USA > Vermont > Orange County > Topsham > Sketches of the town of Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, 1929 > Part 4
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OXEN.
The heavy work on the Topsham farm in early times was done with oxen. The first mention of ox-teams in Topsham rec- ords was in 1799, when a pair of good seven-year-old oxen, one of them brindled, sold for fifty dollars.
48
EARLY DAYS
THE OLD PLOW WITH THE WOODEN MOULD BOARD.
CRADLE AND FLAIL.
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EARLY DAYS
In 1874 Royal Hood was boasting of a pair of two-year-old steers that weighed 2,710 pounds. Each girted six feet and eight inches.
The first mowing machine came into the town about 1880. No doubt this new-fangled contraption, drawn by a pair of oxen, with one man walking by the side of the oxen to drive them, and another man sitting on the machine to raise and lower the bar in order to avoid the stones, caused considerable interest and no little amusement for the neighbors.
At the early fairs ox-team pulling was one of the leading events. It is told that sometimes there would be from 25 to 50 pair of oxen entered in this event. Ox-team pulling is still carried on at the Twin-State Fair held at White River Junction.
In 1924 the author attended the State Fair. In that year the ox-team that won the sweepstakes easily drew 8,200 pounds. The heaviest load ever drawn by an ox-team at this fair was 9,380 pounds. An interesting fact is that a good Vermont team pulls as heavy a load as a good ox-team.
Only a few ox-teams are now left in the town. The whoa- aa-a, hi-sh-sh of the ox-driver has given place to the who-a-a, boy, of the teamster or to the chug-chug of the automobile. The young man taking his best girl out for a "spin" in his Chevrolet or Willys-Knight, today, offers some contrast to the buggy-ride of eighty years ago in a two-wheeled cart drawn by a pair of oxen.
FENCES AND STOCK AT LARGE.
In early days fences were made of stone obtained by clearing some field on the farm. Brush fences were also used in some places. After barbed wire was invented it has been used to a con- siderable extent.
Topsham fences, however, have never been barriers against breachy stock. At a time when a good many sheep were raised, a ram at large during certain seasons could be shot. Bulls must still be kept in enclosed pens.
In those early days every man had his own private sheep mark, which was recorded in the Town Clerk's office. The fol- lowing is taken from the Town Clerk's record of November 6th, 1792: "Aaron Bagley's sheep mark is a crop of the left ear."
The first record of a pound for stray stock was in 1815, when it was voted to build a pound near Tabor's grist mill in East Tops- ham. This pound was to be 30 feet square, of good stone, five feet thick at the bottom, two feet thick at the top, and six and a half feet high, with eight inch timber on top, a good door and lock. It cost $46.00.
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EARLY DAYS
The town records state that it was voted to build another pound in the west part of the town, March 3rd, 1824, of the same kind as the one at East Topsham. It was voted to sell the pound at East Topsham December 7th, 1872, the one at West Topsham on November 3rd, 1874. After the pounds were sold it was voted that each man's yard was to become a pound for straying stock.
BORROWING.
In early days people were neighborly. Borrowing a cup of sugar or a "making" of tea or other things was quite commnon. One set of quilting frames usually did for a whole neighborhood.
The story is told of one old gentleman who was always neigh- borly and would loan a neighbor anything that he had. He was also quite a hand to borrow. But his neighbors had to go after things that he borrowed of them and had to return things bor- rowed of him for the old gentleman used to say: "It is work enough to borrow things without going to the trouble of return- ing them."
PUNISHMENTS.
Previous to the year 1820 the town's books report a number of fines collected. Drunkenness, swearing and lying were among early punishable crimes and misdemeanors. The following are some of the punishments which were in force:
Each offense for drunkenness was punished by a fine of eight shillings or by placing the offender in the stocks for not exceed- ing three hours.
Swearing was punished by a fine of six shillings or not more than three hours in the stocks.
