USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Pittsford > History of the town of Pittsford, Vt., with biographical sketches and family records > Part 24
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On the 23d of October following, the legislature of Ver- mont passed an act appointing commissioners with authority
307
SETTLEMENT OF THE LAND-TITLE CONTROVERSY.
"to treat with commissioners that now are or hereafter may be appointed by the State of New York, and granting them full powers to ascertain, agree to, ratify and confirm, a jurisdictional or boundary line between the State of Vermont and the State of New York, and to adjust and finally determine all and every matter or thing which in any wise obstructs a union of the State with the United States."
The commissioners of the two States met in the city of New York in February, 1790. But it was soon found that the New York commissioners had no authority, under the act by which they were appointed, to make stipulations which would be satisfactory to the people of Vermont, and the negotiations were broken off. But the legislature of New York, on the 6th of March, repealed the former act, and, as a substitute for it, passed another, conferring on the commissioners full power, not only to relinquish the jurisdiction of New York over the terri- tory of Vermont, but also to provide in such manner as they should consider proper for securing the titles to lands therein against persons claiming the same lands under grants from the State of New York; and it further provided that any compen- sation that might be received for the relinquishment of territory should be for the use of the land claimants and not for the State. The commissioners appointed under this act met the Vermont commissioners on the 27th of September, and after careful deliberation the New York commissioners entered into a written agreement declaring the consent of New York that Vermont be admitted into the Union of the United States of America, and that immediately on such admission all claim of jurisdiction of the State of New York within the State of Ver- mont should cease. And it was further agreed that if the legislature of Vermont shall, on or before the first day of Janu- ary, 1792, declare that, on or before the first day of June, 1794, the said State of Vermont would pay to the State of New York the sum of thirty thousand dollars, all rights and
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308
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
titles to lands within the State of Vermont under grants from the late colony of New York or from the State of New York, should cease. On the 28th of the same month the legislature of Vermont passed an act making provision for the payment of the thirty thousand dollars in accordance with the stipulations .which had been subscribed by the commissioners of the two States. Agreeably to a call, a convention of delegates from the several towns* in Vermont met at Bennington on the 6th of January following to act upon the question of the adoption of the United States Constitution which was ratified on the 10th of the same month; and on the 4th of March, 1791, Vermont was admitted into the Union as a member of the United States of America.
The thirty thousand dollars which had been appropriated by the legislature of Vermont for compensation to New York, had accumulated in the Treasurer's vault at Rutland, and some responsible person was wanted to convey it from thence to the office of the New York State Treasurer at Albany. An hon- ored citizen of Pittsford, Thomas Hammond, was appointed to this important trust. Late in May, 1794, in season to reach Albany at the appointed time, he had the coin packed in boxes which were placed in a wagon, and one morning, long before daylight, accompanied by Samuel Mattocks, then State Treas- urer,t he set out on his journey. On descending the hill a little south of Clarendon Meeting House, one of the boxes burst open and the coin rolled out on to the ground. As it was dark, they had to go to a neighboring house for a light to enable them to gather up their scattered treasure. In this they succeeded, so that not a dollar was lost, and the funds commit- ted to their care were safely deposited in the Treasurer's office at Albany.#
* The delegate to this convention from Pittsford was Thomas Hammond.
t And Mr. Mattocks' sons, William and John.
# The documents show that twenty-five thousand dollars were paid at this time ; when the balance of five thousand was paid is not known to the writer.
309
LUKE OSGOOD-LEONARD RAWSON.
CHAPTER VIII.
Immigrants and their Locations continued ; Proprietors' Records ; Wolves, and measures taken for their destruc- tion. 1800-1810.
Luke Osgood, born in Wendell, Mass., March 15, 1778, son of Luke and Eunice (Crosby) Osgood, located in Pittsford in 1800. He came here for the first time in 1799, and pur- chased one hundred acres of land which included the most of the farm now owned by William Creed. After making a small clearing and building a log house, he returned to Wendell where he spent the winter. On the 10th of February, 1800, he married Olive Dresser, and in March following they settled in this town. Mr. Osgood died here March 31, 1853. Mrs. Osgood died November 5, 1869.
Leonard Rawson, from Rhode Island, purchased of Israel Keith the " Harwood farm,"* so called, "bounded north by land of Peter Powers, east by John Fenn's farm, south by land of Jacob Cooley and West by Daniel Lee's home farm .; It contained about eighty acres, though, to quote the deed, " four acres on which are Nathaniel Kingsley's house, barn and tan- yard, are to be reserved to said Kingsley." Mr. Rawson was a joiner by trade, and soon atter he purchased this land he built the house which now stands nearest to, and a few rods west of, the school house in District No. 2. On the 6th of March, 1800, he married Lydia, daughter of John Hitchcock, Sen., and commenced to occupy this new house. Both died in this town ; Mrs. Rawson in 1816, and Mr. Rawson in 1820.
