USA > Vermont > Franklin County > Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches > Part 20
USA > Vermont > Grand Isle County > Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches > Part 20
USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches > Part 20
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October 21, 1885, Mr. Chase mar- ried Inez L. Hull of East Fairfield; four exceptionally bright children have come to bless this happy un- ion : Leland G., Leo L., Irving I. and Chauncy H.
Mr. Chase is a member and past master of Eagle Lodge, F. &. A. M., a member of Champlain Chap- ter, and of Lafayette Command- ery of St. Albans, and has served as district deputy grand master.
CHASE, PERRY, born in Flet- cher, March 21, 1838, was a son of Lyman and Betsey (Kinsley ) Chase, grandson of James, and great-grandson of Abel Chase. (See Chase family, page 245). This branch of the noted Chase family came from Croydon, New Hamp- shire, about a hundred years ago, and located at Fletcher.
Perry Chase attended the com- mon schools of Fletcher, Cambridge and Fairfield, and located in Fair- field when 17 years of age. He has always followed modern farming
and striven successfully "to make two blades of grass grow where only one grew before." Mr. Chase has 140 acres of land and about twelve hundred maple sugar trees, and is regarded as one of the best authorities on maple products in New England; he served as presi- dent of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers in 1903, and was re-elected in 1904. He carries 30 head of cattle and is a progressive farmer in the fullest meaning of that term.
January 9, 1861, Mr. Chase mar- ried Mary J. Squares of Fairfield; to them were born seven children : Adin, born December 1, 1861; Nora, born December 4, 1863, de- ceased; Rolla, born November 17, 1866; Ralph, born March 22, 1869; Viola, born October 12, 1871; Van Ness, born April 6, 1873; Stella, born December 20, 1876. Mrs. Chase died August 9, 1879, and November 8, 1883, Perry Chase married for his second wife, Maria Brown.
Mr. Chase has served Fairfield as selectman, lister, grand juror and road commissioner; he is a member of the Masonic body and of the Eastern Star; of this latter or- ganization he has been patron.
SOULE, HON. WILLIAM S., a son of Joseph A. and Sarah E. (Sher- man) Soule, was born in Fairfield, May 26, 1850.
History tells us that Joseph Soule, one of the first settlers of Fairfield, came from New Fair- field, Connecticut, and that he was a son of Timothy Soule, a de- scendant of George Soule, who came in the Mayflower. Salmon Soule, son of Joseph and grand- father of the subject of this sketch, was born December 13, 1771, and died June 16, 1858.
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William S. Soule was educated in the public schools of Fairfield and at St. Albans and Barre acad- emies, and at the Troy Business College.
In 1875 Mr. Soule formed a part- nership with his uncle, A. G. Soule, at Fairfield Center, and for three
In 1894 Mr. Soule represented Fairfield in the General Assembly of Vermont, serving on the general committee. In 1898 he was chosen a senator from Franklin County and served with much credit on the committee on claims, military and highways.
WILLIAM S. SOULE.
years they conducted a successful general store. In 1878 he located at East Fairfield, under the firm name of W. S. Soule & Co., and continued until 1889, when he bought out the business and has continued to the present time, car- rying one of the largest general stocks in Franklin County.
Mr. Soule is a member of Eagle Lodge, F. & A. M., and Champlain Chapter, of St. Albans.
October 24, 1877, Mr. Soule was united in marriage to Adell C. Read. Two children were born to this union : Reuben Lee and Read Warren. April 15, 1883, Mrs. Soule died, and September 30,
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1884, Mr. Soule married for his sec- ond wife, Anna S. Read, by whom two children were born: Hubert Joseph and Lillian Adell (de- ceased). Mrs. Soule died Septem- ber 22, 1898.
GEORGE H. SOULE.
