USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Pittsford > History of the town of Pittsford, Vt., with biographical sketches and family records > Part 43
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HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
the first to visit Talca and commenced there the preaching of the Gospel in Spanish. This he did in the face of popular abuse and annoyance. He leaves the church in Santiago in charge of a native preacher."
At his request he was permitted to return to the United States on a visit. He arrived in New York, November 14, 1871, and on the 20th of the same month he was appointed District Secretary of the American and Foreign Christian Union for New England, which office he now holds. Children : 1st, Mary Elizabeth, born October 9, 1861; 2d, Margaret Lucretia, born October 22, 1863; 3d, Sarah Tolo, born Nov. 3, 1865; 4th, Josephine Perkins, born September 12, 1868; 5th, Clara Maria, born August 15, 1871.
Rev. Simeon Gilbert, fifth son of Deacon Simeon, was born June 19, 1834, and was educated at the University of Ver- mont and at Andover Theological Seminary. He labored in the ministry for several years, but is now Associate Editor of "The Advance," the national religious weekly of the Congre- gational denomination, published in Chicago. He married Celia C., daughter of Deacon Zoroaster Culver, of Hopkinton, N. Y. They have one child, Clara, born June 19, 1870.
John Ingersoll Gilbert, Esq., sixth son of Dea. Simeon, was born October 11, 1837, fitted for college at Castleton Semi- nary, and graduated at the University of Vermont in 1859. He taught in Royalton two years, and was principal of Franklin Academy, Malone, N. Y., six years. In 1867, he entered the law office of Hobbs & Taylor, of Malone, and was admitted to the bar in April, 1869. He has since practised law in that place. He married, May 8, 1870, Kate, daughter of the late Thomas Fessenden, Esq., of New York City.
Frank Gilbert, seventh son of Deacon Simeon, was born September 28, 1839, fitted for college at Castleton Seminary, and entered the University of Vermont, but left without his degree. He has since received the honorary degree of A. M.
other Hammand
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from the same institution. He graduated at Auburn Theo- logical Seminary in May, 1863. He preached a year at Peoria, Ill., and was called to the pastorate of the N. S. Pres- byterian Church of that place, but declined. Soon afterwards he became editor of the "Dubuque (Iowa) Daily Times," and the next year he became an editor of the "Chicago Evening Journal," and he has since been the leading editorial writer on that paper. He married Frances L., daughter of the late Hon. Marsena Baker, of Cataraugus County, N. Y.
Hon. Thomas Hammond. - On page two hundred and eight will be found a brief notice of Hon. Thomas Hammond. But he was another of the noted men of Pittsford of whom much might be written.
Some men become eminent as the result of circumstances, such as pertain to their birth, education or some other accident. Others rise to stations of honor and commanding influence in spite of circumstances the most adverse and discouraging. Mr. Hammond was one of the latter class. His eminence was due to his personal qualities, such as his sound judgment, strict integrity, manly virtues and native intellectual strength. In him these qualities shone in their native lustre, and had they received the moulding and polishing of the schools his name would have stood high in the temple of fame. Nevertheless he was an ornament to his adopted town and State.
His youth was passed in humble circumstances, and mostly away from parental restraints. As the result of this he formed many a wayward habit which, at one time, cast a shadow over all his future prospects. Not that he was vicious, or strongly inclined to dissipation; but his heedless, wild career caused his friends painful apprehensions. His mind was ever active, full of visionary schemes, and needing some controlling and guid- ing influence.
Four months attendance upon a common district school constituted the sum total of his school advantages. But short
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as this term was, occurring as it did at a favorable period, it greatly modified his froward propensities, and awakened within him an aspiration for higher and nobler attainments. An experience of nine months in the Continental army probably did not have a very refining influence upon him, and, indeed, we are not certain that it very much demoralized him. Such an experience would be very likely to strengthen his wayward propensities, or his power to resist temptation, according as he yielded to or resisted the evil influences which were there brought to bear upon him. After obtaining his discharge from the army he returned to his native town and soon afterwards went to Shaftsbury, Vt., where he became acquainted with the family of Col. Ichabod Cross, whose daughter, Hannah, he married in 1784. This union contributed quite largely to his subsequent success.
