USA > Vermont > Washington County > Montpelier > The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier. > Part 130
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VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
PHYSICIANS :- Dr. Fish, Asahel Kend- rick, D. C. Joyslin, Dr. Peabody, N. G. Brigham, J. M. Van Deusen, and E. W. Slayton.
ATTORNEYS :- A. C. Huntoon, John H. Senter.
POST MASTERS.
East Warren .- Joseph W. Eldridge, George Lathrop, Wm. Tillotson, Lorenzo Nichols, Nahum Nichols.
At the River .- Parker Putman, D. S. Parker, D. D. Hyzer, H. Fifield, J. G. Sargent, G. W. Cardell, Edwin Cardell.
JUDGES OF THE COUNTY COURT.
Joseph A. Curtis, first ; F. A. Wright, 1850 ; Denslow Upham, 1852-54.
MEMBERS OF CONSTITUTIONAL CONVEN- TIONS.
J. W. Eldridge, 1814 ; Amos Rising, 1822 ; J. A. Hyzer, 1828 ; Artemas Cush- man, 1836; Gideon Goodspeed, 1845 ; Denslow Upham, 1850.
STATE SENATORS.
Artemus Cushman, 1840 ; F. A. Wright, 1846, 47, 56; Joseph A. Curtis, Denslow Upham, 1852, 64.
CENSUS :- 1800, 58; 1810, 229; 1820, 320 ; 1830, 766; 1840, 943; 1850, 962, 1860, 1041 ; 1870, 1008; 1880, 951.
GRAND LIST :- 1870, $2,699.44 ; 1880, $2,494.64.
MILITARY.
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS :- Moses Sargent, Richard Shaw, William Porter, and John Greenslit. John Greenslit died in the war.
SOLDIERS OF 1812 :- Thomas Jerrolds, Jesse Stewart, Justin Jacobs, Oliver Per- sons, Samuel Hard, and Gardner Camp- bell were in the war of 1812. Jerrolds and Stewart died in the war; George Dimick was in the Mexican war.
WAR OF THE REBELLION. SECOND REGIMENT.
Names.
Reg. Co. Age.
Enlisted.
Remarks.
Worcester, Almon C. Jr.,
2 F
24
May 7 61
Serg't .; promoted 2d lieut. Aug. 4, 62.
Burbank, Morgan A.
do
24
do
Corporal ; discharged Dec. 22, 62.
Ainsworth, Geo. A.
do
19
do
Trans. to invalid corps, Nov. 20, 63.
Cass, Elisha
do
21 do
Discharged Nov. 12, 61.
Mills, Hiram F.
do
23
do
Died June 16, 62.
Worcester, Earl C.
do
22
do
Mustered out June 29, 64.
Quimby, Wm. H. E.
do
22
do
Transferred to invalid corps July 1, 63. Died Jan. 9, 62.
Th
Billings, Wm. W.
3 H
21 July 9 61
Mustered out July 24, 64.
Eldridge, James E.
3
F
19 June 1 61
Pro. 2d lt. Co. H, IIth reg. Aug. 10, 62.
Porter, Rufus W.
3 G
23 July 12 61
Discharged Feb. 22, 63.
Parker, Ransom
3 F
2I
Sept 16 61 Died Mar. 7, 62.
FIFTH REGIMENT.
Frawley, James
5 D
18 Feb 28 65
Mustered out June 29, 65. do do
SIXTH REGIMENT.
Hall, Wm. H. H.
6 G
Captain.
Sterling, Stephen D.
6 H
37 Aug 14 61
Serg't .; reduced to ranks June 2, 63.
Kelsey, Oscar G.
6 G
21
Sept 12 61
Sergeant ; died June 9, 62.
Shepherd, Daniel P.
6 H
27
Corporal ; reduced to teamster ; re-el
Bucklin, Merrill R.
6 G
19
Shattuck, Nathaniel
do
20
Parker, George
6 H
20
do reduced to ranks.
Banister, Sylvester
6 A
28
Re-enlisted Dec. 15, 63.
Goodspeed, Elisha
6 G
34
Sept 12 61
Mathers, George
6 H
20
Aug 14 61 do
McAllister, John
do
22
Mills, Charles Moore, William F.
do
23
do
Moore, Winslow S.