SOULE, GEORGE H., youngest son of Joseph A. and Sarah (Sherman) Soule, was born on the homestead in Fairfield, November 23, 1865. He inherits the stalwart physique and strong mentality of his stanch Vermont ancestry. His grandfather, Solomon Soule, came from Connecticut to Fairfield, be- ing one of the early settlers in town. His son, Joseph, was the youngest of a family of seven sons and four daughters, was born on an adjoining farm, now a part of the homestead, and is a life-long and respected citizen of 84 years of age. The children of Joseph A. and Sarah (Sherman) Soule
are : William S. Soule of East Fair- field, C. L. Soule of Burlington, Armida, wife of W. H. Fairchild, and George H. Soule.
George H., after graduating from Goddard Seminary, Barre, in 1887, returned to the home farm, taking active management with his father. The farm contains 300 acres, is located south two and one half miles from Fairfield Center. The farm buildings are commo dious and modern, the fields well cultivated and productive, sup- porting a dairy of 30 cows, some young stock, a flock of sheep and several horses. The principal re- source of the farm is maple sugar making, having a magnificent grove of more than eight thousand thrifty first-growth rock maples in one body, with 2,000 more in an ad-
RESIDENCE OF GEORGE H. SOULE.
joining grove. It was largely un- developed prior to 1890, since then, George H., with his father, has erected two modern sugar houses with capacity to accommodate 9,000 trees, which were tapped
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
in the spring of 1906, with the Grimm spout, and hung with nearly all tin and galvanized iron buckets. During the seasons of 1904 and 1905 Mr. Soule averaged to make from 7,000 trees over 23,000 pounds of maple honey and sugar per annum. Mr. Soule has
SOULE, S. ALLEN, son of Sal- mon and Salina B. (Wheeler) Soule, was born in Fairfield, March 20, 1855. His grandfather, Timo- thy Soule, came from Dutchess County, New York, with his fam- ily, in 1796, and located in the western part of Fairfield, where
S. ALLEN SOULE.
well earned the distinction of be- ing maple sugar king of Vermont. He is a member of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Market at Randolph, a member of Eagle Lodge, No. 67, A. F. & A. M., of East Fairfield and of Champlain Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M., of St. Albans.
he cleared a farm from the un- broken wilderness. His son, Sal- mon, was born in 1795, one of a family of 10 children.
When the distant booming of cannon from the shores of Lake Champlain startled the congrega- tion at Fairfield Church, Timothy and Salmon Soule were members of
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the company of parishioners that Elder Wooster led to the defense of Plattsburg in 1813.
At the age of 19 Salmon Soule bought a farm in the west part of the town, where he resided during most of his active life, and which is still owned by S. Allen Soule. As a youth, Salmon Soule began the drover business by driving two yoke of steers to Montreal and sell-
ive and cheerful at the age of 86, and draws a pension for her hus- band's service in the War of 1812.
S. Allen Soule was educated at Bakersfield Academy and Johnson High School. He bought the Fair- field Center hotel, which he con- ducted for several years, and still owns.
S. Allen Soule has continued in the drover business so auspiciously
RESIDENCE OF ASHTON P. SOULE.
ing them by dressed weight. He continued to increase his droves until they numbered three or four hundred head. Later he drove cattle to Brighton market, Boston, buying and selling on the route. During his middle life his prin- cipal business was the purchase and sale of livestock. A man of shrewdness, good judgment and in- tegrity, he accumulated a hand- some competence, and died at the great age of 91. His widow is act-
begun by his father, has adapted his methods to present conditions, and has greatly extended the busi- ness, and is recognized as one of the most extensive dealers and shippers of cows and beef cattle in this section. He now owns five farms in this town, comprising 1,600 acres of land, which support two hundred or more cows. There are 4,000 maples set up on these farms and Mr. Soule is in the front rank as a producer of maple sugar.
