USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Wallingford > People of Wallingford, a compilation > Part 13
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Ann Elizabeth, born March 30, 1810; died October 4, 1843. Louisa, born March 31, 1812; died August 21, 1866.
Edward, born April 7, 1814; died September 11, 1870. Frances T., born June 1815; died July 24, 1821.
Isaac had an older brother Israel and two younger sisters,
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PEOPLE OF WALLINGFORD
Anna and Lois. His brother was a bachelor and lived most of his life in Boston. Israel's great interest in his brother Isaac's affairs, and the inheritance that Isaac's children received from their uncle, call for a brief outline of his career taken from "The Mun- son Record."
"Israel, 'after graduating,' says the Yale Obituary Record, 'de- voted himself to the medical profession, and was for a short time a practising physician. He soon, however, established himself in mercantile business in Boston, where he resided for more than half a century. Few men have passed through so long a period of active business with so unblemished a reputation. He was a dis- tinguished benefactor of humane and literary institutions.'
"Being a bachelor, his residence in Boston was at the Tremont House. His partner was Charles Barnard. One of his places of business, as in 1800 and 1809, was Long Wharf, No. 5; other places, apparently, were 46 State Street, 17 Central Wharf and 43 Commercial Wharf. Sample of business: Not far from 1830, Munson and Barnard contracted with Charles Whiting of Hart- ford to furnish some $10,000 for the purchase of about 100,000 pounds of hides, a part of which were to be sold in Hartford and a part to be turned into sole leather by Edmund Hubbard of Chester, Ms .; etc.
"Helen E. Munson informs me that after Israel had been en- gaged in mercantile pursuits for a while, he failed, owing $10,000. He thereupon went to New Haven; but his creditors induced him to return to Boston and continue the business. He did so and in two years paid all his debts. He was afterwards very successful and accumulated a large fortune, for those days.
"His will makes specific legacies to individuals amounting to $12,500; he bequeathed $70,000 to institutions,-to Harvard College $15,000, The Massachusetts General Hospital $20,000, Yale College $15,000 (establishing the Munson Professorship of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy), Medical Department of
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ISRAEL MUNSON OF BOSTON, 1767-1844
FARM RESIDENCE OF ISAAC MUNSON
THE MUNSON FAMILY
Yale $5,000, Retreat for the Insane at Hartford $5,000, New England Asylum for the Blind $4,000, Boston Asylum for Indi- gent Boys $3,000, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary $3,000; and he bequeathed the residue of his estate to the eight children of his brother Isaac, the two children of his sister Anna, and the two children of his sister Lois,-a twelfth part to each. The estate aggregated, in Sept. 1846, $581,676.
"We have seen that Israel relinquished to Isaac, Lois and Anna's children, his right in his father's estate. He also relin- quished to Isaac and Lois his right to real estate of his mother. A farm of 250 acres in Wallingford, Vt., which he purchased 9 Nov. 1814, was presented to Isaac in Feb. 1823. Israel sold Isaac in 1825 about thirty rods of land, bounded E. on College streets, N. on Grove, and W. and S. on Isaac's land in New Haven.
"When Israel spent time in Wallingford, Vt., as he often did, he had a home with his brother, and afterwards with Mrs. Hill [his sister]. Town-Clerk Townsend describes him as white haired, well-dressed, gentlemanly and sprightly. He used to ride about town on horseback, and knew everybody. He used to speak to us boys on the street, said Mr. T .; he has spoken to me about my ball or hoop. To get a nod from him was a great pleasure. This official added that citizens used to say,-If such a fortune was to come to the town, they would rather it should be to the Munsons than to any others; they were good, nice people, and would not use their money to the disadvantage of others.
"Treasurer Farnam of Yale College informs me that 'the legacy of Israel Munson in 1844, amounting to $20,000, was the largest bequest that Yale College had received at that time.' Helen E. Munson states that her great-uncle Israel practiced medicine six years. He was buried in 'Mount Auburn.'"
In the month of October 1814 Israel came to Wallingford, Vermont, and purchased a farm for his brother, located on the highway, now Route No. 7, about two miles south of the village.
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PEOPLE OF WALLINGFORD
The farm was owned by Edmund and Gilbert Douglas and con- tained 250 acres. Twenty or more years ago Mr. G. L. Dale, step- son of Elizur Munson, came to Wallingford and, while rummag- ing through the brick house on the farm, found a large number of letters in the attic that were written by Israel to his brother Isaac between the years of 1814 and 1830. It is from these letters that we learn much about Isaac; his coming to Wallingford with his family and his business of farming afterward. Furthermore, they shed much light upon the intimate relations between the two brothers, the family life of Isaac, the conditions under which he lived and the times in general-a picture of farm life in Vermont during the early part of the nineteenth century. These are the reasons for quoting extensively from these old letters.