6 H
33
do
Pro. corp .; re-en. Dec. 15, 63.
Newton, Chester F. ,
do
25
do
Re-enlisted Dec. 15, 63.
Persons, Frederick D.
6 G
₹8
Oct 1 61
do
Mar. 29, 64.
Persons, Harrison W.
do
40
do
Discharged May 28, 62.
Porter, Seth L.
do
19
Sept 10 61
do June 19, 62.
Au Bill Bop Dav Dimi Hart Heat
Mix, Smith Stearn Steven Trask, Trask. Trask, Wilson
Mason,
do Feb. 10, 62.
6 G
21
Sept 14 61
do
July 22, 62.
Bowen,
Barton, Bagley,
Dutton, E Eaton, O
Mi El
Hewitt, Orin O.
2 H
24
Aug 20 61
THIRD REGIMENT.
Do
Quinn, Timothy
do
35 Feb 27 65
do
do died Aug. 17, 62.
do died Apr. 19, 62.
Aug 15 61 do Oct 14 61
Discharged Oct. 20, 66.
do Apr. 17, 62.
do Jan. 8, 62.
Sog
Names.
Reg. Co Age.
Enlisted.
Remarks.
Rising, William H.
6 H
42
Aug 14 61
Pro. corp .; re-enlisted Dec. 15, 63.
Spaulding, Charles E.
6 G
33
Sept IS 61
Discharged Nov. 27, 62.
Stoddard, Lyman
do
18
Sept 20 61
Re-enlisted Dec. 1 5, 63.
Trask, Frank A.
clo
27
Sept 12 61 do
Re-enlisted Dec. 15, 63.
Poland, Benjamin
do
42
Sept 7 64
Mustered out June 19, 65.
Dimick, Darwin E.
6 H
29
Mar 3 65
Pierce, George H.
do
20
do
do
June 26, 65. do
Persons, Orson F.
do
I9 Feb 21 65
do
do
SEVENTH REGIMENT.
Davis, Benjamin L. Parmenter, Rufus A.
do
19 Dec 8 61
Re-en. Feb. 15, 64 ; died Apr. 16, 64.
Buzzell, James M.
do
19 Feb 27 65
Mustered out Aug. 4, 65.
EIGHTH REGIMENT.
Leavitt, Nehemiah
SC 21 Nov 21 61 Pro. serg't .; discharged Sept. 4, 63.
Spear, Augustus C.
8 G
26 Dec 31 61
Discharged June 6, 62.
Bucklin, Mason C.
S A
19 Dec 11 63
Bucklin, Milo
do 20 Dec 14 63
Sick in general hospital, Aug. 31, 64.
Cass, James
do
IS Dec 11 63
do
27 Dec 18 63
8
Waldron, Don G.
S
S B 19 Mar 20 65 Mustered out June 28, 65.
NINTH REGIMENT.
Minor, Asahel
9
I 40 June 24 62 Serg't .; reduced to ranks Nov. 11, 63.
Brown, Henry
9 D
June 5 62 Sick in general hospital, Aug. 31, 64.
Lovejoy, Albert J.
9 I
IS June 27 62 Discharged Aug. 4, 63.
TENTH REGIMENT.
Brown, George
IO B 18 July 21 62
Mather, James M.
do
21
July IS 62 Wd .; in general hospital Aug. 31, 64.
Mathews, George
do
20
do
ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
II L
30 June 10 63 Sergeant ; prisoner since June 23, 63. .
II H 21
Aug 14 63 do pro. corp. Jan. 21, 64 ; pro. serg't. May 6, 64 ; died June 24, 64.
VOLUNTEERS FOR NINE MONTHS.
I3
22
Sergeant ; mustered out July 21, 63.
Dolph, John
Corporal ; do
Austin, Samuel
Billings, Orlando
13 B
25
do
Davis, Myron M.
do
20
do
Discharged Feb. 4, 63.
