The history of Orleans county, Vermont. Civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military, Part 19

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: White River Junction, Vt., White River Paper Co.
Number of Pages: 404

USA > Vermont > Orleans County > The history of Orleans county, Vermont. Civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military > Part 19

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The white rose blooms upon her grave, Bathed by an angel's tear ;

And orange blossoms sweetly wave Above that form so dear; But when the blast from northern land Sweep cold across the main,

Sweet tears thall water, sighs shall fan The bud to bloom again.

Wost Charleston, May 1, 1858,

P. S. I am a Vermonter by birth and residence.

AN INCIDENT IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE TOWN.

In proceeding to the narative of the inci- dent, it may be well to continue a brief sketch of the early life of Alpha Allyn, who is the subject of the incident. He was the oldest child of Abner and Anna Allyn. He was born in Barton, Nov. 30, 1802.

He was, with his parents removed to Navy in the month of July, 1803. Only one other family was then in town, and that one moved out before the snow came that fall; conse- quently Alpha has always lived in town, never having given up residence here, or been away except for brief periods. Though not the oldest man in town, he is the oldest inhabitant of the town. Living alone with his father and mother, his veneration and love for them became very strong. As other little ones were added to their circle, his young heart bounded with joy, greatly expanding with love for the little buds of promise. Albro, born July 10, 1804, was taken from them by death July 30, 1806. Here was Alpha's first grief. His young heart was torn with an- guish, only assuaged by judicious instruction from his pious mother, from which he was able to comprehend the existence of God, and his sovreign right to take again to Himself what He had given. Here commenced his ideas of a religious life.

In 1808, he was sent to the first school kept in town. It was a mile away through woods, no inhabitant between his father's house and the school-house-the latter a barn. Five children comprised this school beside himself, viz .: Erastus and Olney Per- cival, sons of Orrin Percival, Elvira Sargent, and Robert Hunkins, children of Robert H. Hunkins, who lived on the north side of Clyde river, more than a mile the other way from the school. The Percival children lived on a cross road which came into the main road about a half mile below Mr. Allyn's, so that the children usually managed to join Alpha at the corner of the roads. One of Alpha's parents went out with and came for him the first half mile, for fear of wild beasts. In this way he attended school the summers of 1808 and 1809. The spring of 1810, his father had business to Providence, R. I. a distance of 260 miles, which journey in those days must be on horseback. To gratify the wishes of grand-parents in St. Johnsbury, he took this son of 6 years with him as far as that- 35 miles. He had saddle-bags upon his sad- dle, his overcoat lashed back of the saddle, his boy upon the horse behind, holding him- self steady by grasping the coat. They went as far as Barton the first day, the second to Wheelock, the third to St. Johnsbury. Here the boy stayed while his father was gone, and walked 2 miles, and back each day to school

133

CHARLESTON.

in company with his cousin of 4 years, of |in Dr. Humphry's cotton-factory. Not find- whom he took special care. He had recently been again bereft of another little brother, born Dec. 27, 1808, who died March 28, 1810. This may have made him doubly careful of children younger than himself. The recently bereaved family left at home, consisted of the mother and two little daughters, one only 2 months old. Alpha attended school after this season 2 more summers in the barn. To the original number were added children from the families of Stephen and Ebenezer Cole. Af- ter this a school-house was built-(the first school-house in town, 1822,) a mile farther from his father's, which made it impracticable for him to go, but as his father was a man of literary culture he instructed his son at home. When nearly man grown, he attended school at the school-house one winter, and walked 4 miles a day.

The memorable cold season came on, what grains that were raised were so sadly frost bitten as to be unpalatable and innutritious ; potatoes were poor, and exceedingly bitter. Many families removed from the new settle- mets in the north part of Vermont, to avoid suffering and perhaps starvation. In 1811 Mr. Allyn's health failed and though loth to go, having the agency of much of the lands in town, yet he felt compelled to, for a time. This was in 1815. His family was somewhat dispersed. Alpha went to Rhode Island and resided a while with Dr. Hosea Humphry, who married his father's sister. In 1817 he came home in company with Joseph Owen, Esq., of Glover. The family was again gath- ered upon their Navy land. A share of their mowing land had been turned into pasturing, and was used for the forage of sheep belong- ing to different persons. Bears were abun- dant, and very troublesome-they were ex- tremely bold, so that it became necessary in the fall of the year to gather and shelter the cattle and sheep at night. Mr. Allyn was County surveyor, consequently away from home on this business more or less of the time about in different towns. During one of these trips away, in Nov. 1818, Alpha having worked upon the farm as usual during the day of Saturday the 7th, came in from his work, and as he found it later than he expected- it being a dull rainy day, he did not wait for supper, but went out at once for the sheep, with his wet clothes on. These clothes were

