USA > Vermont > Addison County > Middlebury > History of the town of Middlebury, in the county of Addison, Vermont > Part 22
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the father of Holden Rhodes, who was educated at Middlebury College, and became a lawyer of standing in Virginia, and of Mrs. Chipman wife of Hon. George Chipman, now of the city of Wash- ington.
The lot, which Rhodes purchased of Lawrence, extended north and included the two house lots of Amon Wilcox, and the house lot of Dr. Z. Bass. The southern of these lots was sold by Rhodes to William Baker, for many years the principal mason in the village, in 1801, who built the present house, the others to Ruluff and Ben- jamin Lawrence. Benjamin Lawrence built the two houses now occupied by Mr. Wilcox and Dr. Bass. Mr. Wilcox settled in Mid- dlebury at an early day, and has been a successful manufacturer and dealer in tin and copper ware, and dealer in stoves and corres- ponding articles.
Mr. Ep. Jones occupied the house, purchased of Rhodes, for a ten- ement and store for several years, and moved to Lake Dunmore, where he established his large glass factory, and when that exploded, . went to the west and established himself at New Albany, Indiana.
Ep. Miller in 1796 purchased the premises left by Anthony Rhodes, on the east side of the creek, occupied the house built by him, and established a tannery on the bank of the creek, which he carried on for many years. He afterwards built on the premises the large brick house occupied by Mr. Wood, a large three sto- ry building, which was removed to make room for the rail road and the house under the hill lately owned by Dr. Brockway, now by Mrs. Adalin Lagro. He afterwards purchased the farm and beautiful site where Mr. Chipman's house was burnt, and erected the brick house now owned by Mr. S. B. Rockwell. Here he re- sided until his death in 1850, in his eightieth year.
Lewis and Joseph McDonald, from Litchfield, Conn., came to Middlebury in 1793, and purchased the small lot, which John Dem- ing had sold to George Sloan, and on the land now constituting Mr. Seymour's garden, erected a gambrel roof building, which they used for their store, while Lewis McDonald occupied the old house for his residence. Here they prosecuted a successful mercantile business until 1801, when they closed their business and divided
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their property. In the meantime, they had purchased several pieces of land, on the north side of the road running west from the college, extending from the top of the hill westward and forming a valuable farm. In the division of their property Joseph took this farm, went into possession of the house, which had been before built by Winant Williamson, on land purchased of him, and which is now occupied by Abraham L Williamson. Here he prosecuted the business of farming until 1828, when he returned to the village, purchased the house and lot on Weybridge street, now owned by Orin Abbey, and resided there until the time of his death in 1854 at the age of 84 years. About the year 1818, Lewis McDonald returned to the village purchased the lot and house now owned by Richard Southwell, on the Cornwall street, and resided there until his death in 1839 at the age of 72 years.
Mr. Seymour purchased the lot, which had been the place of busi- ness of Lewis and Joseph McDonald, and occupied the house for the residence of his family. In 1816 and 1817, he replaced it by the present large brick house, in which he afterwards resided until his death. The old house at the time was removed to the lot next south of the old Female Seminary building, and was for many years the residence of Ozias Seymour, Esq.
Hon. Horatio Seymour, LL. D., was born at Litchfield, Conn., May 31, 1778. He was the son of Major Moses Seymour and Mrs. Mary [Marsh] Seymour. His father was a respectable citizen of that place, was in the war of the Revolution, represented the town in the State Legislature, much of the time from 1795 to 1812; and was town clerk for nearly forty years. The subject of this no- tice pursued his studies preparatory to entering college, at New · Milford, under the tuition of his brother-in-law, Rev. Truman Marsh, then located in that place. He was graduated at Yale College in 1797. The following year he spent as an assistant teacher in the Academy at Cheshire, Conn .; the second he spent in the study of law, at Judge Reeve's law school in Litchfield. In October 1799 he came to Middlebury, and continued his professional studies in the office of Ilon. Daniel Chipman. In the spring of 1800, he was licensed to practice law, and, in competition with several distinguished