Dimick, Walter C.
do
44
do
Mustered out July 21, 63. do
Hartwell, James K. Heath, Eaton A.
do
18
do
Mix, De Estings S.
do
19 Dec 12 63
do
Smith, Thomas C. Stearns. Oscar A. Stevens, Almus
do
30
do
do
Trask, George J.
do
18
do
Trask, Horace
do
45
do
"rask, William H.
do
18
do
Vilson, James H.
do
20
do
Jason, Gilman
17 G 22
Mustered out July 14, 65.
lowen, John
I F
43 Dec 10 63 Died June 15, 64, of wounds rec'd. in action May 12, 64.
barton, Joseph C.
2 H
32 Dec 11 63
bagley, Walter A.
do
44 Nov 24 63
button, Edwin P. 'aton, Orville M.
do
18 Dec 7 63
do
19 Dec 11 63
Died Aug. 26, 64, of wds. rec. May 31,61. Des. June 8, 64 ; returned Dec. 31, 64 ; tr. to Co. H, 4th Vt. vols. Feb. 25,65. Tr. to Co. H, 4th Vt. vols. Feb. 25, 65.
do
102
do
29
Aug 25 62
do
do
20
do
do
Discharged at Brattleboro, Jan. 31, 63. Mustered out July 21, 63. Killed at Gettysburgh, July 3, 63.
SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT.
13 B 32 Aug 25 62 13 H 32 do Mustered out July 21, 63. Sept 8 62 do do
Bowen, John
do 42
do
.36
do
Dumas, Morris
Kingsbury, Ezra
Aldrich, Charles W.
7 K 44 Jan 13 62
Discharged Oct. 1 5, 62.
do
Promoted corporal.
Dumas, Oliver
do
26
WARREN.
SHARP-SHOOTERS-FIRST REGIMENT.
Miller, James E. Eldridge, Joseph W. 3
Thayer, Aretus
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VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
SECOND VT. BATTERY LIGHT ARTILLERY.
Petty, George A. Stoddard, Franklin
18 Aug 8 64 Mustered out July 31, 65.
18 Aug 12 64 Tr. to Ist Co. heavy artillery Mar. 1, 65.
THIRD VT. BATTERY LIGHT ARTILLERY.
Campbell, Hiland G. 25 Sept 2 64 Mustered out June 15, 65.
FURNISHED UNDER DRAFT ; PAID COMMUTATION .- Francis A. Allen, Milo Bucklin, Benjamin S. Edgerton, Burnham Ford, George N. Hanks, John M. Hanks, Samuel McAllister, Henry Moore, 2d, Daniel W. Nichols, Charles Porter, Hiram J. Pratt, Thomas J. Sargeant, Stedman C. Tucker, Henry H. Van Deusen.
PROCURED SUBSTITUTES .- Charles W. Bragg, Daniel McAllister, Jr.
SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION BURIED IN TOWN .- J. W. Eldredge, Merrill Bucklin, Orrin O. Hewett, James E. Miller, Earl C. Worcester, Benj. S. Edgerton, Chester F. Newton, Aretus Thayer, James Wilson, Willard Thayer.
ORGANIZED MILITIA, 4TH REG. 2D BRIGADE .- H. W. Lyford, captain ; Edwin Cardell, Ist lieutenant ; Orland Billings, 2d lieutenant.
EDWARD ELDRIDGE, son of Joseph W., is quite a prominent man in Warren ; is in very good circumstances ; owns several farms, and has held most of the town of- fices. He had a son killed in the late war by the name of Joseph Eldridge ; also a son- in-law, Benjamin Edgerton.
OLD PEOPLE
now living in town over 70 years of age : Mrs. Ryan, who claims to be 100; Mrs. Laurena Persons, 94; Achsah Allen, 93; Mrs. Sarah Vinson, 84; Mrs. Lucretia Bradley, 82 ; Amasa Pearsons, 86; Asahel Young, 87; Mrs. A. Young, 79; Mrs. Dolly Hubbell, 79; Alva Stetson, 71 ; Mrs. Polly Austin, 75; Mrs. Mary Rice, 75 ; Michael Ford, 82; Mrs. M. Ford, 78; Edward Munn, 83 ; Roxy Munn, 76; Mrs. Rufus Brown, 70; Wm. Page, 83; Dens- low Upham, 81 ; Mrs. D. Upham, 79; Carlos Sargent, 76; Wm. Mather, 71 ; Mrs. Abel Martin, 73; Hazen Lyford, 71 ; Phelps Jones, 74; David Hubbell, 77 ; Azariah Hanks, 80; Mrs. A. Hanks, 76; Lewis Cardell, 78 ; Mrs. Louis Van Deusen, 80 ; Mrs. James Parker, 76; L. W. Free- man, 70; Mrs. Freeman, 73 ; Hosea New- comb, 76; Mrs. Laura A. Miller, 76; Mrs. Susan C. Senter, 73 ; Sewell C. Billings, 76; Mrs. S. C. Billings, 76; A. Worcester, 75 ; Mrs. Julia Harmon, 83 ; A. H. Dutton, 75 ; Gideon Goodspeed, 73.
