USA > Vermont > Caledonia County > Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches > Part 58
USA > Vermont > Essex County > Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches > Part 58
USA > Vermont > Orleans County > Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches > Part 58
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NATIONAL BANK OF DERBY LINE. This bank was originally in- corporated by the state in 1850 as the People's Bank of Derby Line, with a capital of $50,000.00 ; this capital was increased to $75,000.00, and again in 1865 it was increased to $150,000.00, and was changed to a national bank. The present offi- cers are Hon. Z. M. Mansur, presi- dent ; Colonel John G. Foster, vice- president ; D. W. Davis, cashier ; and in addition to these B. Hinman and A. B. Nelson are directors.
Statement of the National Bank of Derby Line at the close of business May 14, 1904 :
Resources.
Loans and discounts,
$400,176.00
U. S. bonds,
40,000.00
Other bonds,
12,900.00
Banking house,
4,000.00
Five per cent. fund,
2,000.00
Due from banks, 27,338.93
Cash in vault,
21,131.30
$507,546.23
Liabilities.
Capital stock,
$150,000.00
Surplus and profits,
71,877.76
Deposits, 245,668.47
Circulation, 40,000.00
$507,546.23
HASKELL FREE LIBRARY. The Haskell free library and opera house was given to the towns of Derby Line, Vermont, and Rock Island, Quebec, by Mrs. Martha Has- kell and her son, Colonel H. Stewart Haskell of Derby Line. It is a beau- tiful building.
Its peculiar location, directly on the boundary line between the United States and Canada, so that one half is a part of the possessions of Uncle Sam, and the other is un- der the dominion of King Edward, makes it doubly interesting.
The corner-stone was laid by
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
Golden Rule lodge, F. and A. M., of Stanstead, Quebec, assisted by prominent Masons from both sides of the line, October 15, 1901. This lodge was established near this site in 1803, at Derby Line, by Judge Timothy Hinman and Major Rufus Stewart, both of whom were great- grandparents of Colonel H. Stewart Haskell, who is himself a prominent Mason.
The building is of granite and buff brick. The first story is of granite, above which buff brick with granite trimmings is used. The roof is slate.
The central entrance is that of the library, and the other that of the opera house. These are entirely sep- arate, but are both in the United States.
The massive and dignified cut granite entrance to the library leads through the loggia with its mosaic- tiled floor into the entrance hall, which has a heavy oak paneled dado and mosaic floor.
At the left of the hall is the gen- eral reading room. This is abun- dantly lighted by seven high win- dows and ceiling lights in the heavy paneled stucco ceiling.
In the tower corner is a comfort- able window seat, while the large fireplace occupies another corner. This is provided with reading tables and modern accessories. Across the hall, opposite the general reading room, is the ladies' room, furnished beautifully in bird'seye maple and delicate tints, with lava- tory, fireplace, and wardrobes.
The hall ends in the handsome grill work at the entrance to the rotunda. This has a fine domed ceiling. in the center of which the light shines through an opalescent
globe. Heavy paneled oak wains- coting, a mosaic floor with a medal- lion centerpiece containing the mon- ogram S-H, makes this a very im- posing room.
At the left of the rotunda is the conversation room, separated from the rotunda by a lobby and sliding doors. There business can be trans- acted privately, committees can meet, etc. This is finished in cherry and has a fireplace and a bay win- dow, commanding a general view. Across the rotunda from the conver- sation room are the librarian's room and the men's toilet.
Back of the rotunda is the stack room, one and a half stories high, 50x22 feet, finished in white enamel, with a handsome stucco ceiling, win- dows glazed with cathedral glass, amply lighted and practically fire- proof.
Provision will be made for the receipt of 10.000 volumes at once, room being left for this to be largely increased when necessary. The pub- lic will have free access to the stack room. It will be lighted at night by pendant lights placed over each stack.
The opera house entrance at the easterly end of the building opens into an entrance hall, floored with mosaic, part of which is allotted to the men's smoking room and toilet. A short flight of stairs leads to the mezzanine floor, eight feet above, where is the ticket office, directly above the entrance, and three dress- ing rooms.
Another short flight leads to the foyer, with its stuccoed ceiling and handsomely decorated walls, and containing the ladies' lavatory. From the foyer entrance is had ac- cess directly to the orchestra, with
B-14
HASKELL FREE LIBRARY
AT DERBY LINE, VERMONT, AND AT ROCK ISLAND, PROVINCE OF QUEBEC.