L. Grozeher, Luh Boston.
Horatio Saymon
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and older lawyers, such as Daniel Chipman, Samuel Miller and others, entered immediately into an extensive practice, and rose rap- idly in general estimation, as a man and as a lawyer. He did not seek to extend his practice to other counties, but in the County of Addison, no other lawyer, we believe, ever had so extensive a busi- ness, or was engaged, at the same time, in so many causes in the different courts. While building his large and very expensive brick house, in 1816 and 1817, he expressed to the writer of this notice, his regret to lay out so great an expenditure on a house, but stated, as some alleviation, that his income during those two years was suf- ficient to meet the expense. Notwithstanding his talents, which were of a superior order, and his thorough knowledge of the law, he was probably no little indebted for his success, to his great pop- ularity as a man. His career as a lawyer was uninterrupted until the spring of 1821.
In the meantime, in December 1800, the same year in which he was admitted to the bar, Mr. Seymour was appointed postmaster, and continued in the office for nine years, but, for much of the time, on account of the pressure of his professional business, he commit- ted the personal superintendence, with its income, to other hands. When the Vermont State Bank was established at the session of the legislature in 1806, he was chosen one of its first directors, and continued in that office until the branch at Middlebury was closed. In 1809, he was elected by the people a member of the Executive Council, and was annually re-elected for the five following years. In October 1820, he was elected, by the legislature, to the Senate of the United States, the duties of the office to commence on the 4th of March, 1821. At the close of his first term he was re-elected for a second. This of course was an interruption to his professional pursuits. At the close of his second term in 1833, he returned to the practice of law. This he continued until a few years since, when his infirmities forced him to retire from it.
The corporation of Yale College, at the commencement in 1847, the fiftieth anniversary of his graduation, conferred on him the honorary degree of LL. D.
Mr. Seymour was constitutionally diffident and distrustful of him-
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self. So far from seeking for office, we think he never accepted one but with reluctance and through the solicitation of his friends. Many years ago he stated to the writer the following incident. At the time of his graduation, the faculty of the college assigned him an oration as a part of the public exercises. His diffidence forbade. his undertaking such an exhibition before such an audiance, and he went to Dr. Dwight the president, of whom he always spoke with high respect, and requested to be excused. The president urged him with various encouragements and arguments to perform his part. But all in vain. Mr. Seymour told him it would be impossible ; that he could not go through with it; and that, if he could not be excused, he must take & dismission from college. At length the Doctor consented to excuse him. This trait undoubtedly influenced him in the discharge of his senatorial duties. He did not feel called, by a sense of duty, among so many distinguished senators, so ready to speak, to make a display, which his distrust of himself forbade. He was greatly respected for his sound but modest opinions, and his influence, though silent and unobtrusive, was generally rec- ognized in the senate. . His intimate friends and associates were among the most distinguished men connected with the government, such as Adams, King, Clay, Webster and Marcy. But he did not often make any formal address in the Senate. It was otherwise when he acted in the capacity of an advocate. The rights and inter- ests of his clients had been intrusted to him, and he had engaged for their defence, and no personal feelings could justify his neglect. In his addresses to the court or jury, he made no attempts at display, but, in his quiet and modest way, poured forth a powerful and com- prehensive argument, which his opposing counsel found it difficult to meet, and introduced points in the case, which had not occurred to them. He had great ingenuity and tact in the management of his causes.
As a politician, Mr. Seymour was a friend and supporter of the administration of Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison. When party lines were disturbed at the close of the war, and at the end of Mr. Monroe's administration, several candidates were presented, reck- oned as belonging to the same party, he advocated the election of
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Mr. Adams, and adhered to what was known as his party, and was always a decided whig. But, in whatever party he was classed, he scrupulously adhered to the principles he had adopted, whatever tempting advances were made to him to deviate from them. He would never be led into a measure which he thought wrong, at the bidding of his party. In the discharge of all his official duties, he exhibited unusual impartiality, and he has been known to oppose the general wishes of his party, when they did not accord with his own views of right.