Potato Hill, as it generally stands on the maps, is the high peak between Warren and Lincoln, the highest point being in Lincoln, but not far from the Warren line. It is a little south of Lincoln mountain, at about the same height from the sea level.
MT. ALGONQUIN.
BY D. C. GEER.
Around this mountain hangs a legend, Hangs a legend old and wild, Of the bright-eyed Watometa, An Algonquin's only child.
How an Iroquois warrior Wooed and won " the dusky dove;" How his father, the great sachem, Did not of their love approve;
How he spurned his father's counsel, And increased his savage ire --- Left the Iroquois' wigwam, Sat beside Algonquin's fire;
How one day his father found him Hunting on yon mountain's side, And in wrath the chief commanded Him to leave his gentle bride ;
How the son opposed in anger; How the father drew hls knife, And as speeds the feathery arrow, Sped the young Iroquois' life.
On this mountain watched the maiden, For her brave, now cold and dead, Keeping there her lonely vigil, With the same rock for her bed.
Still she waited-yet he came not- Until winter's icy hand Chilled the current of her young life, Bore her to the hunting land,
Where they roam the fields Elyslan, Where they climb the mountains fair, Where they fish in shining rivers, Where they hunt the elk and hare.
This is what tradition teaehes Of this mountain, oid and wild; Of the bright-eyed Watometa, An Algonquin's lovely child.
As a tribute to this maiden, Sleeping In oblivion's night; Shall we not point westward, saying, That's Algonquin's dizzy height?
THE LAST BEAR seen in Warren waja huge one, shot the past summer,-alms as much a trophy, not quite, as the Ir nard catamount.
SII
WARREN.
In Jan. 1824, Mrs. Hiram Bradley and a Mrs. Howe were coming from Pomfret, where they had been on a visit, and as they came into Granville wood, found the water had flooded the road. They drove into the water and upset. Mrs. Howe told Mrs. Bradley to throw her little son of 2 years out, that he could swim like a duck; but Mrs. B. declined, and Mrs. Howe went back to Mr. Rice's after help. Mrs. Bradley got her horse out where it could stand, and held her child in her arms from 2 o'clock in the afternoon until 9 P. M., when a man came along with a team and took her in. Her clothes were frozen on her, and she came very near dying from the effect.
Mrs. C. E. Greenslit tells one of her fath- er's stories-written for one of her boys to speak at school :
MY MOTHER'S TRAY.
BY MRS. CARRIE E. GREENSLIT.
Long years ago, when the land was new, And good things scarce and nice things few, Among the treasures of that early day, My mother had an old-fashioned tray, Red ontside, but as clean withh As the heart of man when cleansed from sin.
Week by week, and day by day, The children were fed from that very tray ; The great brown loaves were mixed In that, And the butter recelved its salt and spat; But grief will come to all some day, And it came at last to my mother's tray.
" Boys," she called, " come In here, now, And take this mess to the sheep and cow." 'Twas steep and slippery down to the barn, And I left her twisting her stocking-yarn. "Now," thinks I, " I will have some fun, For I shall ride and you shall run."
So I seated myself in the famous tray, And very soon we were on our way: Faster and faster the stumps went by ; Steer or stop it? no, not I; Over the wall in my Gilpin flight- And I split the tray from left to right.
Quick as a wink, I raised the tray, For well I knew what my mother'd say ; All out of breath, with my ride and run- " Mother, just see what the buck has done ! " " Confound that buck l" my mother said;
" I wish to the land the thing was dead!"
