USA > Vermont > Men of Vermont : an illustrated biographical history of Vermonters and sons of Vermont > Part 53
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Mr. Eaton married, Oct. 15, 1884, at Barre, Lillian, daughter of Lewis and Lu- cinda (Pettingill) Gale. Two children have been born to them : Stanley, and Dorothy.
He was a charter member of Gen. Stephen Thomas Camp, S. of V., receiving the com- pliment of being elected their first captain, and in 1888 was promoted to the colonelcy of the Vermont division of that organization.
Mr. Eaton belongs to the various Masonic bodies and is now serving as the Eminent Commander of the Mt. Zion Commandery of Knights Templar.
EAYRES.
EAYRES, GEORGE NELSON, of Rut- land, son of James and Anna (Bingman) Eayres, was born in Rutland, Dec. 12, 1824.
He was educated in the public schools and at Castleton Seminary and by experi- ence as a teacher in various educational in- stitutions in the towns of Rutland and Pitts- ford.
Bred upon a farm, Mr. Eayres continued with his father till 1855, when he removed to Pittsford, and purchased the estate known as the " Hitchcock " farm, where he remained for more than twenty years, when he again changed his residence and located at Rutland, leaving his property in the care of his oldest son. After a prolonged visit to the West, chiefly in Wisconsin where he had important business interests, he returned to Rutland and in 1879 received the appoint- ment of superintendent of the Vermont House of Correction, the duties of which office he continued to discharge to May I, 1893.
GEORGE NELSON EAYRES.
In the early part of his life a whig, Mr. Eayres has acted with the Republican party since the time of its organization and has held many offices in the gift of the people, representing Pittsford in the Legislature of 1876.
He was joined in marriage to Almira A., daughter of Eliphalet and Almira (Thomas) Allen, Sept. 19, 1849. Six children have been the fruit of this union, four of whom are now living and have families-two sons in Pittsford and two daughters in Rutland.
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I DON.
EDSON, EZRA, of Mendon, son of ('srus and Hannah ( Hudson) Edson, was born in Turner, Me., Jan, 12, 1813, one of seven cluldren, himself and one brother being the only survivors.
His parents, descended from Puritan an- cestry, removed from Bridgewater, Mass., first to Maine, and afterwards to Shrewsbury, in (817, but finally took up their abode in South Mendon. Here the son was educated in the common schools and West Rutland Academy, never losing an opportunity to improve his mind by private study and read- ing. Though having a strong predilection for the legal profession, the force of circum- stances caused him to learn the trade of a
EZRA EDSON,
blacksmith, and in this capacity he was for some time in the employment of the Ames Co. at Bridgewater. He then returned to Mendon, purchased a farm, but after some years removed to the village, devoting him- self to the labors of the forge and dealing to a considerable extent in real estate.
Socially and politically he is eminent in his section, has held every important official position in the town, which he ably repre- sented in six sessions of the Legislature, serving on several important committees.
For nearly half a century he has honor- ably and| conscientiously discharged the duties of a justice of the peace. In early life he became a member of the Rutland Baptist Church, which yet in his later years he regularly attends.
I. DMUNDS.
Mr. Edson married in Bridgewater, July 1, 1837, Angelina, daughter of Zenas and Lydia ( Whitman ) Washburn. Four chil- dren are the fruit of this umion : Lucien, Lucien Otis, Hannah Whitman ( Mrs. Mar- quis E. Tenney), and Mary Jane. The two sons and last daughter died young. His wife died in 1882, and his daughter, Mrs. Tenney, her husband and two granddangh- ters are living with him where he has lived for forty-two years.
EDMUNDS, GEORGE FRANKLIN, of Burlington, son of Ebenezer and Naomi ( Briggs) Edmunds, was born in Richmond, Feb. 1, 1828.
Ilis preliminary education was had in the public schools and under a private tutor. When but eighteen he began the study of law in Burlington, and continued it at Rich- mond in the office of his brother-in-law, A. B. Maynard, in 1846-'47. In the two fol- lowing years he was a student in the office of Smalley & Phelps in Burlington. In March, 1849, he was admitted to the bar of Chittenden county, and to partnership with Mr. Maynard at Richmond. The new firm was very successful. In November, 1851, he removed to Burlington, which thencefor- ward became his home. At the time of Mr. Edmunds' removal to Burlington the legal fraternity of the state was exceptionally strong. Ex-Governor Underwood, D. A. Smalley, E. J. Phelps, L. E. Chittenden, and others were formidable competitors, but he soon worked his way to the front. In 1866, when he was first appointed to the National Senate, he had secured the largest and most lucrative practice in that section of Vermont.