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He is the most extensive farmer in town, and probably in the county. He has a keen eye for good colts and horses, and has made some ex- ceptional sales. In temperament an optimist, a man of genial man- ners and obliging disposition, Mr. Soule exercises a potent but quiet influence in town affairs. He rep- resented Fairfield in 1892 as a Democrat.
field in 1791. His six sons were: Timothy, Isaac N., Salmon, Jo- seph, Hiram and Henry. Timo- thy settled on this farm more than a century ago, and erected the house which has been the ancestral home of three generations of his posterity until the present time. It is in excellent repair, and an ell has been added. Timothy lived the simple but strenuous life of the
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BARN OF ASHTON P. SOULE.
S. Allen Soule married, in 1898, Eulia, daughter of Wallace and Asenath (Carleton) Parker of Cambridge. Their only child is Senath Soule.
SOULE, ASHTON P., son of James Munson and Marietta (Payne) Soule, was born in Fair- field, October 19, 1862.
George Soule, the first Ameri- can ancestor, came over in the Mayflower. Joseph, great-grand- father of Ashton P., came to Fair-
times, and died at the ripe age of 93. James M. was a substantial and esteemed farmer, and life-long citizen, represented Fairfield in the Legislature in 1869-'70, and died, February 15, 1889, in his seventy- second year.
Aaron Payne, the maternal grandfather of Ashton P. Soule, was a very able and successful farmer and resident of Cambridge.
Ashton P. Soule completed his education at St. Albans Academy.
-
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He shared with his father the cares and labors of the homestead, being the only son, and cared for the de- clining years of his parents. It is a dairy farm of 160 acres, with 50 acres of mowing and tillage, and a large resource of hard wood. One thousand maple trees are set up with modern appliances and a large share of the product goes into maple honey. Much of the land is moist, natural grass land, well suited, also, to fodder corn and oats.
In 1897 Mr. Soule built his large and commodious barn, 45 x 108 feet, which contains two silos. He keeps thirty or more Jersey cows, makes his own butter and sells it to special customers at St. Albans, four miles distant. He is a mem- ber of the Vermont Dairymen's As- sociation, and is a tidy, thrifty and progressive farmer. He is a Uni- versalist in religious belief, Repub- lican in political opinion and ac- tion, and a worthy descendant of a stanch and notable ancestry.
Mr. Soule married, in 1888, Ola, daughter of E. P. and Lydia Cleveland of Georgia. They have two children : Ernest M. and Ray- mond E. Soule.
With the rural delivery, the tel- ephone, music, books, and maga- zines, this worthy family honors and enjoys the life of the inde- pendent farmer, with its time-hon- ored associations.
MOREY, WILLIAM H., was born in Fairfield, November 30, 1852, a son of William H. and Susan (Mitchell) Morey. He received his education in the district schools of his native town and in the high school of Bakersfield and Swanton.
April 1, 1874, Mr. Morey began his business career as a clerk in a grocery in St. Albans, where he re-
mained for a year, and then re- turned to East Fairfield and opened a grocery for himself, con- ducting the business for seven years, and traded it for a farm in Bakersfield; here he remained for four years.
In 1885 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Franklin County, and held his appointment for six years, during which time he entered the employ of Hon. William S. Soule at East Fairfield, remaining nearly
WILLIAM H. MOREY.
six years, when he was appointed postmaster by President Cleveland, and successfully conducted the of- fice four years. During the time Mr. Morey was postmaster he opened a drug store, which he has conducted to the present time, be- ing one of the largest, best stocked and appointed drug stores in northern Vermont.
Mr. Morey has always taken a deep interest in Masonic matters,
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and has served as master of Eagle Lodge five years, district deputy grand master of the Seventh Ma- sonic District two years and is an officer of Lafayette Chapter of Enosburg Falls. He has served Fairfield as justice of the peace fifteen years, as constable, and as school director, seven years.
April 16, 1879, Mr. Morey was united in marriage to Ida M. Croft of Fairfield. Three children have been born to them: Harry W., a R. F. D. mail carrier ; Wingola Mae, a talented teacher in the vil- lage schools, and Albert C.
