USA > Vermont > Addison County > Middlebury > History of the town of Middlebury, in the county of Addison, Vermont > Part 17
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After the death of his father, Col. Chipman's mother was married to Samuel Keep, one of the original proprietors, and their first clerk. They had two daughters, Eunice, who kept the first school in Middlebury, and Hannah. The former was first married to a Mr. Marvin, and, after his death, to John Smith Esq. of Leicester, in this County. Hannah became the wife of Moses Sheldon of Salisbury, Conn., who lived for some time and died in Salisbury in this County. They were the parents of Samuel Sheldon and Oscar · · Sheldon of that place, of Mrs. Case, wife of Loyal Case Esq., of Mrs. Johnson, widow of the late Austin Johnson, who has recently died, February 18, 1859, aged 65, and of his former wife and of the wife of Samuel Crook.
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Samuel Keep lived for a time at Whitehall, and was residing at Crown Point, with his family, when Burgoyne's invasion drove them from their home. In their old age, Mrs. Keep resided with her daughter, Mrs. Vanduzer until her death, and her husband with his daughter, Mrs. Smith, in Leicester. He died in 1802 at the age of 84, and his wife in 1804 at the same age.
In November 1772, Col. Chipman was married to Sarah Wash- burn, daughter of Abisha Washburn of Salisbury, Conn., of whom notice will be given hereafter. Besides Mrs. Loomis, before men- tioned, Mrs. Sally Rogers, wife of Jabez Rogers Jr., was a daughter of this marriage, and died in 1839, aged 64 years. Washburn's other daughters were married as follows: Mercy to Lemuel Bradley, father of Harry Bradley, John Bradley and Miss Bradley of Bur- lington, Hannah to Abraham Bethrong and Olive to Freedom Loomis, The last two were settled in Middlebury.
Eber Evarts, on his return after the war, resumed his possession of the farm on the north line of Salisbury. On this he resided until he purchased as before mentioned, a part of the Slasson pitch and home lot No. 34. He then sold his farm to Joel Boardman, who still resides on it, and moved to his new purchase. He built the house still standing on the Slasson lot, and resided in it until his death in 1838, at the age of eighty-five. His widow survived him and died in 1841, at the age of eighty-five. Abner Everts, son of Eber, resided with his father, and after his death occupied the farm, and until lately resided in the same house. Recently he has resided with his son-in-law, Frederic Leland, who has built a house near the east end of 34, in the village of East Middlebury.
John Hinman, after his return, entered into possession of the lot on which he had before settled, and continued for a time and sold it to Moses Hale of Rutland. Hale occupied it until about 1797, when he deeded the south half to his son Moses Hale, Jun., and the north half to his son Hial Hale. William Carr, Jun., now owns the south half deeded to Moses Hale Jun., and Zuar Barrows in part Hial Hale's lot.
While the parties were absent during the war, Eleazer Slasson deeded the balance of his two hundred acre pitch to Col. George
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Sloan, a son-in-law of Daniel Foot. Sloan, in the spring of 1784, came to Middlebury, and took possession of the land, where Slasson had begun his settlement, and occupied it until the fall of 1793, when he sold it to Abraham Vanduzer, and removed to the village.
Samuel Bentley did not return to Middlebury, but during the war Benjamin Risley had purchased the whole of his two hundred acre pitch, on which Bentley had settled, and in 1784 came to Mid- dlebury, and went into possession of his purchase. He remained in possession just long enough to be appointed moderator of the first town meeting, and in April sold his farm to Asa Fuller, of Rutland, who soon after deeded the north half to his brother Elisha Fuller.
The sons of Daniel Foot, who returned with him in 1783 brought with them a considerable number of cattle, and remained through the succeeding winter to take care of them, and make somne further preparations for the family. As they had no hay, or much other fodder, they undertook to winter the cattle on browse. For this purpose they had, during the winter, cut over a considerable tract covered with maple trees ; and in the spring they drove their cattle to the swamps for feed. But the cattle became much emaciated and many of them died. But the ground, which they had cut over in the winter, after the brush was burnt, looked so promising that Mr. Foot proposed to plant it with corn, and went to Castleton for the seed. On the 10th of June, they planted their corn among the fallen trees, and had an abundant crop of such rapid growth, that by the 10th of August, the cars were fit for roasting.
