The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier., Part 51

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 51

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A post-office was first established at Montpelier, Apr. 1, 1798, and the first postmaster, Charles Bulkley, [see Judge Bulkley, Berlin, No. 1,] to Apr. 1, 1801 ; Timothy Hubbard, to Apr. 1, 1810 ; Syl- vanus Baldwin, to July 1, 1813 ; Joshua Y. Vail, to May 15, 1829; Geo. W. Hill, .to Feb. 11, 1837 ; Geo. W. Barker, to Dec. 26, 1840 ; Edwin S. Merrill, to Dec. 29, 1843; Geo. W. Reed, to May 8, 1849; Charles Lyman, to Apr. 28, 1853 ; Charles G. Eastman, to June 14, 1858; Timothy P. Redfield, to Apr. 2, 1861 ; James G. French, to Apr. 15, 1869 ; John W. Clark, to July 1, 1881 ; James S. Peck, present incumbent, (Oct. 1881.)

NEWSPAPER RECORD.

FROM MARCUS DAVIS GILMAN, HIST. LIB.

The Freeman's Press-A Democratic paper, published at Montpelier, was com- menced in 1809, not in 1812 or 1813, as stated by Thompson in his history of Montpelier. The first issue was Aug. 25, 1809. A file of the "Freeman's Press" is in Mr. Gilman's library. It was printed by Derrick Sibley, and subsequently by Wright & Sibley, for proprietors, who ap- pear to have been the leading Democrats of Montpelier and the neighboring towns. The "Freeman's Press" was the second paper published at the Capital. It is in- teresting as giving many quaint views of life and times in those early days, the ad- vertisements, especially, possessing much interest.

The paper was devoted mainly to na- tional politics, only a small space being given to local and State matters. This

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file begins with No. 3, and embraces a period of about 23 years. In the issue of Sept. 8, the first in this file, there are but 6 lines of editorial, and those relate to the State election returns, which are published in part. There are five advertisements. Forbes & Langdon advertise for their customers to pay up, and also that they had "just received from Philadelphia a quantity of Scotch snuff of superior qual- ity." Charles Huntoon-not mentioned by Thompson-general merchant, " offers for sale at his stores in Montpelier and Berlin a general assortment of English and India goods, etc., etc., which he will sell for salts of lye, ashes, butter, cheese, beef cattle, and all country produce." George B. R. Gove-also not mentioned by Thompson-being about to leave Mont- pelier, offers for sale "one House and Store, with 5 acres of land within 100 rods of the State House, pleasantly situated in the centre of business, and is one of the best stands for a merchant in the State." This was the store on Main St., adjoining Bethany Church, with land attached. "Also an oil mill near Onion river bridge, also a gin distillery, new and complete, and a small farm in Berlin, and other lands." Dec. 15, 1809, we learn that Silas Burbank has purchased the oil mill of Mr. Gove, and wants flax seed, for which one gallon of oil, or one dollar in cash, will be given per bushel. October 13, 1809, Chester W. Houghton wants a few thousand bushels of potatoes delivered at his distillery, for which he will give in exchange I qt. of gin per bushel or 20 cents in English goods. Josiah Parks, bookseller, publisher, and justice of the peace, was a persistent ad- vertiser, continuing through the entire file . of papers. So also were Justin and Elias Lyman, merchants, of Hartford, Vt. In the paper of May 2, 1811, is the marriage by Josiah Parks, Esq., of Mr. Ezekiel P. Walton, printer, and Miss Prussia Persons. November 5, 1809, James Peck opens a martial music school. Dec. 2, 1809, Chas. Bulkley, agent for the trustees of Mont- pelier Academy, politely says :

tional room has been fitted up in the Academy, for the accommodation of a ladies' school. Aninstructor has been ob- tained, whose attainments are in every respect adequate to instruct in the several branches of reading, grammar, geography, painting, embroidering, and the various kinds of needle-work.