ing the sheep in the open field, he followed their trail into the woods : soon, a thick fog set down upon the horizon, shutting out the day-light, he lost the point of compass ; not aware of the fact, and desirous to get home he kept upon a full run all night, when morn- ing came it was still cloudy. The sun not appearing, he had no means to set his course by, and he was not sure he was lost. He came to a brook whose source he thought he knew. He felt pretty sure he was in the great swamp, known as Brownington swamp, which was then supposed to cover a greater area than it actually does. He did not choose to follow tho brook either way, he tried to shape his course, as he thought, in a direct line towards home, but to his surprise he found himself repeatedly back to the same points on that brook. He did not allow himself rest but kept on the full run all day. He found nothing for food ; once in the day he gathered spruce gum enough to chew for a little while. A little before night he had the pleasure of seeing the sun shine out, which appeared to him to be in the east, but he followed it till un- fortunately it went down. Here for the first time he allowed himself to sit down for rest. This was not long, he resumed his run until entirely overcome by exhaustion, he dropped down upon a log in a half-sitting and half lying posture, thinking only to rest a few mo- ments. His physical powers were exhausted. In all probability he lay in the same posture the entire night without consciousness. The weather was cold, his clothes were saturated with water and profuse perspiration, which when he became quiet actually froze upon his limbs. Thus, he was chilled through.

It will be recollected that he left home Saturday afternoon on the 7th and that he was out all that night and all of the next day the 8th and during that night. Here I leave him, to narrate other events connected. His father was at Barton. His mother and oldest sister were at home alone. As it became dark on the eve of the 7th, they became very anx- ious for the return of the boy, and called as loud as possible to try to make him hear, that he might follow their voices and thus find his way home. Then they sounded the tin horn again and again, getting no response; before morning one went to the neighbors for assist- ance while the other continued to blow the made of cloth called roping-manufactured | horn. The response from the neighbors was

134

VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

that he had probably got through to Philip Davis' 2 miles away, where he was resting for the night and would be home early in the morning, but not coming in the morning, Hiram Hutchinson went to Mr. Davis, with a request that if the boy was not there he would take his horse and go as soon as possi- ble to Barton after Mr. Allyn, which he did. In the mean time the neighbors at home circulated the painful intelligence in town. The religious people were assembled at Mr. Stephen Cole's house at the Hollow, which was 2 miles from Mr. Allyns, for their usual Sabbath religious services. The news was proclaimed in the meeting with a call for men to hunt. There was a ready response. The tender sympathy of all hearts was touched and ready for valiant service. The men formed in company and entered the woods in search. The women were not less sympathet- ic. There were but eleven families in town. Ten of these mothers made their way during the day, and evening, and the following morning to Mr. Allyn's to express their great solicitude and do all in their power to aid in the alleviation of suffering. Mothers from Sa- lem and Morgan gore were also there. Death had twice entered this family in the removal of sons. They had sickened and died at home where fond parents and kind, anxious friends had ministered to their necessities. Their pillows of death had been smoothed by loving hands. Alas! in this case, the oldest son was in the deep forest, perhaps torn by wild beasts and if alive suffering with cold, hunger, and excessive fatigue, for well they knew he would not rest while able to move. This awful suspense was worse than death under ordinary circumstances. No traces were found of the boy this day. As the men came in Sabbath night to wait until another morning the anguish of the family was such as language entirely fails to portray. News of death would have been a partial relief. There could be no rest in that home; visions of the dark forests, mire of the swamp, howling of ferocious wild beasts, a famished stomach, freezing limbs, and aching body of their loved one floated constantly before their minds. I recently asked Mrs. Cole, aged 89 years, (who was there), how my mother appeared. She said, " Almost beside herself with grief."

Mr. Allyn came home as soon as he got the sad news, and joined the search. When, at night, the men came in without finding tbe

boy, Mr. Elisha Parlin was dispatched for more men, rallying the inhabitants of Brown- ington and Salem. When he reached Barton with the news, the people rallied; Luther Merriam went to Glover for help, another messenger was dispatched to Irasburgh .- The people of Brownington also rallied. Mr. Allyn aided them in arrangements for the search,-knowing more of Brownington and Charleston woods than any others. I would here say, though all these people would prob- ably-being prompted by common humane feelings-have turned out to hunt for any human being, even though a stranger, I think there was more intense feeling in Barton, than if this afflicted family had been stran- gers to them.