The services of George F. Edmunds fill some of the cleanest, brightest pages in the legislative history of the state and nation. In 1854 he made his first appearance in the field of local politics as the moderator of the Burlington March meeting, and he was soon afterward elected representative of the town to the Legislature. A member of the House in the years 1854-'55-'56-'57-'58-'59, he was also speaker during the last three ses- sions. In 1864 he served in the joint com- mittee on the state library, and also in the committee on the judiciary. In 1855 he was made chairman of the latter body.
In 1861 Mr. Edmunds was returned, against his protest, to the state Senate from Chittenden county, and was chairman of its judiciary committee. Re-elected in 1862, he served on the same committee. In each of these years he was also president pro tempore of the Senate. In 1866, United States Senator Solomon Foote died and Mr. Edmunds was appointed his successor by Gov. Paul Dillingham. April 5, 1866, he began that long senatorial career which so
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AJ.DREDGE.
honored himself, his state, and his country. He was afterwards elected by the Legiski- ture for the remainder of the term ending March 4, 1869, and in 1868, 1874, 1880, and 1886 received elections for the full senatorial term. In 1861, after more than a quarter of a century's service, he resigned. His impress on national legislation was greater than that of any other man of his time, and he had for years been the foremost senator. No one thinks of his pro tempore presidency of the Senate, so overshadowed is it by his real leadership.
In the winter of 1876 came a crisis in the history of the United States, the great dan- ger of which is year by year realized. The nation was threatened with all the evils of disputed succession to the chief magistracy. Senator Edmunds comprehended the situa- tion, and led from danger to lawful safety. He first submitted the draft of a constitu- tional amendment, which remitted the duty of counting the electoral votes to the Su- preme Court of the United States. But this was rejected by a vote of 14 to 31. On the 16th of December he called up the message from the House of Representatives, an- nouncing the appointment of a committee of seven to act in conjunction with a commit- tee of the Senate in advising some method of counting the electoral vote; and sub- mitted a resolution referring the message of the House to a select committee of seven senators, having power to prepare and re- port, without unnecessary delay, such a measure as would secure the lawful count of the electoral vote, and the best disposi- tion of the questions connected therewith, and that this committee have power to confer with the committee of the House of Representatives. The resolution was adopted, the committee appointed and Senator Edmunds was made its chairman. In the discussions which followed he devised the electoral commission bill.
On the 13th of January, 1877, Mr. Ed- munds reported the proposed measure, which provided for the appointment of an electoral commission, and which defined the duties of its members. The bill passed into law. Senator Edmunds was appointed a member of the electoral commission on the part of the Senate, and contributed effi- ciently to the lawful solution of the problem in which so many dangers lurked.
The anti-polygamy law now in force is rightly known as the Edmunds law. But a list of good measures passed and bad meas- ures defeated by his efforts and under his leadership would be interminable.
Unsought by him, in 1880 and 1884 many of his party, who wanted it to make its first statesman its leader, earnestly worked for his nomination for the presidency in the
Republican national conventions of those years. In 1891 he resigned his seat in the United States Senate, and has since devoted his time to the practice of his profession.
ELDREDGE, LOYAL D., of Middle- bury, son of Julius and Polly (Cowles) Eldredge, was born at Stockholm, N. Y., Feb. 5, 1831.
At the completion of his preparatory studies he graduated at Middlebury College in 1857 and was admitted to the bar in 1859.
Mr. Eldredge practiced his profession at Alburgh Springs for three years and was elected state's attorney for Grand Isle county in 1861 and '62. In the latter year he re- moved to Middlebury, and has resided there ever since, devoting himself to the practice of law and other avocations.
From 1864 to 1870 he held the office of assistant assessor of internal revenue, and deputy collector, and in 1870 was appointed first deputy collector of internal revenue of the District of Vermont. He was elected to the state Senate in 1876, and was a member of the lower House in 1888. Six years previous to this period he was made a trus- tee of Middlebury College and in 1884 treasurer of that institution. Both of these offices he holds at the present time.
Hon. L. D. Eldredge married, July 29, 1858, Wealthy A., daughter of Ralph and Martha ( Kneeland) Parker of Waterbury. One daughter was the fruit of this union : Julia A. ( Mrs. C. G. Leavenworth of Cleve- land, Ohio).
ELDRIDGE, LOVELL JACKSON, of St. Johnsbury, son of Lewis J. and Rosa J. (Tracy) Eldridge, was born Nov. 19, 1863, at Montgomery.
