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 9
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Josiah White philip Safford John Whittney Wm Sterns
All those Inroted on the Left hand person- ally appeared on ye Twenty third Day of this Instant June 1777 and took the oath of fidelity to be true to the united States of america
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History of Rockingham
State of Vermont June 1777 the Names of those who have Taken the Oath of Alegance or affirmation formed by the Late Convention held at windsor In the above State.
Wm Simonds John Titus
Dr Reuben Jones
Joseph wood Timo Walker fairbanks moor
Jonathan Burr
Samll Bentley Thos Dutton
Colburn Preston
Ebr fuller Silas Dutton
Joshua Webb
John Pulsipher Samll Burr
NathIl Davis
Gardner Simonds
John Baker
Isac Stoel
David Pulsipher John Archer
The numerous subsequent meetings in the year 1777 seem to have been principally concerned with the question of com- mittees of safety. September 8th, they voted " to Dismiss the Present Committee of Safety and have None." A special meeting called for September 15th to reconsider the vote of September 8th and have a committee, voted not to recon- sider, while another meeting called for the 18th of the same month decided to have a committee consisting of seven men, electing Moses Wright, Peter Evans, Jr., Jehial Webb, Isaac Read, Ebenezer Fuller, Timothy Clark and Oliver as the committee. Some question arose as to the legality of this meeting on account of the shortness of the call and the following are recorded : "All that would act in the above Meeting Asher Evans Elias olcott albee Glayzer p Evens Jr NH Davis Jr Jonth Burtt S Kingsley John Whittney Josiah White Jeh" Web Mr Line Ebr fuller Jonth fuller J fuller Nathan Wright Nathan arll Jr Isaac Read fredrick Read Isaac Read Jr". The warning for a meeting to be held December 22, 1777. had this article only, "to See if the town will Dismiss the Present Committee Now In Rockingham for any Infection the town will think is in Said Committee and Chuse an other In their Room". The record of the meeting shows it was "Voted to Dismiss the Present Committee of Safety," and did not choose "an other", while upon another page is a record under the same date that the meeting "voted to Chuse a New Committee of Safety", and "Voted and Chose moses wright Joshua web Ebenezer
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Loyal to the New State of Vermont
fuller peter Evens Jr Jehial web John Lovell Isaac Reed the above Committee".
Up to this time the town and county committees, in con- junction with the committees of safety of the "New Hamp- shire Grants," had been the entire government, legislative and judical, in the absence of any other organized form of govern- ment. The record of the next meeting, March 3, 1778, acknowledges the formation of the state of Vermont and " Voted and Chose Missirus Joshua Webb Doct Reuben Jones to Represent the Town of Rockingham In the General assembly of this State for the Year Ensuing", it being for the first legislature held by Vermont. Also "Voted Unanimously and Excepted the Constitution". After that record is the following list of "The Number of persons of those that Took oath agreeable to the Constitution" :
Ebenezer fuller Samll Richardson
Lemuel Sargent Nichols
Joshua Webb
Wm Simonds
Colburn Preston
Lt Charles Richard
Timo Glousen
Reuben Jones
John Whittney
Benjm Larrabee
Joseph Wood
Nathanel whitcomb David Stoel
Josiah White
Jonathan White
Jonathan holten
Nath1 Davis John pulsipher
Elisha Gustint Levi Davis
Elijah Knight
Elisha Knight
abener Wright
fairbank Moore
Luke Hitchcock Jur
Samll Burr
Nathan Earll
John Roundye
Timo Walker
Ezra Whittney
John Roundye Jur
philip Safford
Wm Sterns
Syr Gusting t
Timo Clark John Titus
April 9, 1778, Rockingham voted "to Unite with the Newhampshire Grants on the East Side of Connecticut River," and various actions were taken upon seven sections of the proposed constitution uniting towns upon the east and west sides of the Connecticut.
June 16, 1779, " the Meeting opened and the Book of the Law Read and published in Sd Meeting Voted to Chuse a Committee to Say where the Books Should Be Keept Voted and Chose Joseph wood Colburn preston Josiah White their reportt that William Simonds Nath11 Davis Joshua Web Esqr Reubens Esqr Leut Jonathan Holton to Keep the books of the Law ".
In the record of the annual meeting of 1780, the 20th article as acted upon was as follows: " Voted that any Community being minded to build a School house be permitted to build a School house in the highway Not Infringing or Damaging the Same".