Well, she never knew till I grew a man, For boys can keep secret, I know they can; And she missed and mourned for many a day The loss and use of her cherished tray ; And I got me a sled to slide down hill, Something that would not split and spill.
WARREN PAPERS. BY C. J. SARGENT.
In the year 1800, 12 men took the free- man's oath here: Simeon Wilcox, Ruel Dolbear, John Sherman, Joshua Richard- son, James Richardson, Amos Rising, Jonathan Shattuck, Wm. Kent and Jonas Rice.
FIRST SELECTMEN.
Simeon Wilcox, 1800; Paul Sherman, 1801, '02, '03; James Richardson, 1804, '06; Timothy Dolbear, 1807, '08, '10; Joseph Raymond, 1809 ; Joseph Eldridge, 1811, '12, '13, '16, '17, '23, '28, '29 ; Amos Rising, 1814, '15; Calvin Gilbert, 1818, '19; Wm. Kent, 1820; Benjamin Buck, 1821; Joseph Hyzer, 1822, '27; Winan Gleason, 1824; Zerah Munsil, 1825, '26; Joseph Curtis, 1830; Asahel Miner, 1831 ; Wm. Bragg, 1832, '33; Franklin Wright, 1834, '35, '36 ; Moses Ordway, 1837 ; Ben- jamin Souther, 1838; Wm. B. Tyler, 1839; A. Cushman, 1840, 41 ; D. Upham, 1842, '43 ; Pierce Spaulding, 1844; H. Kimball, 1845 ; Lewis Cardell, 1846; Moses Shurt- liff, 1847 ; Azariah Hanks, 1848, '49, '57, 58 ; H. Gleason, 1850, '52, '53; Daniel Ralph, 1854, '55; Gideon Goodspeed, 1856; Jarius Eaton, 1857 ; Wm. Kelsey, 1859 ; Charles Green, 1860; Charles Pike, 1861, '62, '66-'70 ; Huzzial Gleason, 1863, '64; H. W. Lyford, 1865; H. G. Van Deusen, 1870 ; N. L. Dickenson, 1871-'76, 178 ; James G. Sargent, 1876, '77; L. E. Hanks. 1879, '80, '81:
TOWN TREASURERS.
Thomas Jerrolds, 1800; Samuel Laird, 1801 ; James Richardson, 1802, '3, '4, '15, '16, '17; Jonathan Shattuck, 1805-13; Wm. B. Tyler, 1813, '14, '41-'46; Joseph Eldridge, 1818, '19, '35-'40; William Bragg, 1820-24 ; William Kent, 1824-'30 ; Franklin Wright, 1830-'35 ; Ashel Kend- rick, 1846; Denslow Upham, 1847-'51 ; Nathan Kimball, 1851, '53, '54 ; Lorenzo Nichols, 1852; Cephas Ransom, 1855; Daniel Ralph, 1856, '57, '63-'74 ; Sylves- ter Banister, 1874-'81.
THE TURNPIKE from Warren to Lincoln, over Lincoln mountain, was for 10 to 15 years kept with toll-gates ; 12}c. for pass- ing with a team, 25c. for round trip.
B
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VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
ACCIDENTAL DEATHS.
Dennison Sargent, from Woodstock, in the employ of William Cardell, went into the mill where employed, one morning, and down below to cut the ice from the water- wheel. Some one raised the gate while he was there, and he was carried under the wheel, down the raceway, and under the ice below the mill. Mr. Cardell won- dered where Sargent was during the day, and some one looked below the mill, and discovered the body in the ice.
Lewis Sargent, of East Warren, while shingling a building in Roxbury, fell from the roof to the ground, and injured his spine. He lingered several months, and then died.
Oliver Porter, living in the west part of the town, fell from the high beams in his barn on to a flax hatchel, and it injured him so he died in a few days.
Ira Whitcomb, while in the employ of Christopher Moore, was kicked in the bowels by a colt he was leading to water, and died in a few days.
Aurin Ralph, while at work on the roof of his mill, in the south part of the town, fell to the rocks below the mill, and was instantly killed.