Mr. Seymour was humble and unassuming, in all his positions and intercourse among men. He made no claims to distinction on account of his own standing. In his intercourse with all ranks of men, he made all honest men his equals, and treated them as such. He had great ingenuity and wisdom in accomplishing his purposes, and when circumstances required, he could keep " his own council ;"' but he had a scrupulous regard to the rights of all, with whom he dealt ; and had no forbearance for dishonesty or intrigue. By the interest he expressed in the affairs of all, who needed his sympathy or aid, and by his very courteous and kindly treatment of all, with whom he came in contact, in every form of association, he secured not only the respect and confidence, but the personal friendship of all. No man had fewer, if he had any, enemies, or more attached personal friends.
Mr. Seymour was a patron of all our literary institutions, and for many years was a member of the corporations of Middlebury College, and Addison County Grammar School. He was elected a member of the former in 1810. He united with the Episcopal Society at its first organization, was for many years senior warden of the parish, and had been a communicant in the church also for many years.
In the spring of 1800, Mr. Seymour was married to Miss Lucy Case, a daughter of Jonah Case of Addison, and sister of Loyal Case, Esq., an Attorney of Middlebury. She died in October 1838. Since her death he has remained unmarried.
For some time previous to his death, Mr. Seymour had been -slowly and rather prematurely declining with the infirmities of advancing age, and died at his residence, at six o'clock Saturday
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evening, November 21, 1857, in the eighteith year of his age. He left to mourn his decease, three sons, Ozias Seymour Esq., an At- torney of this village, Moses Seymour, Esq., of Geneva, Wisconsin, and Horatio Seymour, Esq., an attorney of Buffalo, N. Y., and their children and the children of a deceased daughter, Mrs. Emma H. Battell, who had constituted a part of his family. His sister Mrs. Clarissa Marsh, widow of the late Rev. Truman Marsh, the oldest member of his father's family, survived at his death at the age of eighty-five years, in Litchfield Conn. The late Moses Sey- mour and Ozias Seymour of Litchfield, Henry Seymour of Utica, N. Y. and Epaphro Seymour of Brattleboro Vt., were brothers of Mr. Seymour.
Samuel Mattocks, Jun., in 1794, erected on the Dudley lot a large house, with necessary out houses, and opened a tavern, which he continued until 1804. Samuel Mattocks senior, on the same lot and north of the tavern, erected a two story house called the " green house," in which he resided until his death in 1804, in the sixty- fifth year of his age. He also built on the Willard lot next north, and in front of the house built by Dr. Willard, a double store, the upper story being made into a large hall, used by the masonic lodge.
In 1804 Nathan Rosseter from Williamstown, Mass., purchased the Mattocks' tavern house and continued the tavern. Mattocks then removed his family to the " green house," and commenced and continued for several years the mercantile business in the building built by his father on the Willard lot. The tavern was owned and kept successively by Nathan Rosseter, Loudon Case and Artemas Nixon until 1812, when the latter leased it to Harvey Bell, who continued it until his death in 1814, at the age of fifty-nine years.
In 1816, the tavern house, green house, store, Willard house and all the out houses connected with them were consumed by fire. After this fire a tavern was opened in the brick house built by Ep. Miller, and was kept by Samuel Mattocks, until the brick building was erected on the old tavern stand by Nathan Wood in 1826. This was opened as a public house in the spring of 1827, and was known as the Vermont Hotel. Different tenants occupied this until 1852. At the previous session, the legislature incorporated the " Middle-
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bury Hotel Company ;" who procceded to make extensive repairs and alterations. It is now known as the " Addison House." It has been kept successively by George R. Orcutt and Edward Muz- zey, and it is now under the superintendence of Richard Adams, and George Adams, under the firm of Adams Brothers.
Samuel Mattocks, who built the first hotel on this ground, besides the business mentioned, was sheriff of the county in 1813 and 1814, and was an efficient and useful citizen. He died in 1823 at the age of fifty-eight.
In 1817, after the destruction of the hotel and other buildings on these grounds, Thomas Hagar who had retreated from Canada at the commencement of the war, purchased the Willard lot and erected the brick building, now owned by the bank, which he de- signed and for some time used, as a store. In 1825, the whole of these grounds became the property of Rufus and Janathan Wain- wright. The tavern lot they sold to Nathan Wood, and on the Wil- lard lot they erected the large brick house, now the residence of Joseph Warner, Esq. It was designed for the residence of Jona- than Wainwright, and by him occupied with his family until his death.