The first offense for lying or publishing any lie which would injure any person or deceive the people was punished by a fine of forty shillings or not exceeding three hours in the stocks. The punishment was doubled for each succeeding offense.
AN OLD BILL OF GOODS.
A bill of goods bought in 1802 at East Topsham:
1 bu. of corn 3 shillings
bu. of rye .. 2 shillings
1 bu. of wheat 5 shillings
1 Mb of coffee. 2 shillings 6 pence
1 Mb of tobacco 9 pence 18 Ibs of pork. 9 shillings
36 34 lbs of flour 5 shillings 11 pence
4 qts. of salt. 2 shillings 9 pence
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EARLY DAYS
6 qts. of vinegar 3 shillings
1 bu. of potatoes 2 shillings
414 Ibs of fish. 1 shilling 7 pence
1 pail. 3 shillings
Lumber was selling at 24 shillings per thousand. One coffin cost 9 shillings and the usual price for a funeral sermon was about 4 shillings.
It was customary to give receipts for every thing bought. The following is a receipt of a peculiar nature. I have used the spell- ing given in the recept:
Topsham 6th Aprile 1796.
This Day Received of Samuel Crown three peeks of wheet By the hand of Lemuel Tabor Esq Which Is in full of all Debts or Demands from the Begining of the world to this Day
The wage of a man was from three to four shillings per day. By 1806 the wages were being paid in dollars and cents instead of in English money.
FLAX WHEEL
SPINNING WHEEL
52
THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
THE WAITS RIVER CHURCH.
It has always been true that whenever in the course or human events, the time has become ripe for doing some noble deed, some man has come forward who put his hand to the plow and brought the consummation of that deed to pass.
Such a man came forward at Waits River, Vt., in 1857, in the person of E. C. Swift. Mr. Swift, who had been one of the lucky "49'rs," came to Waits River in 1854. With his gold he built a mill on Waits River and the store now occupied by E. S. Locke. A village grew up around the mill and store. This village was called Waits River after the river upon whose banks it lies.
, Having started a village, the thoughts of Mr. Swift and others naturally turned towards making a place for public worship. The contract for building the Waits River Union Church was made on June 3rd, 1857, between E. C. Swift and a committee chosen by subscribers who pledged themselves to pay for the church when built.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
The committee chosen by the subscribers were James Richard- son, Daniel Nutt, Lewis Dickerman, and Elijah Dickerman. The contract with Mr. Swift called for stoves and pipe, which were to be like those in the East Orange meeting-house. The house was to be similar to the church at Corinth Hollow except the height, which was to be eighteen feet. The style of gallery, pulpit and entry was to be like the one recently erected at Newbury. The completed building was to cost $1,800.00.
It is rather peculiar that in the building contract nothing was said as to the kind of lumber to be used in constructing the main part of the building except that it was to be of good quality and well seasoned. But it was clearly stated that the thresholds of the building were to be of heart of birch and the steps of good merchantable hemlock plank.
. The land upon which the church stands was purchased from James Richardson on April 24th, 1857, for $42.00. A piece of land back of the church was bought August 31st, 1865, of Nelson Eastman for $5.00. This last portion of land was to remain a "common" for public use.
The church was made from trees which grew upon the hills enclosing Waits River Valley. The trees were sawed into lumber in Mr. Swift's saw-mill then run by water power. After the lum- ber was well seasoned the contractor and his workmen fashioned this lumber into the church building which still stands.
After the church was completed the pews were sold at auction. Some of the pews brought between $30.00 and $50.00 each. The original pew-holders were: E. C. Swift, Smith Farnham, J. Dickey, Elijah Ordway, John A. Dodge, Lyndes Luther, Lewis Dickerman, Lyman Thayer, John Clark, Bentley Banks, Joseph Davis, John L. Sloan, Edward Rowland, Hazen Minard, Josephus Felch, Dexter Prescott, Fred Harriman, Andrew Worthen, Amherst Perkins, Ransom Farnham, Roswell M. Bill, Daniel Miles, John Fellows. Evans McCrillis, Amos Minard, William Woodcock, Simeon Mc- Calvey, Daniel Nutt, Major Jim Richardson, John Batchelder, Isaac Sargent, Samuel White, Daniel Jackman, Thomas White, Timothy Merservy, E. Currier, John Locke, Emerson Eastman, Robert Mc- Crillis, Almon Currier, Enoch Cilley and James Philbrick.