Sylvanus Baldwin, a stockholder in the paper, is a liberal advertiser of houses and lands for sale, and to be let, and of patent rights for sale. He is also in- terested in, and agent for, a cotton and woolen mill near "Paine's bridge." Jan 1810, Thomas Reed continues the chair cabinet and painting business, at his old stand. July 4, 1810, the Democratic Re publican citizens of Montpelier, Calais Marshfield and Plainfield, celebrated th 4th at Capt. Samuel Rich's, North Mont pelier, and it would appear that the Fec erals did not celebrate the 4th of July i those days. Col. Caleb Curtis, of Calais acted as Marshal, and Nahum Kelton, Montpelier, as Assistant. "The Declar: tion of Independence was read, preface by some well-timed remarks by J. Y. Vai Esq., a truly republican oration was d livered by Timothy Merrill, Esq., which d honor to his head and heart !" A sum tuous dinner in a grove with regular ai volunteer toasts followed, Josiah Par being Chairman of Committee on toas' which latter expressed the usual Dem cratic sentiments of the time.

Jan. 1, 1811, " Found near the Acader last evening, a good bandanna handkı chief, which the owner may have by a plying to D. Sibley." Jan. 7, 1811, " go stock of hay at $5.50 per ton, and ca: labor, pork, shingles, or grain, received payment. I live on the West road Calais, near Col. Curtis'." Signed, W liam Thayer.

Mar. 7, 1811, Amos Bugbee, who i machinist, and connected with the cot and woolen factory before mentioned, off for sale Dutch plows. Mar. 20, Jos! Fisk carries on the clothier's busine, and does blue-dyeing at his shop in Mc pelier.

May 30, 1811, the Press says, " we no

The gentlemen and ladies of the vicinity are with pleasure informed that an addi- in the last Watchman the following : "

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glorious federal triumph in New York ; the Clinton interest is no more.' This is not the first time the patrons of this paper have been egregiously imposed upon in this way. DeWitt Clinton is elected by over three thousand majority."

Nov. 11, 1811, brings the file near the war of 1812, and political feeling began to run high. November 7, 1811, Wright & Sibley purchase the entire stock of the " Freeman's Press " establishment, and are sole proprietors ; and about this time they remove "to the chamber of the White Store opposite Major Langdon's," in the wooden building adjoining Bethany church, now occupied by Fisher & Colton, sad- dlery and hardware store.

Morse's tavern, sometimes called " Peo- ple's Rest," appears to have been the usual place for citizen's meetings, etc.

We learn from Sylvanus Baldwin, post- master at that time, that the mail facilities of Montpelier at this time were two mails per week each, from the South and West ; and one mail per week each from the North and East. We notice that Washington news was from 20 to 30 days old when published in Montpelier.

The Freeman's Press was published till about the close of the war with Great Britain, 1815. After the suspension of the Press, there was no Democratic paper in Montpelier until

THE VERMONT PATRIOT AND STATE GAZETTE,

established by the HON. ISAAC HILL, of Concord, N. H. First No., Jan. 17, 1826, page-size 21x30 inches, enlarged to 24x36, Apr. 15, 1841. Mr. Hill placed his brother Geo. W. in charge as manager, under the firm of Geo. W. Hill & Co., with Horace Steele, editor, soon succeeded by Hugh Moore, Esq., of Concord, N. H., an ed- ucated and accomplished gentleman, who held the position several years, Mrs. Geo. W. Hill, a lady of culture and talent, ren- dering editorial service during the latter years of her husband's connection with the paper. From Apr. 30, 1827 to 1834, Mr. Hill was sole publisher, when, not satis-

factorily succeeding, he sold to William Clark, some time foreman in the office.

Mr. Hill was postmaster under Gen. Jackson's appointment until after Van Buren's election, when soon after he re- tired to a farm in Lowell, Vt., and re- moved to Johnson about 1850, where he still resides, (1881,) a hale old gentleman of the " olden time."