Mr. Foot, after the war removed his residence to the southeast corner of No. 6, of the second hundred acre division. He first built a small house south of the large one, which he afterwards built. Previous to the year 1790, he built a large barn, designed for the accommodation of religious and town meetings, and about the year 1793, he built his large house still further north, and lived in it with his family while he remained in town. The dwell- ing house of his grand son, Allen Foot, constitutes a part only of that house.
Daniel Foot, as before intimated, had purchased large tracts of
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land in Middlebury, and it is said that he owned more than a thousand acres before the war. At an early day he deeded to each of his sons, and his daughter, the wife of Enoch Dewey, one or more tracts of land, and in 1801, made a disposition of the remainder and started for Canton, in the State of New York, having a passion for new countries. No roads had then been opened to that place from this direction, so that he went by Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River, and only just reached his destination when he died. He was a very enterprising man, and perhaps somewhat restless, as was evinced by his former life. The following, copied from "The Foot family, or the descendants of Nathaniel Foot," furnishes some facts of his history and some traits of his character.
" Daniel Foot, born in Simsbury, Conn., April 27, 1724, and son of Daniel Foot, of that town, well sustained some of the remarkable traits in the character of the Foot family,-indomitable perseverance and a strong propensity to pioneer life. He removed from Simsbury about the year 1764, and located himself in what was once called Hartwood, now Washington, Massachusetts, cleared away the forests and made a farm. From thence he removed to Dalton, in the same State, at the foot of Dalton Mountain, pur- chased a tract of land and brought into cultivation a valuable farm. This farm he subsequently sold to his eldest son, and removed to Middlebury, Ver., where he purchased some five or six hundred acres of wild land, on which he built mills, felled the forests and . resided for many years. At the age of eighty, having previously lost his wife, Mr. Foot distributed his property at Middlebury among his children, and about the year 1801, set out to make a a new settlement in Canton, in the County of St. Lawrence, State of New York, then a wilderness, whither his son Stillman had removed a short time previous. On his way there through Mon- treal, he took the small pox, of which he died a few days after his arrival in Canton. He was a man of great industry and energy, and peculiarly fitted for a pioneer in a new country. He could never be contented on a well cultivated farm. There must be forests to subdue, and new dwellings to erect, or it was no place
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for him ; and at last he died in the woods, and for lack of boards for a coffin was laid in bark from an elm tree."
Mr. Foot had purchased in Middlebury, probably twice the amount of land mentioned in the quotation, and principally in the neighborhood where he settled. He had set his heart upon making the handsome tract between his residence and that of his son Philip Foot the centre of business for the town, and the location for the meeting house. It was near the centre and the "town plat," located by the Committee was regarded as unsuitable. A large number of second hundred acre lots met here and were bounded on the west end of the home lots. The town and religious meetings were held here for many years, while the town was settling. But after the village, at the falls, had increased in its population and business, intimations were given of the claims of the village to be made the centre; and soon their strength became sufficient to control the majority, and the matter was settled against the claims of Mr. Foot and his neighbors. In this controversy Mr. Foot evinced, as in all his other enterprises, his constitutional energy and decision. But amidst it all he was regarded as a conscientious and respectable man. The enterprize and energy of the Foot family were of great service in the settlement and organization of the town.
Philip Foot, eldest son of Daniel Foot, having been married during the war returned to the farm, where he had commenced a clearing before the war, and continued to cultivate it as his home farm until his death. He built on the northwest corner of No. 7, the two-story house now standing, and resided in it during his life. He died in 1827 at the age of 75 years. The house and a part of the farm belonged to the estate of E. W. Lyons, and has been recently purchased by Mr. Eli Parker, a mechanic from the village. William Foot, a son of Philip also owns a part, and lives in a house just south of the other.
.. Martin Foot, another son, early settled on home lots 65 and 66, received from his father. As early as the year 1786, he put up a plank house, in which, with some additions, he lived until his death. He died in 1854, at the age of ninety-two. He had before his
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death deeded a part of his farm to his son Deacon Martin N. Foot, who built the two-story house in which he lived and died. It is now occupied by his son-in-law Joseph W. Boyce. The house and farm, left by Martin Foot, is owned by Marquis L. Branch, son of his last wife.
