USA > Vermont > Windham County > Rockingham > History of the town of Rockingham, Vermont, including the villages of Bellows Falls, Saxtons River, Rockingham, Cambridgeport and Bartonsville, 1753-1907, with family genealogies > Part 10
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History of Rockingham
the neat linen checks for dresses, aprons and the like, the fine linen, the table cloths, the bedspreads with their intricate patterns, and the coarser tow for other purposes.
In every home might be seen the great wheel for spinning the woolen thread, the little wheel for the linen, and the hand loom for weaving both. as well as the beautiful rag carpets of those days, already fashionable again and termed "Colonial carpets."
In every kitchen stood a dye tub, in which the thread or cloth was colored, the colors most commonly used being indigo blue and copperas.
At a later date the best dresses were made of calico, per- haps obtained at the country store in exchange for woolen or linen cloth, stockings or mittens, made by the busy house- wife.
To the nearest tannery the farmer carried the skins of animals killed in the woods or raised on the farm, and had them tanned into leather. From these skins the yearly supply of foot-wear for the family was fashioned by the traveling cobbler, who was considered indispensable in those days, and who, in the less busy seasons, left his farm and went from house to house with his bench and tools, plying his craft and acting as "Surgeon to Old Shoes," or making new ones, as the family demanded. His annual trip about the town was called " Whipping the Cat." If he had not a last of suitable size, there was a woodpile close by, and a block from that could be quickly fashioned into one.
Changing the shoe from foot to foot on alternate days, kept it from running over at the heel and brought an equal wear at both sides, a custom which was thought to increase its longevity though not a source of comfort to the wearer. Men sometimes wore moccasins, made of the untanned skins, and both men and children often went barefoot in summer.
CHAPTER IX.
EXTINCT TOWN OFFICES - EARLY LAWS AND PUNISHMENTS FOR CRIME-WILD ANIMALS
In the records of the first town meetings occur the names of several town officers, whose duties are unknown to resi- dents of to-day. Among these are "Tything-men," "Field- drivers," "Pound-keepers," "Deer-reaves" and "Hog-reaves." Reference to the early records of town meetings will show election of these officers each year, and who the first incumbents of the offices were.
Tything-men were more prominent in duties about the old-fashioned churches than elsewhere, but they were a kind of general police of the town. The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and means the chief man of a tything or parish. It was their duty to keep order in public assemblies, particularly in the meeting-house upon the Lord's day. In the old church at Rockingham village, the tything-men of the town occupied the seats in front of and nearest the pulpit, and, with their crooked staffs about five feet long as insignia of office, kept a watchful eye over the audience and presumably reached out to awaken the unfortunate sleepers if the disturbance of snoring became too loud. They caused terror to the small boy disposed to be uneasy or mischievous during the long service, and it is in this respect that tradition most frequently mentions them. Many other important duties, however, were required of the tything-men. It was their duty to inspect taverns and to keep an eye upon strangers and suspicious characters ; they could arrest without a warrant offenders against the law. It was their duty to detain travelers upon the highway on the Sabbath unless it could be shown that the travel was necessary. A number of the duties required of them are now performed by other officers, and some of the duties are obsolete. The office, now extinct, was considered an important one at that
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History of Rockingham
time, and only the most staid and substantial citizens were elected to it. The first town meeting held in 1761, elected but one tvthing man, Samuel Burr, while the second elected two, Thomas Stebbins and William Simonds. The usual practice was to have two, belonging to different sections of the town. Other towns in the vicinity often had a larger number, Keene, N. H., electing fifteen in the year 1815, only seven of whom qualified.
The duties of the two field-drivers and of the pound- keeper were about the same. The field-drivers elected at the first town meeting were Amaziah Wright and William Simonds. At the second town meeting, 1762, it was voted to build a pound and William Simonds was chosen pound- keeper also. For many years after the settlement of Rock- ingham, most of the unimproved land, and some of the improved land, was unfenced. The rights to unimproved land were held in common by all citizens. It was the duty of the field-drivers, and later of the pound-keeper, to impound all domestic animals running at large upon the public roads, the common lands, or upon private lands without the consent of the land-owners. For such service they received one shilling each for cattle and horses, and three-pence each for sheep and swine, which must be paid by the owner before the animals could be taken from the custody of the officer. Much trouble arose between early residents because of this practice, as it was often open to question when animals were astray, or off the owner's premises.