The pews in this church were originally in four rows, there being nine pews in each of the outer rows and seven in the two inner rows. In addition to these four rows there was a row along the north wall on each side of the pulpit and facing the pulpit.
The story is told of one of the pew-holders who bought one of the end pews against the north wall, giving the reason that he could see those who came to church late without turning his head.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
The church was built for a Union Church and was dedicated as such in 1857. H. P. Cushing was one of the presiding min- isters at the dedication. For several years after the church was built Methodist and Universalist ministers preached alternately from its pulpit. Of late years the church has been supplied with ministers of the Methodist denomination.
Articles of association were framed by the church several different times. A copy of one of these articles is here given.
Articles of Association for the Waits River Union Church.
We, the subscribers, hereby associate ourselves together as a corporation under the laws of the State of Vermont, to be known as the Waits River Union Church for the purpose of supporting the gospel and maintaining public worship, procuring, holding and keeping in repair a parsonage the use and avails of which shall be appropriated to the support of public worship at Waits River in the County of Orange and State of Vermont, upon the following conditions: FIRST. That said corporation when organized, shall adopt by-laws not repugnant to the laws of this State, for the election and the conduct of the business affairs of said corporation. SECOND. That any person may become a member of such corpora- tion by complying with the by-laws of said corporation with the same rights and privileges as persons who sign their names thereto.
Dated at Topsham in the County of Orange this 26th day of April, A. D. 1894.
Subscribers: Angelo R. Beede, John Batchelder, Thomas H. Minard, J. F. Philbrick, C. G. Philbrick.
The church bell was bought of the Cincinnati Bell Foundry Co. in July, 1895. It weighs 800 pounds and cost $105.00. The following were subscribers to the bell fund: G. B. Miles, D. S. Folsom, John Sawyer, J. A. Dodge, A. R. Beede, D. S. Prescott, S. F. Locke, J. F. Philbrick, Sanborn Brothers, S. W. Davis, H. W. Farnham, W. B. Hood, W. C. Richardson, J. L. Magoon, D. E. Ma- goon, N. N. Richardson, T. H. Minard, F. W. Currier, H. M. Simp- son, Ora E. Chynoweth, Carlos Wright, F. O. Downing, W. E. Cunningham, Nicholas Fellows. J. P. Richardson, F. H. Minard, L. M. Thayer, H. C. Richardson, Orange A. Dodge, D. Wilkey, H. A. Chase, S. W. Eastman, J. H. Felch.
All available names of ministers before 1880 and the names and time of service of ministers since 1880 are here given:
H. P. Cushing, Ira Le Baron, P. N. Granger, L. C. Powers, W. E. McAllister, James Spinney, Thomas Trevillian, O. F. Gen- kins, S. L. Eastman, H. G. Day, Chester Dingman, O. A. Farley and E. D. Hopkins.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
S. A. French, April 1880-1; J. A. Sherburn, 1882; L. L. Sowles, 1883; Bryner, 1884; David Kilburn, 1885; H. F. Reynolds, 1886-7-8; S. C. Vail, 1889-90; Silas Van DeCar, 1891; Jolın T. Baxendale, 1892-3; T. Trevillian, 1894; John Monroe,
1895; Church Labor, 1896; E. S. Cudworth, 1896-7-8-9; Lewis Dexter, 1900; John C. Prince, 1901; Fred Wells, 1901; James Boyd, 1902; Leon J. Morse, 1903; I. A. Ranney, 1904; Jolin D. Leach, 1905; George B. Nye, 1906; I. A. Ranney, 1907-8; H. W. Huntley, 1909; Chambers, 1909; Sweet, 1909; S. M. Harris, 1910; John Wesley, 1911; Albert T. Freeman, 1911; O. L. Barnard, 1912-13; C. P. Weeks, 1914; N. M. Shaw, 1914; Henry E. Howard, 1915; Arthur J. Green, 1916-17-18; O. J. An- derson, 1919; Grover Chapman, 1920; George Morris, 1920; David Kilburn, 1920; Herbert R. Campbell, 1921-22; E. Lincoln Bigelow, 1923; Warren H. Mitchell, 1926-1928; Ernest Flood, 1928.
