USA > Vermont > Orleans County > The history of Orleans county, Vermont. Civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military > Part 25
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necticut River on the east and Lake Cham- plain on the west. It it quite a good farming town though somewhat broken by hills, val- leys, streams and ponds. There are five nat- ural ponds in this town, viz. Elligo, lying partly in Greensboro ; Great Hosmer, partly in Albany ; Little Hosmer and two smaller ponds.
Black river is formed in this town by the union of several small streams flowing from the three large ponds above mentioned, Trout Brook and Nelson Brook. On these streams are several valuable mill-privileges. The river, after receiving these tributaries, runs northerly 4 miles through the center of the town, continuing on through Albany, Iras- burgh and Coventry and empties into Lake Memphremagog in Newport; its current is in general slow; the entire descent from Elligo Pond to Memphremagog Lake, including the two falls in Irasburgh and Coventry, being by actual measurement only 190 feet-the distance being 30 miles. The valley of this river is a muck-bed averaging one-fourth of a mile in width on which grows a great quantity of meadow-hay. In addition to the streams above mentioned, is the Wild Branch which rises in Eden, runs through the western part of this town and empties into the Lamoille River in Wolcott. There are many excellent farms in this town, from which are exported large quantities of butter annually. The town was granted to Timo- thy Newall, Ebenezer Crafts and their asso- ciates Nov. 6, 1780, and chartered by the name of Minden, Aug. 23, 1781. The first settlement of the town was commenced in the Summer of 1778, by Col. E. Crafts, who during that Summer opened a road from Cabot (18 miles), cleared 10 or 12 acres of land, built a saw-mill and made some preparations for a grist-mill. In the Spring of 1789, Nathan Cutter and Robert Trumbull moved their families into this township. Mr. Trumbull by reason of sickness in his fami's, spent the ensuing winter in Barnet, but Mr. Cutter's family remained through the winter. Their nearest neighbors were Ashbel Shepard's family in Greensboro, a distance of 6 miles. There were, at that time, no other settlements within the present limits of Orleans County. In November, 1790, the name of the town was altered to Craftsbury. In February, 1791, Col. Crafts, having previously erected
together with John Corey, Benjamin Jenkins, Daniel Mason, John Babcock and Mills Mer- rifield moved their families from Sturbridge Mass .;- arriving at Cabot they found it im- possible to proceed farther with their teams on account of the great depth of snow and were obliged to provide themselves with snow-shoes and draw the females on hand- sleds a distance of 18 miles. These settlers were soon followed by other families from Sturbridge and other parts of Worcester County. In March, 1792, the town was or- ganized. Samuel C. Crafts was chosen town clerk and annually elected to that office until 1829, when Joseph Scott (then Jr.), was elect- ed and still holds said office, having been annually elected for 39 years, with a fair prospect of holding it for several years to come; and probably the records of this town will compare favorably with those of any town in the State. At this first town meeting Ebenezer Crafts was chosen moderator; Eb- enezer Crafts, Nathan Cutler, Nehemiah Lyon, selectmen, and Joseph Scott, constable :
" Voted, that all Town and Freeman's meetings be hereafter held at Col. Ebenezer Crafts until otherwise ordered."
The first Freeman's meeting was holden September, 1792, and Col. E. Crafts was cho- sen representative to the legislature, he was also elected to the same office in 1793.
Col. Joseph Scott represented the town in 1794-'97-'98-'99-1815-'17 and '25. Royal Corben, who came to this place about the year 1800, represented the town in 1804-'06 -'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'16 and '31.
Among the most prominent men who held the town offices for the first 20 years after the organization of the town, were those already mentioned and Ephraim Morse, Nehe- miah Lyon, Samuel French, Daniel Mason Dan'l Davison, Arba Nelson, Dea. - Shaw and Leonard Holmes.
Craftsbury, at the time it was chartered, belonged to Chittenden County ; it was sub- sequently annexed to Caledonia County and in 1792 Orleans County was incorporated and the courts were held alternately in Craftsbury and Brownington. Irasburgh became the shire-town about the year 1815.
The two principal villages in town, are the Common or CENTER VILLAGE and the SOUTH VILLAGE, one mile south of the Common. The Common was the only place of business a grist-mill and made other improvements, for the first 30 years, the South village being 1
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a wilderness till 1818, but having the advan- tage of good water-power it is now quite as large as the Common, and the town-meetings are held there. There are two other small vil- lages in town, one in the eastern part and the MILL VILLAGE, which is situated about one mile N. E. of the Common, in which has re- cently been erected a first-class flouring-mill. There are in town (1868) 3 churches, 1 acad- emy, 1 woolen factory, 7 stores, 2 grist-mills, 5 saw-mills, 1 hulling-mill, 5 blacksmith- shops, 3 wheelwright-shops, 1 tannery, 1 tin- shop, 5 shoe-shops, 2 harness shops and 3 hotels.