Freeman Foot, another son of Daniel Foot, was in possession of the south half of Hyde's 200 acre pitch, as early as 1785; and made some additions, which extended his farm to the creek. In 1786 he built a house just north of the village, near the cellar, built by Ep. Miller, which for several years remained uncovered, and on which Oliver Severance has built a dwelling house. In 1788 he was married to Silence Clark, and took possession of his house, and continued to cultivate his farm until the year 1801. In the fall of that year he sold his farm, except such parts as he had sold for village lots, to Daniel Chipman ; and in the following winter or spring removed to the farm which his father had recently left. On this farm he resided until the time of his death, which took place in 1842, at the age of eighty-three; and the farm has since been owned by his son Allen Foot. At the time of his purchase above mentioned, Mr. Chipman deeded to Ep. Miller, that part of the land which lies west of the paper mill road, and to Samuel Mattocks that which lies between that and the New Haven road. The large meadow purchased by Mattocks was owned until recently by Gen. Nash, who has now sold it in parcels to Oliver Severance and three others who have built houses on it.
In the distribution of his lands, by Freeman Foot, among his children in his life time, he gave to Alfred Wainwright, who had married two of his daughters, home lot 59, and No. 6, of the sec- ond hundred acre division. The former is now owned by John W. Halladay, and the latter by Timothy Boardman, Jun.
Freeman Foot, about the same time, deeded to his son Clark Foot. with other lands, five or six acres at the corner of the roads on home lot 60, on which the latter built the present house, in which he resided for several years, and afterwards removed to the village, and since to Michigan. The house and lot are now owned by Jonathan and George Smith.
HISTORY OF MIDDLEBURY, 201
Appleton Foot, youngest son of Daniel Foot, and father of Mrs. Slade, widow of Hon. William Slade, remained on the premises, and after his marriage lived in a small house south of his father's residence, and received from his father a deed of a hundred acres of his home farm. In 1792, he purchased of his brother John the lands and water privileges, which the latter owned on the west side of the falls, in exchange for the lands received from his father. John went into possession of the premises left by Appleton, and superintended the erection of his father's large house. Having completed this object, he removed to New Haven, to the farm of his father-in-law, Bill Thayer, of the whole of which he afterwards became the owner. Here he remained until he removed to East Middlebury in 1811.
Stillman Foot, another son of Daniel Foot and the two last men- tioned, will be referred to elsewhere.
The widow of Enoch Dewey, who had begun a clearing before the war, a daughter of Daniel Foot, came into the country after the war, and was married to Roger Nobles of New Haven, with whom her children lived until they were of age. The land which their father owned was divided between them, the daughter taking the home lot, and Stillman, the son, No. 2, of the second hundred acre division. The daughter was married to Jacob Fuller of New Haven, and never took possession of her land, but it was sold and is now divided between several owners. Nathan Carpenter's house lot on which he resided in his life time, * is a part of it, Jonathan Smith owns a part of the same lot, and Jesse Goodno owns and occupies the remainder. Stillman Dewey, the son, after he arrived at full age, in 1793, went into possession of his lot, and remained there until his death in 1841. at the age of sixty-eight years. He built the two story house in which he lived and died. The princi- pal farm is now owned with considerable additions by his son Enoch Dewey, who built another house on the premises, and a son of the latter ; both of whom reside on the farm.
* Mr. Carpenter died April 10th, 1858, at the age of 69.
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CHAPTER V1.
NEW SETTLERS-STEPHEN GOODRICH-ROBERT HUSTON-BUTTOLPH -KIRBY-SUMNER-PRESTON AND MUNGERS-SELLICK-DEACON SUMNER-OLMSTEAD-VANDUZER-BARNET-HAMMOND-CRAFT -LOOMIS.
WILLIAM HOPKINS, who commenced a settlement before the war, on the south half of Oliver Evarts' 200 acre pitch east of the village did not return, but sold his land to Captain Stephen Goodrich, from Glastenbury, Conn. Capt. Goodrich, in the spring of 1784, came on with his two sons, William and Amos, and took possession of his land. The sons remained and worked on the land that season. The spring following the father returned with his family. We have been able to obtain, through Mr. Battell, as before mentioned, the story of Amos Goodrich, communicated in his lifetime, of some incidents attending the settlement, which, with some facts obtained otherwise, we here insert.