Dana Davis, while at work in Fayston chopping in the woods, felled a tree, and it lodged on another one, and while chop- ping that, he was caught when it fell, and one leg was smashed. Efforts were made in vain to staunch the blood, but he bled to death in about 20 hours.
Horace 'Poland, while at work in the woods, broke one leg, and was injured other ways. He lived several weeks and then died.
Stephen Sterling was sawing clapboards in Lincoln, and went out into the mill- yard to roll down some logs ; they lodged, and he went in front to start them, but be- fore he could step out, was caught and crushed by the logs rolling on to him. He was a native of Warren, and was buried here.
Victor Mix went to Canaan to lumber, and while rafting logs on the pond, slipped between them and was drowned.
Mr. Pelton, living near the' town line between Waitsfield and Warren, felt so bad when the high water cut through his meadow, that he committed suicide.
Otis Bucklin died very suddenly of heart disease. He ate his supper as usual, and went out in the dooryard, and was giving his hired man some orders about the work, and dropped dead.
THE NATURAL BRIDGE OF WARREN is a very interesting natural curiosity. It is in the south part of the village, on the premises of Don C. Geer. It is a natural bridge of stone, about 20 feet in height, with an arch 12 feet in height, and artists have taken views of it that have been sold through the country.
PATENTS .- Don C. Geer obtained a patent on a knob latch in Sept. 3, 1878. It is called "Geer's Patent Reversible Gravitating Knob Latch." It is a great improvement on spring latches. Clark E. Billings, born in Warren, is a natural mechanic, and does various kinds of work on wood and iron ; is a first-class gun- smith, and has obtained patents on a num- ber of carpenters' tools, and on several tools combined in one ; also a patent on an apple-quarterer, and on a double-acting knob latch.
SONS OF WARREN-CYRUS ROYCE grad- uated at the Unitarian College in Mead- ville, Penn., and is a Unitarian preacher in Massachusetts. HARTWELL DAVIS went to Minnesota, and succeeded well as a railroad man and business manager, and amassed quite a fortune.
JOHN SENTER is a self-made man. He has obtained his education almost wholly by himself ; studied law and been admitted to the bar, and makes a success of his business. He is on the Board of Educa- tion, and holds other offices.
CLARENCE J. SARGENT, son of Jonas G. Sargent, who came from Randolph to Warren in 1844, is also noted as a success- ful music-teacher, having given over 10,000 lessons on the piano, organ and in har- mony during the last 8 years ; at present, 1882, has a class of 108 scholars, in his little territory embracing several counties.
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813
WATERBURY.
WATERBURY.
BY KEV. C. C. PARKER.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF WATERBURY. A Discourse delivered Feb. 10th, 1867, by Rev. C. C. Parker, Pastor of Congrega- tional Church. Waterbury : Waterbury Fob Printing Establishment, 1867.
Ps. 77th, -5th .- I have considered the days of old, the years of Ancient the.
There are few sentiments more universal and rational, than that which manifests it- self in a desire to know the past and es- pecially the history of the persons and places with which we are or have been in- timately connected. To gratify this senti- ment. your attention is asked to the follow- ing Sketch of the Early History of Water- bury.
There is no evidence that the Indian ever made his home within the borders of our town. The first settlers found no indica- tions of clearings or dwellings, and the relics of the Indians found here have been few. But though the Red Man probably never dwelt here, (1) our valley lay in his great thoroughfare from the valley of the Cham- plain to the valley of the Connecticut, and indeed from the valley of the St. Lawrence to the shores of the Atlantic. As power- ful tribes, hostile to each other, dwelt on either side, doubtless many a war party went forth to fight, passing through our valley, and returned, exulting with victory, or sullen with defeat. Doubtless these hills have echoed the warwhoop of many such a party, and the song of their war- dance. It is certain that the 300 French and Indians under De Rouville, who de- stroyed Deerfield, Mass., in March, 1704, passed through this valley, both when they went on their bloody errand, and when they returned with their 112 captives. It may add somewhat to our interest, as we read the sad, thrilling story of the suffer- ngs and adventures of the Rev. Mr. Wil- iams and his captive associates, to remem- Der that they made their forlorn and gloomy journey to their long captivity, over the spot where we now cultivate our beautiful fields and dwell in our quiet
homes. Through this valley also passed and repassed the Indians who burnt Royal- ton, and took its inhabitants captive in 1780. The hill in the north part of the town, over which ran the old road to Stowe, was originally called Indian Hill, some say because the Indians who burnt Royalton camped there for a short time. (2) The falls in the Winooski were called Indian Falls by the early settlers ; tradition here, as in so many other like localities, saying that a disappointed Indian maiden, in her despair, threw herself from the highest point of the rocks to the chasm below. Though the Indian never dwelt here, the whole region unquestionably, was familiar to him, not only as lying in his great war-path, but as favorite ground for hunting and fishing.