Jeremiah T. Marston, who read law in Montpelier, and had just opened an office, became editor when Mr. Clark became proprietor. Mr. Marston continued editor only till Apr. 1, 1838, when he with Geo. W. Barker bought out Clark for $2,200. Mr. Clark removed to New York City, and became connected with the large printing house of Trow & Co., where he continued until the failure of his eyesight quite re- cently, when he retired from business, and resides, (1879,) in Brooklyn, N. Y. He married Fanny, dau. of Isaiah Silver, of Montpelier.

Mr. Barker, P. M. under Van Buren, after the " Hard-Cider-Log-Cabin " cam- paign of 1840, retired from newspaper business to engage in building railroads, and died not long since in Sheboygan, Wis.

The political aspect looked discouraging for a Democratic editor, but Marston, young and full of hope, determined to per- severe-became sole proprietor and editor, brought out his paper enlarged at $1,200 cost, pushed ahead, and made the most lively, wide-awake and best looking paper in the State, until bought out in 1846 by Chas. G. Eastman and Jos. B. Danforth, the former, editor ; the latter, manager. Mr. Marston accumulated during his con- nection with the paper $15,000 to $20,000. Heremoved to Madison, Wis., where he en- gaged in commercial and farming business. He married a daughter of Jacob F. Dodge, of Montpelier. They have 3 children. Mrs. R. W. Hyde, of this village, is a sister of Mrs. Marston. Mr. Marston has not taken an active part in politics since leaving Montpelier, but in the political up- heavings since then he has somehow got

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on the opposite side from where he used to be.

In July, 1851, Eastman bought out Danforth, and remained sole editor and proprietor until his death, Sept. 1860. [The biography of Mr. Eastman will be given in the history of Barnard, next vol.]

Mr. Danforth removed to Rock Island, Ill., where he published the Rock Island Argus, a Democratic paper, until recently, since which a " National Journal"- for whom farther, see history of Barnard, next vol.

Location of the Vermont Patriot : West- erly side of Main street, opposite Bethany ' church ; wood structure, printing-office in the second story ; rear part of first story occupied as a book-bindery by a Mr. Wat- son, who went to South Carolina and died there, and the front part for the post- office, kept by Mr. Hill. When the South- ern and Western mails arrived, by stage, about the same time, Io to II o'clock, A. M., the little room would be crowded to ex- cess. After the mail was opened, Post- master Hill would read out in a loud voice the address of every letter received, upon the conclusion of which there would be a stampede of those for whom there were no letters.

The Patriot was published here until it passed into the hands of Marston & Barker, when it was removed to State street, in the Ballou building, opposite First National Bank, where the printing-office was in the second story, Mr. Marston having a book- store on the first floor, and a large reading- room, well supplied with newspapers, in the rear, for the benefit of any one who chose to use it. It was there the friends of the editor and Patriot gathered for news and political gossip. It was in this room the election of James K. Polk was first announced in Montpelier by a hurried scrawl from Hon. J. McM. Shafter, then Whig Secretary of State for Vermont, written at Burlington and forwarded by the stage-driver to Col. E. P. Jewett, it reading as follows: "New York gone! all gone! We have got to take Polk, Texas and the devil !" and we also got with Polk that vast and rich territory compris-

ing not only Texas, but New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California, to which latter State, Mr. Shafter removed some 25 years ago, being now one of its prom- inent men. [See Shafter family in history of Athens, later in this vol.]

Eastman and Danforth on their pur- chase removed the Patriot office across the bridge to a wooden building, then standing on land now occupied by the easterly part of Union Block, opposite the westerly ten- ement of Walton block, where it remained during the publication by Eastman and by E. M. Brown. [For Col. E. M. Brown, see Woodstock in next vol.]