The music furnished by the choir has always been one of the finest parts of the church services. The leading chorister till 1861 was Edward Rowland. In that year he entered the army and died after nine months' service. He is buried in the Waits River ceme- tery. Mr. Rowland was followed as chorister by T. D. Fellows and later by David Folsom.
The story is told that along in the SO's two rival choirs furnished considerable amusement to those outside the choirs by practicing different songs at the same time for several evenings and finally the choir that made the most noise won out.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT EAST TOPSHAM.
In the early 1800's William Gibson and James Milligan of ' Ryegate preached to the people of East Topsham. The church services were held in private houses till the Town Hall was built in 1806, then it was used for church services.
The Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized in 1820 and William Sloan was its first minister. In 1828 a Union Church was built on the site of the old Town Hall. This church was used by both Presbyterians and Methodists for a number of years.
Mr. Sloan was pastor of the Presbyterians for nine years, leaving in 1826. For twenty-five years after Mr. Sloan left there was no regular minister. However, services were kept up irregu- larly by ministers who were sent by the Synod.
N. R. Johnston came as a regular minister in 1851, and remained for about fifteen years, Mr. Johnston preached to Pres- byterians (as Covenanters were called), Congregationalists, Metho- dists, Baptists and Universalists for several years after he came to Topsham.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Soon after Mr. Johnston came to Topsham he visited a retired minister at Hardwick. The old minister asked him where he was located. Mr. Johnston replied, "At Topsham." "In Topsham," said the old minister, "I am glad of that." "Why?" inquired Mr. Johnston. "Because," was the reply, "that is the place where the devil has his seat and that is the place for you."
Mr. Johnston organized a Sunday School on the second Sun- day after his arrival. This Sunday School soon became the largest in the county.
On coming to Topsham, Mr. and Mrs. Johnston took four rooms which cost them $25.00 for the year. The minister's salary was $350.00 per year, $250.00 of which was paid by the parishion- ers. In 1852 there were thirty-five members who attended church.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
In 1854 to the great joy of the Johnstons the present parson- age was bought at a cost of $575.00 and became the home of the minister's family. In 1861 the Presbyterians bought out the pew- holders of the Union Church and the old house was remodelled and new pews and pulpit installed. As was customary in those days two services were held on Sunday, one in the forenoon and one in the afternoon.
During the years immediately preceding the Civil War the slavery question in Topsham, as everywhere, was the all-absorbing topic. Mr. Johnston was of strongly "anti-slavery" principles, and at times by his fiery sermons roused not only the ire of some of the members of his church but of people in the neighboring towns.
The following extract taken from Mr. Johnston's diary shows something of the then existing conditions: "Monday, September 15, 1862: Went to Bradford on business. Saw soldiers there rid- ing a secessionist out of town on a rail. Learned from a friend that some loyal (?) citizens think that abolitionists should be hung and that they have mentioned three as specimens to begin with, viz., William Lloyd Garrison, Rev. Silas McKeen and myself. I thus find myself in honorable company."
During this period William Lloyd Garrison, C. C. Burleigh and Parker Pillsbury spoke in Topsham against slavery and were guests at the parsonage. A talk was also given in the church by a negro preacher. The morning after the talk Mr. Johnston re- moved a placard hung on the wall of the church by some of the pro-slavers which read "Death to traitors and nigger preachers."