Young Hammond's father-in-law gave him a lot of wild land in Pittsford, upon which he built a house and made other improvements. In the spring of 1786, he came here with his family. It is related of him that when he had reached the height of the Green Mountains on his way to Pitts- ford, he paused, and on casting his eye back towards Massa- chusetts the scenes of his childhood came rushing upon his mental vision. He thought of the follies of his youth, of his perverse career, and of the many kindly admonitions he had received from friends seeking his reformation. And them turning his eye westward, he scanned the valley of the Otter Creek, the place of his future abode. He there said to him- self: "I am now going into a new country to make for myself and family ยป new home among strangers; I will leave all my bad deeds on the east side of the mountain, and I here resolve that I will henceforth lead a new life, striving with all my powers to exhibit the traits of a noble, sanctified manhood." A resolution has seldom been more effectually carried out. He no sooner became established in his new home, than his fellow-
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citizens recognized in him those qualities which fitted him for positions of honor and responsibility. From that period down to his declining years, his name appears to have been identified with a large proportion of the public acts of the town. Some eighteen years he served his townsmen in the capacity of selectman, and ten years he represented them in the General Assembly of the State, besides holding numerous other minor offices.
But Col. Hammond's popularity was not limited to the town. Six years in succession, commencing in 1815, he was elected Assistant Judge of the County Court; and four years, commencing in 1816, he was a member of the Executive Coun- cil. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1791; and on the adjustment of the land-title controversy, he was selected, as stated elsewhere, to convey the purchase money to the New York State Treasury. For a term of two years he held the office of Assessor under the General Government. As a legislator he held an honorable rank, and though not brilliant in debate, his opinions were always stated clearly and forcibly, and they commanded the attention and respect of his associates
Col. Hammond was also known as a military man. Hav- ing had experience in the Continental service, he was well prepared to take an active part in the organization and disci- pline of the State militia, and from a captaincy he rose to the rank of Colonel, by which title he was generally known.
But his crowning excellence was seen in the purity of his every-day life, in the christian virtues he exhibited, and in his efforts to honor religion, and to build up the Redeemer's king- dom. He was emphatically a soldier of the Cross. He united with the Baptist church at an early period of its existence, and for many years he was one of its most active members. After that church disbanded, in 1824, he united with the Congrega- tional church, of which he afterwards remained a consistent
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and influential member. As he began to feel the infirmities of age, he withdrew from public life, and, with his beloved com- panion,* spent the remainder of his days upon the family home- stead, the care of which he committed to a son who tenderly watched over him in his declining years. He died April 4, 1847, aged eighty-five years and fourteen days.
One of his associates wrote of him as follows: "In his person, Judge Hammond was tall and erect-exhibiting in his deportment and manners an admirable specimen of true native dignity. A man of few words, but always spoken to the pur- pose, and abounding in sound sense. The late Hon. Rollin C. Mallory used to refer to him as one of 'nature's noblemen.' Indeed, such was the strength and structure of his mind, that it seemed to be proof against the ordinary dilapidation of old age, having retained in a remarkable degree his mental facul- ties to the day of his death."
Thomas Denny Hammond, eldest son of Hon. Thomas Hammond, was born in Pittsford, August 16, 1791. He became a young man of fine personal appearance and of uncom- mon promise. His father gave him all the educational advant- ages afforded in his native town, and sent him away to an academy several terms. He acquired a good English educa- tion and fitted himself for the business of school teaching, and he taught several terms in Williston. In the call for troops in the war of 1812, he was the first man in this town who responded, and he served some time in the army as orderly sergeant. In 1817, he married Paulina, only daughter of Apollos Austin, of Orwell, and located on the home farm with his brother German. In 1820, he removed to Orwell and entered upon mercantile business in company with his father-in-law. Mr. Hammond's business talents were of a high order, and he was honored with an important part of the public
* Mrs. Hannah Hammond died in 1819, and Col. H. subsequently married Mrs. Stewart, daughter of the late John Penfield, Esq., of Pittsford.
2 Hender
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COLLEGE GRADUATES AND MEN OF NOTE.