FROM AMERICAN NEWSPAPER REPORTER. THE ARGUS AND PATRIOT

is the result of a union, early in 1863, of the Bellows Falls Argus with the Vermont Patriot-the former commenced in 1853, by Hiram Atkins, at Bellows Falls. The paper under its present title began with about 2,000 subscribers ; office-room, 30 by 42 feet ; presses, a small-sized " Ruggles " for job work, and Newbury cylinder for the paper; working force, three hands with the editor. It now employs one of each size of the Degener job-presses, I Globe half medium, I hand press, 2 first class Cottrell & Babcock cylinder presses -one the largest press of any kind in the State (1881) ; office hands 20-on job-work 8 or 10; in outfit, type, etc., is in the very front of the printing establishments of the State. The work of the office goes all over the State, into each of the New Eng- land States, New York, Wisconsin, etc. Several thousand dollars value of paper, card, ink, etc., kept constantly on hand. All has gone on expanding. The large three-story building, opposite Bethany church, once familiarly known as the Lyman store, is now better known as the Argus and Patriot building, owned by its own editor and proprietor. From the time Mr. Atkins assumed control of the Argus and Patriot, every week has added new names to his subscription till the list is over 6,000. The Argus and Patriot has occa- sionally been published daily during ses- sions of the Legislature.

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THE VOICE OF FREEDOM. FROM HON. JOSEPH POLAND.

The publication of The Voice of Free- dom was commenced January Ist, 1839, by Emery A. Allen and Joseph Poland as publishers, under the firm name of Allen & Poland. Hon. Chauncey L. Knapp, then holding the office of Secretary of State by favor of the Whig party, was em- ployed as editor. The publication office was in the second story of the Barnes shop building, first door East of the Bishop hotel. In September of the same year Mr. Poland retired from the paper by reason of ill health, and its publication was con- tinued through the year by Mr. E. A. Allen. At the beginning of the second volume the proprietorship passed to the State Anti-slavery Society, Mr. Knapp still remaining as editor. After a few months, more or less, the paper fell into the hands of Mr. Jedediah Holcomb, of Brandon, and was removed to that place, where it was subsequently discontinued. Mr. Knapp has been for many years the editor and publisher of the Lowell, (Mass.,) Daily Citizen, his son of late years having been associated with him in the business. Among other important positions he has filled are those of Clerk of the Massachu- setts House of Representatives and Mem- ber of Congress from the Lowell district. Mr. Allen is a practicing physician in Ran- dolph, Mass., and Mr. Poland is editor and proprietor of the Watchman & Four- nal, Montpelier.

Though an individual enterprise, the Voice of Freedom was regarded as the organ of the then recently formed Anti- slavery Society of the State, of which Row- land T. Robinson, of Ferrisburgh, was President, and Dr. J. A. Allen, of Mid- dlebury, Secretary. As yet the anti- slavery sentiment of the State had not taken the form of political action, and only sought to promote its objects by moral and religious methods. But recent events had given a new impetus to the movement, and the roar of the on-coming tide which was destined to sweep American slavery out of existence, might already be heard in the distance. The celebrated controversy

in Congress concerning the right of peti- tion, with John Quincy Adams as its elo- quent champion, was then at its height. The so-called " Atherton gag" had just been adopted by the national House of Representatives, whereby " every petition, memorial, resolution, proposition or paper, touching the abolition of slavery, or the buying, selling or transferring of slaves in any state, district or territory of the United States," was "laid on the table without being debated, printed, read or referred," and had produced such general indignation among all parties that the legislature of the State, in the fall of that year, by a nearly unanimous vote in both houses, had de- manded the repeal of said obnoxious res- olution, and instructed our Senators and requested our Representatives to labor for its repeal. They were also instructed, by the same legislature, to " use their utmost efforts to prevent the annexation of Texas and to procure the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the District of Columbia and the territories, and the slave-trade be- tween the several states." Indeed, so far had Mr. Knapp, the editor of the " Voice," progressed in the direction of distinct po- litical action that, the year following, when Harrison and Tyler were the Whig standard-bearers, he was waited upon by a delegation from the Whig State Com- mittee with the intimation that the sup- port of their presidential candidates was a condition precedent to his re-election to the office of Secretary of State. Where- upon he distinctly avowed that he would support no man for these high positions " with the smell of slavery upon his gar- ments." The result was that Mr. Knapp was superseded the ensuing fall by Hon. Alvah Sabin, of Georgia, as Secretary of State.