In the year 1790, William Young, a cabinet maker, came to the village and purchased of Judge Painter the lot next north of the lot purchased by Dr. Matthews. He erected for his dwelling the small house standing between the houses of Mrs. Simmons and Mrs. Merrill. He also built a shop, in which he prosecuted his trade until 1795. About this time Col. Nathaniel Ripley, from Wind- ham, Conn., a carpenter, moved into the village, and in 1794 pur- chased the lot next north of Young's, which Young the next year purchased and added to his own.
In 1792, Festus Hill a carpenter purchased of Judge Painter the corner lot now owned by Hon. Peter Starr. On this lot he built the one story house, occupied successively by Dr. Hastings and Mr. Starr, until the latter removed it to the lot east of it and built his present house.
Dr. Joseph Clark settled in the village, as a physician, in 1793, and purchased of Judge Painter the lot on the corner formed by the New Haven road and Seminary street. Here he built a small
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house, in which he resided until 1796. He then removed to the' house he built on the lot purchased of Samuel Foot. In 1801, he left the State and his family together.
Ruluff Lawrence, from Canaan, Conn , in 1796, purchased the lot, where Dr. Clark first settled, and established the blacksmith business. IIe was joined in a few months by his brother, Benjamin Lawrence, and they continued their business with great success un= til the year 1804, when they closed it and divided their property. In their division, Ruluff took the lot above mentioned and built on it the present two story house. He afterwards purchased of Daniel Chipman the land on the north side of Seminary street, then a part of the farm formerly owned by Freeman Foot, on which stands the house occupied by Judge Tilden and that next east of it for many years owned by Miss Jerusha Frisbie, and now by James M. Slade Esq. The latter he built and occupied for a time, and afterwards built the other, in which he also resided for several years. He af- terwards removed to the house now owned by Dr. Sidney Moody, the front part of which he also built. Benjamin Lawrence, in the division, took the lot, on Weybridge street, purchased of Anthony Rhodes, and successively built and occupied the houses, which are the residences of Amon Wilcox and Dr. Z. Bass. They afterwards resumed the business of blacksmithing separately, and both are now living at a very advanced age .*
Noble Stewart and Ira Stewart, who had been in the mercantile business in New Haven, having purchased of Ruluff Lawrence the house on the corner lot, and the store built by D. and W. Campbell, removed their business to this village, and prosecuted it in that store.
Their father, mother and sister, resided with them, constituting one family. For the purpose of bringing their business nearer the the travelled way, they erected the brick store in front of the former one. In the midst of a prosperous and active business, Noble Stew- art, one of the partners, was seized with a violent fever, which ter- minated his life in 1814, at the age of thirty-seven.
Íra Stewart, the surviving brother, continued the business as be- fore for many years. John Stewart, the father, who had been a sol-
*Benjamin Lawrence has since, April 4, 1859, died, at the age of 85 years.
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dier in the French and Revolutionary wars, died in 1829, in his eighty-fourth year, and Mrs. Ifuldah Stewart, the mother, in 1847, at the age of 95 years. Hon. Ira Stewart, the surviving brother, died in February 1855, at the age of seventy-five years, leaving his aged sister, and his two sons, Dugald Stewart, County Clerk, and John W. Stewart, in the practice of law, the inheritors of his name and estate. Miss Cynthia Stewart has since died, in March, 1857, at the age of eighty-four. To Ira Stewart were committed various responsible trusts in town, and twice he was elected to represent the county of the State Senate.
In 1819, he was elected a member of the corporation of Middlebury College, and continued in that position until his death ; and he was appointed by that body to superintend the erection of the stone chapel of that institution, which service he executed with his usual sound judgment. He was ever an active and devoted patron, friend and supporter of the college and other educational institutions in the vil- lage. As a man of conservative disposition and sound practical judgment, he was always consulted, and aided in all plans for the advancement of any public interests. He had been, for many years an active and efficient member of the Congregational Church and Society, and an exemplary Christian; and in his last sickness and death exhibited strikingly the consolations and triumphs of religion.