569
business of his adopted town. He represented the town in the General Assembly of the State in the years 1828 and '29, and was a senator in the years 1836 and '37, as well as a member of the Constitutional Convention in the year 1828. He died March 30, 1841, leaving three children : 1st, Thomas Austin, born Sep- tember 8, 1818 ; 2d, Adelia, born February 16, 1820 ; married, first, Champlain Fletcher, of Bridport, who died; married, second, John A. Conant of Brandon; 3d, John F., born 1823, now President of Orwell Bank.
Gen. Caleb Hendee .- On page two hundred and thirty may be found an account of the birth and early life of Gen. Caleb Hendee. But a man who has acted so prominent a part through a long period of the town's history, should receive a more extended notice, especially bearing upon his public life. He was a remarkable man. Born at a period when educa- tional advantages were extremely limited, indeed, in the new country where his lot was cast, almost unknown, yet he won, by indomitable energy and perseverance, a name which will long be remembered in the early annals of the town. His intellectual faculties were of a high order, and the feats of his memory wonderful. These qualities, combined with an ardent love for study, placed him among the prominent men of his day. He read with avidity such books as were within his reach, and for him to read a book, was to become familiar with its contents. He cultivated quite extensively the field of Eng- lish literature, and in the department of mathematics he has, probably, had few superiors in the town. Such a man could hardly fail to make his mark in the world. His talents were soon recognized and appreciated by his fellow-citizens, and he was ushered into public life, where for a long period he acted a prominent part, discharging his duties faithfully, and gen- erally to the satisfaction of his constituents.
On the 30th of May, 1788, young Hendee was sworn into
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office as land surveyor. In March, 1798, he was appointed surveyor of Rutland County, which office he held many years ; and in October, 1817, he was appointed, by Gov. Galusha, Surveyor General of the State. In March, 1790, he was chosen one of the Listers of the town, an office which he held more than thirty years. Twice he served as Assessor under the General Government, and appraised all the real estate in the town. This he did without a colleague, and in no instance was there ever an appeal from his appraisal. In the years 1821 and '24, he was a delegate to the County Convention for equalizing the appraisals in the county.
In March, 1793, he was elected First Constable and Col- lector of Taxes, and was re-elected to the same office in 1794, but declined to accept it. In October, 1797, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace, and was re-appointed from year to year till 1826, when he resigned. He was appointed Side or Assist- ant Judge of the County Court in October, 1806, and Judge of Probate for the years 1809 and '10. He was elected Town Clerk and Treasurer in March, 1800, and held this office every year, except one, till March, 1826, when he declined an election.
On the 4th of March, 1794, Mr. Hendee was appointed Ensign in the Third Company, Third Regiment, Second Brig- ade, Second Division of the Militia of this State, and on the 29th of October, 1795, he was elected Captain of the same company. On the 22th of February, 1801, he was elected Major of his Regiment, and soon afterwards Brigade Major and Inspector. On the 24th of August, 1807, he was elected Colonel of his Regiment, and on the 21st of October follow- ing he was elected Brigadier General of his brigade, the com- mission being signed by "Israel Smith, Esquire, Capt .- General, Governor and Commander-in-Chief, in and over the State of Vermont." He discharged the duties of this office till October,
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1810, when he sent to the Governor a letter of resignation of which the following is a copy :
" MONTPELIER, Oct. 12, 1810. Dear Sir :
From my youth to the present day I have belonged to the Militia of Vermont, and for more than fifteen years last past I have had the honor to hold a commission in that depart- ment, and for the last three years that of Brigadier General in the Second Brigade and Second Division, and have, to the utmost of my feeble abilities, endeavored faithfully to discharge the duties enjoined to the offices through the various grades which I have passed ; but as my sun has passed the meridian and soon will be hastening towards the evening of life, I sensi- bly feel the martial ardor of youth beginning to abate ; hav- ing a slender constitution, and a considerable family who are depending on my assistance for their support, and taking into consideration the length of time I have served my country, I have a strong desire to retire from the line. I do, therefore, for these reasons and many others which I might offer, car- nestly solicit your Excellency to grant my request, and dis- charge me from the command of said Brigade, which favor will be highly pleasing to
Your Excellency's most Obedient,
Humble Servant, CALEB HENDEE, JR.