When eight years old, he was left an orphan, without friends or property. By dint of persistent work on the farm, he paid his own way in district schools until he was eighteen years of age. Meanwhile he saved money enough to provide for himself a sup- plementary course of one year's study at the State Normal School, Johnson, and three years at People's Academy, Morrisville. At both schools he took a select course of study and thorough drill, preparatory for business. Great credit must be given him for availing himself to the fullest extent of his oppor- tunities, and for his honorable struggle, when a youth, to obtain the best education afforded by his narrow circumstances. On leaving school and facing, for the first time, the business world, Mr. Eldridge was handi- capped by no cash debts, nor burdened with the consciousness of having had material favors from relatives or friends. His first venture was to canvass eleven of the western and central states, in the stencil
i
I2I
ELDRIDGE.
and stamp business, with headquarters at Madison, Wis., manufacturing, largely, his own goods. Returning to Vermont to re- gain his health, for three years he taught school in Enosburgh and Hyde Park. From 1887 to 1890, he was travelling salesman and collector in the New England states for a large pottery firm of Trenton, N. J. He was then appointed local agent at Morris- ville for the Connecticut General Life In- surance Co., remaining there two years, when he was placed in charge of the general
LOVELL JACKSON ELDRIDGE.
agency of the same company, with head- quarters at St. Johnsbury, where he now has a large and prosperous business.
He married, Oct. 19, 1892, at Platts- burgh, Clinton county, Mo., Katie A., daugh- ter of Col. Charles W. (banker of that city) and Mary E. (Funkhouser) Porter.
Mr. Eldridge has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since 1891, and also of the Sons of Veterans, Camp No. 50, at Morrisville. He has never taken any part in politics nor held political office.
He became an active member of the First Congregational Church of Danville, in 1890, and later of the Young Men's Christian Association of St. Johnsbury.
Mr. Eldridge has been president of the Morrisville Lyceum Bureau, and, in 1890, joined the Vermont Life Underwriters Asso- ciation, of which he was elected one of the vice-presidents in 1891.
ELLIOT.
ELLIOT, LESTER HALL, of Waterbury, son of Ezra and Eliza (Hall) Elliot, was born in Croyden, N. H., August 1, 1835.
Commencing his primary education in the district schools, he entered the University of Vermont, from which he graduated in 1861, completing his scholastic career in the Union Theological Seminary of New York City, where he was graduated in 1864.
Being licensed to preach by the Brooklyn (N. Y.) Congregational Association, he commenced by supplying the pulpits of the Congregational churches of Colchester and Winooski and on May 21, 1866, he was ordained and installed as pastor of the church in the latter place. This position he occupied for six years and then removed to Bradford, where he continued his ministra- tions till 1880, when, after temporary en- gagements, in several parishes in this state and Keeseville, N. Y., he finally became sec- retary and agent of the Vermont Bible Society in 1884, in which occupation he has continued till the present time, with res- idence at Waterbury. Mr. Elliot was dele- gate to the National Council of Congrega- tional Churches, held at Oberlin, Ohio, in November, 1871. While residing in Wi- nooski he was made superintendent of public schools, and he represented the town of Waterbury in the Legislature of 1892. During that session he was a member of the committee on education and chairman of that on the insane.
He was wedded, Oct. 21, 1866, at Greens- boro, to Lois Maria, daughter of Enoch and Abigail (Cook) Tolman, who died in Winooski, Jan. 6, 1871. Their children were : Anna M., and Henry T., both of whom died in infancy.
He was again married, Nov. 30, 1875, at Campton, N. H., to Phebe Elizabeth, daughter of Ezekiel H. and Almira (Dole) Hodgdon. They have one son : Henry Hodgdon.
ELLIS, EDWARD DYER, of Poultney, son of Zenas C. and Sarah (Dyer) Ellis, was born in Fair Haven, August 31, 1850. His father, Judge Ellis, was well known and prominent in the county and state.
Mr. Edward Ellis, having obtained a thor- ough preparatory training in the schools of Fair Haven, later attended Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, N. H., which he left in 1869 to enter Middlebury College and from this institution he graduated in 1874. He then devoted himself to a course of profes- sional study in the medical department of Harvard University from which he received a diploma in 1877. In 1878 he settled in Poultney as a practicing physician in which capacity he has since remained, meeting with success and establishing in connection
JIISWORTH.
with his professional labors a druggist's busi- ness.
He is an adherent of the principles of the Republican party, but has devoted the major part of his time to his professional pursuits, never seeking official preferment, though he is at present chairman of the Republican town committee.