The town was chartered by Benning Wentworth, Gov. of New Hampshire 7, 1763. The war between the English and French was just ended, and the Canadas had become a part of the British posses- sions. Vermont ceased to be border-war territory, and the obstacle to its settlement was removed. Numerous towns in this part of the State were chartered about the same time with Waterbury,-Burlington, Colchester, Essex, Williston, Bolton, Dux- bury, Moretown and Charlotte, were char- tered the same day,-Jericho, Underhill, Middlesex and Berlin the day following. But as nearly the whole of Vermont was then an unbroken wilderness, few settle- ments were made, so far north as these towns, before the Revolution. The few that were made were then broken up, and were not recommenced until the war closed. -This accounts for the wide space between the charter and first settlement of nearly all the towns in this part of the State.
Waterbury was chartered to several in- dividuals in Connecticut and New Jersey. It quite probably took its name from Wa- terbury, Conn., as many of the proprietors lived in that vicinity, and as these two are the only towns of that name to be found, so far as I know. The first meeting of the proprietors was held in New Milford, Conn., in 1770-some of the subsequent meetings were held at Newark, N. J.
The notes in this paper are marked by figures, viz .. 1,) (2,) (3,) &c. See Appendix.
102X
1
00
L
814
VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
After the Revolution the meetings were held in Sunderland, Arlington, and Ben- nington of this State. The warrant for the meeting in Bennington was issued by Isaac Tichenor, then justice of the peace- subsequently, so long governor of the State.
The town was not surveyed until about 1782. At that time Col. Partridge Thatch- er, of New Milford, Ct., one of the pro- prietors, and the moderator of their first meeting, and also of the meeting in Ar- lington, came on with surveyors and ran out the town. They built their camp a few rods to the rear of Messrs. Case & Thomas' steam-mill, between the railroad and brook. This, without doubt, was the first tenement for a human being built in Waterbury. From Col. Thatcher the stream that enters the river near where his camp stood, was called Thatcher Branch. As we always desire to know the end of those in any important sense identified with the place where we live, I will add that it is said that Col. Thatcher contract- ed a disease from his exposures in the forests of our town, from which he died soon after returning to Connecticut.
The first settler of Waterbury was James Marsh, a native of Canaan, Ct. He had been a soldier in the French war. In the early part of the Revolutionary war he sold his place in Canaan and moved to Corn- wall, Ct. Soon after this he was drafted as a soldier in the Revolution. Having a large family of small children, and his wife being very feeble, he hired a young man as a substitute, paying him $100. To pay this sum, and with the hope of escaping service as a minute man, to which he had been enrolled, he sold his place in Corn- wall and bought a right of land in Bath, N. H., and one in Waterbury. The right in Waterbury was purchased of a Mr. Steele, of New Milford, and deeded in 1780. Soon after this he moved to Bath and commenced a settlement, in the mean- time having buried his wife and married again. After living there some 2 years, he found the title to his land in Bath was bad, and he resolved to begin a settle- ment in Waterbury, having the assurance
that several others would begin settle- ments about the same time. In the spring of 1783 he came on, selected his right, which covered much of the site of the present village (3)-cleared a small piece of land between the graveyard and the river, and having planted it with corn, re- turned. In the fall he came and harvested his crop, putting it into a rude crib for next year's use. The next spring he came with his family to the old fort in Corinth, where he left his wife and five of his eight children, and came on to Waterbury with the remaining three, viz. : Elias, James and Irene, making the journey on snow- shoes, and drawing his provisions and effects on a hand-sled. He took possession of the surveyors' cabin.
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