His Excellency,
Jonas Galusha, Esq."
The following is a copy of Gen. Hendee's discharge : "Brigadier General Caleb Hendee, Jr .:
SIR : Your communication in writing, of the 12th October instant, requesting to be discharged from your command as Brigadier General of the second Brigade and second Division of the Militia of this State, has been duly attended to, and the reasons you assign for your retiring from office are satisfactory.
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HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
I have, therefore, thought fit to accept of your resignation, and do hereby discharge you with honor from your said command of the aforesaid Brigade.
Given under my hand,
Headquarters, Montpelier,
October 17th, 1810.
JONAS GALUSHA,
Governor and Capt. General."
Gen. Hendee represented this town in the General Assem- bly of the State eleven years, commencing in 1803, and, as stated elsewhere, he commanded the company of militia raised in this town for the defense of Plattsburgh in 1814. In addi- tion to the public duties already mentioned, he was frequently appointed on committees by the Legislature and Superior and County Courts to lay out roads in various parts of the State.
The General's life, as has been seen, was an active one, and required the exercise of talents which he amply possessed; but his varied attainments and the honors which were con- ferred upon him did not elate him. He was not a showy man. Indeed, when at home he was often somewhat negligent of his personal appearance, so much so, that a stranger, at first view, would be quite likely to underrate his mental qualities. He well understood human nature, and few could read more accu- rately personal character. For many years he was school superintendent of the town, and a part of his official duty was to examine and pass judgment upon the qualifications of teach- ers. More than one undergraduate who has gone before him with a haughty demeanor and cast upon him disdainful looks which plainly said, "Old man, you don't know much," has paid the penalty of his foolishness by being subjected to a catechet- ical ordeal which has made him shrink from the plain man's presence with drooping plumes.
In his domestic life Gen. Hendee was genial. He appears to have enjoyed the family circle, and there was little here to
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mar his pleasure till the sickness of his beloved companion, and her death on the 4th of August, 1835, which event cast a deep gloom over his spirit. In his diary, shortly after her death, he wrote : "Since the death of my wife I have not enjoyed life ; a heavy gloom rests on my mind which I cannot throw off. She possessed a fine constitution and I fondly anticipated and hoped she would live to see many more years, but I have been disappointed ; but I ought not to complain, for we had lived together more than fifty years, more than forty-six in married life, and had for four or five years previously lived in the same house. Our sentiments and views through life have always harmonized. We first became acquainted with each other at the age of eleven years, always lived together except about two years, viz .: from fourteen to sixteen. It may well be supposed that my loss is great and irreparable ; my grief is deep and inconsolable ; the days that I have to live are proba- bly but few, and they will be full of sorrow."
The General ever afterwards felt the loss of his companion, though for some years he enjoyed comfortable health and con- tinued to transact his ordinary business. As age advanced, his health became impaired and he gradually wore out. He expired on the 4th day of December, 1854, retaining his mental faculties nearly to the close of life.
Rev. Josiah Hopkins, D. D., eldest son of Ebenezer and Rachel (Mead) Hopkins, was born in Pittsford, April 18, 1786. His early school advantages were very limited, being mostly confined to the district school, which, at that early day, afforded the student poor facilities for intellectual culture. But having a thirst for knowledge, he read with avidity such books as were within his reach ; and being an apt scholar, he soon became quite a proficient in history and most of the natural sciences. He studied mathematics with Gen. Caleb Hendee, who had considerable reputation as a mathematician, and gave
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systematic instruction in this branch of knowledge to young men who frequently resorted to him.
Mr. Hopkins experienced religion during one of the revi- vals which occurred here under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Har- wood, and united with the Congregational church, January 13, 1803. It appears that from this time he began to entertain thoughts of fitting himself for the ministry. Soon afterwards he commenced the study of theology with Rev. Lemuel Haynes of Rutland, though we are informed that a part of his theo- logical course was pursued under the instruction of Rev. Hol- land Weeks, of this town. He was licensed to preach, and labored one year as a missionary in different parts of the State of Vermont. He was ordained June 14, 1809, and settled as pastor of the Congregational church in New Haven, Vt. He continued his ministerial labors with that church for a period of a little more than twenty-one years, during which time "there were two general revivals of religion, and several partial ones, bringing into the church an aggregate of one hundred and thirty-five."