BRADLEY, BENJAMIN F., son of John and Polly (Sturgis) Brad- ley, was born at Fairfield in Au-
BENJAMIN F. BRADLEY.
gust, 1808. The Bradleys rank among the prominent early fami- lies of Fairfield, and John Brad- ley was a volunteer at the battle of Plattsburg.
Benjamin F. Bradley shared the usual experience of the farm-bred boy of the period, in the labors of the farm and in attendance on the district schools. Possessing very marked mechanical genius, he learned the carriage maker's trade, and engaged in that business on the ancestral farm. His car- riages became noted for endurance and finish, his business was ex- tended and at one time he em- ployed from ten to fifteen hands. Owing to the severe competition of the large manufactories, he dis- continued his carriage business about 1861, and gave his entire at- tention to his farming. He was equally successful at this avoca- tion, and at the time of his death, in 1892, he had an excellent and well-appointed farm.
Mr. Bradley was an able and conscientious citizen, exemplary in habit and his home was the abode of an ample and cordial hospital- ity. He was a man of fine tastes, a lover of good books, which he read with a keen relish as long as he lived. The conversation of in- telligent and scientific men was ea- gerly sought and treasured up by him and gave a literary character to his home which was a constant stimulus to his children for nobler manhood and womanhood. In morals he was the soul of integ- rity and honor. In religion he was reverent of God, sincere, and carried a large hope in his heart for man as the child of God. In his citizenship he was patriotic, just, and firm as a rock that the largest liberty under the restraints of law should be the free inheritance of all men.
He married, February 20, 1833, Julia Ursula Little of Dunham, Province of Quebec. Their chil-
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dren : Daphne B., Cynthia S., Diantha S., Helen G., Julia U., W. Scott, who married Miss Mar- tha Sawyer of Dover, New Hamp- shire, where they now reside.
tle, ladies of unusual intelligence, capacity and energy. It is a splen- did farm of 300 acres, very pleas- antly located two miles south of Fairfield Center. These estimable
THE BENJAMIN F. BRADLEY HOMESTEAD.
Julia married A. S. Olmstead; Cynthia S. married Doctor Lyman Little, a native of Morristown, who became an eminent physician at Zanesville, Ohio, and at the time of his death, July 30, 1883, re- sided in Cleveland Ohio. Doc- tor Little was commissioned by Governor Todd of Ohio as a special surgeon, and he rendered most faithful and efficient service at Pittsburg Landing, Murfreesboro and other battles, and there en- dured hardships which ruined his health.
Since the death of their father, in 1892, the farm has been con- ducted by the two sisters, Daphne and Mrs. Cynthia S. Bradley Lit-
ladies have borne the burden of the care and labor incident to the suc- cessful management of this fine es- tate for the sake of home and its time-hallowed associations.
NYE, JOHN WEIGHT, son of Benjamin and Mary (Weight) Nye, was born in Roxbury, New Hampshire, April 11, 1821. Ben- jamin Nye, the first American an- cestor of this family, came to Sandwich, Massachusetts, in 1637. He came to Fairfield with his father's family when he was four years old. He was the youngest of three sons and three daughters. His father was in straightened cir- cumstances, and his schooling was very limited, but being an om-
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niverous reader, with a receptive mind and a retentive memory, he ultimately became well informed on the leading topics of the day. An incident of his early life is very suggestive. When he was 18 years of age he worked out by the season, giving all of his wages to
who died in 1852, leaving one son, Alfred Nye, who died in Califor- nia, in 1883. He married, second, in 1856, Mary E., daughter of Har- mon Soule. By this marriage were four children: Edward J. of California, George W. of Fairfield, Willie, who died in infancy, and
JOHN W. NYE.
his father except one month's pay, which he invested in young stock, which when grown became the nu- cleus of his future capital. He continued his farming, and with his older brother, cared for his aged parents.
Mr. Nye married, in 1849, Mari- etta, daughter of Salmon Soule,
Fanny P., who remained with her parents during their declining years, in the home at Fairfield Center, and still resides there.