The first pound was located a mile or two north of the village of Rockingham, on the farm and near the dwelling of Captain William Simonds. It stood on the north side of the road, near the top of the hill beyond what is now known as the Jonas Aldrich place. Later, one was established on the Captain Michael Lovell farm south of the road from Rock- ingham village to Chester, and a short distance beyond the turn to Lawrence's Mills. Various pounds have been located in different parts of the town during its history.
Many of the present residents remember the location and
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Town Pounds and Deer-Reaves
customs connected with the last pound used by the town. It was an enclosure of about five rods square, surrounded by a strong stone wall surmounted by a fence, on top of which was a large stick of timber eight or ten inches square that went around the enclosure. It had an immensely heavy gate on the side next to the road. This was located on the road leading across the hill from Rockingham to Saxtons River, about three-fourths of a mile up the hill from the former village, across the road east of the farm house known as the "Stearns place," now owned by one of the Divoll family. The remains of the stone wall are still to be seen. The land is supposed to be owned by the town, although not used by it for forty or fifty years.
Inhabitants of Rockingham of half a century ago say that at that time the remains of an old pound could be seen on the hill behind the place now owned by the estate of George F. Evans and occupied by George L. Woodward, on the north bank of Williams river about one-half mile below the lower highway bridge over that stream.
Deer-reaves were chosen for many years that they might inform against those persons who killed deer out of season. In early times deer were numerous and more useful to man than all the other animals hunted. As these animals were lean in the winter and the females produced their young in the spring, the colony of Massachusetts, as early as 1698, enacted a law that these animals should not be killed between January Ist and August Ist. New Hampshire continued this law while this township was a part of that province, and one of the first acts of the Vermont legislature was to enact a law for the protection of deer between December 10 and June 10, in each year. Under these laws, the election of deer-reaves was obligatory. The open season being as long as it was, the animals became scarce, entirely disappearing early in the last century. Under the present laws of the state, making an open season in October, of ten days only, the animals are becoming more plentiful and a few are shot in town each season.
8
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History of Rockingham
Hog-reaves were chosen to have the oversight of the swine that in early days ran at large, and to see that they were yoked and ringed. The town frequently changed its requirements as to the care of these animals, so common and important to the early settlers. Some years they would vote to "let the swine run at large " without restriction ; other' years, they would vote " that the swine be shut up as by law,' and again that "the swine be allowed to run at large the coming year being properly yoked and ringed." The latter term described the practice of putting a kind of yoke about their necks so that they could not get through or under the fences, and the practice was common of putting rings into their noses so that they could not root up the earth. The office is sometimes denominated upon the town records as "Hog-ward," and sometimes as " Hog-constable."
All stock was required to be marked so that the owner would know his own when they were brought again into the fold. The marking was usually done by disfiguring the ears, and the Rockingham town records of those early years contain many certificates of the different devices that were used. Each man had a mark, which was registered by the town clerk. Among the many, the following are examples :
Vol. 1, Page 300. " Fredrick Reades marke for Stock Neat may ye 27 1789 on the Left Ear a happeny off the under Side and a Slit on the End of the Same Jehiel Webb Regr".
Vol. 4, Page 53, " Quartus Morgan Sheep mark crop off of both Ears Recorded by Me Jonathan Burt Town Clerk ".
Page 112, " David Wood Junr Cattle & Sheep mark being a 10 in the left ear Recorded by Jonathan Burt Town Clerk ".
Page 242, " Ely Evans Cattle Mark being a half crop on the Right Ear- recorded by me this 24th Day of December 1810 Jonathan Burt Town Clerk ".
Page 246, " Luther Webb Cattle mark Swallow Tale in Right Ear. Recorded by me Jonathan Burt Town Clerk".
Page 289, " The Cattle & Sheep marke of Samuel Marsh of Rockingham in Windham County & State of Vermont being two holes in the right Ear & One hole in the left ear reed 11th day of April 1812 & rec by me Jonathan Burt Town Clerk ".