Mr. and Mrs. Allyn first settled in Barton. He was their first town clerk. Alpha was born there. Mrs. Allyn had greatly endeared herself to the people there. In the instance of a great panic in town, by the appearance of small-pox there, which spread so that it became necessary to have a pest-house, and remove the infected persons there, one of this number was Mrs. May, wife of James May, Esq., who had a babe. The medical adviser decided that all hope for them was that some healthy nursing woman should be innocu- lated, and enter the pest-house with them, to care for the woman, and nurse the child at her own breast. Mrs. Allyn responded-act- uated by philanthropic feelings. It was a trial to her to leave her own babe to be cared for by others ; but she did, and was thereby made the instrument of saving the life of the infected babe, who grew up to be a blessing to others. He was the late William May of Barton. The lad lost, was the babe that was left to be cared for while his mother per- formed her errand of mercy in the pest-house. After their removal to Navy, they had been obliged to go to Barton to mill, and get their general supplies there, so that a familiar ac- quaintance was kept up.

The men from the towns south of Brown- ington Swamp met at Brownington, made preliminary arrangements, then entered the unbroken forest-headed by Dr. Jonathan Allyn of Barton. They chanced to go through west of where the boy was. Two Charles- ton, Salem, Morgan and Holland men entered the woods on the north side, going south to come out at Brownington. These chanced to go too far east of where the boy was.

135

CHARLESTON.

One of these companies from the north was headed by Stephen Cole, and with him was his son, Winthrop; though older, he was an intimate friend of Alpha. They came to a brook, where tracks were discovered in the sand, which Winthrop felt sure were made by the lost boy : the men dissented, attribut- ing them to some animal, and continued their course as previously arranged ; but Mr. Cole was led by his boy's persistency, and though ridiculed for it, followed his son. A Mr. Buswell and Mr. Ingraham joined-turning their course considerably. They sounded a horn to bring others in that direction ; the report of which reached the ears of the lost boy, and roused him for a moment from the death-like lethargy in which he had lain all the previous night and day thus far. He gave a screech-his voice having become unnatural; this the men heard, but were wholly at a loss to know whether it was from fowl, quadruped, or from the boy. Winthrop said " It is Alpha." They sounded again and again, but no more response ; yet kept on, in the direction of the strange noise, until they found him on the log where he lay down the previous night to rest. With difficulty they aroused him, by rubbing and warming him, as well as they could, by fires which they kindled, and getting him to take a little food and other stimulant.

The unnatural sound which the men heard, was made by the boy, but with no conscious- ness that any one was in pursuit of him. He was in a sort of reverie, was very cold, and thought he was in sight of Mr. Underwood's house, and that he saw his mother and sister standing in the door-way. The noise was an effort to call to his sister to bring him his mittens.

Agreement had been made that no gun should be discharged in the woods, except as · a signal that the boy was found. Guns were now discharged several times to call the com- panies from farther search. In a short time many of them were around him. They were untiring for about two hours in efforts to re- suscitate him; then they commenced, past the meridian of the day, to remove him towards home. This they must do upon their backs, which was a bad task for the men, and more so for the boy, he having been so terri- bly chilled, and then so hard rubbed to bring up a reaction, that when he came to feeling he was conscious of unendurable soreness of | " Kittridge bone-ointment" has greatly

his flesh. They alternated often from one to another, perhaps oftener by his entreaties to be set down to rest-movement so hurt himn.

There was no sun to be seen, and the men were a little doubtful about their course, but fortunately came out to a clearing, of which most of them knew nothing. This was lot No. 15, in Charleston, since known as the Palmer place. From this they found their way by tracks of the workmen, who had come in, and brought materials for camping. They carried him on their backs to Philip Davis' house. Here they ministered to his wants. When first found, and partially aroused, he did not seem to feel the demands of appetite, rather refused cold victuals, say- ing he was going home, where he should have a warm supper,-seeming to have lost the time intervening the first night, or the fact that he had been lost; but, after having had a little nourishment upon his stomach, he began to feel the demands of hunger, and to solicit food. He refused stimulants in the form of ardent spirit, as he always had an aversion for it; but was bought in, to take some, now and then, by promise of giving him more food. This the men thought neces- sary to revive him. From Mr. Davis' house they took him on horseback. When they reached his father's, the door-yard was full of men, who had got in sooner-after hearing the report of guns, and of women and chil- dren, who were waiting in anxious suspense. Every one was eager to give the boy a hearty shake of the hand. A warm bed was in readiness for him. From frost in his clothes, and from soreness of his body, it was impos- sibible to remove them but by cutting them off.

