of prominence who ever practiced in Andover was Dr. Charles M. Chandler. He was a grandson of Judge Thomas Chandler, one of the first settlers of Chester. His father, Thomas Chandler, jr., was also a resident of Chester, and in that town the doctor was born. He came to Andover to practice about 1800, set- tling near the center of the town. He was a resident physician about fifty years, and died in Ludlow, January 9, 1853, at the age of eighty- two years.
The other physicians who practiced in Andover were of the botanic school. Dr. Putnam Barton began practice in 1836, and five years later removed to Ludlow. Dr. Isaac Chase practiced from 1840 to 1844, and died in the latter year.
Many natives of this town have become members of the medical fra- ternity in other parts of the country, among whom are the following : Richard Lee Howard, a successful surgeon, died in Ohio; Elias Howard and Wolcott Chandler, died at Natick, Mass .; Byron S. Chase, died at Akron, O .; David H. Chase, died in Indiana.
Important Events .- In 1780 John Simonds erected a saw and grist- mill in what is now Weston. Stephen Dudley erected in the south part of the town of Andover, as at present constituted, the first grist-mill.
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TOWN OF ANDOVER.
The first saw-mill was built by Moses Rowell, at the so called center of the town. The first blacksmith was Isaac Allen ; the first shoemaker, Hart Balch ; the first cloth-dresser, Orrin Hazeltine ; the first store was kept in the southwestern part of the town by Joseph Bullard. The first tannery was built by Ebenezer Farnsworth. The first mail carrier was Abner Feltt, who brought the mail from Bellows Falls. In 1812 the town was visited by the spotted fever, resulting in eight deaths.
From the time the town was divided in 1800, until 1819, Andover sent a representative one year, and Weston one the next year. In 1818 Joel Balch, representative from Andover, laid the matter before the Legislature, and the right to send a representative from each town was granted.
In 1824 the town was divided into eight school districts, each equipped with a school-house. There were three grist mills, three saw-mills, one carding machine, one fulling-mill, two stores, two taverns, and one tan- nery.
The town hall was built in 1863, Horace Burton, Spencer Taylor, and B. F. Howard being the building committee. The sum of $1,000 was appropriated for the purpose by the town.
Andover in the Wars .- There is no evidence that this town took any active part in the Revolutionary war, on account, doubtless, of its being so thinly settled, and so far removed from the seat of the struggle. But a great number of her early settlers were actively engaged in the war before their settlements here. Among them were Solomon Howard, Samson Walker, David Hazeltine, Jonas Adams, Levi Adams, Andrew Bradford, Hart Balch, Peter Adams, Peter Putnam, Joseph Stickney, Joseph Abbott, Ebenezer Farnsworth, William Pierce, Benjamin Pierce, David Burton, Daniel Knights, Richard Bradford, Jesse Parkhurst, Luther Adams, John Barton, Frederick Rogers.
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