Dr. Hopkins was dismissed from his pastoral charge at New Haven, August 30, 1830, having received a call to settle over a Presbyterian church in Auburn, New York. After laboring with this church faithfully and successfully about eighteen years, his health failed and he was compelled to retire. He went to Ohio, where he spent a few years, and then, having recovered his health, he returned to the State of New York, and labored at Seneca Falls some time, and lastly at Geneva, where he died, in 1862. He was the author of several pub- lished works, among which may be mentioned "The Christian Instructor," "Conference Hymns," "The Endless Punishment of the Wicked," and a work on Congregationalism.
Dr. Hopkins was regarded as one of the strong men of his day. Although his early school advantages were so limited,
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he had, by close application to study, acquired a reputation for scholarship and theological learning, which gave to his teaching the weight of law. Quite a number of young men, preparing for the ministry, pursued their theological studies under his tutorship. Middlebury College honored him with the degree of A. M. in 1813, and that of D. D. in 1843.
Rev. Timothy Mead Hopkins, also a son of Ebenezer and Rachel (Mead) Hopkins, was born in Pittsford, July 8, 1800. "In respect to my education," he has said, "I must be classed with those who are commonly called ' self-made men,' mean- ing, as you know very well, that such have never had a collegiate, or what is called, liberal education. I had no advantages, in respect to an education, worthy to be compared with those which are enjoyed at the present day, outside of a college or even an academy."
Mr. Hopkins' childhood and youth were spent with his parents ; and some part of this time he aided his father in the management of a grist-mill.
About the age of twenty-one he was hopefully converted, and soon turned his thoughts to the ministry. His brother, Josiah Hopkins, D. D., then a settled pastor at New Haven, offered him assistance in obtaining the requisite education. With him, in company with several other students, he studied theology. He was licensed to preach by the Addison County Association at Bristol, in the autumn of 1827, and commenced his ministerial labors at Clintonville, Clinton County, N. Y. In a few months ill health compelled him to give up his labors, and he went to Saratoga, where, after a few months residence, his health was restored and he returned to New Haven.
He was ordained at Monkton in 1828, by the same Asso- ciation that licensed him. While at New Haven he was invited to preach for the Congregational church in Wallingford. He went there on the 5th of July and entered at once upon pastoral work, which he continued till the spring of 1830,
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when he retired. His labors in that town were attended with important results. There was one powerful revival of religion, during which there were over one hundred hopeful conversions, and about ninety members were added to the church. In the mean time a new church edifice was completed and dedicated.
On leaving Wallingford Mr. Hopkins went to the West under commission of the Home Missionary Society, and labored at Welshfield, Ohio, and in some parts of the Western Reserve. He labored in Canton, Ohio, from November, 1831, to the fall of 1839, and in Westfield, N. Y., from the latter date to 1845. He then removed to Racine, Wisconsin, where he supplied a pulpit about seven years. After laboring at Elyria about two years, and at Cayuga six years, he purchased a residence at Geneva and preached as opportunity presented.
In the fall of 1869, he was persuaded to remove to Hanni- bal, Missouri, where his two children (daughters) had married and located. His health had become very much impaired, though he occasionally supplied a pulpit. On the 14th of March, 1871, he attended a lecture in the basement of the Congregational church, which was not yet completed. Just as the people were leaving the lecture room, the temporary roof of the tower was blown off, and fell with full force upon Mr. Hopkins, crushing him to the ground. He was taken up. apparently dead, though signs of life soon appeared. He lingered in an unconscious condition till the 20th of April, when he expired.
Mr. Hopkins was married July 16, 1828, to Nancy Spooner Miller, daughter of Col. Thomas Miller, of Rutland. Mrs. Hopkins survives her husband, and resides with her daughters, in Hannibal.
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