The annual meeting of 1781 :
" Voted to Let the Hogs Run at Large being well Yoked and Ringd
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History of Rockingham
Voted that any mans Yard be Sufficient for a Pound the year Ensuing Voted to Except of the union East of Conneticut River"
A meeting held the last Tuesday of March 1781 :
"Voted on the Second Article of the Warrant to Raise the 13 men Sent for to Guard the fronteers the Insuing Summer by a Rate Equaly assest on the Poles and Estats according to Law"
March 25, 1782, it was "Voted to Raise Six able Bodied men for to Guard the fronteers"
Voted to Class the Town in Six parts-Voted to Chuse a Committee of Three men to assist the Selectmen in Classing the Town - - first Chose Jonth Burtt Lemuel Sargents and John Lovell the above Committee
Voted to Inrole all Those who was Not in the Common List
August 26, 1782,-Voted on the Second Article of the warrant to wait Till Coll Bradley returnd from the Superor Cortt Respecting Sending the men out into the Service
Voted to build Two Bridges over Williams River at Bellowses Mills the other Near the ford way as we pass to Decon Evans or the upper medow
July 12, 1784.
On the second article " to see if the Town are willing to postpone paying the fine laid on the people for not Sending their Soldiers into the Service untill a petition can be laid before the general assembly for that Purpose", an affirmative vote was passed.
The third article of the warrant " to see if the Town are willing to Chuse Deligates to Sett in a county convention which is now aforming in order to petition the general assembly that they will metigate the cost of Government so that the inhabitants may not be obliged to give up all their intrest in less than Seven years from the Existants of Vermont". was " voted in the nega- tive".
The following upon page 70 of Volume I. is the first list of citizens recorded. It is not dated, but its place in the records indicates that it was begun by Wm. Simonds, town clerk, in 1781, and continued by successive town clerks :
State of Vermont Windham County
The freemens Role
Joshua Webb, Esqr
Timo Walker
John Pulsipher
Ebenezer fuller
philip Safford Elisha Knights
Colbourn Preston Timo Clark Nathan arll
Joseph Wood Wm Simonds Josiah White Charles Richard
Ezra Whittney
Wm Sterns
Nathll Davis John Whittney Amasa Colborn
Elijah Knights Nathll Whitcomb
Charles Richards Jur
Samll Burr
Jonathan White
John Titus
First Recorded List of Voters
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Lemll Sargents
Reuben bingham
Timo Glossen David Stoel
Thomas butterfield
Job Larkum
Jonathan Holton
Benj Gould
John Starns
Elisha Gusting V
Alexr Campbell
Levi Davis
Isaac Reed, Jur peter Evens, Jur
Jacob Adams
Luke hitchcock, Jur John Roundye, Jur John Roundye
William hazelton
Robert Delop
./ Samll Gusting
Cornelius Dunfee
Isiah Edson
John harwood Cornielious Baker Ebenezer Clark
Elias Olcott
Elijah Goodale
Enos Lovell
Moses Marsh, Jr
John Wait Wm Sterns
Daniel Edson
Benjamin Johnson
Ebenezer pulsipher Uriah Roundve Wm Glazer
John Stroud William Thayer Saml Cutler
John Cooper
. Josiah Gusting
Luther Webb
Charls Clark
Andrew Simonds Amasa Shelding Samll Eastman Gershom Lane
Eleazer Kindal
Joel Barrit
Samll Taylor
Joseph Green
John Mathers
Moses Wright
Joshua R. Webb
Hezekiah Clark
Asher Evens
abel gilson
Ruphus Purkins
fradric Reed
Jonnathan Blodget
Elisha Peas
Eli Evens Wm Deen
George Wood
Timothy Lovell
Richard hazelton
James Walker
Zebee Cooper
Josiah Reed
Isaac Starns
Almon Roundy
Nathll Davis Jur
Eben lock
Timothy Clark jr
John Eliss
John Lane Davis
Nathll Finney
oliver Lovell Jacob pease
Nathan ware
Solomon Petty
Jonathan fuller
David Standly
Elisha Sabins
Abraham Smith
Benjamin Williams
Timothy Powers
John Lovell
Jonathan butterfield
Elijah Reade
Jonathan Burtt
Elijah Lovell
Eli adams
Jonas hazelton
John Lane
Samll Rixford
John Borling
Isaac Johnson
Stephen himes
Jonathn Berry
John Archer
Jonathan Wheelock
Joseph Marsh
Eli Chamberlin
Isaiah Stodard
James Preston
Naham Dudley
John Whipple
Daniel Richard
Samuel Hinche jr
Edward Rose
Joseph heaseltine
Joel Chamberlin
Daniel Bigsbee
John fuller
Adam Caldwell
Joseph Dutton David Sanders
Jacob Benton
CHAPTER VIII.
