The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier., Part 138

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press
Number of Pages: 1064

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 138

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tations ; winter and spring of 1864, of South Street General Hospital, Phila ; sum- mer of '64, in charge of the hospital steamer, (of Maine) ; fall of'64, till the close of the war, in charge of Sloan General Hospital, at Montpelier ; and left the army in 1866, after spending the remainder of the year in New York, making a special study of injuries to the bones and brain, and returned, in '67, to Waterbury, where he has been actively engaged in practice until the present time, excepting in '74, a portion of which he was traveling in Europe. His practice is large in the treat- ment of nervous diseases, surgery, and con- sultations with neighboring physicians. In '69 and '70 he published, in the Transac- tions of Vermont Medical Society, a paper on the treatment of gunshot-fracture, es- pecially of the femur. In '71, '72, '73, papers on some of the incidents following amputations ; in '74, amputations at the knee-joint : in '77, wrote a paper on spinal hemiplegia. He is a member of the Wash- ington County Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association; of the Vermont State Medical Society, of which he was president in 1870, and which he represented at the meetings of the Ameri- can Medical Association in '60, '66, '71, 80 ; of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and an honorary member of the California State Medical Society.

In 18So, when the Legislature was about to elect trustees of the University of Vermont, the members of the medical pro- fession, among them Dr. Carpenter of Bur- lington, insisted they were entitled to be re- presented on that board with the other pro- fessions. They put forward Dr. Janes ; and he was elected unanimously to that position. He is also at this time one of the medical committee of the Mary Fletcher Hospital, Burlington-and it is no exagge- ration to say, no man in this State stands higher in his profession to-day than Dr. Janes. E. F. P.

DR. HORACE FALES.

Dr. Fales, born in Sharon, Feb. 16, 1823, received his education at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N. H. ; gradu- ated at Woodstock Medical College, 1848, and the same year located to practice in this town. In 1851, he was married to Miss Henrietta A. Sheple, daughter of David A. Sheple. During these 34 years, he has had a large and lucrative practice,

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and is exceedingly skilful. He brings to bear with rare tact the learning of the books to a given case; and few doctors ever approached the sick room whose man- ner and words were better adapted to in- spire courage in the invalid, and to divert for the time his mind from his own aches and pains. In his long practice he has won many warm friends here.

MR. RUSSELL BUTLER,

the youngest of Gov. Butler's family, was born Feb. 17, 1807, in this town ; and has resided here for the greater part of his life. He was fitted for college at the academy at Montpelier, and entered the University of Vermont in 1825. He was compelled to quit the University after 2 years, on ac- count of ill health ; but he has been a stu- dent and a great lover of books from his youth. Although Mr. Butler has ever peremptorily refused political honor, which his friends would willingly have conferred on him, he has always taken a deep interest in the welfare of the country and this com- munity ; and his influence has ever been on the side of the right, good government, education and religion. The purity of his life, his morals, or even his motives, we have never heard questioned. E. F. P.

MR. BUTLER'S PAPERS-CONTINUED. HENRY FAMILY.

SYLVESTER HENRY came to this town early in the present century, and for many years held a prominent position. He was several years one of the board of select- men, represented the town in the General Assembly 2 years, and was several years justice of peace. He was a man of much reading for the times, and of excellent judgment, particularly in property values. At his decease, he left a large landed es- tate.

Mrs. Henry's maiden name was Sybil Proctor. She was a woman of usefulness ; all the neighborhood, in sickness or dis- tress, appreciated her skillful nursing and helpful hand.

This couple, together with their 4 sons and 4 daughters, made up a family in re- spect to family coincidents, remarkable.

Two of the sons reared families of the same number, one having the same proportion of sons and daughters.

JAMES M., the eldest son, was born in Waterbury in 1809 ; attended school in his native district ; but an unusually strong desire for knowledge led him to read much and closely observe men and things. He was eminently qualified to judge human character. Such a mind, schooled in the rough experiences of life, led him to ac- cept men as they were, without attempting the herculean task of making them what they should be. To this may be attributed his peculiar influence on the opinions of men, especially in politics. If he entered the domain of religion or morals, it was the better to enforce his public policy. The interests of one's country are certainly higher than those of individuals, or even the local affairs of a community.