* This was the land upon which Eleazer Harwood first located in this town.
+ Daniel Lee at this time resided on the Abel Stevens farm.
310
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
Gardner Powers, son of Jeremiah of Greenwich, Mass., bought of Samuel Jones, Jr., the farm next south of Amasa Ladd's, consisting of one hundred acres, Aug. 25, 1800. He married Chloe Powers and resided on that farm till about the year 1833, when he left the town.
Joshua Kingsley, son of Nathaniel, married, May 28, 1800, Wealthy, daughter of Amos Weller, and located on the home- stead in Pittsford. He was a tanner, a trade he learned of his father, and he worked at it some years in this town. His wife, Wealthy, died in 1806, and the following year he married Lucy Robinson who was born in Windham County, Conn., in 1779. The marriage took place in Dorset. They resided in Pittsford till about the year 1830, when they removed to Troy, Penn., where Mr. Kingsley died, Aug. 6, 1857. Mrs. Kings- ley died Feb. 14, 1859.
Eli Williams resided in this town but a few years and we know little about him. He married Elizabeth Wheeler, May 25, 1800, and located on the place which has been mentioned as the former residence of Jacob Cooley, and afterwards of Jeremiah Needham.
John Penfield, son of John, was born in New Fairfield, Conn., in 1774, and at an early age was placed as an appren- tice to a saddler on Quaker Hill, Dutchess County, N. Y. He came to Pittsford in 1797, and opened a shop* where the red house now stands, at the junction of the Rutland and Chitten- den roads, near the present residence of David Blair. July 2, 1800, he married Patience, daughter of Abraham Anthony, and located in the house now owned by Martin Leach. He left Pittsford in 1803, and died in Whitehall, Oct. 9, 1848.
Chauncey Fenn, son of Gideon, married Sarah Ward, and resided a few years on the homestead with his parents and afterwards left the town.
Nathan Wright, son of Abel, married Abigail Woodruff,
* This shop has been removed and it is now Thos. Hennessy's barn.
311
MOSES HITCHCOCK-EPHRAIM DUNLAP.
July 17, 1800, and located on land now owned by Nathan Hand. The house he occupied stood in the southwest corner of the orchard, a little north of Mr. Hand's north barn. It was near the road which at that time passed some rods west of the present road. His wife Abigail died in 1802, and he married Esther Fassett October 27, 1803. He left the town about the year 1808.
Moses Hitchcock, son of John, Jr., married Baird of Chittenden, and located on the farm now owned by Nehe- miah Barnes. His house stood on the east side of the road, and he had a blacksmith's shop on the opposite side about where the present house now stands. He was a blacksmith by trade and to this employment the most of his time was devoted. He moved to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., about the year 1806.
Ephraim Dunlap was born in Windham, Conn., April 17, 1746. At the commencement of the Revolutionary war he enlisted in the service of his country. He assisted in the con- struction of the redoubt on Breed's hill, during the night of the 16th of June, 1775, and participated in the battle which fol- lowed. He was afterwards appointed orderly sergeant in which capacity he served several months. Mr. Dunlap married Betsey Tedder* about the year. 1790, and located in Andover, Vt., in 1798, from which town he came to Pittsford in 1800. He resided one year on the place now occupied by Erastus Par- melee, though the house at that time stood on the west side of the road. In 1801, he moved to Whipple Hollow, and built the house now owned by his daughters, Rachel and Betsey, and in that he resided till his death.
James Tedder, son of James, was born in New Ipswich, N. H., March 3, 1768, and married Polly Patten of Temple. He resided in his native town till 1798, when he removed to Andover, Vt., and from thence to Pittsford in 1800. He
* Born in New Ipswich, N. H., Sept. 2, 1765.
312
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
resided a few years on the farm formerly owned by Dr. Deming, and now by Simeon Parmelee. He changed his residence sev- eral times while a citizen of the town. Mr. Tedder moved to Whitehall about the year 1818.