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inclined floor and provided with the latest pattern of opera chairs.
Stairs lead from the fover to the balcony, which seats 203, the or- chestra seating 291, making 500 in all.
In the tower corner at the rear of the auditorium is a cozy ladies' dressing room, and at the ends of the stage, on the spaces usually given to private boxes, are placed two rooms, one for the stage man- ager and the other for the musicians.
This room opens directly on to the balcony on the west side of the building. The two dressing rooms on this floor, together with two on the floor above, make nine in all, thus affording unusual facilities for the convenience of entertainers.
The stage is 50 feet wide and 24 deep, and the proscenium arch is 26 feet in width and 20 feet high. The gridiron is 21 feet from the floor.
The stage is equipped with a full complement of scenery, painted by one of Boston's hest scenic artists. The appliances for handling it are modern and up-to-date.
The auditorium is handsomely decorated in colors, a quiet green predominating. The proscenium arch and balcony front are done in handsome stucco relief. The build- ing is heated throughout with steam.
The library and opera house, with its endowment, will reach upward of $100.000.
HASKELL, COLONEL HORACE STEWART, was born at Derby Line, Vermont, August 9, 1860, a son of Carlos F. and Martha M. (Stewart) Haskell. Carlos F. Haskell was a son of Freeman Haskell. a native
of Lyndon, who married Fanny Kathan.
Freeman Haskell, a man of force of character and unusual executive ability, located at Rock Island, Province of Quebec, in 1823, and died five years later from injuries received in one of his mills. Con- ing to the frontier when it was in- habited by little other than wild beasts and wilder men, he quickly built many business houses, includ- ing a sawmill, a cloth mill, and an oil mill, all of which he was so soon to leave. His organizing power, en- ergy, and thrift did much to lay a solid foundation to the village of Rock Island. Two children sur- vived him: Carlos F. and Fanny Louise.
Carlos F. Haskell married Mar- tha M. Stewart; settling at Derby Line, he engaged in a mercantile line, meeting with marked success. In 1865 he died leaving one son, Horace Stewart, subject of this sketch.
Few families ean trace their an- cestry with greater exactness than can Colonel Haskell. Anthony Stoddard, a descendant of William Stoddard of Normandy, a cousin and standard bearer of William the Conqueror, came to Boston in 1639. Ilis son, Solomon, was born in 1643. To Solomon a son, Gideon, was born in 1678; and to Gideon a son, Na- than, was born in 1:14; to Nathan a son, Nathan Ashbell. was born August 8, 1742, who married Eunice Sanford of Woodbury, Connectient. Nathan A. Stoddard entered the Revolutionary army as captain of light infantry, and was in all the engagements near Danbury, Con- necticut, and New York city. Gen-
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
eral Washington sent him to oppose the British at Lake Champlain. At the battle of Ticonderoga he was taken prisoner and sent to Quebec. From there he escaped, swimming the St. Lawrence river, and, after the hardships incident to the time
position, and while leading an at- tack was instantly killed by an eighteen-pound ball. In his work on Judge Timothy Hinman, p. 13, Hon. Norman W. Bingham says: "In the ancestral line, and its imme- diate branches, were many eminent
HORACE S. HASKELL.
and country, succeeded in reaching his command. He was next sent to the Delaware to defend Fort Mif- flin, under General Greene. In the attack on this post General Greene was killed and the command fell to Captain Stoddard, who held the
divines, distinguished statesmen, and prominent soldiers, among whom were Rev. Solomon Stoddard, the first librarian of Harvard college, and his grandson, Jonathan Ed- wards." Quoting from the same authority, we find that General
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
William T. Sherman and his brother, Hon. John Sherman, statesman, scholar, and financier, descended from the same ancestry.
Phoebe, a daughter of Captain Nathan A. Stoddard, was on De- cember 10, 1:86, married to Judge Timothy Hinman, who was the first settler of Derby, and in many ways a most remarkable man. (An ex- tensive article on Judge Hinman will be found elsewhere in this chapter.) Eleven children blessed the Hinman household, the ninth, Catherine, born October 26, 1806, and died January 18, 1889.