Rutland, Vermont, October 1st 1814
Dear Brother
I arrived here this day from Wallingford where I have been to purchase for you a Farm-I thought it best to compleat the agreement for it. I agreed to give for it $7000 Cash Payment to be made in Boston as soon as the person of whom I purchased calls for his money I am to have possesion the first of April next but may be permitted to have and to occupy a part of the house as soon as you can get on & do many things on the Farm- Now I wish to have you write to me & inform me at Boston im- mediately whether you can arrange your business so as to go in this Autumn-I think this month will be the most comfortable time for you to move the Winter will be tedious & the Spring will be bad for traveling besides you will wish to attend to many things early in the Spring before you can get on, such as making Sugar preparing your ground for sewing Grain Flour etc & for planting & getting a supply of wood for the season & many other things that you may easily suppose will want attention early in the season-I am fully of the opinion that you would do best to move this Fall if you can arrange your business for it. I can pur- chase the whole of the Stock on the Farm if I please it consists of 15 Cows 15 Yearlings 12 Calves 165 Sheep & one pair of
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LOIS MUNSON, 1784-1851, WIFE OF JOEL HILL
FORMERLY THE TAVERN OF DEACON MOSLEY HALL
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THE MUNSON FAMILY
Oxen & about 60 Tons of Hay. As it respects the purchase of the Stock I do not know what to determine-With respect to the mode of your getting on I do not know what to write-I am in- clined to think it will be best to purchase a good strong and handsome Dutch Wagon for two horses such as will answer to ride about in with your family after you arrive at Wallingford, for you know that you will always want one and buy a Span of Horses & perhaps a Cart & a pair of good oxen to carry on some of your Beds & other furniture that will be proper to carry on, your Bureaus Desks Tables & Beds Steads & Chairs I do not think it will be best to carry with you & many other articles which I do not mention I shall write to you again from Boston for which place I shall journey by Stage on Monday next ex- traordinaries excepted. This Wallingford is about 12 miles south of this place-I beg of you to write to me and direct to Boston immediately after you receive this If your furniture will not sell well at this time you can store it away in some safe place until a better time for sale & perhaps get some of it on by way of New York to Albany some time hence if thought best-perhaps the young men that live with you may incline to go-I think if they have a nough of the trade they may find a good place for their business-or if not at that business there will be plenty of busi- ness on your Farm-My love to your Wife & family & Sister Lois. Your affectionate Brother etc.
Israel Munson
Mr. Isaac Munson, New Haven, (Connecticut)
Boston Nov. 5th, 1814.
Dear Brother
Your esteemed favor of the 29th of October is before me- Messrs Douglas's have been here & got their pay for the Farm in Wallingford-I have also bought of them fifteen Cows one yoak of Oxen fifteen Yearlings twelve Calves & one hundred & sixty five Sheep which are all paid for-I have also purchased a Merino Ram which I have sent up by them to put with the sheep-this Ram must be kept with care not suffered to be out in the pasture in the night season & put under cover from the
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PEOPLE OF WALLINGFORD
Storms for he is valuable he cost me $150. It would be well to make some shed in a yard where he can go under cover in a storm & in a yard where Dogs cannot enter in the night season & he must be fed with some grain Oats I think are the best kind of grain- I purchased also 70 Tons of Hay of Mr. Douglass say all the Hay in the barn back of the house & enough of what is in Stacks to make up the 70 Tons-of that which is in Stacks I am to have a fair average as to goodness-the quantity of Hay in the Barn to be estimated by Mr. Mosley Hall the gentleman to whom I shall give you a letter of introduction the stacks of Hay are also to be designated by Mr. Hall which you are to have & the quantity estimated by him-there is some straw in the Barn this perhaps Messrs Douglas will let you have to give to the young Cattle this belongs to them-I think the Cows will give Milk a long time yet this will give you some Butter & Milk for your Children-I am to have all the Sheep provided there should be more than 165 at two Dollars per Head what number there is over the 165 I am to pay-I do not think it will be best to put any other Ram with the Sheep than the Merino & the manner in which he is to be managed I have given directions to Messrs Douglas that is to put him with 5 or 6 each night & morning until he has gone through the flock not to put him with any of them until the 20th Inst-In your letter you mention that Sister Lois talks of going with you if she goes I suppose she will calculate to stay the Winter & perhaps longer I am sorry to learn that your Wife is more unwell than when I was at New Haven, if she is so unwell as not to go with you I think you may as well leave one of the Girls perhaps Caroline or one next to her & one of the little ones beside the infant-but if your infant will do to carry now I think the Health of your Wife will improve by traveling however you can consult with her & her Doctor on this subject as it respects her- self & the infant-if your whole family could go at the same time it would be best but if the health would not warrant it by all means let her stay until next Summer-You observe that you cannot get a Waggon that will answer your purpose that you have thought it best to hire a Stage & a Waggon to carry you on & that Mr. Peck will carry you on for $100 & bear his own expenses I think it best for you to engage him & not travel so far in a Day as to make it fatigueing-you have not mentioned whether you