THE GREEN MOUNTAIN FREEMAN was established at Montpelier, as the organ of the Liberty party, in January, 1844, by Joseph Poland, with Rev. J. C. Aspenwall, a Methodist preacher, as editor. Mr. Aspenwall retired in the fall of the same year, leaving the entire charge of the paper in the hands of the proprietor. A few months subsequently, Rev. C. C. Briggs,

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a Congregational preacher and anti-slav- ery lecturer, became joint editor and pub- lisher, the firm being Poland & Briggs. In May, 1846, Mr. Briggs retired, and the paper was conducted by Mr. Poland until January, 1849, with Mr. H. D. Hopkins as associate editor during the year 1848. The first of January, 1849, infirm health induced the proprietor to sell and transfer the paper to the Hon. Jacob Scott, of Barre, who had for some years been a leading man in the anti-slavery ranks, and a candidate for Lieutenant Governor and also for Congress. During the year 1849, Hon. Daniel P. Thompson became asso- ciated with Mr. Scott, and at the begin- ning of the succeeding volume he became sole proprietor and editor. In 1856 the paper was sold to Mr. S. S. Boyce. In 1861 the paper was bought by Hon. Charles W. Willard, who was its editor for twelve years thereafter, and who was sole proprietor until 1869, when he sold a half interest to Mr. J. W. Wheelock. In 1873, Mr. Wheelock became sole proprietor and editor, and so remained until his death in 1876, when he was succeeded by his son, Mr. Herbert R. Wheelock, the present proprietor and editor. The office of pub- lication was first in the second story of the Lyman & King store, (now the Argus & Patriot building, ) then in Cross' Bakery, in the rear of Babcock & Cutler's drug store, then in the second story of the Barrows & Peck hardware store, then re- moved to the new "Freeman Building" erected by S. S. Boyce, and subsequently to its present quarters. Of the several gentlemen connected with the Freeman from first to last, it is believed Mr. Aspen- wall is dead; Mr. Boyce was engaged in the war of the rebellion, and has since re- sided in New York ; Messrs. Scott, Thomp- son, Willard and J. W. Wheelock have deceased ; Mr. Briggs is a successful bank- er and manufacturer at Rockford, Illinois ; Mr. Hopkins is living in Montpelier, but with impaired health, while the founder of the paper is now editor and publisher of the Watchman & Journal, at Montpelier -. the office in which he learned the print- er's trade when a boy.

As we have said, the Green Mountain Freeman was established as the organ of the Liberty party of the State, and for five years, and until the character of the party was somewhat " watered," to use a phrase current on change, by the absorption of the free-soil element of the Democratic party in 1848, it had the proud distinction of representing a political party which was never surpassed in any country or age for the purity of its principles and the uncom- promising firmness with which it pursued its single purpose. Never had an organ a more intelligent and devoted constituency. At the date of its transfer to Mr. Scott in 1848 it had 4,000 subscribers. By the union that year with the free-soil portion of the Democratic party in the free states, and joining in the support of Martin Van Buren for the Presidency, the character of the party became less distinctively religious and more political; but the fundamental principle of the original organization was never lost sight of until, through the agency of the Republican party and the consequent election of Abraham Lincoln, the doctrine of our boasted Declaration of Indepen- dence was transformed from a cruel lie to a living truth. And the founder of the Freeman looks back upon his five years' labors in this connection as the crowning glory of his life.