He did not find the severe labors of the farm sufficiently remunerative to make the business attractive. He thought that it was the work of the brain that achieved success and fortune. After some years of reverses and unsettled habits, he happily fell in with the temperance reformers, and brighter prospects dawned on his future At this time better influences took posses- sion of his nature, gained the mastery over the power of habit, and asserted the power of the will. It is a critical, but a grand period in life when a noble man. hood triumphs once for all over a habi which has long seemed an invincible foe A good degree of success attended hi business enterprises. He was twice elect ed to the General Assembly, and had pre viously been justice of peace several years He died, aged about 55.

Gen. W. W. HENRY, eldest son C James Henry, is U. S. Marshal for th District of Vt., and years ago represented first, Washington, then Chittenden Co., i the Vt. Senate, and was 2 years presi dent of the board of aldermen in Burling ton.

JOHN F. HENRY, of Brooklyn, N. Y from a moderate beginning in Waterbury has grown into a very extensive trade i

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drugs and medicines. He has once or twice run for the office of mayor of the city, and is said to have run above the party strength.

SYLVESTER, 2d son of Sylvester, had 6 sons and 2 daughters-a family the same number as his father's and brother's. He accumulated a large property ; was several times elected constable ; three of his sons served in the army. He died in 1871, aged about 58.

LUTHER, 4th son of Sylvester, was born in Waterbury in 1826. At the age of 14, his father died, in his will having appoint- ed the selectmen as guardians of this son, thus showing his confidence in their in- tegrity and capability.

He completed his school life at Newbury Seminary ; when about 21, is said to have entered into some speculations in patent rights which proved very unsuccessful ; about this time, began the study of law with Hon. Paul Dillingham ; was admitted to the Washington Co. Bar in May, 1849 ; not discouraged by his first financial ven- ture, he had learned caution and wisdom. Of his professional capabilities, said L. L .. Durant, in an address before the Wash- ington Co. Bar :

"As a lawyer, he was never deemed learned in the books ; but in a knowledge of men and things, he was not to be ex- celled. With keen discrimination and quick discernment, he readily grasped the strong points of a case, and bringing all his efforts to bear upon them, could not easily be led away. He was, so to speak, a natural lawyer, as all who entered the lists with him can testify."

Mr. Henry took an active interest in building the bridge that connects Water- bury and Duxbury, and in opening a new street to it. He also made strenuous efforts to get the Newbury Seminary re- moved to Waterbury, and made an able argument in favor of the measure.

He was twice married : the first time to Flora Taplin ; the second, to Katherine E. Royce. Three children survive him. He died Jan. 1, 1867, aged 40.

LEANDER HUTCHINS

was born in Montpelier, June 27, 1798, where he lived till 21, after which he passed

some 3 years in the Western and South- ern States, engaged in trade, and in 1822, came to Waterbury, and entered into part- nership with Amasa Pride and Roswell Wells, under the name of L. Hutchins & Co. The firm began business on the cor- ner now occupied by C. E. Wyman, in a small wooden building, which Mr. Hutchins replaced about 12 years later by the one now standing. He put up in 1826 a dwelling- house adjoining Knight's Block on the east. In that year, the firm was changed to Hutchins & Pride ; and later, to Hutch- ins, Wells and Co. In 1835, it became L. & Geo. W. Hutchins. Some 3 years after the name of Geo. W. Hutchius ap- pears alone. About 1845, Mr. Hutchins built and stocked a starch-factory near the Centre Village ; burned, not rebuilt ; [see fires. ] Previous with the late Hon. H. F. Janes, he bought the extensive wild lands of Vermont owned by the Boardman Bros. of New York, for whom he had been agent ; much of this land was not disposed of at the decease of the purchasers. For a few years he owned and personally man- aged a farm on the old hill road to Stowe, a mile or two from Waterbury village.

He married Jan. 30, 1826, Martha Pride, who died in December, 1834, leaving two daughters, Mrs. C. W. Arms and Mrs. Dr. Woodward, who survive both parents. In 1837, he married Martha W. Atkins, who is now living.