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SARAH MUNSON, 1795-1851, WIFE OF GENERAL ROBINSON HALL
RESIDENCE OF GEN. ROBINSON HALL
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THE MUNSON FAMILY
have bought a yoak of Oxen & a Cart nor have you mentioned whether your wifes brother will go with you-I think you will want help on your farm & you might employ him-You will want all your Beds to be carried either now or next Summer when if your wife stays they must all go & you will want all your clothing & perhaps it will be well to carry all or most of your furniture by & by, your Crockery must be packed safe in straw for trans- portation & your Soup Kittles so packed they will not bruise- I think some of your Shop tools better be kept to send by & by for it will be well for you to do some if not all your Blacksmith work but not for others-The coming Winter you would do well to make some of your utensils if you have leisure you will have your Cattle to tend, etc your Wood for the season & many other things that you will find necessary to be done-I think it is likely that it may be best next Spring to send some of your Shop Tools by the way of New York to Troy & there take them on to Wall- ingford-you mention that you cannot sell your land to ad- vantage at this time if this be the case let it rest until it may do better-Your wearing apparel must be packed close in trunk otherwise it will chafe by the motion of the Carriage or Waggon -If Sister Lois can make up her mind to go with you I should like it-When you set off I think your best way will be through Cheshire, Farmington on to New Hartford so on what is called the Farmington Turnpike through Lenox to Pittsfield or else through Litchfield, Goshen, Sheffield, Great Barrington, Stock- bridge & Pittsfield-I am inclined to think the former of these roads the best but Mr. Peck can inform himself on this subject, from Pittsfield you will go through Lanesborough to Williams- town through Pownal, Bennington, Shaftsbury, Arlington, Man- chester and some other town to Wallingford-When you arrive at Wallingford you will find Mr. Hall about one mile below Mr. Douglas-I think you would do well to call on him first he keeps Tavern perhaps put up with him the first night but as re- spects this you will be guided by circumstances you will do well to consult Mr. Hall respecting your busines in general-Messrs Douglass will inform you what would be their plans with respect to sewing grain next spring the spot that will be proper & the place for Corn & how to manage with respect to the Sugar next Spring & how to tap the trees & how to boil it-they have the
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buckets for the sap those you will do well to purchase & you will want more for I think you will do well to make all the Sugar you can they told me the buckets cost 20 cents each I think they would sell them 10 cents they will have some farming utensils you may want & some furniture perhaps you can buy them- You must try to put up your Beef & Pork for the year consult with Mr. Hall about this & all your Bread stuff, you must recollect that you will be obliged to hire laborers in Haying time-Herein I enclose five Bank Bills of the Hartford Bank of one hundred Dollars each these are to pay your expenses on to Wallingford or to furnish you with such things as you may want to purchase after you arrive there-For these Bills you had best get Dollars & carry them with you but do not pay out Dollars for what you want unless you can purchase articles at Wallingford as much as 15 or 20 per Cent lower with them than you can with paper on New York Bank Bills which I suppose is the circulating medium at Wallingford if New York Bank Bills are the circulating me- dium then you may make your contracts to pay in these and I will send them to you from here. You must write to me often & send by mail from there & let me know respecting this as well as all your other business-To put the Bank Bills which I send to you into Dollars it will be necessary to get some of the Bank Bills of New Haven Bank which are not payable in New York with these I think you can obtain Dollars but do not change the Hartford Bills for New Haven until you know this fact for I should rather have the Hartford than the New Haven if they will not give Dol- lars or Gold for them you must not get Eagle Bank Bills. Esq. Munson will help you in this business & I think the Bradleys or Higgins can help Esq. Munson-The Higgins will have to pay some money in Hartford by & by & may want them-If you can- not get Dollars in New Haven you can in Hartford. I need not tell you to be as prudent and saving of your money as possible- When you live down at Wallingford I think it will be well to give your children every advantage for their education that you can obtain at that place there is a school house near to the house in which you will live I should wish to have.