To attempt a description of the scene of the long lost son, and brother, restored to them alive, would be useless. It was a grate- ful rejoicing, but with fear and trembling lest he might not rally from the shock. He had the best advice from Dr. Newcomb of Derby, their family physician, as also the best of nursing ; thus by the blessing of God, he rallied to tolerable health, though never fully recovered from the effects of the shock. His limbs have never been agile as before, nor his step as elastic. For full 40 years he was obliged to have tight bandages kept upon his wrists in order to be able to use his hands for any heavy work : this, and the celebrated

136

VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

strengthened them. His life has been one of usefulness as a citizen, especially as a towns- man, being alive to all its interests. Togeth- er with his father he has been largely engaged in the interests of wild lands, having been agents for land proprietors, and more or less for their own. He married Miss Adelaide Nash of Montpelier, a most estimable woman, with whom he has lived in this town and reared 8 children, 6 of whom are living; two promising young lady daughters have passed away from earth, as beacons to draw them to the better world, to which they are jour- neying.

EAST CHARLESTON, VT. May 26, 1870.

As I learned that the history of this town had been submitted for publication, in Miss Hemenway's history of the State, without an account of the above narrated event, I felt that it was not right, as that was certainly one of the most startling events ever expe- rienced here. That I have failed to make it as interesting to the reader as some other per- son might, I doubt not. I have done it be- cause no other person has to my knowledge. This therefore is a tribute to the memory of my only surviving brother. My sisters are all deceased.

Respectfully submitted by RACHEL H. ALLYN, M. D. Lowell, Massachusetts.

COVENTRY.'

BY THE REV. PLINY H. WHITE.

Coventry, situated in latitude 44° 53' N. and in longitude 4º 54' E., is an irregular quadrangle, no two sides being of equal length ; and is bounded N. E. (6} miles) by Newport and Salem, S. E. (42 miles) by Brownington, S. W. (52 miles) by Irasburgh, and N. W. (4} miles) by Newport.

The charter was granted Nov. 4, 1780, to Maj. Elias Buel and 59 others. Its bounda- ries as defined by the charter, were as follows : " beginning at a beech tree, marked 'Iras- burgh corner, Sept. 26, 1778,' being the north- westerly corner of Irasburgh, and running north 36° east, six miles and 63 chains, to Lake Memphremagog; then south-easterly on the shore of said lake, about 27 chains to a hemlock tree, marked ' Salem Line, 1778;' then south 45° west, two miles and two chains,

to a great hemlock tree, marked, 'Salem West Corner, Sept. 30, 1778 ;' then south 45° east, six miles and 21 chains, in the southerly line of Salem, to a stake five links north-west from a cedar tree, marked ' Coventry Corner ;' then south 36° west, four miles and four chains, to the North line of Irasburgh ; then north 54° west, five miles and 60 chains, to the bounds begun at." Within these limits were supposed to be contained 16,767 acres, or about 26 1-5 square miles. To make up the six square miles usually included in a township, there were granted 2,000 acres di- rectly south of Newport, called Coventry Gore, and 4,273 acres in Chittenden County, east of Starksboro, called Buel's Gore. The north part of Buel's Gore was annexed to Huntington in 1794. That part of the town which bordered on Lake Memphremagog, being in the form of a slip, 108 rods wide on the Lake, and 2 miles, 4 rods long, was called Coventry Leg, somewhat inappropriately, as it was narrowest where it joined the body of the town, and widened as it extended north. In 1816 it was annexed to Newport. Five rights were reserved by the charter, one for the benefit of a college in this State, one for the benefit of a county grammar school, one for the benefit of schools in town, one for the first settled minister, and one for the support of the ministry as the inhabitants should di- rect. Buel, the principal agent in procuring the charter, was a native and resident of Cov- entry, Ct., and, in honor of his birth place, the same name was given to the new town- ship .* +

* Concerning Elias Bnel, the founder and principal original proprietor of Coventry, it is suitable to put on record a few facts. He was a son of Captain Peter Buel, one of the first settlers of Coventry. Ct., at which place he was born 8 Oct. 1737. He married, 6 Aug. 1758, Sarah Turner, by whom he had Anna, born 2 .Jan. 1753 ; Solomon, born 12 Apr. 1760 : Elias Jr., born abont 1770, studied law with Nathaniel Chipman, admitted to the Rutland County Bar in 1793, died in Waterbury. Vt., about 1810; Jesse, 'born 4 Jan. 1778, established and edited the Cultilator at Albany, N. Y .. died at Dan- bury, Conn., 6 Oct. 1839 ; Samnel, a custom-house of- ficer at Burlingron about 1802 : also John, Ennice, Abigail, Peter, and two Sallies. Not all of those names are given in the order of birth.