Vol. 6, Page 2. " Dexter Newtons Sheep Mark is both Ears cut square about one third of the length off & a slit in Each Ear Recd October 19 1815 and recorded by me Joseph Weed Town Clerk ".
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From a Painting previous to the Flood of 1869. THE VILLAGE OF SAXTONS RIVER.
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Curious Laws of the Past
Page 19. "Sheep mark of David Campbell Esqr of Rockingham The end of the left Ear cut Square & a notch on the under side of the same Ear Recd February ye 21st 1816 recorded by me Joseph Weed Town Clerk ".
During the early years of Rockingham as a town, there were many peculiar laws upon the statute books which were interesting to note. Nine offences were punishable by death. This was by no means a large number in those days, when Connecticut had twelve upon her list, and in Great Britain no less than one hundred and sixty crimes were subject to the death penalty. A few illustrations of the early forms of punishment will serve to give an idea of the nature of all.
Every town was obliged to maintain a pair of stocks at its own expense, to be set in the most public place. The liar, the profane swearer, the drunkard and the Sunday violator were obliged to sit therein for a length of time, secured with lock and key. The stocks were arrangements whereby per- sons, sitting with feet extended in front of them, had their legs confined between two pieces of timber hollowed out so as to admit the legs above the ankles, but the feet could not be withdrawn until they were released by raising the timber, which was secured by the lock. Besides this there was the pillory, a somewhat similar contrivance whereby the criminal stood upright with his neck and both wrists confined between two sticks of timber and locked in the same manner ; and there was also the whipping post of every town. It is prob- able that these three instruments of punishment were set up in the public street of Rockingham village, in front of the present brick store, that being the most central and public place.
The town of Westminster had two whipping posts and both remained as late as the year 1804. One stood in front of the old town meeting house and the other, used largely for soldiers, was located at the extreme south end of the "lower street."
One law was, " Whosoever shall commit burglary * shall, for the first offence, be branded on the forehead with the capital letter B, with a hot iron, and shall have one of his ears nailed to a post and cut off ; and shall also be whipped on the naked body fifteen stripes. And for the second
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History of Rockingham
offence such persons shall be branded as aforesaid and shall have his other ear nailed and cut off as aforesaid, and shall be whipped on the naked body twenty-five stripes, and if such person shall commit the like the third time he shall be put to death as being incorrigible."
The counterfeiter was branded with the capital letter C, had his right ear cut off, his property forfeited to the state, and was then committed to the workhouse for the remainder of his life.
Should a person become intoxicated, and "thereby bereaved of the use of his or her reason and understanding, or the use of their limbs" he was fined six shillings for the benefit of the poor or to sit in the stocks three hours.
For swearing or cursing, the penalty was six shillings fine or to sit in the stocks three hours.
Blasphemy carried a penalty of "forty stripes on the naked body, and one hour in the pillory and bonds for good behavior."
Horse stealing subjected the person to be whipped not over 100 stripes and other severe punishments.
During Sunday, "rude, profane or tumultuous behavior or disturbance of a meeting" was punished by forty stripes on the naked body, or sitting in the stocks two hours.
Such modes of punishment were not of long duration, for, in 1809, a state prison was built at Windsor, and from that time the imprisonment of the offender was more commonly substituted in their place.
A custom, prevalent to a large extent 100 years ago, was that of "Warning out of town " new comers, for fear they might become town charges. It was in accordance with a statute of the state whereby, if the town so voted, and legal notice was served upon them within the first year of their residence in a town, the persons so warned were prevented from gaining a residence, and the town escaped liability for support should they become dependent. As early as July 24, 1769, the town passed the following : "Voted that all Strangers who Com to Inhabit in said town being Not free- holders be warned out of town."
IOI
Warning Out of Town
After this service was made upon them they could never have a legal settlement except by a vote of the town (of which we do not find record in any case), or if the person should be elected and serve one year as either selectman, town clerk, constable, grand juror or lister, the holding of any one of these offices would act automatically to relieve the disability created by the "warning out" process.
The process implied nothing whatever against the charac- ter of the party, individual, or family, and it often happened that such warned persons eventually became wealthy and honored citizens. During the year 1808, the constables rendered bills to the town for having "Warned out" thirty- one families, and in 1809 the number was twenty-six.