The evening after the raid of John Brown, October 17, 1859, the Abolitionists of Topsham held a meeting in the town hall. During the week following the hanging of John Brown there were other meetings. Two of the speakers at these meetings were Rob- ert McNiece and Charles Divoll. Robert McNiece later became the pastor of the Presbyterian church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here he waged a fight against polygamy. The Mormons feared him as they feared no other man in Utah.
During the time Mr. Johnston was pastor of the church the membership rose to nearly sixty members, and the Sunday School was in a flourishing condition. He also was instrumental in form- ing a circulating library, a lyceum, and the Topsham Normal School. The lyceum met in the old town hall. Mr. Johnston closed his work in Topsham December 13, 1865.
Later than Mr. Johnston among the regular ministers were J. C. Ferris, John A. McClellan, D. M. Mckinley and C. A. Lay. The present minister is Herbert Schulze.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
THE WEST TOPSHAM CHURCH.
The Baptist Church Society at West Topsham was organized in 1801 with six members. Nathaniel Bowles was the first minis- ter. Ebenezer Sanborn was ordained minister over this church in 1806.
Church services were held in the brick school house that had just been erected on "Zion Hill." This building stood at the lower part of the old Zion Hill cemetery about three-quarters of a mile eastward of the present village of West Topsham. Only a decaved heap of old brick now marks the site of this building.
This society became the Baptist Union Society in 1812. In 182S a Union Church was erected on the site of the present church in the village. This building was repaired in 1856. It would now seat 225 persons.
In 1888 there were seventy-two members. The Sunday School had an enrollment of ninety. The Rev. C. E. Davis was pastor at this time.
In the summer of 1901 the church was destroyed by fire and the present building was erected. The new church was designed by William Bagley who, with Horace White, was on the building committee. It was largely through Mr. Bagley's efforts that the church was built. The carpenter work was done by Charles Spear.
Rev. Lewis Dexter, who became pastor in 1905, was an ener- getic churchman. He solicited money for pews and reported $731.25 collected for that purpose. With this money the church received its present fine furnishings. A communion service was presented by Mrs. S. K. Dexter in 1905.
At one of the January meetings Mr. Dexter spoke of discour- agement due to absence of church members. The following sta-
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
tistics are from the church records of 1913: Total money raised for benevolences, $17.00; members, 7 males, 15 females, total 22. Sunday School: Officers and teachers, 3; classes, 2; scholars, 20; average attendance, 18; expenses, $7.00.
Mr. Dexter closed his services as preacher in this church on September 30, 1910. The Kimball house was purchased for a par- sonage in 1914. A few years later it was sold by the church society.
Among the pastors of this church were: Timothy P. Frost, Francis Morrison, A. C. Peaslee, H. F. Dickey, S. K. Meek, William Merrier, A. Lincoln Bigelow and Warren H. Mitchell.
THE METHODIST CHURCH.
The Methodist Church Society of Topsham was organized at West Topsham September 15, 1860. The society had nearly one hundred members in Topsham besides several in East Orange and East Corinth. The services were carried on in public or private buildings in the villages of Topsham till 1876.
William E. McAllister was the first minister, becoming the minister at the time the society was organized in 1860. He was followed by Sheldon B. Currier (1864), Alva Button and H. G. Day (1870).
In 1876 the society was reorganized by Rev. Isaac McCann and Rev. C. A. Hulbert, the latter being the first pastor of the re- organized Methodist Episcopal Church located at East Topsham.
The present building was erected in 1877 at a cost of about $1,200.00. Mr. Hulbert was followed by F. W. Lewis (1878-80), Hiram F. Reynolds (1886-7), Newton M. Shaw (1892-3), and T. Trevillian (1895). For a number of years no services have been held in this church.