EDWARD DYER ELLIS.
Dr. Ellis is vestryman and treasurer of St. John's Episcopal Church, was formerly the president and secretary of the Rutland County Surgical and Medical Society.
He was married at Hampton, N. Y., Oct. 21, 1885, to Isabella, daughter of R. T. and Lydia (Stowe) Ray. Of this alliance four children are issue : Sarah Blanche, Lydia Stowe, Hannah Dyer, and Rodney Ray.
Dr. Ellis is highly esteemed by his ac- quaintances for the firmness of his character and general ability. He is conservative in his ideas and has met with well-merited suc- cess both in public and private life.
ELLSWORTH, JOHN CLARK, late of Greensboro, son of John and Sarah (Strong) Ellsworth, was born in Chatham, Conn., Feb. 22, 1793. His great-grandfather, Capt. John Ellsworth of East Windsor, Conn., married Anna, daughter of Timothy Edwards, and sister of the celebrated Jona- than Edwards. John C. Ellsworth, the fourth of his name, and his father were the first of the family to emigrate to Vermont, arriving in 1798, and the father was the first judge of probate in Orleans county. They
J.J.J.SWORTH.
settled on a farm in Greensboro and here John Clark eagerly availed himself of the limited educational privileges open to him, attending the public schools and Peacham Academy, then under charge of his uncle, Ezra Carter, who was the first principal of that institution. He also was instructed to some extent by his father, who was a man of much literary ability for that time.
At the outset of his active life he served as a clerk in the employment of his uncle, Deacon Strong, at Hardwick, but in the fall of 1821 be accepted a call to missionary work among the Cherokee Indians and in the company of Rev. Austin Worcester and others he proceeded to Brainerd, Ga., con- tinning his labors among the savages until 1836, when he returned to Greensboro on account of the ill health of his wife and the removal of the Cherokees from Georgia by Gen. Andrew Jackson. Mr. Ellsworth pur- chased a farm adjoining that of his father ; previous to his death he purchased a farm near the village, and in the cultivation of this property employed himself till the time
JOHN CLARK ELLSWORTH.
of his death, July 11, 1861. In his experi- ence as Indian missionary he encountered many hardships and obstacles, but these he cheerfully and laboriously overcame, being assisted in his unselfish work by his noble wife, who was the matron of the Indian school, of which he was the superintendent. Those interested in Indian mission work will obtain valuable information by a perusal of the letters of Mr. Ellsworth in the Mis-
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ENRIGHT.
EMERY.
sionary Herald from 1821 to 1836. He early became attached to the cause of aboli- tion and while in Georgia, with his compan- ion, Mr. Worcester, suffered much persecu- tion for righteousness' sake, being arrested and narrowly escaping imprisonment on account of their active sympathy with the downtrodden Indian, and their labors in the cause of Christianity and the welfare of the aboriginal race received little or no encour- agement from the white portion of the sur- rounding community. The greater part of his long and peaceful life was devoted to study and literary pursuits, and "far from the busy hum of men" he tranquilly enjoyed the pleasures afforded him by the perusal of his books.
He was the representative of Greensboro to the Legislature at an early period, but though much interested in politics as a staunch Republican he never took an active part in public life.
Mr. Ellsworth first married Eliza, daughter of Thomas Tolman, a soldier of the Revolu- tion, later a Congregational minister, who died April 18, 1856. His second wife, whom he wedded March 17, 1857, was Mary E., daughter of Charles B. Bailey and Abi- gail (Cobb) Field of Greensboro, but for- merly residents of Peacham.
EMERY, CURTIS STANTON, of Chelsea, son of Amos and Sarah M. ( Hibbard) Emery, was born Nov. 6, 1861, in Brook- field.
He removed, with his parents, to Chelsea in the spring of 1869.
After receiving his education at the com- mon schools and at Chelsea Academy, he read law with the late Hon. C. W. Clarke and A. S. Austin at Chelsea. He was ad- mitted to the bar of Orange county in 1883 and to that of the Supreme Court at Mont- pelier in 1886.
Mr. Emery commenced practice at Chel- sea at the time of his admission to the courts, and continued for three years, when he was appointed cashier of the First National Bank of Chelsea, which position he resigned in February, 1893. He then resumed his profession, doing also a general insurance, loan and collection business. Since 1888 he has been a director of the Union Mutual Fire Insurance Co., of Mont- pelier.