Mr. Hutchins died Feb. 17, 1879, aged 80 years. After a residence of nearly 60 years in Waterbury, actively engaged in business dealings with its citizens, his rec- ord is that of a prudent. reliable business man, and valuable, discreet friend, con- servative on all subjects of public interest, whether politics, morals or religion. He united with the Congregational church in 1835 or '36, and during the later years of his life was one of its principal supporters, as he was one of its wealthiest members. Somewhat reserved in manner, he , was genial with his friends, and often indulged in sallies of humor. He had a great aver- sion to display and ostentation, as shown in his whole manner of life, and seemed to have no particular taste or fancy for

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political preferment, though far from indif- ferent to the character and principles of those who controlled and directed public affairs ; and for some 12 years, he per- formed the duties of treasurer to the town, and when the bank of Waterbury was or- ganized, he was chosen president, for which position he was eminently qualified, and held this office 20 years or more, when he requested to be relieved from its responsibility.

MOODY FAMILY.

From a sketch in the " Watchman."

JOSEPH MOODY and his wife Avis, came to Waterbury from Vershire in 1834, with 6 sons and 3 daughters : Daniel is now 79; Nathaniel, 75; William, died in 1865, age 57; Elisha, 68; Joseph, 67; George W., 59; Betsey, 71 ; Avis, died in 1843, at 24; Angelina is 54. The pres- ent average height of the brothers is 6 ft. I inch, weight 225 pounds. Joseph Moody Sr., weighed 308 pounds, his wife 228. Joseph Moody, Jr., was State Senator in 1853, went West in '54; located at St. Anthony, and subsequently at Sauk Rap- ids, Minn., where he is a successful oper- ator in real estate, and is a county justice. The other brothers have remained resi- dents of Waterbury. Joseph Moody, Sr., and after him his sons, were well known in the State as stock or cattle buyers, and have been active farmers and operators where money was to be made. Remin- iscences of their trading days are a con- stant source of entertainment at the vil- lage rendezvous. George, by virtue of his imposing corporation, is titular governor, and Elisha the wag of the town. Politi- cally, Nathaniel is the only republican among the brothers ; the others were war democrats, and now affiliate with the dem- ocratic party ; but politics are not always inherited, the sons of the brothers are re- publicans. Justin W., a son of William, has been for a long time the efficient post- master, and Eugene, son of George, an active worker in the party, as well as one of the most thriving young farmers in the town or county.

DR. OLIVER W. DREW

came to Waterbury about 1820, from South Woodstock, where his father was a physician. He lived and practiced medi- cine here about 55 years, after which he and Mrs. Drew went to live with their only daughter, who had married a clergyman and lived in Acton, Mass.

As a man, a physician, a citizen, a friend, and a professor of religion, he was sensible and practical, trustworthy and conscien- tious in all duties. He was three times married ; first to Miss Arms, by whom he had two children, a daughter who died young and suddenly, and Frederick, who became a doctor and settled at Ft. Riley. His second wife, Miss Woodward, was a sister of the late Dr. Woodward of Mont- pelier, formerly of Waterbury. His third wife survives him. Dr. Drew died in Mas- sachusetts about 1878, and his remains were brought to Waterbury for burial.

RICHARD HOLDEN.

Prominent among the very early settlers of the town, as early as 1788, was Richard Holden. He was moderator of the meet- ing when the town was organized (1790) ; chosen first selectman at this meeting, as he was in 1791 and several years after [see list of selectmen], and for many years held the office of justice of peace ; and 1793, was sent to the Constitutional Convention. His family occupied a respectable position in the social circles of that period. The sons and daughters were well educated for the times, limited as were the opportuni- ties of education. The oldest son, Guy C., was a teacher of the district school in 1810, '12. The writer has seen a receip of payment as teacher, signed by him and bearing the last above date. Two year: after, Holden, with a group of small boys was listening on the hill side to hear the cannon the day before the battle of Platts burgh, but on the day of the battle, Sunday Sept. 11, 1814, there was no need of listen ing to hear the broadside discharges o artillery in the lake action, to which hundred of Waterbury boys were witnesses In 1794, the representative to the Genera

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Assembly of Vt., took with him this rather singular certificate :

"WATERBURY, Oct. 6, 1794.

This may certify that Mr. Ezra Butler, who was duly elected as member to attend the General Assembly for the town of Waterbury for the year ensuing. has for about three years made a profession of religion, and therefore has declined taking an oath in the common form, but choses whenever that he was elected into any town office, to take the affirmation.

RICHARD HOLDEN, Justice of Peace."