The Booth family is of Welsh descent. Simeon Booth came from Wales about the year 1680, and settled in Endfield, Conn. He had two sons, William and Zachariah. The latter had two sons, John and Joseph. Joseph had several children, one of whom was Isaac, who had Isaac, Jr., and Benjamin. The last was born May 17, 1768, in Union, Conn., and in the year 1800, he married Anna Needham, a native of Brimfield, and located in Pittsford, Vt. They resided for a time on the farm formerly owned by James Hopkins, but afterwards removed to the place now owned by Seth Hudson. The house they occupied-the first on that place-stood on the same ground as the present house. Mr. Booth died Jan. 18, 1839, and Mrs. Booth in May following.
The first we hear of Samuel Buell is in 1799. On the 30th of December in that year he bought of Peter Bresee forty acres of land which included a part of the farm now owned by David Mills. Mr. Buell built the easterly part of the house now occupied by Mr. Mills. He married Hannah, daughter of Richard Hendee, and resided some years on his farm which was several times enlarged by additional purchases. Mr. Buell came here in the spring of the year 1800, and removed to Brandon about the year 1813.
Simeon Gilbert, from Oakham, Mass., located here in the year 1800. Jonathan Gilbert, his father, was born in Brook- field, in August, 1726. He married Hannah Abbott who was born in New Braintree. They located in Brookfield, where the following children were born, viz. : Martha, Jacob, Eleanor, Affa, Sarah, Daniel, Simeon, Jonathan and Josiah. Simeon was born Aug. 29, 1761. July 12, 1787, he married Sarah . Amadon, who was born in New Braintree, Feb. 12, 1765.
313
HEZEKIAH PARMELEE-CALVIN CONANT.
They located in Oakham, but removed to Pittsford, Vt., Jan- uary 18, 1800, and bought the farm then owned by Amasa Ladd. Upon this they spent the remainder of their days. Mr. Gilbert died January 5, 1835.
Hezekiah Parmelee, son of Simeon, Sen., was born at West Stockbridge, Mass., in 1775, and married Miriam,* daughter of William Orcutt, April 5, 1801. He located on the paternal homestead where he resided till about the year 1815, when he removed to the farm formerly owned by Josiah Eddy, where he lived seven years. After spending one year on the Daniel Keith place he bought the Dr. Deming farm and resided there till his death, September 19, 1853. Mrs. Parmelee died Jan- uary 3, 1846.
Calvin Conant-brother to John of Brandon, and Ebenezer for a time of Pittsford-married Esther, daughter of Elder Elisha Rich, May 24, 1801, and resided a short time with his father-in-law; but he afterwards built a house on the east side of the Brandon road, a few rods south of the branch road, leading to the present residence of Isaac C. Wheaton. He had probably resided in this town one or two years before his mar- riage, as we find that he became a member of the Baptist church on the 9th of November, 1800, and was chosen church clerk two years later. His dwelling house, being quite large, was occupied by the Baptist society as a place of worship, from the time they left the present Town House to the completion of their new house of worship. About the year 1811, he removed to Brandon, thence to Shelburne, and thence, in 1816, to Putnam, Ohio, where he died in 1825. Mrs. Conant died in 1824. "Mr. Conant was an ingenius mechanic, and said to be a good physician which profession he followed some years."t
Jirah Barlow of Greenwich, Mass., brother of William,
* Born in September, 1775.
t Hendee's MS.
314
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
already mentioned, came here in 1799, and purchased of Chester Powers a "piece or parcel" of land lying east and northeast of Penfield's mill-lot, and it included the water privi- lege, " together with the fulling mill, dye house, two strings of tenderbars, dwelling house, and shop, and one pair clothier's shears, one iron screw and box, and one clothier's plait." Powers purchased this property the 31st day of March, 1797, of Noel William Avery, who had built the mill the previous year. This mill stood on Ripley Brook some twenty or thirty rods from its entrance into Furnace Brook. Soon after Mr. Barlow made this purchase, he bought the water privilege below Penfield's mill, and built what is now a part of the straw-board mill, owned by Mr. Allen. Here he carded wool, and manufactured and dressed cloth. On the opposite side of the stream he built an oil mill, and a few rods below this he put up a distillery. On the 5th of July, 1801, he married Anna, daughter of Simeon Parmelee, and located in a house which stood on the bank in the mill yard, two or three rods southwest of the barn now owned by H. F. Lothrop. He was a man of considerable energy but the result of his operations showed that he had more business on his hands than he could manage to advantage. He left this town about the year 1826, and went to the State of Illinois.