HOMES OF EARLY SETTLERS-HOW THE FIRST INHABITANTS LIVED-PRIMITIVE METHODS AND GRADUAL CHANGES
The primitive methods of living practiced by the early settlers of this vicinity are interesting, and some of the every day experiences of those first years make strange contrasts with those of the present day.
Those pioneers were a hardy and vigorous race, inured to hardship and accustomed to danger. They were generally the young and energetic members of the older communities. They had but small store of book learning and were liberally educated in the arts and methods of pioneer life. The hard life they were compelled to lead quickened every fibre and made them sharp in intellect. They were attracted to these townships by the fertility of the soil, made evident by the fine growth of timber, and by the low price at which the land could be had.
The first houses were mere huts furnishing shelter from the cold and the storms, but as soon as possible each was replaced by the more solid and comfortable log houses so common one hundred years ago. Within the memory of many older citizens this style of architecture is vividly recalled, while the young people of to-day, many of them, never saw a log house.
Early in the spring these men, sometimes accompanied by their families but usually alone, came up the Connecticut river and pushed their way into the forests by blazed trees to the spot which had been chosen. Their first efforts were directed to clearing away the trees and getting in small crops of rye and corn. At that season of the year by felling a hemlock or two enough bark could be peeled easily for an excellent shelter when placed on poles upheld by crotched
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Log Cabin Homes
stakes. As soon as the foliage was out in full they would cut down the trees for their first clearing around the spot selected for the log cabin. In a few weeks the twigs and leaves would be dry and they would set their " chopping" afire. Large quantities of the finest pine and other timber were destroyed each year in this way to clear the land. A "good burn" would clear the land of brush and everything except the bodies of the trees. These the young farmers would cut into logs small enough to handle and roll them into piles to be burned when thoroughly dry. For this heavy work, and for building his cabin, he would exchange works with his neighbors, or many settlers would join in "bees " to clear the land after the burning.
Then the log cabin would be built, of straight, smooth logs, matched and locked together at the corners to bring them in close contact and make impervious walls. Unavoid- able cracks were filled with sticks and plastered with mud or clay mortar. When time and expense could be afforded the logs were hewn, otherwise they were left round. One open- ing was left for a door and one for a window, the latter to be closed with a shutter without hinges. The door made in the same way would be hung on wooden hinges. The roof was of poles covered with bark, or thatched with rye straw. The earth formed the floor, and was soon trodden down smooth and hard by use. Sometimes a puncheon floor was laid, but that was luxury. In many cases there was but one room, sometimes two, the partition being made of logs like the walls, or sometimes curtains were used. The first chimney was usually of stones at the bottom, topped out with short logs and sticks and built like the cabin walls, and plastered with clay mortar. Sometimes there was simply a hole in the roof, over the fire on the ground in the middle of the cabin ; and sometimes the fire was outside, in front of the cabin door. Over the fire, a "lug-pole " of green wood was placed, supported at the ends by crotched stakes, or in the corners of the chimney it supported the hooks for suspending the pots and kettles over the fire. These poles later gave
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History of Rockingham
way to the traditional crane and hooks made of iron that were in use during the early part of the last century.
Overhead, in the cabin, poles were laid across on which many articles could be stored, and from which were hung great festoons of drying apples, pumpkin and fruits of various kinds for the winter's use. Sometimes puncheon floors were laid overhead and the loft used for the children, the hired man, or even for the guests, access to it being gained by means of a ladder. Outside the cabin the cellar was dug and covered with logs and earth.
Gradually this primitive cabin was improved, and before the beginning of the nineteenth century the log cabins had become much more palatial and in many instances had given way to the framed, boarded and shingled homes of which there are a few early representatives still standing in and near the different villages of the town. Log cabins were still plenty in the back parts of this town as late as 1850, and two or three stood and were occupied thirty years later than that. There are a few types of the first large and substantial square dwellings, some with "gambrel " roofs, yet standing on the " Upper Meadows." and along the Williams river, that were built previous to 1800, but the number is not large.