Mr. Emery has held many town offices and was elected commissioner for Orange county in 1885, a position which he holds to the present time. He was elected to the Legislature of 1888, being the youngest member of the House, and serving on the committee on elections. By a curious coin- cidence, his father sat in the House at the same time, being a member from the town of
Sharon. He is now county auditor for Orange county.
He was united in marriage May 12, 1887, to Hattie J., daughter of Franklin and Maria R. Ordway of Tunbridge. They have two children : Sallie Helena, and Donald.
Mr. Emery has held nearly all the offices in George Washington Lodge, No. 51, F. & A. M. of Chelsea and at present occupies the Master's chair.
ENRIGHT, JOSEPH CORNELIUS, of Windsor, son of Rev. Joseph and Catharine (Wier) Enright, was born in Morgan, Dec. 2, 1852.
He graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of 1878, and commenced to study law in the same year. He was admitted to the Windsor county bar in 1881, and since that time has been in the practice of his profession in Windsor, being also largely interested in insurance and real estate.
JOSEPH CORNELIUS ENRIGHT.
In 1879 Mr. Enright was appointed super- intendent of schools in Hartland, and subse- quently served in the same capacity in the town of Windsor, where he has been first selectman since 1891. In 1890 was elected. to represent Windsor in the General Assem- bly, and served as chairman of the state's prison committee. He was again called to the same body in 1892, and in that session was chairman of the committee on claims. In 1893 he was chosen school director for three years.
INRIGIN.
He is a member of the Masonic order, in which he has taken every degree from the ist to the 32d, melusive ; he has served as secretary and warden of Vermont Lodge No. 18, recorder of Vermont Commandery No. 4, and secretary of Vermont Lodge of Perfection.
He was united in marriage July 23, 1882, at Brompton, P. Q., to Clara J., daughter of Amos and Matilda (Alger) Varney. One daughter has been born to them : Daisey Maud.
ENRIGHT, JOHN J., of Burlington, was born in South Burlington, April 6, 1862. In 1878 he was graduated from the Bur-
JOHN J. ENRIGHT.
lington high school and began the study of law in the office of Judge Hamilton S. Peck and later with Hon. Henry Ballard. At the age of twenty-one he was admitted to. the bar of Chittenden county, and had charge of Mr. Ballard's office for a year while that gentleman was absent in the West, doing quite a large business at that time. . He then opened the office which he now occu- pies. These quarters are nicely furnished and equipped, covering the whole ground floor, and his clientage is steadily on the in- crease, he having been obliged to employ a stenographer the past three years to assist him.
In politics Mr. Enright has always been a strong Democrat and has a large following in the Democratic ranks. In 1882 he was a candidate for the Legislature from South
ESILY.
Burlington and was only beaten by one vote. In 1892 he was a candidate for the office of Secretary of State.
Mr. Enright has unusual business ability and has been long identified with several business enterprises in his city. He is one of the owners of Mirror Lake Hotel at Lake Placid in the Adirondacks and is interested in the Hotel Burlington. He is also some- what interested in real estate in Burlington. Mr. Enright takes great pleasure in owning and driving fine horses and he enjoys the reputation of possessing the finest driving horses at all times. He is well known among horsemen and has sold several valu- able horses at a large figure. He has risen to a prominent position as a lawyer in this county and has a lucrative legal business, ranking as one of the best commercial at- torneys in the state.
ESTEY, JACOB, late of Brattleboro, son of Isaac and Patty (Forbes) Estey, was born in Hinsdale, N. H., Sept. 30, 1814.
Isaac Estey, his grandfather, was a farmer and resided in Sutton, Mass. The eldest son, Isaac (father of Jacob), and his brother Israel settled in Hinsdale, N. H., where they built a sawmill and engaged in the manu- facture of lumber. The enterprise, how- ever, proved far from prosperous, and as the statute law then permitted imprisonment for debt, under its provisions Isaac Estey was arrested and thrown into the county jail as a debtor. Upon his release he resorted to agriculture for the support of himself and family, and passed the remainder of his life in that pursuit.
The subject of our sketch was adopted when four years old by a wealthy family in Hinsdale. After spending nine years under their roof, at the age of thirteen he left his foster parents and walked to Worcester, Mass., where one of his elder brothers resided. The following four years he labored upon farms in the towns of Rutland, Mill- bury and vicinity. When seventeen years old he apprenticed himself to T. & J. Sutton of Worcester, in order to acquire a mastery of the plumber's trade, and of the manufact- ure of lead pipe.
Before the attainment of his majority he resolved to establish himself in business, and for this purpose removed to Brattleboro, where he was successful from the beginning, and established the reputation for ability and probity which he always retained.
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