Botanic Advocate .- A monthly, com- menced about 1837, and continued about 2 years. By Drs. Wright and F. A. Mc- Dowell.

Green Mountain Emporium, and Liter- erary, Moral and Religious Record .- By J. Milton Stearns, 8 vo. monthly, 16 pages each ; commenced November, 1838, con- tinued only a short time, and moved to Middlebury.

Vermont Family Visitor - Commenced in 1845, and issued about a year only.

Vermont Temperance Star-Eight page quarto, monthly. Address, Geo. B. Man- ser. Vol. 1, No. 6, is August, 1839, Montpelier, Vt.

The Watchword- A temperance paper. Editorial committee : Rev. J. C. W. Coxe, Rev. J. E. Wright, H. D. Hopkins, H. A.

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Huse. Feb. 14, 1874. Only a few num- bers issued.

Vermont Temperance Banner-Started in the fall of 1879, under the auspices of W. F. Scott and J. P. Eddy. One num- ber published and then suspended for want of patronage.

The Vermonter-Fred. H. Kimball, ed- itor and publisher, July, 1879. 4 pp. " The representative amateur paper of Vermont" published at present.

The Era, by Edward Clark, and the Echo, by Chas. F. Burnham, were started about 1875, while both editors were serving their apprenticeship in the Argus office. Of both papers, only one or two numbers were issued.

Young American, 1874-Wm. M. Ken- dall, Jr., printer and publisher. An 8 page paper, printed at Montpelier, while its ed- itor was attending school; and after his education was completed, removed to its former place of publication, Lebanon, N. H., Mr. Kendall becoming the editor and publisher of the Dollar Weekly at that place.

Postage Stamp Reporter, 1877-C. F. Buswell, publisher. 8 pp. 7 x5₺. Issued monthly, devoted to stamp collecting, and discontinued on increase of postage regu- lation, with its Sept. No., 1877.

Green Mountain Boys, 1877-Tuttle & Dewey, publishers. 8 pp. 6 x 8, and is- sued monthly.

Winooski Impetus-Metropolis of Ver- mont, April 15, 1835, to March, 1836. 4 to. Published monthly by a society of young men.

The Montpelierian-Vol. 5, No. I. Sem- inary Hill, Montpelier, Vt., Jan. 20, 1877. Published by the Literary Society of the Vermont Methodist Seminary. 4 to, p. 8, [4] Continued monthly.

[Editors and publishers now residing at Montpelier-E. P. Walton, retired ; Jo- seph Poland, present proprietor of the Watchman ; J. M. Poland, retired ; Hiram Atkins, proprietor of the Argus, to whom we are indebted for the fine views of Beth- any and Christ Church in No. 3 of the Gazetteer; H. R. Wheelock and H. A. Huse of the Freeman.]

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MONTPELIER.

BY M. D. GILMAN,

Librarian of the Vermont Historical Society.

Montpelier has been prominent in the printing of books from an early period of its history ; the number of book imprints issued from the press of this town, as shown in my bibliography of Vermont, a work in course of preparation, exceeds 800, including of course official publications for the State, which are probably more than half of the number.

The earliest Montpelier imprint I have met is a work compiled by Clark Brown with the title : "The Declaration of Inde- pendence, the Constitution of the United States, and of Vermont, also Washington's Farewell Address," etc. Printed by Ben- jamin H. Wheeler, for Brown & Parks, 1807. 16º p. 76.

Mr. Brown started the first newspaper in town, the "Vermont Precursor," which he published weekly, Nov. 1806 to Sept. 1807, when he sold out to Samuel Goss, who was at that time publishing a paper at Peacham.

Mr. Goss re-christened the "Precursor" as the "Watchman," numbering consec- utively from the commencement of the former. In 1808, Mr. Brown delivered a Masonic Sermon at Danville : "The Mor- al and Benevolent Design of Christianity and Freemasonry," etc. Danville : Eben- ezer Eaton.

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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 51

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