About 1854, Mr. Nye bought a 200-acre farm one mile from Fair- field Center, which by later pur- chase became 430 acres, and under his judicious care became one of
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FRANKLIN COUNTY.
the best farms in this section. He was a pioneer in adopting farm improvements and labor- saving machinery. He had a large sugar orchard, and made an excel- lent grade of maple sugar and sy- rup that was sold at remunerative prices in California. He con- ducted a good dairy of 50 cows, and was a good salesman as well as a producer of fine butter. Owing to advancing years and the diffi- culty of obtaining farm help, he moved from the farm to Fairfield Center in 1881, and rented it un- til his death, in 1901, when the farm was divided. Soon after- wards he located in the village, opened a store and dealt in general merchandise, flour and feed, until his retirement in 1890. Mrs. Nye died in 1887. "He who makes two blades of grass grow where one grew before, is a public benefac- tor." Mr. Nye's example in pro- gressive farming was followed by others, and was a public benefit. He was a Republican in politics, took an active interest in town af- fairs, thoughi seldom holding of- fice, and was one of the most sub- stantial and esteemed citizens of Fairfield.
GILBERT, CAPTAIN HAMILTON S., son of Nathan and Cynthia (Smith) Gilbert, was born in Fair- field, September 13, 1829. He in- herits the native strength of the early pioneers.
His grandfather, Nathan Gil- bert, was an early settler, built the first gristmill in town, but was drowned, while middle aged, by the bursting of a dam. His son, Nathan, was a life-long resident, and for many years conducted the local saw and gristmill, and was deacon of the Congregational Church.
A-18
Joab Smith, maternal grand- father of Captain Gilbert, was a prominent citizen, and represented Fairfield in the Legislature several terms. The statement of the late Judge Luke P. Poland, that he "was educated in a sawmill," ap- plies to Captain Gilbert, yet in the winter terms he secured a fair schooling for the times. Imbued with a spirit of curiosity, in early life he traveled extensively in the West, paying his way by working in mills. The eldest of a family of four children, the care of the home- stead and his parents, devolved upon him, and Fairfield has always been his home. The farm, located near Fairfield Center, has been in- creased by successive purchases, until it now contains 350 acres. It supports a good dairy of 50 cows of the Jersey and Ayrshire grade, and the cream goes to Sheldon Cream- ery. The farm is well fitted for the operations of machinery, and has a sugar place of 1,000 trees.
When the nation was called to arms, Hamilton S. Gilbert was one of the first to enlist, riding on horseback to St. Albans, with otlı- ers, and enrolling in the Ransome Guards, Company C, First Vermont Regiment, which served at Newport News and Fortress Monroe for three months. Mr. Gilbert was wounded in the arm while on a scouting expedition, in June, 1861, prior to Big Bethel, probably the first Vermonter wounded in the Civil War. In September, 1862, he re-enlisted and helped organize Company E, Twelfth Vermont Regiment, Colonel A. P. Blunt, and was elected captain of his com- pany. He served in that capacity until the discharge of the regiment after the battle of Gettysburg.
Returning from the Southi, lie ex-
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changed the sword for the plow, and has been a useful and highly esteemed citizen, faithfully dis- charging several public offices in town.
Captain Gilbert married, in 1870, Martha B., daughter of Har- mon and Polly (Flint) Soule of
MERRILL, HENRY J., son of Maro J. and Aurelia (Wheeler) Merrill, was born in Fairfield, De- cember 19, 1852.
Maro J. Merrill was born in 1805, was a life-long resident and farmer in town, and died here in 1897. Fifty-two years ago he
HAMILTON S. GILBERT.
Fairfield. They have two daugh- ters : Maude L., wife of Harry Doane of Bakersfield, who, with her husband, resides with her parents, and Lou M., wife of George B. Utley, librarian of Car- negie Library, Jacksonville, Flor- ida.
moved to the homestead now owned by Henry J. Merrill, and that has since been the family home.