Below is a sample of the legal form used, hundreds of similar ones being found spread upon the early records. In this case, both the men described became prominent citizens and town officials. They managed a large tannery and currying business. Both have descendants still residing here and the record of each family is an honorable one. Mr. Divoll represented the town in the legislature three years, about twenty years after being "warned out."
STATE OF VERMONT / To either Constable of Rockingham in the Windham County ss. County of Windham,
GEEETING. You are hereby commanded to summon Samuel Billings, Susannah Billings, Susannah Billings, 2d, Sarah Divol and Manassah Divoll now residing in Rockingham to depart said town. Hereof fail not but of this precept and your doings thereon, due return make according to law. Given under our hand at Rockingham this 12th day of March 1807.
ELIJANI KNIGHT, Selectmen DAVID WOOD, of ALEX. CAMPBELL, ) Rockingham.
Windham ss. Rockingham, 14th March 1807. Then I served this precept by leaving a true and attested copy of same with each of the within named Samuel Billings, Sarah Divoll and Manassah Divoll.
ELIJAH MEAD, Constable.
Fees $ .56 Recd. 9th April 1807, Recorded by Jonathan Burt, Town Clerk.
Henry Atkinson Green, who in after years became a member of the well known mercantile firm of Hall & Green, having a store where Union block stands, and who was the
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History of Rockingham
father of the late Edward H. Green, was served with the "warning out" process November 12, 1811, by Constable Ebenezer Locke, Jr., the warrant being signed by selectmen, Jonathan Barron, Samuel W. Pulsipher and Elias Olcott.
The care of the poor of the town was a matter which early appears upon the records, showing action of the town at its meetings when only one or two persons were dependent. An early practice, as was common in other towns then and still remains as a relic of barbarism in a few Vermont towns, was that of selling the care of the poor at auction to the lowest bidder. The first case of this kind recorded was that of a Mrs. Burr, a town pauper. She was advertised and put up at "vendue," being bid off by John Roundy "at five shillings per week, to be paid in wheat at five shillings per bushel." Thus Mr. Roundy received one bushel of wheat per week for feeding, clothing and taking care of this unfor- tunate public charge. This practice was kept up for some years, although long since discontinued. The town later purchased a farm, thus giving the best of care to its charges, with whom it has been extremely liberal. In the year ending February 1, 1905, $6,934, less $489 received from products of the farm, was expended by the town in support of its poor. The present town farm near Bartons- ville was purchased September 17, 1861.
The more important wild animals which the early settlers found in town were the black bear, moose, deer, beaver, wolf and the catamount or wild-cat. Numerous stories of adven- tures with these animals have been preserved both by tradition and records. Col. Benjamin Bellows, living on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut, south of Bellows Falls, was one day hunting small game on Mount Kilburn. He came suddenly upon a huge bear which he shot, and within a few minutes another appeared that shared the same fate. A rustling in the bushes near by at once attracted his attention and he saw the round eyeballs of a large catamount glaring at him above the brakes. He knew instinctively his new customer was a different class of animal to deal with from the
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Bear Stories
clumsy bear, from which there was not great danger. Fearing the savage disposition of this last animal if wounded and not killed, he brought his gun up with much trepidation, and, aim- ing at the eyes, he fired. All was silent, but not caring to stay to investigate he beat a hasty retreat to his home, return- 'ing at once with his men. They found the catamount dead, the ball having struck squarely between the eyes. To kill a catamount in those days single handed was considered a great feat. The colonel's household lived for many days upon the bear steak, which was considered as one of the delicious meats in early times.
One night a fat pig was stolen from the barn of Calvin Webb, a son of Joshua, who lived just north of the present village of Bellows Falls, by a large black bear, and an interesting tradition handed down through generations of the family is this : Back of where the Walsh stone ledge now is, was formerly a large orchard, but times change so rapidly that at the present time hardly a vestige of it remains. Some of the children of the household were missing one day, and a mem- ber of the family was sent to look them up. They were found in this old orchard, and when asked what they had been doing said, "Oh, we have had such a good time feeding a big black dog apples." The dog was none other than a large black bear which had come down from the forest which then stretched for miles over the hills.