Catherine Hinman married Feb- ruary 3. 1830, Horace Stewart, a son of Major Rufus Stewart, who was born in 1226 and came to Derby in 1797. He served three years in the War of 1812, being at the battle of Plattsburg; and in 1816 returned to Derby.
Horace Stewart was born at Derby, September 25, 1804. About 1826 he went to Beebe Plain, built a plain but substantial house and soon came to be regarded as one of the foremost business men of his time; a man of commanding figure, even temper, never violating a verbal or written agreement, firm in all business transactions, yet tender and sympathetic, winning an endur- ing place in the hearts of the peo- ple.
Martha M., daughter of Horace and Catherine (Ilinman) Stewart, married Carlos F. Haskell. One son, Horace Stewart, was born to then.
Horace Stewart Haskell was edu- cated in the schools of Derby, at Stanstead college, and at Montreal. He served as United States consular agent at Stanstead during both
Cleveland administrations, and was appointed an aid on the staff of Governor Josiah Grout, with the rank of colonel. Colonel Haskell has for the past ten years been owner and manager of the Internal- tional Water-works, which furnish the pure water supply of Stanstead and Rock Island, Province of Que- bee, and Derby Line, Vermont.
Colonel Haskell is naturally a. member of the Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution and the Sons of Colonial Wars. He is a 32° Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. He takes a deep interest in any- thing that will benefit the commu- nity, and together with his mother- has erected and given to Derby Line and Rock Island the magnifi- cent "Haskell free library," which, together with its endowment, will reach upwards of $100,000.
Colonel Haskell takes no part in polities, although serving as a vil- lage trustee of Derby Line. He has one son, Tracy S. Haskell, born June 14, 1885.
STEWART, HON. EMERA. AI- though descended from a family of distinguished soldiers, who had won high renown in the Revolution and War of 1812, Emera Stewart's life was one of peaceful conquests. In the quiet pursuits of husbandry and business he earned a place as high as his ancestors had held in the more conspicuous art of war.
He was closely associated with all the activities of the town of Derby through several decades of the last century.
Ile was born at the Stewart homestead in that town February 24, 1810, and there was his home during his entire life.
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
Naturally of a retiring nature. his keen business acumen and judgment was sought after by his townsmen to direct their affairs in various offices. He was a member of the legislature in 1851 and was elected judge of the county court
He was married June 3, 1841, to Julia A. Daggett, and to them were born two daughters, the late Mrs. Martha J. Branch and Mrs. Clara S. Robinson, now a resident of Newport.
Judge Stewart died May 21.
EMERA STEWART.
in 1852. He was prominent in the 1886, and with his passing there management of the affairs of the closed a career which, by its staunch integrity, its wise and generous prudence, and steadfast uprightness, made him a type of the useful citizen of his generation. National bank of Derby Line and a director in that institution until failing health compelled him to re- linquish all business cares.
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
HINMAN. TIMOTHY .* Timothy Hinman was one of the original proprietors of the town of Derby, and the only one of them who went there to locate. He was born in Southbury, Connecticut, in which state four generations of his Pur- itan ancestry had lived. After the War of the Revolution, in which he was an active participant, he spent some time in exploring the forests as far north as the Canada line. Several expeditions were made by him to the territory now covered by the town of Derby during the years 1989 to 1795, when, with his family, he made the first permanent settle- ment in that locality. To this place he was accompanied by a wife of remarkable qualities. She was Phoebe Stoddard, in the line of whose ancestry are found many eminent men, among whom are Rev. Anthony Stoddard and Solomon Stoddard, the first librarian of Harvard college and grandsire of Jonathan Edwards. On the long. tedions journey from Connecticut she brought with her the Bible, and she was one of the founders of the first church in Derby, and for more than half a century was an exam- ple and an inspiration to the settle- ment.
Timothy Hinman surveyed and managed the construction of nearly all the roads as they were first built through the forests for many miles about Derby. When the town was organized he was elected its clerk, and for twelve years he represented it in the state legislature. At the first session of Orleans county court, which was held at Crafts- bury, Timothy Hinman presided as chief judge, with Samuel Crafts
and Jesse Olds, assistants, and this position he held for some ten years thereafter.
For a long time the Hinman home was the natural center of everyenterprise: the traveler sought it for shelter, and neighbors gath- ered there to outline their plans for the interest of the community: the first school was taught in it, and the first Sunday service was held there, at which Judge llinman read the sermon.