The farm contains 147 acres and lies between Fairfield Center and the station. There are about sixty acres of mowing and tillage, the soil a strong clay loam; the
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FRANKLIN COUNTY.
fields are in the highest state of cultivation, and are well fitted for farm machinery. In 1891, Mr. Merrill erected his large barn, 55 x 113 feet, which in design and con- venience is a model. A water pipe line is connected with each stable and a movable water tank in front of the cow stanchions, also a stationary tank in the stable, which saves exposure during cold
stances require, sometimes by the carload, and his herd ranges from forty to eighty head. Mr. Merrill is an excellent judge and caretaker of colts and horses, and occasion- ally sells a good one. He has win- tered 60 head of cows and 60 sheep.
Formerly his herd was Jerseys, but recently he has made a spe- cialty of Holsteins, as they sell bet-
RESIDENCE OF HENRY J. MERRILL.
weather. There is a large silo, of 180 tons' capacity, that opens in front of mangers. There are conveniences for 80 head of cat- tle. The special features of the farming are intensive cultivation, saving of labor and productive dai- rying. In 1900 Mr. Merrill pro- duced $3,000 worth of butter, and sold $1,000 worth of pork prod- ucts. During the year he pur- chased $1,100 worth of grain. He buys and sells cows as circum-
ter in the market. The produc- tions of the farm have quadrupled during the past 40 years. In the fall of 1901, Mr. Merrill erected one of the most elegant and con- venient farmhouses that we have ever seen. It is covered with a slate roof, there is a capacious cel- lar, with a furnace, hot and cold water on both floors, and every modern appointment and conven- ience. It is a model farm home. Mr. Merrill is at once a farmer
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SUCCESSFUL VERMONTERS.
and business man. He is both an intensive and an extensive farmer. Mr. Merrill has the imagination and judgment to plan, and the en- ergy to execute the operations of successful farming, and his achieve- ments are an object lesson of the possibilities of Vermont farming. He buys largely of cottonseed and bran, and feeds his cows in the barn every day when in milk, turn-
Lionel Willard remain with their parents on the homestead.
NORTHROP, PETER BENT BRIG- HAM, was born in Fairfield, April 22, 1856. He was educated in the common schools, and graduated at Goddard Seminary in the class of 1883. He studied law in the of- fice of C. P. Hogan for a time, and also took a course in the Columbia Law School at Washington, D. C.
BARN OF HENRY J. MERRILL.
ing them out nights in pasture, and makes it pay.
He married, in 1879, Jennie S., daughter of A. W. and Calista (Adams) Palmer of Newport Cen- ter. Mrs. Merrill is a lady of en- ergy and ability. They have four sons : Charles Palmer Merrill is a graduate of U. V. M and is in the United States civil service as elec- trical engineer, with headquarters in New York City; Guy Adams Merrill, formerly a student in U. V. M., is a mechanical engineer in the electrical works at Bayonne, New Jersey; Howard Joseph and
Owing to poor health, he gave up law and adopted the occupation of farming on a run-out farm, which he purchased in 1890. The farm at that time could scarcely keep 20 cows and the farm team, but by clearing the land of stones, by a judicious rotation of crops and the use of a large silo for corn and clo- ver, he has brought the farm up to the capacity of keeping 120 head of cattle and 10 horses. Sixteen years ago he was a pioneer in con- structing the first piece of Telford road in this section, conducting the work largely at his own expense
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The farm contains 250 acres, and is located one mile from Sheldon village. Another of his farms con- tains about fifteen thousand ma- ples, located in Fletcher. Mr. Northrop has always enjoyed the marked confidence of his towns- men, manifested by his repeated
bonded and more than half paid. Mr. Northrop was elected town rep- resentative in 1900 by an unprece- dented majority. In the Legisla- ture he took an active part in de- feating extravagant and unneces- sary legislation, especially the bill for an appropriation for the state
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