William Hale, a grandson of Col. Enoch Hale who built the first toll bridge at Bellows Falls, used to tell the follow- ing. He was born in North Walpole in 1805 and spent his boyhood there :
"As late as 1810, the bears used to come down from the north end of Mount Kilburn and eat the corn. On one occasion a girl named Margaret Watson, passing above Chapin's farm, discovered a bear in a shanty. She ran and notified the neighbors, who rallied, but the bear had escaped to the mountain."
Richardson Robertson, of Charlestown, N. H., who died in 1905 at the advanced age of 96, and who passed his boy- hood days in Bellows Falls, often told the following :
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History of Rockingham
"In the fall of 1825 some hunters reported that they saw a big bear up in Hapgood woods near the present location of Oak Hill cemetery. Simon Pettes, the tinman of the village, was the owner of a rifle and noted as a good marksman. The village held a meeting, called to get hunters to kill the bear, and Mr. Pettes was chosen to lead the hunters. A lawyer by the name of Hinds was chosen to look after the crowd. They all went to the hill, and when they got into the locality a boy said that he saw the bear lying down. behind a big log. Mr. Hinds ordered them all to keep back out of the way, and as Mr. Pettes saw the back of the bear behind the log, he got all ready to fire at him. Mr. Hinds told him to wait a minute until he could climb a tree so as to be sure of his safety. When Hinds was safely up the tree, Pettes got around where he could get a good mark at the bear and then fired. The bear proved to be a large black calf, that jumped up and blatted when Pettes fired. One of " Squire " Hapgood's cows had strayed away into the woods and left the calf up there. The story of Pettes' and Hinds' bear was told in the Intel- ligencer at the time and it made a very interesting piece.
There was a real bear killed in Jamaica at about this time that had three small cubs. Father, who was the proprietor of the Bellows Falls Stage House, bought one of the cubs and had no trouble in keeping him by giving him a good nest in the back shed of the hotel and fastening him with a long chain. People used to visit the cub and fed him candy and nuts until he was so large that when the boys came to plague him, he would run the length of the chain after them, and it became dangerous. Father had him killed and served a great dinner party to the inhabitants of the village from the bear meat."
The wolves were more feared by the settlers than were the bears, as they were more ferocious. When either kind of animal became troublesome the citizens of three or four towns would unite in a hunt to rid themselves of the brutes. The most noted wolf hunter was Col. Samuel Hunt of Charlestown, who had the reputation of having killed more of them than any other man in the vicinity. In 1797, a most sagacious old wolf had caused much trouble by killing sheep and a great hunt was organized with Col. Hunt in charge. Citizens of Rockingham, Springfield, Charlestown and Wal- pole all united in the hunt in great numbers. She was started first in Springfield and to elude her pursuers swam the Connecticut and came through the south part of Charlestown. Being hotly pursued there, she crossed the river again into Rockingham, but was driven back into New Hampshire a second time, where Col. Hunt finally dispatched her by a shot from his unerring gun. It is stated that this was the last
e
105
. Rattle-Snakes and Beavers
wolf hunt by organized forces in this whole region, as the animals soon disappeared.
Rattle-snakes were plenty a century ago in this town, but at the present time they are extinct. About fifteen years ago a large one was seen on Oak Hill, back of the cemetery, by Albert A. Halladay. The late Dr. S. M. Blake, who was familiar with occurrences in Rockingham after 1839, stated he had never known of more than one other having been seen in town since that year. Until comparatively recent years they have been plenty on Mount Kilburn, across the Con- necticut river, and early in the last century a number of men made a business of hunting them there, as the oil was valuable in the markets for medical purposes. Levi Chapin, Jr., who lived near the mountain, frequently encountered them and would kill them. Cutting off the head very care- fully he would bury it on account of the poison, take the body home and try out the oil. The skin and rattles were preserved as curiosities, many still being treasured by his descendants. One day his barefooted boy, Thomas, was racing with a schoolmate on the hill east of the old stone school-house. A large rattler was crossing the path going toward the river. The other boy saw the reptile in season to stop before reaching it, but Thomas could not, and he saved himself by an agile leap over it. Such escapes from the poisonous bites were frequent. It is supposed the frequent burning over of Mount Kilburn of later years has had an effect in their extermination.
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