In response to the conditions that surrounded him Judge Hinman built up the largest mercantile busi- ness in that section of the country. having commercial relations with England by way of Quebec, and operating through many retail stores in the different settlements about him. It is easily perceived that his duties and obligations must have been almost immeasurable. and yet he was meeting them successfully and to the great convenience of the early set- tlers and the advancement of civ- ilization, through a vast territory. when the elements seemed to con- spire to overwhelm him-a wreck at sea and embezzlement by his business manager concluded his financial ruin, and under an out- rageous statute allowing imprison- ment for debt, he was for a long time deprived of his liberty.
There is preserved in these facts a vivid illustration of the crude ideas of justice of those times. When a mere boy, moved by a pa- triot's desire for the independence of his country, he had left his bloody footprints in the snows of Valley Forge, then, with a like patriotie impulse he had toiled
* Sketch by Colonel Porter Hinman Dale.
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-
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
through the pathless forest to this unexplored region, into which he later brought his family to endure with him the privation and make the sacrifice incident to first set- tlers in such a locality; and yet, after this, regardless of the posi- tions of honor he had repeatedly held, and of his perfectly upright
with the early history of this state, and reminds one of the same old spirit which put chains on Colum- bus, and
"Bound these same bones back through the Atlantic sea Which he unchained for all the world to come."
Timothy Hinman
character, the civil code of the times permitted his imprisonment for years, merely because he had been overtaken by financial disaster. This is certainly one of the most impressive occurrences connected
The last years of the life of Judge Hinman were passed quietly in his cottage home, surrounded by much that must have caused reflections that would finally surmount his dis- appointments and lead him through
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
the philosophy of such a life as his to its essential faith. About him, in peace and comfort, lived his chil- dren and his grandchildren; he be- held the once wilderness trans- formed into rich farm lands and the
his character and his life, and who often came to his cottage to learn of the past and to obtain counsel for the future.
Some twelve years ago an address on the life of Judge Hinman was
Porter Himman
town largely settled by a superior citizenship, many having come from his native Connecticut; and he must have observed to some extent the regard and appreciation in which he was held by his townspeople, who had begun to realize the worth of
delivered at Derby by his grand- son, the Hon. Norman W. Bing- ham. As he stood in the sunshine of that autumn day, surrounded by many descendants of the town's first settlers, beyond him the hillside where sleep the generations just
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
preceding. it was an impressive scene, that became solemnly effec- tive as the speaker said. "Finally, on the 29th of April, 1850, he passed to his reward, and on the gentle slope that leads down to the lake, in whose waters he had bathed in the meridian of his life, and which bears his name, after the daring and lofty life of his boyhood, the sturdy struggles of his mature life and the great sacrifices he had made for the colony he had founded, the mortal remains of the soldier, the patriot, the pioneer, the pathfinder and pathbuilder, and the just and upright judge were laid to rest, and the great soul, released from the environments of earth, went forth to higher realms, where worth, not wealth, where noble purposes and deeds. charity and self-sacrifice shall receive the recognition that in this world is accorded only to suc- cess."
Porter Hinman, a son of Judge Timothy Hinman, became promi- nent in business affairs, and was assistant judge of Essex county court. He was born in Derby, lived there, at Charleston, and at Island Pond. At the latter place he died in 1880, and was buried in Derby cemetery.
It is a remarkable fact that the widow of Timothy Hinman's son Timothy is still living, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Charles C'ar- penter, at Derby Line, Vermont. More than ninety-seven years of age, she retains her faculties in a re- markable manner, still doing rare work with her needle, and having recently completed a beautiful arti- ele which she presented to Timothy Dale with an expression of her pleasure that he should bear the
name of his great-great-grand- father, Timothy Hinman.
GROUT, MAJOR JOSIAH, of Derby, whose splendid record as a soldier adorns the Civil war annals of the state, and whose useful pub- lie service has extended to the legislature and to the high office of chief executive, comes from excel- lent New England ancestry, and by marriage represents a distinguished family of the Revolutionary period.