Hle was a major in the Revolutionary army, and a brother of the Rev. Samuel Bnel, D. D., an eminent minister on Long Island. "Ile was a man of dignified deportinent, and possessing a highly cultivated mind, full of anecdote, and a most agreeable and instructive companion. Major Buel was an ardent politician, but never sought an office ; and a frequent contributor of

137

COVENTRY.

At the time of the chartering of Coventry, and for many years after, Orleans County was destitute of inhabitants, and inaccessible by roads, and lands were of no value except for speculative purposes. Buel purchased the rights of his associates, one by one, as he had opportunity, paying from £5 to £20, and in a few instances as much as £30, for each right; until, in 1788, the title of 54 of the 60 rights was vested in him. His deeds, however, were not put on record until 1801, and, in the mean time, sales for taxes, and levies of executions against the original proprietors had created conflicting titles to much of the land. In 1791 all the lands in town were sold by Ste- phen Pearl, Sheriff of Chittenden County, to satisfy a land tax of a half penny an acre levied by the Legislature of Vermont. Ira Allen purchased most of them, and 49 rights, which were not redeemed within the pre- scribed time, were deeded to him. Buel af- terwards quitclaimed to Allen his interest in those rights, and appears to have had little or no more to do with the township.

Allen made few, if any sales of his Coven- try lands till 1798. In March of that year he was in London, where he met Stephen Bay- ard, of Philadelphia, and sold him the 2,000 acres comprised in Coventry Gore for the round sum of £1,600 sterling, ($7,104). There is something ludicrous in the minute particu- larity of English forms of conveyancing as exhibited in the deed 6 pages long, by which Allen transferred these 2,000 acres of woods and mountains, " together with all and singu- lar houses, outhouses, edifices, buildings, paths, passages, commons, fishing places, hedges, ditches, gates, stiles, fences, ways, waters, water-courses, lights, liberties, case-

political essays to the Connecticut Courant, where he defended the policy of Jefferson's sdministration and advocated Democratic principles." His first residence in Vermont was Rutland. He afterwards removed to Buel's Gore, and resided on that part of it which was annexed to IIuntington. In 1798 and 1801, he was an Assistant Judge of Chittenden County Court; in 1799, a member of the Council of Consors ; 1801, 1802, 1804, the representative of Huntington in the General Assem- bly of Vermont; and in 1814, the delegate from that town to the Constitutional Convention. In 1819 he re- moved to Albany, N. Y., where he died, May 17, 1824, at the residence of his son Jesse.

+ In 1841 the Legislature changed the name to Or- leans. About that time an attempt was made to con- stitute it the shire-town of Orleans County, but the effort was unsuccessful, and, in 1843. the original name wae restored.

ments, privileges, profits, commodities, ad- vantages, hereditaments, and appurtenances whatsoever.' If Bayard paid the purchase money, or any part of it, it was a dead loss to him, for in the following July a direct land- tax was assessed by the Congress of the United States, to satisfy which, the whole town of Cov- entry, including the Gore, was sold at auction at the house of Thomas Tolman, in Greensboro, May 20, 1801, by James Paddock, of Crafts- bury, the collector, for $4.80, and was never redeemed. Jabez G. Fitch, of Vergennes, was the purchaser. William C. Harrington, of Burlington, had a color of title to 8 rights, Reed Ferris, of Pawlington, N. Y., to 9, Al- exander Schist, of Canada, to 15, Thaddeus Tuttle, of Burlington, to 15, and James Sea- man, of the City of New York, to 16. Fitch bought the interests of them all, and Dec. 14, 1801, he took a conveyance of Ira Allen's en- tire title. By these means he became the os- tensible owner of the whole township, and had a valid title to nearly all of it.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The history of Orleans county, Vermont. Civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military, Part 19

Author: Publication date: 1882 Publisher: White River Junction, Vt., White River Paper Co. Number of Pages: 404

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: White River Junction, Vt., White River Paper Co.
Number of Pages: 404