This town from 1800 to 1825, or '30, was the center of trade for all the towns around it ; as late as 1818 or '20, there was no store in Lowell, Westfield, Troy, Jay, Eden, Wol- cott, Greensboro, Glover, or Albany. The trade of Greensboro' was about equally divi- ded between Hardwick and Craftsbury and that of Glover between Craftsbury and Bar- ton ; nearly all the trade from the other towns mentioned came to Craftsbury, and there is now probably no other town in Orleans County (except Barton and Newport) where more goods are sold than in this.
EDUCATION.
The first settlers early made provision for the education of the children. In 1775, the town voted to raise 25 bushels of wheat for the support of a. school : in 1796 or '97, the town voted to raise $90 to defray the expenses of building a school-house and in 1798, the town was divided into 2 school-districts ; others were added from time to time as the wants of the people demanded, and there are now 14 school districts in town with good school-houses in most of them, and the educa- tion of the children well cared for.
Craftsbury academy was incorporated in 1829, and has been in operation one or more terms nearly every year since: the large brick academy which was built at the time of incorporation, was this year (1868) taken down and a new and commodious one erected in its stead ; the school is now in a prosper- ous condition under the superintendence of Mr. L. H. Thomson and Miss A. Nichols.
RELIGIOUS-CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
In 1797, a Congregational church was or- ganized, and Rev. Samuel Collins was settled as pastor, and continued to preach in this town till 1804, when he died ; from that time until 1822, they had no settled minister in she lived until 1861 and died at the advanced
town: during the year last mentioned, the Rev. Wm. A. Chapin was ordained pastor, which office he held about 12 years, when he was dismissed at his own request and was succeeded by Revs. S. R. Hall, A. O. Hub- bard, I. Hoadley and E. P. Wild, who is the present pastor .- See P. H. White's clerical history of Orleans County.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The present Methodist church was organ- ized in 1818, under the labors of Rev. Wilbur Fisk, and was united in a circuit with several other towns till about 1830, when it became a station of itself and has maintained preaching from that time to the present,-usually chang- ing preachers once in 2 years. The following are a few of the clergy who have officiated here, Revs. Schuyler Chamberlain, N. W. and J. C. Aspenwall, D. S. Dexter, Daniel Field, A. McMullen, W. D. Malcome, Peter Merrill, J. W. Bemis and C. Tabor, who is the pres- ent pastor. There are 175 church-members and over 250 members of the Sabbath school, and 300 volumes in the Library. The Meth- odist church is located at the South village, the Congregational church at the Common. There is also a society of
PRESBYTERIANS OR COVENANTERS,
in the east part of the town, several of the members of which live in Greens- boro and Glover: they have a respectable house of worship, a parsonage and a settled minister, Rev. - Johnson. There was for many years a Calvinist Baptist society in town, also a society of Univeralists, both of which have become extinct.
PHYSICIANS.
Dr. James Paddock was the first physician in this town, he married Augusta Crafts, daughter of Col. E. Crafts, with whom he lived but a few years when he died, leaving 2 sons, James A., who became a lawyer and lived in the town until his death in 1867, and Wm. E., the younger who became a merchant and lived in town until his death in the summer of 1855. Dr. Ephraim Brewster succeeded Dr. Paddock as physician and also married his widow with whom he lived till about 1813, when he died while acting as surgeon in the war with Great Britain ; leaving one son who bears his fathers name and is now a practicing physician in town: his widow af- terwards married Benjamin Clark with whom she lived some 20 or 25 years when he died ;
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age of 88 years and 6 months. She was truly a mother in Israel, loved and respected by all who knew her. Dr. Wm. Scott succeeded Dr. Brewster and was the only physician in the place until Dr. Daniel Dustin come to town in 1822, and was the principal physician for 30 years and still has a good practice: He married Laura Corbin, daughter of Royal Corbin, and grand-daughter of Col. Crafts, with whom he lived about 25 years. He has long been one of our most influential and es- teemed citizens.
There are at present 4 physicians in town, viz. Daniel Dustin, Ephraim Brewster, S. R. Corey and George Davis.
The population of this town in 1860, was 1413-and the grand list in 1867, $4800.53.
COL. JOSEPH SCOTT.