The origin of the family is un- certain, but various differing forms of its name would make it presum- ably English or German. The an- cestor of the American branch was Captain John Grout, who was in Watertown. Massachusetts. as early as 1640. and was subsequently a resident of Sudbury. By pro- fession he was a chirurgeon or sur- geon. He was twice married and was the father of eight children by his first wife. His son, Jonathan, of Sudbury, born March 15, 1658, married Abigail Dix, who bore him seven children. Of these. John, born October 14, 1204, was liberally educated and he became a lawyer and magistrate. His son Elijah. born October 29. 1:32. settled in Charlestown, New Hampshire. about 1:66, held various town offices, like his father was known as Esquire, and served as commissary in the Revolutionary war. He was twiee married and was the father of eleven children. His son. Theophilus, born August 29, 1768, served in the legislature, was a justice of the peace, and a col- lector of revenne under the general government. He was among the pioneer settlers of Vermont, and in 1:99 cleared a farm in what is now known as the town of Kirby (see
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
Kirby, Caledonia County), which is still in possession of the family, and was the home of the late Gen. William W. Grout. Ile married Joanna Willard, who bore him eleven children. His son, Josiah, born October 20, 1805, and died in 1844, married Sophronia Aver, September 29, 1830, who bore him ten children.
Josiah Grout, son of the parents Jast named, who were both Ameri- cans, was born in Compton, Prov- ince of Quebec, Canada, May 28, 1842. When he was six years of age his parents returned to the family homestead in Kirby, where ho received his education in the public schools, pursuing advanced studies in the Orleans Liberal in- stitute at Glover, and St. Johns- bury academy. He, however, early in the Civil war, laid aside his text-books in response to the call of President Lincoln for troops to suppress the slavehollers' re- bellion. He enlisted October 2. 1861, at the age of nineteen years. as a private in Company 1, First regiment, Vermont cavalry. Something of the intense patriot- ism, which actuated the splendid vonng soldiers of that period, is to be discerned in the fact that in order to enlist, on the day of his leaving school, he walked thirty miles to reach a recruiting station, and so many were the volunteers offering that he applied to three different stations before he could find acceptance. At the organiza- tion of the company he was elect- edl second lieutenant, and was pro- moted to captain in the following year. Ile saw service in all the principal campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, and bore a gallant
part in seventeen different engage- ments. In April, 1863, in a spirited engagement with the famous command of the rebel Col- onel Mosby, he was severely wounded, receiving a bullet which he still carries in his body. Hle was reported as killed, and it was his singular experience to read no- tices of his own death in numerous newspapers. His wound necessi- tated his discharge in October, 1863, with the splendid record of being present at every drill, parade, march, and battle, until he was wounded. When the St. Albans raid occurred in October, 1864, he was sufficiently recovered to be able to again perform military duty, and he recruited a company for a regiment of cavalry organized for the defence of the frontier. He was at once elected captain, and, soon afterwards, at the age of twenty-three, was promoted to major and with this rank he served as commandant of the military post at St. Albans until the close of the war.
Returning home Major Grout studied law under the preceptorship of his brother, General William W. Grout, and after a searching ex- amination he was admitted to the bar of Orleans County in Decem- ber. 1865. lle practised with his brother in Barton for a year, also aiding in editing the Barton Standard, of which he was part owner. He then removed to Island Pond, where he had been appoint- ed to the charge of the United States custom house. During his three years' occupancy of that posi- tion he practised his profession in Essex and Orleans counties. In 1869 he had charge of the custom
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
house in St. Albans, and in the fall of that year was transferred to the custom house at Newport, of which he was in charge until early in 1812, when he abandoned the cus- tom service. While residing in Newport he represented that town in the assembly in 1842 and 1874. His service in this body was most creditable. He proved strong in de- bate, and sagacious in formulating measures, and in securing their en- actment, and soon came to a posi- tion of acknowledged leadership. After serving on the judiciary com- mittee during both his terms of ser- vice, near the close of the session of 1874, he was elected speaker, and he presided at the last session and during the extra session follow- ing. January, 1875, called to provide new buildings for the reform school.
In 1825 Major Grout removed to Chicago, Illinois, where he prac- tised for three years, then removed to Moline, Illinois, where he prac- tised for two years, at the same time acting as president of the Vic- tor Seale company. In Moline he displayed qualities which at once commanded the admiration of the people to whom he came as a stranger.
During the Garfield campaign at various places in the country he made speeches which were received with great enthusiasm, and he found appreciationin two noticeable instances-he was elected to the county board of supervisors and the Republican county central com- mittee addressed to him an earnest note of invitation to become a can- didate for congress, a solicitation which he declined in grateful terms.
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