(The balance of this letter was missing.)
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ELIZUR MUNSON, 1797-1854
ISAAC BRADLEY MUNSON, 1806-1876
THE MUNSON FAMILY
Boston, Nov. 8th, 1814.
Dear Brother
On the 5th Inst I wrote a letter to you & inclosed in it five Bank Bills of one hundred Dollars each on the Hartford Bank-I calculated that you might obtain Dollars for these at New Haven at the Bank there but I have since heard that the New Haven Bank does not pay Specie if this is the case you will be obliged to go or send to Hartford to obtain them or else you will be obliged to go that way when you set off for Wallingford but in this case it will be necessary to get there in Bank Hours-
I remain your affectionate brother etc
Israel Munson
Mr. Isaac Munson New Haven (Connecticut)
Boston, Nov. 16th, 1814
Dear Brother
I have received a letter from Sister Lois by which I learn that you received the five hundred Dollars in Hartford Bank Bills & have turned them into silver-I have also understood that your wife is unwilling to move this Autumn-I had supposed that you had all made yourselves willing to move on to a Farm. I should not have purchased a Farm if I had not supposed that you all had fully made up your minds to it If your wife's health is not such as she can go this Autumn I would by no means urge but if it will answer you had better all go together I think her health would benefit by traveling-I think it is important that you should be off soon as possible for the weather is becoming cool-I think it best not to sell the best of your furniture for the present for you may be at New Haven again & may carry some of it when you are down if you should not cary all at this time- I think if you can engage a large Baggage Waggon to carry the best of your furniture it may be well-but you must hurry- You will recollect what I mentioned in a former letter respecting New York Bank Bills if you can purchase such things as you want for it when you arrive at Wallingford keep your Silver & write to me I can obtain it here at a discount of 15 per Cent- This day I received a letter from Mr. Hall from Wallingford
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he has wrote to me that he has counted off the Cows Sheep & young Cattle & apportioned off the Hay so that all things are ready for you I remain your affectionate brother etc Israel Munson
Mr. Isaac Munson, New Haven
N. B. give my love to your Wife & your family-You will be care- ful of your Silver let no one know that you have it it can be in a Bag or Bags & then in a trunk.
In Israel's letter of November 16th he appears quite disturbed over the possibility of his brother's family not moving to Ver- mont that fall. He says "I should not have purchased the farm if I had not supposed that you all had fully made up your minds to it." As a matter of fact they did go and perhaps were on their way at the time Israel was writing. Isaac was then forty-three years of age. He had a family of nine children; the oldest nineteen and the youngest eight months. If there was any hesitation on the part of Isaac or his wife in regard to giving up their home in a settled community like New Haven and taking up farming in Vermont where the first settlements had been made only about forty years earlier, and where good roads remained to be made as well as many other facilities that make for comfortable living, it is not surprising, for it was a serious undertaking. "As late as 1820 there was scarcely a large enough collection of dwellings at Wallingford to excuse it being called a village. There were only fifteen or twenty houses scattered along on either side of Main street. The road between here and South Wallingford was so rough and rudimentary in construction that nearly all travel was necessarily on horseback."* If the main highway was so bad the secondary roads must have been often impassable. The bridges were made of logs and planks that often went out with a spring freshet.
* History of Rutland County by H. P. Smith and W. S. Rann, p. 841.
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FARM RESIDENCE OF ISAAC BRADLEY MUNSON
VILLAGE RESIDENCE OF ISAAC BRADLEY MUNSON
ـيب الي
THE MUNSON FAMILY
The population of Wallingford township in 1814 was about 1450. It was then less concentrated in the villages than now. We can picture this village consisting of a few houses scattered along a muddy highway; a tavern and store kept by Eliakim Johnson; a hatter shop, the business of John Rustin, located where Depot street now joins Main street; a tannery, operated by George Vaughn, beside the brook where Mrs. Roscoe Congdon's house now stands; a gristmill by the Creek on the site of Batcheller & Sons' hammer shop; a whiskey distillery about opposite the pres- ent school house, owned by William Fox; another distillery on Church street about where the cheese factory building now stands; a church used by both Baptists and Congregationalists, not in the village but a mile further south on the farm later owned by Goodyear Clark, now the Goodell farm. The hotel was not completed until 1826, twelve years later. The Church street road had been built in 1807 but the School street road leading up along the brook and through the gulf to East Wallingford was not com- pleted until 1830. The old road leading up on to East Street and over the hill, the lower end of which is now called Hull Avenue, and Elm Street, were the only other cross roads at this time within the limits of the village. On the present Merriam farm was a tan- nery operated by William Douglas. Farther south, on George Stafford's farm, stood the tavern of the distinguished Deacon Mosley Hall, which was torn down in 1907. In South Walling- ford John Reed operated a gristmill. This perhaps does not in- clude all the establishments that existed in 1814 but it makes a fairly accurate picture. Of course there were schools but they of- fered little more than the "three Rs."