The Wheaton family is of English descent; the first in this country was Thomas Wheedon ( English orthography ) who came here from England in 1650. He was then nineteen years of age, and he went to North Brandford where he learned the tanning and currying business of a man by the name of Gilbert. About the year 1657, he married Hannah Harvey. He became a man of wealth and died at the age of ninety. His family consisted of two sons, Thomas and Jonathan, and four daughters. One of these sons, it is not certain which, had a son Isaac, who married and had three sons, viz .: Solomon, Isaac and James; the latter married Dina Whedon by whom
Franc Wheaton
315
ISAAC WHEATON-CHAPMAN HITCHCOCK.
he had sons, Rufus, Isaac, Pittman and James ; and daugh- ters, Eunice, Irena, Olive and Lois. James, the father, died March 8, 1804.
Isaac Wheaton,* (as he spelled his name,) the son of James above mentioned, became a joiner by trade, and came to Thet- ford, Vt., where he worked a few weeks and then came to Chittenden and bought the Randall farm, but kept it only a few months. After this he married Irena,t daughter of Jona- than Dike, and resided a short time in the house with Capt. Caleb Cooley; but on the 21st day of October, 1801, he bought of Stephen Mead, Jr., fifty-five acres of land-a part of the first-division lot of the right of Alexander Scott-which included a part of the Samuel Crippen farm, now owned by Ransom Burdett. He resided here the following winter, but on the 1st of February, 1802, he sold this farm to Hiram Hop- kins, and on the 19th of April following, he bought of Abel Wright one hundred and ten acres, the most essential part of what has since been known as the Wheaton farm. , Mr. Wheaton made many improvements on that farm and resided there till his death, Nov. 25, 1851, when it passed into the hands of his worthy son, Isaac C. Wheaton. Mrs. Wheaton died July 5, 1855.
Chapman Hitchcock, son of John, married Chrissey Hill in 1801. He made the first improvements and built a house where E. Seward now resides-known as the Alexander place -and occupied it till after the death of his father when he returned to the paternal homestead. He possessed a cultivated mind and was very fond of music in which he became very proficient. For several winters he taught singing schools, and by our older inhabitants he will be remembered as the leader of the choir in the old Congregational Meeting House, where were often heard old Claremont, Judgment Anthem, etc. He
* Born Aug. 17, 1770.
+ Born June 25, 1779.
316
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
was also very much given to hunting, being always ready to join his neighbors in a hunt for bears or deer, many of which were roaming about the township or neighboring hills. On one occasion, in company with Andrew Barnard, he followed a bear up on the side of the hill west of his house, where the dogs drove bruin up a tree. On coming up Barnard fired and brought the beast to the ground, wounded, but abundantly able to fight. Hitchcock raised his gun to fire, but Barnard cried " Hold on, you will kill my dog!" He then seized a hand- spike and struck a heavy blow which the bear warded off, but it killed the dog. He then took his gun and killed the bear.
Peter Bresee, from Stockbridge, Mass., brother of Christo- pher who has already been mentioned, married Hannah June of Brandon, Jan. 7, 1802, and located on the farm which has been mentioned as once the home of John Hall, now that of Alexander Parmelee. There were two houses then on that farm, both standing north of the present house and near the north barn; and in one of these Mr. Bresee resided a few years, when he moved a little north to the farm now owned by David Holden. He removed thence to a house which stood a few rods south of the west end of the Mead bridge. He had a blacksmith's shop near the house, in which he wrought at his trade, that of a blacksmith. He moved to Canada, where he afterwards died.
Elisha Rich, son of Elder Elisha, was a blacksmith by trade, though he occasionally officiated as a Baptist preacher. He married Peggy Barnes, Feb. 9, 1802, and resided a short time with his parents in this town, after which he moved to Sugar Creek, Penn. He inherited the most of his father's estate, a part of which was in this town .*
Levi Gitchel, son of David, married Diadama, daughter of John Dimmick, January 31, 1802, and located on the home
* Hendee's MS.
317
SAMUEL LUCAS-THOMAS WINSLOW.
farm with his parents. Another son, Eli, married and resided there, also, till about the year 1806, when the two brothers removed to Pennsylvania. David, the father, died about the year 1803, and his widow left the town with her sons.
Samuel Lucas was a school teacher by profession, and was employed in this business during the most of the time that he resided in this town. He married Sarah, eldest daughter of Nathaniel Kingsley, and located on the place now owned by Martin Leach .* He was a cripple, unable to labor on a farm, and consequently devoted his time to teaching. He sold the place upon which he first located to Abraham Walker, Oct. 29, 1804, and the first of November he took a deed of twenty- nine acres of Absalom Burnham-the same land now owned by Henry Sherman, James Bucknam and Josiah Leonard. The house in which Mr. Lucas here resided, stood a few rods south of where Mr. Bucknam now lives. Soon after he purchased this land he sold one acre of it to Abraham Drury. This was a corner piece and the same upon which Mr. Leonard's red house now stands. Lucas sold the remainder of his land (twenty-eight acres) to Phineas and William Ripley, December 10, 1807, and moved to Amsterdam, N. Y., where he died.