Some 62, possibly 64 years ago, the Holden family migrated to Northern New York. Giles H., the ed son, and most of the family, settled at the mouth of the Genesee river, a post of entry 6 miles north of Rochester, Holden being col- lector and keeper of the lighthouse in 1829, as he had been some years before and was after that date some years. At the date named they were comfortably situated, and it is believed were some time after.

PAUL DILLINGHAM. BY B. P. FIFIELD, ESQ.

Paul Dillingham, son of Paul and Han- nah (Smith) Dillingham, was born in Shutesbury, Mass., Aug. 10, 1799. His father served the country in the Revolu- tionary War, first in the Mass. militia 6 months, then in the Continental Army 3 years, June, 1777, to 1780, his regiment being connected with that part of the army which was under the more immediate com- mand of Gen. Washington. His grand- father, John Dillingham, served in the "Old French War," and was killed in September, 1759, in the battle preceding the surrender of Quebec to Wolfe. He was thus descended from brave and patri- otic ancestors, and as it will be seen, pres- ently, transmitted the same noble qualities to his sons.

When about 6 years old, he removed with his parents to Waterbury, which has ever since been his home. In 1818, '19, he attended the Washington County Gram- mar School at Montpelier, then under the tuition of Seneca White, a recent graduate of Dartmouth ; and in 1820, commenced the study of law with Hon. Dan Carpenter

of Waterbury. He was admitted to the Washington County Bar at the September term, 1824, and from that date was in the active practice of his profession until 1875. As a jury lawyer, he long stood among the first in Vermont.

He was town clerk of Waterbury from 1829 to '44; representative to the Legis- lature in 1833. '34. '37, '38, '39: State's attorney for Washington County in 1835, '36, '37 ; a member of the Constitutional Convention 1836, '57, '70; State Senator of Washington County 1841, '42, '61 ; and in 1843, was elected member of Con- gress, where he served two terms, and was on the committee on the Judiciary. In 1862, '63, '64. he was Lieutenant Gover- nor, and in 1865, '66, Governor of the State.

Mr. Dillingham was a Democrat by birth and education, and always acted with the democratic party ; not, however, without many inward and some outward protests against its subserviency to slavery. But after the attack on Fort Sumter, he knew no party but the country, nor did he spare any exertion in the maintenance of the country's cause. During the presidential campaign of 1864, he was a frequent speaker at popular meetings, not only in Vermont, but in New Hampshire and New York. He gave two sons to fight, one of them to die, for the country. Charles, his oldest son, recruited Co. D. of the 2d Regt., in May, 1861, and was in the ser- vice till the winter of 1863, '64, when he was honorably discharged, being then Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th Regt. Ed- win, his second son, [See sketch of Major Edwin Dillingham in paper that follows.]

The Governor reared a family of 7 chil- dren, 3 daughters and 4 sons. One of the daughters, wife of J. F. Lamson, Esq., of Boston, died in 1875. One remains un- married, and the other was the wife of Senator Carpenter of Wis. ; his son, Wm. P. Dillingham, is practicing law in this county, and is developing many of the traits of character which have rendered his father so distinguished. Charles resides at New Orleans, La., and Frank at Mil- waukee, Wis.

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The many public positions held by Mr. Dillingham, both by the choice of his neighbors, as well as of the whole people of the State, indicate the confidence the public have had in his integrity, as well as his ability, and that it was well deserved is proved by this fact alone ; for while the State is sparsely populated, and the people as a rule are poor, or simply independent, they are intelligent, exceedingly jealous of their rights and proud of their publicmen, and thus it has seldom happened that high public places have been unworthily con- ferred.

But Mr. Dillingham's fame rests yet more in his professional life. I first knew him in 1856. He was then in the very vigor of manhood and in the full tide of professional success, and his reputation was that of the very first jury advocate in the State.

At this time, Lucius B. Peck, Timothy P. Redfield and Stoddard B. Colby, to say nothing of numerous other lawyers of superior ability, were in full practice at Washington County Bar, and it can easily be seen how a natural rivalry among men of so much talent, not unfrequently brought out exhibitions of eloquence and intellectual strength, which gave to this bar a position equal, if not superior, to any other in the State.