John Simmons Esq. purchased the two lots, next north of the Matthews lot, originally purchased and occupied by William Young, and erected the two story dwelling house, and resided in it until his death, and it is still occupied by his widow and family. Mr. Sim- mons was from Ashford Conn., was educated at the college in Provi- dence, Rhode Island, and licensed to practice law at the March term of the county court for this county in 1801; and at the same time established himself in his profession in this village. He was very successful in his practice, and very respectable and useful as a citi- zen. He was unassuming and rather diffident, and did not appear much as an advocate before the courts, but had an extensive practice as attorney, counsellor and conveyancer. Mr. Simmons compiled the first book of legal forms, ever published in the State,-"The Law Magazine "-which was published by Huntington and Fitch
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in this place in 1804. No man possessed more fully the confidence of the community as an honest, judicious and correct business man. He was many years appointed select man, and to many other im- portant trusts in town. He held the office of treasurer of Middle- bury College from 1810 to the time of his death, and was ever for- ward as a patron and supporter of the College and the other educa- tional institutions. He was also a regular supporter of religious institutions in the Congregational Society, and in 1816 he became a member of the church, and adorned his profession by an exempla- ry life. He died in 1829 at the age of fifty-three years.
In May 1791, while the courts were sitting in Addison. and lit- tle progress had been made in making a village in this place, Judge Painter, in anticipation of his purpose of making this the county seat, deeded to the county a small tract of land, and in 1794 anoth- er piece. We refer to the account of Addison County, for a more particular statement of the proceedings relating to the county prop- erty and buildings. In the disposition of his lands, on the east side of the creek, he accommodated all the building lots, so as to reserve for the public what now constitutes the common, and was known by that name, although not deeded by him until 1799.
At the time Judge Painter deeded to Benjamin Gorton in 1789, the small piece adjoining the bridge, he also deeded to him another piece twelve rods square, about five rods above the bridge, on the bank of the creek, designed for a potash. The title of this lot, with another small piece passed in 1798 to Samuel Clark Jun., Joseph Plumb and Jonathan Lawrence, under the firm of Clark, Lawrence & Co., who added another small piece. On this lot they erected the old building, which stood where James M. Slade & Co.'s store stands. In this they opened a store, and with it connected the man- ufacture of potash, and continued their business until 1802, when, being unsuccessful, they closed the concern. This building remained until after the railroad was completed, used by different persons and for different purposes. It was then removed and a building erected by E. D. Barber and Lyman P. White, into which Slade & Co. re- moved their mercantile business. The upper story was occupied by Barber & Bushnell and Linsley & Beckwith, as lawyers' offices.
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On the 22d of February 1852, this building was burnt with near- ly all its contents, including the libraries and offices, the whole of the records and papers belonging to the Congregational Society, and the whole of the records and files of the probate court from the com- mencement. Soon after, Slade & Co. rebuilt the store, which is now occupied by them, having in the upper story a large hall, for lectures, concerts and other exhibitions.
In 1795, William Young removed to the lot now owned by Alan- son Dustin, having previously purchased it of Freeman Foot. On this he built the present dwelling house, and continued his business as a cabinet maker. In the meantime, he received into partner- ship his son-in-law, Gen. Hastings Warren, who had served his ap- prenticeship under him. In 1805 the partnership was dissolved, and Gen. Warren purchased the house, and continued the business ; and Mr. Young removed to a farm in Leicester. He was among the most respectable citizens, a prominent member of the Methodist Society, and one of its founders. Gen. Warren had purchased of Daniel Chipman a lot of land on the corner, now occupied by the Methodist chapel. On this lot he erected his shop, which was burnt, and soon after its successor was subjected to a similar destruction, with much of their contents. Afterwards he erected for a shop the brick building now occupied by James M. Slade, Esq., as a dwelling house. He also purchased afterwards of Mr. Chipman the lot next north of the above, and erected a dwelling house on the ground, where the cel- lar remains. This house was also burnt in the winter of 1833-4. Gen. Warren had been successful in his business and had accumu- lated a handsome estate. In the meantime he directed his attention to his farm and an extensive trafic between the north and the State of Georgia, in which he met with occasional losses. These, with his accumulated losses by fire, embarrassed him in the latter years of his life. Having lost his wife and his family having scattered, he spent the decline of his life with his son-in-law, William Y. Ripley, in Rutland, and died there.
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