There was little furniture at first. Blocks of wood answered for chairs, and often a split log, with holes bored at the corners on the rounded side and sticks driven in for legs, formed the only table. In some instances the cabin was built over a large flat stump which served for some years as the table. The house-keeping articles were few in num- ber and of the most primitive kind :- an iron kettle or two, a frying-pan, a Dutch oven, a few wooden trenchers, pewter platters, plates, spoons and cups, wooden handled knives and forks, water pails or buckets made of staves shaped from straight pine wood, water dippers made of gourds, beds of straw laid upon bark or hemlock branches, a home- made loom in one corner of the principal room, and spinning wheels here and there. Over the fireplace hung the trusty rifle and the fowling piece, by the aid of which a supply of
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Food of the Settlers
game was obtained, and beside them hung the necessary powder horn and shot bag.
None of the common people had carpets upon their floors, and the cooking stove was unknown. The most commonly used floors were sanded and the more artistic housewives kept a special long-handled brush made of birch twigs to draw over the floors, forming fantastic designs in the sand as the last act of "tidying up " the house.
Nails were then made by hand, hammered out one by one in the small blacksmith's shops ; in some cases farmers had a small forge placed in one corner of the kitchen for this pur- pose, at which the industrious men would work evenings and stormy days while the busy housewife spun and wove near by. Machines for making cut nails did not come into use until about the year 1800. The state records of New Hamp- shire show that bounties were paid to men who could produce satisfactory evidence that they had made 100,000 nails within a specified time. Iron was first brought up the river by boats from Massachusetts towns where it was mined, and later mines were opened in various parts of Vermont and New Hampshire that yielded a limited supply of iron ore. Nails were first sold by number, not by weight, and hence came the modern designation of nails as "four-penny," "ten- penny," etc.
The variety of food among the first settlers was limited. One common article was bean porridge, which was eaten for breakfast and sometimes for supper. When milk became plenty, brown bread and milk was eaten for supper. Another common article, which was used to some extent, was baked or boiled pumpkin and milk. Pumpkins were preferred to squashes. Turnips and parsnips were the vegetables mostly used, of which large quantities were raised and eaten. Potatoes were not common, it being a wonder with some how even large families could dispose of a barrel. The corn- eaten in the green state was that grown in the common field, sweet corn being unknown. Wheat, although raised in large quanties, was not much used in everyday life, but company
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History of Rockingham
was usually treated with wheaten bread. Barley cakes were made and eaten, but buckwheat was not much relished. Indian puddings were almost an every day diet and it is said some families had them three hundred and sixty-five times a year. They were considered more palatable by some when there was an admixture of sweet apple. Meats of all kinds were consumed more freely one hundred years ago than now. Wild game such as bears, deer, turkeys and small game was plenty, so that it required but little effort to supply a small family. The flesh of the moose was considered equal to beef, and deer furnished venison for those who were skillful enough to shoot them. Wild turkeys were sometimes shot, but they were not seen here in large numbers, and wild geese simply made some of our larger streams and ponds occasional resting places on their long journeys north and south as at the present time. At harvest time wild pigeons came in immense num- bers to feed upon the grain. Sometimes their flocks were so large that they obscured the sun like a cloud, and they had special roosting places in groves where millions of them would gather for the night. They were taken in large num- bers in nets and were delicious for food. They have almost wholly disappeared, and naturalists tell us they have migrated to Chili and Peru, South America.
Drinking was social, flip being the common strong drink. It was a liquor made of beer, spirits and sugar, heated by a hot iron, and was drunk from the same mug by all. Wines were used principally by the gentry on convivial occasions, every well-to-do family having a sideboard. Blackstrap was not a favorite drink and was only used by those who had lean purses. This was a name given to any spirituous liquor mixed with a liberal quantity of black molasses. Toddy and eggnogg were freely drunk, especially the former, and cider was a common drink both of the rich and the poor.
When navigation of the river was instituted New England rum of an excellent quality was brought up from more south- ern points and soon became a prominent factor in social life,
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Amusements and Travelling
as well as forming an important article of freight for north bound boats.
The amusements of our forefathers were few but emi- nently social. Among the rural population, the husking and quilting bees were pre-eminent. Those occasions were quite frequent. Especially was this the case when some damsel in the neighborhood was about to be married. The married women would gather in the afternoon and do the quilting, and in the evening all the young people would assemble in season for supper, during which some old crone was always on hand to tell the fortunes of the unmarried by the tea grounds left in their cups, which proceeding was enjoyed by young and old. On some occasions the young men would bring along some broken down fiddler, who, for a few coppers, would scrape his fiddle until chanticleer warned him of the rising sun. House warmings, house and barn raisings, the old-fashioned muster and the 4th of July completed the list of entertainments.