Often at this time was the court house packed, and an interested and appreciative audience would stay for hours to listen to the grapple of these men in legal debate. The great reputation that Mr. Dillingham then had as a jury advocate, of course made him the subject of general observa- tion, and particularly was this so among students and the younger members of the bar ; but it is quite difficult to present any picture of him that will do him adequate justice. He must have been seen and heard when his blood was young, to be appreciated, and yet they who saw and heard him were often sorely puzzled to find out or account for that mysterious power which gave him such wonderful mastery in jury advocacy, that the traditions of his great efforts, evanescent as such things are, will last for half a century. Among

the things which certainly contributed to it, was an exceedingly fine presence. He was fully 6 feet in height, and weighed perhaps, something over 200 pounds. Physically, well rounded, though not corp- ulent, his step was elastic and his bearing kindly, warm-hearted, frank and manly, and his intercourse with his fellow-men carried with it that insinuating address which invited respectful familiarity and cordial friendship. There was nothing of the aristocrat about him ; nothing distant or reserved, and yet there was a dignified simplicity which always commanded re- spect. His dark hazel eyes, too, beamed with sympathy and kindliness, and his gestures, movements and address were natural, easy and unaffected ; and above all was his voice, musical and sweet as a flute in its lower cadences ; but in passion or excitement, rising in its notes clear and ringing, it resounded like the music of the bugle.

In addition to these things, he was in the enjoyment of excellent health and a happy, genial temperament, which made everything sunshine about him. All these advantages were nature's gifts, and they were never tampered with or impaired by any vice or bad habit. And these gifts, too, are not, and cannot be acquired. He who is so fortunate as to possess them, must thank his Maker, not himself. With these gifts he coupled an instinctive knowl- edge of the human heart, acquired by long experience at the bar, and familiar inter- course and sympathy with his fellow-men, He never was a law student in the highest sense of the term; never the mere book- worm which David Paul Brown pronounces "a mere donkey;" never dealt with the sharp analysis and the keen intellectual dissection of great subjects, but his mind teemed with brilliant .conceptions, glitter- ing generalities, happy conceits, apt il- lustrations and appropriate anecdotes, which were interspersed so ingeniously through the argument as the discussion went on, that great audiences have stood upon their feet by the hour to listen to the magic of his eloquence:

The writer of this sketch once heard

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him in a pauper case, where the question of legal settlement turned upon the ap- parently insignificant fact whether a fan- ily removed in the spring or autumn of 1816 from one town to another ; and one witness, an old lady, remembered it was in autumn, because the family went on foot, the children were barefooted, the ground was frozen, and their feet bled by contact with the hard earth. She remem- bered, too, that they cracked butternuts which lay under the trees at this time of the year. Seizing upon these incidents as a text, his vivid imagination quickly sketched a picture of the privations and suffer- ing of the early pioneers in the State, so full of tenderness and pathos, that when he dropped back into his seat, panting with emotion, there was scarcely a dry eye in the jury-box, and when the jury went out, it took them less than ten minutes to vindicate the testimony of the old lady who remembered the frozen ground and the little children with their bleeding feet.

It may be thought that in this he was simply acting. But it was not so. It was genius, a native instinct which directed him as certainly to the incidents and char- acteristics of a case which could be used for effect as the magnetic needle is directed toward the pole. He made his client's case his own, and threw into it all the zeal and earnestness of his nature.

In every controversy there is something of right on each side, and to a person of his natural genius and emotional nature, it was not difficult to quickly convince himself that the right always largely pre- dominated on his side, so that his advocacy always had the appearance of the utmost sincerity, the utmost candor. Himself a member of the Methodist church, and a careful student of biblical history, there was an undertone of moral sentiment con- tinually cropping out and constantly re- turning, illustrated and enforced by apt quotations from the Scriptures, and this, coupled with his high reputation for in- tegrity, gave his utterances extraordinary weight and effect.

that a skilled musician plays upon the strings of a guitar, and made them respond to emotions of laughter, anger, sympathy or sorrow whenever he pleased and as best suited the purposes of his case. By pure animal magnetism, he subjected inferior wills to the superior strength and power of his own, and having control, he moulded and shaped them to his wishes with the ease that the potter moulds the clay. And this was just as likely to arise in a small case as in a large one. It was antagonism that roused him. It was when his brother Colby had ridiculed his case, and con- vulsed the jury with laughter by the hour, that all his faculties were brought into full play, and then it was an intellectual treat to see him recapture the jury and win back the lost cause, and revel in the victory with the gaiety of a troubadour.

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The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier., Part 138

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press Number of Pages: 1064

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press
Number of Pages: 1064