Among the early settlers of Craftsbury, no one did more to help his townsmen and ad- vance the interests of the town than Col. Scott. His table was free and many families were assisted till they could raise something to help themselves. He was the poor man's friend and it is often remarked, "no one did more to bring forward the setttement of the town, than Col. Joseph Scott." He died July 31, 1841, aged 80 years.
DEA. NEHEMIAH LYON
also did much to assist the early settlers. He was a blacksmith and a "jack at all trades," as well as a farmer, and ever ready to lend a helping hand to his neighbors. He was also very efficient in the church and con- ducted the meetings for many years, when there was no preaching and did much to ele- vate the moral and religious state of society in the community. His grandson, Wm. H. Lyon, now owns the same farm, drawn to his original right, which has always remained in the family, and Wm. H. also runs the black- smith-shop on the same ground his father and grandfather worked, where the sparks have been flying for three fourths of a century.
HON. SAMUEL C. CRAFTS.
Gov. Crafts' history has long been identified with the written history of the State, and the history of Congress, and nothing that I can write can render his name more conspicuous; he was born Oct. 6, 1768, and died Nov. 19, 1853. He had one son and one daughter: his son Samuel P. Crafts died in 1824, in the 26th year of his age; his daughter still lives and is the wife of Nathan S. Hill, Esq., of Burlington.
Having received a collegiate education before coming to this town, his counsel and assistance were often desired and highly val- ued by his townsmen. He was elected town representative 5 years, judge of the court sev- eral years, Member of the council and consti- tutional conventions, Governor of the State, Member of Congress, and of the U. S. Senate. He was a man whom the people delighted to honor.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
BY REV. P. H. WHITE.
The Congregational church was organized July 4, 1797, and consisted of 16 persons, 8 of each sex. At a meeting held July 12, Nehe- miah Lyon was chosen deacon, and the church voted not to adopt " the half-way covenant."* Most of the members were from Massachu- setts, and had there seen the evil results of the adoption of that covenant. Within a few weeks the Rev. Samuel Collins, one of the constituent members, was installed pastor, the town acting as a parish and uniting with the church to give him a call. His ministry was productive of but small visible results, only one person being added to his church during his pastorate of nearly 7 years. He was dismissed in June, 1804.
For a long term of years the church was destitute of a settled ministry, and enjoyed only the occasional labors of missionaries and neighboring ministers. In 1811, under the labors of the Rev. Salmon King, of Greens- boro, a revival was experienced which result- ed in the addition of 21 persons to the church. A yet more extensive revival occurred in 1818, in connection with the ministry of the Rev. James Hobart, of Berlin, and 30 additions took place. Several years of declension and
* " The half-way covenant" was one of the evil results of a law of the Colony of Massachusetts, (18th May, 1631) that " noe man shalbe admitted to the freedome of this body politicke, but such as are members of some of the churches within the limits of the same." By this law, many men of sound patriotism, good judg- ment, and unblamable lives were excluded from all the rights of citizenship; to remedy the hardship and in justice of which, many churches allowed any and all- persons who had an adequate knowledge of religious truth, and who were not scandalous in life, to become members of the church upon mere application, they covenanting only to do certain of the external duties of religion. This was the " half-way covenant," and with this was involved the history of New England, civil as well as ecclesiastical, for a full century. The dismission and expulsion of Jonathan Edwards from Northamp- ton, marks the culmination of the controversy which grew out of it.
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great trials followed, during which there were no additions, but many excommunications. In 1820, a house of worship'was completed, which was dedicated 28 Sept., the Rev. James Hobart preaching the sermon. In August, 1822, the Rev. Wm. A Chapin was called to the pastorate, and in the following September he was ordained. Additions to the church now took place almost every year, and in the latter part of 1830 a powerful revival was ex- perienced, which brought in 24 members. Dur- ing Mr. Chapin's pastorate of just 12 years, 65 persons were added to the church.
The pulpit was supplied but partially till February, 1838, when the Rev. Daniel Parker became acting pastor, and continued 2 years. He was succeeded by the Rev. Samuel R. Hall, who commenced preaching on the first Sabbath in May, 1840, and was installed July 8, 1840. In 1842 and '43 there was a general revival, and 52 were added to the church. Mr. Hall's pastorate continued till January, 1854, during which 90 persons were admitted upon profes- sion of faith. The Rev. Thomas Kidder then became acting pastor for a year, and was suc- ceeded in the Spring of 1855 by Rev. Aus- tin O. Hubbard, who continued until the Fall of 1857. In the Fall of 1858, the Rev. L. Ives Hoadly became acting pastor and continued 7 years. The Rev. Edward P. Wild com- menced preaching on the 1st Sabbath in Sep- tember, 1865, and in the following October was installed pastor. As the result mainly of pastoral labor in 1866-67, an interesting work of grace took place, and a number of conver- sions occurred, principally among persons who had been neglecters of the means of grace, and immoral in their lives. For more than 2 years, 1866-68, there were additions to the church at every communion.