Traveling was performed largely on foot or on horseback. When the trail led north or south along the Connecticut river, or along other large streams, boats were used. Many of the early settlers came all the way from Massassachusetts or Connecticut towns by boat, bringing their furniture and tools at the same time. Up to 1792 no stages had passed and the roads were not in a suitable condition for a vehicle of that kind. The "chaise" was the first pleasure carriage coming into use about 1808. Some fifteen years later pleasure wagons were introduced into town. Going to meeting on horseback in those early days was sometimes attended with no little danger-the husband mounted in his saddle on a strong horse, holding a child before him, his wife mounted behind on a pillion, holding a second child and with the other arm clinging to her husband. All were sometimes unceremoniously thrown into a pile by the roadside from the restless horse, much to the chagrin of the parties.
As the primitive fireplace, mentioned earlier in this chapter, developed into the large and well built fireplace of
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History of Rockingham
the last years of the 18th century, it became the prominent feature of every dwelling around which the family gathered as a source of the greatest comfort of those years. It consumed large quantities of fuel and the preparing and bringing in of this was great labor for the men and boys of the household. The foundation of the fire was an immense back-log, sometimes six or seven feet long and so heavy that men and boys harnessed themselves to it to draw it in, and sometimes horses or oxen were used to draw it into the house, and get it into place at the very back of the fireplace. In front of this was placed a somewhat smaller fore-log, both lying in the ashes, and on them was laid a smaller top stick. These were usually of green wood and would last for many days. In front of this pile were the andirons upon which was a fore stick, around which was heaped a stack of split wood, chips, etc. The fire was then ready to light. To accomplish this, a piece of steel was struck sharply against a bit of flint, producing sparks, which were caught upon some inflammable substance (sometimes flax soaked in the balsam of pitch-pine, sometimes punk gathered from decayed logs) and then coaxed into a flame by gently blowing upon them, either with the breath or with the bellows, a common imple- ment of those days, which stood at one end of the fireplace at all times with the shovel, tongs and birch broom.
The fire made in this way and replenished as needed was supposed to keep throughout the winter. Sometimes, how- ever, the live coals failed to be a reality in the morning. In this case the boys were sent to the neighbors with a fire pan made for the purpose of carrying coals, or with a tin lantern containing a candle, for a "light." In case there were no neighbors within easy distance, the laborious method of steel and flint must again be resorted to.
As the dense forests thinned under the ruthless axe of the settler, the fireplaces shrank in size, and fires were more simply built ; the back-log and fore-stick sufficed for a founda- tion, and such was the fireplace of our forefathers spoken of by aged people of to-day.
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Homespun Clothing of the Pioneers
Close by the kitchen fireplace and forming a part of the enormous chimney-stack was the stone or brick oven used on baking days, usually once a week in winter and twice in summer. Saturday was always "baking-day" with those early residents, and this great oven heated early in the morn- ing contained, in addition to its other good things, the great . loaves of delicious brown bread and the pot of beans which were left in the oven Saturday night and always formed the Sunday morning breakfast. From this practice, and the capacities of this large brick oven, originated the similar Sunday morning's breakfast so common to many families of the present day.
In 1777 Joshua Webb, the progenitor of the local Webb families of to-day, came to the meadows north of the village of Bellows Falls and erected his dwelling near the middle of the meadow, east of the present site of the Rutland railroad line, and just north of the small railroad bridge where evidences of the cellar can still be seen. His house had one of the immense fireplaces described above, and there were large double doors upon each side of the dwelling through which the yoke of oxen was driven in drawing in the back-log.
At one time these doors served a purpose not contemplated by the builder, as a mad dog bolted through the house, pass- ing in at one door and out at the other. Joshua Webb's daughter-in-law was in the great living room at the time, shelling peas, and the dog in his mad flight passed so near her as to brush against her clothes. The dog was later killed at the foot of "Gilmore " (Allbee) hill.
The earliest citizens were clad wholly in homespun, and the time has been truly called the " Homespun Age." Surely the residents of that time were self-reliant people and had little for their comfort save what was manufactured by their own hands, and from such material as their farms produced.
Every farmer raised his own sheep, thus furnishing wool from which the winter clothing was made. From the flax which he grew upon the meadows of his farm was furnished the fiber from which the women of the household fashioned
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