Amos Goodrich came from Glastenbury in 1784. His way was by Pawlet, to Hubbardton, and across Hubbardton mountain through Whiting to Middlebury. Hop Johnson had the only dwelling at the village, a sort of shanty on a small scale. He kept a ferry across the creek near where the railroad bridge is. His brother William was with him, and remained and became a citizen of Middlebury. They passed to their lot at Dr. William Bass's, and spent the summer in clearing upon it. The lot was bought the fall before by his father at Manchester, when he was on a journey to examine into his interest in the town of Richford, of which he and other Glastenbury men were proprietors. He had accompanied his father on this journey. William Hopkins had
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made an opening on the lot during the summer, and commenced a cabin. When he and his brother came in 1784, Foot was on the Foot street, Chipman and Painter were beginning again in the south west quarter of the town, but only Hop Johnson had a dwelling in the village quarter, on the west bank of the creek, and a Washburn a clearing where he was building a saw mill. They passed their time agreeably in their solitary place. He never was happier. A few strips of bark on the roof above their bed protected them from the rain, and a few slabs of bass-wood logs, set up about them, kept off the wind. Provisions they brought, as they had occasion, from Pawlet, where their father arranged for their supply of pork and flour, with a man who obtained them from Shaftsbury.
Amos Goodrich, soon after coming to town had occasion to go to -
the falls, and as the paths which he followed were circuitous, he undertook to return by a straight course. The whole region around the falls was a terribly dense hemlock forest. After traveling some time he lost his way and found himself again on the bank of the creek above the falls. Following the creek down to the Falls, he chose to return by the circuitous path, rather than venture himself again in the pathless forest, While his brother was gone to Pawlet for provisions, he had occasion to go again to the falls. The eddy, as it is called, below the Falls, was filled with a compact, immovable mass of flood-wood, which he walked over as on dry land. At the foot of the falls he found an open place, with a flat, white rock at the bottom of the water, covered with trout. He returned to the house, took a hatchel tooth, bent it into a hook, tied it to a tow string, and hooked up the fish by the gills, until he had taken nine large trouts, weighing a pound and a half each, when the remainder fled under the flood-wood. This fact is stated to us by William F. Goodrich, son of Amos, as received from his father.
The same spring, his father, Stephen Goodrich, came up on foot . from Glastenbury, the brothers meeting him at Pawlet, and the whole party went to Richford to examine their lands there. They were to meet a surveyor at Chimney Point, where they waited one day, and went on to Burlington. Here again they were detained
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waiting for Ira Allen, who was absent in Canada. At that time there was but one log house in Burlington, owned by Capt. Bying- ton, and at the falls only a mill and log house.
In 1785, other farms were commenced about them-Kirby on the lot where he settled, Huston on the northeast, where Hammond lives, Johnson on the east, on the lot where Deacon Matthews lives, Parker on the lot south .* Freeman Foot owned within the village, and built on the New Haven road, near Miller's cellar, perhaps not until the next year. About this time Stillman Foot owned a saw mill on the west side of the falls, and the first road was opened from the mills to Foot street, and west into Cornwall.
Stephen Goodrich, his father, with his mother and sister, came on in 1785, having a cart and oxen, five cows and five or six hogs. The hogs followed the cart, lying under it at night, and were fed with the milk, which was not needed for the family. The son also states, as having learned from his father, that after the family had used what milk they wished, the remainder was put into the churn on the cart, and the motion churned it; and thus the family, on their way, were supplied with butter as well as milk. There were no cattle near them for the first two summers; the third, each of the neighbors had a cow.
The brothers having met the family at Pittsford, they with the cart, were put on board a raft and floated down the creek. The creek became a favorite road in the summer and winter. A boat was built early, which ran weekly to Pittsford and back for pass- engers and freight. The roads in general were paths only, the bushes being cut away and the trees marked. Such was the road, by which the brothers came through Whiting, passing round the swamp nearly into Shoreham. The road from No. 4, (Charleston, N. H.,) to Ticondaroga, crossing the road they travelled, was of the same character.
Hop Johnson's was the point sought by travelers for Middlebury.
* The lot on which Joseph Parker settled, was a fifty acre lot, pitched by Judge Painter, and lying east of his Washburn pitch, on the south side of the road opposite Dr. Bass's. The eastern part of it belongs to the widow of Jonathan Wainwright, as a part of her dower. No residence was long continued on that lot.