PASTORS.
sequence, his ministry was beset with trials. He was, however, universally esteemed as & devoted and excellent Christian minister. He was dismissed from that pastorate in 1795, and was installed at Craftsbury in 1797; was dis- missed 30 June, 1804, and died 7 Jan. 1807.
In 1779, he married Betsey Hackett of Salisbury, Mass., by whom he had Robert, born 23 Jan. 1782; Samuel, born 23 May, 1784, Abigail, Priscilla, Julius, Betsey, James H., Mary Ann; Marinda, born 1 Nov. 1798; Lucia, born July 28, 1801.
2. The Rev. William Arms Chapin was born in Newport, N. H., 8 Dec. 1790, the old- est of 12 children of Daniel and Elizabeth (Arms) Chapin, all of whom became members of the same church with their parents. His father was the son of Moses, who was the son of Ebenezer, who was the son of Japhet, who was the son of Dea. Sam'l Chapin, who settled in Springfield, Mass., in 1642, and who is sup- posed to be the ancestor of nearly 30,000 de- scendants. His parents were Christians of the Westminster catechism stamp, and taught him to recite by heart the whole of that com- pend of theology, before he could read. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1816, taught seveal years in Virginia, then studied theolo- gy with the Rev, Ephraim P. Bradford, of New Boston, N. H., and was licensed by the Presbytery of Londonderry, in 1821. He was ordained at Craftsbury, 25 Sept. 1822, the Rev. Chester Wright, of Montpelier, preach- ing the sermon, and was dismissed 24 Sept. 1834. He then removed to Greensboro, where he was acting pastor for 6 years, and was there installed Jan. 20, 1841. There he remained, till his death, which was occasioned by consumption, 27 Nov. 1850. He married 10 Sept. 1823, Lucy Curtis of Hanover, N. H., by whom he had 5 children. She died 29 June, 1832; and he married, 26 March, 1833, Sarah Orr of Bedford, N. H., by whom he had 2 children, one of whom, John Orr, died of a wound received at the battle of Pitts- burgh Landing. His 2d wife survived him, and died at Waverly, Ill., 29 Aug. 1858.
1. The Rev. Samuel Collins, was born in Lebanon Crank, (now Columbia,) Ct., in 1747. He was apprenticed to a trade, and did not commence study till he had passed the age of 21. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1775, was ordained pastor in Sandown, N. H., 27 Dec., 1780, and was dismissed April 30, 1788. Mr. Chapin's theology was strictly Calvin- istic. His sermons were very lucid and me- thodical, and in the delivery of them he was slow and deliberate, almost to a fault. He was proverbially punctual to meet every appointment, let the state of the weather, or of the road, be what it would. His advice He was installed Nov. 25, 1788, over the Pres- byterian church in Hanover Center. The Rev. Eden Burroughs, D. D. has been pastor of this church, but had renounced Presbyte- rianism, taking with him the greater part of the church and people. Mr. Collins became pastor of the remaining minority, and as a con- was much sought in the adjustment of eccle-
1
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siastical difficulties, for which he was well qualified by imperturbable calmness, pa- tience in investigation, and soundness of judgment. No one had more than he, of the confidence of the ministers and churches of Orleans County, nor did more to fashion them according to the puritan type.
3. The Rev. S. R. Hall. See Browington pastors.
4. The Rev. Edward Payson Wild, son of the Rev. Daniel and Huldah (Washburn) Wild, was born in Brookfield, Vt., 4 June, 1839. He fitted for college at Royalton Aca- demy and at Orange County Grammar School, and was graduated at Middlebury in 1860. He studied theology at Bangor, where he was graduated in 1863. He was licensed by Pe- nobscot Association, 12 July, 1864, and was ordained at Craftsbury, 11 Oct. 1865. The Rev. Daniel Wild, preached the sermon. He married, 2 Aug. 1865, Ruth S. Nichols of Braintree. His Fast day sermon, 10 April, 1868, was published.
NATIVE MINISTER.