A farmer has to consider a market for his produce, wool, beef, mutton, milk, butter, cheese or whatever it may be. At this early period various points in Massachusetts, particularly Boston, were the chief market places and they involved a long haul over bad
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PEOPLE OF WALLINGFORD
roads. With these conditions in mind one might think twice be- fore leaving New Haven for Vermont.
Dear Brother
Boston, Dec. 10, 1814.
This will be handed to you by Mr. Joseph Tucker who has managed a Farm in the State of New Hampshire for about two years which was owned by Munson & Bannard & which they have lately sold-Mr. Tucker has managed the Farm much to my satisfaction I have therefore thought it would be to your ad- vantage that he should be with you one year on the same terms that he has been employed which were to give him eighteen Dol- lars per month & allow him two Dollars per week for his board & he board himself & to allow his wife forty nine Dollars per year for attending to the Dairy and the use of one Acre of tillage ground & the privilage of keeping a Cow on the Farm I have therefore consented to employ Mr. Tucker for you one year as before mentioned Mrs. Tucker has felt a diffidence in under- taking so large a dairy & chooses to have me hire another dairy woman in this case Mrs. Tucker will relinquish the forty nine Dollars-Mr. Tucker is about to set off for Wallingford with 15 or 16 Merino Sheep four Cows & a Bull intended for the farm on their arrival you will take charge of them the Bull should be kept in a Barn the Sheep have Sheds to cover them from Rain- if there should not be Hay sufficient for so much Stock you will do well to buy more before Spring for it may then be high in price-Mr. Tucker will also take a pair of grey Mares for the use of the Farm-Mr. Tucker will want about two Rooms for his family for he will live separate from your family until Mr. Douglass leaves the house the first of April I suppose you will be obliged to hire a house or part of a house for Mr. Tucker- Mr. Hall will assist you about looking for a house-I wish your attention & * Mr. Tucker I think you will be pleased with him & his family & that they will attribute much to your happiness- The Marino Ewe will bring early Lambs & as they are valuable will require warm places about the time of their bringing forth Lambs & much attention.
I remain your affectionate brother etc Israel Munson
* Word missing.
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ISRAEL MUNSON, 1808-1887
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FARM RESIDENCE OF ISRAEL MUNSON
THE MUNSON FAMILY
Mr. Isaac Munson Wallingford, (Vermont)
Boston, Dec. 10th, 1814.
Dear Brother
I have given Mr. Tucker the bearer of this a letter of introduc- tion to you who I have engaged to live with you on the Farm I have thought it would be to your advantage for Mr. Tucker has been brought up on a Farm & I think he is a man in whom you will be pleased he is a man of great industry-I wish you to advise with him in all things respecting the Farm consult with him about the quantity of Hay you may want etc I think you will do well to buy some of the best Cows in the Country & sell off some that are on the Farm next Spring so as to keep of your own about twenty-The Bull that I send you cost eighty Dollars you will not let him go to any other Cows than your own unless you are paid for the use of him say one Dollar a Cow nor do not let the Ram go to other Sheep than your own without pay-I told Mr. Douglass that I would allow him some thing for taking care of the Cattle until you went on to the Farm also would allow him something for the use of the house until next April-Mr. Tucker will take the Mares to come down to Milford in New Hampshire to take up his Wife & Child & some of his furniture-I shall en- deavor to buy a Sleigh for Mr. Tucker to go with the Mares & perhaps shall send some Iron & Steel & some Iron Shovels & perhaps some Scythes & perhaps some Screw Drivers & Sheep Shears-I have not heard from you since you wrote a letter dated at Southingham after you had set off for Wallingford in which you declared that your family were in as good spirits as you could expect-I fear you have had a Cold, Stormy & bad time for your journey I am anxious to hear from you & know how you got along-I beg you to write to me often & ask Sister Lois to write often & notice everything how you like your prospects etc-You will be among strangers & they will perhaps endeavor to take advantage of you you must be cautious consult with Mr. Hall if you find him faithful but it may be best for you to use caution with all. You will as I before observed in a former letter know if New York Bank Bills will pass there not pay off your Silver but
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