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His accommodations were scanty. Old Mr. Blodget kept a tavern in the part of Cornwall which is now in Middlebury, very conve- nient for the travel on the ice, and much frequented.
The bridge over the creek at Middlebury Falls was built by Stillman Foot, logs being laid as abutments, the layers jutting over as they rose, till they extended, Mr. Goodrich thinks, over the water,* leaving but seventy feet span to the trestle. This was crossed by single string-pieces formed of pine trees, and these were covered with poles. It rose about twelve feet above the water. Goodrich, for his share, worked twelve days gratuitously.
The first grain ground, after the family came, Amos Goodrich took to Salisbury. Col. Sawyer had just completed a mill on the falls on Leicester River, at Salisbury Village, and before Foot's mill was finished here. He went by the creek and Leicester River, to within half a mile of the mill, and carried the grain from there on his back.
The first preaching, he says, was by an old gentleman, who came on account of the service of Mr. Foot, a fine man, who read some of his old sermons. Mr. Robbins, now Dr. Robbins of Hartford, came on and was spoken to about settling, but his father advised him, not yet. He was a young man, but "read off his sermons pretty smart." Mr. John Barnet was settled for a time. He was well liked, but left on account of some controversies in the church, perhaps in connection with the difficulties with father Foot.
Mr. Goodrich says they had occasional adventures with the bears, which were troublesome, and ate the corn. The little dog, he says, treed a bear and cub, at one time, on Buttolph's land. Buttolph and his boy and Robert Huston and others came out, but the party had but one gun between them. This Goodrich fired and wounded the bear. She ran to another tree, a pine, going high up and resting upon a stub. He then shot so directly under her from below, that she fell nearly upon him, and he dispatched her with a club. Buttolph then shot the cub in the face, so that it fell, and Goodrich seized it by the neck and hind legs, swung its head
* In this Mr. GOODRION was mistaken, or Mr. BATTELL misunderstood him. The logs which formed the abutment did not extend over the water.
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against the tree and killed it. At another time Kirby found a bear near his house. The dog treed it. John Kirby and Hollister were along. It saw them and sprang down, but the dog pressed it back, and was carried up the tree, hanging to the haunches of the bear, by its mouth. The bear was shot, and both fell together, twenty- five or thirty feet.
Mr. Goodrich, when this communication was made, said he had voted for every representative chosen in town, and for every President from Washington down. Painter was the first represen- tative, then Miller. It was said that the House preferred Miller, who "talked out what he wanted. Painter was one of your long- headed fellows, sly around, but would bring things about. Miller would talk out. Painter would work out of doors and carry his point."
The father and brother of Mr. Goodrich were in the army. He was excused on account of his stammering. His father was Lieu- tenant in Chester's company at Bunker Hill, and had the same rank, with the command of a company at Saratoga. The captain, on that occasion, being young, and the soldiers refusing to obey him, was displaced. He fought on three days without injury. This was his last service in the militia. His commission at Bunker Hill was from King George; after a few weeks he had one from Washington,* which is still preserved .*
Stephen Goodrich and his son Amos continued to live on, and cultivate, the farm on which he first settled until January 1800. He had previously made an arrangement to exchange his land for the farm on which Judge Painter first settled on the south line of the town. Fifty acres on which his house stood he deeded to Dr. William Bass, who had, two or three years before, then a young man, commenced the practice of medicine here. That part of the
* Capt. GOODRICHI may have belonged to the regular army and had a commis- sion as Lieutenant, from Washington, as his son supposed, which has been lost or sent to Washington to obtain his pension ; but the commission remaining among his papers is signed by JONATHAN TRUMBULL, governor of Connecticut, dated 20th May, 1780, after all his service mentioned above, and contains his appointment as " Captain of the third company of the alarm list, in the 6th regiment of the State."
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farm which lies between the road leading to Edwin Hammond's and the farm of Freeman Foot, he deeded to Daniel Chipman, he having about that time purchased the Foot farm; and the remainder Goodrich deeded to Painter. In January he removed to the Painter farm and resided on it until his death in Sept. 1823, aged ninety- three years. Amos continued to live with him, during his life, and occupied the farm afterwards until his own death in 1854, at the age of ninety. The farm is now occupied by William F. Goodrich, son of Amos.
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