The Rev. David Adams Grosvenor, young- est son of Nathan and Lydia (Adams) Gros- venor, was born 10 July, 1802. On the mother's side he was descended in the 6th generation from the Rev. James Fitch, the first settled minister in Norwich, Ct. His father was a deacon of the church in Crafts- bury, and afterwards became a minister. Before he was 12 years old his father died, leaving his mother with 6 children to train and educate, with very limited means-a praying, godly mother in Israel, whom he greatly revered and loved, cherished and as sisted, till her death, at the age of 89. He became pious at the age of 14, and soon en- tered upon a course of study for the ministry. He was graduated at Yale College in 1826, and then spent a year in Ellington, Ct., as principal of aclassical school. The next 3 years he was in Yale Theological Seminary, where he was graduated in 1830. For 9 months, in 1830-31, he supplied the pulpit of the Congregational church in Pomfret, Ct., and afterwards labored for several months in a revival of great interest and power in Wallingford, Ct.
where he was installed, 9 Feb. 1843, over the First Presbyterian Church in Elyria. His ministry in Elyria continued for about 10 years, and was terminated by a season of ill- ness which rendered him unable to preach for one year. In the Autumn of 1853, he be- came acting pastor of the First Congregation- al Church of Medina, where he continued for about 9 years. In both these fields his labors were successful. After his pastoral work in Medina ceased, he prosecuted an agency for many months in aid of Lake Erie Female Seminary, of which he had been from its commencement an active trustee, and greatly assisted in securing its endowment. Few ministers have done more than he to promote the cause of education. In each of the three places of his permanent ministry, he origin- ated and sustained a female seminary of a high order. For more than a year before his death he was agent for the Ætna Insurance Company. He died of cholera at Cincinnati, 11 Aug. 1866, after a sickness of only 24 hours.
In May, 1835, he married Sarah Whitney of Princeton, Mass., by whom he had one child, which died in infancy.
MINISTER'S WIFE.
Sarah C. Chapin, daughter of the Rev. William A. Chapin, and wife of the Rev. Henry Melville, was a native of Craftsbury.
BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Baptist church was formed in 1803, or '04, with some 10 or 12 members. For a few years they had no resident minister. The Rev. Samuel Churchill became their pastor about the year 1806, and retained that rela- tion some 5 or 6 years and then removed from the town.
From this time till about 1816, they had no resident minister. In 1815 or '16, Daniel Mason, one of the first settlers of the town was ordained pastor, which relation he held till the church was disorganized in January, 1828. From the time the church was organ- ized till about 1820, there were additions from time to time, when it numbered some 50 or 60 members, nearly half of whom were residents of Greensboro and Hardwick.
REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT EAST CRAFTSBURY.
He was ordained at Uxbridge, Mass., 6 June, 1831, as colleague pastor with the Rev. BY STEPHEN BABCOCK. Samuel Clark of the Second Congregational The Reformed Presbyterian Congregation of East Craftsbury had its origin in the or- church, (now First Evangelical.) He was dismissed in May, 1842, and removed to Ohio, ganization of a small society in the year
A
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1818. The society, which numbered only 10 or 12 members, was taken immediately under the pastoral charge of Rev. James Milligan, of Ryegate. The congregation continued to increase until 1833, when feeling itself suffi- ciently able to support a pastor alone, Samuel M. Wilson was called and ordained pastor over the congregation. In 1845, Rev. Sam- uel M. Wilson was called to another part of the church, and the congregation was left for a short time without an under Shepherd. In November, 1846, Renwick Z. Wilson, nephew of the former pastor, was ordained pastor of the congregation. In 1855, Rev. Renwick Z. Wilson resigned his charge, with the consent of the people, and then again the congrega- tion was left without a minister. It remain- ed so for nearly 2 years, when J. M. Armor was called and ordained to take the spiritual charge of the congregation. In 1865, Rev. J. M. Armor was appointed by the Board of Domestic Missions, to take charge of the mission school among the freedmen in Wash- ington, D. C .; consequently the congregation was again without a minister. In August, 1868, the present pastor, Rev. Arch. W. John- son was ordained pastor of the congregation. The congregation is in a prosperous condition and numbers about 70 members. The ruling officers in the congregation besides the pastor are Stephen Babcock, Aurelius Morse, James Mitchell and Leonard Harriman. There is quite a large and flourishing Sabbath School connected with the congregation, which has a very good library.
GRANTEES.
Timothy Newall, Ebenezer Crafts and their associates- about 20 in number-most of whom never settled here.
COLLEGIATES.
Gov. Sam'l C. Crafts was a graduate when he came to this town. There have gone from here to college-James A. Paddock, died in 1867, lawyer; Pliny M. Corbin, now cashier of a bank in Troy, N. Y ; Samuel P. Crafts, died 1824 or '25; Ed. A. Lawrence, Congre- gational minister, now in Marblehead, Mass; Benj. Clark, Robert Trumbull, Asa Whitney.
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