Thomas Winslow was from Greenwich, Mass. His mother was Margaret, daughter of Benjamin Cooley of that town, and sister of Col. Benjamin Cooley of Pittsford. He came to Pittsford about the year 1802, and married the widow of Timothy Mead. Timothy Mead, son Stephen, Sen., had built a house some five or six rods south of his father's residence, and had married and resided there till his death in the year 1800. Two years later Thomas Winslow married Mr. Mead's widow and occupied that house till about the year 1818, when he removed from the town.
Harvey Houghton, from Brimfield,t Mass., married Polly
* He purchased this place of John Penfield, Jr., March 10, 1803.
+ Before coming to Pittsford he had resided in Chaze, N. Y.
318
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
Brewster of this town, July 7, 1803, and located on a piece of land north of and adjoining the farm of John Barnes. The house in which Houghton lived stood about three rods west of the present highway, and fifteen rods southwest of the three large boulders on the east side of the highway. Solomon Moulton, also from Brimfield, had, at an earlier period, located a few rods further north, on the west side of the road, nearly opposite the burying ground. Houghton left the town, but Moulton died heit about the year 1830.
Charles Lamb was born in Scotland in 1747, and became a mason and stone-cutter by trade. He enlisted into the British military service in 1775, and was sent to America in the expe- dition under Gen. Howe. In the vicinity of Boston he was taken prisoner by the Americans, whether willingly or unwil- lingly we are not informed. At any rate, he never again joined the army, but retired to the peaceful pursuits of life. He married Sarah Pierce of Pittsfield, Mass., in 1777, and located in that town where he resided till 1791, when he moved to Salem, N. Y. In 1803, March 11th, he bought of Asa Blackmer* the farm now owned by his daughter, Mrs. Sally Walker. He resided on that farm till his death, February 4, 1834. Mrs. Lamb died in September, 1841.
Joab Powers, son of Jeremiah of Greenwich, probably came to Pittsford with other members of his father's family. On the 31st of August, 1799, he bought of Joseph Rowley fifty-five acres of land, "being the easterly half of the second- division lot of the original right of Peter Johnson ;" and on the 6th of November, the same year, he bought also of Joseph Rowley fifty-five acres, the same " being one-half of the third- division lot of the original right of Peter Johnson." This land was located in Sugar Hollow and was nearly identical with the
* Asa Blackmer made the first improvements on that farm, but we are unable to learn when he commenced them. He was from Greenwich, Mass. In 1803, he moved to Brandon.
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319
DANIEL HALL --- ASA MEAD-WILLIAM CHAPMAN.
farm recently owned by John Rand. Mr. Powers built the house now standing on the west side of the road, and about the year 1803, married Milleant , and located on the west- erly half of that farm. He died there about the year 1830. Justus Powers, brother of the preceding, married Lucy, daugh- ter of Daniel Carpenter, and located with his parents on the east side of the highway, opposite his brother. He moved to Rutland about the year 1810.
David Hall was born in Colchester, Conn., Nov. 8, 1764, and when a young man he went to Surry, N. H., where he married, April 3, 1784, Abigail Hitchcock, who was born in Bolton, Conn., April 12, 1762. They resided a short time in Surry, and then removed to Newport, and from thence to Brandon, Vt., where their son David was born, June 3, 1795. In 1803, the family came to Pittsford and located on the farm now owned by Alexander Parmelee. They occupied one of the two log houses* which at that time stood a few rods north of the house now on that farm. Mr. Hall died in Pittsford, Nov. 7, 1841; Mrs. Hall died in Sudbury, Aug. 28, 1833.
Asa Mead, son of John, married Polly, daughter of Heze- kiah Carr, September 4, 1803, and resided some years in the family of Mr. Carr. During his residence here his time was principally employed in making shingles. He and Mr. Carr left the town about the same time.
William Chapman, when a young man, worked for Major Cheney in the north part of Rutland; but on the 27th day of February, 1803, he married Elizabeth Tupper, and located on a piece of land lying east of the present residence of Royal Hall, and north of Lot Keeler's. Some vestiges of the house may still be seen, together with the orchard near it. There was a William Chapman at one time living in a log houset
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