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THE CHURCHES OF TOPSHAM
THE MINISTER'S MUSKMELONS.
It was customary in early times to make cider brandy. Even the minister was not backward in sampling a bottle of it. The story is told of a minister who had raised some fine muskmelons one year. He asked a number of ministers who were attending a revival to come over one evening and have some melons. The afternoon before his friends came the good minister "plugged" the melons and poured into them some cider brandy. After the ministers had been eating a while the master of the house noticed several of the partakers of the melons picking out the seeds and putting them in their vest pockets. On inquiring why they were saving the seeds one of them said, "We want to raise some melons like these."
A PIONEER CHURCH
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PUBLIC LANDS
PUBLIC LANDS
THE GLEBE LANDS.
The lands granted by the British government as glebes for the benefit of the Church of England, being invested in the Crown, became the property of the United States and of the respective States of the United States after the treaty which closed the Revo- lutionary War.
On October 30, 1794, all the glebe lands in Vermont were granted to the respective towns. The selectmen of the different towns in the State were to lease these lands for terms of not longer than fourteen years. The money received for the glebe lot was to be used for the support of religious worship in the town where the glebe lot lay.
The law of October 30, 1794, was later repealed by the State Legislature. On November 5. 1805, all glebe lands became the property of the respective towns in which they lay. The selectmen of each town were to lease the glebe lots out for an annual rent which was to be used towards the support of the schools of the town. This was to be applied in the same manner as money aris- ing from school lands.
LOT NUMBER 77 (THE GLEBE LOT).
Selectmen's leases of Lot No. 77, known as "The Glebe Lot": James Cunningham the N. W. 92 acres. Tax $11.50.
Timothy Palmer the N. E. 46 acres. Tax $5.75.
Benjamin Hoyt 46 acres S. of Timothy Palmer's land. Tax $5.75.
Jonathan Jenness the S. 12 of the lot, 184 acres. Tax $23.00.
THE PRESENT OWNERS.
William M. Welch about 113 acres, being all of the N. W. 1/4 and an angular piece in the S. W. 14. Tax 14.12.
Timothy Welch has the N. E. 14, 92 acres. Tax $11.50.
Frank Perry has about 71.3 acres lying mostly in the S. W. 14. Tax $8.91.
Carrie Thurston has about 77.8 acres in the S. E. 14. Tax $9.73.
L. P. Hight has about 5.28 acres lying in the S. E. 14. Tax $0.66.
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PUBLIC LANDS
Timothy Palmer.
James Cunningham.
Benjamine Hoyh.
Jonathan Jeunes.
THE GLEBE LOT,
N. T. Cilley has about 8 acres lying in the S. E. 14. Tax $1.08. Total number of acres about 368. Total tax $46.00.
LOT NO. 60, THE "PROPAGATION RIGHT."
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts was established by King William III. of England on June 3rd, 1701.
The purpose of the promoter of this society was to establish churches for the worship of God according to the lithurgy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in England's colonies. King Wil- liam's greeting, which follows, throws further light upon the reason for this society.
William III.
Greeting.
Whereas: "We are credibly informed that in many of the Plantations and Factories beyond the seas belonging to our King- dom of England, Provision for Ministers is very mean; and many others of our said Plantations, Colonies and Factories are wholly destitute and unprovided of a maintenance for Ministers and the Publick worship of God; and for lack of support and maintenance for such, many of our Loving Subjects do want the administration
63
PUBLIC LANDS
of God's word and sacraments and seem to be abandoned to atheism and infidelity; and also for want of Learned and Orthodox Minis- ters to instruct our Loving Subjects in the principles of true re- ligion, divers Romish Priests and Jesuits are the more encour- aged to prevent and draw Our said Loving Subjects to Popish Superstition and Idolatry, therefore we, etc."
In the original charter of the Town of Topsham and many other towns in the State of Vermont one lot was given to this society. Lot. No. 60 became the "Society Lot" in the Town of Topsham.
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